A long gap following May 2021, many of these films are now streaming. Sydney locked down in June and cinema kicked off in mid-October. Here is some of what I have seen since.

Movie: Dune (Note: Should be noted as ‘Part 1’)
Director:  Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya

In an act of bloody mindedness, I managed to shield myself from spoilers to the extent I went in not knowing that this was only the first half of Dune. This pretty much whacked my interpretation because I was forgiving the skipping of elements and wondering why so much time was being wasted on dream sequences. Given I have been waiting 40 years for a good Dune film I cannot pretend to be unbiased either.
Putting that aside this gets a lot right and is visually stunning. Worms, heighliners, shields, ornithopters, and the voice are all handled well. There is a bit too much emphasis on showing people’s faces to get the star power on show when that should not be happening in the desert. With that caveat even stillsuits ‘work’ on screen. On these points alone you should give it a look, especially if you have never read Dune.
Acting wise the only people really being tested are Timothée Chalamet as Paul and Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica, though casting Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho is perfect. Everyone else is just playing off them mostly, and everyone holds their end. Unfortunately, Jessica is shown here as demonstrating far too much emotion - no matter how much inner turmoil she is suffering she should be Bene Gesserit calm on the outside. I would have to think this is directorial failure more than anything.
The Zimmer soundtrack is good without being spectacular and that is more or less how I feel about this film. It is a good, solid Dune film but all things considered it falls short of greatness, and a fair part of that is due to explaining things to non-fans instead of letting them figure things out. Still the best screen representation so far though.

Movie: Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Stars: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Michelle Yeoh

While in many respects it is just more of the same from the MCU at least it is refreshed with a heavy East Asian emphasis, and the Chinese dragon scenes in the compulsory “big final fight” are impressive. On the other hand, there is the return of Ben Kingsley in that sad little role that seems to be included here as fan service that no fans exist for. Michelle Yeoh is far above everyone else, and the ensemble does not really gel.

Overall, this plays to the strengths of the franchise, is mostly well paced and while no Infinity War it is a useful addition, but if you have had enough MCU for a lifetime you can let this through.

Movie: Eternals
Director: Chloé Zhao
Stars:  Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie

As for Eternals well, just check its sub 7 IMDB rating and an awful Metacritic score of 52. Bloated beyond an entirely unnecessary two and a half hours, for most of it I was bored and the word I kept thinking for the first two hours was “nauseating.” This is unfortunate as the last act is MCU level cool, there is a decent plot, a telegraphed but effective twist, and plenty of visual candy.

How this was entrusted to director Chloé Zhao I have no idea. Was there no one in the room when people nominated her to say “Look I know she has an Oscar nomination, but the film was boring as, and pretended that mere observation was profound! This is the MCU people! We do fun!”

The question was asked here “Should you put Kit Harrington and Richard Madden together in the same film yet?” and the answer was still “No!” especially since these franchises (Game of Thrones and MCU) are going to have extensive fan crossover. This is a pity because otherwise they were well cast, and Madden is particularly watchable towards the end. Looking over the rest of the Eternals and the rather clumsy and heavy handed “diversity is strength” messaging the actors all do a pretty good job when they finally get the chance, but it comes far too late in the film for mine.

Obligatory critic’s statement: Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo was my favourite Eternal.

Movie: Red Notice
Director:  Rawson Marshall Thurber
Stars:  Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot

Well, you can see this at the cineplex or on Netflix. Worth the $15? Sure, if you are a big screen fan and you find Ryan Reynolds usual shtick entertaining. Gal Godot and Dwayne Johnson might also sway you one way or the other.
Pretty much ridiculous popcorn level entertainment, with stunt action abounding, could have done with at least a quarter of an hour or so hitting the cutting room floor. Shredded by critics, but there are a few laughs to be had.

Movie: No Time to Die
Director:  Cary Joji Fukunaga
Stars:  Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek

Honestly, the amount of guff that gets written about this franchise!!
Look, it is a solid Bond film, but I was starting to be bored sometime after the two-hour mark, though it did kick up a gear for a moving ending. The finale of the much over-hyped Daniel Craig era of Bond; if you are going along for anything more than ridiculous super villains, super weapons, chases, stunts, and explosions then more fool you. As no doubt a thousand YouTube channels will demonstrate, any dissection of this will be no more flattering to this than any other Bond film.
Ana de Armas’ turn as Paloma, a CIA asset, was a small treat but little else stood out from the typical in the Craig cycle. If you are in the habit of running along to these every three or five years then you probably should get along to this, but if 007 has never done it for you then no need.
By the way if you are remotely buying into the hype of a black, female 00 or “who should be the next Bond?” and you have never read an Ian Fleming Bond novel you really should. Choose a short one. They are nothing but trite confections, airport novels, and so are the films. Attaching cultural significance to these things is nothing more than effective studio propaganda, and people should remember the franchise has at times been treated as a joke for years at a time. The biggest question in my head at the end was wondering if Craig’s wife Rachel Weisz has something to worry about.
PS: Idris Elba is forty-nine, Daniel Craig just four years older. It is not going to happen.

Movie: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Director:  Andy Serkis
Stars: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams
Critically panned and with barely lukewarm audience response this is a difficult film to appreciate. On the plus side it is only 97 minutes, a vast improvement on other recent bloated comic-book character films.

I like Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams here but not quite enough. There is some dry humour, but the tension between Venom and Hardy’s Brock in the day to day is obviously too over the top to be sustainable for a day let alone on an ongoing basis so it is difficult to get any suspension of disbelief happening. Naomie Harris’s Shriek is good, but Woody Harrelson, at 60, looks too old for this as Carnage.

Some of the fight scenes are spectacular, and the plot, while predictable, is reasonable as these things go. Still, this just does not gel as well as you would hope. Fans only.

Movie: The French Dispatch
Director:  Wes Anderson
Stars:  Benicio Tell Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton

If you are a literary reader this is probably of interest. If not, then it probably will not be. Mildly amusing, it is more than a little too knowing, too cynical, too faux clever and if there was any doubt this is art, well, full frontal nudity abounds. However, the cast is to die for, and some of them are used well. Tilda Swinton a standout for sure, so see it for her if you are a fan.

Movie: Don’t Look Up
Director:  Adam McKay
Stars:  Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett

There are probably a few films you have seen from director Adam McKay: The Big Short, Vice, The Anchorman films, Step Brothers, or perhaps The Other Guys. This is a farce of some merit, but I would not want to over egg it. It arrived on Netflix in December, but I saw it on the big screen. It is almost a must see based on the cast alone, but I doubt too much is lost seeing this at home.

Streep, DiCaprio, Blanchett with JLaw, and plenty of worthy support. Unnervingly this was the third film in a row I saw at the cinema featuring Timothée Chalamet, along with Dune and The French Dispatch.

This has received plenty of press, and you are probably reading this too late to make a difference. I put this in the “open text” category where plenty of meaning is being projected by the observer rather than being present. What is certain is that it runs the gamut of emotions and audiences have appreciated it far more than the critics.

Juddy keeps busy consuming cultural media while posing as a student at a major Sydney university, thus shirking real work. He hosts pub trivia, and tutors at said university, for beer and book money.