Out of Sight

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Out of Sight!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th September 2023 

I recall when this movie was released: It wasn't a major box office hit but it did make some headway in proving George Clooney could successfully make the transition from TV to move star.

Personally I feel that this movie deceived me: I went in expecting to see an action movie - with a title like that one would expect a movie with a whole load of car chases - but what I got was more akin to a slow burner. There's a lot of talking and some shots that come across as well constructed (and admittedly wouldn't have been out of place in a Stanley Kubrick movie). There is humour to be sure and a lot of small moments that ultimately add up to a substantial package. 

So yeah, not what I was expecting but there was much to enjoy

Saving Private Ryan

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Saving Private Ryan!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th March 2022

Well it's Oscar season so now would be a good time as any to address a movie that was a hot favourite for Best Picture but got pipped at the post.
I remember this movie being a big deal back in 1998 but I never got around to seeing it (at least until now). And I also remember a lot of anger that Saving Private Ryan lost the Best Picture Oscar to Shakespeare in Love. But conversely, i wasn't angered: I thought very highly of Shakespeare in Love - and still do - so i was delighted by the win. Sure it puts me in a minority position and yes it has since been revealed that grade-A douchebag Harvey Weinstein made an aggressive push to secure the Best Picture Oscar to Shakespeare in Love but I regret nothing.
Which in turn places me in an interesting position to approach Saving Private Ryan.

When it comes to Spielberg I have found he only makes two types of films: Light Entertainment (ie ET, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones) and "Take me Seriously Dammit!". And Saving Private Ryan does indeed belong in the latter category. Much has been written about the opening half hour and how it has set a new standard for portraying war scenes in movies but what i got out of it was just how brutal Spielberg's approach is: It's not just the violence but the shaky cam and the grimness of the whole thing. Clearly this was an attempt to show the war as it really was and the plonk the viewer straight in the middle of it. And the gamble paid off.
So yeah, as stated above, this movie was indeed a big deal and, it would appear, for very good reason.

Prince of Egypt

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Prince of Egypt!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th March 2018

I've been wanting to see this for a long time. And this time of year is as good as any.
So yeah, this is a really good movie. Clearly it's forging it's own path from that set by 1950s film The Ten Commandments and it becomes all the better for it.

What intrigues me the most about this movie is that it's something of an anti-Disney movie. This movie has a remarkably different art style, this is clearly aimed for an older-audience and it's intention to go down paths Disney refused to tread. Also pleasing is the relationship between Moses and Rameses. And Patrick Stewart's unmistakable voice.

But what stands out for me the most in this movie is the scale of it. Everything is..... well....Big. A lot of the settings are big, the songs are big and the animation is big. And all of this accumulates to the Parting of the Red Sea - which is...jaw-dropping to say the least.
So yeah. Great movie and I'm glad I saw it

The Quiet Family

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Quiet Family!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th October 2017

Has anyone heard of this? It's a Korean film from 1998 which piqued my interest largely it through it described as a hybrid of Fawlty Towers and the Addams Family. Sounds like a bonkers idea if ever I did hear one - I'm in!
Now I will be the first to admit my sense of humour can be best described as pitch-black so this movie would be a natural fit right?

Well to be honest I didn't find this movie a laugh-a-minute funny movie or a horrific movie. No, i found it more bizarre. Okay so the situation is strange and the comedy very black but somehow, this comes across as more tame than the stuff I've seen previously.
Can't win 'em all

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Ever After: A Cinderella Story!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th June 2017

This may seem like an odd choice but I have been intrigued by this movie ever since I first heard of it: A more realistic telling of the Cinderella story? Sounds like an intriguing challenge to me (although why it took me nineteen years to see it is...oh wait we're getting sidetracked here).

But yes, this movie is actually a delight. It works for me in that it takes a story told many times before and treats it as a historical fiction, eschewing much of the magic that is associated with the original tale. I mean why have a fairy godmother when you have Leonardo da Vinci instead?

Also pleasing is the treatment of the stepsisters and the stepmother (Angelica Huston is a standout) as real characters and not being evil for the sake of evil. The Prince and the King (and Queen) also get some substantial screen time and character development that the original story didn't provide.
In fact, now that i think of it, was this the turning point for the Cinderella mythos? Where everyone started treating the other characters as actual characters? Probably not, but I can't stop thinking that....

So in conclusion this movie was a lot of fun and enjoyable for the dateless wond...sorry, hopeless romantics out there

A Bug's Life

And this weeks Friday night movie has been.....A Bug's Life!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th September 2016

I admit it: I've ever seen this movie before. I do recall, when this was originally screened in cinemas, seeing Antz instead and enjoying that movie. But I never got around to seeing A Bug's Life. Maybe it was the similarities between the two that made me suspicious. But no matter: I've now seen A Bug's Life and.....

...Yeah it wasn't bad.
I have to say this straight up: The Circus Bugs really made this movie. They were so funny, so entertaining and work off of each other that they pretty much stole the show. But that's it: The rest of the movie I found kinda under par (for Pixar). I did get some enjoyment out of the movie but it's no Inside Out. ("Binnnng Boonnnngggggg!!!!!!!!!!!")

Blade

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Blade!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th June 2015

I admit it: I've never seen this movie before. I knew it originally came out when I was in college but I don't recall it being that big a hit. Sure people who saw it talked it up and the movie has gained something of a cult following in the years since but I never have gotten around to seeing it.

So what do i think of it? Well as an action movie it's great. And I certainly came away entertained 🙂 Furthermore one can't deny the influence Blade has in resurrecting comic book movies. Mind you, I could be cynical and say it may have cashing in on the success of Buffy but then again Buffy doesn't have a big-arse shotgun XD