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....?

The Living Daylights

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Living Daylights!

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd September 2021

The journey through the James Bond series continues as I now enter the Timothy Dalton era.
Oh, Timothy Dalton - history has not been kind to this guy. Connery defined the role, Lazenby has his defenders, Moore has the longevity, Brosnan played the character like it was his life's ambition and Craig breathed new life into franchise. But Dalton? It seems he has been deemed the 'forgotten' Bond. Either that or at least a polarizing figure: Some say his movies were dour, other say he was the closest to the source material.
Personally, this is new territory for me as I have no previous experience with Dalton, so what do I think of his debut?

It's well documented that Dalton was committed on bringing his own spin on the character through having his portrayal be more true to Ian Fleming's books. As such, we have a Bond that is living on the edge, being all too aware that he can be taken out at any moment. It's an interesting take on the character (especially given that Dalton's predecessors never took this angle) and it certainly gives Dalton some credibility - I doubt anyone could make the words "Strawberry jam!" as intimidating as he can.
The problem is that Dalton's intentions don't really match the script. Sure the action sequences are great (this is a James Bond movie after all) but the script is all over the place. it is hard to follow with so many factions working off each other - which is unusual for a Bond film.
Still Dalton's presence and the actions sequences are indeed plenty enough to carry this movie. And this it seem that the 'forgotten' Bond has indeed something of his own to say

Evil Dead 2

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Evil Dead 2!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th October 2018

Well i was warned that the silliness will continue....

I once heard a theory that proposed that: 'Sequels are remakes with bigger budgets'. And you could certainly make a case for that here.
It's >an improvement over it;s predecessor with more humor, more special effects and more fast camera work that makes me wonder if Sonic the Hedgehog was hired to shoot the movie.
But I still find the combination of comedy and horror a strange one: There are times when I am confused as to whether I should be put off or roaring with laughter.
Also, this is clearly the point in the series where Ash makes his mark as an anti-hero: the kind that has been replicated countless times over since (Duke Nukem anyone?). But because of this replication, the original subsequently seems to lack the impact he originally had.
Still this is the strongest of the series so far. Which now brings us to Army of Darkness.....

Good Morning Vietnam

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Good Morning Vietnam!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th August 2014

A somewhat unsurprising choice but I'd never seen this movie before. And I'm glad I did: It was a riot and great to see Robin Williams in his element (and another reminder of what a loss he was)

Full Metal Jacket

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Full Metal Jacket!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st August 2014

What can I say? It was an intense movie and one that held my attention all the way through - which is what a movie should do.

Mind you, it is interesting to see Full Metal Jacket when last week I saw Apocalypse Now - whereas the latter left me with mixed feelings, the former has more bite and a lot more R, Lee Emery

That being said, I think I've had my fill of war movies for now - next week will be something fun...