The Elephant Man

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th December 2025

Earlier in the year, I watched The Straight Story as it was one I had been meaning to do for some time - and the passing of David Lynch was as good as any reason to get off my lazy arse and watch it. And here, we have a similar situation: This one has gone down as one of David Lynch's finest works, proving that, beyond the veil of his surrealist impulses, lies a deep interest in humanism.

And this is indeed a remarkable film: It's not just the humanist message throughout - keep in mind this was the first time it emerged in Lynch's filmography so many would think he didn't have it in him - but how Lynch coaxed compelling performances out of his leads. Anthony Hopkins is his reliable self but John Hurt does wonders - which is impressive given he's hiding behind a mountain of makeup and effects. Through in some truly staggering black and white imagery and its easy to see why this has gone down as one of Lynch's best. 

And speaking from an autistic perspective, the films most famous line - "I am not an animal! I am a human being!!" does indeed resonate.

Born on the Fourth of July

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Born on the Fourth of July!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th July 2025

I couldn't resist.

Jokes aside, there is nothing funny about this: a biopic about Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, tracing his story from childhood to adulthood. We see him fighting in the conflict, becoming paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, coming home and struggling to readjust to a civilian life, pursuing hedonistic pleasures to zero satisfaction and eventually becoming an anti-war activist.

I have a feeling that if this movie was released today it would be written-off as Oscar Bait. It certainly ticks the boxes that are favoured by the Academy and it certainly goes a long way to humanise those who fought in a very unpopular war. But somehow, this movie still stands on it;s own feet purely through it's lead: Tom Cruise.
For a long time. Cruise was a punchline: so much so it is easy to forget that he was truly one of the finest actors of his day. And here he delivers quite possibly his best performance: He inhabits the role of Kovis delivering the fire and pathos necessary to effectively become Kovic. 

This story may sound like one told many times before - indeed Kovic's story is one that many Vietnam vets would have faced - but none could hit like this. 

Vernon: Florida

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

Original image located here. Accessed 14th March 2025

I am attracted to any movie that has a fascinating backstory behind it and the one attached to this documentary is a doozy.
Documentarian Errol Morris went to Vernon, Florida to do a feature based on a story he heard about how local residents were cutting off body parts for an insurance scam. However this original idea had to be abandoned due to Morris receiving multiple death threats. So, as a Plan B, Morris instead made a documentary about some of the eccentric individuals that make up the town.

 As mentioned above this is exactly what it is: Some residents of a southern town talking about their lives and what they  think. It may sound dull but what makes it compelling isn't just these people's various eccentricities but their own insights thereby conveying their philosophies and experiences. Also noteworthy is that I gather this will be the closest we will ever get to see Southern people on the screen: a rarely seen people showing them as they are and having speak in their own voice. 

So in it's own roundabout way, this is a very human documentary. 
Truly a case of building something out of when one's original plan falls though....

When Harry Met Sally

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... When Harry Met Sally!

Original image located here. Accessed 14th February 2025

Well it's Valentine's Day so here's one I've been saving for such an occasion. 

Seems to me that this movie is remembered for three reasons: Firstly, it defined rom-coms for the next couple of decades. Secondly, it made Meg Ryan the go-to actress for rom-coms. And thirdly, the diner scene. But I however came to this movie to judge on it's own, without these three factors in play.

And honestly, it's still really funny. There are some great gags and some razor-sharp writing, exploring the mindset of both genders. And it's interesting to note that whereas this movie became a benchmark of rom-coms it doesn't really follow the tropes associated with the genre (as dictated by It Happened One Night) and is all the better for it. 

It's also nice to see Carrie Fisher in a non-Star Wars role. 

Footrot Flats: A Dog's Tale

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Footrot Flats: A Dog's Tail Tale!

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd January 2025

Happy New Year! And what better way to set off another year of movie watching, lets take a look at a movie that I have wanting to see for a long time.

I remember Footrot Flats when I was a kid. Certainly I knew of the comic strip but a lot of the humour went over my head - I guess one has to be sheep farmer to get the most out of it. But I do remember knowing the characters and, in particular, Dog. And I knew of this movie and the accompanying theme song - Dave Dobbyn's Slice of Heaven - so I may as well get off my slack arse and watch this.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this movie is that it is a New Zealand production and a major stab at getting an animated New Zealand movie made (has any more been made since?). And the animated is indeed delightful - ironically being outsourced from a Sydney animation studio - with special mention going to some rather stunning backgrounds.
Problem is, there is no plot to speak of: just a series of misadventures involving bad jokes, pointless scenes, archaic situations, the afore-mentioned farmer-centric humour and New Zealand pride that would look alien to outsiders. 
Needless to say it was disappointing that a movie I have been wanting to see turned out to be downright dull. 

But at least we still have Slice of Heaven.

And so 2025 is off to a flying start....

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....

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. 

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...

Scrooged

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

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd December 2023

I have spoken previously of my admiration of A Christmas Carol and how the source material is strong enough that it can adapted so many times and still work. So it was only a matter of time before I came across this.
On paper this sounds like it has potential: Bill Murray playing the Scrooge role? And it's updated with Scrooge playing a TV bigshot? And it utilises an adaptation of the original text as a framing device? Sounds like something that could work. So does it?

Watching Scrooged, I can't shake the feeling that it was looking over Ghostbusters' shoulder, with the presence of Murray, the use of horror & fantasy and ingenious special effects. Also it is difficult to ascertain the mood the movie is going for, with it starting being critical of Christmas sentimentality before giving up by the end and embracing it.
But in the end, this movie works because of Murray - proving that he is his best when he gets to play complete jerks. The afore-mentioned framing device works, and I will admit that I enjoyed the speech at the end.

You know, when I was a kid, I saw the music video to Put a Little Love in Your Heart on rage and wondered what movie it was selling. Now I know. 

Incidentally, would anyone else want to watch The Night the Reindeer Died?

Anywho, hope you all have a Merry Christmas. 

Student Bodies

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

Original image located here. Accessed 13th October 2023

I hate to sound like I'm repeating myself but this movie got viewed through a number of familiar threads: 1) October is the time to watch horror movies, 2) the tradition of watching horror movies at October may also include some shlock 3) I like horror movies that mock both the tried & tested tropes and the acts of idiocy and 4) It had been on my watch list for so long that I'd forgotten why I put in on there to begin with. 

It would be fair to say that Scary Movie wouldn't exist without this movie, as it tells the same jokes: Mocking tropes in slasher movies all through a rather puerile eye. That being said, this movie is amateurish (at best) and completely stupid (at worst) with many jokes range from the obvious to the cringy and the complete misfire. But there are some moments that got a decent chuckle out of me (ie the R-18 rating announcer, the on-screen body count tally). 
My cup of silliness? Well since you put it that way....

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... The Adventures of Baron Munchausen!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th April 2023

I said I will be watching more movies from the mind of Terry Gilliam so here we are. Thing is, I have a bit of a history with this one: When I was younger, I heard it was one of the biggest box office flops of all time. Then one day, when I was 11, it was on TV so I watched the start of it. But for whatever reason I never got around to watching the rest of it. Well, today that changes: I will sit through this movie all the way to the end.

You know I have seen some weird movies in my time but this one manages to stand out from the rest purely because it revels in it's weirdness. And having seen Brazil earlier this year, it is interesting to compare the two movies as both take a playful approach to the distinction between fantasy and reality. The only difference is that this movie is a lot more humourous (and therefore owes the greater debt to Gilliam's background with Monty Python).
I certainly get what this was going for in that being a rebel against a society that preaches facts, favouring imagination over truth and living a life of wonder over reason. Subsequently, i can think of more than a few people who would hate this movie. XD
So yeah, this one is creative indeed, showing that, once again, the eighties were a fertile time for fantasy movies and Terry Gilliam is at the top of his game.

Roger and Me

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Roger and Me!

Original image located here. Accessed 31st March 2023

I have previously spoken of my following of Michael Moore over the years so here we are at his debut feature: his announcement to the rest of the world that he exists.
So what this documentary is Michael following the closing down of a General Motors factory in Flint Michigan and the chaos that follows: Unemployment, increased crime, people being evicted, and an aggressive indifference from the wealthy. All the while Michael is trying to get in touch with General Motors CEO Roger Smith to ask some questions.

Of course, as this is his first feature, there are some familiar tropes on Michael's part: Standing up for the down-trodden, challenging the wealthy and showing up unannounced at certain places only to be kicked out. But what I find striking is that how un-relentlessly bleak this movie is: One expects Michael to have some humour to go with his razor sharp points but I didn't find much to laugh about. And of course since this movie's release, the situation has seen little improvement.
Of course, you can complain about Michael's one sided approach but you can't say the end effect is a searing experience

Brazil

And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Brazil!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th March 2023

Lets talk about Terry Gilliam for a moment.
For me there are two sides to Terry Gilliam. One is the member of Monty Python. the other is the filmmaker. And while I am certainly familiar with the former, it is the latter that is alien to me. From the outset, Terry Gillian is a filmmaker that makes bizarre movies that tend to be box office flops.
Still, I have seen two films of his: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (which is still funny no matter how times I've seen it) and 12 Monkeys (which baffled teenage me). So let us take a look at one of Terry's best known movies then, shall we?

Watching this movie it soon becomes clear that this is not the most comprehensible thing in the world. The plot is indeed confusing and semes to take many hard turns that it is difficult to keep up.
But really let's be honest: the film's strengths are in it's visuals, conveying a dystopian society loaded with jabs at bureaucracy and an oppressive atmosphere. The art direction is incredible, what with towering cityscapes and many crazy devices of varying usefulness. There certainly is a business to this film with a lot going on and little details that are one can't help but pick up on them.
So yeah, what this movie lack in plot engagement it more than makes up for it in creativity and some truly dark humour. It's like 1984 if George Orwell took a lot more acid
Perhaps I should explore more of Terry Gilliam's oeuvre....

Angel's Egg

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

Original image located here. Accessed 25th November 2022

This past couple of months I have been watching really lesser known movies - and no doubt confusing my audience in the process. So I did consider watching something more well known but then, for whatever reason, I changed my mind.
So we head back to the anime well to tackle this movie. Now I knew of this movie as it has a reputation with anime fans in that a) it was an early effort from director Mamoru Oshii (the man who would later give us Patlabor 1 & 2 and Ghost in the Shell), b) it is something more of an art piece than a movie and c) is near incomprehensible. Still, I'm game.

And it would seem that this movie's reputation is well deserved. Sure the animation is impressive and the art direction is stunning, but there is a lot of symbolism being put to work here - and one can understand how it may be off-putting. It should be noted that, in regards to this movie's puzzling nature, it was built around a loss of faith. And there is certainly a lot of Christian symbolism throughout this movie although whether or not it works is anyone's guess (it should be noted that Oshii himself still seems puzzled by the finished product). Personally, this is certainly a visually striking movie but what one gets out of it is up to them.
As for next week? I think I have exhausted this run of lesser known movies - so i think i will go for something more familiar..

An American Werewolf in London

And this week's Friday night movie has been... An American Werewolf in London!

Original image located here. Accessed 21st October 2022

I do believe it's safe to say that I'm not the first person to know this through the Michael Jackson connection: He liked this movie so much he hired the people who made it for the music video for Thriller. So may as well take a look at the source material then...

It can't be denied that this movie has an identity all of it's own: It's not just the werewolf effects - which still look incredible forty one years later - but also the odd combination of horror and humour. Sure there is some moments of suspense and gore but there are some actually genuinely funny moments. But compared to other horror/humour hybrids (like the Evil Dead trilogy), the humour doesn't come across like it's going out of it's way to be funny. As a result the humour hits harder - a prime example being the cinema scene.
So yeah, great movie and it's amazing how some of the effects haven't aged at all. Practicality, amirite?

Roadgames

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

Original image located here. Accessed 14th October 2022

From one Australian horror movie to another. This was made in 1981 and tells the story of a truck driver being put through the wringer by a potential serial killer. However it should be noted that this has been noted as a favorite by one Quentin Tarantino.

Thing is, I don't feel this is really that much of a horror movie. Sure it relies on the Australian landscape as hostile (much like Long Weekend) and barren, and sure there are some jump scare moments and sure there is a building of tension to rival that of a Hitchcock flick. But I feel this is more a character study: Our protagonist is constantly fighting not just against the driver menacing him but also his paranoia and somewhat fragile mental state. I suppose it is impressive that this film can stand up as something that took the lessons imparted by Hitchcock but somehow this seems more dull then frightening.
Maybe next week I'll try something with a bit more bite...

Reds

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

Original image located here. Accessed 8th July 2022

Lets talk about Warren Beatty for a minute.
To me, he is a man of two sides. One is the actor/ladykiller/'i'll-bang-anything-with-legs' and the other is the filmmaker: One who can produce, direct, is willing to take risks and is willing to back his own projects in order to make them happen. Of course, it is the latter side that interests me and the one that seems to less prominent in the mind of the public consciousness (and as such, less difficult to shake off).
So we come to this: A three hour biopic from 1981 which snagged Beatty an Oscar for Best Director. It tells the story of John Reed, a US writer who chronicled the Russian Revolution and even became involved in it. And, as a major selling point, the movie includes footage of people of the era (then aged considerably) describing John and the era this movie portrays.

Perhaps it is fitting that i mention Doctor Zhivago in last weeks post because I feel this is working from the same template: A three hour epic on the Russian Revolution with a romantic framework. And much like Doctor Zhivago I found myself more interested in the Revolution than the actual romance.
And it is with that that Beatty's talents as filmmaker shines through: In the terms of a history this movie is compelling and having the interview footage adds a lot to it with humanity and historical documentation. It may be slow to start with but this movie does indeed gather steam the more it goes on. And it is fascinating to see Reed grow from a passionate idealistic to being defeated by the system he supported.
Have to wonder though: Just how much did Reed resonate with Beatty? Obviously enough to get this movie made would be a suitable answer - But it's a story that Beatty wanted to tell so I'll give him that much.