Gimme Shelter

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Gimme Shelter!

Original image located here. Accessed 17th January 2025

Behold: one of the most famous (infamous?) documentaries, music or otherwise, ever made. It's the chronicle of the Altamont Free Concert - a show put on by the Rolling Stones that ended in disaster.

For those who don't know: Altamont happened in 1969, four months after Woodstock. It was put together by the Rolling Stones and had them headlining with some other acts. During the show however the crowd was unruly and the security, provided by the Hells Angels, were very hostile to them. Needless to say, it descended into chaos and an attendee, one Meredith Hunter, was stabbed to death.
Since then, there have been varying accounts of the event but it has gone down in history as a catastrophe and, most significantly, the endpoint of both the sixties and the hippy ethos of 'peace and love' it inspired.

Of  course, this documentary does nothing to challenge such a narrative: the planning process is shown to be haphazard and the event is shown to be utter mayhem. And it is the latter that is the key selling point of this documentary: it is terrifying to watch and the alarm shown by the Stones is genuine. 

But the main strength of this feature is seeing Mick and Charlie being confronted with the footage. Granted the Stones may forever be the benchmark for pop music 'bad boys' but rarely are such 'bad boys' shown the consequences of their actions. And it is downright harrowing. 
Was that the intention of this documentary? Hard to say but what I do know is that this was a far from easy watch - but much like car crash, hard to look away. 

Nosferatu (2024)

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Nosferatu (2024)!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th January 2025

I saw this in the cinema where some goth girls were in the row behind me. And when the line came "He's coming! He's coming!" I heard some giggling....

It's a bold move to remake one of the foundation stones/benchmarks of horror cinema: what can one do with the source material? Okay sure the original is over a century old and may look creaky today, but there are some genuinely freaky moments that put more modern horror movies to shame. So what does this one bring to the table?

Well the atmosphere is stunning with some great use of creeping dread. The visuals are gorgeous and there plenty of nods to the source material. But at the same time, I can't help but think that this is a soulless exercise. It is horny to the point of absurdity, the accents are silly and I was left with the thought of what the whole point of it was.

Footrot Flats: A Dog's Tale

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Footrot Flats: A Dog's Tail Tale!

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd January 2025

Happy New Year! And what better way to set off another year of movie watching, lets take a look at a movie that I have wanting to see for a long time.

I remember Footrot Flats when I was a kid. Certainly I knew of the comic strip but a lot of the humour went over my head - I guess one has to be sheep farmer to get the most out of it. But I do remember knowing the characters and, in particular, Dog. And I knew of this movie and the accompanying theme song - Dave Dobbyn's Slice of Heaven - so I may as well get off my slack arse and watch this.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this movie is that it is a New Zealand production and a major stab at getting an animated New Zealand movie made (has any more been made since?). And the animated is indeed delightful - ironically being outsourced from a Sydney animation studio - with special mention going to some rather stunning backgrounds.
Problem is, there is no plot to speak of: just a series of misadventures involving bad jokes, pointless scenes, archaic situations, the afore-mentioned farmer-centric humour and New Zealand pride that would look alien to outsiders. 
Needless to say it was disappointing that a movie I have been wanting to see turned out to be downright dull. 

But at least we still have Slice of Heaven.

And so 2025 is off to a flying start....

Oppenheimer

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Oppenheimer!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 96 (2023)

And so, we end this year-long undertaking by saying hello to the new guy.

Twelve months of watching Best Picture Oscar winners have led to this moment. And one would think that by now I should know what to expect.

From the outset, this movie makes something of a comeback: After over a decade of smaller scale/low earning/indie movies, the pendulum has swung back and a Best Picture victory has been made for a major studio. It may be too early to call if this is a game-changer but it does make for an interesting situation for future Best Picture winners.
Actually, now that I think of it, that Oppenheimer won does indeed feel like a throwback to an earlier, epic-focused, era of Oscars. For years there was this joke that if you wanted to win big all you needed to do was have both a stacked cast and your movie set in World War II. And this movie does indeed do that. In addition, having a troubled protagonist and a three hour run time doesn’t hurt either.
Still the film geek in me was pleased that Christopher Nolan finally received his dues and picked up the Best Director Oscar.

But enough of my rambling: what about the movie itself?

I may have seen some dense movies in my time but this is another level entirely: It is dialogue heavy, the progression of the plot is in a strange order, it is indeed hard to follow and the cast are rendered practically unrecognisable.
And yet, this is a movie that is firing on all cylinders. The ensemble cast is great, the visuals incredible, Nolan’s insistence on practical effects truly deliver, the direction is superb and the mood is one of reflection and guilt. If this movie was utilising the afore-mentioned Oscar-winning formula then the result is effectively a subversion of it – and makes the movie even more fascinating.

And with that, this year-long undertaking is completed: I set out to watch a Best Picture Oscar winning movie for every week of 2024 and I’ve done it.
It has been a fascinating journey as not only have I seen some movies that I’ve never seen before but I have seen a history of cinema progress before me, pinpointing the rise of trends and the changing of attitudes.

The major takeaways from this are as follows:

• I have seen some movies, and some genres I wouldn’t have previously considered. And much to my surprise I found some enjoyment in them.
• The concept of ‘Best Picture’ is somewhat misleading: It is less about the best movie of the year and more what was popular at the time. And that is an approach that should be adhered to when talking about Best Picture winners. I mean, when you think about it, winning Best Picture, being beloved by audiences AND being held up as the best of the medium is a very difficult hat-trick to pull off. And how many movies have done it? All Quiet on the Western Front? It Happened One Night? Casablanca? The Godfather 1 and 2? Schindler’s List? Lord of the Rings: Return of the King?
• It would appear that every decade of Best Picture winners is a reaction against the previous one: The real-life concerns of the forties getting you down? Well, here’s the fifties and some large-scale entertainment. Tired of the musicals of sixties? Don’t worry: here’s some seventies cynicism. Bored of the eighties output? Here comes the nineties and a new era of the blockbuster.
• Similarly, the long-held idea that the Academy Awards voters are all aging and caught in a state of stagnation/regression is also incorrect: Watching all these Best Picture Winners, the trends and mindset of the time becomes apparent and it’s surprising that the Academy goes out of it’s way to conduct a course correction when possible.
• Shakespeare in Love is not the worst/less-deserving Best Picture winner.

So in the end, this has been an enlightening experience, wandering through film history and seeing a path of changes and trends. And it was a journey I’ve been wanting to make for some time, and I am grateful to have made it.

And so, to wrap this up, I have spent the past twenty-four months indulging with my film geek. That being said, next year I think I’ll watch something more fun….

Everything Everywhere All at Once

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Everything Everywhere All at Once!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 95 (2022)

You know the Oscars have been around for under a century (at time of writing) but for something that has such longevity, one would think that it would be a big ask for it to produce a surprise. 
And yet, this is exactly what happened: I went in expecting a movie that combines science fiction and kung fu - hardly Oscar favourite material - but what I got was something else: It was visually astonishing, playful in it's nature, high in it's concept, and audacious in it's ambitions. 
I have no idea how this won Best Picture - it's an against the odds victory if ever there was one - but there's no way I'm going to argue. 
What an incredible movie. 

CODA

And this week's Friday night movie has been... CODA!

Original image located here. Accessed 13th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 94 (2021)

Seems I was wrong: Nomadland wasn't the endpoint of the trend of Best Picture Oscar winners being small-scale/budget movies. Well one more for the road I guess. 
So that this movie won was something of a milestone in that it's the first time the winning film was one that was exclusively available on a streaming platform. Seems that in nearly a century of the Academy Awards there is still plenty of room for firsts. 

So anyway, I have nothing but good things to say about this movie. Key to it's success is that we are watching disabled who are being treated with dignity: they have wants, needs and are able to run a business. You know, like proper human beings. See? It's not that hard.

But this is still the story of a young adult leaving the nest and forging their own path. Sure one might think that story has been told countless times before however, as is often the case, it's not the tools but what one does with them.
The family dynamic works a treat and Emilia Jones does a great job with her performance.

So here we finally reach the end of this particular run of Best Picture Oscar winners. Where do we go from here? Well we have two Fridays left of the year....

Nomadland

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Nomadland!

Original image located here. Accessed 6th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 93 (2020)

I am somewhat perplexed by this movie: On one hand, the strengths of this movie come through with it's beautiful photography, it's sensitivity of showing people struggling, the use of non-actors and it's realistic approach. 
But on the other hand, this does seem meandering in it's outcome. Granted that may be point given this is a film about the wanderer lifestyle but some scenes drag on and ultimately come out pointless.

Maybe I'm missing something? Most certainly but I feel it is fair to say that this is the point where the trend of honouring low-budget, low-box office movies - a trend started with the Hurt Locker - has come to an end. The model has outworn it's use and now a new one is required. 

It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for....

Parasite

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Parasite!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 92 (2019)

It may be easy to mock the Oscars for getting it wrong and going for the 'safe' option. So credit is credit due when the Academy shows some stones and laud the nastier, less-audience-friendly choice.
Not much I can say really: This may have been the apex of the 'message' era/2010s of Best Picture winners. And certainly representative of the 'eat the rich' mindset that has emerged in recent years.

But the movie itself? It's a pitch black comedy and just the way I like it. Unforgettable imagery, strung out tension, delicious ironies, and a sense that one is never sure how this movie is going turn out.
Clearly movies never get better than this. 

Wicked (part 1)

 Last night I went and saw Wicked.

Original image located here. Accessed 24th November 2024

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that a movie adaptation of the Wicked musical would be made. After all, said musical was a mammoth success and started this trend of 'retelling the narrative of villains' (it's doubtful Frozen would've existed without Wicked). Furthermore, the existence of the movie is helpful in that this narrative can reach those who can't afford the triple digit figure for the stage show.

There's not a lot can I fault with this movie: Sure it's the first half of a duology but what's there is impressive: The visuals are astonishing, the humour & the script is great and the cast all fit their roles well. Indeed, I am convinced that playing Glinda was Ariana Grande's life ambition. 

So yeah I was won over, in a manner akin to the many who went and saw the stage show.
So! When's the next one coming?

Moonlight

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... La La L-sorry, Moonlight!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 89 (2016)

I have spoken many times how I doubt the movie-going public will ever forgive Shakespeare in Love for winning Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan. So how does said public feel about Moonlight winning over La La Land? Granted the circumstances of that victory were different but it isn't much of a stretch to imagine at least some bitterness.
But in a way, perhaps it was fitting that Moonlight won instead of La La Land as it represented a change of the times: The musical - a genre that has been a tried and tested Oscar winner - lost out to something different and radical.

I said last week that the 2010s represented a time when message movies were gaining traction at the Oscars and this is no different. It shows the life of a gay black man, from childhood to adulthood. Granted such experiences are completely foreign to my own but I was still very impressed with this movie. It certainly has a sense of solemnity to it that is akin to being in church and it is fascinating to see life play out in such a manner. It is also compelling to see one's choices in life and, at the end of the movie, the offering of the question of what one would do differently.

Really this movie is a triumph of taking very little and doing a lot with it. Indeed, there's something to be learned from that..

Spotlight

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Spotlight!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 88 (2015)

It's quite daring to have this movie to win Best Picture. Not only was a small winner (it won only one other award) but it also faces down the Catholic church. But then again, this is the 2010s where message movies are the norm. 

However get past the first impressions and this film is remarkable: It less about condemnation and more about the journalistic team working to uncover this case. It is an ensemble drama with all present clearly working outside of their comfort zone and giving committed performances. Also it's nice to see Mark Ruffalo in a role that both isn't the Hulk and allows him to flex his acting muscles. 

So how does the Catholic church emerge from this? Well, they are largely unseen. Granted this is perhaps to make sure this movie got a major release but this narrative isn't about them: It's about the victims, having endured physical and spiritual abuse. It is a wise decision to not show the journalistic team in a heroic light and instead focus on the people they are trying to reach. Indeed, that list at the end does hit like a truck.

Truly a remarkable movie. 

Birdman

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 87 (2014)

Clearly the major selling point of this movie was movie was it was shot in a way that conveys the impression it was done in one continuous take. A tall order since I saw, and adored, Russian Ark and that was the real deal. So what does this movie do?

Well the edits are there and you will need a sharp eye to spot them. But this is still a remarkable film: Sure the technological aspect of it is impressive but the real meat is the notion of a washed up actor who is trying to be taken seriously. Yes there is a thinly veiled dig at the MCU and the nods to Batman are hard to miss but this is still staggering in what it's conveying. 
When you see as many movies have I have it does get to a point where you see so much it's hard to see something that leaps out at you. Thankfully this is one such movie. 

12 Years a Slave

And this week's Friday night movie has been... 12 Years a Slave!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 86 (2013)

And now we are well and truly into the twenty tens. At this point, the new decade of Best Picture Oscar winners has had time to determine what it wants to be. And to would seem that identity would be built up out of 'message' movies.

Lets not beat around the bush: This was not an easy watch. Sure the cinematography is staggering in it's beauty and the sheer scale of it's shots, sure the acting is equally gripping and the direction is top notch but this is still a depiction of American slavery. That this movie is clearly well researched and based on historical fact does not take away the ugliness and brutality of it all. And it is all there on screen, whether we like or not.

Still, this movie is nothing less than astonishing.
And just when you think the Academy doesn't have the guts to stray away from the 'safe' option, they still manage to surprise you.