Letterboxd — Your life in film

So, you're watching Back to the Future and Marty breaks a scooter to turn it into a skateboard and it's awesome and Biff gets covered in shit, and then you're watching Back to the Future Part 2 and pretty much the same thing happens, only Griff has "implants" and there are hoverboards, and Griff is in deep metaphorical shit and it's still awesome because of the differences? That's Star Trek Into Darkness. It's a worthy follow up to 2009s Star…

'For a few to be immortal, many must die.'

Yes, the car crash is bad, and yes, JT isn't the best leading man. Yes, the time puns are frequent and often cheesy (I'm okay with this), and yes, more could have been done with the concept. HOWEVER, it's a damn handsome movie (a dry run for Deakins shooting on digital before Skyfall with slick costume design from Colleen Atwood), it knows how silly it's being when it's being silly, and…

'Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea.'

Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea. Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea. Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea. Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea. Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea. Fish. And Plankton. And sea greens. And protein from the sea. Fish. And Plankton.…

'Why does the Earth have colors?'

This movie is so hilariously self-indulgent it hurts. At this point Malick embraced every little idiosyncrasy he has as a filmmaker, constantly cutting away from what seems like it could be important, favoring whispered stream-of-consciousness voice overs to dialogue, taking the emotional connection of the actors for granted. It shouldn't really work, it shouldn't be all that satisfying, but it manages to be.

I did watch the extended cut, so that may have contributed…

'No crying, y'hear?'

This film is majestic, engaging, fantastical, dreamlike and socially relevant. If that doesn't appeal, then damn. It's no wonder it took the festival circuit by storm, especially coming from nowhere - Benh Zeitlin is definitely going to be feeling the pressure when it comes to his follow-up feature, but I'm really excited to see what he does next.

The central father-daughter relationship really absolutely makes the film. Usually it would bother me that such a young child…

'Mummy was very bad.'

My hopes were high for this movie, and I wasn't disappointed. It's one of the most handsome movies I've ever seen, and consistently so. On top of which, each setting is gorgeous, atmospheric and quintessentially Bond.

The story focused on Judi Dench's M here, she's the catalyst for craziness that goes down, and it's good to have drama linked so strongly to someone that Bond has a close relationship with. It's why Casino Royale resonated, why…

'The movies that you're dressing like are just copying other movies.'

Okay, so: Joe is a Looper, Loopers kill folks sent back through time for crime syndicates in the future, they get a big payday when the person they kill is themselves - referred to as 'closing your loop' - at which point they have 30 years to live in luxury before being sent back to be killed. Oh, and certain members of the human population have started developing low-level…

'You look ready.'

This film is easily compared with The Raid, which has essentially the same setup, without the bells and whistles of futuristic drugs and sexy psychic Olivia Thirlby. The Raid, being a relatively low budget martial arts flick, impressed me more. The Raid overcame a neat but slim premise by being extremely creative with its action, not just in its fight choreography, but with the basic setups of each individual conflict. Dredd was brutal, and entertaining, but ultimately…

'Unfortunately I misjudged you, you are just a stupid policeman...'

The movie that started it all, and it's easy to see why. Most of the key elements of what we know as Bond are already in place, from the familiar phrases to the flirting with Moneypenny. However, because it's the first big screen outing for Bond it isn't anywhere near as formulaic as latter Bonds would become.

Things really get good upon the arrival at Crab Key. Up to that…

'It is not the violence that sets a man apart, alright, it is the distance that he's prepared to go.'

Some people cannot stand Shia LaBeouf. I am not one of those people. Those who intensely dislike the guy may find some enjoyment in his being beaten to a pulp in this movie. More than once. The rest of us can enjoy what is a pretty strong central performance; LaBeouf's character, Jack, is a sniveling punk from the start that…

The trailer for this movie really grabbed me. I'm a sucker for heavily stylized visuals and 80s throwbacks with pulsing scores. The trailer promised a mood and aesthetic I was totally on board with, and it delivered on that front, but not on others. It was needlessly self-indulgent in its minimalism, and although it was clear that the sparse dialogue and vague allusions to unseen story elements were in service of the overall feel - I wanted more. I couldn't…