This would be ripe for a remake. The concept is a strong one; both dramatic and intriguing. Sadly the expositional delivery here is rather heavy handed (it was made mid war after all) but it's all enjoyably 'stiff upper lip' stuff which, for its time, was a perfect fit for what the country needed. The on-location set pieces certainly pack a punch.
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Top Gun: Maverick 2022
There's nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia and this long awaited sequel certainly ticks all the boxes. Obviously the aerial footage is incredible and Cruise oozes star power. I just also wanted something new and this leans far too much on the original. Kosinski is no Scott either and there's often significant sags in this film's energy levels. A great big screen experience but I'm not sure this will have much lasting appeal.
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The Invisible Man 1933
It's very easy to forget that this film is almost 90 years old. The in-camera effects are absolutely terrific. So inventive and ahead of the time. Wisely brief this doesn't overly labour it's plot (the story is pretty thin). A great ensemble with an ironically ego less performance by Rains.
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Ricky Gervais: SuperNature 2022
Deliberately provocative, Gervais gives another routine that he's smart enough to know pushes buttons. His performance tics distract but he creates a strong act with decent - albeit often obvious - gags where basically everyone is his target.
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WR: Mysteries of the Organism 1971
With a few little tweaks (mostly at the beginning) this probably could have pulled off the trick of pretending to be a documentary for longer. This is quite extreme at times but also knowingly playful and satirical. The work of possibly a mad genius.
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Mariner of the Mountains 2021
One of those 'personal' documentaries that gives the impression that the director thinks he's lifting the lid on a profound previously unexplored facet of humanity. And where I feel like I wish I could smash my head into a spike. Utterly wasted on stupid old me.
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Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island 1998
This follows the Scooby formula perfectly. Nothing new but as familiar as a warm comfort blanket.
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Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers 2022
Way more sophisticated than I expected. The numerous animation references are a joy to spot (albeit wasted on most children) and there's a sort of Toy Story esque approach to splicing together characters from multiple contexts in a meta setting. Cudos to Sega for lending the copyright on their botched version of Sonic.
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Jackass 4.5 2022
Quite rightly not a good as the main feature but this does a good job of pulling back the curtain and celebrating the camaraderie amongst this group of dumb buddies. Roll on #5.