Letterboxd - jwhiles

Police Story, 1985 - ★★★★★

jwhiles — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:08:41 +1300

Unaccountable police violence? Alright maybe just this once

Alien: Romulus, 2024 - ★★★

jwhiles — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 08:56:54 +1300

Really good as a horror film, and I imagine in the cinema this would have been very fun.

But the thing about Ridley Scott’s alien films is that they’re an exercise in exploring different themes and modalities while retaining the same form. But if the theme you’re exploring is ‘all the characters have a sibling, and also the space station is named after some siblings’ then the whole exercise is pretty fucking pointless.

So I enjoyed watching this - but am disappointed. It’s a good slasher film, it pretends that it’s as perverse as the best alien films - but it’s not. It a hr giger phone case.

PS: It should be a crime to recreate a dead person’s likeness. Everyone involved to jail

PPS: lol at the mining colony with population of 2000, and roughly that many extras on screen in every scene.

Boogie Nights, 1997 - ★★★★½

jwhiles — Mon, 3 Nov 2025 22:13:51 +1300

So they all have bad relationships with their families, and are brought together by pornography, then are torn apart by drugs and video tape, but then they all come back together and realise how much they need each other, and that they are one big porny family - and only a few people get killed along the away.

One Battle After Another, 2025 - ★★★★½

jwhiles — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 10:07:43 +1300

I saw it in the BFI IMAX, near the front. I spent the whole film pointedly leaning back into my seat, because otherwise I just couldn't see the top third of the screen. Every shot was artificially foreshortened by my proximity to the screen, the faces appearing distorted and monstrous. I had a large tango ice blast and got several brain freezes throughout the first half of the movie.

Fantastic film. Some really beautiful shots. That car chase. Ooft. Amazing.

I never noticed before how much Sean Penn looks and acts like Tim Robinson.

It's a happy ending cos everyone gets the new (at time of filming) iPhone pro.

There's something to say about the French 75 all wearing 'cool' military style clothes, contrasted with the later horrible scary dudes in their more modern but similarly tacticool get ups. But I don't know what yet.

Eating Raoul, 1982

jwhiles — Fri, 17 Oct 2025 09:37:48 +1300

Watched on Thursday October 16, 2025.

House, 1977

jwhiles — Sun, 5 Oct 2025 09:27:55 +1300

Watched on Saturday October 4, 2025.

Cocktail, 1988 - ★★½

jwhiles — Sun, 5 Oct 2025 02:36:50 +1300

My understanding is that this film was panned upon release. It's certainly pretty stupid - but in 2025 seeing a movie that isn't about cgi and isn't a critically acclaimed cry fest hits different. It's a type of good clean fun we don't often get these days.

It's the youngest I've ever seen Tom Cruise. He's very handsome.

It has some great lines - 'you need money to overthrow the government'

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, 2025 - ★★★

jwhiles — Wed, 3 Sep 2025 06:19:49 +1200

Too much exposition not enough stunts.

The stunts that are in the film are pretty sick. The submarine sequence is one of the best things this series has done. Like being in a nightmare

Also - was the other submarine meant to be super homo erotic? I liked it

Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981 - ★★★

jwhiles — Mon, 19 May 2025 18:22:12 +1200

The first time I watched this I was a child - I had no idea what was happening, the film is just a series of events following one after another with characters who it seemed like I was tapered to already know - but didn’t. Then the nazis melted, an indelible image that haunted my dreams for a long time.

On rewatch, I feel similarly. This film needs less events, more time spent luxuriating in college campuses with weirdly sinister pipe smoking federal agents.

The car chase was good. It’s cool to watch a film and know that the stunts actually happened in a form that resembles what we see on screen.

Very hard to understand how this film captured the hearts and minds of so many and has not released them to this day. It’s just fine

Now You See Me, 2013

jwhiles — Sat, 3 May 2025 08:40:48 +1200

I only saw maybe 40% of this film as I floated in and out while A watched it - but that 40% was truly some of the worst cinema I’ve ever experienced.

Night on Earth, 1991

jwhiles — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 07:25:18 +1200

Okay I only made it through the first part, and about 4 minutes of the second part.

Is Winona Rider actually a bad actress? yes.

Is this film boring as fuck? yes.

(I did really like the shots of LA at the start)

Time Bandits, 1981 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 08:31:46 +1200

So I saw this as a kid and all I remember was the shot of a knight bursting out a wardrobe, and feelings of fear and confusion.

On rewatch, this as way funnier than I’d expected! The first half of the film is hysterical. The napoleon scene is fantastic. The appearance of Robin Hood was the best thing I’ve seen for a long time.

Sadly the second half of the film devolves into a pretty tedious action slog. I think if you stopped watching after the titanic sinks you’d get the best from the this film. That said, the last scene is wonderfully bizarre. I can’t believe they ended the film like that.

There Will Be Blood, 2007 - ★★★★

jwhiles — Fri, 4 Apr 2025 10:16:25 +1300

Rewatched for the first time since it came out.

I remember it being much larger in scope, and I also remember the soundtrack being more overwhelming. Maybe it just hits different on a laptop.

This film really needs a 15 minute pre roll feature that explains the mechanics of oil drilling. I spent a lot of the time being like ‘it’s on fire, is that bad? They all seem pleased - but they didn’t expect it? What’s happening?’

Anora, 2024 - ★★★

jwhiles — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 02:49:59 +1300

Slowly watching Anora realise that a guy who obviously sucks sucks

The finding Ivan section is really funny.

I didn’t find his use of an Xbox controller convincing at all. Strong silent movie star pretending to drive a car energy.

Queer, 2024

jwhiles — Fri, 7 Feb 2025 11:28:00 +1300

Watched on Thursday February 6, 2025.

Bird, 2024

jwhiles — Tue, 4 Feb 2025 11:15:14 +1300

Watched on Monday February 3, 2025.

Cecil B. Demented, 2000

jwhiles — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 09:08:34 +1300

Very high style quotient. Good to see action films and pornos getting some respect.

The Stepford Wives, 2004 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Sat, 11 Jan 2025 10:41:04 +1300

Watched this with my dad, after eating a curry.

I loved the investor conference that the film starts with, and business Goth Nicole Kidman looks incredible.

I was a bit confused about what the deal was with the robots. Were all the wives actually robots? Or just mind controlled? Were the modifications made to their bodies permanent?

The best line in the film: ”It's a painting again!”

It's weird that people acted like the Barbie movie was an event, when this came out 20 years prior.

Edit: there's a fundamental flaw in this film. Nicole's husband fucking sucks and is totally pathetic. I didn't buy their relationship at all. There's no way she would tolerate being married to such a loser, his actions in the finale don't match the rest of his characterisation. BAD

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, 2024 - ★★★

jwhiles — Tue, 7 Jan 2025 11:07:08 +1300

Anton Deck

Ghost in the Shell, 1995 - ★★★

jwhiles — Mon, 6 Jan 2025 10:05:45 +1300

Watched half of it in a horrible English dub. Was so bad that we stopped downloaded a version with normal audio and finished the film the next day.

Lots of really striking visuals, the tank fight has been etched in my memory since I first watched this ~10 years ago. Incredible soundtrack too.

Anyway, in terms of subject matter - I guess this film is MORE RELEVANT THAN EVER

Shoplifters, 2018

jwhiles — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 21:27:31 +1300

Watched on Monday December 23, 2024.

28 Weeks Later, 2007

jwhiles — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 21:27:00 +1300

Watched on Sunday December 22, 2024.

28 Days Later, 2002 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Mon, 23 Dec 2024 08:26:18 +1300

It's sad that there is no longer a level of consumer camera equipment that will get your interesting results. 28 Years Later is apparently being filmed on iPhones - but unless they're using an iPhone 5 or something - it’s just going to look the same as if you used a real camera but a bit worse. 28 days was shot on Canon XL1 - which means that it will always look sick as fuck.

Besides looking incredible, the film is fun. The opening in the city is, I think, where it's strongest. Once they leave London - the threat from infected seems to pretty much vanish until they all surrender to a bunch of insane soldiers.

If I was in a zombie apocalypse - I would always park my car in such a way that I could make a quick get away. I also probably wouldn't make a huge fire outside and fall asleep next to it. I would also ditch anyone who insisted on driving through a tunnel filled with destroyed cars.

Anyway it's really funny that this was released on blu ray.

24 Hours in the Life of a Clown, 1946

jwhiles — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 05:57:11 +1300

Sort of a documentary, but all the scenes are staged.

We learn that it’s important to keep your wife in her place by complaining about being served spaghetti even when you secretly love spaghetti.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, 1965 - ★★★

jwhiles — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 05:54:56 +1300

I've wanted to watch this for a long time, since I love the soundtrack. And I think I love snoopy - despite having very little knowledge Peanuts.

This is a strange film, in that it feels like a series of ideas for three panel comic strips, and also seems to have been directed by someone who's never seen an animated film before.

The plot is roughly as follows:
* Charlie feels sad because it's Christmas but he isn't happy
* Everyone, including his dog, seems to be treating Christmas as an entirely commercial enterprise
* Another kid invites him to direct the Christmas play, hoping this will cheer him up
* Everyone ignores and criticises him
* Then someone explains that the true meaning of Christmas is that Jesus got born
* Finally everyone decides to be nice to Charlie

The Jesus stuff seems very untrue to the characters, and is a bit baffling. Keep Jesus out of my Christmas films!

In summary:

"Nickels, nickels, nickels, that beautiful sound of clinking nickels"

Berberian Sound Studio, 2012 - ★★★

jwhiles — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 10:23:23 +1300

Watched on Tuesday December 10, 2024.

Hairspray, 1988 - ★★★★

jwhiles — Sun, 8 Dec 2024 07:50:13 +1300

So I had this film mixed up in my head with Hair (1979), and as a result I spent the whole film waiting for Age of Aquarius.

Anyway, incredible film. Loved every second.

Wicked, 2024 - ★★½

jwhiles — Sun, 8 Dec 2024 04:38:10 +1300

Why is everyone at this weird aquatic school so old?!

(why was this a part 1?! How does an adaption of a ~3 hour musical end up being like 6 hours long and containing such a small amount of music)

Wasp, 2003 - ★★★★

jwhiles — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 22:46:47 +1300

Watched on Saturday November 9, 2024.

A Serious Man, 2009 - ★★★★½

jwhiles — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 10:15:29 +1300

‘Actions have consequences’
‘Yes, often’

The Substance, 2024 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Fri, 8 Nov 2024 10:27:45 +1300

Just retreading the same ground as show girls but with a bit less panache

An American Werewolf in London, 1981 - ★★★

jwhiles — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 09:04:20 +1300

I didn’t know anything about this film going in - and i took a long time trying to figure out whether it was horror or comedy or what. I’m still not totally sure. Whatever the case - it makes you long for halcyon days of the 1980s Yorkshire pub.

I think if was film was slightly different it would have been really good. But in actual fact it was just okay. The practical effects were great, the humour good, the love story unconvincing.

My absolute favourite scene was the Kermit dream sequence.

La Cérémonie, 1995

jwhiles — Sat, 5 Oct 2024 01:09:38 +1300

Watched this on criterion 24/7 - consequently I missed the start and the end.

Overall very enjoyable to watch. Great vibes. Loved the insanity of everything people were watching on tv.

Not sure what the point was - maybe a 1995 version of saltburn: ‘Don’t trust the poor and wretched. They are pernicious and murderous’

The Fly, 1986 - ★★★★

jwhiles — Wed, 2 Oct 2024 07:14:39 +1300

I expected this to be fun like videodrome or crash - But it’s actually very bleak. Turning into a fly sucks for you and for those around you.

The Martian, 2015 - ★★½

jwhiles — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 22:58:36 +1200

Every time I watch a new Ridley Scott movie I become more convinced that he actually just got lucky when he made Alien and Prometheus and Alien Covenant

Glass, 2019 - ★★

jwhiles — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 06:48:00 +1200

Why does a secret society dedicated to suppressing knowledge of superheroes allow three witnesses who are extremely motivated to talk about what they’ve seen just walk away?

Some good acting and nice scenes, but as a whole this was a really remarkably bad and stupid film

Mission: Impossible II, 2000 - ★★

jwhiles — Sun, 8 Sep 2024 22:56:58 +1200

I liked the motorbike scene

Notting Hill, 1999 - ★★★

jwhiles — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 09:02:05 +1200

Watched on Thursday August 15, 2024.

Kingsman: The Secret Service, 2014 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 19:29:10 +1200

You can always tell the villain because they have a disability. This time it’s a lisp.

Went in knowing nothing about the film other than it was something to do with spies. I was expecting either a light hearted Johnny English style caper, or a self serious Le Carré rip off. What I got wasn’t really either of those.

After watching the film I read up on it a bit and it’s based on a comic by Mark Millar and directed by the Matthew Vaughan who also directed kickass - which makes sense because this film felt a lot like kick ass for better and worse.

I liked
* Colin Firth
* the bizarre way the scenes were shot
* the church massacre

Disliked
* parkour
* dizzee rascal’s bonkers
* all the sub guy ritchie gangster stuff

Gladiator, 2000 - ★★½

jwhiles — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 19:10:26 +1200

I am baffled by the cultural impact this move had. It is not a good movie.

My favourite bit is when he rides a horse from Germany to Spain in two days

Color Out of Space, 2019 - ★★★

jwhiles — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 19:26:53 +1200

Watched on Saturday July 27, 2024.

Cure, 1997 - ★★★★

jwhiles — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 22:30:58 +1200

Watched this with my mum

Longlegs, 2024 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 03:49:02 +1200

I enjoyed this.

Great collection of Noguchi lamps in her a house. But what does it mean?!

Madame Web, 2024 - ★★

jwhiles — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:23:34 +1200

Crazy taxi the movie

Hereditary, 2018 - ★★★★★

jwhiles — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:15:36 +1200

I watched this on ‘the uk’s biggest screen’!

I was extremely on edge throughout. It’s just constantly rising tension - which is punctuated by horrible climaxes that aren’t followed by any release of tension.

What’s the film about? I guess it’s about how sometimes you can be closer to your cult family than your real family.

Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015 - ★★★★½

jwhiles — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:06:25 +1200

Saw the black and chrome version at the imax lol.

Kind of seemed like this wasn’t actually shot for imax though? Felt like I could see the pixels at times.

Anyway the black and white was cool. Looked great. Moody

Godzilla Minus One, 2023 - ★★ (contains spoilers)

jwhiles — Fri, 7 Jun 2024 09:23:30 +1200

This review may contain spoilers.

I heard that this was an unusually good Japanese Godzilla film, which had broken through to a Western audience. It's getting good reviews from relatively serious critics and doing gangbusters on Netflix.

After watching I feel baffled at how positive the reception is. Why is this the breakout Godzilla film rather than the vastly superior Shin Godzilla (for which I am retrospectively increasing my rating).

This film was cheesy, visually uninteresting, and frankly pretty boring. The Kamikaze pilot subplot was the most interesting part of the film - it's a topic I know nothing about, and I'd have liked it to dig into how these pilots were viewed during/after the war more.

But yeah, the end result is that our protagonist gets over his trauma, and everything turns out fine. For me the film would have been better if Noriko had stayed dead.

The verisimilitude is lacking. Can you imagine how long it would actually take to attach 30 small tugs to a giant cruiser - definitely it long enough for Godzilla to decompress and swim off somewhere else.
And can you imagine what a hospital would actually look like in 1947 Tokyo after a Godzilla attack? I don't think there would be a private room with a vase of flowers by the bed.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, 2024 - ★★★★★

jwhiles — Tue, 4 Jun 2024 09:50:53 +1200

Yes yes yes

Enys Men, 2022 - ★★★★

jwhiles — Mon, 3 Jun 2024 08:42:09 +1200

Essentially the same film as perfect days. A worker diligently performs their job day after day, appreciates their surroundings, gets a knocked bit off the level by events out of their control.

Babysitter, 2022 - ★★★½

jwhiles — Mon, 27 May 2024 20:21:48 +1200

Watched on Monday May 27, 2024.

Song	Artist	Plays this week
Bein' Friends	Catherine Warwick	1
Pollyanna (I Believe In You)	Catherine Warwick	1
01-03-2018	John Whiles	1
07-02-2018	John Whiles	1
08-03-2018	John Whiles	1
09-02-2018 (floating gallery)	John Whiles	1
09-02-2018 (floating museum)	John Whiles	1
2025-7-9 (laughing)	John Whiles	1
22-02-2018	John Whiles	1
An Attempt To Tip The Scales	John Whiles	1

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