Oliver Battershall

When the Wind Blows (1986) 4/5
A very hard film to immediately write a review for after watching. Deeply harrowing and poignant. The characters are those well-meaning but frustratingly oblivious older people we’ve all met ourselves plenty of times in life. They’re written very well so as to highlight the naivety of older generations with their Blitz era nostalgia. On a technical level it’s very impressive, mixing multiple 2D/3D animation methods with some live action elements. This left a real pit in my stomach.

Seven Samurai (1954) 4.5/5
Sadly my viewing experience for this didn’t have a good start. I went to see it in a sold out 4k screening at my local cinema, but had to leave during the intermission due to being sat next to a genuine contender for loudest breather of all time. I spent the first half of the film barely being able to focus because of his blocked nose that he was so determined to inhale through. Anyway! I left and watched the rest on my laptop. I can see why this is so iconic. It’s such a sprawling epic that covers heavy themes like masculinity, social class, violence and pride, while managing to keep a steady pace and mostly upbeat tone throughout. It’s one of the most beautifully shot films of its era, and also hits some humorous and whimsical notes extremely well. This is all tied together by a cast of unique and compelling characters. I’d consider this a must-watch for Lord of the Rings fans.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) 4/5
One year after ‘Alright, Still’, Lily Allen’s pioneering debut in the art of posh women putting on Cockney accents, Helena Bonham Carter (a.k.a. my wife in another lifetime) follows it up with another banger. This is really fun, mixing Tim Burton’s usual macabre overtones and eccentric colour grading with pulpy throat slits coming at a rate of knots. I enjoyed the music and the general showmanship of it all, especially Sacha Baron Cohen’s character. A tale that’s twisted in the way that stories told round the campfire by kids are. That kid in me got something nice out of this.

Juno (2007) 3.5/5
For most of the duration of this film I was really struggling to emotionally connect at all, and that was mainly because of the proto-tumblr quirky dialogue. I hate it, surely no teenager was actually speaking like that back then! It’s hard to treat sincere moments seriously when one character is constantly quipping in an unnatural way. But thankfully this was toned down towards the end, and I was able to see some nice character dynamics, like those between Juno and her parents. It’s unpolished and frustrating in parts but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t warm my cockles.

Mortuary (2005) 1.5/5
I didn’t dare commit the cardinal sin of not watching some horror movies during October, so I checked out this effort from Tobe Hooper, director of Texas Chain Saw Massacre, one of my favourite horror films of all time. Judging from the top letterboxd reviews it seems to have received something of a critical reappraisal after a tepid initial reaction from audiences. I was sadly left very disappointed and honestly baffled as to what people saw in this that remotely warranted a 4 or 5 star rating. It’s just like any run of the mill schlocky b-movie on the horror channel. Far from the worst of this kind of film I’ve seen, but still very uncompelling.

Cleaners (2019) 3.5/5
It’s hard not to fall in love with filmmaking all over again when you see a stylistic process as new and painstakingly done as this. It’s a collection of around 40,000 photocopied frames that were each then highlighted by hand. The effect is entirely unique and evocative of half-forgotten memories of our teenage years (if a little headache-inducing). We see a series of vignettes that range from the absurd and comical to the heartfelt and troubling. The look of the film is definitely the biggest draw, as the vignettes themselves vary a lot in tone and quality. Worth a watch, just like any film made with this much love and care.

Commando (1985) 3/5
Nothing special but pretty fun. The main draw for me is the soundtrack, very 80s. Power pop mixed with jazzy sax mixed with synths mixed with…steel drums? Sure! I liked the final face-off, mostly because the antagonist was so hilariously mental.