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Johnny Mad Dog 2008
Brutal, chilling, & terrifying. A marginally weaker final act is my only complaint. A beautifully shot and effortlessly powerful film about child soldiers. Too heavy & oppressive to recommend, but this is top-drawer world cinema.
SCORE: 8.5/10
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John Wick: Chapter 4 2023
The assassin rules & admin sections are so boring, and the dialogue is stale as fuck, but - as an action film - this is one of the biggest and best we've ever had.
Jaw dropping set-pieces, creative camerawork, insane stuntwork, looks unbelievably gorgeous (although all surface), tremendous fights, violent kills, big laughs, and a few confused WTFs (is this a superhero franchise now?)
Appreciate they're roping in more Asian action legends but the depiction of Japan (and Germany / France) is absolutely bonkers!
I can't believe that over half the runtime of a major studio picture is balls-to-the-wall action scenes. A real crowd-pleaser.
SCORE: 9/10
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Joy Ride 2023
The trailer makes this look so shit that I'm kinda embarrassed enjoyed it as much as I did!
Super crass, tonally schizophrenic, and a predictable plot for the most part (it's essentially 300 rude jokes sloppily strung together.) However, it got more laughs out of me than most films, the performances are fun, and at 90 mins there's no messing about. Surprisingly decent. 😈🍑
SCORE: 7/10
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The Sailor 2021
Well-shot, and has a very interesting central subject for a documentary. Misses a trick by focusing on 'present' Paul Johnson - in his frail / ailing twilight - and not more time diving into his fascinating past.
SCORE: 5.5/10
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Tokyo Story 1953
Tokyo Story: two pensioners from the country visit their children in the big smoke of Tokyo. The plot is almost non non-existent; as the plodding inconsequential family ‘drama’ (and I use that term very lightly) highlights the difference in values between the older – pre-WWII – generation and that of their children and grandchildren. To make matters even less exciting, the camerawork is dull, and for the most part, completely static – paired with plain & flat editing and direction. After…
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Berberian Sound Studio 2012
Berberian Sound Studio: A mild-mannered sound designer / foley artist is hired to work on an Italian Giallo (B-move slasher) film – and goes a bit mad in the process. The director is clearly fixated on the mechanics of period cinema: there’s a lot of shots of spinning reels, needles, gauges, readings, dials, etc. This is interesting for about 2 minutes. Then there’s the foley work where you see how everyday objects make unlikely sounds. This is interesting for about…
