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Reviews
The Last Blockbuster (2020)
A half-hour documentary packed into 86 minutes.
A lot of personal recollections from celebrities about patronizing Blockbuster, a few former executives rehashing the story of the corporation's growth and missteps, with the majority of the focus on the sole surviving store in Bend, Oregon and it's long-time manager Sandi Harding. Yes, it's somewhat interesting but is very repetitious once the answer to the question of "What's it like to be the last Blockbuster?" is answered to one's satisfaction which, for me, was very quickly.
A far more interesting documentary is 2020's "Netflix vs. the World" which comprehensively documents the growth of Netflix and definitively covers the battle with Blockbuster with interviews of most of the principals from both sides. Maybe Sandi carries a copy of it in the last Blockbuster in Bend. I'd love the irony.
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
This movie should have been called Full Employment for Australian Actors
Once again, raves from reviewers who, obviously, never experienced a military boot camp, let alone combat, lulled me into sitting through this snoozer. But before you could say G'day Mate I was more interested in trying to determine which Australian actors DID NOT get a payday from this ludicrous and clichéd-filled alleged retelling of the life of Desmond Doss.
Somebody deserves to be court martialed for the miscasting of Vince Vaughn as Doss's platoon sergeant. But I knew this movie was bodgy and not dinkum when the assault on the eponymous ridge begins by scaling a cargo net up a cliff face and blood drips down upon the climbers supposedly foretelling the carnage they're about to face. Thankfully, the Japanese decide to cut Mel Gibson a break and leave this avenue of assault in place for later use in the movie.
Andrew Garfield was adequately puerile in the prologue to combat (which includes him playing hacky sack with a grenade) in the obligatory meet cute with his future Aussie (oops I mean American) wife and his angst ridden Aussie parents. Another director should give a burl to the amazing story of Desmond Doss and until then I'd recommend going directly to Wikipedia. P.S. - Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, you missed out on an easy check.
Zoolander 2 (2016)
Listen to your friend Billy Zane, he's a cool dude!
I am baffled at the hate for this cleverly written, filled with celebrity cameos, well-paced, and most-of-all funny sequel to the 2001's Zoolander. Watched it once before reading the IMDb reviews and then a second time to see if I was living in a comedy bubble of denial,laughing out loud many times on each viewing. Many hilarious new characters update the return of Derek and Hansel to the catwalk including an agent of Interpol's Global Fashion Division, gorgeous Penelope Cruz. The only non-returning character I missed was Maury Ballstein, played by Jerry Stiller, who was probably doing a stretch in solitary confinement in Fashion Prison. Billy Zane, again, was right.