Obsession

And this weeks Friday night movie has been.... Obsession!

Original image located here. Accessed 2nd October 2026

Well it's October and, as is tradition, time to sit down and enjoy (ha ha) some horror movies, it being Halloween and all.
And what better way to kick-off then with this little darling, that has been winning over audiences and critics alike. 

Well I have a lot to say about this so let's resort to bullet points:

• Yes this a debut feature for director Curry Baker and it shows. Still, it is impressive that it follows a familiar template that instructs doing a lot with a little. So points for acting, facial expressions, and mood.
• Speaking of mood, I will always favour horror movies that favour mood over jump-scares so this does indeed fit the bill. 
• I once joked that, in a post-MeToo world, we would see works of fiction where the villains are insecure, socially inept, boring, confidence-challenged, hopeless romantics. Well, the joke is on me as this is pretty much what we have here. 
• And yet did I feel in any way sympathetic towards Bear? Nope.
• Ultimately however, this still Inde Navarrette's show, giving a gleefully demented performance all the way through.  

And so, this year's clutch of horror movies start with a bang. Four more Friday's left.....

Avatar: The Way of Water

 And this weeks Friday night movie has been.... Avatar: The Way of Water!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th September 2026

For me, James Cameron is one of those people who everyone has a differing angle upon: He's a filmmaker who can produce action movies with some intelligence. He's a guy who's seems passionate on underwater exploring to the point of obsessive. He's someone who really wants to push the envelope on visual effects in cinema and what they can accomplish. He's the traitor who made action movies (Aliens and Terminator 1+2) only to go onto something more romantic (Titanic). He's a madman with a vision like no other. He is infamous for being a dictatorial presence on set. He's a guy willing sink an astronomical amount of money to make a five movie series like Avatar to happen. 

Much has been written about Avatar as a series: Very long movies, huge production costs, doing gangbusters at the box-office, exercises in style over substance and The Last Airbender was better. Such assessments would make this series easy fodder as a punchline - not unlike Titanic - but is it enough to colour my view of it?
Admittedly it has been a while since I first saw the first one and I do recall enough of it to leave an impression. So enough beating around the bush: What did I think of The Way of Water?

Obviously this key strength of this movie lies in the visual: The world-building. The lore. The mechanisms that look unfeasible but still come across as possible. The staggering action sequences. The designs of the inhabitants of Pandora. There has been a lot amount of effort being put into this movie and it shows - thus giving the impression that this series is the one entry in Cameron's filmography that he put the most effort into (favourite child much?). 

However is it really style over substance? Well maybe. But then again, as is often the case, it's not what the story being told but how it's told. Certainly it is compelling to see Jake and Neytiri with a family in tow and facing the challenges that comes with it. 

But in the end, this was a fun watch and I had a great time with it. And there's certainly some potential for this film series. 

Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse

 And this weeks Friday night movie has been.... Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse!

Original image located here. Accessed 18th September 2026

Given that this movie's predecessor, Into the Spider-Verse, had such a strong idea behind it, it should come to no surprise that a follow-up would eventually come around.

And much like any sequel, they take the idea that drove the first one and make it bigger: The animation is still of a quality that is insane, the creativity on display is still mind-boggling and the characters are still as compelling as ever. Indeed, it has been a while since I saw a movie that showed this much fun and passion behind it so it certainly made my evening. 
Indeed, such is the ideas that are on display that they clearly weren't enough to confine to two hours and twenty minutes. 

But it makes we wonder: Can Sony keep this hot-streak going? Surely they can't keep something of this quality up forever....

9/11

 And this weeks Friday night movie has been.... 9/11!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th September 2026

My fascination with watching documentaries that started in one place but ended up somewhere completely different continues as we have this.
In July 2001 two French filmmakers Jules and Gedeon Naudet went to New York city to film a rookie firefighter, Tony Benetatos. The plan was to show the experiences of a rookie, a 'probie'. But little did those involved know but on the following September, things would take a turn for the horrific....

Given that documentaries exist as a form of journalism (documenting events as they happen) there is a lot going on here.
We see Jules going with the firefighters to investigate a gas leak only to be left outside and, whilst adjusting his camera work, ending up getting one of three recordings of the first plane hitting the North Tower.
We see the attempts of the firefighters congregating on ground floor to try and get a plan going.
We see the general confusion and disbelief, both inside and outside of the towers, as to what's going on.  
We see the humanity displayed by the firefighters and their efforts to save as many people as possible
We see the horror of digging through the rubble to find any possible survivors.
And we see the human cost involved.

This is effectively ground zero of this horrific event and is the best source of the impact of it. 
Not an easy watch but as a source of documentation it's unbeatable. 

The Odyssey

And this weeks Friday night movie has been.... The Odyssey!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th September 2026

It seems every man and his dog (ha ha) has seen this so I finally got off my lazy arse and got around to seeing it for myself. 

So what's my connection with Homer's epic poem? I knew of it back when I was in primary school: I read a few picture books on it and I later had a paperback edition that filled in a lot of the gaps. So yeah: can't say the source material isn't well known. 
But in all honesty, adapting The Odyssey is just like adapting Shakespeare: The source material has been circulating for centuries so the challenge of adapting it lies in doing something new or unique with something very familiar. 

So what does Christopher Nolan bring to the table? 

I will admit that previous experience with the 'sword and sandal' movies from Hollywood tend to colourful, imaginative and adventurous affairs. So it is a surprise that this is clearly none of those things. It is bleak, is less concerned with the fantastical and more concerned with putting Odysseus through the PTSD wringer. But still: This is different and to that end, it is unique. 
There is certainly some superb displays of creativity and some stunning imagery throughout. Certainly this tale has been told many times before but not like this. 

Muppet Treasure Island

And this weeks Friday night movie has been.... Muppet Treasure Island!

Original image located here. Accessed 28th August 2026

I've been meaning to see this for years and given the recent passing of Tim Curry, now is a good a time as any. 

But yeah, there's not much to say: It's the Muppets taking on a literacy classic. It has random humour. It has the anarchic spirit that has defined the Muppets. It clearly has a larger budget which isn't surprising given Disney's involvement. It has a sterling human cast. But most of all, it has Tim Curry hamming it up and clearly enjoying every minute of it. 

Holy Days

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

Original image located here. Accessed 21st August 2026

Kiera insisted that we watch this. And the funny thing I would've never have heard of it otherwise. 
So this is a New Zealand co-production which has to have the most unusual elevator pitch behind it: a trio of nuns go on a road trip with a little boy across both islands of New Zealand. 

So yeah, its pretty obvious that the humour will rely on that of 'nuns interacting with the real world'. But what truly makes it work is the three leads - Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes and Jacki Weaver - who are clearly having the time of their lives in these roles. There's witty dialogue, great jokes and some truly stunning imagery of New Zealand. 
Indeed, a fun movie. 

Winnie the Pooh

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Winnie the Pooh!

Original image located here. Accessed 14th August 2026

Well I saw the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh last week so it is only fitting that I follow it up with this 2011 effort. 
It would be easy to write this off as a remake of the preceding movie given it takes the same approach: Use the source material and throw in zany sight gags, lean on the naivety of these characters, break the borderline between the animation and the text, show off the playful nature of the animation and all wrap it up in a big bow of cosiness. 
But if it worked the first time, there's no reason why it won't the second. 

Really there's not much else I can add; This was a lot of fun to watch and whilst it seemed a repeat of the Many Adventures it never came across as a problem (which, lets face it, is a difficult trick to pull off). 

Although I am convinced that Pooh's love of honey is so great he may require professional help...

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th August 2026

When I was a little boy, my father had a copy of Winnie the Pooh on the bookshelf. This was a copy of the original text by A. A Milne and I read it many times. Indeed, a book where the titular character is far from the sharpest tool in the shed but is still able to succeed is something that spoke deeply to me. 

So we come to this: An anthology of previously animated shorts and indeed the most widely recognised of the Disney adaptations of Milne's work. I do recall seeing one of them on TV when I was a lad - the one where Tigger is stuck up a tree - but I never got to see how it ended. 

Looking at this collection of shorts, I can certainly recognise the stories from the source material. And I especially love the playful nature of the animation, with the incorporation of the story book framework. 
Given the ubiquitous nature of these characters, one will would they would grow tiresome easily but that is not the case. 
This has been a lot of fun to watch and hasn't aged at all.

The Wolf of Wall Street

  And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Wolf of Wall Street!

Original image located here. Accessed 31st July 2026

Behold: Another exploration into the filmography of one Martin Scorsese. And it seems this has become one of his best known films in recent years (least not for being the breakthrough role for one Margot Robbie). 

I have seen a number of Scorsese films but seeing this gave the impression that I was still unprepared to see it. It certainly is impressive to see this move as a series of events that get progressive more insane and chaotic the further the film goes on.
The problem is, at least to me, that's all there is. We're watching a guy become ridiculously wealthy through being a stockbroker and committing acts that are both heinous and deplorable along the way. 
Sure it may be fun to see this movie goes next and sure this lifestyle shown may look attractive to some but what is this movie? A biopic? A satire? A cautionary tale? 
I'm not sure myself but what I DO know is this movie left me cold. Sure there are some stand-out moments but I'm not sure what this movie wants from me. 
Oh well....

Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune

  And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th July 2026

Anyone heard of this? It's a 2010 documentary about the 1960s folk/protest singer Phil Ochs. 
I came across Phil Ochs in an interesting way: I have a big book on popular music and, while making my way through the 'O' section, I came across this name. What stood out for me was the story of himself: He made a name for himself as a folk singer, was unfairly pegged as 'second best' to Bob Dylan, was written off the critics and sadly met a tragic end - only to be acknowledged years later for his songwriting and willingness to stand for cause. Indeed, a tale worthy of Hollywood.
And so we come to this: a documentary on Phil and his life, with contributions from admirers such as Joan Baez, Van Dyke Parks, Billy Bragg, Jello Biafra, Sean Penn and Christopher Hitchens. Certainly prior I had never heard of Ochs' music but clearly he's a big deal. 

It's a given that this is a documentary takes us through Phil's tumultuous life. What is fascinating is how it parallels with the events in the world around him. As such, we see Phil make a name of himself with his songs based on what he sees at the time, his sense of humour and willingness to stand for many a cause, his belief his song-writing could make a difference, his gradual disillusionment with Kennedy's passing and Nixon's election, and his gradual decline professionally and mentally.

Needles to say, this documentary goes a long way in explaining Phil as a person and what he stood for. True we know how the story ends and his decline is tough to watch, but in the end, his music endures as does his passion to stand for what he believes in. 
We can all learn a lot from that.

My Brilliant Career

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... My Brilliant Career!

Original image located here. Accessed 17th July 2026

Given the passing of Sam Neill earlier this week, this is an obvious watch: His breakthrough role that brought him to attention of the movie-going public. 

And honestly it couldn't have happened in a better film: It seems that this is indeed a classic of Australian cinema, boasting an impressive cast, wonderful cinematography, and showing this country, and indeed the world, how to make a movie about us. 
The thing that stood out of me is just how quiet this movie is: It's telling a story of defying the gender roles of the day but it's less interested in beating the audience over the head with it and more interested in letting everything on screen sink in (case in point: that striking wide shot that ends Sybylla and Harry's final scene). And that's the greatest strength of this movie. 

It's fair to say that Harry Beecham is the Australian answer to the likes of Mr. Darcy and Rhett Butler. And Neill delivers the quiet charisma the role demands - and some. But even then, this movie is still Judy Davis' show, giving her all.

Seems this is a classic of Australian cinema for a damn good reason. 

Career Opportunities

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

Original image located here. Accessed 10th July 2026

I think it's fair to say that this movie exists purely because of Jennifer Connelly. Indeed, if people know this movie it's because they've seen the footage of Connelly on the coin-operated horse.
But is there more to it than that? I mean it has John Huston's name as writer so it has to be good, right? Surely this movie has a reason to exist other than Connelly looking stunning?

Probably not. 

Okay seriously, this movie was many things: aimless, obnoxious, amateurish. And yet at the same time it was strangely goofy and our two leads made an oddly compelling duo. Yeah it wasn't great but hey I've seen worse. 

And lets face it: if it wasn't for Connelly, no one would care for this movie.