David Allen
@gubby-a.bsky.social
Happily retired Husband and Father of 3 First Class children. A fervent fan of #SurreyCCC, #CPFC, #Raiders, #Mets and #Celtics.
For Cinematic Sense, my review of Danny Boyle's 28 YEARS LATER, a post-apocalyptic sequel that turns out to be exciting, compassionate - and in the end, stunning.
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/12/09/f...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/12/09/f...
28 Years Later Review: “Remember, You Must Love”
With 28 Years Later, Danny Boyle returns to his zombie series for a work about Britain, death and (most radically) love.
cinematicsense.home.blog
December 9, 2025 at 6:11 PM
It's that time of the year when I start to go through films I missed early in 2025.
So for Cinematic Sense, I have finally seen Ryan Coogler's Sinners, and it is electric...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/12/04/f...
So for Cinematic Sense, I have finally seen Ryan Coogler's Sinners, and it is electric...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/12/04/f...
Sinners Review: Ryan Coogler’s Electric Vampire Film
Ryan Coogler cements his visionary status in Sinners, an electric vampire horror movie that positions music as its lifeblood.
cinematicsense.home.blog
December 4, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by David Allen
New edition of the Cinematic Sense Monthly newsletter! I talk about the first award ceremonies of the year, Letterboxd's new Video Store and Billie Eilish's new concert film (in 3D - AND with James Cameron)...
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/n...
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/n...
November 2025: Awards, Video Stores and Billie Eilish (in 3D!)
Hello and welcome back to Cinematic Sense Monthly. This newsletter goes through everything the site has done over the previous month, along with some extra exclusive bits. So… What’s Going On? Well…
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
New edition of the Cinematic Sense Monthly newsletter! I talk about the first award ceremonies of the year, Letterboxd's new Video Store and Billie Eilish's new concert film (in 3D - AND with James Cameron)...
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/n...
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com/2025/11/28/n...
Over on the other side (Twitter), there’s been some contentiousness over TRAIN DREAMS.
So I’m wading into the debate to say… it’s only pretty good, not great (and there were some things I was annoyed by).
boxd.it/bQc0PX
So I’m wading into the debate to say… it’s only pretty good, not great (and there were some things I was annoyed by).
boxd.it/bQc0PX
A ★★★ review of Train Dreams (2025)
One of those classic cases where you like a film just fine, but wish there was just more to it. Or to put it perhaps more accurately, I wish I could deeply feel what Train Dreams was going for. This c...
boxd.it
November 26, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Reposted by David Allen
Another multi-review for Cinematic Sense. This time, I look at SLY LIVES (insightful doc with a distinct angle) and SORRY, BABY (one of the best films of the year)...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/24/f...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/24/f...
Film Review: Sly Lives, Sorry Baby
A multi-review on two films. One is a doc on a music legend’s legacy, the other is one of the best movies of the year.
cinematicsense.home.blog
November 24, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Another multi-review for Cinematic Sense. This time, I look at SLY LIVES (insightful doc with a distinct angle) and SORRY, BABY (one of the best films of the year)...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/24/f...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/24/f...
FRIENDSHIP: A very good Tim Robinson project, which means it's one of the best comedies of the year. Hilarious and anxiety-inducing in equal measure.
New review for Cinematic Sense...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/21/f...
New review for Cinematic Sense...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/21/f...
Friendship Review: Tim Robinson’s Anxiety-Inducing Comedy
Tim Robinson becomes best friends with – then obsessed with – Paul Rudd in Friendship, a hilarious and anxiety-inducing comedy.
cinematicsense.home.blog
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by David Allen
New review for Cinematic Sense. Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein is merely OK, but Jacob Elordi is great in it...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/14/g...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/14/g...
Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein Aims For Soul. Does It Succeed?
Guillermo del Toro’s lavish Frankenstein has a great performance from Jacob Elordi, but needs more of the soul it is aiming for.
cinematicsense.home.blog
November 14, 2025 at 6:14 PM
New review for Cinematic Sense. Guillermo del Toro's take on Frankenstein is merely OK, but Jacob Elordi is great in it...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/14/g...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/14/g...
Reposted by David Allen
REBUILDING: No surprise here, but Josh O'Connor is captivating yet again in this simple but humane story of devastation, community spirit and personal transformation.
Review for @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social...
loudandclearreviews.com/rebuilding-f...
Review for @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social...
loudandclearreviews.com/rebuilding-f...
Rebuilding Film Review: From The Ashes
Josh O’Connor is captivating once again in Rebuilding, about a cowboy who finds community after losing his ranch in a wildfire.
loudandclearreviews.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:08 PM
REBUILDING: No surprise here, but Josh O'Connor is captivating yet again in this simple but humane story of devastation, community spirit and personal transformation.
Review for @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social...
loudandclearreviews.com/rebuilding-f...
Review for @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social...
loudandclearreviews.com/rebuilding-f...
New review for Cinematic Sense:
Steven Soderbergh has released two films this year - ghost story with a difference PRESENCE and romantic spy thriller BLACK BAG. But which is better?
There's only one way to find out...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/07/f...
Steven Soderbergh has released two films this year - ghost story with a difference PRESENCE and romantic spy thriller BLACK BAG. But which is better?
There's only one way to find out...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/07/f...
Film Review: The Steven Soderbergh Showdown
Two 2025 films from the prolific Steven Soderbergh – a ghost story and a romantic spy thriller. Which comes out on top?
cinematicsense.home.blog
November 8, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Back with a new review for Cinematic Sense.
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a foreboding horror remake with one heck of a performance from Lily-Rose Depp…
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/02/n...
Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu is a foreboding horror remake with one heck of a performance from Lily-Rose Depp…
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/11/02/n...
Film Review: Lily-Rose Depp Shines In The Foreboding Nosferatu
Lily-Rose Depp shines in Robert Eggers’ shadowy and foreboding remake of the Gothic horror Nosferatu.
cinematicsense.home.blog
November 3, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Fantastic review. One of your best #Trier #SentimentalValue
October 25, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Fantastic review. One of your best #Trier #SentimentalValue
October 25, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by David Allen
For Cinematic Sense, my review of Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winning IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT...
LFF 2025: It Was Just An Accident
Jafar Panahi’s weighty, complex Palme d’Or winner about former prisoners deciding what to do with the man who may have tortured them.
cinematicsense.home.blog
October 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
For Cinematic Sense, my review of Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winning IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT...
My review of WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY for Cinematic Sense...
LFF 2025 – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson’s latest Knives Out film goes Gothic for his most dramatic mystery yet – but it’s Josh O’Connor who steals the show.
cinematicsense.home.blog
October 21, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by David Allen
My review of WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY for Cinematic Sense...
LFF 2025 – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson’s latest Knives Out film goes Gothic for his most dramatic mystery yet – but it’s Josh O’Connor who steals the show.
cinematicsense.home.blog
October 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
My review of WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY for Cinematic Sense...
Reposted by David Allen
My review of THE SECRET AGENT for Cinematic Sense...
LFF 2025: The Secret Agent
Kleber Mendonça Filho takes us back to ‘70s Brazil in The Secret Agent, his expansive and genre-bending political thriller.
cinematicsense.home.blog
October 15, 2025 at 6:03 PM
My review of THE SECRET AGENT for Cinematic Sense...
Sophy Romvari takes a brilliant approach in looking at trauma, memory and cinema’s ability to process both in her magnificent feature debut! 😍
Read @danielallen.bsky.social's review of BLUE HERON and don't miss it at the BFI London Film Festival!
#BlueHeron #LFF
Read @danielallen.bsky.social's review of BLUE HERON and don't miss it at the BFI London Film Festival!
#BlueHeron #LFF
Blue Heron Review: A Magnificent Debut
Sophy Romvari’s magnificent feature debut Blue Heron takes a brilliant approach in looking at trauma, memory and cinema’s ability to process both.
loudandclearreviews.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Reposted by David Allen
This very assured debut provides a look at a dictatorship through a child’s point of view.
Read @danielallen.bsky.social's review of Hasan Hadi's THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE from the BFI London Film Festival!
#LFF
loudandclearreviews.com/the-presiden...
Read @danielallen.bsky.social's review of Hasan Hadi's THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE from the BFI London Film Festival!
#LFF
loudandclearreviews.com/the-presiden...
The President's Cake: LFF Film Review
Hasan Hadi’s very assured debut The President’s Cake provides a look at Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship through an Iraqi child’s view.
loudandclearreviews.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:15 AM
This very assured debut provides a look at a dictatorship through a child’s point of view.
Read @danielallen.bsky.social's review of Hasan Hadi's THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE from the BFI London Film Festival!
#LFF
loudandclearreviews.com/the-presiden...
Read @danielallen.bsky.social's review of Hasan Hadi's THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE from the BFI London Film Festival!
#LFF
loudandclearreviews.com/the-presiden...
Reposted by David Allen
DRY LEAF: A three-hour meander through Georgia's rural villages, shot on an old Sony Ericsson? Only Alexandre Koberidze could pull this off - and he does. Artful, distinctive and singular filmmaking.
For @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social... #LFF #LFF2025
loudandclearreviews.com/dry-leaf-fil...
For @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social... #LFF #LFF2025
loudandclearreviews.com/dry-leaf-fil...
Dry Leaf Review: A Film of Spontaneity
Shot entirely on a Sony Ericsson, Alexandre Koberidze’s Dry Leaf journeys through rural football fields in Georgia for an artful, singular film.
loudandclearreviews.com
October 7, 2025 at 10:00 AM
DRY LEAF: A three-hour meander through Georgia's rural villages, shot on an old Sony Ericsson? Only Alexandre Koberidze could pull this off - and he does. Artful, distinctive and singular filmmaking.
For @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social... #LFF #LFF2025
loudandclearreviews.com/dry-leaf-fil...
For @loudandclearrvs.bsky.social... #LFF #LFF2025
loudandclearreviews.com/dry-leaf-fil...
Reposted by David Allen
LUCKY LU: Operates like a modern version of Bicycle Thieves in a just-as-uncaring gig economy world. However, there is a point where the grim inevitability of the film's events becomes unrelenting misery. Doesn't grab me as it should, even with Chang Chen's noteworthy performance.
#LFF #LFF2025
#LFF #LFF2025
October 7, 2025 at 9:55 AM
As a massive @jonbois.bsky.social and @secretbase.bsky.social, I was stoked to get the chance to review their latest long-form project for In Review Online.
Anyway, I absolutely loved SCORIGAMI...
(Shout out to Alex Rubenstein as well)
inreviewonline.com/2025/09/30/s...
Anyway, I absolutely loved SCORIGAMI...
(Shout out to Alex Rubenstein as well)
inreviewonline.com/2025/09/30/s...
Scorigami — Jon Bois [Review] | In Review Online
A new film review of Scorogami, directed by Jon Bois & released by YouTube/Secret Base, for film review site In Review Online.
inreviewonline.com
October 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I know I'm late to the party on this one, but Paul Thomas Anderson's ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER really is an exceptional movie. Review for Cinematic Sense...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/10/06/f...
cinematicsense.home.blog/2025/10/06/f...
Film Review: One Battle After Another Really Is Exceptional
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another really is as exceptional as you’ve heard it is. Here’s why…
cinematicsense.home.blog
October 6, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Here is the latest Cinematic Sense newsletter, out a little earlier this month as I get ready for #LFF.
This edition pays tribute to the great Robert Redford, analyses the big festival winners and makes some early Best Picture predictions...
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com/2025/09/26/s...
This edition pays tribute to the great Robert Redford, analyses the big festival winners and makes some early Best Picture predictions...
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com/2025/09/26/s...
September 2025: RIP Sundance Kid
Hello and welcome back to Cinematic Sense Monthly. This newsletter goes through everything the site has done over the previous month, along with some extra exclusive bits. So… What’s Been Going On …
cinematicsense8.wordpress.com
September 27, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Reposted by David Allen
Who's excited about the BFI London Film Festival? 😍
We made a list of 35 movies to watch at #LFF this year!
Read @bethanylola.bsky.social, @danielallen.bsky.social, @cynicalfilm.bsky.social, @serenaseghedoni.bsky.social and @willstot94.bsky.social's recommendations! 🔥
We made a list of 35 movies to watch at #LFF this year!
Read @bethanylola.bsky.social, @danielallen.bsky.social, @cynicalfilm.bsky.social, @serenaseghedoni.bsky.social and @willstot94.bsky.social's recommendations! 🔥
BFI London Film Festival 2025: 35 Movies to Watch
In our list of movies to watch at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival, we recommend 35 films to see at LFF, from world premieres to hidden gems!
loudandclearreviews.com
September 26, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Who's excited about the BFI London Film Festival? 😍
We made a list of 35 movies to watch at #LFF this year!
Read @bethanylola.bsky.social, @danielallen.bsky.social, @cynicalfilm.bsky.social, @serenaseghedoni.bsky.social and @willstot94.bsky.social's recommendations! 🔥
We made a list of 35 movies to watch at #LFF this year!
Read @bethanylola.bsky.social, @danielallen.bsky.social, @cynicalfilm.bsky.social, @serenaseghedoni.bsky.social and @willstot94.bsky.social's recommendations! 🔥