Favorite films

Pinned reviews

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  Oppenheimer 2023

  ★★★★½ Watched 22 Jul 2023 2

  I have misgivings about him but few directors could make a three-hour biographical drama as awe-inspiring, nerve-shredding and of such intense spectacle as Christopher Nolan. With Oppenheimer, he has delivered his most accomplished, and uncomfortably powerful, film.

  This isn’t a triumphant tale of one man’s greatest achievement. It’s a reckoning with momentous and catastrophic choices. It’s those intense feelings of guilt and uncertainty blown up for the IMAX screen, a screen often centred on Cillian Murphy’s haunted expression. 

  I shouldn’t…

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  Barbie 2023

  ★★★★ Watched 21 Jul 2023 4

  Despite the strength and persistence of its marketing campaign, I did have a slight fear that Barbie would be a sickly advertisement disguised as cinema – it is based on a corporation's most famous product after all. Thankfully, Greta Gerwig is far too talented to develop a shallow and vapid piece of brand worship. In fact, she has directed a hypnotically vibrant and bold production that is subversive and insightful in its own uniquely invigorating way.

  At its core, Barbie is…

Recent reviews

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  Past Lives 2023

  ★★★★½ Watched 14 Sep 2023

  Past Lives is one of the greatest debuts I've ever seen. It's a film that leaves you yearning for something that can never be and desperate to relive memories that refuse to fade. Celine Song's direction is exact but not clinical, and captures both the beauty and isolation of our protagonists' surroundings. It’s a piece that wouldn't work if the two performances at its centre weren't as finely tuned as the direction. Thankfully, Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are able…

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  Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence 2023

  ★★★½ Rewatched 11 Sep 2023

  Stolen Youth is a bizarre and disturbing account of indoctrination. The exploitation of vulnerability is at the centre of the piece, with director Zach Heinzerling utilising recordings from within the cult to devastating effect. They illuminate the discomforting manipulation and abuse carried out by the cult's leader, a peculiar figure who has seemingly rubbed shoulders with former heads of state. The documentary is driven by those who were manipulated, the fascinating but horrendous experiences of which are handled with empathy and care, and is consistently engaging despite its deliberate pace.

Popular reviews

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  Lot 36 2022

  ★★½ Watched 27 Oct 2022 1

  It’s hard not to be excited about a horror anthology curated by the great Guillermo del Toro, though by its very nature I imagine the quality will vary. Lot 36 is not the most auspicious start, failing to make the most out of its limited runtime. Tim Blake Nelson is effective as the bitter, bigoted Nick Appleton, and we are eventually treated to some creatively designed but not well polished monster effects. Unfortunately, the film just doesn’t muster up enough intrigue or suspense to justify spending time with such an unlikeable protagonist.

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  Athena 2022

  ★★★★½ Watched 24 Sep 2022 8

  Athena is a technical marvel with an unflinching grasp on its dynamic spectacle. Preoccupied with a subject of great poignance, director Romain Gavras captures ferocious rebellion with a confidence rarely seen in modern cinema. The most astounding thing about the picture is that it (mostly) manages to sustain the incredible intensity infused by its hypnotic opening. 

  Ill-judged ending aside, this is one of the best films of the year, so of course it has just been dumped on Netflix with very little marketing. Athena is a piece of work crying out to be viewed on the biggest screen possible.