Silverado

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

Original image located here. Accessed 28th May 2021

I enjoy westerns. They continue to be one of my favorite movie genres and one I keep returning to. However, what is of particular interest is that this genre is, more or less, a dead one. Whilst westerns may have been abundant in the pre-sixties era of filmmaking, they had fallen seriously out of favour since. Aside from moments of reinvention (ie The Wild Bunch and The Good The Bad and The Ugly) and some genuine gems (Unforgiven), the western has never enjoyed the attention it once did and now looks like quite the antique. And it is interesting to see if a similar fate awaits other movie genres (rom-coms anyone?).

Which brings me to Silverado. A western made in the eighties and a clear attempt to breathe new life into a dead genre. That much is obvious given we see some stars of the day cast against type (Kevin Costner being an energetic loose cannon; John Cleese being a sheriff; Jeff Goldblum being a shady gambler) and there is some real love for the genre, and westerns past, being put to good use. And perhaps that is this movie's greatest strength: it ditches the revisionist approach of post-sixties westerns in favour of a more earnest approach, which celebrates the genre. Sure all the familiar tropes are here but that's kind of the point. And I surely can't be the only one who was reminded of High Noon in the final showdown.
But considering that this movie was written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan - who come to prominence through his work on Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back) - a saga built on a movie which was a celebration of one's love of movies, should this come as a surprise?

A Streetcar Named Desire

And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Streetcar Named Desire!

Original image located here. Accessed 21st May 2021

It's one of the most famous movies ever made - and yet i only know of it because a) it was parodied in an episode of The Simpsons and b) it apparently made an impression on one Tommy Wiseau.

Once again, it is difficult to assess something like this: It has been referenced and parodied so many times that the orignal comes across as being somewhat devoid of the bite it originally had. Much has been written about how this was a career-defining film for Marlon Brando, with his acting skills ("Stell-AAAHHH!!!!") and the image of him in a t-shirt two sizes too small.
But saying that this movie catapulted Brando into superstardom overshadows the fact that this movie really is about one woman's descent into madness. As such, this movie really is Vivien Leigh's show all the way. Seventy years on and she is still a presence in this movie, giving it her all and still maintaining audience interest. And hey, lest we forget it was Leigh that won the Oscar for this film. not Brando.
So in the end, I always find it a gamble to visit a movie from the Pre-New Hollywood era as they tend to be tarnished by both age and being replicated by its students. But this one? Still has a spark. And that's saying something

John Wick 3

And this week's Friday night movie has been... John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum!

Original image located here. Accessed 14th May 2021

It's the third movie in this series, meaning that i am officially up to date and therefore well-prepared when the fourth movie rolls around.
Really there isn't much to say about this series at this point: John Wick is still a seemingly unstoppable assassin with a awe-inspiring reputation; the body count is ridiculously large and the action sequences are astonishing to say the least.
However I do like the female characters brought forward: I like Halle Berry's spin as Sofia (you can just tell these movies were written by a dog lover). I must admit that Asia Kate Dillon has a presence as the Adjudicator. And I found Anjelica Houston unrecognizable as The Director.
In fact, it is surprising that this series has quite the mileage with having it's cast in unrecognizable roles - seriously I never knew Jerome Flynn was present until the end credits. And it is indeed proof that this series has a secret weapon to it's tried and tested formula.

You Only Live Twice

And this week's Friday night movie has been... You Only Live Twice!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th May 2021

The plan to watch more James Bond movies continues.
I hadn't planned on seeing this. That was until i realised that this movie was written by one of my literacy heroes: Mr Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl writing James Bond? That seems like a combination that's too good to be true!

As it happens, this movie is not well liked by some Bond fans. Not sure why because there is a lot going for this movie. The location footage in Japan is great. The Little Nellie is fantastic. The set design is extraordinary (particularly the lair at the film's climax). The Final fight scene is one of the finest action sequences ever conceived. We have a face reveal of Blofeld and Tiger Tanaka is a great character. So what's the problem?
Okay sure the formula is clearly setting in, sure Connery may be phoning his performance in and Bond's Japanese disguise makes him look like a Romulan but are those enough to be a deal-breaker? I don't think so.
And in the terms of this series, You Only Live Twice does indeed serve as a good way to farewell the Connery era. Which means starting next month, we start taking a look at his successors.