Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th February 2017

Once again this is a case of me seeing the sequel before it's predecessor: I saw Bogus Journey years ago when I was a kid but it is only now I've seen this, the original movie.

I have fond memories of Bogus Journey but maybe that's through the eyes of youth. That being said, I did enjoy Excellent Adventure through an adult perspective but I have to wonder what the younger me would have thought of it. Still, this movie made me laugh so it succeeded as a comedy - and, seeing as we all live in a tribal society, perhaps there is value in 'Being Excellent to each other'
Oh and Keanu Reeves should play more stoners - he seems to be really good at doing that XD

Only Yesterday

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

Original image located here. Accessed 17th February 2017

Hayao Miyazaki may have become synonymous with Studio Ghibli but that does present a problem: Ghibli's other works (you know, the one's not directed by Miayzaki and/or not feature fantastical whimsy) may find themselves getting the shaft. Which is a shame because some of them are pretty good in their own right.

Which brings us to Only Yesterday. Once again, this is an anime movie that shows that Ghibli can do 'Slice of Life' anime really well. The art direction is astonishing and could well be the most beautiful of Ghibli's works - which is certainly saying something.
But I have to admit this movie does come with a degree of resonance for me: It is a reflection on a life lived and how one's choices can shape one's self - and how they can never hold anyone back. It's something for me to consider as I limp through my mid-thirties, and posting reflective Notes in this corner of cyberspace. Thus, if a movie has had such a profound effect then it must've done something right
Oh and special mention must go to the end-credits sequence - truly a thing of beauty.

The Devil At Your Heels

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Devil at Your Heels!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th February 2017

Has anyone heard of this? This is a 1981 documentary on the (now deceased) Canadian stuntman Ken Carter. This follows his attempts to perform the ultimate stunt: Jumping the St Lawrence River (on the border of Canada and the U.S.) in a rocket car. It was Ken's intention that this be his moment of glory after twenty years of car jumps.

So what this documentary....documents is the journey to make that jump. But it never runs smoothly: It covers five years (!) to make it happen, wherein so many things go wrong with backers coming and going, numerous attempts to drum up support, technical faults and delays & cancellations upon delays & cancellations. It may sound like grounds for a Monty Python skit but it's not: There is an aura of tragedy - particularly when one sees Ken Carter himself: He's always talking up this jump like any man with a dream and he certainly has the passion and conviction to see it through. Thus in a way, you really feel sorry for the guy when nothing is going right.
Still, great documentary, and it;s great to finally see it after some twenty four years since i was first made aware of it.