Lincoln

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

Original image located here. Accessed 19th June 2026

Yep, another movie that had success in it's day but somehow passed me by. But then again, does anyone really care when you come to a movie?

You know, if you're going to make a movie about one of the most beloved US Presidents, then you may as well go all out and get the best people for the job: Steven Spielberg in the directors chair, John Williams for the score, Tony Kushner for the screenwriting, Janusz Kaminski for photography and as many character actors as one can muster. But really this is all Daniel Day-Lewis' show: He breathes new life into Lincoln, changing the perception of an actor inhabiting a role and into flat-out resurrection. 
I've heard that both Day-Lewis and Spielberg invested a lot of research into the Honest Abe and it shows. The Lincoln here has plenty of humanity brought to the forefront and is intent on breaking down the myth to show the man. 

As for the rest of the film, it's a mixed bag: On one hand it, there are signs it's operating like a heist movie with the 13th Amendment being the prize. But on another, it is political drama with all the skulduggery that comes with it.
But this is clearly the most Oscar-bait of movies, as it ticks all the right boxes: It is a historical drama. It has a lead with proven Oscar success. It has a stacked cast. It is telling the inspiring story of someone who changed history, stuck up for the oppressed and had to evade the nay-sayers to do so. 
Given such observations, they are hard to avoid and did effect my enjoyment of this movie. 

But let's be honest: is Day-Lewis' performance enough to make this film? Damn straight it is. 

The Hunt

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th June 2026

This came recommended to me. So may as well take a look.
So what we have here is a Danish film wherein a school teacher is accused by one of his students for something heinous. The accusation is false but this movie is more concerned as to what happens next.

Clearly this movie is one intent on raising questions: We see the teacher's life collapse, the community turn against him and the words of the accuser flip-flop between truth and dishonesty. The answers aren't always clear, favouring instead to let the audience make up their own mind.

Personally I find this movie was at it's most compelling in showing how a community turns on someone. And it is done with a cold ruthlessness: No indication that this was a bunch of people circling like sharks waiting for blood in the water; no stopping to consider any discrepancies in the child's account; no pausing to stop paternal instincts to ponder on the consequences of one's actions.
Indeed it took me a while to realise there is little to no soundtrack in this movie, favouring instead to let the silence weigh in. 
And it's that coldness that makes this movie so striking. 

Also, if Die Hard is a Christmas movie does that mean this is a Christmas movie as well?

The Queen of Versailles

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Queen of Versailles!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th April 2025

It seems this year that I have been, once a month, watching a documentary, that started in one direction but ended up in a completely different direction. So lets keep that particular train going.

This documentary is a fascinating one as it tells a familiar story: A couple are intent on building their dream house but, due to meddling from the bank, they are forced to abandon this plan and settle for something smaller. So what makes this story different? The couple in question are an excessively wealthy businessman and his trophy wife: David and Jackie Siegel. 

So whilst this documentary starts with their original plan - a monumental mansion inspired by the Palace of Versailles - what happens next has such plans going belly-up with the financial crash of 2008 and these two settling for something lesser.
Now given that the super wealthy are hardly flavour of the month material at the moment, is this documentary condemning or sympathetic? The answer is both. Yes this couple make some poor spending decisions (especially Jackie), yes they have an oblivious approach to their situation, and yes they are effectively living in their own super-wealthy bubble. But at the same time, they are facing a lot of problems that the rest of us will face: limited funds, struggling to pay off debts and longing for a financial breakthrough. 

Make no mistake: These people are pretty much awful people who do dumb things and have a limited view of the world. And yet seeing them humbled in such a manner one can't help but feel sense of sympathy.
Maybe not a lot but its there.

Persistence of Vision

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Persistence of Vision!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2022

Two weeks ago i watched The Thief and the Cobbler: the Recobbled Cut - a fan edit of an unfinished animated film. This then led me to this evening's feature: a documentary of the original work itself.

It should come as no surprise to see a documentary on this topic as the story behind it is a fascinating one. This is, after all, telling the story of a movie that was never completed. But even if the destination was never reached, the journey is all we have.
And what a journey it was: The goal of animator Richard Williams to keep pushing the boundaries of what animation can accomplish; the decades long production time with backers dropping in and out; the battle between the creative genius and business side that never seems to reconcile; the seemingly endless pursuit of perfection; that the film originated as a 'side-hustle' in-between doing commercials; the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit leading to Warner Brothers stepping in (and out).
Indeed it is fascinating to see something develop that will remain unfinished. Guess nothing holds sway like the notion of What Could've Been.

Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo!

Original image located here. Accessed 21st January 2022

III - Distance
The year was 2001. I finally did get to see the End of Evangelion, by which stage had entered a 'Holy Grail' type status. And at the time i was astonished by it. It wasn't so much a movie being freed from the restrictions of TV but what was being portrayed on screen. The Shock and Awe tactics did indeed work but, once I processed what I had witnessed, the shine wore off quickly.
The disappointment from the End of Evangelion took it's toll: It was ugly, nihilistic and made me appreciate the original ending more. Come on, Shinji Ikari had been through so much crap that he deserved a happy ending. Indeed it is a bold move to end a series with your lead character achieving self-respect. But is such a thing that a hard sell to angst-ridden teenagers?
No matter: Such was the disappointment from the End of Evangelion that I distanced myself from this franchise. Indeed it is telling that in the years since, Shinji became a punchline for being 'whiny' and 'sexually-repressed'. Clearly having a protagonist who is emotionally vulnerable struck a nerve.
Also it is well-documented that End of Evangelion came about because creator Hideaki Anno received death threats over it;s ending - some of them actually appear onscreen during the movie. With such bitterness involved, is it any wonder that I would move on?
Furthermore my tastes in anime were evolving. One telling incident: When i was enthusiastic about Evangelion, I did, at the same time, dismiss the movie Royal Space Force (Wings of Honenamise). The people who made fun of me for liking Evangelion in turn thought very highly of Royal Space Force. Of course they were obviously trying to wind me up but in the years since, I have come to see Royal Space Force in a more favorable light.
Finally, the distance from Evangelion made me see it in a new light: Because this is not a series about giant robots, invading aliens and layers of conspiracy. This is about the Anno laying out his fears and doubts. The real enemy is not the Angels; It's self hatred. Therefore, to be a fan of Evangelion one must accept this along with the fact that the mysteries in it many never be properly answered and this series must be approached on Anno's terms.

And that mindset is indeed present with the third movie in this rebuild. The movie starts with an interesting scenario but at the same time, questions are raised which, being Evangelion, are never answered. It may be exasperating but this start is nothing more than a red herring.
The real meat is seeing Shinji encounter Kaworu and the bond they build. Consider: If you're depressed and have trouble building connections and then you meet someone who provides inspiration and is genuinely interested in you, would you turn them away? I know a lot of people challenge 'soul-mate' narratives with the reasoning of "No one's coming to save you" but here we have such reasoning being put into practice. As such, to be tempted in such a a way leads to distrust to outside forces, learning the wrong lessons and making bad decisions.
But ultimately that is my interpretation: I am okay with Evangelion not being about giant robots - indeed the opening half hour come across as coming from a completely different movie - but not so with many other (and angrier) Evangelion fans.

So to wrap up this very long post, it has been theorized that 1.0 is Eva, 2.0 is the Eva fan see as Eva and 3.0 is what Anno sees as Eva.
I believe it.

Skyfall

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

Original image located here. Accessed 10th December 2021

Well I did it: I said I will watch a James Bond movie for every month in 2021 and now I have done it (Well there was the exception of October but that was fully booked). It has been quite the journey: I was in two minds whether the new one, No Time to Die, would be included and I was unable to see License to Kill (consider that the October entrant). But I did what I set out to do so yay me.

And I certainly picked a grand >one to go out on. Yes, having seen a lot of James Bond movies this year, I can safely say that this is Bond at his best: Daniel Craig is giving his all in the role, The villain is interesting, the action sequences are top notch, the tension is strung out, and there are some wonderfully shot moments (the climax at the mansion being one such stand out).
And, for a series that is notorious for formula, this movie certainly proves there is life in the old dog yet.
So in the end, did Craig grow on me? I do believe he has.

The Five Year Engagement

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Five Year Engagement!

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd July 2021

Well I'm well and truly on my way to the alter so i was in the mood for watching a wedding movie.

Sure, some of the jokes were hit and miss, and you could've easily shaved ten (or even twenty) minutes off the movie. But this has credibility as a rom-com as we see the ups and down of a relationship from the proposal to the wedding itself - which is rarely seen in such a genre. Indeed, it may be easy to dump on the rom-com as a genre but I will certainly take any such movie if it does things differently and has a depth to match - This movie does indeed deliver. It also helps that both Emily Blunt and Jason Segel make a convincing couple
Plus it's funny to see a pre-Guardians of the Galaxy Chris Pratt and a pre-Fifty Shades of Grey Dakota Johnson. XD

Argo

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th January 2021

Maybe it's just me but it would appear that interest in this movie has dropped off completely. What was once a critical darling and a Best Picture winner at the Oscars is now a movie that has slipped through the cracks - Perhaps it is indeed telling that I would get this at the Salvos for $3. Is this what happens when you make a movie based on historical facts but neglect to mention some crucial details?

Still, this movie sets itself out to be a tense thriller and to that end it succeeds. Sure it may play like any caper movie, what with the planning process and the carrying out of the act itself, but I really enjoy caper movies and this one certainly delivers. I don't know Ben Affleck for his directorial ability but I must say: When he hits he can clearly knock it out of the park.

Rurouni Kenshin

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin (2012)!

Original image located here. Accessed 27th March 2020

Twenty years ago, I had my first exposure to the anime that was Rurouni Kenshin. And, much like many people, I thought it was awesome. Later that year I watched the Memories OVA and doing so truly cemented my interest in Kenshin.
So perhaps it was inevitable that I would come to the series of live action movies that had been produced under the Kenshin brand.

If anything this movie is clearly aiming for a large audience. Granted it has a ready-made audience as this is based on a widely-loved manga/anime series, but there are various indicators of working beyond such a fanbase: The budget is clearly a big one, the fight scenes are stunning to behold and as an action movie it works well.
As a fan of Kenshin, I could recognize the important elements of Kenshin and some key story beats. This is clearly an adaptation of the first manga arc and it does it well with handling of key characters and even adding parts that were only introduced later in the manga. So i did enjoy this movie but would appear that being a fan of Kenshin helps - because I watched this movie with the gf, with it being her first exposure to Kenshin, who was left baffled.

But of course, this movie is the first of a franchise, so it would be interesting to see what happens next in the sequels....

Searching For Sugar Man

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Searching For Sugar Man!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th December 2016

I think we know all the story by now: Rodriguez, A troubadour from Detroit US, makes two albums in the early seventies which don't go anywhere. But unbeknownst to him, Rodriguez's music finds an audience in South Africa where his albums are big sellers and he himself is ionized. And of course this documentary played an instrumental role in giving Rodriguez a wider audience and the subsequent belated success that eluded him.

So what can i say that hasn't been said already? The documentary was fascinating, the story was both incredible and engaging and, i have to admit, i did get the feels when confronted with the video footage of Rodriguez playing his first show in South Africa in front of a sell-out audience.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Rodriguez perform live (and that was before I saw this documentary). He was funny, charismatic, and can certainly engage a crowd.

Wolf Children

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Wolf Children!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th July 2016

I like Mamoru Hosoda: I enjoyed both Summer Wars and the Girl Who Leapt Through Time and this effort completes the hat trick.

You know, I actually don't want to talk about this movie - largely out of fear that my descriptions will undermine the movie itself.

So i will not talk about the beautiful animation. I will not talk about the craftsmanship involved in this movie. I will not talk about the appealing characters. I will not talk about the trials and tribulations these characters go through. I will not talk about the emotional roller-coaster this movie set me on. And I will not talk about the times this movie left me a blubbering mess.

21 Jump Street

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....21 Jump Street!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th June 2012 

I've heard lots of stories on how difficult it is to get movies made, with the likes of projects being trapped in development hell and studio execs interfering. That being said, I'm baffled as to how this movie got made: It took the IP of some TV show and made something out of it, let along something great! This movie isn't a reboot, it is it;s own thing and is all the better for it. I reiterate: how did something so great get made? (Mind you I had the same reaction with Deadpool). 

 So yeah, I really liked this one

Wreck-It-Ralph

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Wreck it Ralph!

Original image located here. Accessed 13th March 2014

So what can I say about this one? Being a gamer I could go on and on about all the jokes and references but anyone can do that. So I'll say something different: The moment that sticks out for me is: "There's no one I'd rather be...than me!!!"

That and Calhoun's 'tragic back story' XD