A Star is Born (1954)

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Star is Born (1954)!

Original image located here. Accessed 13th March 2026

AKA: The one with Judy Garland in it.

Given that Hollywood has done four versions of this movie the big question is: Why do people keep coming back to it? One likely reasons is that the plot summary has an eternal appeal: The contrasting storyline of a young and upcoming actress making their mark whilst the veteran, experienced actor tries a comeback and fails. With the universal theme of chances - both first and second - it certainly helps to have some parallels in real life.
With this in mind, lets consider this iteration:
 - This was one of Garland's final films after years of personal struggles and some misfires. 
 - Director George Cukor was offered a shot at doing the 1937 original but he turned it down as he felt it too similar to another film he directed What Price Hollywood?. 

So compared to it's older brother, does this one have something of it's own to say? Well it's longer and, as was the trend of the time, it was a musical. Now I personally found the length to be problem as it certainly was a slog to get through - matters weren't helped in that this was a restored version with some missing scenes added with stills and dialogue that came across as pointless and justifiably cut. 
But whatever problems I may have had with this film, they are easily forgiven with the knowledge that this is, without question, Garland's show. She pretty much carries this movie and is a presence to behold. She is funny, dramatic and can pull off some effective musical numbers (see The Man That Got Away and Born in a Trunk).

Personally I found the first A Star is Born a tough act to follow but that doesn't mean this isn't a worthy contender. 

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

The Creature From the Black Lagoon

And this week's Friday night movie has been....The Creature From the Black Lagoon!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th October 2019

My first encounter with The Creature of the Black Lagoon happened during my pre-teen years. I would go to my local arcade parlour and see, among others, a pinball game dedicated to it. I didn't play it but I do recall being put off by the artwork: There was something seeing a monster carrying a (potentially comatose) blonde in a white one-piece that unsettled me. Of course that doesn't sound ridiculous in a post-MeToo world - and it should be noted that the game was more to do with seeing the movie in a drive-in theater than the actual movie itself - but in a roundabout way, my curiosity was piqued.
Further interest was generated with the movie being the inspiration for the Shape of Water (the movie not the book).

That being said, this is a 1950's monster movie through and through. So there's lot's of screaming, rubber monster costume, loud dramatic music and damsel-in-distress-ness. Still, the real highlights for me are the use of suspense, the gradual build up before the reveal of the creature and the underwater footage/movement. And the monster itself still looks impressive. And, in some instances, scary.
Looks like this movie still has merit sixty-odd years later