a man says it 's okay to pretend in a rental family poster Alt: A white man in a cream-coloured jacket stands in a colourful art exhibit that bathes him in a blue hue. He says, "It's okay to pretend"

#filmsky Rental Family (2026)

Brilliantly surprised by this. Interesting premise that starts off light but gets into some deep emotional subjects. The light soundtrack complements the story without detracting from it. Beautiful cinematography gives scenes room to breath and viewers time to ponder.

a man with a beard and a sword says i summon you to fulfill your oath Alt: A man with a beard and a sword walks forward saying, "I summon you to fulfil your oath"

#filmsky The Return of the King Extended Edition (2003)

The epic conclusion to spotting P. Jackson as a bk char. Both Shelob and the undead army are terrifying on the big screen all these years later. Wood drives some emotionally powerful scenes alongside Austin beautifully. Serkis also being epic.

a man with a mask on his face is standing next to a teddy bear in a dark room . Alt: An extremely pale-faced man with no eyebrows, oily black hair and a black cloak stands up saying, "Late is the hour"

#filmsky The Two Towers Extended Edition (2002)

Viggo breaks his toe in this one. Helm's Deep continues to age extremely well showing how a battle of this scope can be experienced /wo losing the viewer in the details. Tourif is terrific as Wormtongue along with the commanding voice of Lee.

a man with a beard is wearing a helmet with the letter x on it Alt: A short dwarf with an auburn beard and a grey helmet inlaid with gold on his head screams "YES" before running off.

#filmsky Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition (2001)

Jackson's films are important and good examples of epic fantasy, high production quality and digestible exposition. It is a difficult balance to maintain esp in an epic fantasy /wo taking up excessive screentime. A great start to an epic tale.

a man is holding flowers in front of a stack of skulls Alt: a man is holding flowers in front of a stack of skulls

#filmsky 20 Years Later The Bone Temple (2026)

A surprisingly hope filled film demonstrating the desperate need for structure & connection in a failing world. Fiennes and O'Connell clearly had fun filming. They show a terrifying range of emotions and what their chars are willing to do to survive.

a rock with googly eyes is sitting on the ground Alt: a rock with googly eyes is sitting on the ground and turns to look at the audience

New thread of films for this year

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Not my first time watching the film and the message still hits hard. Excellent acting is wrapped in glorious SFX exploring self acceptance, generational trauma, connectedness and the need for whimsy. Had me craving bagels.

a train that says w.b. on the side Alt: A black and white tracking shot of a train. A man climbs from the wooden carriage up onto the boiler. In the background are hills covered in pine trees.

#filmsky The General (1926)
Great film continues to demonstrate that comedy can be pure. Physical comedy showing its power. Engaged me more than I thought. Constantly trying to guess what the next gag was going to be. Buster Keaton demonstrates marvellous physicality and outperforms modern films

a black and white photo of a city with a sign that says ' oasis ' on it Alt: Two black and white shots of a futuristic city. The first shot shows tall buildings with packed roads connecting them and planes flying around. The second shot shows a large imposing tower surrounded by buildings lit up like Vegas.

#filmsky Metropolis (1927)

A truly impressive film for its time from the sets, to the special effects and the overall production scale. I'm increasingle appreciating how silent film actors convey story through movement. A standout performance was the Thin Man, dracula like and dominating the space

a cartoon character is running with his fist up Alt: an anime char with messy black hair and a beige jumper running towards the camera with all his might

#filmsky 100 Meters (2025)

Fantastically animated study of what it means to be an athlete & the toll it takes. Animators clearly studied ref material from the high level of detail they added to even bk chars. Beautiful bks highlight a great cast where each gets to talk about their own philosophy

a man in a purple tuxedo is standing in front of a crowd with the words welcome to the running man written below him Alt: a black man in a purple tuxedo is standing in front of a crowd with the words "welcome to the running man" written below him

#filmsky The Running Man (2025)

Good remake that emphasizes the updated message & unsubtle themes. Has some good Easter eggs nodding to the original. Wright's signature physical comedy is scattered through the film. Found myself preferring the OG hunters. The ones in this felt bland in comparison.

a man in armor is holding a large sword in a forest Alt: An alien in armour unfurls a sci-fi bow and checks the aim

#filmsky Predator Badlands (2025)

Great addition to the Predator franchise. Was worried when it was first announced. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Well trodden themes explained the Predator culture without prior knowledge. Great action scenes showing off some iconic tools and ecology.

a man in a top hat is standing next to two women Alt: a man in a top hat and cane stands beside a sleeping man in a box and a woman in a dress. The first man points towards the sleeping one with his cane dramatically

#filmsky The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Intellectually interesting. Modern viewer's perspective, strange watch with the acting feeling more comedy than horror. Film theory perspective, it's a great blend of physical acting, gorgeous set pieces & a twist that clearly influenced many modern films

a man with curly hair is standing in a dark room with a light shining on him Alt: a man with curly hair is standing in a dark room with a light shining on him finishes putting a glove on his right hand

#filmsky Frankenstein (2025)

Fantastically faithful adaptation of the book. I recognised set pieces & some dialogue that I've rarely seen in other versions. GDT's use of colour and texture lends itself wonderfully to the set designs and the monster, played as a brilliant blend of sorrow and anger

a person in a blue shirt is standing in front of a window at night Alt: a person in a blue shirt is standing in front of a window at night

#filmsky Chainsaw Man Reze Arc (2025)

Fantastic animation and a soundtrack that can keep up with its high-paced nature. Char designs transferred well to the big picture format. I did find the choreography a bit hard to follow during the final act. Certain actions needed more frames to smooth it out

a man says it 's all in the reflexes Alt: a man says "It's all in the reflexes"

#filmsky Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Giant cheese fest that feels like a TTRPG session. You have to watch several other films to understand the tropes it pokes fun at in order to fully appreciate it. Most interesting bit was seeing the famous practical effects in a different context.

a man in a white shirt with the words fine it 's done on his chest Alt: A pale white man in a white shirt closes his eyes, looks up and then brings his head down, saying, "Fine. It's done".

#filmsky Constantine (2005)

An interesting adaptation of the titular char. Whilst not hitting all the right aesthetic notes, the writing tries to capture the attitude John has towards rules. The standout performance is, of course, Peter Stormare as the Devil. Curious to see where the sequel goes

a man in a leather jacket with a patch on his eye says call me snake Alt: a man in a leather jacket with a patch on his left eye says "call me snake"

#filmsky Escape from New York (1981)

Whilst not John Carpenter's best work IMO, it's still a great watch for the worldbuilding and overall style. It gives you small pieces of info that really help explain how the community has survived, and that helps make it feel more engaging. Extremely quotable.

a woman is wearing a wreath of flowers on her head and neck . Alt: a woman is wearing a wreath of flowers on her head and neck smiling.

#filmsky Midsommar (2025)

Interesting study of pacing and changing the viewer's perspective on the film's events. Viewers start by sympathising with all chars, but by the end, you only like one. Constant light shows how unashamed the cult is with its acts, a contrast to the usual use of shadows.

a man in a dark room says i 'll be seeing you very soon Alt: A white man with short, grey hair stands on the other side of a chain link fence saying "I'll be seeing you very soon"

#filmsky One Battle After Another (2025)

Really well-made film with well-orchestrated action sequences, where the true strength is in the dialogue. Reminds me of Heat. Decaprio is truly fantastic in this, but the true standout is Penn as Slackjaw. Walk cycle, ticks and dedication to the hatred

a woman with long blonde hair is standing in a doorway Alt: A man with long blond hair stands in front of an open window as a strong blows causing his cape to flap around

#filmsky Labyrinth (1986)

A continued classic that's still worth studying for its practical effects. God-tier puppeteering from Jim Henson Company isn't something you see nowadays; it's great to look back at it. David Bowie's charisma forms a major component of the film. Dance, magic dance.

a group of people are standing in a dark room surrounded by smoke . Alt: a group of people are standing in a dark church surrounded by smoke.

#filmsky The Fog (1980)

A great horror film with minimal frills and fantastic visuals. Very distinctly a Carpenter film with the approach to lighting and soundtrack. Enjoyed how the bright fog extends or overrides the terror of the shadows. Loved the use of miniatures. Good starter horror film

a man in a suit says " have no attachments allow nothing to be in your life that you cannot walk out Alt: a man in a suit says "Have no attachments. Allow nothing to be in your life that you cannot walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you spot heat around the corner"

#filmsky Heat (1995)

More interesting than I was expecting. A meaty saga where despite it being a heist film I found myself more interested in the dialogue between the mirrored chars with the similarities, expectations and respect for one another. The heist scene is of course wonderfully executed.

a man in a suit and tie is talking into a microphone and saying `` it 's time to start ... '' . Alt: a man in a suit and tie is talking into a microphone and saying ``It 's time to start ... Running"

#filmsky The Running Man (1987)

A true 80s classic with its causes of the bleak future being eerily close to our own. Signature designs for the Stalkers and the eye catching suits make it a fun Sunday watch. The hero does feel more clinical than interesting. Great watch for the art and style.

a group of people walking down a road with the long walk written on the bottom right Alt: a group of people walking down a road with the long walk written on the bottom right.

#filmsky The Long Walk (2025)

Hard watch, in a good way. Fantastic cast driving discussions about trauma, survival and what it means to actually live. Doesn't pull its punches with depictions of brutality, violence and apathy. Attention between the large cast is well balanced. Worth a watch.

a man with long hair and a beard is wearing a green leafy outfit . Alt: a man with long hair and a beard is wearing a green leafy outfit and shouting in joy

#filmsky Jumanji (1995)

A Robin William's classic perfect for terrorizing a new generation. The practical animals looks a little rough but the set pieces are still fantastic. RW gives a truly great performance driving home the horror of what his char goes through. Still a family friendly film.

a man in a skull and crossbones shirt says " that 's it man game over man game over " Alt: A man in militaristic armour on an alien planet screaming "That's it man! Game over, man! Game over!". The same text is shown in yellow subtitles

#filmsky Alien (1979) + Aliens (1986)

Rare double bill of horror icons. Alien with its iconic look, minimalist soundtrack & eq minimalist lore. Great study of establishing & sticking to an aesthetic. Aliens helps expand rather than override. Adding corporate & creature lore /wo going out of scope

a man in a blue shirt is standing in front of the ocean Alt: A man in a blue shirt is standing on a boat bobbing his head

#filmsky Jaws (1975)... in 3D

First time seeing it. I can see why it's held in high regard. Practical maw of the shark still looks great, def jumped scared me a couple of times. Most interesting bit was the ending. It doesn't overstay. Quietly leaves into a sort of eerie peace. 3D didn't add much

a silhouette of a man holding a stick with the words toxic avenue uncut on the bottom right Alt: a silhouette of a man holding a stick with the words toxic avenue uncut on the bottom right

#filmsky Toxic Avenger Unrated (2025)

Great film feels like it was ripped out of the 80s with the gore, cheesiness, practical effects and anti capitalist messaging. Reminds me strongly of Tank Girl. Peter Dinklage is fantastic in this with the line delivery and clearly had fun.👍 to the props dept.

a close up of a girl with blue hair and blue eyes against a brick wall ALT: a close up of a girl with blue hair and blue eyes against a brick wall

#filmsky Colourful Stage! The Movie: The Miku Who Can't Sing

I don't know anything about Miku so this was a weird watch. Well animated with some decent music. Too many chars which made it difficult to keep track of them and divide my attention between them. Does assume you know about the lore.

a close up of a woman with curly hair and a hair clip in her hair making a funny face . Alt: A shot of a man with curly hair in a dress, white pearl necklace, white makeup, black eyeliner and red lipstick saying "anticipation" with a long pause halfway through. Another character, a blond woman with curly hair, leans in during the pause

#filmsky Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

A singular, undefinable film that remains wonderfully entertaining. The set designs and music are all elevated through Tim Curry's immortal performance. Everyone should be dragged to either a live show or a local cinema to see what they have on the slab