Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Holy Smoke 1999

  ★★★½ Watched 26 May 2023

  It’s difficult to see why Jane Campion wanted to make Holy Smoke until about an hour into the film, after which it clicks very quickly into place and becomes, for me at least, impossible to look away from. That recommendation, for better and worse, is what it is from me, and hopefully the star rating is still enough to convince you to watch it sometime, though at least I’m being honest about what the setup/payoff ratio was, perhaps in the wake…

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  16 Shots 2018

  ★★★½ Watched 25 May 2023

  All the training and funding in the world and they’re still too scared to do anything but shoot on sight

  Make sure you stick around for the last three lines before the credits roll. Chilled me to the bone

Popular reviews

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  The Society of the Spectacle 1974

  ★★★ Watched 06 Jan 2020

  I often wonder how and why Debord made a film of his work. On one hand, Society of the Spectacle is a seminal work on media, and film had been steadily rising as the primary form of media consumed by the average consumer. Debord insisted that we would have to speak the language of the spectacle in order to hijack it and eventually tear down the whole arrangement, so it makes sense that he would adapt to his times and…

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  Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies 2022

  ★★½ Watched 08 Dec 2022

  Maybe a child raised by liars would still sound like one herself while trying to tell the truth. The first bias we have to get through when talking about this trial is our own. What’s more plausible: a mother killing her own child, or cops protecting ex-cops? That depends on what you think of women, what you think of cops, and how badly you may need a target. I get that it’s hard to believe her; some of the body…