Letterboxd — Your life in film

"I'm not sorry." - Charles Foster Kane

Charles Foster Kane. What a character. A staggeringly complex and ambiguous protagonist if there ever was one. I'd go so far as to say he's up there with Daniel Plainview. Because, from where I'm looking at it, Citizen Kane is the There Will Be Blood of its time.

And, thing is, it's far ahead of its time. Opening with a hypnotic, almost horror-movie feel in a dying man's final moments, and following this…

I hate this movie for all its cutesy quoting of Wrath of Khan while trying and spectacularly failing to sublet its gravitas. I hate it for casting the whitest actor on Earth as a man named Khan Noonien Singh. I hate it for the way that every shot in the back half is a three-ring circus of lens flares, cluttered sets, and CGI embellishments. I hate it for turning Spock into Sheldon from "The Big Bang Theory". I hate it…

PTAbro's World Tour Stop 12: Czechoslovakia

Charming, infectious, and completely unhinged, Daisies is a difficult film to pin down, both in the vague story it tells, and in a focused reaction to it. Its two boisterous leads portray self-described 'spoiled girls' and finding fault in their performances is virtually impossible. Whether they're taking advantage of men who are (rightfully) smitten with them to gain a free meal before sending them off on to the unknown via a mysterious (and popular)…

Film Number 11 on PinHeadLarry145's 30 Days 30 Countries Film Challenge!

China/Hong Kong, 1994.

Last night there was a light drizzle. It was late. I was eating Chinese food. And then about halfway through, I realized that this would be the perfect time to watch a Wong Kar-Wai film. And the I also realized that Chungking Express was sitting unwatched in my list for the 30 Days 30 Countries Challenge. I guess you could say that this moment was a…

Prometheus is a film with many questions, and not so many answers. And you know what? That's how I like my movies. A story where your mind and imagination can fill in any gaps in the story and provide a whole new angle to every individual viewer.

This is not a perfect film. But it is a fucking marvellous one.

It is the best looking Sci-fi film since Blade Runner. The costumes, sets and scenery are up there with cinemas…

Another Sunday afternoon review in the books.
I kinda like waking up and watching classic movies on Sunday mornings. I might do this from now on.

This particular morning I watched the classic 1979 film Alien for the first time in a few years and also for first time ON BLURAY! It looked beautiful. There is something about Ridley Scott movies on BluRay...

And after my early morning viewing, I am STILL convinced of one thing I've been certain of…

Seven Psychopaths is a case of difficult second movie syndrome for director, Martin McDonagh, and whilst it is probably destined for cult status, just as In Bruges was, it is a far less satisfying experience. This is a messy and self-reflexive story about a struggling Irish writer, Marty, and his difficulties with completing his latest script (also called Seven Psychopaths). Throw in the kidnapping of a mob boss’ dog and Marty’s unstable and psychopathic best friend and you’ve got a…

"It's a hard world for little things."

I read in multiple places that The Night of the Hunter was a critical and commercial failure when it was released in the United States way back in 1955. After finally seeing this dark little gem after years of procrastination, I can fully understand HOW it would've been a failure but I still don't know WHY.

The Night of the Hunter is just inches short of being a masterpiece. A truly one of…

Wow...this was unexpected indeed...

Now, I'd probably be the first to admit I don't like the original LOTR trilogy, though I liked ROTK but that's it. Not a Ringer at all, but I still wanted to give this a chance. I remember loving the animated movie as a kid. Who knows, I might like this I thought. Plus, it's got Martin Freeman so there's that.

Needless to say, I really dug the hell out of it.
In fact, I loved…

David Fincher is a director who knows how to show the darker side of human nature. From the cerebral and disturbing "Se7en" to the subversive "Fight Club" he uncovers a filthy, dangerous underbelly of society.
When it came to remaking Niels Arden Oplev's 2009 film of Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy bestseller, only one man could have done it justice. Fincher's English language remake carries a menace rarely seen in recent Hollywood thrillers. Sinister and darkly brutal this isn't an easy…

PTAbro's World Tour Stop 14: Turkey

An ouroboric tale of twisting relationships, shared acquaintances, and converging plotlines, The Edge of Heaven is a spectacularly involving film highlighting the juxtaposition of an increasingly globalized society with decreasingly connected families. It's a macro/micro study of human relationships, and full of great performances. From Turkey to Germany and back, director Fatih Akin manages to craft an emotional tale of alienation, both political and familial, and delights in the convoluted interweaving of the three…

[Review is for the "Assembly Cut" as found on the Blu-ray set.]

I decided to watch this again more or less on a whim and while I'm glad I gave it another look I can't say that my feelings about this fascinting, frustrating film has changed all that much. That said, the "Assembly Cut"—an attempt to recreate director David Fincher's original cut of the movie made without his participation (or, I'm guessing, his approval)—offers a substantial improvement over the theatrical…

Check your brain at the door as you won’t need it for the next two hours. Fast Five was a genuine surprise back in 2011 as it ditched the repetitive street racing of the previous films to deliver a frenetic heist movie full of wit and invention. Furious 6 abandons the dumb Day-Glo delights of its predecessor for a darker, although no less retarded, story that gets bogged down in the bland and convoluted mythology of the franchise.

This time…

I think Fox made two mistakes.
1.They hired the wrong director. (John McTiernan is the man who can make a real Die Hard movie, not John Moore).
2.There must of been a mix up with the script's and by the time they realised this it was too late.

I cannot believe they have finally ruined a great franchise. Ok Die Hard 4.0 was not bad and it did have some over the top moments but this was just terrible.
This…

PTAbro's World Tour Stop 11: Hungary

"The world has gone completely mad. Now it's not down here, but up there where something's gone wrong."

János is a simple man; a servant and an idealist. Always being tasked with jobs no one else wants to do, like putting unruly children to bed or delivering an ultimatum to his closest friend from his conniving ex-wife, it is poetic that what he's actually paid to do is deliver the news that no one…

Film #1 in the 30 Countries Challenge: Senegal

This may be the first African film that I have seen, and I now feel immensely upset for having overlooked the films of this continent. Touki Bouki, also known as Journey of the Hyena, is a very static filma about post-colonial feelings in Senegal. The films two main protagonists, Mory and Anta, are university students that have become disillusioned by life in Senegal and seek change. They feel that it would be…