Thunderbolt's 2021 Movie Diary

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270. Ghostbusters Afterlife (2021) Cinema first watch
An entertaining 2 hours with some good effects and a decent storyline. Things start off tame to the halfway point and then turn quite dark. Lets just pretend the thirds instalment never happened.




271. Deck the Halls (2006) DVD rewatch
First festive comedy of the season. I’d never heard of this until a few years ago. Danny DeVito battles to have the brightest decorated house so it can be seen from space. Very cheesy but some very funny moments.




272. Trespass (1992) DVD rewatch
Two firemen go in search of hidden gold in a derelict warehouse, but little do they know it’s in the middle of gangland territory. Decent action/thriller from Walter Hill.




274. Jurassic Park (1993) DVD rewatch
Me and my Daughter watched this together and for her it was her first viewing. I think she’ll be eager for the sequels next. With some outstanding effects and a nicely paced story, 2 hours flew by really fast.




275. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) DVD rewatch
It’s Randy Quaid’s character that makes this movie fun for me. Loads of great one liners and great comic timing.




276. Scrooge (1935) DVD rewatch
Seymour Hicks plays the old curmudgeon who despises Christmas. This is the oldest adaptation that I have seen which is not quite up to the Alistair Sim version but still enjoyable.




277. The 39 Steps (1935) DVD rewatch
Classic Hitchcock with some great suspense and dark humour. There’s great chemistry between the leads Donat and Carroll and the story is nicely paced. This is one of Hitchcock’s best earlier efforts.




278. Ron's Gone Wrong (2021) Cinema first watch
Forgot to put this one on from about 6 weeks ago. I really enjoyed this kids animation with some good humour thrown in for adults and a nice moral for the kids at the end.




280. Gremlins (1984) DVD rewatch
I know Christmas is just around the corner when this gem is put on. It really has stood the test of time very well and it’s hard to believe this movie is fast approaching 40 years old. With some great humour and outstanding old school effects, this is an absolute classic. A great trip back to the 80s when blockbusters used to be on the big screen for months and were well worth the hype.




281. The Glass Key (1942) DVD rewatch
Alan Ladd is quite astounding in his role. Lots of political corruption in a fairly complex plot keep you guessing until the very end.




282. Jurassic Park 2 The Lost World (1997) DVD rewatch
I particularly like the glass cracking scene with the vehicle over the cliff edge. Also the final 30 minutes with the T Rex loose in the city which is very reminiscent of the King Kong idea. For a sequel it was an entertaining effort.




285. Holiday Affair (1949) DVD rewatch
One of my favourite festive films. Janet Leigh gets caught in a love triangle at Christmas time and her 6 year old Son has a strong influence on the man she picks. Also starring the great Robert Mitchum.




286. Jurassic Park 3 (2001) DVD rewatch
Quite a brief film that isn’t quite in the class of the previous two but there’s a nice use of different dinosaurs to keep ideas fresh. I still however have to rate this as a must see for fans.