21 Jump Street

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....21 Jump Street!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th June 2012 

I've heard lots of stories on how difficult it is to get movies made, with the likes of projects being trapped in development hell and studio execs interfering. That being said, I'm baffled as to how this movie got made: It took the IP of some TV show and made something out of it, let along something great! This movie isn't a reboot, it is it;s own thing and is all the better for it. I reiterate: how did something so great get made? (Mind you I had the same reaction with Deadpool). 

 So yeah, I really liked this one

Ghostbusters

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

Original image located here. Accessed 17th June 2016 

This may seem strange to some of you (particularly my fellow children of the eighties) but I've never actually seen Ghostbusters all the way through. Sure I saw, when i was a kid, Ghostbusters 2 and the cartoon. Sure I know of the franchise and the so-eighties-its-cringeworthy theme song but it's kinda weird to come to the point where it all started. This, in turn, raises a level of expectation that is pretty much astronomical (never a good sign). 

 But I'm pleased to say that this movie was actually pretty good. There's certainly some good laughs and the practical effects hold up really well. In fact. get past the whole 'franchise starts here' and it's clear that Ghostbusters is solid proof that comedy and big-budget-sfx are not only compatible but they work really well together. So yeah, looks like we got a winner here

The Shawshank Redemption

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....The Shawshank Redemption!

 Original image located here. Accessed 10th June 2016

It seems strange to admit that I'd never seen this movie before: It wasn't a big deal with it's initial run at the cinema but it's popularity grew largely through word of mouth and rentals - to the point where so many people have seen the movie and rank it quite highly.

And whom am i to argue? This movie was compelling enough to engage with me all the way through and indeed, says a lot about redemption (funnily enough), keeping a straight head in a hopeless situation and finding a breakthrough in amongst bleakness.
I think we can all learn something from that

Schindler's List

Last week i was asked about my habitual Friday night movies and what happened to them. Well, I stopped doing them as I tied down elsewhere. But seeing as I enjoyed my Friday night movie, and talking about it, I see no reason to give it up completely. So, here is what will be, hopefully, a return to regularity:

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Schindler's List!

 Original image located here. Accessed 3rd June 2016

Much has been written about this film: The powerful resonance, the acting, the cinematography and the directing. But I won't talk about any of that. No: You see, i remember, back in the nineties, that this movie was a big deal. And I feel coming to it, from a distance of twenty years, has allowed me to approach with a fresh perspective.
And it is still, very much as powerful as ever.