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The Teachers' Lounge (2023) dir Ilker Çatak Leonie Benesch plays a teacher, Carla, at a German school where there have been a series of thefts. Only small amounts of money have been taken, but someone is clearly making a habit of it. She teaches a class of 11 and 12 year olds. One is accused of being the thief, but she senses the accusation is false and borne out of another kids prejudice. The school handles it badly. She then has an idea, sets a trap and gets pretty conclusive evidence of who the real thief is. She confronts them hoping they can put an end to it without having to report the suspect, but they deny everything. Then the whole situation just spirals out of control, with counter accusations, further suspicion, protests, people not knowing the full story jumping to the wrong conclusion, etc, etc. Throughout all this Carla tries to do the right thing, keeping things confidential, that if she actually revealed would make life far easier for her, and so on. It's well acted, particularly by Benesch who I have seen previously in the excellent TV series Babylon Berlin. I found the child actors all quite good too, largely because they are just being normal kids. This is not the sort of drama where kids do adult things, like solving crimes, or coming to the rescue of someone in danger. They just do what you would expect kids that age to do in that situation. In some ways its quite a simple drama, no thrills, no special effects, not that much tension at first. But it does build up the tension quite subtlety for something which, at the end of the day, is quite a minor crime to something that seems bigger. The ending was a bit confusing to me. I can't say much without spoilers but it was not what I expected and I thought the story would go on a passed where it ended. I'm not sure what point the film makers where trying to make with this ending. But it was very interesting none-the-less. 8 / 10

What I Watched This Week #150 (Nov 11-17) The African Queen dir. John Huston/1951/1h45m The African Queen stars Katharine Hepburn as Rose, a missionary in Africa at the outbreak of WWI. When her brother is killed by the Germans she persuades a drunken riverboat captain, Charlie (Humphrey Bogart), to take her down river and blow up a German gunboat. This is a fun adventure movie with a large part of it shot on location, which was unusual for the time, making it stand out from other films of the era. But what really makes this movie are the two lead performances and the chemistry between Hepburn and Bogart. Hepburn is fantastic here as a woman who discovers her love of adventure after a life of quiet devotion to the lord. One scene in particular stands out – as they are boating down some white water rapids she is laughing in delight even though she is also terrified, it perfectly captures her newfound lust for life. The romance is predictable but done with real charm and affection that makes it work, and it culminates in one of the funniest wedding scenes I've seen. 8/10 A King in New York dir. Charlie Chaplin/1957/1h44m Chaplin's penultimate film sees him play King Shadov, deposed ruler of a fictional European country seeking refuge in New York where he soon becomes a celebrity. But before long he is accused of being a Communist after helping out a Marx obsessed schoolboy, Rupert, played by his son Michael. This is deeply personal for Chaplin as he was exiled from the USA in 1952 after being accused of being a Communist himself. This gives the film a melancholic air as he truly loved America, the country that allowed him to make something of himself after his poverty stricken childhood in Victorian England. Despite that he still managed to make a very funny film here, with the scene at the boy's school where he first meets Rupert being a highlight. There are also glimpses of his physical comedy from his silent era, but being nearly 70 at this time he has lost a bit of the sharpness he once had. Not on the level of his two masterpiece talkies, The Great Dictator and Limelight, this is still a great late film from one of the true geniuses of cinema. 8/10 Wish dir. Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn/2023/1h35m The most recent Disney film at time of writing, Wish stars Ariana DeBose as Asha, a young woman in a magical land called Rosas where wishes have power. One day she makes a wish so strong that it summons a star down from the sky and the two set out to topple the evil King Magnifico (Chris Pine). The main thing that stands out about this film is the art style, with the backgrounds going for a hand painted look while the characters are cel shaded models that reminded me of the character style from the TellTale Walking Dead Games. Taken on their own each is fine, with some quite beautiful work at times, but the two don't really mesh and makes the characters feel disconnected from the world. This film's biggest sin is just being plain bland. This was released in Disney's centenary year but it shares nothing with the companies best films. If I was in charge of Disney I would have made a third Fantasia film with each segment representing the different periods and styles of the company for their 100th birthday, not this wet blanket of a film. 5/10 Two short films by Radu Jude: Caricaturana 2021/9m (no videos of this) Semiotic Plastic 2021/22m These two short films from Romanian director Radu Jude, who made the excellent Bad Luck Banging and Do Not Expect Too Much From The End of the World, both showcase his love for experimentation but feel very distinct from each other. Caricaturana takes up an idea from Sergei Eisenstein by taking illustrations of a fictional French character and juxtaposing it with modern headlines, making him react to the headline “actress Gwyneth Paltrow sued as man claims v*gina-scented candle exploded”. Semiotic Plastic takes children's dolls and toys and sets them up in various different tableaux, mostly quite infantile like a couple of Barbie dolls 69ing, but others seem to deal with war and famine, just all in an artificial, sanitised way. Both of these films deal with modernity but I feel that Semiotic Plastic is more successful though it does seem overlong even at 22 minutes. Caricaturana – 5/10 Semiotic Plastic – 7/10 Kneecap dir. Rich Peppiatt/2024/1h45m Like The Village People film Can't Stop The Music, this film tells the fictional origin story of a real band, in this case the titular Kneecap, a Belfast based hip-hop trio who rap in Irish as a political act and a way to preserve the language. When music teacher JJ O Dochartaigh is called in by the police to translate for someone who refuses to speak English he meets Liam Og O hAnnaidh, an angry young man who likes to write poems. Seeing potential in him he lays down some beats and, along with Liam's friend Naoise O Caireallain, Kneecap is born (thankfully for any of us who don't speak Irish they also go under the names DJ Provai, Moglai Bap and Mo Chara). This is a funny, vibrant, confrontational film that revels in the club scene these lads find an escape in, expressing themselves through music and copious amounts of drugs. What really impressed me is how good they all are at acting despite this being their first film. O Dochartaigh is the stand out bringing some real nuance to his role as the older of the trio, conflicted between his responsibilities and his calling as a balaclava clad DJ. One of my favourite films from this year. 9/10 Lime's Film of the Week! The Cabin in the Woods dir. Drew Goddard/2011/1h35m A group of the most stereotypical teens you can imagine, including a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth, head out to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of fun. However, after reading a Latin incantation from an old book they summon a family of torture obsessed zombies who start to hunt them down. There's also a parallel storyline going on at the same time that I won't go into as it would spoil the best thing about this film. It's hard to talk too much about it without giving anything away, but I'll say that everything seems clichéd for a reason. I did find the dialogue to be pretty bad, having the typical Joss Whedon problem of everyone being snarky and witty making them pretty much indistinguishable from each other. But I found the concept of this film really interesting, even if it does devolve into CGI ridiculousness by the end. 6/10

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023) dir Radu Jude From the director of Bad Luck Banging or Loon p*rn, another satire set in Bucharest, Romania. It's of a similar style; no unsimulated s*x in this one, but lots of sexually explicit language. It stars Ilinca Manolache as an overworked film production company PA, Angela. It's shot in a very unique way in 2 main parts. It's quite long, 2 hours 43 mins due to how the first part is presented. It all takes place in one day, starting with Angela getting up very early in the morning and finishing at night. The first part. Angela is auditioning people for health & safety film the company has been commissioned to make by the foreign owners of some Romanian factories. The client wants the film to feature someone who was badly injured telling the viewers how important it is to always wear the proper safety clothing (even though that clearly was not the reason they got injured). We follow Angela as she conducts four auditions and fits in other things she has to do that day. In between each audition or other activity there are sequences where we just watch Angela drive her car around Bucharest as if we were in the passenger seat looking at her. She gets lots of sexist abuse from various other drivers, because she's blonde and attractive. These two bits are shot in black and white. Also cut into this first section are two other types of scene, in colour. One of these follows a female taxi driver, also called Angela, in early the 1980s. The other is the modern-day film-PA Angela recording videos she later posts on Instagram using a filter that turns her face into that of man. In this alter-ego she gives out the sort of abuse she gets from some drivers but goes a lot, lot further, recounting various apparent s*xual conquests, one of which included a threes*me with King Charles III of Britain. If anyone is offended by swearing and sexually explicit language, you would not want to watch these bits. But they are very funny. The 1980s taxi-driving scenes are very cleverly done; according to the credits they took bits of an actual 1980s film and then added in more they shot for this film in authentic vehicles and locations, but you would not know which were which as they blend together seamlessly. We also get a sort of interlude about a road with a very high rate of fatal accidents – this could be a short film on it's own. The second part. Then comes the final scene, the shooting of the actual health & safety film. This scene, maybe almost an hour long (not 100% sure) was clearly shot in one take with the camera in the same fixed position all the time. The injured former employee and his family, also featured in the film, have to endure multiple re-takes of what should just be a few minutes of film as the director and the client keep making changes, moving things that were in the background, changing the dialogue etc etc. Again this very funny but not in a laugh-out-loud way, just the ridiculous nature of what is going on. It's not going to be for everyone, but I think this is truly brilliant film. 10 / 10

Really enjoyed The Penguin on Max

What I Watched This Week #149 (Nov 4-10) And Then There Were None dir. Rene Clair/1945/1h38m Adapted from the Agatha Christie novel – the world's best selling mystery book, which has a rather unfortunate original title that you'll have to Google for yourself – this tells the story of ten strangers invited to an island off the English coast by an unknown host. There they discover that they are all responsible for somebody's death, and soon they start dropping off one by one. This setup sounds clichéd now but you can't make that argument here as this story invented that cliché. What I like here is how playful and light the direction is, giving the film a macabre sense of humour. This is also true of the performances, particularly those of Barry Fitzgerald as Judge Quinncannon and Walter Huston as Dr. Armstrong. The mystery itself is a good one and had me guessing up to the reveal. I don't think this is as good as the Margaret Rutherford Miss Marple films of the 60s, or the Peter Ustinov's Poirot films from the 70s, but if you're a fan of a good murder mystery then you will enjoy this. 7.5/10 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon dir. Ang Lee/2000/2h This fantasy martial arts film stars Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat as two master warriors, Yu Shu Lien and Li Mu Bai, who must work together to track down a powerful sword that was stolen by a young thief, Jen (Zhang Ziyi), who is also the daughter of a nobleman. This is a gorgeous looking film full of vibrant colours that is famous for its spectacular wire work that sees the characters float and fly through the air. This makes for some unique fight sequences where they hop along rooftops or duel high up in a bamboo forest. The two leads are both great, especially in the scenes they share where they have to deal with their repressed feelings for each other. I did feel like there were some pacing issues early on, and the story becomes slightly convoluted just for the sake of creating more drama, but it does tie up quite nicely at the end where Jen is able to find some freedom and an identity of her own that isn't defined by anyone else, that is if you take it symbolically. 8/10 A Quiet Place dir. John Krasinski/2018/1h31m Emily Blunt and John Krasinski (who also directs) are the parents of three young children living in a world populated by blind creatures that hunt by sound, forcing them to live silently. Adding a ticking clock to proceedings is the fact that Blunt's character is pregnant. This film has a brilliantly tense atmosphere that is sustained through the entire runtime with a couple of standout set pieces that had me on the edge of my seat. I'm not a huge fan of the design of the creatures and I feel like we see them too much but the always feel like a threat. Blunt and Krasinski both do a good job and have a natural chemistry which is to be expected as they are married in real life, but the real star of the film is Millicent Simmonds as their daughter Regan who is deaf (as is Simmonds). This feeds nicely into the film as it allows them to communicate by sign language, something very useful in a world like this, and also has other ramifications later on. 8/10 Heroes Shed No Tears dir. John Woo/1986/1h33m Heroes Shed No Tears is John Woo's first proper action film and he cements his reputation for b*lls to the wall mayhem and org*es of explosions right out of the gate – although I didn't see any doves. Eddy Ko Hung stars as Chan Chung, leader of a group of Chinese mercenaries hired by the Thai government to kidnap a druglord. That's the easy part, getting out alive is the hard part, especially with an insane General (Bruce Jang Il-Sik) hunting them down. This film is relentless with hardly a few minutes passing before a shoot out or something blows up, with those gaps filled with an entertainingly dramatic narrative that veers into melodrama as Chung's wife and young son are caught up in the action. It does feel somewhat disjointed at times, with one particularly long gambling scene there just for comedic relief. Not as polished as his later works, that rough and ready vibe gives it charm, and a supporting cast of likeable characters make this a fun watch. 8/10 Firebrand dir. Karim Ainouz/2023/2h Firebrand is a historical drama about Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII (Jude Law). Anyone paying attention in history class will recall the method for remembering the fates of his wives – divorced beheaded died, divorced beheaded survived – so we know she doesn't meet a bloody end, so the film does an excellent job of building the tension and sense of threat in their relationship. At this point Henry is getting sicker and sicker from an infected wound in his leg and his increasing paranoia makes him a volatile character. Law does a brilliant job here, managing to go from a pathetic, weak figure to an imposing monster, often in the same scene. This may be the best performance he's ever given. Vikander is equally impressive. Her Parr is a powerful woman – she was made regent while Henry was abroad fighting – but aware that her life is always on the line. An excellent supporting cast including Eddie Marsan as Edward Seymour and Simon Russell Beale as the scheming Bishop Gardiner, and vivid period costumes and production design round out an enthralling film. 9/10 Lime's Film of the Week! Respect dir. Benoit Forgeard/2011/14m This short film is about a man, Steph (Thibault Sauvaige) having an argument with his partner over breakfast, only that his partner is Flippy, an anthropomorphic bear mascot for a breakfast cereal. Flippy is a controlling *sshole who is physically and verbally abusive to Steph, who wants to leave to go to ninja school. There's a sense of absurdity and playfulness here that is let down by the blandness of the production. Everything about it feels flat, the direction, lighting and performances, with none of it matching the tone of the story. But there is something about the concept that piqued my interest enough to check out another of the director's films. 5/10 f*ck UK dir. Benoit Forgeard/2012/13m Another absurd short from Benoit Forgeard, f*ck UK follows the exploits of Michel (Gaspard Proust), leader of a fringe group that hates the UK and wants to wipe every trace of anything British from France. But it turns out that this is all because he's in love with an English woman, Jane (Julia Vandoorne), who he is angry at - “I am French, you are strange. I will never come to your country of sh*t”. The direction is much better here than in Respect with a nice use of montage, and this film is actually funny with some laugh out loud moments. More of a sketch than a film this also benefits from a solid performance from Proust as the surly and childishly petulant Brit hater. 7/10 10 Rillington Place dir. Richard Fleischer/1971/1h46m Based on a true story, 10 Rillington Place stars Richard Attenborough as John Christie, a softly spoken middle aged man who rents out flats at the titular address in which he also lives in late 40s London. He also happens to be a serial killer. When he rents out a flat to simple, trusting Timothy Evans (John Hurt) and his wife Beryl (Judy Geeson) he finds another target, and someone to take the blame. This is a thriller that is chilling in its restraint, building up the tension masterfully. This is all down to the performance from Attenborough who manages to channel the menace he showed in Brighton Rock as an angry young man and suppress it all internally as an older man who now knows how to focus his rage. A young Hurt is also good, giving a very sympathetic performance as an innocent man in way over his head and accused of a crime he didn't commit, though he does come across as a bit too naïve at times. The film also has a epilogue that isn't really needed. Sure, it's nice to know that Christie eventually went on to face justice, but there's a much better ending place, narratively speaking, a few minutes earlier. 8.5/10 Austin Powers in Goldmember dir. Jay Roach/2002/1h34m Mike Myers is back for the final time as the swinging 60s superspy, again battling Dr. Evil (also Myers), who this time has teamed up with 70s disco kingpin Goldmember (also also Myers) to hold the world hostage. Powers is assisted by former girlfriend Foxxy Cleopatra (Beyoncé) and his father Nigel Powers (Michael Caine). Also returning are Dr. Evil's henchmen Mini Me (Verne Troyer) and Fat b*stard (also also also Myers). Opening with a spoof of a spoof that sees Tom Cruise play Powers in a Mission Impossible rip off directed by Steven Spielberg, this is a film that knows what it is and will make any stupid joke to get a laugh, with most of them landing. The plot is basically pointless, with it being just a vehicle for Myers to play around and it's as much fun to watch as it must have been to make. Caine is hilarious as the elder Powers getting good use of his under utilised talent for comedy and Goldmember might be my favourite one dimensional character in any comedy. I also love that the ending of this comedy spoof of a Bond film was later used as an actual plot point for the actual Bond film Spectre. Not as good as the original, I'd say that this and the second film are about equal and are still a lot of fun to watch. 7/10

Let The Sunshine In (2017) dir Claire Denis Juliette Binoche plays Parisian artist Isabelle, looking for her ideal man after a divorce. That makes it sound like a romantic comedy, but it isn't. There's no real romance and although not to be taken too seriously it's not exactly full of jokes either. Isabelle basically tries out various lovers who all fail to live up to expectation on some level; such as the wealthy married man who only calls when it suits him or the younger man who decides he just wants to be friends. Interwoven between these scenes we learn a bit more about who Isabelle is, what she does for a job, meet a few of her friends etc. Binoche is very good, as always, most of the rest of the cast are OK. I did start to get a little bored after about halfway through. There was very little chemistry between the actors, which I guess was deliberate since she was never finding the right man. But right at the end it did step up. The very final scene is great. Isabelle goes to see a psychic, played by Gerard Depadieu. There follows a dialogue as they discuss her various lovers, with him kind of reviewing them. It's almost like she was seeing a therapist, until he brought out a “magic” pendulum type of thing and started making predictions of which ones might turn out to be the right man for her. The film actually ends at this scene plays out with the credits beginning whilst their conversation continues. I'm not sure if the intention of this was to make you watch the credits or maybe it was saying “you can stop watching now, there's nothing important left to see”. But whatever, it was an original bit of film making for me. 6 / 10

Here's my list of favourite films for each year since I was born. https://letterboxd.com/djw180/list/my-favourite-film-from-every-year-ive-been Nothing for this year yet, hardly seen any of the decent 2024 films.

What I Watched This Week #153 (Dec 2-8) The Blood on Satan's Claw dir. Piers Haggard/1971/1h37m In a small English village in the 17th century farmer Ralph Gower (Barry Andrews) digs up the remains of Satan, and slowly the residents, led by the children and young people, turn into devil worshipping cultists. This is somewhat of a cult classic when it comes to folk horror so I went into this with pretty high expectations but I was slightly disappointed. There are some moments of chilling atmosphere, especially when we get a short glimpse of the devil in a shadowy cave and the performance of Linda Hayden as the lead Satanist Angel Blake, a seductively scheming young woman who'll do anything for her dark master, is pretty good. I did find the story very disjointed with no real main character who we can follow and root for, and a lot of the plot threads just seem to end with no real resolution, or what there is being very rushed. There's a lot of good stuff here but I don't think this film really deserves the reputation it has. 6.5/10 Two short films from Thomas Hardiman: Pitch Black Panacea 2020/8m Radical Hardcore 2015/5m These two shorts from Thomas Hardiman have very different subjects and styles but both showcase his originality and love for experimentation. Pitch Black Panacea sees two strangers, Amy and Carl (Martha Plimpton, Gbenga Akinnagbe), undergo a radical new treatment to fix their lazy eyes, being locked together in a pitch black room for ten days. Their experience and hallucinations are visualised by old-school style cartoons, all rubbery movement and slightly grotesque in appearance. Being shot in black and white adds to the vintage feel of the animation. Radical Hardcore follows a woman (Natalie Gavin) as she looks to buy a new carpet. She and the salesman (Shahid Ahmed), have an intimate, almost er*tic discussion about carpets, while we also get facts about the history of carpet making in England from 1685 to the present. All of the dialogue is in subtitles, their voices unheard, the whole thing set to thumping dance beats. Both of these films are playful while also having an edge to them, almost sinister. It put me in mind of the work of Peter Strickland. Hardiman followed these shorts with the feature film Medusa Deluxe in 2022, a film about a murder at a hairdressing competition all shot in one take, and that style and experimental nature carried over to amazing effect. This is a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on, I can't wait for his next film. Both of these shorts get an 8/10 Josie and the p*ssycats dir. Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont/2001/1h38m Josie, Val, and Melody (Rachael Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid) are small-town wanna be rock stars The p*ssycats who soon find themselves rocketing to the top of the Billboard charts thanks to record executive Wyatt (Alan c*mming). But they soon realise that they are pawns in a plot to brainwash the youth of America, turning them into mindless consumers. This is a deliciously campy satire on consumerism and the soulless, manufactured pop music of the time, and a very stupid – and I say that as a compliment – comedy that's a lot funnier than I remember from first watching this twenty plus years ago. What's also better than I remember is the music, The p*ssycats have a few genuine pop rock bangers, with 3 Small Words and Pretend To Be Nice still stuck in my head. I did find the romantic subplot between Josie and Alan M. (Gabriel Mann) to be totally superfluous, adding nothing to either the story or Josie's character development, and it really drags the film down whenever any time is spent on it. 8.5/10 World of Glory dir. Roy Andersson/1991/16m This short from idiosyncratic Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson anticipates the style, tone and subject matter of his subsequent feature films, starting with Songs From The Second Floor in 2000. In World of Glory we view through a static, locked off camera the bleakly desaturated day to day life of an unnamed middle aged bureaucrat (Klas-Gosta Olsson). Addressing the camera directly in a droning monotone and stood stock still himself – this lack of movement in both the camera and subject suggests a world in stasis where there is no chance for a change for the better – this would be very boring if it weren't for the opening scene giving a sense of dread to everything. In that scene we see him at work, overseeing the execution of a group of naked people who are gassed to death in the back of a truck. This gives a new context to everything that follows, showing us how horrifically banal real evil is, and it reminded me of Jonathan Glazer's amazing holocaust movie The Zone of Interest. 9/10 A Different Man dir. Aaron Schimberg/2024/1h52m Edward (Sebastian Stan) is an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis – benign tumours covering his face – who undergoes radical treatment to cure his condition. Assuming a new identity, he is annoyed to find that his neighbour Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), who believes he committed suicide, has written a play based on his life. To make matters worse, enter Oswald (Adam Pearson), another man with neurofibromatosis – as does Pearson, who was amazing in Jonathan Glazer's bleakly brilliant sci-fi film Under The Skin - who is charming and witty and loved by everyone, living the life that Edward wishes he had, driving him insane with jealousy. This reminded me thematically of The Substance, also from this year, in that it deals with issues of self image and resenting someone who represents the “better” parts of yourself, but where that film went down the road of shocking body-horror this is a hilarious dark comedy. The first hour is played as a pretty straight drama, but the introduction of Oswald turns things into an almost absurdist film, with Stan really selling Edward's perplexion and frustration. But it is Pearson who steals the show, with his character needling Edward with his perfect life. It's like he's weaponising his toxic positivity and aiming it all at Edward. This extends all the way to the last scene, with its biting final line. An incredible film and easily one of the best of the year. 10/10 Lime's Film of the Week! The Public Enemy dir. William A. Wellman/1931/1h24m This classic gangster film stars James Cagney in his breakout role of Tom Powers who, along with best friend Matt (Edward Woods), rises up from a poverty stricken childhood to become a feared bootlegger in 30s Chicago. This film is carried by Cagney's charisma, and he has great chemistry with Woods. This could almost be a love story between these two guys, with the actual romantic plot with Jean Harlow's Gwen Allen feeling superfluous and tacked on. I also found that the violence here is rather quaint and tame, even compared to contemporary gangster films like the original Scarface. But the fact that the violence is mostly implied or happens off screen really helps a couple of scenes feel even more impactful. Firstly the scene where Tom and Matt execute a horse (really), and the fatal climactic shootout between Tom and a whole gang of rival hoods. We're on the other side of the door for the entire scene and I was holding my breath the whole time. 7.5/10 Tavern Man dir. Aki Kaurismaki/2012/14m (no videos of this) This short from Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki condenses his typical style and themes into a brisk and bittersweet fifteen minutes. We follow a middle aged, hangdog tavern owner (Ilkka Koivula) through his daily routine; working on his prized soup recipie, checking out the competition, and hoping for romance. The air of bittersweet melancholy lies heavy over this film, as it does with all of his work, but there's always a glimmer of hope and the chance for a better tomorrow. 7/10 A Bug's Life dir. John Lasseter/1998/1h35m Seven Samurai meets Galaxy Quest when ant Flik (Dave Foley) is sent off to find some warrior bugs to protect his colony from a gang of rampaging grasshoppers led by Kevin Spacey's Hopper. Through a case of mistaken identity he hires a band of circus performers who are none too happy themselves when they realise what they've gotten into. The animators at Pixar must have felt a lot of pressure to follow up a genuinely revolutionary film like Toy Story, but they've done an excellent job here and I respect that they didn't go the easy route of just doing a sequel (that happens next year). The plot here isn't as original as Toy Story, but like that film this is stuffed with memorable characters, none of whom are one dimensional, and they all get a moment to be the star. Unfortunately the weakest character is the main one. I just find him to be annoying and would rather spend more time with any of the supporting cast. But, with a great script full of hilarious jokes, a charming and relaxed jazzy score from Randy Newman and solid perfomances all round this is still an excellent film, and one sadly overlooked in Pixar's catalogue. It also gets extra points for taking the effort to animate bloopers to play over the credits. 8/10

What I Watched This Week #152 (Nov 25-Dec 1) Radiohead: In Rainbows - From the Basement dir. David Barnard/2008/1h3m This concert film sees Radiohead play most of their In Rainbows album, plus a few select other songs, in Maida Vale Studios in London. The setting, and the fact that there is no audience, makes for an incredibly intimate experience and allows you to fully focus on the musicianship of each of the band members. Thom Yorke is an entrancing frontman – and excellent dancer if you've seen Paul Thomas Anderson's short film Anima – with his idiosyncratic twitching and distinctive wailing voice. I also liked how, thanks to the close proximity this films gives us, I was able to see the chord choices he makes when playing guitar. It's not something that the casual viewer would catch, but as a dabbler in guitar myself I really appreciated it. It was also fascinating to see lead guitarist Jonny Greenwood at work, his corner of the studio like a lab as he not only plays guitar but also keyboards and synths and at one point he's programming beats on a laptop. An up close and personal look at one of the best bands ever at work. 10/10 Harakiri dir. Masaki Kobayashi/1962/2h15m A depressed ronin – a samurai without a master – Hanshiro Tsugumo (Tatsuya Nakadai) comes to the house of Iyi looking for a place to commit honourable seppuku – ritual suicide – and a worthy swordsman to act as his assistant. The lord's chief counsellor Kageyu Saito (Rentaro Mikuni) questions him, as not long before a young man came to their house with a similar request. The film is made up of two stories that collide, that of the young man, Motome Chijiwa (Akira Ishihama), and Tsugumo's life story. This is an incredibly crafted film with some absolutely gorgeous cinematography and a perfectly paced plot that always keeps you hooked. It explores the samurai codes of honour and whether they are actually worth anything when challenged, and the differences between honour and respect as you can act with honour but no respect, as is the case in this film. What really drives this film forwards is the amazing performance by Nakadai in the lead role. He is the picture of absolute resolve, his one goal left in life to expose the hypocrisies of his fellow samurai. Even though this is made up of mostly conversations between Tsugumo and Saito I was still on the edge of my seat, with this story being one of the most enthralling I've ever seen. This is an absolute masterpiece in every way. 10/10 Lime's Film of the Week! Toy Story dir. John Lasseter/1995/1h21m Pixar's first feature length film is a genuine landmark in the history of cinema as it is the first fully computer animated film, ushering in a new age for animation like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs did nearly sixty years earlier. Expanding on their short film Tin Toy, Toy Story imagines a world where toys come to life when no one is watching. Tom Hanks stars as cowboy Woody, the favourite toy of young Andy (John Morris). Life is good until Andy's birthday when he gets the brand new flashy toy, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and feels like he's being replaced. Apart from the textures looking very flat, though at the time they set the high bar in the industry, and the human characters looking frankly grotesque – though nowhere near as nightmare inducing as the baby from Tin Toy – this is as close to perfect as you can get. The script is hilarious and also hits some big emotional beats, the characters all have real depth and personality, and the songs by Randy Newman capture the charm and whimsy of the film perfectly. In my opinion this is the defining role of Hanks' career, and he makes an iconic duo with Allen's egotistical space ranger. The supporting cast is also full of instantly iconic characters with performances that all match their personalities, with John Ratzenberger as Hamm the know-it-all piggy bank being my favourite. Arguably the best, and most revolutionary, animated film ever made. 10/10 Killer's Kiss dir. Stanley Kubrick/1955/1h8m This early Kubrick stars Jamie Smith as Davey Gordon, a boxer at the tail end of his career who falls in love with dancer Gloria (Irene Kane). But their relationship is threatened by Gloria's boss, club owner and violent criminal Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera). The best thing about this film is the moody, almost noir-like, black and white photography. The New York City locations all feel seedy and lived-in, giving the film tons of atmosphere. The boxing scenes are also very well shot, echoing his earlier documentary short Day of the Fight. Sadly the rest of the film is distinctly average. Apart from Silvera who gives a good turn as a sleazy gangster the performances are pretty flat and the story is predictable and drags even though it's barely an hour long. This is an improvement on his debut feature film, Fear and Desire, but it won't be until his next two films, The Killing and Paths of Glory, that he really hits his stride as a filmmaker. This isn't a bad film, but it's really only worth seeking out if you're aiming to watch all of Kubrick's rather slim filmography. 5/10 Dark Star dir. John Carpenter/1974/1h23m John Carpenter's debut feature length film tells the story of four working class astronauts on a decades long mission travelling through the galaxy destroying unstable planets, readying the universe for colonisation. One of the astronauts is played by Dan O'Bannon who also co-wrote the script with Carpenter and would go on to write Alien, another sci-fi film about blue collar workers in deep space, but unlike that film this is full of humour, at times it's almost a full blown comedy. One protracted scene sees O'Bannon's character chase the ships alien mascot around, the alien being what looks like a beach ball with feet. They also get into a philosophical argument with one of their thermonuclear bombs, which honestly put me in mind of Talkie Toaster from the British sitcom Red Dwarf. Actually, a lot of this reminded me of Red Dwarf, low ranking technicians stuck on a space ship bored out of their minds and looking for something to pass the time. Because it started out as a student film the budget is practically non-existent and none of the performances really stand out, but I really like the concept and there are lots of interesting ideas here. Not what I was expecting from a John Carpenter sci-fi film, but worth watching all the same. 7/10 Emilia Perez dir. Jacques Audiard/2024/2h12m Zoe Saldana stars as Mexico City lawyer Rita who is kidnapped by a the leader of a cartel, Manitas (Karla Sofia Gascon), who asks for her help in transitioning to a woman, becoming the titular Emilia Perez (Sofia Gascon is a trans woman herself). What sounds like a heavy drama is given the melodramatic treatment of a soap opera, and is also a musical (the vaginoplasty song being a highlight). Sadly this only undercuts the seriousness of the subject matter and at points comes off like a joke. I've read reviews that say this does nothing to help trans representation and having no lived experience of that I couldn't say, but Perez as a character does come off as a selfish *sshole who I couldn't sympathise with at all, and none of it has anything to do with her gender identity. The performances from the two leads are good, and they really invest themselves in their characters, as does Selena Gomez as Perez's ex-wife Jessi, and they really help sell the more sincere moments here. Well intentioned but off target, there are some decent moments here but the wildly inconsistent tone throws it all off. 5/10 First Man dir. Damien Chazelle/2018/2h21m First Man is a biopic of astronaut Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) covering his life from his time as a test pilot in the early 60s up to the moment he became the First Man on the moon in July 1969. As well as his professional life we also see his personal life with wife Janet (Claire Foy). The film presents Armstrong's stoic, isolated, obsessive personality as his way of dealing with grief, and makes his time on the moon imbued with even more meaning than it already has thanks to this. Gosling's performance is all under the surface but you can always feel his sadness, motivating him or maybe he's trying to run away from it. All of the launches and scenes in space make it feel suitably terrifying, with lots of close ups of all the bolts and rivets holding their ship together as they creak and groan. It's also mostly filmed from inside the ships during these scenes, no glossy shots of rockets gliding through space, so you feel like you're there with them. More of an emotional than informative biopic, if you're looking for a Wikipedia entry then you'll be disappointed, this is a very humane take on humanities greatest achievement. 8.5/10

What I Watched This Week #151 (Nov 18-24) Blackmail dir. Alfred Hitchcock/1929/1h26m This early Hitchcock film serves as both his last silent film and his first talkie, making two versions as many cinemas still weren't equipped for sound (I watched the talkie version). It stars Anny Ondra as Alice, a woman who feels ignored by her boyfriend Frank (John Longden), a Scotland Yard detective, so she accepts a date from a charming artist (Cyril Ritchard). When he tries to force himself on her she kills him in self defence. Making things worse for her, not only has Frank been assigned to the case but there's someone out there who knows what she did. Even at this stage in his career Hitchcock proves himself a master of building suspense and an oppressive sense of paranoia. One scene stands out in particular – a throwaway conversation in the background that Alice overhears features the word knife prominently, and soon all the other words fade out until all she hears is “knife, knife, KNIFE, KNIFE”. This also shows how he was always ready to experiment with new technology in service of telling a story. The film does drag in the middle, and none of the performances really stand out, but this is still a really solid thriller that culminates in a fun chase through the British Museum adding some spectacle to proceedings. 7/10 The Wild Robot dir. Chris Sanders/2024/1h42m The latest animated film from DreamWorks, The Wild Robot stars Lupita Nyong'o as Roz, a service robot shipwrecked on an island. With no humans around to give her orders she looks for a task on her own, deciding to care for a gosling, Brightbill (Kit Connor), after accidentally killing his mother and destroying his nest. This is a beautifully animated film with a nice distinction between the natural world and animals of the island and the metallic, manmade Roz. The performances are all excellent. Nyong'o doesn't have much dialogue but really brings warmth and emotion to Roz, and you can hear her evolving through the film as she becomes less of a machine. The story is heartfelt without being saccharine, showing the difficulties of parenthood in a nuanced way. I can't believe that a montage of a robot teaching a baby goose how to fly actually made me cry. The supporting cast is stacked with the likes of Bill Nighy, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry and Mark Hamill, and they all do a fantastic job. 9/10 The Substance dir. Coralie Fargeat/2024/2h21m Demi Moore stars as Elisabeth Sparkle, a past-her-prime celebrity who takes an experimental drug that produces a younger version of herself, Sue (Margaret Qualley). Despite being the same person the two soon come into conflict, with Elisabeth jealous of Sue's newfound fame and Sue disgusted by Elisabeth's gluttony. This is a blunt force satire about the impossible beauty standards imposed on women, mostly by men – Dennis Quaid also features as Elisabeth's slimy agent Harvey, “pretty girls should always smile”. There is nothing subtle about this film, but that matches the aesthetic of plastic superficiality of the world created here, a timeless place that could be the eighties or contemporary where everything is surface level. The direction reminded me of a cross between Kubrick and Cronenberg, with some very Kubrickian shots of long corridors or sterile rooms mixed up with the f*cked up body horror of Cronenberg. I'm not going to spoil anything here as I think you all need to watch this, but the last half hour of this is just a continuing escalation of what-the-f*ckness. Moore is incredible here giving the best performance of the year. One scene where she's trying to get ready for a date but has to keep putting on more and more makeup as she doesn't feel good enough was heart-breaking. This is probably going to be my film of the year. 10/10 Lime's Film of the Week! PlayTime dir. Jacques Tati/1967/1h55m PlayTime sees Jacques Tati return as his legendary comic creation, the perpetually perplexed Monsieur Hulot. The film is loosely split into two parts. The first is set in confusing glass and steel building where various gadgets are being sold, with Hulot getting lost looking for a business contact. The second is set in a restaurant on opening night where everything that can go wrong does. A gentle satire on modern life this washes over you like a wave, taking its time to build up the world with lots of little details and sight gags – one of my favourites being the doorman of the restaurant miming opening the door even after it has been destroyed, insisting that the guests wait for him to do so. This is also a very dense film, at times the screen is filled with extras like insects milling through a hive, Hulot bumbling his way through the mass of humanity. As well as being a comment on the hustle and bustle of modern life it really makes this feel like a living, breathing world. Not a laugh out loud comedy, this is still a charming film that always had me smiling. 8.5/10 Megalopolis dir. Francis Ford Coppola/2024/2h18m Francis Ford Coppola's passion project – on which he's been working for over forty years and funded with over a hundred million dollars of his own money – Megalopolis stars Adam Driver as Cesar Catalina, a genius architect with a grand vision for a utopian future. He is opposed by Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) whilst also falling in love with his daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel). This is a f*cking mess of a movie that feels disjointed with some bizarre acting choices bordering on the comedic by the entire cast, which also includes Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight and Aubrey Plaza who all have ridiculous names – Plaza's character is called Wow Platinum. A modern fable mirroring the fall of the Roman Empire, this is pretentious in all the worst ways and makes you thank God that Coppola had producers overseeing him when he made The Godfather, The Conversation, Apocalypse Now etc. At times it can be visually stunning, at times it looks like cheap greenscreen, but I do respect the originality, even if a lot of it doesn't work. A swing and a miss, but at least it was a swing. 4/10 Pusher dir. Nicolas Winding Refn/1996/1h50m This Danish crime film is the debut from Nicolas Winding Refn and stars Kim Bodina as Frank, a small time Copenhagen drug dealer who gets in over his head when a deal goes wrong and he ends up owing a lot of money to Serbian drug lord Milo (Zlatko Buric). This is such a snapshot of 90s cinema of the genre, things like Trainspotting, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels etc, handheld camerawork, pumping soundtrack, gritty characters. Frank isn't a sympathetic character but Bodina does a decent job of making him feel real and grounded. But the film is stolen by Mads Mikkelsen in his film debut as Frank's friend Tonny. He brings some personality and chaotic energy to the film. Visually this doesn't really share much DNA with Refn's later work, which is all cool, detached and neon soaked, and it feels like he's trying to copy someone else's style and not finding his own. But this is still worth watching if you're a fan of gritty and brutal crime films. 7/10 Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall dir. Bryan Gordon/1987/23m This Oscar winning comedy short stars Boyd Gaines as unemployed businessman Sam who discovers it's not what you know but who you know. And the business elite of New York like to meet up at Ray's Male Heterosexual Dance Hall to ballroom dance to the golden oldies whilst networking. This is a dryly absurd satire that pokes fun at its subject but also doesn't take itself too seriously. Gaines is a good lead, baffled at first but soon getting into the swing of things, and there are a couple of other familiar faces here too, including Fred Willard. Charming and funny, I love anything that rips the p*ss out of the wealthy and elite. 8/10

Over the last couple of years I've been slowly making my way through every Disney animated feature film and, having recently watched Wish (which will be in my next batch of reviews) I've now seen all of them - that is until Moana 2 releases later this year. So I'm now presenting my official tier list which is the definitive ranking of all 62 Disney films (each tier goes from best to worst so it's all in order). S Tier (10/10) - Beauty and the Beast / Fantasia / The Lion King / Pinocchio / Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs A Tier (8-9/10) - Aladdin / Sleeping Beauty / Lilo and Stitch / Alice in Wonderland / One Hundred and One Dalmatians / Tarzan / Fantasia 2000 / The Princess and the Frog / Bolt / The Jungle Book / Robin Hood / The Little Mermaid / The Rescuers / Hercules B Tier (7/10) - Mulan / The Great Mouse Detective / Cinderella / Big Hero 6 / Zootopia / Tangled / Moana / The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh / Frozen / Brother Bear / The Rescuers Down Under / The Fox and the Hound / Pocahontas / Wreck It Ralph / Peter Pan / The Hunchback of Notre Dame / Treasure Planet / The Three Caballeros C Tier (5-6/10) - The Lady and the tr*mp / The Emperor's New Groove / The Aristocats / Bambi / Strange World / Encanto / Atlantis The Lost Empire / Oliver and Company / The Sword in the Stone / Winnie the Pooh / Ralph Breaks the Internet / Meet The Robinsons / Dumbo / Raya and the Last Dragon / Saludos Amigos / The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / The Black Cauldron / Wish / Frozen 2 F Tier (sh*t) - Make Mine Music / Melody Time / Fun and Fancy Free / Dinosaur / Home on the Range / Chicken Little

Throne of Blood (1957) dir Akira Kurosawa This is Kurosawa's version of Macbeth. It's not like the more usual Shakespearian adaptations that use the original lines, rather it's the same basic story with different lines in a different setting; medieval Japan. It's unmistakeably Macbeth right from the start as the camera pans across a misty, mysterious, highland landscape. Toshirô Mifune stars Washizu (i.e. Macbeth), initially a soldier (I guess you would say Samurai, although I am not totally sure of the correct usage of that) in the army of the local lord (i.e. King Duncan). Washizu and another soldier, Miki (i.e. Macduff), are on the way back from a victorious battle to their lord's castle. They get lost in forest and come across a spirit (equivalent of the witches) who foretells their promotion and that eventually Washizu will be the new lord but it will be Miki's son who succeeds him. They are promoted, Washizu tells his wife (Lady Macbeth, obviously) about the prophecy and it is she who encourages him on the path of deceit, betrayal and murder that will see him full-fill the rest of the prophecy but attempt to change it so that a son of his own succeeds him. One thing I did find slightly odd, and funny, is that whereas in Shakespeare's original (and the historical facts it is based on) Macbeth becomes King of Scotland, here Washizu becomes Lord of Spider's Web Castle. I am assuming that in Japanese “Spider's Web Castle” sounds more impressive than it does in English. It is very well made, of course, and the actors are good, particularly Isuzu Yamada as Lady Washizu. Like Olivier's Shakespeare adaptions it does not seem dated, and I think the Shakespearian style is what helps there. There is some very impressive cinematography, both of the landscapes and some of the castle interior scenes. One that sticks in my mind is when Lady Washizu hatches one of her plans we see her walk into another room, that is pitch black and then emerge shortly after carrying some bottles of drugged saki. The camera stays fixed for all of this, with the doorway to the dark room in the centre so it's almost like she disappears and then reappears, as if using magic. Definitely well worth watching if you are into Shakespeare or Samurai films. 9 / 10

Letterboxd would be perfect for that, you could see a list of every film made in any given year and there are a bunch of filters to refine/sort it further eg: here's a list of every comedy made in 1975 sorted by average score highest to lowest https://letterboxd.com/films/year/1975/genre/comedy/by/rating/

I've seen a few other people doing this thing where they list their favourite film from every year of their lifetime, and since I have a lot of free time at work I made one too. I'm not gonna make this a long post with reviews for 38 films, so here's a link to the list on my letterboxd account. https://letterboxd.com/limegreenlegend/list/my-favourite-film-from-every-year-ive-been/ I'd be interested in seeing your guys lifetimes in film.

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@djw180 that sucks. It is on the Studio Canal service through Amazon, which I'm sure there's a free trial of.

The Untamed (2016) dir Amat Escalante This is quite a strange, but interesting film. It was in the Sci-fi section on BFI player. Although it certainly has some Sci-fi in it I would not say that was it's main genre. It's basically a drama about a group of people in semi-rural Mexico, at least two of whom have a s*x with an alien – hence the Sci-fi element. The main characters are Alejandra (Ruth Ramos) and Veronica (Simone Bucio). Alejandra is stuck in an unhappy marriage. Her brother introduces her to Veronica who already knows the alien, which she was apparently drawn to and found as if some mysterious force was guiding her to it. The alien's appearance is slowly revealed as the film goes on. At first all we see is a tentacle, so it's clearly not a human-like alien. It's largely left to your imagination what the alien looks like and how it has s*x with humans. Whilst there are a few explicit scenes, they tend to be quite short and I would say only two are particularly graphic. There's some nice cinematography, sometimes shot from unusual places, some nicely set against the landscape. There's not much in the way of special effects, but when we do get to the see the alien fully those are quite good. The music is good including some modern, not very melodic, orchestral pieces, adding to the atmosphere. I think the plot is a bit lacking in detail at times, for example some people who visit the alien get injured, or worse, and why that is was not clear to me. 7 / 10 @LimeGreenLegend I was planning on watching Ran this week, but it's not available as part of my BFI subscription, only as a rental. So when my subscription ends I'll either rent it on there or see if I can get a cheap second hand DVD copy.

Galactic War update. Day 285-291

I agree @djw180 The Fall of the House of Usher is worth a watch for Mark Hamill’s performance alone. Plus, I’ve been on the fence about watching Kaos. I will definitely give it a go now. Thanks!

DROP ZONE - HUMANE LABS Players: 2-30 Teams: 2-4 Default Time: 10m:00s Time of Day: Morning Weather: Bright Weapons: Forced & Pick-Up Published: 9 November 2024 Last Update: - DESCRIPTION Jump from platforms and claim the drop zone to earn points. Don't forget to grab your parachute OVERVIEW King of the hill mode setup like the R* adversary mode, Drop Zone. Start with a SMG on a platform with some SMG, Heavy Sniper, MG, and Grenade pickups. Some props have been added to give extra rooftop access. Bookmark Job _ See more of my creations _