Musician. Film nut. Faneditor. Beer snob.
Favorite films
Recent activity
AllPinned reviews
More-
Insomnia 1997
This is the original Norwegian film which Christopher Nolan would remake in 2002. Excluding the climax, events and characters more or less play out the same in both versions; stylistically, though, this is quite different (and mercifully free of Hilary Swank). Some camera play similarly conveys the sleeplessness of its protagonist; but where Nolan's approach could be quite jarring, here I found things more effective. One technique, in particular, reminded me of a scene in Coppola's The Conversation, where location…
-
Double Indemnity 1944
Overrated Wilder and overrated noir. I wasn't impressed when I first saw it years ago, but its reputation and my now-developed Wilder obsession demanded I give it another go. Sure, it's early noir, it ruffled and rolled around in the Hay(s code), and it's a prime example of the tropes that define the genre; but for me, it mainly amounts to a (nonetheless well-shot) drawn-out melodrama. People rave about Stanwyck, but I've never caught the bug and this definitely isn't…
Recent reviews
More-
Jack-Jack Attack 2005
I wonder if this was always intended as a short, or if the idea was built around deleted material. One can imagine Kari's trials being slotted into the film without the framing interrogation segments, although it does seem inevitable that it would have a negative impact on the pacing. We'd also lose the fun surprise of Jack Jack going super at a pivotal moment.
-
Auntie Edna 2018
Auntie Edna recycles a lot from the original Jack Jack Attack short, albeit with noticeable updates to animation. It's enjoyable and light, bite-sized entertainment, but it's nothing to regret missing. Some of the gags inevitably lose their "zing" for being seen somewhere before and we're at the disadvantage of knowing what to expect (somewhat) with Jack Jack's crazy abilities. Edna is also too close to being in control of the situation to provide as much chaos-driven amusement.
Popular reviews
More-
Phenomena 1985
Suspiria in blue with a bug-fueled-Carrie, a psychotic ape, and an obnoxious pop-and-rock-driven soundtrack.
Argento, wah?
Script-wise this works a lot better for me than Suspiria, but most of the soundtrack is a tragic misfire and Phenomena isn't nearly as visually arresting. Not quite the atmosphere-dripping horror-fest I was hoping for. Never scary, often funny. Surprise decapitation is always welcome though.
There are a few cuts of this around, but I watched whatever BFI had available, which I'll presume was…
-
Parasite 2019
Watched with Tom!! 🚀.
I really liked Parasite, but it's not a great film; I completely understand the hype, but I feel that its popularity is based on a mixture of Bong having successfully built up a reputation over the years, breaking into the western scene most recently, having the right distributors attached and ultimately presenting people with a film that is original and surprising.
However, original + surprising does not necessarily a good film make.
I think I would…
