Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd July 2022

I have been following a lot of criticisms about the current phase (no.4) of the MCU. Chief among them is that the movies of this phase seem to lack a sense of direction and, after such a pay-off (Endgame) from years of build-up, there is nowhere left to go.
Personally I did enjoy the Eternals and Spiderman: No Way Home but even I will admit that the criticisms of being directionless are hard to ignore. After all, when you climb the mountain and find nowhere left to go, what do you do?

That being said, I did find this latest instalment to the MCU something of mixed bag. On one hand, there is so much continuity to cater for that the movie seems to groaning under it's own weight. Also, there is a lot going on here that the pacing seems to go at light speed and is therefore difficult to pick up. In addition, this isn't quite the horror movie I was expecting.
But that's for the first half: Maybe it's just me but once the second half kicks in, this movie remembers it's a Doctor Strange movie and plays into it's strengths: The creative & striking visuals and Benedict Cumberpatch. It's great to see Benedict playing different iterations of this character and some truly impressive visuals (the staircase immediately comes to mind). And I also must give credit to director Sam Raimi who is able to make his own stamp - especially when doing so isn't an easy task in the MCU.
So yeah, not a bad effort but the problem of 'where do we go from here' still persists....

Little Miss Sunshine

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Little Miss Sunshine!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th July 2022

I was planning to watch the latest Dr Strange movie but then I noticed this and realised I've been putting this off for far too long.

At first I had no idea what to make of this movie. At times I was left wondering if this was the comedy i was promised as it seemed to come across as more strange than bust-a-gut funny. The laughs seemed slow and what humour was there seemed very off the wall. But within time, this movie won me over: largely through this eccentric cast of characters and watching them facing adversity together. I cna only how many other people have watched this family and remarked: "That's just like mine..."
And there is something to be said that, in world that is divided into winners and losers, being yourself can be an act of defiance.

Also that unforgettable dance to Super Freak:
"What's your daughter doing?!"
"Kicking ass!!"

The Imitation Game

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

Original image located here. Accessed 8th May 2020

As mentioned previously in this series, i will show favouritism towards movies that portray protagonists who are clearly on the autistic spectrum. As such, i was eventually brought to this: A biopic on mathematician and computer engineer/pioneer Alan Turing.

Of course, this makes this movie an oddity: It is a movie about an Aspergian who historically actually wasn't an Aspergian. Okay sure some historians have tried to match Turnings behaviour to those on the autistic spectrum but doing so is more speculative.

Historical inaccuracies aside though, it would seem that the entire movie rests on the shoulders of it's lead, Benedict Cumberpatch. And he's an actor I like a lot because he never gives in a dull performance - and what do you know, he's firing on all cylinders here. His portrayal as an Aspergian is indeed accurate and is more than enough to make this movie engaging and capable of rising above any historical inaccuracies.
Funny thing: I am used to see Benedict Cumberpatch in roles where he is ultra confident (ie Richard III and Dr Strange). So it is indeed a surprise to see him in a role which is the antithesis of such roles. And further proof what a talented actor he is.

Doctor Strange

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

Original image located here. Accessed 25th November 2016

I went into this movie expecting something along the lines of 'Inception on steroids' and, in a way, that's kind of what I got. The SFX were certainly mind-blowing and, in an age were CGI is overused to the point of tedium, one gets the feelings the makers of Dr Strange wanted to show everyone how it's done. In that case, mission accomplished! (although i hope there were some practical FX in there somewhere...).

Other than that, the character of Dr Strange was great (helped considerably by the actor performing him) and it would be interesting to see him fit in with the rest of the MCU...wait, he'll be in the new Thor movie? With both Thor AND Hulk?! Oh YES!!!!!