Letterboxd — Your life in film

Like so many sequels are, this is bigger and louder version of the original film. Swapping the home for the city, Kevin is now alone and forced to fend for himself in the big and scary New York City. The setup is pretty much exactly the same as the first film, the narrative also follows the same pattern - the first two acts establish Kevin as quick-witted and charming and the finale sees him throw bricks about with zero regard…

A tough and grueling experience riddled with expressionism and strong metaphors. Dancing from traditional forms of narrative storytelling to more ambiguous and artistic styles, but always sticking close to the thematic heart of the story. A poignant depiction of the cruel and cold world of human trafficking.

Without wasting any time, the film opens with the brutal slaughter of a pig. It's an ugly struggle that makes for an uncomfortable watch. The scene that follows sees a line up of…

A pillar of Christmas cinema, highlighting the importance of family, the sanctity of the home all with huge splashes of extreme comic book violence. We're shown the world through the eyes of young Kevin, he is charming, witty and mischievous. Naive to the problems of the world yet somehow more than capable of coping with them.

By now the film has a reputation as being something of a thrill-a-minute kid vs bad guys extravaganza, but this takes up only a…

A suicidal recovering drug addict stumbles through his remaining hours as he searches for a purpose and reason to keep on going. It is as glum and grim as that sounds, yet still manages to craft a feeling of sympathy towards Anders.

Anders engages in several activities and finds himself in a range of situations that are commonplace in the lives of most people. Deep and thoughtful conversations, chance romantic encounters, job interviews and the like. Rather than re-charging his…

A frantic and frenetic martial arts melee of high octane stunts and choreography, with a little bit of plot as well. The narrative structure exists simply to prevent the film from becoming a highlight reel of incredible death defying no-wire action. The plot revolves around the task of rescuing a stone head that carries with some sort of religious/ceremonial significance, and some gangsters have it and they're just generally disrespectful... so it's nice to see them get an elbow or…

Despite being born several decades too late too claim this evokes feelings of nostalgia - something within it provokes a sort of collective memory, the stiff upper lip and emotionally repressed England that elderly relatives and grandparents may have experienced . A side of England that might still exist in forgotten pockets of the home counties, but has been preserved for the ages in works such as this - which in an odd way only further perpetuates the stereotype of…

Directorial debut from Dave Franco which sees a pair of young couples battling with their own insecurities and fears of infidelity in a luxurious rented beach house. Certainly a tale of two tones, the first half of the film concerning itself with a slow and steady build of characters and situation, and the second half becoming more like a typical slasher/thriller film. Whilst the first half excels in crafting a gang of largely unlikable characters - the manner in which…

Not even 5% as interesting or intelligent as it seems to think it is. At it's best it's a cheap and uninspired homage to film noir, at it's worst its an unintelligible mess. Crashing from reality to fantasy at random, disregarding commonsense and logic along the way. Stylistically it's a mashup of late 90s/early 00s bleak Fincher-esque aesthetic and a Nine Inch Nails music video - but able to do absolutely nothing with these templates, just remind you of how…

Another comedy-horror from the director of the 'Happy Death Day' films. It's always a difficult task to blend these opposing genres, one typically dominates over the other and nullifies the scares or the laughs, something that Happy Death Day handled rather well. Yet here it doesn't quite gel in the same way.

The premise is funny and interesting enough. Being able to feel both playful and self-reflexive as the persona of the powerful and lumbering killer is transported into the…

The subtext is laid on pretty thickly, to the point that it ceases to feel either pointed or poignant and becomes a little ridiculous. There is something strange inside of Jesse, trying to escape from within him - and he does all he can to prevent this "thing" from emerging. It causes him to feel alienated from his family, friends and prevents him from having any physical intimacy with his girlfriend.

It's nothing new for a slasher film, or a…

Eerie Estonian surreal mixture of fairytales and folklore told via intense black and white cinematography and a bizarre sense of humor. Whilst there is a plot at the heart of the film, it seems to function on a scene to scene, moment to moment, basis. Crafting varying feelings and thoughts through its inventive use of composition and camera movement, weaving the fantastic into the mundane. It's a style that lends itself perfectly to analysis but is also able to function…

Despite the huge cast and decision to shoot on 70mm, this remains a strangely intimate film. The majority of the film being set in a remote and isolated cabin, the wide angle lens shifts the screen into a stage. Allowing for the spectator to analyse far corners of the room, or the body language of a character cast far away in the shadows - it's a stylistic choice of which the intentions are to heighten the sense of claustrophobia and…