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X-Men 2000
Haven't seen this in 20+ years, surprised how well it holds up. The opening act is a brilliant set of scenes that effortlessly inform you about the world through dramatising conflicts. Then, weirdly, it stops for ten minutes so Professor X can explain all about the X-Men in enormous detail, dramatising none of it. After that it's back to dramatising everything again. Odd.
Halle Berry does the best anyone could do with the dud "same thing that happens to everything…
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 2022
Tries to do Fury Road storytelling, i.e. entire film is one chase scene.
Doesn't quite pull it off. Mr Crumbersnatch's Dr Strange once again shoots for puckish and lands on dickish; a more richly-drawn, emotionally open character might better carry the film's conceit. Still better than its reputation, and there are some great moments where Sam gets to flex.Translated from by
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The Paragon 2023
Kiwi deadpan comedic style goes well with ultra-low budget occult/scifi cheese. Manages to take itself deadly seriously/not at all seriously, at the same time. A great time, Benedict Wall is a winning lead as a barely-redeemable shitbag, Florence Noble superb as the mentor, and Jonny Brugh might as well have been credited “scenery chewed by”, he has one job and boy howdy does he do that job. Somehow Duignan makes this all hang together, it looks variously solid to splendid, and embracing a 70s psychedelia aesthetic for the special effects is a stroke of genius in that it is both affordable and evocative. Jolly good fun.
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West Side Story 1961
Watched this for the first time in years with live music performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. They sounded amazing, unsurprisingly. (The singing also sounded great but for some reason the dialogue sound was a bit hollowed out and sometimes even out of sync. Never mind!)
It’s still as grand and affecting as ever, deservedly iconic. The plot tumbles out of the setup with beautiful momentum, carrying forward with he desired tragic inevitability.
The film’s two big changes from…
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