Gran Torino

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

Original image located here. Accessed 26th May 2017

I've always loved Clint Eastwood - one my favorite actors and he makes some great movies to boot. And here we are at what was intended to be his final hurrah as an actor.
And what do you know: He does a superb job. Clint is more or less playing an aged incarnation of one of his most famous roles, Dirty Harry, but Walt is no less charismatic, intimidating, or quick with the quip than Mr Callahan.

I've heard criticisms that this movie relied on the trope of the 'Great White Hope' to help out some oppressed Asians but I never got that impression. What i saw was a movie about a damaged man reclaiming his humanity and eventually finding redemption
But then again, that's the type of role that Clint could do in his sleep.

Alien: Convenant

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

Original image located here. Accessed 19th May 2017

I......honestly don't know what to make of this movie. Is it a rehash of Alien? Is it a lot of talking and philosophizing that I found more draining than engaging? Is it just a movie with more meat-shields than actual characters? Or is it incomprehensible to me as I've never seen Prometheus?
Still that escape sequence was pretty awesome

Excalibur

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th May 2017

I admit I have an interest for fantasy movies in the eighties because they strike me as looking more gritty and grungy than the fantasy movies made in a post-Lord of the Rings world. I will argue that the eighties produced some solid fantasy movies (ie Labyrinth, Conan the Barbarian, Never Ending Story and this) with a unique look that has never since been replicated.

As for the movie itself, this was a decent retelling of the stry of King Arthur and indeed setting a benchmark for future adaptations. Ever since I was a young lad I'd always associated King Arthur with the stories of heroism that made them famous - so it is indeed a surprise to see this adaptation boasting lots of grittiness, blood and sex. No way around it: Excalibur is King Arthur viewed through the lens of eighties Low fantasy and is all the better for it.
Special mention must also go to the use of music with O Fortuna and Siegfried's Funeral March
Plus it's fun to see a young Gabriel Bryne, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th May 2017

No way around it: This movie does face a challenge living up the original: A movie where Marvel took a risk dusting off a lesser-known property (among many other risks) and ending up striking gold. So how does the sequel hold up?
Well it may not have surprise of the original, but it still plays up to it's strengths: Witty dialogue, interesting locales and characters that play off each other.There certainly is plenty of room for some character development and, whilst this movie may certainly be buying some time until the Infinity War, one doesn't get that impression.
All in all, it's a decent film and a step up from previous Marvel sequels