Luke

Robert Eggers' movies are always so brilliantly crafted, both visually and narratively. He has an absolute hold over folk horror, atmospheric dread, and really putting you into a period piece. The Lighthouse is definitely his most confusing movie to date, but also one of his more interesting ones. It leans a lot into surrealism and raises questions about the psyche, with heavy Lovecraftian influences, often focusing on symbolism over plot. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe give great performances, and their characters represent complete opposites. The loud, harsh, old-fashioned sailor opposite a quiet, tense younger gentleman who is hiding a deep secret. The eventual loss of sanity, shifting power dynamics, and loss of rules make for a really intriguing story, where you see how willing they are to cause each other's mutual destruction. This would benefit from multiple rewatches because it is easy to overlook some of the things the characters are saying. Insane ending too, with lots to be said about what it truly represents. Can't wait for Werwulf.

Finally got around to watching Hellraiser III, and whilst it’s clearly not as strong narratively, horror wise, or character wise compared to the first two movies, I still thought it was a lot of fun – nothing offensively bad like I’d assumed. A lot of random, stupid things happen, like the weird stone statue, and it’s definitely more out there, but Doug Bradley is just so good as Pinhead that no matter what happens I’m so into it. I thought it followed up from Hellbound surprisingly well, showing the divide between the genuinely compassionate British captain Elliot Spencer and Pinhead himself, as well as the shift to the more malevolent side of the character without that piece of humanity to balance him as an impartial enforcer. Thought it was good enough for what they were doing, and the Cenobites will always be interesting to me. It also has the most kills of any of the movies so far, just a straight up massacre, which was interesting to see from this character going more into the real world on a large city scale, as opposed to the Labyrinth or more isolated areas. Didn't have any problems with the main cast but again you can't beat the older characters. Heard it only goes downhill from here.

Brand New Day feels like the most authentically Spider-Man movie from Tom Holland’s interpretation of the character and easily has the best fight scenes, which is no surprise given the director Destin Daniel Cretton. I’m still a bit iffy on some of the CGI and weightless physics at times, but the swinging is an improvement where you actually get fluid crime fighting/traversal that takes place inside New York. Punisher was a really fun character, his dynamic with Peter in particular, and also the inclusion of Bruce Banner was good for the story, making a natural way for Peter to tackle his mutations – even though it was brief, getting the Hulk to slam him around felt satisfying. My only issues are with Sadie Sink and the lack of classic Spiderman villains. For when Scorpion is on screen the interactions are well done, but after a certain point you never see him again; similarly with Tombstone in the opening scene, who I thought would be present in the current timeline. It’d have been nice for more montages of him taking out villains to be included or to bring Scorpion back in later. For the story they were telling, I appreciate Jean’s inclusion and thought it was done justice; however to me it does feel a little weird having a character like that be one of the main threats in a movie like this. Not much to say about Ned and MJ either; it was nice seeing them again and they allowed for emotional moments – I’m not a huge fan of those characters in general. Still considering where I’d rank it among other Spider-Man movies but overall it was great.

The Last Jedi is an exceptional Star Wars movie that gets disregarded for the stupidest reasons. It feels like a true successor to the Original Trilogy and takes some of the boldest swings that pay off amazingly in the complex, weathered portrayal of Luke Skywalker as he reaches the ultimate purpose in life: the end of his own prophecy, finally learning from his past failures and instilling hope in those around him. Rey is so much more likeable in this, and the vulnerable journey of what she goes through to find her own purpose takes centre stage, with Kylo also having this spiritual Force Dyad connection to her, going through his own mental struggles that lead him to more doubt. One of the best aspects between Luke and Kylo is the subjective truth of Luke's failure as a master. They're both unreliable narrators who have contradictory accounts, and it's down to Rey, as well as the viewer themselves, to draw their own conclusion. Ultimately both characters are in the wrong which adds to the tragedy of the event. Some of the best cinematography in the whole franchise, with the straight-up coolest action set pieces (such as the throne room) and the Holdo manoeuvre. Everyone takes Rose and the Canto Bight segment way too out of proportion, given that it doesn't fill up the movie too much and it serves as world-building. We see the people who don't pay any notice, we see the people who profit, and we see the slave children who are hopeless. Also general development for Finn to open his eyes, which ultimately leads to growth in their relationship and his character. There's absolutely no point in nagging about how the Holdo manoeuvre is "impossible" or how Luke's character is "destroyed" because it completely misses out on the nuance and what made Star Wars so fun in the first place – you can also easily explain it all. Rian Johnson should've been offered the whole trilogy because I guarantee it would've been peak. It was so nostalgic seeing Yoda again like he was in the Original Trilogy, yet another scene that was so incredible for Luke's final decision and a true return to what he should be focusing on, and how the Jedi Order needs a change. Amazing piece of art, so cool, so stunning, just an amazing story. Kylo is awesome.