Birdman

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Birdman (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 87 (2014)

Clearly the major selling point of this movie was movie was it was shot in a way that conveys the impression it was done in one continuous take. A tall order since I saw, and adored, Russian Ark and that was the real deal. So what does this movie do?

Well the edits are there and you will need a sharp eye to spot them. But this is still a remarkable film: Sure the technological aspect of it is impressive but the real meat is the notion of a washed up actor who is trying to be taken seriously. Yes there is a thinly veiled dig at the MCU and the nods to Batman are hard to miss but this is still staggering in what it's conveying. 
When you see as many movies have I have it does get to a point where you see so much it's hard to see something that leaps out at you. Thankfully this is one such movie. 

Russian Ark

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

Original image located here. Accessed 28th May 2021

Once upon a time, i started this movie but, for whatever reason, I never got around to finishing it. Well, today's the day I rectify such a situation.
When this came out, much was made of the technical prowess of this film: It's one mammoth, 90 minute single shot movie. No edits and no interruptions. Well, given the passage of time and nearly two decades of advancement in film-making, has time worn done Russian Ark?

Apparently not. The technical nature of the film is nothing less than astonishing. Get past the nature of a single unedited shot and we see incredible sets, a cast of thousands, some magnificent recreations of Czarist Russia and a unbeatable homage to history. Indeed, I have seen many beautiful looking movies in this lifetime and Russian Ark could sit comfortably in the upper regions of such a list
Sure it may have been a challenge to get through at times but in the end the challenge was well and truly worth it.