Recent viewing

"Species" a rewatch.

* "Freakscene - The Story Of Dinosaur Jr" (2021) [Kanopy]: From difficult prodigies to philosophical aging eccentrics.

* "Hitman - Agent 47" (2015) [Disney+]: Eye-catching, confused, clunky - so appropriately videogamish.

* "Late Night With The Devil" (2023) [rental]: Holy fuck, this Oz horror doesn't disappoint!

* "Species" (1995) [Prime]: In hindsight, surprisingly meaty scifi. Henstridge luminous.

* "Wrath Of Man" (2021) [Foxtel]: POWERHOUSE crime revenge puzzle. Statham's best? Ritchie's?

* "Ultraman - Rising" (2024) [Netflix]: Killer kombat animations. Shame about twee plot.

<<< Pick of the bunch is "Late Night". >>>

Recent viewing

"Stargate" a rewatch.

* "Ford V Holden" (2023) [Foxtel]: Learnt heaps. Wonderful old footage. Go, Ford!

* "Mortal Kombat Legends - Cage Match" (2023) [Netflix]: Gory, '80s, jerk-hero, supernatural action comedy(ish). AND: Kurt Russell cult classic that never was.

* "Mysteries Of The Terracotta Warriors" (2024) [Netflix]: Full-length doco speculates backwards, forwards effectively.

* "Stargate" (1995) [Prime]: Rad concept. Substantial setup. Humour. Hollywood solution.

* "The Nun 2" (2023) [Netflix]: Supernatural slasher in religious clothing. Decent performances.

* "The Ritual Killer" (2023) [Foxtel]: Clumsy beginning, twisty ending. Freeman the highlight.

<<< Pick of the bunch is "Ford V Holden". >>>

In my ears, on my walks

Blurb:

"The atomic bombs of 1945 changed war forever. The awesome power of the blast and its deadly fallout meant home in Britain fell under the nuclear shadow, and the threat of annihilation coloured every aspect of ordinary life for the next forty years.

"Families were encouraged to construct makeshift shelters with cardboard and sandbags. Vicars and pub landlords learnt how to sound hand-wound sirens, offering four minutes to scramble to safety. Thousands volunteered to give nuclear first aid, often consisting of breakfast tea, herbal remedies and advice on how to die without contaminating others. And while the public had to look after themselves, bunkers were readied for the officials and experts who would ensure life continued after the catastrophe.

"Today, we may read about the Cold War and life in Britain under the shadow of the mushroom cloud with a sense of amusement and relief that the apocalypse did not happen. But it is also a timely and powerful reminder that, so long as nuclear weapons exist, the nuclear threat will always be with us."

Recent viewing

Chaos and deep sorrow here. Not ready to write about those. Let's stick to movies.

"Gremlins" and "The Running Man" were rewatches.

* "Godzilla Minus One" (2023) [Netflix]: Strange, sad, SPECTACULAR instalment left me pondering.

* "Gremlins" (1984) [Foxtel]: Quaintly unreal feel. Gizmo retains his appeal.

* "Madame Web" (2024) [rental]: Poorly defined powers. Lame plot. Shit villain.

* "The Man From Rome" (2022) [Prime]: Priest agent investigates "killer church". Slick production. BUT: Didn't need the awkward anti-abortion message.

* "The Running Man" (1987) [Netflix]: More ambitious, stupidly entertaining than I remembered.

<<< Pick of the bunch is "Godzilla Minus One". >>>

Recent viewing

* "Bank Robbers - The Last Great Heist" (2022) [Netflix]: Ingenious Argentinian thieves painted as artistic antiheroes.

* "Barbie" (2023) [Netflix]: Given the source material, a satirical miracle. BUT: A lot to face again anytime soon.

* "Darkon" (2006) [Kanopy]: Fascinating cast makes LARP doco sing (warcry).

* "Mars Express" (2023) [rental]: French cyberpunk unmatched for density of ideas.

* "Oppenheimer" (2023) [Netflix]: Flawed, overlong, stylish, fantastically acted, compelling history.

* "The First Omen" (2024) [Disney+]: Ultimately dull waste of Vatican-conspiracy framework.

* "Who Dares Wins" (1982) [YouTube]: Preposterous political thriller nevertheless grittily, quirkily appealing.

<<< Pick of the bunch is "Mars Express". >>>