Jim Schembri
@jimschembri
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Film critic since 1980 (3AW; Age; SMH; Cinema Papers) Strictly Old School. Reviews, video interviews, commentary & more fun online. Includes comedy & art.
Melbourne, Australia
Joined July 2009
BRIGITTE BARDOT, 91: And God Created Woman; Viva Maria!; Contempt. Not a great actress but undeniably a defining beauty icon and sex symbol on par with Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield. A lifelong animal rights activist and French patriot, Bardot spoke her mind defiantly. Vale.
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THE YEAR IN REVIEW: Bland blockbusters, a slew of sequels & remakes, Snow White, the One Battle After Another head-scratcher, Eddington, Bugonia and yet another shocking year for Australian film. Oh, and Sydney Sweeney was exposed as a Nazi. Who knew? https://t.co/YbmRyixnOy
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OK remake: the unfairly maligned Rachel Zegler in Disney’s ‘Snow White’. Here be a few notes on the year’s film offerings. Not So Awful No [...]
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REVIEWS The Housemaid - Sydney Sweeney & Amanda Seyfried ham it up in this top throwback schlocker reminiscent of the cheesy crowd-pleasers on the 1980/90s; Anaconda - Fun adventure-comedy as Jack Black & Paul Rudd remake the 1997 film on a puny budget. https://t.co/E3CtIk2yMw
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Teamwork: Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Housemaid’. THE HOUSEMAID ***1/2 (132 minutes) MA Craving a big, juicy slice of deliciously cheesy trash? Then [...]
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REVIEW Avatar: Fire and Ash - The third chapter in James Cameron’s world-crushing series sets a new benchmark for mega-budget adequacy. At 197 minutes and costing $400 million it’s OK - just OK. The wall-to-wall VFX are impressive in scale but same-same. https://t.co/EcWHu6cBiv
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Ready to rumble: Warrior Queen Varang (Oona Chaplin), the most interesting character in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH *** (197 minutes) M [...]
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ROB REINER, 78: Spinal Tap; A Few Good Men; The American President; Stand By Me; Misery; Princess Bride; The Bucket List; When Harry Met Sally. As an actor so funny in Bullets Over Broadway and Wolf of Wall Street. A shocking end to a brilliant life. RIP & thank you, Meathead.
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BONDI: A cherished emblem of Australiana is now forever besmirched by a terrorist atrocity. Less than 24 hours later, the blame is on gun laws, not the infection of anti-Semitism. And how was a man with an ASIO file and ISIS links allowed free access to his father’s vast arsenal?
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REVIEWS Silent Night, Deadly Night - Solid remake of the 1984 horror classic; Ella McCay - Dreadful comedy from the maker of Broadcast News; Pets on a Train - Animated family fun; The Golden Spurtle - A gem of a doco about competitive porridge making. https://t.co/owZMMQPYaF
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Bad Santa: Rohan Campbell delivers some Christmas cheer in ‘Silent Night, Deadly Night’. SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT *** (96 minutes) MA A very good [...]
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REVIEWS Nuremberg - Sterling Holocaust drama with Russell Crowe in peak form; Eternity - Sweet rom-com fantasy; Twiggy - Lovely bio-doc celebrating the iconic model/actress/singer; Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution - Another incomprehensible anime bloodbath. https://t.co/i6Q3PiO35E
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In command: Russell Crowe as Hermann Göring in ‘Nuremberg’. NUREMBERG **** (148 minutes) M Cinema’s dark fascination with the Holocaust and the Nazis who engineered [...]
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REVIEWS Zootopia 2 - Perfectly pleasant, serviceable sequel to the 2016 animated mega-hit, a quick pace and loads of gags help make up for the lack of novelty; Dead of Winter - Painfully woeful lurch at a snow-covered crime thriller. Stars Emma Thompson. https://t.co/ujtU9oEXiT
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Back together: Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps return for ‘Zootopia 2’. ZOOTOPIA 2 *** (108 minutes) PG The law of diminishing returns applies much more [...]
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REVIEWS Wicked: For Good - Part Two of the Wicked tale is a hands-down winner full of great songs and sensational musical numbers; Sisu: Road to Revenge - This fabulous Finnish action film has more kinetic energy than the Hollywood tripe being pumped out. https://t.co/YOeQyu2W9G
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Both of them witches: Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in ”Wicked: For Good’. WICKED: FOR GOOD **** (137 minutes) PG Yes, Part Two is better [...]
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REVIEWS If I Had Legs I’d Kick You - Rose Byrne shines in searing drama; Now You See Me: Now You Don’t - An OK second sequel; The Running Man - Terrible, overlong remake of the 1987 classic; Yurlu|Country - Stirring doco about exploited indigenous people. https://t.co/ERhV8xbLNp
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On the verge: Rose Byrne in ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You’. IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU **** (113 minutes) M The [...]
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REVIEWS Predator: Badlands - Meet SNAP (Sensitive New-Age Predator) in this awful, cringey action film; Fwends - Golden indie film about two friends who reconnect as they talk their way across Melbourne. Fab performances, great photography & audio work. https://t.co/IHdICjBW85
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Best buds: Predator befriends a robot in ‘Predator: Badlands’. Predator Badlands *1/2 (107 minutes) M Urgh. What a terrible letdown this massive, soggy slice of [...]
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REVIEWS Bugonia - Emma Stone gleams as a CEO abducted by two conspiracy theory nutters. A top black comedy; Good Fortune - Fun switcheroo comedy from Aziz Ansari about a poor guy swapping places with a rich guy. Stars stone-faced Keanu Reeves as an angel. https://t.co/kWsmrmUGxV
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Welcome: Kidnapped corporate exec (Emma Stone) converses with her captors (Aidan Delbis & Jesse Plemons) in ‘Bugonia’. BUGONIA **** (118 minutes) MA In a wondrous, [...]
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PRUNELLA SCALES, 93: Doyen of the British stage, acclaimed for her portrayal of Queen Victoria; much-loved for her peerless work in Fawlty Towers opposite John Cleese, who credits her as the show’s most admired performer. Best ep: The Builders. Thank you, Sybil. How’s the nail?
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JUNE LOCKHART, 100: Will be forever lauded by Boomers as one of the great TV mums for keeping the Lost In Space clan together; also on Lassie. As a child actress had roles in classics A Christmas Carol (with her parents), Sergeant York and Meet Me in St Louis. Vale, Mrs Robinson.
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REVIEWS Twinless - An extraordinary drama about love, loss and grief ; Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere - a fine biopic; Regretting You - A well-sculpted tearjerker; Familiar Touch - Touching old-age tale; Chainsaw Man - Typically excessive anime lark. https://t.co/lOjgFwLxaG
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Twin deal: Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney in ‘Twinless’. TWINLESS **** (100 minutes) MA An extraordinary drama surely deserving of Oscar love, Twinless tells of [...]
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REVIEWS Black Phone 2 - Far superior to the 2021 film, this ingenious creepfest is an outstanding, visually arresting knockout; Roofman- A fact-based crimedy with Channing Tatum in top form; After the Hunt - Overlong, failed attempt at a #metoo hot potato. https://t.co/pRm1BzkhS9
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Hey, kid. How long you gonna be?: Mason Thames (left) and Ethan Hawke in ‘Black Phone 2’. BLACK PHONE 2 **** (114 minutes) MA An [...]
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DIANE KEATON, 79: Godfather 1, 2, 3; Looking for Mr Goodbar; Reds. Won the Oscar for Annie Hall yet Sleeper is her comic masterwork. Also: Love and Death; Play It Again, Sam; Manhattan. Never stopped thanking Woody Allen for her career, even when doing so was verboten. RIP, Luna.
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REVIEWS Tron: Ares - Vibrant, visually dazzling sequel; Beast of War - Enjoyable B-movie chompfest as stranded Aussie soldiers knock heads with a giant shark; The Travellers - Very disappointing dramedy from Bruce Beresford & Bryan Brown. What happened? https://t.co/x1xTwuFKeT
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Time to ride: Jared Leto in ‘Tron: Ares’. TRON: ARES ***1/2 (119 minutes) M After the advent of 2010’s cosmically underwhelming Tron: Legacy – delivered [...]
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REVIEWS The Smashing Machine - Turning from his usual action-man schtick, Dwayne Johnson shines with his portrayal of UFC fighter Mark Kerr; Him - From the house of Jordan Peele comes more mediocrity, this one attempting to mash sport with horror. Dire. https://t.co/ITMtd5LxXA
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Aiming high: Dwayne Johnson as ‘The Smashing Machine’. THE SMASHING MACHINE ***1/2 (123 minutes) M Barely recognizable under a layer of transformative, Oscar-worthy make-up, Dwayne [...]
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