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Surveillance
Soul
Another touching Pixar tale from Pete Docter. Stylish and inspiring.
29th Dec 2020
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The Christmas Chronicles
Perfect Christmas movie that sails close to the wind of parody without getting swept away.
26th Dec 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsA Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood
Thoughtful, stylish drama with a zen central performance.
17th Oct 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsOnward
Inspiring, tightly scripted gem - overlooked by lockdown.
4th Oct 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Deer Hunter
Beautifully imagined and lovingly restored, but it still alternates between a snail's pace and feeling like a trailer edit.
12th Aug 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsApollo 11
Magnificent documentary, re-assembling the moon landing from beautifully remastered footage.
14th Jun 2020
Read more 4 star reviewsMarriage Story
Quintessential indie movie ...funded by Netflix. Great perfs, lovely camera work and solid direction.
22nd Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsWidows
Superior modern thriller. Smart script and accomplished direction.
15th Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Irishman
Long, slow, thoroughly enjoyable loose jam through Scorsese/DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci/Keitel’s greatest hits.
2nd Dec 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsJoker
Batman via Scorsese, in impeccably art directed, neatly packaged origin story.
28th Nov 2019
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Blackkklansman
Rock solid 90s style indie movie. Beautifully assembled at all levels.
31st May 2019
Read more 4 star reviewsLady Bird
Pacey, emotional, old-fashioned indie pic. Beautifully observed.
15th Dec 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Well crafted character study, with some nice touches.
10th Nov 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsPrivate Life
Intense indie drama from Netflix. Impeccably acted and directed.
27th Oct 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsWind River
Incredible, tense, original thriller. A western with snowmobiles.
14th Mar 2018
Read more 4 star reviewsBright
Left-field genre mash-up that pitches itself just right. Solid action, good humour. Thoroughly enjoyable.
25th Dec 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsMoana
Flawless new-generation animation from Disney. Action, heart, comedy and very catchy songs.
6th Aug 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsNocturnal Animals
Intense, terrifying, riveting thriller from Tom Ford. Great performances and assured direction.
22nd Jul 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsCaptive
Intense, borderline arthouse Canadian kidnap drama from Atom Egoyan. Ryan Reynolds impresses.
8th Jul 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsHell or High Water
Classic western tropes burn slowly to an intense finale. Classic Jeff Bridges.
12th May 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsCaptain Fantastic
Stylish, thought-provoking indie contemplating the weighty responsibilities of parenthood.
22nd Apr 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsDemolition
Accomplished character piece. Almost stretches itself a bit thin, but it's stylish enough to transcend.
18th Mar 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsDrugstore Cowboy
Quintessential Gus Van Zant. Great art direction, acting and photography. Possibly better with age.
7th Mar 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsI Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Confident indie comedy-thriller that pitches itself perfectly.
4th Mar 2017
Read more 4 star reviewsThe Lego Batman Movie
Brutally fast paced meta-fest, backed up by the most sensible bat-plot for a long time.
16th Feb 2017
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Joy
Inventive ensemble drama, as David O. Russell takes another shot at Scorsese's crown. Great soundtrack too.
7th Jan 2017
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Rogue One
A Star Wars Story
Second viewing and it's still holding together well. The third act is incredible.
22nd Dec 2016
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ROGUE ONE
A STAR WARS STORY
Impeccable world building and a nail biting finale mark a solid expansion of the universe.
18th Dec 2016
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Midnight Special
From 3 minutes in this was the best film I've seen in ages. Nostalgic indie sci-fi.
13th Dec 2016
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Spotlight
Worthy, watertight journo movie. Full of great performances, but staying well between the lines.
21st Nov 2016
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The Nice Guys
LA Confidential meets The Big Lebowski in the best way possible. Great turns from Reynolds and Crowe.
4th Nov 2016
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Room
Intense indie drama. Pacing is a little lopsided, but the sentiment and strong performances carry it through.
24th Sep 2016
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Beginners
Thoughtful, creative, mainstream indie from Mike Mills. Lovingly performed and put together.
8th Aug 2016
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Samsara
It's familiar ground , but this Baraka sequel hypnotises with embarrassing images of poverty and consumerism.
26th Jun 2016
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Macbeth
Ambitious, arty, sumptuous take on the old classic. I still got a bit lost but Fassbender remains entrancing.
18th Jun 2016
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Radiohead
Roundhouse
There's a midlife crisis going on, but great visuals and a stellar back catalogue keep it exciting.
26th May 2016
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48 Hours
Dated buddy cop movie that wrote many of today's movie cliches. Dated, but still brutal and funny.
16th Apr 2016
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Lush
Oslo, London
Shoegaze-heavy warm up gig for a long overdue comeback tour. Still generating a hypnotic wall of sound.
12th Apr 2016
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Inside Out
Intense emotional rollercoaster, with Pixar's Pete Doctor perfectly navigating a complex concept.
26th Mar 2016
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Son of a Gun
Text book Aussie crime pic. Hoons, cars, guns - gripping and full of decent turns.
10th Mar 2016
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The Revenant
Brutal survivalist western. Magnificently ambitious and suffering only from being a little uneven.
22nd Jan 2016
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Star Wars
The Force Awakens
Stylish remix, successfully handing the series over to a new gen of fans and characters.
19th Dec 2015
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Greenberg
Accomplished indie that's getting better with age. Rich, 3D characters and performances.
5th Dec 2015
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Instrument
Sprawling collage, documenting over a decade of life inside Fugazi. Arty, and intense, just like the band.
25th Oct 2015
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The Color of Money
Overlooked gem from Scorsese’s doldrums. Heavy on film school tricks and filled with good turns.
Halliwell says: Slackly told but consistently enjoyable adventures of Fast Eddie Felson in his older age.**
#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF
#Halliwell
8th Oct 2015
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A Most Violent Year
Classy, intense, small-scale crime epic from J.C. Chandor. Great automobile art direction too.
22nd Sep 2015
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Side Effects
Taught, unpredictable thriller. Well played and masterfully directed by Steven Soderbergh.
30th Aug 2015
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Boyhood
There's less novelty the second time round, but this unique film benefits and even seems less contrived.
20th Jun 2015
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Kagemusha
Slow 80s samurai doppelganger pic from Akira Kurosawa, which seems all the more epic in the post-CGI world.
19th Jun 2015
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The Departed
Scorsese's remake makes up for its lack of subtlety through pure bombast. Di Caprio's career highlight.
6th Jun 2015
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