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....

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. 

Malcolm X

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

Original image located here. Accessed 5th June 2026

Surprisingly I haven't seen any of the filmography of one Spike Lee. The immediate impression is that he is a black movie director making movies for a black audience - which subsequently places me in a considerable disadvantage. 
Still I've been meaning to watch this as a) I seen Denzel Washington in numerous movies and he never disappoints, b) I am curious to find out more about a historical figure that I have heard a lot about but only in name and c) I am willing to consider a perspective different from my own.

But what does it matter? Turns out this movie was something unexpected: A biopic that transcends it's intent and becomes something more epic. I mean it worked for Lawrence of Arabia...
Seriously though, this is very effective as a character study, taking us through Malcolm's life, highlighting key points and showing his passion for civil rights. His speeches, teachings and white-hot rage (pun unintended) are all incorporated and even moments when his views are challenged (i.e. his pilgrimage to Mecca and what happens afterward) are included. Indeed, even if the widely-known image of Malcolm X is one of anger, this movie does indeed go to great lengths to show there was a humanity tied to him. 
When one watches a biopic, one gets the feeling that they are watching a propaganda piece but I never got that that with this movie - which means it did it's job better then anyone could've hoped for. 

Funny thing: I did find the first hour a bit of a mess but it really got more focused once Malcolm went to prison, had a religious revelation and began heading on his path of being a civil rights activist. But having typed that sentence out, it would appear that that was the point....

Kundun

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th May 2026

Over the years I have been slowly getting more acquainted with the oeuvre of Martin Scorsese. So let's take a look perhaps his most unique movie: A biopic on the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. 

Watching this movie I can't help but think of The Last Emperor. Sure such a declaration will be unfair to this movie but it isn't hard to imagine this movie looking over The Last Emperor's shoulder and taking notes. Both follow the pattern of a boy thrust into a position of power, not knowing quite how to handle it, and how it effects him into adulthood. 

Still this is still pretty good and quite an effective turn from someone who built their career from making New York crime dramas. But this isn't just Scorsese's show: he is backed with the staggering visuals of cinematographer Roger Deakins, the evocative score of Philip Glass and the editing of Thelma Schoonmaker. All four are bringing their A-game and the result is a truly a stunning movie. 
It's just a shame that the weak point of this movie is the narrative: It seems disjointed & plodding at times and proves to be quite the Achilles heel.

Nevertheless, this is an impressive movie and certainly a stand-out in Scorsese's filmography. 

Born on the Fourth of July

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Born on the Fourth of July!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th July 2025

I couldn't resist.

Jokes aside, there is nothing funny about this: a biopic about Vietnam vet Ron Kovic, tracing his story from childhood to adulthood. We see him fighting in the conflict, becoming paralysed and confined to a wheelchair, coming home and struggling to readjust to a civilian life, pursuing hedonistic pleasures to zero satisfaction and eventually becoming an anti-war activist.

I have a feeling that if this movie was released today it would be written-off as Oscar Bait. It certainly ticks the boxes that are favoured by the Academy and it certainly goes a long way to humanise those who fought in a very unpopular war. But somehow, this movie still stands on it;s own feet purely through it's lead: Tom Cruise.
For a long time. Cruise was a punchline: so much so it is easy to forget that he was truly one of the finest actors of his day. And here he delivers quite possibly his best performance: He inhabits the role of Kovis delivering the fire and pathos necessary to effectively become Kovic. 

This story may sound like one told many times before - indeed Kovic's story is one that many Vietnam vets would have faced - but none could hit like this. 

The Straight Story

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

Original image located here. Accessed 6th June 2025

Once again, I face down a movie that I have been wanting to see for a long time. I suppose the recent passing of director David Lynch is as good a time as any.
Funnily enough, I hadn't seen any David Lynch movies but I knew of his works through reputation: Surrealist imagery, eccentric characters and an interest in dreamlike states. And he also made Mulholland Drive which baffled my father so much, I heard about it for weeks afterwards.
So it is unsurprising that my first David Lynch movie would be the one that has the reputation of being his most conventional one. Furthermore, the story of Alvin Straight and his journey of travelling a 390 kilometre journey atop a ride-on lawnmower sounds like one that would make for an interesting movie. 

For someone who is unfamiliar with Lynch's work, I can still tell that this is a breed apart from his oeuvre: None of the tropes I mentioned in the previous paragraph are present here. Instead, this is an empathetic look at Alvin and the journey he takes. We see the people he meets and interacts with on the way and we gain insight into his way of thinking, built up through years of experience. And we learn his belief in family. 
It may sound dull but it is absorbing, largely due to Lynch's directing and the committed performance of the late great Richard Farnsworth. Whatever gamble this movie may have initially appeared to be, ultimately paid off. 
Sometimes the most compelling movies can be the most deceptive, you know?

Kneecap

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

Original image located here. Accessed 9th May 2025

 Behold: A movie I wouldn't have heard about had it not been for a friend who told me about it.

So what we have here is a bio on Northern Irish hiphop act Kneecap. It has the band members playing themselves and shows their rise to fame along with the trials and tribulations they go through. Standard music bio pic right?

Wrong! Yes this genre can very easily fall into formula but this movie wisely avoids it. Part of what makes it unique is that it frames to band's story alongside that of Northern Irish identity: defying the British and preserving both the language and the culture. 
It also helps that this movie takes the approach of being grimy, anarchic, playful, creative and funny. 
So props to this movie for not only breaking step from formula and running in the opposite direction.

Also, does anyone think that Detective Ellis may join the ranks of cinema's most memorable villains?

Oppenheimer

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

Original image located here. Accessed 27th December 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 96 (2023)

And so, we end this year-long undertaking by saying hello to the new guy.

Twelve months of watching Best Picture Oscar winners have led to this moment. And one would think that by now I should know what to expect.

From the outset, this movie makes something of a comeback: After over a decade of smaller scale/low earning/indie movies, the pendulum has swung back and a Best Picture victory has been made for a major studio. It may be too early to call if this is a game-changer but it does make for an interesting situation for future Best Picture winners.
Actually, now that I think of it, that Oppenheimer won does indeed feel like a throwback to an earlier, epic-focused, era of Oscars. For years there was this joke that if you wanted to win big all you needed to do was have both a stacked cast and your movie set in World War II. And this movie does indeed do that. In addition, having a troubled protagonist and a three hour run time doesn’t hurt either.
Still the film geek in me was pleased that Christopher Nolan finally received his dues and picked up the Best Director Oscar.

But enough of my rambling: what about the movie itself?

I may have seen some dense movies in my time but this is another level entirely: It is dialogue heavy, the progression of the plot is in a strange order, it is indeed hard to follow and the cast are rendered practically unrecognisable.
And yet, this is a movie that is firing on all cylinders. The ensemble cast is great, the visuals incredible, Nolan’s insistence on practical effects truly deliver, the direction is superb and the mood is one of reflection and guilt. If this movie was utilising the afore-mentioned Oscar-winning formula then the result is effectively a subversion of it – and makes the movie even more fascinating.

And with that, this year-long undertaking is completed: I set out to watch a Best Picture Oscar winning movie for every week of 2024 and I’ve done it.
It has been a fascinating journey as not only have I seen some movies that I’ve never seen before but I have seen a history of cinema progress before me, pinpointing the rise of trends and the changing of attitudes.

The major takeaways from this are as follows:

• I have seen some movies, and some genres I wouldn’t have previously considered. And much to my surprise I found some enjoyment in them.
• The concept of ‘Best Picture’ is somewhat misleading: It is less about the best movie of the year and more what was popular at the time. And that is an approach that should be adhered to when talking about Best Picture winners. I mean, when you think about it, winning Best Picture, being beloved by audiences AND being held up as the best of the medium is a very difficult hat-trick to pull off. And how many movies have done it? All Quiet on the Western Front? It Happened One Night? Casablanca? The Godfather 1 and 2? Schindler’s List? Lord of the Rings: Return of the King?
• It would appear that every decade of Best Picture winners is a reaction against the previous one: The real-life concerns of the forties getting you down? Well, here’s the fifties and some large-scale entertainment. Tired of the musicals of sixties? Don’t worry: here’s some seventies cynicism. Bored of the eighties output? Here comes the nineties and a new era of the blockbuster.
• Similarly, the long-held idea that the Academy Awards voters are all aging and caught in a state of stagnation/regression is also incorrect: Watching all these Best Picture Winners, the trends and mindset of the time becomes apparent and it’s surprising that the Academy goes out of it’s way to conduct a course correction when possible.
• Shakespeare in Love is not the worst/less-deserving Best Picture winner.

So in the end, this has been an enlightening experience, wandering through film history and seeing a path of changes and trends. And it was a journey I’ve been wanting to make for some time, and I am grateful to have made it.

And so, to wrap this up, I have spent the past twenty-four months indulging with my film geek. That being said, next year I think I’ll watch something more fun….

The King's Speech

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 83 (2010)

I recall when this movie when Best Picture: There was this uproar that it won because it appeared to follow the apparent formula for success: World War 2 setting. Stacked cast. Protagonist with handicap to overcome. Guide for protagonist whose credentials are dubious. Biographical. 
But in the years since, it seems there seems to be a lot of contempt for this movie as it beat out The Social Network for Best Picture.
An unlikely victory akin to the movie-going public's favourite punching bag Shakespeare in Love.

Actually, now that I think of it, lets compare Shakespeare in Love with The King's Speech:

• Both are of British origin
• Both have an impressive cast showcasing the best of British acting
• Both have Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in key roles
• Both have a historical setting
• Both are distributed by the Weinstein Company
• Both on the Best Picture Oscar through beating out more favourable competition

So having said all that, what did I make of The King's Speech?
I enjoyed it. 

Yes it's a given that the cast is indeed stacked - and it's great to see Helena Bonham Carter in a role where she isn't playing a complete nutter - but I like this as a small scale story in a wartime setting. Which is indeed a rarity.
The story being told is a compelling one and the speech itself, the climax of the journey taken, is indeed inspiring.
Sure there are some historical inaccuracies and some questionable directional choices but when this movie works, it does indeed work. 

A Beautiful Mind

And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Beautiful Mind!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 74 (2001)

Yep, we're skipping over the 1990s simply because I have already seen them all. 
But in a way, perhaps it is fitting that I'm going straight from the 1980s to the 2000s. Why? Well, both decades share parallels: They both follow two heavyweight decades and, with the passage of time, look very pale compared to previous Best Picture winners. 
Still the eighties ending up surprising me so it would be interesting to see if something similar happens with the 2000s....

At time of writing, I am two thirds of the way through this year long undertaking. And it is at this point that I have come to recognise some recurring elements that appear in the Best Picture Oscar winners. Of course, it is not willingly but this notion of Oscar Bait seems to have up in the past two decades. 
Mind you, this is a post-Shakespeare in Love world we live in and now having a movie that has no other purpose other than to score big at the Oscars are now going to be more frequent. Indeed, I suspect that in the weeks ahead, I'm going to see Harvey Weinstein's name a lot....

But if this movie is a product of a post-Shakespeare in Love world, I would argue it owes it's existence more to Forrest Gump: It tells the story of a man of extraordinary ability and of a life lived. 
Personally, I found this movie very long and with some dull moments - seriously you could shave off twenty minutes and no one would've noticed - but the real strength of this movie is it's use of mathematics and it's portrayal of schizophrenia.
And hey: who wouldn't want Paul Bettany as their roommate? 

The Last Emperor

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 60 (1987)

If the 1980s was the 'forgotten' decade of Best Picture Oscar winners then this must surely be the forgotten movie of the ten.
I will say this though: From the outset this has to be the most unique Best Picture Oscar winner: An all-Asian cast of no big names. A director who has hardly an Oscar favourite. An Asian story, told by Asian people in an Asian location. The sole Oscar winner in the cast playing a white man who disappears halfway through the movie. And an epic where the lead character is a passive one.

But much like it's fellow epics, this is staggering in its scale. The onsite footage of the Forgotten City as astonishing and the amount of extras used for particular scenes is unbelievable. Such visuals are worth the price of admission alone but what is of particular note is the narrative of a boy who is in command, for reasons he can't comprehend, over a region that has no purpose to exist. Thus the tragedy hits like a brick when our protagonist tries to assert some control over his life, well into adulthood, but is outdone at every turn. 

All in all, a triumph. So why is this forgotten? Buggered if I know.

And so, with that, we leave the 1980s behind. So what shall come next week....?

Amadeus

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 57 (1984)

Didn't have to look far for this one: It was sitting on the shelf with the rest of Kiera's DVDs.

I've heard some bad things about this movie - all of them related to the historical inaccuracies. But I, being the stickler for realism, am willing to forgive such matters. Why? Because this movie was utterly brilliant. I could commend the use of music (which is a no-brainer as this is about Mozart). I could praise the art direction and lavishness of the production. I could gush about the acting.
I could all of that but what I'll do instead is talk about the fact that this is a movie of two creative minds, the conflict between them and the creative process that wills something into being. It is fascinating to see two conflicting personalities and their work ethic along with the triumphs and failures that come with it. Indeed, the best part of the movie happens towards the end when these two personalities meet. 

Seems the Best Pictures of the eighties weren't as disappointing as I thought....

Gandhi

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

Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 55 (1982)

Now this was a movie I was keen on watching: When I was in high school I read about Mahatma Gandhi and was struck by how a humble man changed the world and won independence for India from the British through non-violent methods. It was an inspiring story and I hoped to do something world-changing in my own right.....

One would think that the story of Gandhi would be well-suited for an epic movie. And Richard Attenborough thought so too, trying multiple times to get this film made over two decades. 
The end result? Attenborough went all out crafting a three hour epic, utilising thousands of extras and clearly not settling for anything less. But hey, dream projects tend to attract the most effort.
However in spite of all the historical inaccuracies and Attenborough's approach to filmmaking, this is all Ben Kingsley's show, delivering a performance that is quietly charismatic, genuine in it's approach and effectively resurrecting Mahatma himself. 

The Life of Emile Zola

    And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Life of Emile Zola!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 10 (1937)

Stop me if this sounds familiar: There's this guy who has a talent in a creative field. He produces works that bring him fame but antagonises those in power. He falls into a slump but then becomes aware of a man going to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Guy then rouses the public using well-worded speeches in the pursuit of truth and justice. The narrative then shifts to the courtroom where those in power are challenged and are ultimately overcome. 
If such a narrative was made today one would think it had 'Oscar Bait' written all over it.
But the thing is, that's the plot of this movie which was made in 1937.....

It would seem that time has not been kind to this movie, with the major problem being the application of self-censorship as to not antagonise 1930s Germany (ie references to the accused being a Jew removed; why the image used in the poster does not resemble the protagonist). 
Personally, it wasn't bad: It does present an interesting version of historical events. Muni does a magnificent job in the lead role. And I can't say it was dull.
But reading up on the production of the movie, I was struck by the constant clashing between producer Henry Banke and exec. producer Hall B Wallis. And someone should adapt that because that would make a movie worth watching.

Love and Mercy

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Love and Mercy!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th September 2022

Yep, another biopic. And another music one at that - dedicated to Brian Wilson of Beach Boys fame.
I can't say I'm a fan of the Beach Boys. But I am well aware of the trials and tribulations that made up Brian's life - the kind that would make a fascinating film to say the least.

So what we have here is a movie that shows two aspect of Brian: The young and enthusiastic music genius, played by Paul Dano, and the middle-aged troubled soul played by John Cusack. It does make for an interesting approach and any music pic that strays away from the familiar formula is welcome in my book.
Of course all the story beats are here: Brian's genius at songwriting, his obsessive dedication to find sounds only he can hear, his eccentricities, his mental decline, and falling in with dodgy guy extraordinaire Eugene Landry. But as this story has been told many times before, it's really in how it's told. Aside from the afore-mentioned dual Brians, it's in the empathetic approach to it's subject and the dedication of the actors that really make this movie work.
And hey, the line 'You need to come back to yourself' does indeed have resonance

Straight Outta Compton

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Straight Outta Compton!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th September 2022

I remember this being a big deal when it was released, circa 2015. Never got around to watching it - I will admit that my knowledge of the subject, N.W.A., is somewhat limited - but I was aware that this movie was generating plenty of attention. And in a way, enough that made it difficult to ignore.

I will admit that in recent years I have become quite cold towards biographical movies where music bands are the subject - Such coldness comes from watching, and enjoying, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox story that points out how all of said movies tend to be formulaic and mocks them.
With such knowledge in mind, it may be difficult to take such movies seriously again.
That being said, I did enjoy the build up involved in the first half: Seeing how each member of the N.W.A. is introduced, witnessing their formation, the road to success and the controversy they courted (not to mention the danger that came with it). That part is indeed compelling and the actors involved certainly do a sterling effort of playing their real-life counterparts.
Funny thing is, once these guys stop performing live, and Ice Cube leaves, the film tends to lose focus: It goes in all kinds of directions and comes across like it's meandering around. Granted the N.W.A.'s history is plagued by infighting - and props to Ice Cube and Dr Dre for being honest about said infighting even when they're credited as producers - but somehow the second half can't compare to the fire of the first half.
Although the movie does do a great job of portraying Suge Knight as an absolutely terrifying figure.
Still I will give the movie props for avoiding the tropes associated with band-bio pics and portraying a time and place like no other

Reds

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

Original image located here. Accessed 8th July 2022

Lets talk about Warren Beatty for a minute.
To me, he is a man of two sides. One is the actor/ladykiller/'i'll-bang-anything-with-legs' and the other is the filmmaker: One who can produce, direct, is willing to take risks and is willing to back his own projects in order to make them happen. Of course, it is the latter side that interests me and the one that seems to less prominent in the mind of the public consciousness (and as such, less difficult to shake off).
So we come to this: A three hour biopic from 1981 which snagged Beatty an Oscar for Best Director. It tells the story of John Reed, a US writer who chronicled the Russian Revolution and even became involved in it. And, as a major selling point, the movie includes footage of people of the era (then aged considerably) describing John and the era this movie portrays.

Perhaps it is fitting that i mention Doctor Zhivago in last weeks post because I feel this is working from the same template: A three hour epic on the Russian Revolution with a romantic framework. And much like Doctor Zhivago I found myself more interested in the Revolution than the actual romance.
And it is with that that Beatty's talents as filmmaker shines through: In the terms of a history this movie is compelling and having the interview footage adds a lot to it with humanity and historical documentation. It may be slow to start with but this movie does indeed gather steam the more it goes on. And it is fascinating to see Reed grow from a passionate idealistic to being defeated by the system he supported.
Have to wonder though: Just how much did Reed resonate with Beatty? Obviously enough to get this movie made would be a suitable answer - But it's a story that Beatty wanted to tell so I'll give him that much.

Yankee Doodle Dandy

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Yankee Doodle Dandy!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th June 2022

Another trip to the classics, with this flick hailing all the way from 1943. I first heard of this movie over twenty years ago when I read of it in a book. There, it said that the lead, James Cagney, took a departure from the gangster roles that made him famous to playing a biopic of theatre giant George M Cohan. This intrigued me: On paper it seemed like a great way to a) dodge typecasting and a way to show one's versatility. In fact, could you do something like that now? Like say, John Travolta going from a dancing guy to a tough g......never mind.
More recently, I watched a DVD Kiera has detailing the history of Broadway and I came to know who George M Cohan was. So I guess now is a good time as any.

Given this is a film that's nearly eighty years old, it would be easy to dismiss it for it's age. And while it may be dated in places, the strength of this movie purely lies in telling the story of Cohan's life . Sure it may be easy to dismiss any biopic for inaccuracies, but it does do an effective job of showing a life lived and introduces a lot of his music. And some of his music I did recognise even if they were adapted for AFL Team theme songs.
So yeah as a celebration of both Broadway and the life of a man who revolutionised it, this film still holds up.
And of Cagney? Well, he scored an Oscar for Best Actor, he singled out this movie as his favourite performance and apparently came up with the tap-dancing routines on the spot.
And I don't doubt him in the slightest.

Temple Grandin

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

Original image located here. Accessed 11th December 2020

As mentioned in previous posts, I will show favoritism to movies that are based around protagonists that are on the autistic spectrum. And this movie is one from that particular ell. It's a biopic based around livestock scientist Temple Grandin.

I will admit: I had no idea who Temple Grandin was until i saw this movie. And if a Biopic makes me interested in knowing more about the person in question then it has done it's job with flying colors.
Over the course of the movie, we see key moments in Grandin's life: Her diagnosis, her ingenuity, her coping methods and her revolutionary ideas on the treatment of livestock. And such a remarkable life is handled by Claire Danes giving the performance of her career.
It may be a TV movie but it sure stands head and shoulders above the rest.

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...