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I started Tarantino's 'Cinema Speculation', a book with multiple essays sandwiched by a very well written introduction and a possibly well written conclusion. I decided to watch along with each of them, the first film up: 'Bullitt'.

I really had no idea what to expect, all I knew was that it was a crime film and starred the great Steve McQueen, who I've never seen act before. I didn't glance at the poster, just sat back and clicked play.

It started out slick - the title sequences fading in and out, painting a style that I thought the film would maintain.

It didn't really. In fact a lot of the acting in the film is rather understated. It's quite grounded; the plot is decent and thankfully not convoluted. Its slow pace (even for the time) lets the characters, most notably Bullitt, actually behave like a genuinely good police officer.

And then, when the action hits, it really hits. The down-to-earth nature of the rest of the film really elevates these action pieces.

The car chase (which I learned afterwards was very famous and felt like a fool) was awesome. I usually don't care for cars, but this truly felt like the real thing. It's still impressive today.

I really loved the character of Bullitt. He doesn't feel like a movie character. Barely says anything. Tarantino points out in his essay that he's unique because a lot of who he is, is inferred by the viewer. He doesn't make snarky quips where most films would, just gets on with the job. Can we please get Bullitt in the MCU pronto?

The camera often holds on him instead of the rooms he walks into. We see him assessing, his eyes darting like a DVD menu screen (I cheered when they hit the corner).

So please, go watch this movie if you like crime films. It paints such a vivid landscape of San Francisco, my favourite old movies are like windows to the past. This is a pretty damn good window.

By all accounts, I should love this film. It has all the right ingredients: a childlike sense of wonder, a family that feels like an actual family, even a crisp 1980s John Williams score.

But this never clicked, I could never engage with it as much as I wanted to. I remember even as a child, I didn't enjoy 'E. T'. It was by far the least favourite Spielberg movie I had seen.

Now, as an adult, I am still struggling to put into words why it feels so underwhelming. I like to think I still maintain a sense of childlike wonder for films. I loved the Paddington movies. I still love Harry Potter (all the stuff the author did before she went mental). I even reread a few kids books now and again, though Narnia is a lot worse now that I know religion isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Perhaps it's the low camera angles. An effective technique to lower ourselves to Elliott and E. T's perspective. I think as a kid I didn't necessarily want to be treated like one.

Perhaps it's the script. I quite like the family dynamics, but it does feel rather one-note and plodding. As if each scene doesn't have enough consequences.

Perhaps it's the music. People say this is one of Williams' best. It is fun, to be sure, but I think it's far outclassed by Williams' other work, even at the time. It felt like he used all his power for 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and was recharging during this one.

Perhaps it's the location. American suburbia isn't quite that interesting for me. The movie never really extends beyond the town and the forest, nor paints a fun picture of beyond. One of the drawing aspects of aliens is the sense that their world is so far away, the imagination should be absolutely popping off. Not so here.

Perhaps I'm just an idiot.

I can certainly appreciate why people like it. I want to like it myself. I am just always feeling whelmed with this one.

It's got a bit too much of that Spielberg Sentimentality Spice.

Big, opulent sets. Seemingly sophisticated actors. Glorious music. And a bunch of buffoons unleashed on it all.

This absolutely blew me away. Anyone who loves Monty Python for how it gleefully dives into the pool of nonsensical nothingness would love this.

It feels like they gave a big budget to the wrong people accidentally, and they're pulling a prank on studios, not moviegoers.

The plot goes where the mercurial characters say it will go. Nothing survives the onslaught of ridicule. Nothing.

And I think most of the jokes have actually aged pretty well. There's maybe one or two that seem strange nowadays (fat jokes towards women that are clearly not fat), but its satire on war and leadership still strikes true, especially as America's current administration is trying to one-up the bombastic Rufus T. Firefly.

'Duck Soup' is an absolute treat, I wish something like this could get pulled off in film today. I will gleefully settle for Tim Robinson on TV in the meantime.