The Wolf of Wall Street

  And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Wolf of Wall Street!

Original image located here. Accessed 31st July 2026

Behold: Another exploration into the filmography of one Martin Scorsese. And it seems this has become one of his best known films in recent years (least not for being the breakthrough role for one Margot Robbie). 

I have seen a number of Scorsese films but seeing this gave the impression that I was still unprepared to see it. It certainly is impressive to see this move as a series of events that get progressive more insane and chaotic the further the film goes on.
The problem is, at least to me, that's all there is. We're watching a guy become ridiculously wealthy through being a stockbroker and committing acts that are both heinous and deplorable along the way. 
Sure it may be fun to see this movie goes next and sure this lifestyle shown may look attractive to some but what is this movie? A biopic? A satire? A cautionary tale? 
I'm not sure myself but what I DO know is this movie left me cold. Sure there are some stand-out moments but I'm not sure what this movie wants from me. 
Oh well....

The Armstrong Lie

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

Original image located here. Accessed 1st May 2026

Continuing on with my fascination with documentaries that started in one place only to end up somewhere different, we come to this: A documentary on notorious cyclist/drug cheat Lance Armstrong.
In 2009, documentarian Alex Gibney was working on a documentary on Armstrong but the project was brought to a halt due to his exposure as a dope cheat. However such footage did end up being used years later in this documentary - alongside new material Gibney shot with Armstrong in the wake of the collapse of both his career and reputation.

There are two narratives working here but both ultimately build a portrait of Armstrong. And it isn't a pretty one: A lack of a father in his life. A determination to win. A belief that losing is a fate worse than death. A resilience that walks hand in hand with malignity. A grip on the myth he created that is held like his life depended on it. 
Certainly the story - going from beating cancer to winning the most demanding sporting challenge in the world multiple times - is a strong one but this is still a glimpse into the mind of a villain: It's someone who wants to triumph and refuses to care about the damage wrought to get there. And perhaps that's where the strength of the documentary lies: That such villains exist in the world and that one is someone who got to the top through an astonishingly crafted deception. 

It may not make for a pretty viewing experience but it is a fascinating one. 

Unforgiven

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Unforgiven (2013)!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th February 2026

Hollywood has a reputation of taking movies that originated in Japan and remaking them - Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven being one such example. So what happens when it goes the other way?
This movie is a Japanese remake of the Clint Eastwood magnum opus (pun intended) of the same name. It takes a western and reworks it into a samurai setting. Well I rank Unforgiven as a long-standing favourite so this seems like a challenge worth rising up to. 

The first thing that leaps out is that this movie is set in the Meiji era, the period in Japanese history that saw the end of the samurai era and the beginning of modernisation (and would be very familiar to fans of Rurouni Kenshn). This also means that there are firearms in this movie but given that this is a remake of a western it somehow isn't surprising. It should also be noted that this is set in Hokkaido which is a setting never really addressed in many Japanese films (most likely due it having it's own can of worms but that's another story). 
So how does this stack up against the original? Well like any remake it can't really escape the shadow of the original. And to that end, it does follow the plot of the original closely. It also shares some truly stunning imagery - and even replicates some shots wholesale. And it certainly understands what made the original work - even if there is somewhat less subtlety and the ending was altered. 
Still this was a compelling watch and I'm glad I saw it. 

12 Years a Slave

And this week's Friday night movie has been... 12 Years a Slave!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 86 (2013)

And now we are well and truly into the twenty tens. At this point, the new decade of Best Picture Oscar winners has had time to determine what it wants to be. And to would seem that identity would be built up out of 'message' movies.

Lets not beat around the bush: This was not an easy watch. Sure the cinematography is staggering in it's beauty and the sheer scale of it's shots, sure the acting is equally gripping and the direction is top notch but this is still a depiction of American slavery. That this movie is clearly well researched and based on historical fact does not take away the ugliness and brutality of it all. And it is all there on screen, whether we like or not.

Still, this movie is nothing less than astonishing.
And just when you think the Academy doesn't have the guts to stray away from the 'safe' option, they still manage to surprise you.

Gravity

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

Original image located here. Accessed 13th January 2023

I've been wanting to see this for quite some time. I like my science fiction to be hard but I will admit it is something of a rarity. Because science fact and dramatic tension don't make the best of bedfellows. Still, I will take my hard science fiction anyway I can.

I guess with this kind of film you will have some grumps complaining that it is completely inaccurate to the will of science. But such an assessment would sell this film short: It is nothing less than astonishing. The weightlessness is incredible, the camera work is jaw dropping and some sequences (such as the 13 minute opening scene) are staggering in their accomplishment. Furthermore, this is a very beautiful looking film with some amazing space shots. I also like the use of silence (after all, there's no air in space and therefore no means of sound to travel) and the protagonist is a compelling one, anchored by Sandra Bullock giving the performance of her career.
Not much to add really: This movie is incredible and worthy of sitting next to the giants of the sci-fi genre.

The Wind Rises

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

Original image located here. Accessed 17th July 2020

We're heading back down to the anime well this time. And in a way encountering this movie was inevitable. It's a Studio Ghibli, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and it's a..... biographical picture? Well this is a new trick.

I've watched a lot of anime over the years and, as such, I've found that it's a medium where biopics are rarely touched upon (or least the one's I've found). So to have the legendary Studio Ghibli tackle one is cause to raise an eyebrow. And in this case, we have a movie on Jiro Horikoshi and his life as an aircraft designer

Of course, this being a Miyazaki movie there are elements we've come to expect: Flying sequences and a high quality of both animation & story-telling. All are present but there are new some tricks at play: Firstly is it's nature as a biographical film. Secondly, Miyazaki's imagination/whimsy takes a backseat to a more realistic approach. Sure there are some flights of fancy but here they are shown to be few and far between. And thirdly, Miyazaki's trope of female characters isn't in play here. Granted this is down to it being a biographic movie but I can't think of any other of his movies where a male character has such a dominating presence.
Seems you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks.

Ultimately, Miyazaki's touch is as sure as ever. The Wind Rises is quiet, thoughtful and beautiful.
Much has been said how this was the last movie that Miyazaki will be working on. So is it the curtain call that Tale of Princess Kaguya was? Maybe. I never got the impression that Miyazaki is saying good bye - There is some discussion on seeing dreams come to fruition but the most explicit sense of saying goodbye is the conversation at the end.
Wait, Miyazaki is working on yet another final movie? Oh well, never mind then...

Jodorowsky's Dune

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th November 2019

I have little to no attachment to Dune. I've never seen the reviled movie and I read the book in University but it went over my head. However I have played Dune 2: Building of a Dynasty (fore-father to the mighty Command and Conquer series) and found it fun.
So why would I watch this documentary? Well, I am interested in movies that never get made. The kind that have a tonne of potential but come undone due to studio meddling or by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And this is one such movie: In the mid-seventies, Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky wanted to adapt Dune into a grandiose movie but it never went anywhere.

As is often the case in these types of documentary, the man behind it, Alejandro Jodorowsky, is the driving force of the narrative. And what a person he is: In talking about his unmade movie, he is passionate, enthusiastic and, at times, a complete lunatic. He said he wanted to present an ultimate head-trip of a movie and deliver something that, let;s face it, would've been very much divorced from the source material. Indeed, it is never made clear whether or not Jodorowsky HAS read Dune.

The other key element in the movie is a colossal bible ('the Dune book') that Jodorowsky produced containing every scrap of information about the movie. It has a script and a complete storyboard. It contains designs form the likes of HR Giger, Dan O'Bannon, Moebius and Chris Foss. It even promised starring roles from Mick Jagger, Orson Welles and Salvador Dali as well as music from Pink Floyd!

It may sound grandiose indeed but at the same time, completely bonkers. So in a way, perhaps it is best it never got made. But, as this documentary proved, it certainly left behind an amazing story to tell.

Her

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

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd August 2019

Hasn't this been a major hit: A movie about a guy who falls in love with an AI? Personally, I approached this movie with caution: I've seen a lot of anime which plays off a similar scenario (ordinary guy falls in love with anything-but-ordinary girlfriend in a story that is out to pander to an audience of guys who struggle with the world outside their bedroom) so can this movie do more than rehash an oft-played scenario?

Apparently it can. This is indeed an odd movie - but I suppose that is par for the course with Spike Jonze. It certainly has some things to say about getting over a breakup and moving on - but the way it is going about it is indeed something else. It's funny at times and emotionally intense other times. It is clever, challenging and not afraid to go for the jugular with it's emotional punches. And the two leads are great with Joaquin Phoenix carrying the movie and Scarlett Johansson giving the performance of her career (impressive when she is only present in voice).
Is it like the anime I mentioned in the previous paragraph? Maybe, but it is interesting to see a familiar trope being taken in a different direction.

It's a very good movie yet I can't help but think that it's just as well that the movie got made when it did (2013). because in a post-MeToo/Elliot-Rodger world one would think that a socially-maladjusted, emotionally-crippled, confidence-challenged protagonist would be one heading down the path of a villain.

The Unknown Known

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th January 2019

Anyone heard of this? This is a documentary on Donald Rumsfeld, where he talks about his career, working for several presidents and his role in both the War on Terror and the mobilization into Iraq.

What i got the most from this documentary is that it feels....well.....empty. For a movie about Rumsfeld, i came away not knowing much about him - aside from that his speech is evasive. Watching him speak to camera, it becomes increasingly clear he is speaking a lot but not saying anything. He is intelligent no doubt but his ability to dodge matters is astonishing. He's a tough nut to crack and to find some objective truths about the Iraq War is a slog to be sure.
Perhaps the most telling thing comes at the end. When asked why he agreed to this documentary Rumsfeld replies with: "I'll be darned if I know"

Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Isao Takahata and His Tale of the Princess Kaguya!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th December 2018

Well I saw The Tale of the Princess Kaguya last week (as well as The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness earlier this year) so seeing this was inevitable.
As mentioned last week, I'd always felt that Takahata tends to get overlooked by Ghibli fans so seeing this documentary, focusing on the man himself is welcome indeed. Much like the aforementioned The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, we see the trials and tribulations going into making a movie at Ghibli and the approach the director takes - but in this case the approach is completely different from Miyazaki.

Thus we see Takahata pushing the envelope as to what animation could accomplish (largely to compensate for his inability to draw), a real trial and error approach to completing a task and facing down a monumental workload. And despite the frustrations caused, Takahata remains funny, passionate and a contrast from the Grumpy Old Man that Miyazaki has become known for in recent years.
I think some of the best moments in the movie come from seeing both Takahata and Miyazaki together and watching these two personalities bounce off each other. It looks natural and a delight to see two long-lasting friends and creative talents together and the bond they clearly have.
A bond that has sadly since been broken

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of the Princess Kaguya)!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th November 2018

I've always had a soft spot for Isao Takahata. Whilst Hayao Miyazaki has become synonymous with Studio Ghibli, it unfortunately results in the other movies and filmmakers in that collective being given the shaft. Which is shame because a lot of said movies, are superb works, worthy of standing both on their own two feet and emerging out of the shadow of what Miyazaki's imagination can cook up. I mean Takahata is the co-founder of Ghibli so that must count for something right?
In any case, Takahata left this earthly plane earlier this year so now is a good time as any to visit his final movie.

Let me say this up front: It's going to be impossible to divorce this movie from the creator. It's going to be impossible to vie this movie as the accumulation of what Takahata's been doing over his career. It's going to be impossible to see this movie as a meditation from someone who felt his time was approaching.
So what is this movie then? It is perhaps the most beautiful movies I have ever seen, animated or otherwise, and easily capable of standing tall as one of Ghibli's strongest works (which is indeed saying something).
And I will even admit a particular poignancy to seeing the final credit of 'Directed by Isao Takahata' fading in before fading to black.

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th August 2018

Yes, it's the documentary on Studio Ghibli, documenting the process behind the development of both The Wind Rise and The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Granted I'm cheating somewhat as I have (at time of writing) yet to see both movies but with Isao Takahata passing away earlier this year and more recent revelations been made about him being difficult to work with, now would be good time to watch it.

What i found interesting is that on the DVD cover (see above), there's Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki and Takahata - yet in the movie itself, Takahata gets little screen time. In a way it;s not surprising knowing what we all know now (and the fact that he got a separate documentary all to himself with his work on Kaguya). Which ultimately means that the documentary's focus then falls on Miyazaki and Suzuki.
While we do see Miyazaki at work and see what is involved whenever he makes a movie, the real surprise is what Suzuki has to go through with facing the press, having to make uncomfortable announcements and dealing with clashes with staff.
I was expecting this movie to the complete picture of Studio Ghibli but what I got was a reinforcement of the notion that making any movie is near-miracle in itself. And quite frankly, this documentary is all the better for it.

Monsters University

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

Original image located here. Accessed 11th May 2018

Strangely enough, I've never seen Monsters Inc. However that places me in a unique position: I can watch the prequel and the original both in the correct chronological order and for the first time.
I do recall that when this movie was released, it got a lukewarm reception with confusion as to whether it was a movie for kids or a movie for adults. So what do I take from it?

As expected from a Pixar release there's some good jokes and some great animation. But whilst Pixar movies imparts substantial life lessons, this one seems somewhat uncomfortable. Get past the 'college movie' formula and thus is revealed a rather nasty subtext:
You see, Mike wants to be a scarer. It what he wants to do with his life and he goes for it with gusto, working hard, studying up and learning everything he can. But, of course, as iterated throughout the movie, he's never going to be a scarer simply because he isn't scary.
So what does this mean? That Mike's hard work and effort was meaningless? That in the real world, hard work and effort doesn't mean jack against being born right and/or pure luck? That having passion for something doesn't mean you were meant to do it and you have take a realistic stance? That dreams can not work out and you have to settle for complacency?
I know Disney have built an empire out of chasing one's dreams but to see such a turn-about-face is both surprising and indeed uncomfortable. Perhaps moreso as I continue to limp through my thirties, and full-time employment is looking increasingly elusive.
These are big themes that will no doubt go over the head's of a child audience - perhaps that''s the reason behind the original reception.
What a depressing movie.

Mind you it would be interesting to see how the original stacks up.....

Thor: The Dark World

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Thor the Dark World!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th July 2016

So why did I fall behind with the MCU? Well, I saw this list online of how to watch the entire MCU (that being the movies, TV series and the rest) in chronological order. I made it my goal to watch this in order but then there was the wait to get everything. Sure that may seem a bizarre reason considering this digital age in which we live in has made everything readily available but I've always maintained that things are better off discovered in your own time.

As for the movie, I do agree with the consensus that this is indeed one of, if not the, weakest link in the MCU chain. Sure it looks fantastic but everything moves at such a hurried pace that one gets the feeling there's a sizable chunk of the movie missing and what we're seeing is two thirds of a complete movie. I did like the first movie a lot but this sequel seems a let down by comparison.
And then there's Thor himself: he's the star of his own movie but he still ends up being upstaged by Loki.

Iron Man 3

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Iron Man 3!

Original image located here Accessed 14th July 2023 

I feel ashamed to admit this but I've been dreadfully slack with keeping up to date with the MCU. I've missed half of the 2nd phase! Nevertheless, time is on my side so I can still rectify this situation. 

As for the movie itself, I feel that every Iron Man movie (and to a lesser extent, the Avengers movies), is doomed to remain in the shadow of the first Iron Man movie. Still, this movie was an improvement on No.2 and it's pleasing that Tony Stark has significant character development. Furthermore, it's always great to see more 'Genius' Tony Stark as opposed to 'Jerk' Tony Stark. Also Ben Kingsley looked like he was having fun

Pacific Rim

And this weeks Friday night movie has been....Pacific Rim!

Original image located here. Accessed 18th July 2014

Well there's not much i can say about this that hasn't been said already save for: Utterly, utterly glorious. And Ron Perlman