The Accidental President

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Accidental President!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th February 2021

Anyone heard of this? It's a documentary that follows Donald Trump and the road he took in order to become the 45th President of the USA. His come from behind victory in 2016 is analyzed and shows how he managed to pull it off.

Thing is, if you're going to make a documentary on the Trump presidency, it is challenge in itself; It has been written about and analyzed so much that it's difficult to come up with something new. While informative, this documentary however doesn't present anything that hasn't been said before. So if you've heard of the things Trump did - appealing to people who are sick of corruption in Washington, eschewing acting like a potential leader in favor of being himself, winning over the masses through being a showman and taking an abrasive approach, thriving, and eventually succeeding, on being a risky prospect - then you've heard it all before.
Still, this documentary does try and present a balanced view by bringing in voices from both sides - in particular the Democratic campaign is analyzed and shown to be complacent through over-confidence.
Ultimately, this documentary may not present anything new but it's decent in what it says - and just shows what a paradoxical beast U.S. politics is. Mind you, considering how this presents Trump's methods, it makes me wonder how much Biden was onto him....

The Fifth Element

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Fifth Element!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th February 2021

Being the sci-fi enthusiast i am, I have been wanting to see this for many years but, for some reason or another, i never got around to it. That is until recently when my gaming buddies found out I hadn't seen it and urged me to do so. So here we are.
Isn't peer pressure grand?

Okay serious talk now:
There's no way around this: this movie is bizarre. It's a cliche to think that French films are loaded with symbolism and bizarre imagery and this movie does nothing to challenge that cliche.
Okay, sure there are a lot of clever visuals, inventive art direction, and some real colorful moments. The humor is well utilized and the action sequences are great.
But on the other hand, there are some goofy moments.

Boy are there some goofy moments.

The type the interrupt the flow of the movie and threaten to derail the movie completely (ie Gary Oldman's character and Chris Tucker's character). Such moments may add to the bizarre-ness of the movie and it's unique nature but it certainly makes for an odd viewing experience.
Still, when this movie works, it works well. So in the end, I'm glad I saw this one

Earwig and the Witch

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Earwig and the Witch!

Original image located here. Accessed 12th February 2021

Going into this movie I was under the impression that this was Studio Ghibli trying to take on Pixar at their own game. I will admit it's an idea - after all its well documented that Pixar has been looking over Ghibli's shoulder for many years so maybe some cross-pollination could work?

In all honesty this is a difficult movie to assess. On one hand, there are moments of real imagination and the Ghibli standard of 'fantastical whimsy meets mundane' is well and truly in place. And Earwig's impulsive and commanding nature certainly grants her a place in Ghibli's (sizable) ranks of heroines.
But on the other hand, the plot seem under-developed. The ending is abrupt and the movie comes across as incomplete - questions are never answered and it could've easily gone for another half hour. As such, this movie comes across as if there is a full third that got left on the cutting room floor.
I did some research and found that the original text was written by Diana Wynne Jones - and it was her final work before her passing. And as it turns out, the original text is both short and has an abrupt ending. It would've been nice if Ghibli expanded beyond the confines of adaptation but it seems unlikely giving the reverence the studio has for Jones. And as such, the movie suffers.
Its an experiment to be sure, but it does raise the question whether Ghibli can manage without it's esteemed founders.

From Russia With Love

And this week's Friday night movie has been... From Russia With Love!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th February 2021

Given that i will be talking about more James Bond movies over the course of this year, lets get it out of the way: Formula.
The James Bond series has a nasty reputation for being formulaic. It's a reputation that has been built up over the years and is known to both fans of the series and those who aren't. And this reputation is so entrenched, it has proven difficult to shake off: There have been numerous attempts but none of them have been successful (with the possible exception of the Daniel Craig era).
That being said, it is interesting to see this early entrant in the series- the second to be precise - before the formula began to solidify. As such: this movie is effectively it's own thing.

And boy is it ever: Looking at From Russia From Love I am surprised just how it plays differently from it's successors. Sure there's the usual - gadgets, action, exotic locales, secret agent shenanigans and bikinis - but there is no climax in some super huge villains lair. In fact, it is fair to say that this plays out less like a James Bond movie and more like a Cold War thriller. It would be easy to say that this is the most grounded of the James Bond movies but here it works - and from a series known for moments of going over the top that's saying a lot
It may not adhere to the formula but in doing so, From Russia With Love stands proudly on it's own two feet.