Oliver Battershall

Synecdoche, New York (2008) 5/5
I finally revisited the film that had immediately become my favourite of all time when I saw it for the first time in 2022. On my first watch this hit me like a freight train. It made me think about everything in my life in a way I hadn’t before, and changed me a lot. So some of its immediate impact is naturally diminished on a second watch, but it still hit me so hard, like a slightly smaller freight train. It’s got such depth to it that I can still find new stuff to appreciate in it. I really could just think about this movie for the rest of my life. That final line really, really hits you.

True Stories (1986) 4/5
John Goodman is just such a delight in anything he’s in. An underrated character actor, and a perfect fit for a film brimming with quirky charm. I also have a general fondness for films featuring little pockets of life and energy in the sparsely populated, oft-forgotten sandscapes of southern USA (Little Miss Sunshine, Paris, Texas etc). A must-watch for Talking Heads fans.

I Believe in Miracles (2015) 4.5/5
I’m a Nottingham Forest fan, so as Clough would say, I ought to be shot for not having watched this sooner. A conventional talking-heads documentary style is elevated by brilliant editing and an innate rugged charm that suits the subject matter to a tee. I am irreparably in love with the silliest footballing institution on the planet.

Southland Tales (2006) 4.5/5
From the moment I saw the…unique Letterboxd rating distribution for Southland Tales, I knew it would be special, for better or worse. Beyond the catch-all designation of hyperlink cinema, it’s a film that defies labels. The best I can do is “Imagine a camp sci-fi neo-noir” or “Lynch meets Gilliam meets Wachowski”. It’s disorientating and bizarre yet deceivingly deep, with a great soundtrack and an even better Moby original score. Dwayne Johnson is genuinely great in this, as are most of the rest of the ensemble cast. Engaging from start to finish, with great media satire reminiscent of Chris Morris and Starship Troopers. A gem of Post-9/11 cinema.

Lone Star (1996) 4.5/5
A brilliant, ambitious film that hits all the notes a modern western should. At times feels like it’s overextending itself in its themes and characters but it manages to stick the landing well. Really unique with a stellar cast and flawless screenplay. And what a final scene/line too.

Surviving Life (2010) 4/5
As if the Freudian aspects of Švankmajer’s previous work weren’t explicit enough (he was literally credited in Conspirators of Pleasure), portraits of him and Jung look down on the characters during scenes in the therapist lounge in this. They act as silent Statlers and Waldorfs, applauding, covering their ears, even pointing to copies of their books in response to the eccentric psychoanalyst character’s words. A post-modern, perverted little joy, much like everything else this brilliant weirdo makes.