Soul

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

Original image located here. Accessed 29th August 2025

Like every man and his dog, I do love me some Pixar: They tell great stories, have stunning animation, have boundless imagination, and can inspire both laughter & tears in equal measure. We all know what to expect from this fiendishly talented studio and yet we don't complain. As such, they have had hit after hit.
That being said, with such a success rate, it makes the weaker films easier to forgive and forget. And that makes an interesting question: Never mind which is the greatest Pixar movie; what is the least Pixar movie?

But even if Pixar may be running on successful formula, the greatest achievement is that the formula doesn't get old. And Soul may be running on said formula but it still works.
All of the above is, of course, a long-winded way of saying that this is a Pixar movie so we can't expect the usual high standard of animation, imagination, laughter and tears. Which is what we all signed up for.
What is particularly noteworthy about Soul however is it's strength of ideas: It is indeed a bold move to bring up existential themes in a children's movie (Never-Ending Story anyone?) but they still resonate deeply as an adult: The concerns of whether you've lived a meaningful life and whether you are prepared to live. And that really speaks to someone like myself who has struggled with self-worth - and no matter how many movies I see related to this topic it still resonates.

And that epiphany scene is truly something astonishing. 

Also: Wait, Nine Inch Nails did the music to this?!

Vertigo

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

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd August 2025

Here we go: One of Alfred Hitchcock's best known films - one in a filmography that is chock-full of them. Certainly I knew the name and I knew that the film was remade for a Faith No More video so let's take a look....

I find a lot to admire in this movie. There's some great visual tricks, there's some fantastic location footage that shows off San Francisco, the themes of obsession are handled well, Hitchcock's skill with suspense is in fine form and Bernard Hermann's score emerges as the MVP. 

However, as I watch this movie I can't help but think that of Hitchcock himself. For in recent years, Hitchcock has fallen out of favour as it has been made clear that he exhibited some questionable behaviour: Being nasty to actors and obsessing over the image of a particular blonde. As such, I can't help but think that Vertigo is The Master at his most confessional. After all, the title is Vertigo and it's funny how all sense of acrophobia disappears for a sizable chunk of the movie. 

So not bad but compared to to other Hitchcock movies I've seen this one did feel somewhat cold. 

Young Frankenstein

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th August 2025

Seems that this is one of Gene Wilder's fondest remembered performances alongside Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Being well aware of the other movie, this seems like a challenge.

But this is still a Mel Brooks movie, so expect some biting satire walking hand-in-hand with jokes that bounce from hilarious to the inane. And this one delivers: Right from the get-go this is clearly paying homage to the Frankenstein mythos, and not just the original movie. The mood is still the same and I recognised some scenes from the James Whale movie but this time it's loaded with jokes.
Jokes that range from the dumb to the side-splitting. 
So yeah, this was kinda dumb but still pretty funny. 

Straw Dogs

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

Original image located here. Accessed 8th August 2025

This is another stab at the oeuvre of director Sam Peckinpah. I have had previous experiences with this guy and I admired his work - so lets go with his most controversial film: This British-made film that has been labelled as violent and misogynistic.
Looks like this will be a fun time.

Much has been written about this movie and what it was trying to get across: It's a fish-out-of-water story about a couple entering in a foreign environment. It is the clash between tradition and liberalism. It is both misogynistic and a criticism of misogynism. It is the story of a quiet, civilised man stepping up and becoming a violent monster. 
Valid criticisms to be sure but my main takeaway from this movie is just how soulless it is. It is just so dull and lifeless that watching it became a chore. Matters aren't helped with the nasty moments are difficult to sit through (granted that may be the point) and there is no catharsis whatsoever by the end. 

Am I missing something here? Sure fifty-plus years may have lessened the shock value it originally had - especially considering that many film-makers may have actively tried to top it since - but I know for a fact that Peckinpah can do better than this. 

Ikiru

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

Original image located here. Accessed 1st August 2025

This is my 500th post on this blog so here's something that I've been saving for a special occasion. 

Much has been said about this movie already: One of Akira Kurosawa's most famous movies. Kurosawa at his most human. Takashi Shimura giving the performance of his career. The Japanese Its a Wonderful Life. So what can I add to the pile?

What is there to say? This is the story of a boring man who, upon diagnosed with a terminal illness, decides to make his remaining time count. And yet such a description doesn't do the film justice: It isn't predictable and it never once makes our protagonist pathetic or a punchline. And that is some remarkable restraint. 

Certainly this movie touched me on a deep level. As I'm getting older, I do ponder on my mortality and wonder if I will get everything I want to do done. Certainly, it's not the first time I've made such ponderings - I recall doing as many outstanding things as possible back in 1999 - but it still makes for an effective motivator. So there's something to be said about someone using his time to go from a  boring, meaningless life into finding something substantial. 
And there is something universal in that message. And seeing it shown in a movie like this is something else: Certainly there may some who would write this off as insincere but hey, who hasn't been confronted with thoughts on their own mortality?

Truly a magnificent movie. 

And as I close out this five hundredth post, I realise: Maybe there is still more to do...