Shows / Can’t Look Away
Can’t Look Away
I was a kid in the 70s, a teenager in the 80s and in my twenties in the 90s — and movies have been part of the ride all the way. From old favourites and forgotten gems to films I’m watching for the first time, I revisit the movies, share the memories and talk about whatever gets me thinking.
Episodes
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 21: Dressed to Kill (1980)
Today I’m looking at Dressed to Kill (1980), a film that reminds me why Brian De Palma was such a distinctive filmmaker. It’s stylish, suspenseful and…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 20: First Blood (1982)
Today I’m looking at First Blood (1982), a film that’s much more than the action franchise it eventually became. Sylvester Stallone gives one of his best…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 19: A Short Film About Love (1988)
Today I’m looking at A Short Film About Love (1988), a quiet film about longing, obsession, and one-sided connection. It’s restrained and observational…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 18: Street Smart (1987)
Today I’m looking at Street Smart (1987), a gritty New York crime drama about ambition, desperation, and people trying to talk their way through bad decisions…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 17: The Sting (1973)
Today I’m looking at The Sting (1973), a smooth con film built around charm, deception, and a long-game hustle. What stands out most is the pairing of Paul…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 16: Elephant (2003)
Today I’m looking at Elephant (2003), Gus Van Sant’s stripped-back, observational film about a school shooting that’s more about mood and structure than story…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 15: The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
Today I’m looking at Return of the Pink Panther (1975), another Clouseau film built around chaos, misunderstandings, and escalating slapstick. Peter Sellers is…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 14: Blood Simple (1984)
Today I’m looking at Blood Simple (1984), the Coen Brothers’ debut, and it already feels like their world of bad decisions and escalating chaos is fully…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 13: Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Today I’m looking at Saturday Night Fever (1977), a film that’s really as much about the world around Tony Manero as it is about him—Brooklyn life, routine…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 12: Raging Bull (1980)
Today I’m looking at Raging Bull (1980), a film that hits more like a character study than a traditional sports movie. What stands out for me is De Niro’s…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 11: Star Wars (1977)
Today I’m looking at Star Wars (1977), the film that really kicked off my whole movie watching life. I first saw it in the cinema when I was four, and it just…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 10: Repo Man (1984)
Today I’m looking at Repo Man (1984), this strange mix of punk LA, crime story, and sci-fi paranoia that just kind of exists in its own lane. It doesn’t really…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 9: Black Bag (2025)
Today I’m looking at Black Bag (2025), a sleek Stephen Soderbergh spy thriller that’s more about tension, performance, and shifting loyalties than action. It…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 8: Two Hands (1999)
Today I’m re-examining Two Hands (1999), one of those late-90s Australian films that locks into a very specific Sydney energy—small-time crime, everyday life…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 7: Enter the Void (2009)
I watched Enter the Void last night, and it’s a film that’s more about experience than story, and I found myself reacting to the way it pulls you through it…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 6: The Edge (1997)
Today on Dave's Movie Diary, I'm revisiting The Edge (1997), a film I've always enjoyed for its combination of survival adventure, psychological tension, and…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 5: Clerks (1994)
This episode takes a look at Clerks (1994), Kevin Smith’s breakthrough indie comedy. I reflect on its place in 90s culture, my own history with the film, and…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 4: The French Connection (1971)
Today on Dave’s Movie Diary, I’m revisiting The French Connection (1971), a film that helped define the gritty, street-level crime movies of the 1970s. I…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 3: Thief (1981)
A cold, precise look at Michael Mann’s neon-soaked debut about a professional safecracker trying to walk away from the life he’s built. It’s a film about…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 2: Cape Fear (1991)
A look at Martin Scorsese’s relentless thriller about obsession, fear, and moral collapse as a family is stalked by a man from the past. It’s a film where…
- Can’t Look Away
Episode 1: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
A look at John Hughes’ classic about skipping school, breaking rules, and the strange art of living in the moment — with a darker undercurrent hiding under all…