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. 

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.

Rain Man

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

Original image located here. Accessed 29th January 2021

It is nothing new to slam previous winners of the Oscar for Best Picture - usually accompanied by the words 'doesn't hold up against the passing of time' and 'undeserved winner'. Is this movie one such film? Maybe but personally, I think one could make a case for this movie starting the trend of 'mentally-handicapped-person-helps-shallow-person-find-meaning-in-life = Oscar success'.

Still i did enjoy this movie. Having said that though, a lot of it rests on the shoulders of its two leads. I've never thought much of Tom Cruise but here he brings his A-Game. And Dustin Hoffman impresses with his committed portrayal of an autistic savant.
There is a part of me that should hate this movie because a) it started the above mentioned trend and b) creating a lot of stereotypes about autistic people. And yet somehow I do not.
In a way i was dreading this to be a slog to get through but to my surprise that was not the case. So yes, I'm glad I saw this one.
And hey, looks like we have a well-deserved winner of the Best Picture Oscar.

Willow

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

Original image located here. Accessed 10th May 2019

Said it once and I'll say it again: The eighties were a fertile ground for fantasy movies and, given the passage of time, sport a more grungy/fascinating look in a post-Lord of the Rings world. And with rumors circulating that Disney wants to do a sequel of this IP I guess now is a good time as any to take a gander at this movie.

Hooo boy has this movie not aged well. Okay, sure any degree of high fantasy in a movie is better than none and there are some interesting ideas at work. But the special effects are indeed dated and look hideous - moreso considering this is from Lucasfilm/Industrial Light and Magic, whose experience in special effects have been better both before and since.
But ultimately, who is this movie for? To me, one gets the feeling it was made for an older audience than children but at the same time, it does come across as being somewhat cringe-worthy/condescending for both teenagers and adults.
Not bad but not that great either

Big

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th April 2019

I've always liked Tom Hanks as an actor and here he doesn't disappoint. Sure he might have won Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump but this is perhaps the best role I've seen him in. He really sells being a kid in an adult's body. Sure the rest of the movie is funny but Tom's performance is the pretty much the engine that is driving this movie.

On a personal note however, this movie did strike a chord with me, upon seeing this character. You see, I have spent the past eighteen years being an adult - or at least trying to be one. Seeing an adult acting solely on a childlike innocence does indeed remind me of me at times and the people I have met. The type of people who resemble adults but don't shy away from acting like kids (lets be honest here: Who wouldn't want to play Heart and Soul on a giant keyboard?).
In recent years I have gotten my act together and become more of an adult - even when other people may balk at such a prospect (hence the phrase "I can't adult today!"). Even if i may indulge in some youthful enthusiasms, at least I take comfort in the knowledge that I am no more winging adulthood than everyone else

Oliver and Company

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Oliver and Company!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th September 2017

My reasons for watching this movie are twofold: Firstly, I am, at time of typing, am currently involved in a stage production of Oliver!. Secondly, THIS was the movie I really wanted to see when I was a little boy. I remember at the time this movie was advertised a lot on TV accompanied by Why Should I Worry (*shakes fist* Curse you Billy Joel!) and it sucked me in (of course). I drove my family nuts at the time but once it's time in the cinemas was passed, I never got around to watching it. At least until now....

Alas the passage of time can be cruel: watching this as an adult turned out to be underwhelming. Okay the art direction and the animation is both top notch but its a given seeing this is a Disney movie. But beyond that, I found the connection to Oliver Twist tenuous at best. I'm puzzled by the setting of New York (even if it does look great) and ultimately I found the thing far too short: I could see some possibly of stretching it out beyond the seventy minute running time but sadly it never came about.

So in the end, this movie had some potential and glimpses of brilliance (the fate of Sykes comes to mind) but sadly, it didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Sorry six year old me