A Profound Journey
Est. 1995
Travel, technology, reviews, projects and diary — newest first.
J. J. Abrams returns to wrap up a trilogy that lost its way, and delivers a gorgeous, breathless, slightly panicked finale that leans hard on nostalgia. Spectacular to look at, frustrating to think about. 7.5/10.
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Rian Johnson takes a break from Star Wars to revive the country-house whodunnit, and turns a creaky old form into the sharpest, funniest ensemble of the year. 8.5/10.
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James Mangold turns a corporate dispute over a sports car into one of the year's most satisfying crowd-pleasers, anchored by Bale and Damon and built on engine noise. Old-fashioned in the best sense. 8/10.
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The sixth Terminator film waves the other sequels away and picks up straight after Judgment Day, with Linda Hamilton back and a director who knows how to stage a chase. It does not match Cameron, but it is the most alive this series has felt in years. 7.5/10.
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Ang Lee chases an old technical dream, a young Will Smith hunting an old Will Smith, and the experiment is more interesting than the script. Watchable, well-made, and not the disaster the critics claim. 7/10.
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Gavin Hood turns a real GCHQ leak into a tense, unshowy whistleblower drama, anchored by Keira Knightley's best work in years. It does not reinvent the genre, but it knows exactly what it is doing. 8/10.
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Todd Phillips swaps frat comedy for a grimy character study, and Joaquin Phoenix gives it more than the script can hold. Borrowed from Scorsese, dressed as a comic-book film, and carried by one extraordinary performance. 8.5/10.
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James Gray sends Brad Pitt to the edge of the solar system to find his father and instead finds himself. Gorgeous, slow, and more interested in grief than rockets. 7/10.
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Marvel sends its teenage Spider-Man to Europe with a charming illusionist and a clever line on what we choose to believe. Lighter than its enormous predecessor, sharper than it lets on. 8/10.
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Chad Stahelski's third Wick film picks up sixty seconds after the second and never lets the heartbeat settle. The mythology is getting baroque, but the action is the cleanest in the business. 8.5/10.
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