Letterboxd — Your life in film

Jim Henson. Just the name alone conjures wonderfully vivid memories of fantastical creatures, anarchic humour and countless hours of enjoyment had whilst sitting in front of one of his many creations. For anybody in their 30s and early 40s his work left an indelible mark on their childhood and even in adult life I still have a great affection for all the films, television programmes and colourful characters he helped bring to life. One such creation left a significant impression…

Dead of Winter is a blackmail thriller directed by Arthur Penn that suffers from a silly plot and even sillier characters. Mary Steenburgen stars as a young actress who is called to a remote home for a screen test. However, it doesn’t take her long to discover this is no ordinary audition and that her life is in danger when she has to pretend to be a dead woman to extort money from the deceased’s sister.

Even the best thrillers…

I specifically held off from watching Laputa until the first day of the new year, 2013, despite owning the Blu-Ray for about a week now. I wanted to start the new year with the last Miyazaki I had yet to watch, that is until his new movie is released later this year, and it is a decision I am very glad to have made. Laputa: Castle in the Sky is a magical experience, as encapsulating and awe-inspiring as any of…

To be a bit more precise I'll give this film a rating of 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209
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For those who have read any of my previous Ghibli reviews it probably comes to no surprise that I think The Secret World of Arrietty is a stunning work of art and one that is currently severely underappreciated. The thing with their movies that has always enchanted me is how different each and every one of them is. There are of course recurring themes such as the lack of anything purely evil and villainous or the heroine that has to…

Harrowing tale of a young man and his sister's struggle for survival towards the end of World War II. Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most important films of all time due to the subject matter and the way it approaches it. The film is, unlike any of the other Ghibli films, very bleak and calm. It is filled with haunting images that are deeply disturbing and moving.

Like all the other Ghibli films, Grave of the Fireflies…

Given the talent in front of and behind the camera, Carnage was a film I expected to like a lot more than I did. No doubt the claustrophobic set and close audience proximity would make for a far more engrossing experience on stage but at home I found it all rather dull and predictable. It is deliberately theatrical and I get the way it satirises and breaks down the fake-civility of modern society whereby the world of the adults is…