THE holidays are prime movie-watching time, and Hawkesbury’s ‘Last Kangaroo’ – aka Civic Video Windsor owner, Guirong Wu – has provided his top new release and classic film recommendations to while away those hot summer nights (or days!).
New releases
The Top 5 most popular movies at the shop this month are The Meg, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Incredibles 2, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and The Equalizer 2.
Mr Wu highly recommends The Meg – a thriller/fantasy flick about a massive creature (previously thought extinct) that attacks a deep-sea submersible, leaving it disabled and trapping the crew at the bottom of the Pacific.
“The Meg at first reminds me of Jaws, but it’s not like that. Jaws is much more scary movie. Haven’t been back to the beach for years after that!” Mr Wu said.
“But The Meg is different. Just scifi and not very scary. OK for family viewing.
“But just when you think problem solved, a new bigger problem rises. It’s just fun!”
He also rates new release movie Mary Shelley, a romantic period-drama film that follows Mary Shelley's first love and her romantic relationship with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, which inspired her to write the classic, Frankenstein.
“It’s very surprising. Very good origin story of well known theme,” said Mr Wu of Mary Shelley.
He said while the actors and director were unknown to him, it provided a “new window for the younger generation”.
“Elle Fanning as Mary Shelley is sure to be a rising star,” he said.
Other new releases sure to be popular this month include Crazy Rich Asians, The Predator, Christopher Robin, The Bombing, A Simple Favour, The Wife, Book Club, and Slender Man.
An old favourite
As always, Mr Wu picked one of his old favourites out of the archives. This month, it’s The Fifth Element – the 1997 thriller/fantasy flick set in the 23rd century, starring Bruce Willis.
“The Fifth Element I first saw in the cinema on the wide screen. It’s a visual knockout,” said Mr Wu.
“Very illogical story, but what a presentation! Music, fashion, design, set, just great and colourful.
“Bruce Willis has a mother from hell and he finds the perfect lover in the Supreme Being, Milla Jovovich. What a catch.
“[And the] Alien singing opera – wow! This one stayed with me for that 20 years. Recommended.”
Check out this month’s ‘Picks From the Pouch’ video starring Mr Wu (below).
An opera singing enthusiast, Mr Wu teams his love of movies with his passion for singing and picks a different movie theme to perform each month.
This month, it’s Little Light of Love by Serra Eric from The Fifth Element Soundtrack. Enjoy!
All these films and more are available to hire from Mr Wu’s shop, located in the Old Post Office Arcade, off Windsor Mall, Windsor.
Civic Video Windsor is now the only store left under the ‘Civic Video’ franchise in NSW.
Mr Wu has owned the shop for 14 of its 30 trading years, and he is determined to be the last video shop left still standing in Australia.