The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya)!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th November 2018

I've always had a soft spot for Isao Takahata. Whilst Hayao Miyazaki has become synonymous with Studio Ghibli, it unfortunately results in the other movies and filmmakers in that collective being given the shaft. Which is shame because a lot of said movies, are superb works, worthy of standing both on their own two feet and emerging out of the shadow of what Miyazaki's imagination can cook up. I mean Takahata is the co-founder of Ghibli so that must count for something right?
In any case, Takahata left this earthly plane earlier this year so now is a good time as any to visit his final movie.

Let me say this up front: It's going to be impossible to divorce this movie from the creator. It's going to be impossible to vie this movie as the accumulation of what Takahata's been doing over his career. It's going to be impossible to see this movie as a meditation from someone who felt his time was approaching.
So what is this movie then? It is perhaps the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, animated or otherwise, and easily capable of standing tall as one of Ghibli's strongest works (which is indeed saying something).
And I will even admit a particular poignancy to seeing the final credit of 'Directed by Isao Takahata' fading in before fading to black.

Deliverance

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

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd November 2018

Well that was enough to put me off going through the wilderness again.
But that, of course, was precisely the point.

It may look like an action movie but it's not: Its more of a thriller and, quite frankly, all the better for it. Packed with both suspense and a threatening mood which neither let up for a second, what i got the most out of this was a critical eye cast towards action/macho movies. And that is surely something that should be standout over 'squealing like a pig'
Also R.I.P Burt Reynolds.

Fahrenheit 11/9

And this week's Friday night movie has been....Fahrenheit 11/9!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th November 2018

It all began during my Uni days: i was flicking through the channels on TV when i stumbled across this guy called Michael Moore. I was fascinated by his humor, his anger and his stunts that always ended with him getting kicked out of some major place. In recent years, I thought he'd gone silent but no: Here we are with his latest celluloid rant.

Going after President Trump would indeed be an easy target but somehow Moore makes it interesting. Highlights included:
- The opening which shows the Hillary supporters on election night thinking they've won - only to be hit with the result which makes it painful to watch.
- The debacle that was the Bernie Sanders campaign
- Moore's own meeting with Trump
- A comparison with 1930s Germany that actually make sense
- The horrors of the water system in Flint Michigan
- And the rising up of youth to take a stand for themselves.

I may know little of US politics (but then again, my country isn't doing that much better) but this was an eye opener to say the least.
Still, imagine what would happen if Michael Moore didn't have something to get angry about

Bohemian Rhapsody

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

Original image located here. Accessed 9th November 2018

I tend to approach biopics with caution: On one hand, for any filmmaker attempting one, they have a responsibility to meet as they are drawing from history and people will take the final product as gospel (not to mention the people online who will whinge about each and every inaccuracy). But on the other hand, the finished product must still adhere to a proper storytelling structure and see some numbers in the audience.
It's a tricky balancing act that few can pull off. So can the current darling of cinema pull it off?

Weeeeeeelllllllllllll....................uuuuuuuummmmmmmmm.......
Let me say this: I love me some Queen and their story may be a gold mine to make into a movie but I can't help feeling that said story is shown here in a sanitized light. Everything moves at an abrupt pace, there are some timing issues (Freddie appeared to have such a busy day on the day of Live Aid), and some glaring inaccuracies.
Not a bad movie - there are indeed some mindbogglingly accurate performances - but somehow I felt this could've been more.......

Zootopia

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

Original image located here. Accessed 2nd November 2018

As is often the case with this series, I took the long road to getting to my destination...

....But it was worth it!

Well there isn't a lot I can say about this movie: It was hilarious and was never once boring. Great dialogue, a compelling lead and a some decent wisdom being imparted about being yourself and never settling for complacency.
Granted I'm not sold on this whole 'surprise villain' that seems to be Disney's flavor of the month but other than that, this was indeed a gem in the Disney canon.
Okay sure that canon is full of gems but this one is one of the brightest!