Grizzly Man

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th March 2022

I've been wanting to see this for a long time: A documentary about a man named Timothy Treadwell, who would make regular visits to the Alaskan wilderness to take footage of bears - often with himself sharing the frame. And who would became something of celebrity due to his passion for them.

Much of this movie is made out of the footage that Timothy shot. And as a result we learn a lot about him: he is indeed enthusiastic about the bears but at the same time, he is someone who is clearly in love with his own passion. As such, Timothy is constantly putting himself in dangerous situations, is unperturbed that he is dealing with ruthless killing machines, claims to be keen on conservation but isn't doing anything to back it up, is clearly more at home in the wild than in civilization, is unafraid to vent some anger at the National Parks Service, has no proper idea of what he is doing and is a clear interference in the flow of nature.
But on the other hand, Timothy does show some talent as a filmmaker and certainly has an eye for an image. And however misguided he may be, you can't fault him for his passion.

Still, this does have some resonance for me as this is someone who is clearly out of his depth chasing a dream that is ultimately misguided. Those who know me will know that I have never had a lot of faith in the notion of 'Be yourself and disregard what anyone else thinks' because, at least to me, that does inspire a mindset of tunnel-vision. And this movie is that theory in practice.

In the end, this is indeed a fascinating character study. The subject is certainly not a usual choice for one which, in turn, makes it even more compelling

Joyeux Noel

And this year's Christmas Eve movie has been.....Joyeux Noel!

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd December 2016

Errrr....wow, I came into this movie not knowing what to expect (beyond the general concept of it being based on the WW1 Christmas Truce) and I came away impressed. A superb movie and certainly gripping. It's also interesting to see a war movie which focuses on the different sides involved.

But really, this movie is about a bunch of soldiers from three factions who, despite the war going around them, desired for a peace and, on Christmas Eve, put down their weapons and joined together in solidarity. And in a year which saw the lines of division grow even wider, I think we can all learn something from that.

Have a Merry Christmas

Kingdom of Heaven

And this weeks Friday night movie has been.....Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th September 2016

With my Friday night movie, I make it a point to avoid movies I have seen before. In this case however, I'll make an exception. True I've seen this movie before when it was originally released on DVD but this time it's the same movie but in the guise of a director's cut. Which, as is my understanding, is regarded by critics as superior to the original (is it therefore any surprise that this and Blade Runner are both from the same director?)

Well it seems the critics were right. I thought the original by itself was okay but somehow the director's cut elevates it to something higher. I guess I can put it down to recognizing certain actors (ie Alexander Siddig) and having read the extraordinary story of King Baldwin (props to Edward Norton) but. seeing it again with fresh eyes and new footage has left a sizable impression when the original couldn't.
All in all, this was a superb film and, now that i think about it, perhaps the best representation I've seen of the Crusades.