🎥 Films
🎥 Asteroid City, 2023 - ★★★★

Yes it’s Wes Anderson, so you kinda know what you are going to get … except you don’t. To me seemed a lot more intricate than his precious outings.
🎥 Oppenheimer, 2023 - ★★★★½

Not sure I can add anything more to reviews than you already know, other than I didn’t see it in IMAX, I wish I had.
🎥 Napoleon, 2023 - ★★★

Not as long as I thought
I had low expectations after reading reviews - so much better than I thought
Joaquin was as good as ever
I barely recognised Rupert Everett
In all honesty, I went to see it in the theatre because there is a new cinema in the area - one of those fancy 30 seats per screen afffairs - and I wanted to try out that experience. I didn’t really care about the 'is it true to history ' commentaries because I didn’t care and had no idea ... being one of those people that when I see a fictional movie about real life - I assume that it is fiction - and if something really piques my interest I go investigate.
One such example : williamgallagher.com/selfdistract/2023/12/01/histerical-accuracy-with-ridley-scott/
Meanwhile I am definitely no expert on Napleon. What I do remember about him from my ENGLISH school days is
1 'Waterloo' - because 'english'
2) 'able was i ere i saw ellba' - because playground word games
3) 'Josephine' - because that is what I remember people talking about- there were even TV sketches as I recall
Good spectacle, nothing in it that made be think to myself - OOH - need to go learn more about that.

🎥 Living, 2022 - ★★★★

Lovely .. and one of those ‘little’ films … and Bill Nye … c’mon .. why are you still here?
🎥 BlackBerry, 2023 - ★★★½

I know most of the story, but like to cross check that knowledge with what the film delivers, new stuff, look into … blah blah blah ..ok I generally like these kinds of movies … royal epics aside .. it didn’t disappoint. It is what it is.
The Tetris story I knew a lot less about … enjoyed it more … because I didn’t know the story(?) or just a better story and movie(?) … I suspect the latter.
🎥 The Water Diviner, 2014 - ★★★

Another ‘little” movie .. and to prove I don’t automatically like them … this was alright, but .. yeah .. no. It was a while back when I watched it.
🎥 What a Life!, 2023 - ★★★★

… and I didn’t even hear the dialogue! Watched it on a plane, the audio system was so crapped out and dodgy … thankyou Quantas … that I mainly watched stuff on the iPad. Accidentally discovered this scrolling through … subtitles .. so I just watched and read the subtitles. Glorious. Another one of those ‘little’ films. Need to find it again and listen this time.
🎥 The Killer, 2023 - ★★★★

He - ‘somebody’ loves The Smiths. I don’t … but it didn’t stop me enjoying the film, because Fassbender is that good.
🎥 The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, 2023 - ★★★★

Lovely. The story broke in a couple of places ... but I didn't care. Lovely. One of those ‘little movies’ that I LOVE.
🎥 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, 2023 - ★★★½

Not a big fan of Tom - but for whatever reason I do eventually watch all the Mission Impossibles - but this is the first I had seen in a theater for years ... The story is what you might expect - but not always expected. Glad I managed it on the Big Screen before it disappears into 'Streaming Land'.
🎥 The School for Good and Evil, 2022 - ★★½

It is clear that the key to enjoying a movie is to start with the lowest possible expectations, I didn’t even want to watch this … but then I did. Not a great rating from yours truly .. but 2 1/2 stars is 2 1/2 stars more than it was going to get. Special shout out to Sophia Anne Caruso who I thought was excellent.
🎥 Oppenheimer, 2023 - ★★★★½

Stunning. 🤯 … if you’ll pardon the pun. Wanted to see it - and couldn’t fit the IMAX experience in to the schedule, so will go again next week. Not for me to review this movie - far more qualified and interesting people than me to read on that front - BUT - it is as good as you have been told.
Two thoughts beyond what yours truly has so far read.
1] I knew Robert Downey Junior was in the movie and just did not recognize him. He must surely be up for a best supporting actor nomination.
2] I did not know Tom Conti was in the film - and there he was - playing Einstein. For me, not a logical choice, but having scene him - GREAT choice.
🎥 Cave of Bones, 2023 - ★★★

I think it could have been done in 30 minutes rather than ‘90’ … interesting, but if the findings are as revolutionary as they intimate, not sure why it isn’t more widely talked about? Or am I … once again … hanging out under a rock?
🎥 Asteroid City, 2023 - ★★★★

It's hard not to like a Wes Anderson - no exception, but to me, different to his usual films. No point in rehashing what you can read about elsewhere - but let me add one nugget - because I sat right through to the end - through the title and everything ... that last song mesmerizing. But why?
Well of course - the titles revealed or ... one of two songs that were a collaboration of two old friends and at times band mates - Jarvis Cocker and Richard Hawley.
The song?
“You Can’t Wake Up If You Don’t Fall Asleep.”
🎥 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, 2023 - ★★★½

Nothing wrong with a good Marvel … and this was a good Marvel … not a great one mind, good.
The continuing Marvel arc of the ‘multiverse of multiverses’ ( I wonder if they got their inspiration from the first episode of the latest Black Mirror?) sets the reset expectation and of course no sets needed … a few shots in San Francisco and the rest CGI? (Caveat .. I am no expert).
I know behind the scenes, there is a focus at Marvel of ‘getting back to story .. very apparent from the various series they launched that connects some dots and introduced back stories … but the movies still tend to be ‘Big’. I believe that this is changing soon. Can’t wait.
🎥 The Gunman, 2015 - ★★★★

Watched it a while back - and reminded of it last night as I surfed Netflix for a good watching experience. In the end I elected not to rewatch - but it really is so very good. Sean doing his thing, along with Javier, Idris and even Ray = what a cast!



