Favorite films

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Pinned reviews

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  Leviathan 2012

  ★★★★½ Watched by Jacob Powell 31 Jul 2013

  Figuratively and literally an immersive film, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel’s irriguous documentary LEVIATHAN is equal parts cinematic feature and experimental video art. Despite common associations of intellectual abstraction with that latter assignation, any academic-philosophic goals of this unique work are met via a complete surrender to the pure, visceral seagoing experience. In making this choice the filmmaker-artist-researcher duo have ironically created one of the most stunning examples of abstract cinematic art brought to the big screen.

  The entire film…

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  Leviathan 2014

  ★★★★½ Watched by Jacob Powell 28 Jul 2014

  While Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev missed out on the 2014 Palme d'Or, instead taking home the Best Screenplay award (with co-writer Oleg Negin) for LEVIATHAN, he wasn't far behind the competition's supreme winner, WINTER SLEEP. Working with a similar level of rigour and harnessing uniquely beautiful locations, Zvyagintsev offers his own view on power imbalance with this small town David-vs-Goliath tale. Unlike Nuri Bilge Ceylan's film, though, his protagonist comes from the other side of the tracks.

  Kolya (Aleksei Serebryakov)…

Recent reviews

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  Æon Flux 2005

  ★★½ Rewatched by Jacob Powell 26 Jun 2022

  I used to watch Æon Flux in the 90s on LIQUID TV (which probably played via our short-lived local MTV feed) with a friend who is an animator. We both dug the style and chaotic nature of the stories (like the fact that Æon often died at the end of episodes just to be respawned in the next with no mention - as later mirrored as a more self-conscious and more frequent feature in SOUTH PARK with Kenny).

  The film…

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  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2016

  ★★★½ Rewatched by Jacob Powell 24 Jun 2022

  Finally wrapped up the SW movies for the kids. I do like the various ways they connect this to the wider story both before and after. Kids consensus is that Donnie Yen is the man: word.

Popular reviews

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  Meander 2020

  ★★ Watched by Jacob Powell 05 Dec 2020 1

  Meet CUBE's shitty younger cousin, TUBE.

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  Safety Not Guaranteed 2012

  ★★★★ Watched by Jacob Powell 10 Oct 2012 1

  Excellent indie rom-com with more feel-good factor than I expected but it carries it well. Ostensibly a time-travel piece (genre flavour of the month!) the film's primary interest is in subverting mainstream rom-com tropes and character stereotypes; a goal which it achieves most admirably. Fun, funny, and possessed of an honest warmth lacking from many Hollywood productions of this nature, even the broad, physical comedy in this worked for me. Well worth seeing. Also, Aubrey Plaza...swoon.