🎬 Short Movie Reviews 🍿

I watched LA Takedown the other week and couldn't believe how much it was ready to go in Heat! Minor tweaks only.

FANTASTIC PLANET (🇨🇿🇫🇷 1973) The kind of weird & unique psychedelic prog album art imagery that can only have been made in the 1970s. Incredibly unique and captivating visuals, but the central "what if humans were treated like animals" theme wore a bit thin by the end. SCORE: 7/10 Fantastic Planet (French: La Planète Sauvage; Czech: Divoká planeta, lit. 'The Wild Planet') is a 1973 surrealist adult animated science fiction art film directed by René Laloux. Its allegorical story, about humans living on a strange planet dominated by giant humanoid aliens who consider them animals, is based on the 1957 novel Oms en série by the French writer Stefan Wul. The film was written by Laloux and Roland Topor; the latter also made the production design. It was a co-production between companies from France and Czechoslovakia and was animated at Jiří Trnka Studio in Prague.[2]

FANTASTIC PLANET (🇨🇿🇫🇷 1973) The kind of weird & unique psychedelic prog album art imagery that can only have been made in the 1970s, and on all the drugs! Unique and captivating visuals, but the central "what if humans were treated like animals" theme wore a bit thin by the end.

SCORE: 7/10

TANTURA (🇮🇱🇺🇸 2022) Israeli IDF soldiers? Committing war crimes?? And ethnic cleansing??? Against Palestinians???? Then the State covers it up????!?!!? 😮 PRETENDS TO BE SHOCKED 😮 Sheds light on a grim - but important - moment at the start of Israel's independence. A very basic docu format, but it sheds light on a little-known massacre. Should have been 60 mins, tops. SCORE: 6/10 Filmmakers investigate controversial events at the Palestinian village of Tantura in 1948, where survivors claimed to witness a massacre of civilians by Israeli troops.

TANTURA (🇮🇱🇺🇸 2022) IDF soldiers committing war crimes? Against Palestinians?? Then Israel covers it up??? 😮 NO WAY!? 😮

Sheds light on a grim moment at the start of Israel's independence. A very basic doc format, but highlights a little-known massacre. Should have been 60 mins, tops.

SCORE: 6/10

THIEF (🇺🇸 US 1981) a classic Michael Mann 'extremely professional criminal undertaking a nearly impossible job' yarn. As you'd expect, this looks fantastic with plenty sweeping night-time shots of Chicago - and the Tangerine Dream score further cranks up 'the vibes'. Not as economical as Mann's best stuff, but it's still the good shit. SCORE: 7/10 Thief is a 1981 American independent neo-noir heist action thriller film written and directed by Michael Mann in his feature film debut. It stars James Caan as a professional safecracker trying to escape his life of crime, and Tuesday Weld as his wife. The supporting cast includes Jim Belushi, Robert Prosky, Dennis Farina, and Willie Nelson. The screenplay is inspired by the memoir The Home Invaders: Confessions of a Cat Burglar, by former cat burglar Frank Hohimer. The original musical score was composed and performed by Tangerine Dream.

THIEF (🇺🇸 US 1981) a classic Michael Mann 'extremely professional criminal undertaking a nearly impossible job' yarn. As you'd expect, this looks fantastic with plenty sweeping night-time shots of Chicago. Not as economical as Mann's best stuff, but this is still the good shit.

SCORE: 7/10

THE GINGERWEED MAN (🇺🇸 US 2021) I've seen long movies that had an interval baked in, but this one has a realtime "Toke Break" halfway through... at the 25 minute mark! For a stoner flick the effects looked surprisingly decent, it's short & sweet and it ticks all the schlock boxes - immature humour, weed jokes, nudity, gore, and plenty stoner references. It's really stupid and a bit shit, but it's definitely never boring! SCORE: 5/10 B-MOVIE: 420/10 When Gingy, who runs a dispensary delivery service, is charged with protecting Baby Buddy, a mysterious weed dude, mad misadventures follow.

THE GINGERWEED MAN (🇺🇸 US 2021) For a stoner flick the effects look decent, it's short & sweet and it ticks all the schlock boxes: immature humour, weed jokes, nudity, gore, and plenty stoner references. It's really stupid and a bit shit, but it's definitely never boring!

SCORE: 5/10
B-MOVIE: 420/10

SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! (🇰🇷 KR 2003) Starts off pretty weird, then just goes up and up through the crazy gears from there. Absolutely bananas premise and unfolding plot, with huge and fun performances to match the vibe. Enjoyable, but completely unhinged. SCORE: 6.5/10 Save the Green Planet! (Korean: 지구를 지켜라!; RR: Jigureul jikyeora!) is a 2003 South Korean science fiction black comedy film written and directed by Jang Joon-hwan. The basic story begins when the main character, Lee Byeong-gu, kidnaps another man, convinced that the latter is an alien.

SAVE THE GREEN PLANET! (🇰🇷 KR 2003) Starts off pretty fucking weird, then just goes up and up through the crazy gears from there. Absolutely bananas premise and unfolding plot, with huge and fun performances to match the vibe. Enjoyable, but completely unhinged.

SCORE: 6.5/10

BUTT BOY (🇺🇸 US 2019) After a prostate exam changes his life, an IT guy can't stop stuffing things - and people - up his arse! The bizarre premise is inherently silly and funny, but is made twenty times better by how straight this films plays it. Impeccable indie film-making, a loving detective/crime genre picture, with a memorable finale. 💾 SCORE: 7/10 B-MOVIE: 8/10 Butt Boy is a 2020 American dark comedy horror film written by Tyler Cornack and Ryan Koch and directed by Cornack in his directorial debut. The film is a spinoff from a Tiny Cinema comedy sketch

BUTT BOY (🇺🇸 US 2019) After a prostate exam changes his life, an IT guy can't stop stuffing things - and people - up his arse! Bizarre premise is inherently funny but it's 20x sillier because of how straight it's played. Impeccable indie film-making with a memorable finale!

SCORE: 7/10
B-MOVIE: 8/10

Absolutely love Gareth Evans films up until this one. Struggled to follow a lot of the action, which isn't like him!

Z (🇩🇿🇫🇷 1969) An anti-fascist political & procedural thriller that's become a classic, especially amongst film-makers. The docu-style camerawork and fast / snappy editing give this an electric urgency and white-knuckle energy. A statement movie in ever sense: Z hits hard from the start and doesn't let up for the duration. SCORE: 7.5/10 Z is a 1969 political thriller film directed by Costa-Gavras, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jorge Semprún, adapted from the 1967 novel by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963. With its dark view of Greek politics and its downbeat ending, the film captures the director's outrage about the junta that then ruled Greece. The title refers to a popular Greek protest slogan (Greek: Ζει, IPA: [ˈzi]) meaning "he lives," in reference to Lambrakis.

Z (🇩🇿🇫🇷 1969) An anti-fascist political & procedural thriller. The docu-style camerawork and fast / snappy editing give this an electric urgency and white-knuckle energy. A statement movie in ever sense: Z hits hard from the start and doesn't let up for the duration.

SCORE: 7.5/10

F1 (🇺🇸 US 2025) OPEN: underdog_sports_movie.docx FIND & REPLACE ALL: "ball" with "Car" SAVE AS: F1_script.jpeg The most unoriginal & clichéd sports movie of all time... but it's pure box-office, with a huge budget and star power / proven actors. Gorgeous tosh. SCORE: 7/10 F1 (marketed as F1 the Movie) is a 2025 American sports drama film starring Brad Pitt as Formula One (F1) racing driver Sonny Hayes, who returns after a 30-year absence to save his former teammate's underdog team, APXGP, from collapse. The film was directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger. Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, and Javier Bardem also star in supporting roles.

F1 (🇺🇸 US 2025)

𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡: underdog_sports_movie.docx
𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 & 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗟: "ball" with "Car"
𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗦: F1_script.jpeg

The most unoriginal & clichéd sports movie of all time... but it's pure box-office, with a huge budget and star power / proven actors. Gorgeous tosh.

SCORE: 7/10

SEPTEMBER 5 (🇩🇪🇺🇸 2024) the blandest and most boring angle to possibly tell such an explosive story. Despite being slick and well made this is the polar opposite of gripping or dramatic. Have to question the timing and underlying politics of this particular story being pushed out at this particular time 🇮🇱🇵🇸 SCORE: 3/10 September 5 is a 2024 German historical drama thriller film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Tim Fehlbaum. Starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch, the film chronicles the Munich massacre of 1972 from the perspective of the ABC Sports crew and their coverage of the events Starring Peter Sarsgaard John Magaro Ben Chaplin Leonie Benesch

SEPTEMBER 5 (🇩🇪🇺🇸 2024) the blandest and most boring angle to tell such an explosive story. Despite being slick and well made this is the polar opposite of gripping or dramatic. Have to question the timing and politics of this particular story being pushed out at this particular time 🇮🇱🇵🇸

SCORE: 3/10

THE WAVES OF MADNESS (🇺🇸 US 2024) I get that this is one huge vibe (PS1 Resident Evil) but vibes alone didn't make this work for me. Felt stretched and repetitive, even at 50-odd minutes (plus a post-credit scene.) Groovy effects, creative no budget film making, and it's definitely unique - but just didn't float my boat. SCORE: 3/10 A special agent is dispatched to investigate a distress call from a round-the-world cruise, only to find the ship eerily abandoned and haunted by a malevolent force that twists sanity into terror.

THE WAVES OF MADNESS (🇺🇸 US 2024) I get that this is one huge vibe but it just didn't work for me. Felt stretched and repetitive, even at 50-odd minutes (plus a post-credit scene.) Groovy effects, creative no budget film making, and it's definitely unique - but just didn't float my boat.

SCORE: 3/10

Wondering what your thoughts are on the amount of personal data that police can gather and hold on members of the general public? How detailed and personal can it get? How long is it kept? What sort of stuff, if any, is the baseline for all UK citizens?

Love the show, cheers 🥃

Insane that Wales are still getting booked to play more T1 teams than Scotland (who also have Tonga in 3 weeks)

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (🇺🇸 US 2025) if this wasn't a PTA film it would have been such non event. Waaaaay too long for what it is, so much bloat, and too much weirdness for the sake of weirdness. I can understand why it's resonating hard with Americans, but that in itself is pretty depressing. The Christmas Adventurers Club felt like it was out of a student film, as was Penn's ludicrous Army caricature. The only things I wanted more of were DiCaprio spiraling & calling everyone hommie, and Del Toro. Overall just very flat, and pointless, and too odd for me. A thousand ideas but no coherence. SCORE: 4/10 One Battle After Another is a 2025 American action thriller film written, co-produced, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson,[5] inspired by the 1990 novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon.[6] It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti, and follows an ex-revolutionary who is forced back into his former combative lifestyle when he and his daughter become pursued by a corrupt military officer.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (🇺🇸 US 2025) Waaaaay too long. I can understand why it's resonating hard with Americans. The only thing I wanted more of was DiCaprio spiraling & calling everyone hommie. Overall just very flat, pointless, & too odd for me. A thousand ideas but no coherence.

SCORE: 4/10

GOOD FORTUNE (🇺🇸 US 2025) over-written and disgustingly predictable plot that takes two separate film ideas - life swap and fallen angel - then half-asses both. Fails to skewer easy targets like tech bros, shit apps, & gig jobs. Keanu is laughably bad, looking & sounding like he's reading his lines for the first time, and Ansari / Rogen are bolted into their lanes. Despite all these complaints (and several cinema walk outs) there were enough smiles, nasal exhales, and chuckles - both at and with the film - that I ultimately enjoyed it, just. My wife's worst film of the year though. SCORE: 5.5/10 Good Fortune is a 2025 American supernatural comedy film written and directed by Aziz Ansari in his feature directorial debut. Seth Rogen, Ansari, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh and Keanu Reeves star in the film. It is produced by Garam Films, Oh Brudder Productions, Keep Your Head, and Yang Pictures. It follows an angel named Gabriel (Reeves), whose failed attempt to show Arj (Ansari), a struggling man, that money does not solve one's problems—by body swapping him with his wealthy employer Jeff (Rogen)—results in Gabriel losing his wings, while the work he did as an angel begins to unravel around them.

GOOD FORTUNE (🇺🇸 US 2025) takes two separate film ideas - life swap and fallen angel - then half-asses both. Keanu is laughably bad and Ansari / Rogen are bolted into their lanes. There were enough smiles & chuckles that I ultimately enjoyed it, just. My wife's worst film of the year.

SCORE: 5.5/10

PARIYERUM PERUMAL (🇮🇳 IN 2018) I lasted 70 minutes and couldn't watch any more. The story is a mess and it's told in such a hammy & theatrical way. I appreciate a lot of the issues are extremely regional (caste, education, religious violence) but it was told in such a condescendingly stupid way. It uses a standard 'love story' to examine the caste system... but adds some gratuitous & horrifying violence and gore shots; it didn't need to linger on the aftermath of one tragedy for so long... then immediately pivot into a dance number! The lead also wobbles his head like a fucking Team America puppet, which is really annoying once you notice it. This isn't "terrible," but it definitely shouldn't be up there with the highest-rated films on Letterboxd! SCORE: 3/10 At the time of writing this had a 4.2 Rating on Letterboxd, higher than films like Coco, Die Hard, Jaws, Dune, The Substance... You get my drift! Pariyerum Perumal (transl. The Emperor who mounts a Horse) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mari Selvaraj, and produced by Pa. Ranjith.[1] The film stars Kathir and Anandhi, while Yogi Babu, Lijeesh, Hari Krishnan and G. Marimuthu appear in supporting roles. It follows Pariyan (Kathir), who befriends Jothi (Anandhi), who falls in love with him. Soon after, her family members begin harassing Pariyan due to his caste

PARIYERUM PERUMAL (🇮🇳 IN 2018) only made it through 70 mins of this. Appreciate the issues are extremely regional (caste, education, religious violence) but it was told in such a hammy way. This isn't "terrible," but it shouldn't be up there with the highest-rated films on Letterboxd!

SCORE: 3/10

THE DIPLOMAT (🇺🇸 S3) The entire show has transformed from Season 2's bombastic 24-style OTT political thriller into a completely different romance / relationship driven "will-they-won't-they" drama. More effort has been spent on the sets and costumes than trying to make this watchable.

SCORE: 3/10

Hated some bits of this (horrible lenses!!) but started getting into it after the Armenian goons appeared.

BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY (🇨🇳🇫🇷🇩🇰🇶🇦 2024) Impressively shot with an immersive sound design to match. Story wise it's quite a slow burn with a lot of 'psychological' stuff going on, but not much in the way of actual excitement! Some surprisingly critical themes around China's One Child Policy and it's legacy. SCORE: 5/10 Brief History of a Family (Chinese: 家庭简史), is a 2024 psychological thriller film written and directed by Lin Jianjie in his feature directorial debut. The film, starring Zu Feng, Guo Keyu, Sun Xilun, and Lin Muran depicts a middle-class Chinese family in the post-one-child-policy era, who takes in their only son's mysterious new friend, triggering buried family tensions as secrets and feelings surface

BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY (🇨🇳🇫🇷🇩🇰🇶🇦 2024) Impressively shot with an immersive sound design. Story wise it's a slow burn with lots of 'psychological' stuff going on, but not much in the way of actual excitement! Surprisingly critical of China's One Child Policy, and its complex legacy.

SCORE: 5/10

TOXIC AVENGER UNRATED (🇺🇸 US 2023) The laughs and gags come thick and fast, with a ton of throwaway background detail. Nails the goofy & oddball tone of the original Toxie movies (and the wider Troma style). Fabulous gore, familiar plot with modern updates, and some big name supporting actors that are good game. Cuts a more professional-looking path compared to the OG films, but this is a loving and worthy reboot / tribute to the cult hero janitor. SCORE: 7/10 B-MOVIE: 8.5/10 The Toxic Avenger Unrated[b] is a 2023 American superhero black comedy horror film written and directed by Macon Blair. It is the fifth installment, a reboot of The Toxic Avenger film series, and a remake of the 1984 film. The film stars Peter Dinklage as the title character, alongside Jacob Tremblay, Taylour Paige, Julia Davis, Jonny Coyne, Elijah Wood, and Kevin Bacon.

TOXIC AVENGER UNRATED (🇺🇸 US 2023) Nails the goofy & oddball tone of the original Toxie movies (and the wider Troma style). Fabulous gore, familiar plot with modern updates, and some big name supporting actors that are good game. A worthy tribute to the cult hero janitor.

SCORE: 7/10
B-MOVIE: 8.5/10

THE VELOCIPASTOR (🇺🇸 US 2017) Doesn't bite quite as hard on a rewatch, but I still really enjoyed the meta film-making and cinematic tropes being used to great effect. The script is loaded with chuckles, in the vein of Zucker Brothers at times. All-round high level schlock. SCORE: 5.5/10 B-MOVIE: 7.5/10

THE VELOCIPASTOR (🇺🇸 US 2017) Doesn't bite as hard on a rewatch, but I still really enjoyed the meta film-making and cinematic tropes being used to great effect. The script is loaded with chuckles, in the vein of Zucker Brothers at times. All-round high level schlock.

SCORE: 5.5/10
B-MOVIE: 7.5/10

Hard agree; didn't give a single shit by the time the ending rolled round. Also weird how the young attractive ladies all wanted to bang the old greasy loser guys (exec producers) 🤔

A SPECIAL DAY (🇮🇹🇨🇦 1977) 50 years ago I could imagine this being progressive and groundbreaking, but it feels too simple and laboured for modern audiences. You can see the 'reveal' coming a mile away. The 'emotional climax' of the film is also a bit odd considering what we know at that point. Solid performances and well shot, but feels more like an old movie than a timeless classic. SCORE: 6/10 A Special Day (Italian: Una giornata particolare) is a 1977 period drama film directed and co-written by Ettore Scola, produced by Carlo Ponti, and starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Set in Rome in 1938, its narrative follows a housewife (Loren) and her neighbor (Mastroianni) who stay home the day Adolf Hitler visits Benito Mussolini.

A SPECIAL DAY (🇮🇹🇨🇦 1977) You can see the 'reveal' coming a mile away.l, and the 'emotional climax' of the film is extremely odd considering what we know at that point. Solid performances and it's well shot, but this feels more like an old movie than a timeless classic.

SCORE: 6/10

I'M YOUR MAN (🇩🇪 DE 2021) Examines what a future with super intelligent life-like androids might actually look like. A very smart, well written, and thought-provoking sci-fi - disguised as a funny & surprisingly emotional romcom. With AI (& robotics) being forced onto pretty much everything at the moment, I'm surprised this hasn't blown up. Main themes have stuck with me long after watching. SCORE: 7.5/10 Now I have to worry about competing with a clanker lothario that looks like Dan Stevens in the future - new fear unlocked! I'm Your Man (German: Ich bin dein Mensch, lit. 'I'm Your Human') is a 2021 German science fiction romance film inspired by a story of the same name by Emma Braslavsky and directed by Maria Schrader and starring Maren Eggert, Dan Stevens and Sandra Hüller. It premiered at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival in March 2021. It was selected as the German entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards and made the shortlist in December 2021. Ultimately, it was not nominated.

I'M YOUR MAN (🇩🇪 DE 2021) Smart, well written, and thought-provoking sci-fi - disguised as a funny & surprisingly emotional romcom. With A.I. being forced into pretty much everything at the moment, I'm surprised this hasn't blown up. The themes have stuck with me long after watching.

SCORE: 7.5/10

BLACK RABBIT (🇺🇸 S1 2025) It's crazy how much every hot woman under thirty really wants to fuck greasy & unstable dudes in their 50s!!! THE "Okay-est Netflix Miniseries" you can imagine. Looks slick & prestige, big actors, cool soundtrack, etc... but it should have been a two hour film or four hour miniseries at most. Too many weak and pointless flashbacks / tangents to beef up the runtime to 8 hours. Didn't care a jot by the final episode. SCORE: 5/10 Black Rabbit is an American crime thriller television miniseries created by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman for Netflix starring Jude Law and Jason Bateman. It was released on Netflix on September 18, 2025

BLACK RABBIT (🇺🇸 S1 2025) THE "Okay-est Netflix Miniseries" you can imagine. Looks slick & prestige, big actors, cool soundtrack... but it should have been 2-4 hours at most. Too many weak and pointless tangents to beef up the runtime to 8 hours. Didn't care a jot by the final episode.

SCORE: 5/10

Finding this is an issue more and more with +40s actors and actresses!

TEHRAN (🇮🇳 IN 2025) a messy international political drama that plays both sides of the Iran & Israel troubles. A couple of half-decent one-man-army action scenes, but it takes more than dramatic music and slick editing to make something actually dramatic and slick! Sub-par in the end. SCORE: 4/10 Tehran is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language spy action thriller film directed by Arun Gopalan and produced by Dinesh Vijan, Shobhna Yadav and Sandeep Leyzell. It stars John Abraham, Neeru Bajwa and Manushi Chhillar. The film was based on the 2012 attacks on Israeli diplomats. The film premiered on ZEE5 on 14 August 2025, and on Netflix on 27 August 2025.

TEHRAN (🇮🇳 IN 2025) a messy international political drama that plays both sides of the Iran & Israel troubles. A couple of half-decent 'one-man-army' action scenes, but it takes more than dramatic music and slick editing to make something actually dramatic and slick! Sub-par in the end.

SCORE: 4/10

THE TRAIN (🇫🇷🇮🇹🇺🇸 1964) Big budget and impressively shot, directed, & put together. Based on a true story, this includes some fantastic sabotage shenanigans littered around a heap of tense, loud, and large-scale WWII train-based action set pieces. This was a bit of a banger! SCORE: 7.5/10 The Train is a 1964 action war film directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield and Jeanne Moreau. The picture's screenplay—written by Franklin Coen, Frank Davis, and Walter Bernstein—is loosely based on the non-fiction book Le front de l'art by Rose Valland, who documented the works of art placed in storage that had been looted by Nazi Germany from museums and private art collections. Arthur Penn was The Train's original director but was replaced by Frankenheimer three days after filming had begun.

THE TRAIN (🇫🇷🇮🇹🇺🇸 1964) Big budget and impressively shot, directed, & put together. Based on a true story, this includes some fantastic sabotage shenanigans littered around a heap of tense, loud, and large-scale WWII train-based action set pieces. This was a bit of a banger!

SCORE: 7.5/10

EBOLA SYNDROME (🇭🇰 HK 1996) A nasty piece of shit film that takes great pleasure in showing you every single cinematic taboo. The absolute extreme of Hong Kong Category III "everything-sploitation." A camp and romping vibe, great gore FX and great villain performance at the center. This is a must see for bad taste aficionados, but it's way is too disgusting for everyone else. SCORE: 6/10 B-MOVIE: 8.5/10 Ebola Syndrome (伊波拉病毒) is a 1996 Hong Kong Category III exploitation film directed by Herman Yau and starring Anthony Wong.

EBOLA SYNDROME (🇭🇰 HK 1996) A nasty piece of shit film that takes pleasure in showing you every single cinematic taboo. The absolute extreme of Hong Kong Category III "everything-sploitation." A must see for bad taste aficionados, but way too disgusting for everyone else

SCORE: 6/10
B-MOVIE: 8.5/10