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. 

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 The sexual politics are waaaaaaay out of date, the sentiment of the opening song is incredibly uncomfortable, Honoré Lachaille has a punchable presence, and the music is rather limp.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 Fiend Without a Face

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Fiend Without a Face!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th October 2020

It may be a tradition to watch some horror movies during October but that doesn't mean there isn't any room for some schlock.

Last week I made mention that Night of the Living Dead invented the modern horror movie. Well, it would appear that this was the type of thing it was moving away from.
This movie is pretty much a product of it's time (the 1950s): Alien invaders, distrust of science, wonky special effects, fears of the atomic age, Cold War paranoia and glorification of the military.
Such aspects may be laughable now (particularly the special effects) but I give this movie credit: It's got quite a bloody climax that I didn't think movies of that time were capable of.