North by Northwest

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... North By Northwest!

Original image located here. Accessed 12th September 2025

It seems to me that the most famous movies of Alfred Hitchcock are Psycho and The Birds. So who has to take up the somewhat unfortunate role of being no.3? One would think it would be this: Widely regarded as one of The Master's masterworks but, somehow at the same time, not as widely recognised by the outsider.

But what does it matter? This is superb stuff.
Ever seen those thrillers where some hapless guy is mistaken for someone else and has his life disrupted as they are dragged further and further into extraordinary circumstances? Well you can blame this movie for that scenario: For this is pretty much the wellspring that inspired countless other movies. And yet this is still gripping stuff and shows a level of suspense that it's disciples still can't match.

Some Like it Hot

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Some Like it Hot!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th June 2025

Once again, we're going after a big fish: This movie has an impressive reputation as one of the greatest comedies ever made. And, from an outsider such as myself, this movie also appears to rank very highly amongst both women and the LBGT community - I suppose that's what happens when you make a movie based around two guys who are forced to dress in drag.

But who am I kidding? This was hilarious. Time hasn't aged it at all and the jokes still hit the mark. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon make for a superb duo and Marilyn Monroe is in her prime. 
It's a great example of a farce done right and some razor sharp satire. And a lot of movies that have followed since can only wish they were this good. 

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. 

Rio Bravo

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

Original image located here. Accessed 10th August 2018

Of course, it's fitting that I should follow High Noon with this movie. For those not in the know, both actor John Wayne and director Howard Hawks were unimpressed with High Noon, So they whipped out this movie as a response.

As is often the case with movies made before the New Hollywood (circa 1968-1980), I got the impression that the elements of this movie has been replicated many times over that it's kinda hard to look at the source. Example: The final showdown sees the main characters in a gunfight but still has room for them each to exchange quips and have their personalities work off of one another. Sound familiar? It may seem impressive in it;s day but now it's become something of the norm.

Still, I did enjoy this movie. Clearly this is one made by someone (Hawks) thoroughly enjoying his job and there's some great lines throughout. But is it better than High Noon? Now that's a damn good question....