And this week's Friday night movie has been... Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping!
Well I saw one movie this year that mocked the music biopic (Weird) so why not another one?
Coming from the comedic minds that is The Lonely Island, one knows what to expect: hilarious gags, layered comedy, celebrity cameos and snappy songs. And this movie does indeed deliver, mocking all the tropes, not only with music biopics but the popstar career in general. It may all be easy targets but the gags still hit.
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Sister Act 2!
Well I watched the first one so I may as well watch the second one. That and Kiera decided that we both watch this one.
I do recall this movie, as is often the case, not living up to the success of it's predecessor. Yet at the same time there seems to something of a recent reappraisal of this movie, citing a diverse cast as one of it's strong points.
Watching the movie now, I will admit that yes: the class that Dolores teaches is indeed diverse and shows the kind that puts a lot of more recent movies to shame. However, in doing so one can't help but notice that Dolores has a lesser role in the movie. Indeed, ones get the feeling this was a movie about a teacher handling a class from the rough side of the tracks (Dangerous Minds anyone?) but it was only made when the characters from the first Sister Act movie were added. Which is a shame as I found the end result as going against the grain of what made the first movie work: The laughs are fewer, the themes of the stodginess of nuns has nowhere left to go and the crime-world sub-plot is sorely missed.
Not bad but I have the feeling it could've been better....
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Sister Act!
I recall this movie being a huge hit in the early nineties and it being instrumental in making Whoopi Goldberg a huge star. Personally I have only seen bits and pieces of it but have never sat all the way through it. Little did I know that Kiera had plans for me...
Watching it now, what strikes me is that the strength of this movie is not the murder plot, nor the humour (I will admit however the Catholic joke got a good laugh out of me), nor the general premise of poking fun at the stodginess of nuns. No, the strength of this movie is the musical numbers. They are snappy and there is some solid singing involved - indeed one could make the case this movie is an ancestor of the Pitch Perfect movies.
And that's enough for me
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin: The Final!
I first became aware of Rurouni Kenshin in 2000 - the same year I discovered Queens of the Stone Age. As such it didn't take much to combine the two: "K-K-K-K-K-Kenshin!!!"
*crickets chirping*
Moving swiftly along, given that I saw the Beginning last week, it is therefore a natural progression that I would watch The Final. And this movie is of particular interest as it's an attempt to cover the Revenge arc - which was never covered by the original anime (well there was the Reflections OAV but we don't talk about that one...). Of course, I did know what the Revenge arc covered beforehand so it is interesting to see how this would stack up.
Its interesting to watch this having watched the other movie the previous week before (even if it was released second). Because they're both like night and day. Beginning is grim, with desaturated colours, realistic fight sequences and a tragic air. Final is colourful, Wire-fu all over the place and a theme of redemption. And again, the LA cast have the mannerisms of their animated counterparts down pat with freakish accuracy.
Obviously this is working with the strengths established with the previous movies which is well and good. But what as an adaptation?
Well it follows the same story beats but this is where the filmmakers have to deliver something news that wasn't already covered in previous adaptations. So this adaptation is a loose one but it still feels lacking. Most of the side characters get the shaft and some moments don't have the punch that they should have. Guess the Revenge arc will never have a proper adap.. wait, there's a new Kenshin anime? Coming out this year?
