I do writing at segadriven.com and talking on castironshow.co.uk
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Wonderful Days 2003
This has become big comfort viewing for me now. It’s a daft sci-fi by numbers, but what it does it does well. It definitely scratches a similar itch to Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within which is also a big comfy fave for me. It’s all class war stuff against rich oligarchs and there’s 2 protagonists on opposite sides of the fence trying to save the polluted world with a permanently scorched sky which is very Matrix. A massive shame the…
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003
A lot has been said about how this one devolves into a special effects showcase, but there’s still plenty of heart and character moments. It’s no wonder the cast grew so fond of each other because their love really shows on screen. Whether it was intentional or not, I think the hobbits are beautifully queer coded and even Éowyn gets her amazing “I am no man” moment. Yes, it does all amalgamate in a big CGI battle, but the film is more than just a big CGI battle. A wonderful send off for one of the greatest fantasy trilogies in the history of cinema.
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Patlabor: The Movie 1989
There's something really satisfying about this sort of late eighties, high contrast, noisy anime. An early hit from Mamoru Oshii, this film deals with some pretty high concept stuff (destruction of history, mass urbanisation, the fear of technological advancements) that its goofy presentation can sometimes mask. It's actually quite nice watching an Oshii film with more expressive/cartoony characters that the director rarely deals in. If you compare this to Ghost in the Shell, with it's expressionless and difficult to relate…
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