Weird: The Al Yankovic story

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Weird: The Al Yankovic story!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th May 2023

Being the uber nerd I am, it should come to no surprise that I am a fan of Weird Al Yankovic. I've seen him live twice and it's a true display of one's nerd credentials - and, as I found, a good way to annoy one's big brother. So of course I would see this movie.

Years ago, I saw the movie Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story which I thoroughly enjoyed for it's mockery of the Rock Biopic. The reason I mention it now is that Weird is telling the same joke.
But what does it matter? This was the funniest movie I have seen in a long time, with genuine belly laughs, numerous references, the blatant disregard for factual context and the complete absurdity of it all. And the fact that Weird Al is played by Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter himself - and he actually does a fantastic job is just the icing on the cake.
Seriously, I can't remember the last movie I laughed so hard at XD

McCabe and Mrs Miller

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... McCabe and Mrs Miller!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th May 2023

If there has been a theme in my movie watching for this year (thus far) it is me addressing my to-watch list: watching the stuff that have been on there for a long time, and finally striking said movies from the list.
And this is one such movie: No idea how long it's been on my to watch list so that's a good reason to watch it.

So what we have here is a western (not gonna complain there) but with a difference: This is a western that takes a realistic approach. Instead of deserts, we get snow. Instead of the gunslinger protagonist we have a gambler-turned-businessman. Instead of a desolate, weather beaten town, we have a village on the grow.
Indeed it is that refusal to go with the grain of tried and tested western conventions that is the main strengths of this movie. And that the movie is beautifully shot is an added bonus.
The best moment for me is the final showdown, which plays much differently than one would expect and where the tension is milked for every drop.
So yeah, it's different but it's certainly compelling

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Super Mario Bros. Movie!

Original image located here. Accessed 12th May 2023

These past couple of weeks I have been indulging my inner fan geek: watching these classic movies that achieved classic status. Well, this time around I think it's time I watched something more current.
I will admit that this movie's reaction intrigued me. Critics aren't liking it that much but the audiences are loving it. I suppose that is a given sense this particular franchise has an in-built (and not to mention sizable) fanbase.

But you know what? I had a lot of fun with this movie. Certainly i will admit that it pretty much exists for gaming geeks like myself who can spot all the visual references, identify all the musical cues and pick up on the notion that persistence pays off. But dammit, this movie clearly has a lot of love put into it and it gave me an enormous grin that stretched from ear to ear as well as provided plenty of laughs all the way through.
I guess film connoisseurs like myself don't have to go for the serious stuff all the time XD

Throne of Blood

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Throne of Blood!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th May 2023

Last year I watched Ran - Akira Kurosawa's take on the Shakespeare play King Lear. This year I watch Throne of Blood - Akira Kurosawa's take on the Shakespeare play Macbeth ("Aahhhhh! Hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends!").

Part of the thrill of watching this play is seeing a play i am very familiar with being shown in a different context - after all that is the challenge of doing Shakespeare: presenting something that has been done countless times before in a different light. So whilst this play may not follow the text to the letter, there are still some recognisable scenes and the plot progresses the same.
But what this film really understands about the source material is that the play has a sense of mystery and dread about it. And the film certainly runs with it, what with having a lot of fog, paranoia, ominous moments and a tiny number of locations. Indeed the triumph of this movie is that does a lot with what little it has.
Throw in some compelling performances from the two leads (Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada) and a death scene that has to seen to be believed and we have a movie that has lasted very well against the march of time.
Damn Kurosawa sure knew how to make a movie, eh?