The King of Comedy

And this week's Friday night movie was....The King of Comedy!

Original image located here. Accessed 21st June 2019

As some of you who have been following this series may know, i ma something of a newcomer to the films of Martin Scorsese. And from the outset, this movie has a reputation of being an under-appreciated gem. This, along with comparisons being made to this and the recent trailer to the upcoming Joker movie, makes a compelling case to check it out.

Make no mistake: This is a triumph of unease. It is indeed unsettling but the best kind of unsettling (if such a thing exists) in just how subtle it is.
A lot of the movie rests on Robert de Niro's performance as Rupert. I am used to see Robert being tough guys and psychopaths and whilst he is playing a psychopath here he does so in a more subtle way: Rupert is indeed bonkers and mentally damaged but he does what he does with so much confidence - to a point where one would think it's bad thing.

But ultimately much like Taxi Driver, this a movie about the person trapped in isolation. The person who is in dire need of the basic human need of social interaction - only to go about it the wrong way. While this movie was made in 1983 it somehow still comes across as being relevant, over three decades later, in the internet age where everyone is hiding behind a screen, a keyboard and the mother-skirt of anonymity but will struggle beyond it.
Indeed, would it be amiss to say that i can see shades of people I know in both Rupert and Masha?

As for the Joker connection, I have to ask: is this DC's strategy of remaking older movies as superhero movies (after all, isn't Shazam a retread of Big?). That maybe the case but, as Incels/keyboard warriors/socially-maladjusted loners continue to be a talking point, maybe a movie about the isolated person could continue to have a place...

Shazam

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

Original image located here. Accessed 19th April 2019

Its no coincidence that I saw Big last week. After all, both movies are based around the same theme so seeing how each approach differs would be something to see right?
To be honest I wasn't looking forward to this movie as i though the trailer didn't look anything special - but somehow I've heard some good things about Shazam so i decided i would give it a shot. And sometimes, there is something to be said about being proven wrong.

So yeah this movie was a lot of fun. It was funny and definitely shows signs of a low budget being made the most out of. Indeed one gets the feeling that seeing as Shazam is a lesser tier DC hero, the makers of this movie just decided that, (much like Aquaman) they could whatever they wanted - and in this case this is some sly attempt to remake Big (note the homage) under the guise of a super hero movie.
Of particular note however are instances of particular poignancy that are indeed surprising and are pulled off well.

All in all, a great movie and a sign that DC are heading down the correct path after numerous misfires - Clearly the dour approach wasn't working out for them.
Yet it is a disappointment that this movie does a better job of being a Superman movie than any of the recent Superman movies

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