Drew

> *Evening. Home. Sheffield.* > *Streamed on Disney Plus. * > *Rewatch.* Gone is the rawness of *A New Hope, *dispelled is the cynical, serious spirituality of *Empire Strikes Back* and step forward two hours and fifteen minutes of nothing but action/adventure, Saturday morning goofiness.  People always say that *Return* is the weakest of the Original Trilogy. On paper, it probably is. It’s not as impressive or ground shattering as *Hope, *or as subversive or subtext heavy as *Empire* - but it’s so silly and so much fun. It rattles through grand set piece after set piece, never really slowing down to try and explain to you the mysticism of the world or what you can inference or not inference.  It’s actually quite blunt in a way; but it through actions and character choices, it provides a neat, succinct summation of what *Star Wars *is about. It’s not about being special or having special powers. It’s about how good will *always* triumph over evil, how important family (blood and adopted) are to succeed, and it’s about how making hard choices might not be easy, but will more than likely be right.  The upscale looked stunning here even if the greyscale was a bit patchy, not much to do with the quality of the transfer but probably more than likely my TV. The added bits of CGI are fairly inoffensive, but the Sarlacc Pit is hideously bad. The Rancor looked beautiful though and my favourite ship, the ST 321 (Lord Vaders shuttle) looked as beautiful as ever.  Getting back into the groove of watching films again this year, so starting with a few faves and over due rewatches. Will pick up the rest of the series soon enough with the prequels. Eek.

> *11:00am. The Showroom. Sheffield.* > *Screen 4. Early Doors.* > *First Watch.* A year in the life of a family of five in Iceland, following a mother and father as they learn to navigate co-parenting after an amicable separation. Over time, as the seasons quietly shift, work comes and goes, and Anna and Magnus settle into a new rhythm. Throughout it all, there are constant, tender reminders of the love they once shared, alongside the difficult truths of why it no longer works. At its core, *The Love That Remains* offers a slow, intimate look at the ‘modern’ family. It explores how the pressures of work, societal expectations, time, and distance can gradually pull people apart, even when love is still present. At moments, the film leans into raucous and slightly surreal humour, while at others it embraces more serious, dramatic undertones. Together, this balance captures something that feels very true to the everyday life of these people. It feels very ‘lived’ in.  Visually, it’s stunning in places. The cinematography stands out, and the use of spiritual symbolism really stayed with me, particularly the imagery of the Knight. Its presence seems to develop alongside the family, mirroring their gradual acceptance of change. I’d really like to see more people discover this. It completely worked for me and felt very much up my street. More than anything, it offers a thoughtful insight into family life, along with a warm and often understated glimpse into the humour and culture of Icelandic life.

> *Afternoon. Home. Sheffield.* > *Watched on BFI Player.* > *First Watch.* The type of social realism I like to see in film. While it feels so small on scale, it really does well at showing how big these situations can be in someone’s life. It really makes you think about loss and mob-mentality: how that can escalate and unravel so quickly before you reach an irreversible situation where a lie is told or a mistake is made and it’s too late to turn back.  It’s so bleak in its heart because it’s as much about the endless need of validation and acceptance at any cost as it is about loss and grief. Strong debut from writer/director Fyzal Boulifa and some solid performances from Nichola Burley (Lucy) and Roxanne Scrimshaw (Lynn) - but outside of those characters, it feels like those other b-characters are so thinly developed to the point where it comes across as if whatever they’re saying is first draft. It’s okay, but it really dilutes the central relationship for me quite a bit.  Never the less, impressive debut, a lot to love and a lot of potential.

> *Evening. Home. Sheffield.* > *Streamed Online.* > *Rewatch.* I’ve slowly been grinding and regrinding my way through these DC Animation adaptations of famous *Batman* comics. Sometimes it’s been an absolute joy, sometimes it’s been a slog. There are some, what I will never, ever watch again and their are some that I will constantly go back to.  *Under The Red Hood* is one of those I think I will find myself going back to time and time again. It’s so narratively tight, so well produced and so well directed. I’ve not read *UTRD *for a long time, but I know that it’s pretty much an accurate adaptation from top to bottom and it doesn’t do that stupid rug pull later animated adaptations do.  The whole narrative around Jason Todd, on and off the page is so tragic - after Dick Grayson grew up, he replaced him in the comics and the audience generally didn’t like him because of how he was written. So they had a phone in competition to decide his fate and they ended up doing that thing in continuity what they do and kill him off forever. The vindication what we receive in this story for both states of the character is a well deserved pay off, and ultimately they make a more dynamic, interesting and tragic character from that. (It’s a really big shame that Rocksteady try their best to unpick that in *Arkham Knight). * * * The voice acting is great, they have such a diverse cast of seasoned pros and traditional actors and I think it might be the best interpretation of Black Mask I’ve seen adapted yet.  It’s a fun time and made me want to go back and read the comic. Job done really.