Everything Everywhere All at Once

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Everything Everywhere All at Once!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 95 (2022)

You know the Oscars have been around for under a century (at time of writing) but for something that has such longevity, one would think that it would be a big ask for it to produce a surprise. 
And yet, this is exactly what happened: I went in expecting a movie that combines science fiction and kung fu - hardly Oscar favourite material - but what I got was something else: It was visually astonishing, playful in it's nature, high in it's concept, and audacious in it's ambitions. 
I have no idea how this won Best Picture - it's an against the odds victory if ever there was one - but there's no way I'm going to argue. 
What an incredible movie. 

CODA

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

Original image located here. Accessed 13th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 94 (2021)

Seems I was wrong: Nomadland wasn't the endpoint of the trend of Best Picture Oscar winners being small-scale/budget movies. Well one more for the road I guess. 
So that this movie won was something of a milestone in that it's the first time the winning film was one that was exclusively available on a streaming platform. Seems that in nearly a century of the Academy Awards there is still plenty of room for firsts. 

So anyway, I have nothing but good things to say about this movie. Key to it's success is that we are watching disabled who are being treated with dignity: they have wants, needs and are able to run a business. You know, like proper human beings. See? It's not that hard.

But this is still the story of a young adult leaving the nest and forging their own path. Sure one might think that story has been told countless times before however, as is often the case, it's not the tools but what one does with them.
The family dynamic works a treat and Emilia Jones does a great job with her performance.

So here we finally reach the end of this particular run of Best Picture Oscar winners. Where do we go from here? Well we have two Fridays left of the year....

Nomadland

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

Original image located here. Accessed 6th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 93 (2020)

I am somewhat perplexed by this movie: On one hand, the strengths of this movie come through with it's beautiful photography, it's sensitivity of showing people struggling, the use of non-actors and it's realistic approach. 
But on the other hand, this does seem meandering in it's outcome. Granted that may be point given this is a film about the wanderer lifestyle but some scenes drag on and ultimately come out pointless.

Maybe I'm missing something? Most certainly but I feel it is fair to say that this is the point where the trend of honouring low-budget, low-box office movies - a trend started with the Hurt Locker - has come to an end. The model has outworn it's use and now a new one is required. 

It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for....

Parasite

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

Original image located here. Accessed 29th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 92 (2019)

It may be easy to mock the Oscars for getting it wrong and going for the 'safe' option. So credit is credit due when the Academy shows some stones and laud the nastier, less-audience-friendly choice.
Not much I can say really: This may have been the apex of the 'message' era/2010s of Best Picture winners. And certainly representative of the 'eat the rich' mindset that has emerged in recent years.

But the movie itself? It's a pitch black comedy and just the way I like it. Unforgettable imagery, strung out tension, delicious ironies, and a sense that one is never sure how this movie is going turn out.
Clearly movies never get better than this. 

Wicked (part 1)

 Last night I went and saw Wicked.

Original image located here. Accessed 24th November 2024

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that a movie adaptation of the Wicked musical would be made. After all, said musical was a mammoth success and started this trend of 'retelling the narrative of villains' (it's doubtful Frozen would've existed without Wicked). Furthermore, the existence of the movie is helpful in that this narrative can reach those who can't afford the triple digit figure for the stage show.

There's not a lot can I fault with this movie: Sure it's the first half of a duology but what's there is impressive: The visuals are astonishing, the humour & the script is great and the cast all fit their roles well. Indeed, I am convinced that playing Glinda was Ariana Grande's life ambition. 

So yeah I was won over, in a manner akin to the many who went and saw the stage show.
So! When's the next one coming?

Moonlight

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... La La L-sorry, Moonlight!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 89 (2016)

I have spoken many times how I doubt the movie-going public will ever forgive Shakespeare in Love for winning Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan. So how does said public feel about Moonlight winning over La La Land? Granted the circumstances of that victory were different but it isn't much of a stretch to imagine at least some bitterness.
But in a way, perhaps it was fitting that Moonlight won instead of La La Land as it represented a change of the times: The musical - a genre that has been a tried and tested Oscar winner - lost out to something different and radical.

I said last week that the 2010s represented a time when message movies were gaining traction at the Oscars and this is no different. It shows the life of a gay black man, from childhood to adulthood. Granted such experiences are completely foreign to my own but I was still very impressed with this movie. It certainly has a sense of solemnity to it that is akin to being in church and it is fascinating to see life play out in such a manner. It is also compelling to see one's choices in life and, at the end of the movie, the offering of the question of what one would do differently.

Really this movie is a triumph of taking very little and doing a lot with it. Indeed, there's something to be learned from that..

Spotlight

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 88 (2015)

It's quite daring to have this movie to win Best Picture. Not only was a small winner (it won only one other award) but it also faces down the Catholic church. But then again, this is the 2010s where message movies are the norm. 

However get past the first impressions and this film is remarkable: It less about condemnation and more about the journalistic team working to uncover this case. It is an ensemble drama with all present clearly working outside of their comfort zone and giving committed performances. Also it's nice to see Mark Ruffalo in a role that both isn't the Hulk and allows him to flex his acting muscles. 

So how does the Catholic church emerge from this? Well, they are largely unseen. Granted this is perhaps to make sure this movie got a major release but this narrative isn't about them: It's about the victims, having endured physical and spiritual abuse. It is a wise decision to not show the journalistic team in a heroic light and instead focus on the people they are trying to reach. Indeed, that list at the end does hit like a truck.

Truly a remarkable movie. 

Birdman

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 87 (2014)

Clearly the major selling point of this movie was movie was it was shot in a way that conveys the impression it was done in one continuous take. A tall order since I saw, and adored, Russian Ark and that was the real deal. So what does this movie do?

Well the edits are there and you will need a sharp eye to spot them. But this is still a remarkable film: Sure the technological aspect of it is impressive but the real meat is the notion of a washed up actor who is trying to be taken seriously. Yes there is a thinly veiled dig at the MCU and the nods to Batman are hard to miss but this is still staggering in what it's conveying. 
When you see as many movies have I have it does get to a point where you see so much it's hard to see something that leaps out at you. Thankfully this is one such movie. 

12 Years a Slave

And this week's Friday night movie has been... 12 Years a Slave!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 86 (2013)

And now we are well and truly into the twenty tens. At this point, the new decade of Best Picture Oscar winners has had time to determine what it wants to be. And to would seem that identity would be built up out of 'message' movies.

Lets not beat around the bush: This was not an easy watch. Sure the cinematography is staggering in it's beauty and the sheer scale of it's shots, sure the acting is equally gripping and the direction is top notch but this is still a depiction of American slavery. That this movie is clearly well researched and based on historical fact does not take away the ugliness and brutality of it all. And it is all there on screen, whether we like or not.

Still, this movie is nothing less than astonishing.
And just when you think the Academy doesn't have the guts to stray away from the 'safe' option, they still manage to surprise you.

The Addams Family

This afternoon I saw the Addams Family. 

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Granted I have already seen it before but consider this 2024's Halloween movie.

Even now this movie is still pretty funny. Yes there are some that will complain that there is little to no plot to speak of but the acting and the jokes are right on target ("But I didn't hate my mother! It was an accident!!"). 

It seems that in recent years Gomez and Morticia seem to be held up as the ideal couple - can you argue given that Raul Julia and Angelica Houston are going above and beyond to their commitment to these roles. And the one-liners are still funny and I'm still seeing new visual gags I missed the first time around.

Ife you told me that this movie was the genesis of the goth subculture I wouldn't doubt it.

The Artist

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 84 (2011)

Could this be one of the more forgotten Best Picture winners? I recall this getting a lot of praise form critics in it's day but the public was more frosty towards it. In particular, a lot of the criticisms were aimed at the gimmicky nature of the movie and the strategy of showing Hollywood celebrating itself is a guaranteed Oscar success. In regards to the latter, it should come to no surprise that this movie is another one with the Weinstein Company logo stamped across it.

So what do I make of this movie?

I think it's great.
Yes it's a simulacrum of the silent era but that's precisely the point: The amount of effort to replicate the films of the era is staggering, what with the setting, the technology and the filmmaking techniques used. The amount of playfulness with this movie and it's relationship to sound is also pleasing. 
I recall back in college I was reading up on film history and was struck by what a revolution the advent of sound was back in the 1920s: The silent era was officially over, various studios went out of business and many actors and actresses now had their careers ended (although how Charlie Chaplain managed to endure I have no idea). And this movie was effectively that transition come to life.

So yeah, I had a great time with this movie and it was certainly better than it's status of a 'lost' winner.

The King's Speech

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... The King's Speech!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 83 (2010)

I recall when this movie when Best Picture: There was this uproar that it won because it appeared to follow the apparent formula for success: World War 2 setting. Stacked cast. Protagonist with handicap to overcome. Guide for protagonist whose credentials are dubious. Biographical. 
But in the years since, it seems there seems to be a lot of contempt for this movie as it beat out The Social Network for Best Picture.
An unlikely victory akin to the movie-going public's favourite punching bag Shakespeare in Love.

Actually, now that I think of it, lets compare Shakespeare in Love with The King's Speech:

• Both are of British origin
• Both have an impressive cast showcasing the best of British acting
• Both have Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in key roles
• Both have a historical setting
• Both are distributed by the Weinstein Company
• Both on the Best Picture Oscar through beating out more favourable competition

So having said all that, what did I make of The King's Speech?
I enjoyed it. 

Yes it's a given that the cast is indeed stacked - and it's great to see Helena Bonham Carter in a role where she isn't playing a complete nutter - but I like this as a small scale story in a wartime setting. Which is indeed a rarity.
The story being told is a compelling one and the speech itself, the climax of the journey taken, is indeed inspiring.
Sure there are some historical inaccuracies and some questionable directional choices but when this movie works, it does indeed work. 

The Hurt Locker

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Hurt Locker!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 82 (2009)

As previously mentioned, I am convinced that the movie going public will never forgive Shakespeare in Love for it's upset Best Picture victory. So the question is raised: How do people feel about The Hurt Locker's upset win?
It seems to me that this movie is in the same boat as Shakespeare in Love as it both beat some stiff competition and became something of a watershed for the Best Picture Oscars: It beat out Up and Avatar. It was the lowest grossing nominee. It was a low budget/small scale movie triumphing over the bigger budget movies. It's director, Kathryn Bigelow, was the first female to win Best Director (and who also beat out her former husband James Cameron). It was the first movie since Mrs Miniver to be about a war that was then in progress. 
An impressive legacy to be sure but what of the movie itself?

It certainly is compelling in it's depiction of working in a bomb disposal unit. The setting, Iraq, is also handled convincingly as well as the distrust the troops get from the locals. I don't doubt the realistic manner of the situations and how they are handled but I do question the reckless behaviour of some of the grunts: I may not be a military expert but I'm pretty sure you don't go acting like a tool when the dangerous task of bomb disposal is in progress,
Still I won't fault this movie for it's incredible use of tension and the sense that one is put right into the action. Many war movies can claim to do that but this one, I feel, actually pulls it off.
Looks like we have winner.

Slumdog Millionaire

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 81 (2008)

Part of the reason I am doing this year long undertaking is that I am approaching these movies with fresh eyes, divorced from trends, politics and passage of time. Indeed, there's something to be said for watching a movie as just that: a movie.

However by watching this movie, it did occur to me that it's cut from the same cloth as fellow Best Picture winner The Last Emperor: Both are movies made with a non-white cast, telling a non-white story which is handled by a white director who is anything but an Oscar favourite. And, racial politics aside, both films come across as unique entrants in the history of Best Picture Oscars. 

On paper, this movie sounds awful: A movie that tells a story where Who Wants to be a Millionaire is utilised as a framework? Come off it. And the questions facing the protagonists are built around his life experiences? Are you joking?
And yet this movie works: It is well crafted, compelling and there are numerous nods to Bollywood (least not the dance sequence at the end). The cast is great and it is never once dull.

So yeah, it's a superb movie although I have to wonder that if it wasn't for this movie, Lion wouldn't exist...

Million Dollar Baby

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Million Dollar Baby!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 77 (2004)

This one has been a long time coming. 
I guess comparisons to Rocky are inevitable as both are built around boxing and tells the story of an underdog giving it their all. The difference this time however is Clint Eastwood is in the director's chair and he is, for me, a favourite: This is due to the fact that Clint has proven time and time again he can eschew flashiness for taking what he has and doing a lot with it. 

Actually, I feel there this is one important similarity between Million Dollar Baby and Rocky: Both resemble a boxing movie but they aren't really about boxing. And that is the case here: Sure it's a compelling watch but it's only in the final half hour that it shows it's hand. I won't give too much away but throughout the movie there are meditations on poverty, striving to obtain a better life, knowing one can do better than their current situation, and dealing with those who try to disparage - and leech off of - one's success. 
It's a compelling watch with great acting all around, superb direction and a punch-in-the-gut finale. 

Truly a well-deserved winner of Best Picture.

Chicago

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 75 (2002)

Because of this year-long undertaking, I have found myself watching more musicals than previous years. So why not add one more to the pile?
Still, I didn't have to look far for this one as Kiera had on her DVD shelf. 

Last week, I mentioned how the unlikely victory of Shakespeare in Love has changed the Oscar for Best Picture. But there is another reason: It announced Grade-A scumbag Harvey Weinstein as the figurehead for a new era. So from here on, expect to see a lot more Miramax films. 

But ultimately this was a lot of fun. It's big, colourful, inventive and the songs are great. And it proves what can accomplished as a screen musical. 
It could be argued that this movie wouldn't exist without the success of Moulin Rouge. But I say bugger Moulin Rouge - give me this any day. 

A Beautiful Mind

And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Beautiful Mind!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 74 (2001)

Yep, we're skipping over the 1990s simply because I have already seen them all. 
But in a way, perhaps it is fitting that I'm going straight from the 1980s to the 2000s. Why? Well, both decades share parallels: They both follow two heavyweight decades and, with the passage of time, look very pale compared to previous Best Picture winners. 
Still the eighties ending up surprising me so it would be interesting to see if something similar happens with the 2000s....

At time of writing, I am two thirds of the way through this year long undertaking. And it is at this point that I have come to recognise some recurring elements that appear in the Best Picture Oscar winners. Of course, it is not willingly but this notion of Oscar Bait seems to have up in the past two decades. 
Mind you, this is a post-Shakespeare in Love world we live in and now having a movie that has no other purpose other than to score big at the Oscars are now going to be more frequent. Indeed, I suspect that in the weeks ahead, I'm going to see Harvey Weinstein's name a lot....

But if this movie is a product of a post-Shakespeare in Love world, I would argue it owes it's existence more to Forrest Gump: It tells the story of a man of extraordinary ability and of a life lived. 
Personally, I found this movie very long and with some dull moments - seriously you could shave off twenty minutes and no one would've noticed - but the real strength of this movie is it's use of mathematics and it's portrayal of schizophrenia.
And hey: who wouldn't want Paul Bettany as their roommate? 

The Last Emperor

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Last Emperor!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 60 (1987)

If the 1980s was the 'forgotten' decade of Best Picture Oscar winners then this must surely be the forgotten movie of the ten.
I will say this though: From the outset this has to be the most unique Best Picture Oscar winner: An all-Asian cast of no big names. A director who has hardly an Oscar favourite. An Asian story, told by Asian people in an Asian location. The sole Oscar winner in the cast playing a white man who disappears halfway through the movie. And an epic where the lead character is a passive one.

But much like it's fellow epics, this is staggering in its scale. The onsite footage of the Forgotten City as astonishing and the amount of extras used for particular scenes is unbelievable. Such visuals are worth the price of admission alone but what is of particular note is the narrative of a boy who is in command, for reasons he can't comprehend, over a region that has no purpose to exist. Thus the tragedy hits like a brick when our protagonist tries to assert some control over his life, well into adulthood, but is outdone at every turn. 

All in all, a triumph. So why is this forgotten? Buggered if I know.

And so, with that, we leave the 1980s behind. So what shall come next week....?

Platoon

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 59 (1986)

There seems to be a 'Big Four' of Vietnam War movies: Apocalypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter and this: Platoon. Of particular note is that the latter two have won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Which is quite a feat as the Vietnam was regarded as a very unpopular war. 

Compared to the other Big Four, Platoon has the unique advantage of being director by an actual Vietnam veteran. For this I don't doubt this movie's realism, nor do I doubt it's message on the brutality and futility on the conflict. More than any other movie, this is the view from the grunt's perspective, facing death, mayhem, conflicting COs, uncertainty as to what they're doing there and struggling to keep it all together.

Okay I admit it: I'm struggling to get the words together but perhaps that is a testament to this movie's power.
I mean, any film that opens with Barber's Adagio for Strings isn't messing around...

Amadeus

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 57 (1984)

Didn't have to look far for this one: It was sitting on the shelf with the rest of Kiera's DVDs.

I've heard some bad things about this movie - all of them related to the historical inaccuracies. But I, being the stickler for realism, am willing to forgive such matters. Why? Because this movie was utterly brilliant. I could commend the use of music (which is a no-brainer as this is about Mozart). I could praise the art direction and lavishness of the production. I could gush about the acting.
I could all of that but what I'll do instead is talk about the fact that this is a movie of two creative minds, the conflict between them and the creative process that wills something into being. It is fascinating to see two conflicting personalities and their work ethic along with the triumphs and failures that come with it. Indeed, the best part of the movie happens towards the end when these two personalities meet. 

Seems the Best Pictures of the eighties weren't as disappointing as I thought....

Alien: Romulus

This evening I went and saw Alien: Romulus.

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

So we have a new entrant to this franchise. A sceptic would think that this franchise has no purpose being a franchise, with a reasoning of longevity, the lessening of impact of the original, the dilution of the horror and lack of something new to say. So what can we take away from this latest instalment?

Yes it may be a rehash of the first one but that can be hardly surprising given the sizable impact the first one made. Yes there are reminders sprinkled throughout of other (and, cynically, better) Alien movies. 
But I can't hate this movie. It recognises the strengths of the franchise and works with them: The suspense, the world-building, the claustrophobia and knowing that it's what you don't see is terrifying. Get past the dull first half hour and the movie works a treat.

It does however raise the question of what is going to happen next with this franchise...

Terms of Endearment

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Terms of Endearment!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 56 (1983)

And now I face another case of a movie with a fearsome reputation: Seems this is one of the undisputed weepies ever made. And it came from one of the people who got the Simpsons made: James L Brooks. Still I am willing to give it a shot...

So what I found is that this is a movie about a mother/daughter relationship. Granted such a scenario is completely out of my field of expertise but I was still able connect with this movie. Certainly the humour works and the emotional parts of it hit like a truck, as befitting this movie's reputation, but for me this movie works as an example of a parent/child relationship (particularly as I limp through middle age). That this movie goes against various trends is better still. 

It's a movie with red, raw heart.

Gandhi

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 55 (1982)

Now this was a movie I was keen on watching: When I was in high school I read about Mahatma Gandhi and was struck by how a humble man changed the world and won independence for India from the British through non-violent methods. It was an inspiring story and I hoped to do something world-changing in my own right.....

One would think that the story of Gandhi would be well-suited for an epic movie. And Richard Attenborough thought so too, trying multiple times to get this film made over two decades. 
The end result? Attenborough went all out crafting a three hour epic, utilising thousands of extras and clearly not settling for anything less. But hey, dream projects tend to attract the most effort.
However in spite of all the historical inaccuracies and Attenborough's approach to filmmaking, this is all Ben Kingsley's show, delivering a performance that is quietly charismatic, genuine in it's approach and effectively resurrecting Mahatma himself. 

Deadpool and Wolverine

 Recently I went and saw Deadpool and Wolverine.

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

With Disney purchasing Fox, it's a no-brainer that Deadpool will be integrated into the MCU. It is equally a no-brainer that this means that the makers of the Deadpool movies will have access to some bigger toys to play with.

As for the movie itself, it's the same joke told yet again but strangely enough it has yet to grow stale. Part of the appeal for this movie is that this is pretty much an endpoint for the Fox-era of the MCU. As such, there are numerous nods to it and they work a treat.
But the real ace in the hole is of course Wolverine. Hugh Jackman slips back into the role like he never left and both Wolverine and Deadpool are fun to watch with these two personalities bouncing off one another. 

Once again, much like it's predecessors, there is a real love and real care put into this movie. That said movie is about a complete jerk is the icing on the cake.

Ordinary People

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 53 (1980)

And now we enter the eighties.
I can't say I was looking forward to this decade as it seems to have gone down in history as one of, if not the weakest decade of Oscar Best Picture winners. Granted it is sandwiched between two heavyweight decades, the 1970s and 1990s, but between them, they have plenty of standouts - the 1980s not so much. Furthermore, it appears that if there have been complaints about the disconnect between what was popular at the box office and what was popular with the Academy voters then the 1980s may have been the starting point of it (a problem that still persists to this day).
Still I did this year long undertaking to see movies I wouldn't have normally seen and am willing to be surprised so best foot forward...

So we have Ordinary People: A film that was Robert Redford's directorial debut and which, famously, beat out Raging Bull for Best Picture. But I will argue that time has been kind to this movie for it's representation of mental illness. In recent years, mental health has become a talking point like never before and such concerns do echo those raised in this movie. Redford shows a capable hand with his directing and shows his subjects in a manner that is sympathetic & far removed from soap opera melodrama. Great acting all round too, especially from the late great Donald Sutherland.

Perhaps it is fitting that this should follow Kramer vs Kramer as both films show a collapse of the traditional family unit. Seems the era of New Hollywood wasn't prepared to leave just yet...

Kramer vs Kramer

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 52 (1979)

Actually forget what I said about The Sting: This has a more compelling case for being the 'forgotten' movie of 70s Best Picture winners. So while everyone props up the other eight, The Sting and Kramer vs Kramer are left fighting over the table scraps.

Still, this movie has plenty going for it: Firstly it is showing a divorce in process which is already a ballsy move.
Secondly, we are seeing a lousy dad slowly improving himself to become a better dad.
And thirdly there is a degree of nuance that would be foreign to modern audiences: Both the mother and father are treated well and not made out to be the bad guy. 
Its certainly a bold move to show divorce on screen and how it effects the people involved, socially and psychologically. Certainly it seems that a lot of people can relate to the situations being put forth on the screen - so if the film has resonated in such a manner, it must be doing something right.

It seems to me that other people are annoyed that this won Best Picture over Apocalypse Now. But to me, there's something to be said for the long, bombastic film losing out to smaller film. 

And with that, we leave the 1970s, it's cynicism and the era of New Hollywood behind. Ahead lies.... *checks schedule*....Hoo boy....

The Deer Hunter

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Deer Hunter!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 51 (1978)

I was dreading watching this movie. Largely for two reasons:
Firstly, this movie is notorious for being the progenitor of 'Oscar Bait'. For those who don't know this movie, upon release, was deemed a hard sell due to it's depressing nature and it's length. Producer Allan Carr decided that if the movie was nominated for Best Picture, then people will go and see it. So the movie received a nomination after achieving the bare minimum requirement - along with Carr's own heavy campaigning for the movie. And it worked - The movie won Best Picture and, in turn, has inspired similar campaigns in it's wake.
And secondly, this is the movie that gave director Michael Cimino success - which he followed up with Heaven's Gate. This one was a notorious flop, with a oversized budget and seemingly never-ending production cycle. And it was enough to bring about the end of the New Hollywood era. I personally have never seen Heaven's Gate but my dad did - and he hated it, regaling me with stories of pointless scenes that dragged on. 
Thing is though, these two obstacles are ultimately outside factors: They don't say much about The Deer Hunter itself so there is still grounds for me to assess this movie on it's own terms.

What is striking is that there are three parts to this movie. The first introduces the protagonists and their bonds. The second catapults into the Vietnam War and gives us the infamous Russian Roulette scene. And the third examines the fallout of our protagonists retuning home and struggling in various forms. 
Really this movie left me with a lot of mixed feelings: On one hand there are some sequences that drag out and seem pointless. But on the other hand, there are some intense scenes (like the war portion) and some moments of sensitivity - both of which prove that Cimino knows what he's doing and the cast are delivering some career best performances. 
Some strong ideas to be sure but sadly bogged down with some baffling meandering.

Still, I will give props that the Academy awarded Best Picture to a movie about the Vietnam War - long regarded as 'the unpopular war'. Seems they were going against the grain but, as it would turn out, it's not the last time the Vietnam War would walk hand in hand with the Best Picture Oscar...

Rocky

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th July 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 49 (1976)

It's the ultimate underdog story: A guy who has lost his way is presented with a opportunity at redemption and he approaches it with hard work and dedication. Really, how could this not win the Best Picture Oscar?

Despite my distaste for sports movies, I did enjoy this one in that is well shot, it is filtered through the lens of seventies cynicism/realism, the outcome isn't obvious and it is genuinely inspiring. It also helps to have one of the most unforgettable movie themes supporting it.
But what did surprise me is that there is some degree of goofiness at work here, with Rocky's tendency to talk about random stuff and to anyone in a nonstop fashion (this goofiness, apparently, will be amplified in the sequels). 

Still this movie is, for the lack of a better choice of words, a knockout.

The Sting

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

Original image located here. Accessed 5th July 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 46 (1973)

Given the 1970s are regarded as one of, if not the, strongest decades of Best Picture winners, it does raise an interesting question: Which of the ten winners is the weakest? 
Such a question is by no means a slight against the movie in question. It just sits besides some titans that would easily overshadow it. So would The Sting be the weak point of the 70s? 

Well I will admit it certainly stands on it's own. Whereas 70s cinemagoers embraced the New Hollywood movement and cynicism, The Sting is a deliberate throwback to the 1930s style of film-making. And it's not just in the aesthetic: the structure and direction is undeniably lifted from an earlier, long-gone era of film-making. If anything this seems to be a flipside to The French Connection: if that movie embodies the realism and cynicism of New Hollywood, then The Sting seems oddly resistant to them.  
But that is by no means a bad thing: This is a solid crime caper based around building up a con-game to take down a crime boss. Certainly the narrative is bogged down by multiple double-crosses but I do admire the effort gone into making this movie. After all, it has the most compelling poker game I have ever seen on celluloid. 

The French Connection

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... The French Connection!

Original image located here. Accessed 28th June 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 44 (1971)

Hey, did you now that the director of The Exorcist made other movies? And he has a Best Director Oscar to his name?!

Okay, sarcasm aside, this is very much a product of it's time: the era of New Hollywood was underway and the Academy voters has discovered cynicism. And here we do indeed have a more realistic approach to film-making and film-makers more than willing to take risks. 

And it works. There's so many highlights I don't know where to start: Gene Hackman on fire. An opening scene that has our protagonist dressed as Santa Claus chasing down and beating up a guy. A detective protagonist that is less Dirty Harry and more Captain Ahab. An intense car chase that was famously illegally shot. Some truly stunning location photography. The template for countless police procedural movies to follow. And an ending that hits like a truck.

Speaking of which, is this the bleakest movie to win the Best Picture Oscar? One would think so but that's what makes it a unique entry compared to it's brethren. And all the better for it. 

Inside Out 2

Recently I saw Inside Out 2.

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

In a way I'm not surprised that Inside Out would get the sequel treatment: the original idea is strong enough that there is plenty of room to expand. Are the five emotions the only ones? Are there more? And if so, are they there for all time? And what happens to Headquarters when one reaches the end of their life?

It would be easy to dismiss this movie as being nothing more than a cash grab and has no hope of replicating, let alone surpassing, the magic of the original. 
And yet, that may be case but I'm not willing to write this movie completely. There is certainly a lot of expansion on the original idea as we see Riley movie into her teens and gain a whole bunch of new emotions. True a lot of them don't do much - and I can't help but notice that Joy is still the only positive emotion present - but Anxiety makes for a compelling addition. Indeed, it may hit a little too close to home for some people to see Anxiety at work - in particular the representation of a panic attack is genuinely frightening. 

All in all, a solid sequel and I'm keen to see where this series goes to next.

Midnight Cowboy

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

Original image located here. Accessed 21st June 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 42 (1969)

Last week, I talked about that particular movie being the last of the old guard. Well, here we have the first of the new. 

Nowadays we may debate about the Oscars getting it wrong but personally, I think such a debate is a disservice to the times when the Academy shows a spine and gives the top prize to something daring. 
Of course, a film that has a heavy gay theme, helmed by a director who is gay, would be the type of film that, nowadays, the Academy would be falling over themselves to shower accolades. Thing is, this won big in 1969. And is, so far, the only R18+ movie to win Best Picture.
Furthermore, given the passage of time, this seems worlds apart from the type of movie that was winning big in the 1950s and 60s. Coming off the back of Oliver!, one would think that the movie-making rulebook changed overnight. 

Indeed, this movie comes across as incredibly cynical: The two leads are a pair of lost souls, the streets of New York shown here look anything but attractive, the struggle of making a living is a key theme, likewise for the pursuit for identity, the editing is fast paced, and the spotlight is shown on the misfits of life. Heavy themes indeed, and it is indeed ballsy for a movie to demand the audience meet it on it's own terms. 

There's no way around it: This is the announcement that the New Hollywood had begun and audiences everywhere had no choice but to get used to it. 
That being said, what do I think of this movie? Well it still has a power that still resonates decades later and still has a brutality that few other movies can match. It may be a game-changer but, thankfully, for the right reasons.

Oliver!

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

Original image located here. Accessed 14th June 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 41 (1968)

When I was planning this year-long operation out, I was tossing up whether to include this movie in the schedule. But in the end, I remembered I have a resonance with Oliver as I have performed in the original musical on stage. So we're watching this then.
It's also worthy of note that this movie came out at the beginning of the New Hollywood era (1968-1980) which would make it the last of the old guard. With this in mind, it's strangely fitting that this movie won Best Picture over Bonnie and Clyde - the movie that is largely credited as being the starting point of the New Hollywood.

Given the source material, as in both the musical and Dickens' original text, it would be easy to dismiss this as an adaption and nothing more. And yet, there is much to admire here. The cast is fantastic with both the children and adults doing a top notch job. In particular, Oliver Reed is chilling as Bill Sykes and Ron Moody is fantastic as Fagin to the point of becoming the model for all to follow (why didn't he win the Oscar for Best Actor?). The musical sequences are all well done, the use of colour is superb and there is a solid balance of bright and dark to make this an ideal family movie. 

But in the end, as mentioned above, this is the last of the old guard. Watching this I can't help but feel this is a product of an engine running out of steam. Seems a change was needed.....

In the Heat of the Night

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... In the Heat of the Night!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th June 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 40 (1967)

In recent years, some people have grumbled that the Oscars have become 'too political'. I personally don't know what they're complaining about because as I have traversed through Oscar history it seems that they have always been political. 
And so we come to this: One of the more indispensable Best Picture winners with an agenda behind it. 
Because this came during the Civil Rights Movement and saw a dramatic change in the perception of people of colour.

Needless to say, I can only wonder the audience reaction to see a person of colour not only in a leading role but playing a character who has a well-paying career, in a position of credibility, can take charge of situations, is intelligent and doesn't take any crap from anyone. Radical at the time? Without a doubt. A trailblazer? Sadly, not a lot of movies since have taken note. 
It's interesting to note that this may be a 'message' movie but it doesn't feel like a message movie largely because it comes across as wanting to talk to it's audience as opposed to talking down to it's audience. I think this due to the movie being unafraid to challenge the perceptions of it's protagonist (ie Gillespie's "You Listen to me" speech) 

Still Sidney Poitier has a presence that is unbeatable and Rod Steiger is just as compelling. The murder mystery is handled well and the movie is gripping stuff all the way through.  

Really, this is a class act all the way.

A Man For All Seasons

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Man For All Seasons!

Original image located here. Accessed 31st May 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 39 (1966)

It could be said that this is the forgotten Best Picture winner of the 1960s. After all, it does share room with some heavy hitters (ie Sound of Music, Lawrence of Arabia) so maybe it got lost in the crush?

Looking at it now, one could make the case that this is an early slice of Oscar bait: it is a biopic (tick), it has some big names in the cast (tick), it is a costume drama (tick) and it is about someone who sticks by their convictions even they lose everything and, eventually, their life (tick).
Cynicism aside though, there is a lot going for this movie: The direction is superb, it's beautifully shot and works with it's origins as a stage play. But the real meat is the acting: Orson Welles makes the most of his one scene, Robert Shaw is both compelling and frightening as Henry VIII (How come he never got more scenes?) and Paul Schofield carries the movie, giving it his all.

Unfairly forgotten? One would think so.

The Sound of Music

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Sound of Music!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th May 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 38 (1965)

You know, I was perfectly content to live my life without watching this but it seems that fate had other plans.
From the outset, this movie has a formidable reputation being a childhood favourite for many and a less -than-favourable one as being emblematic of being sickeningly sweet. The latter is perhaps best represented by the movie referenced in Addams Family Values.

Personally I found it difficult to resist the charms of this movie. Yes it is very long, yes it seems a very sanitised version of what was happening at the time and yes, it does seem tooth-rotting in it's sweetness. But I will give it props for it's scenery, it's intense final portion and, lets just face it, Julie Andrews is a force of nature that is difficult to resist.

My Fair Lady

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... My Fair Lady!

Original image located here. Accessed 17th May 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 37 (1964)

I believe that the movie-going public will never forgive Shakespeare in Love for winning Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan....
...and yet no one is bitter that this won Best Picture over Dr. Strangelove.

It would seem that time has not been kind to this movie. Sure the costumes are superb (Those hats!) and Audrey Hepburn has a magnetic presence but there are some parts of this movie that haven't aged well. There is a misogynistic streak throughout, the length is exhausting, the elitism is particularly uncomfortable, the last five minutes severely hinder this movie, and Rex Harrison can't sing to save himself.

I mean, where can we go from this? *checks schedule*...........Oh no............

West Side Story

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... West Side Story!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th May 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 34 (1961)

And now we enter the sixties. A decade where the musical dominated the Academy Award for Best Picture. Seriously: Four of the Best Picture winners decade were musicals. Still, when I started this year long undertaking, I knew I would be stepping out of my comfort zone. And I am willing to be surprised.

And surprised I was with this one.

I guess it's a given that anyone would attempt a rewrite of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Hey I did it myself when I was young and dumb. And who wouldn't? The scenario of 'young lovers separated through forces beyond their control' certainly is potent and will immediately secure a teen audience. 

But's let cut to the chase: I was impressed by this movie. The dancing sequences are jaw-dropping in their fluidity, the songs are immediate and recognisable (Maria, Tonight, America, I Feel Pretty) and the direction is engaging. And I can't help but think this was the progenitor of the modern musical in that it introduced the tropes of 'people in street suddenly launching into well choreographed dance number' and 'song concluding with laughter'. Can anyone confirm this?

So in the end, this film is indeed superb and a well-deserved winner of Best Picture.

Ben-Hur

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Ben-Hur!

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd May 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 32 (1959)

And now I face a genuine challenge: A movie that has a reputation as being on the grandest achievements of cinema. Everything about this movie is big: The budget, the scale, the length, the colossal sets, the hordes of extras, the sweeping of the board at the Academy Awards. If you have ever heard of the phrase "Bigger than Ben-Hur' this is why.

Personally, I can see this movie as being the epitome of the 'bigger and better' mentality that defined a lot of the movies of the 1950s. Yet at the same time, it seems that a lot of this movies rests on the shoulders of the chariot race. Indeed, this movie did lose me with it's length and it's self-important nature but I am to forgive such shortcomings purely for those magic nine minutes. 

Gigi

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

Original image located here. Accessed 26th April 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 31 (1958)

It would appear that history has not been kind to this movie. I feel inclined to agree. 

Sure Leslie Caron has a magnetic presence, the costumes are great and the images of Paris are superb but I, like most people, feel that this movie has aged very poorly. The sexual politics are waaaaaaay out of date, the sentiment of the opening song is incredibly uncomfortable, Honoré Lachaille has a punchable presence, and the music is rather limp. But the biggest crime this movie commits is that it's boring. Granted I'm not the biggest fan of musicals but I know for a fact that it's movie genre that can't afford to be boring.

One final thought: When I went looking for this movie I couldn't find it on any of the streaming services I use. A lot of the other Best Picture Oscar winners were easily found but this wasn't so I had to rely on finding a physical copy. A red flag if ever there was one...

The Bridge on the River Kwai

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Bridge on the River Kwai!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th April 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 30 (1957)

I've been wanting to see this movie for years but I never got around to it. I recall years ago I was discouraged through my father describing it as 'silly'. But not this time around....

So what makes this movie special? Well it is a unique entity in the war movie genre in that it seems less concerned with getting a commentary on warfare across and more interested in being a character driven piece. The characters are indeed complex, helped considerably by the cast playing them with standouts being Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa. The scale is staggering - as befitting a David Lean film - and it's impressive to know that the crew built the bridge for real. Furthermore, the final twenty minutes are astonishing. If this was attempt to show what the big screen could do, as opposed to the small screen of TV sets, then mission well an truly accomplished. 

Finally, was it as 'silly' as it was described to me? Well there were a few moments that did seem difficult to swallow but there rest of the movie is so strong that it makes such instances easier to forgive. 

A classic without a doubt

On the Waterfront

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... On the Waterfront!

Original image located here. Accessed 12th April 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 27 (1954)

Seeing as we currently going though the 1950s Best Picture winners, it is important to take a step back and see what was going on in Hollywood at the time.
It should be noted that this decade gave cinema some major competition in the form of television: A smaller screen but one that found it's way into many people's homes. So how did film producers rise to the challenge of getting people out of the house and into the cinema? By playing up the whole spectacle angle, offering the kind of visuals that couldn't be found on a smaller screen. So yeah, from here movies start getting bigger, pushing the envelope as to what they could accomplish. 
So where does this movie fit in? Well On the Waterfront seems to take the angle of presenting a realistic and grounded story. It may seem out of place compared to the other winners of the decade but on the other hand, On the Waterfront (as well as Marty) doesn't look like the kind of stuff a small scale TV screen of the day would tackle. 

It seems that this movie's success hinges on two men: Director Elia Kazan and actor Marlon Brando. The former made this movie to address his pariah status in Hollywood when he identified eight communists in the film industry, the latter effectively rewrote the rules of film acting. So how does this movie stand up against the march of time?

No doubt about it: this is Brando's show all the way through. The taxi scene may have been quoted many times but it would seem for a very good reason. Sure the Christ analogies may have been heavy handed but this is still engaging decades later. Particularly the final scene which still packs a punch

From Here to Eternity

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... From Here to Eternity!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th April 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 26 (1953)

If people know this movie it's because of that unforgettable image of it's two stars, Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, in a passionate embrace in a beach as the waves roll around them. That's all well and good but what of the movie attached to said image?

In recent years it has become something of a joke that if you want to win big at the Oscars, then just make a movie based on World War II. In which case I think we can blame this movie for that observation. Keep in mind this was made eight years since the end of the war and would no doubt be still fresh in people's minds.
So what we have here is a group of soldiers going through various trials and tribulations, both on and off the military grounds, that eventually leads to a climax where Pearl Harbour is under attack. 
So yeah, I do like that this movie is taking a humane approach to it's subjects - which in turn makes the climax hit hard. Certainly the movie may look archaic now but there is still a lot going for it.
Still I have to wonder if those was the film that Michael Bay had in mind when he made Pearl Harbour...