Wildlife (Paul Dano, 2018)
Solid nuanced film with strong performances that make it quietly emotionally stirring. A very good debut.
Unbreakable (M. Night Shyamalan, 2000)
Confident and assured in how it handles mythology and the ridiculous in such a serious, human way. Low-key, shot with aplomb, a beautiful little films in so many ways.
28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002)
Too frantic and lacking in any sort of formal consistency. Admirable in what it achieves on a low-budget but not enjoyable for me.
Sunshine (Danny Boyle, 2007)
Didn't expect to like this especially tackling sci-fi/horror territory that feels very familiar, but I found myself gripped by the suspense. Even with the drastic tonal shift, it still just about worked.
Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016)
A beautiful sensual film, as its title suggest painting an erotic masterfully crafted portrait that really is packed with emotion. Gorgeous and affecting, I can see why so many people love this.
American Gigolo (Paul Schrader, 1980)
A fantastic Paul Schrader double-bill. I caught
Gigolo on TV and was blown away, the style, the music, just my type of film. Every frame, every scene oozing with style. Essentially a modern day
Pickpocket with the most pleasantly surprising element being the emotional impact the ending had on me.
Cat People (Paul Schrader, 1982)
Enjoying it so much I finally got round to watching
Cat People which had always intrigued me as a fan of the Tourneur original and the David Bowie song, so masterfully used by Tarantino in
Inglourious Basterds. This film is a completely different beast but once again Schrader manages to create a visual erotically charged film that I totally got on board with.
Primal Fear (Gregory Hoblit, 1996)
Nothing of note in the direction (see how Lumet uses the camera in
12 Angry Men for example) and could see what was happening from a mile away. I admire Ed Norton but I struggle with performances like this where actors depict disabled characters.
Starship Troopers (Paul Verhoeven, 1997)
Essentially the anti-
Top Gun, a proper adult film taking attack on modern industrial complex/warfare whilst fully embracing the cinematic possibilities available in such a film. Verhoeven uses effects amazingly, edits sequences brilliantly, gives us videos within films, great dialogue etc. It's the type of film that makes me so happy because it's such a great showcase for the medium.
Good Time (Joshua Safdie, Benny Safdie, 2017)
Big fan of
Uncut Gems but was disappointed with this. The story and the characters weren't likeable and I found everything quite disorientating and uninteresting, not really caring about the stakes unlike
Gems.