The Nativity Story

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

Original image located here. Accessed 19th December 2025

Here's a curve ball for you all: The tackling of a religious-themed film.
I have been wanting to see this for quite some time but I've always held it off - this is because I have been on the internet long enough to know that talking about religion is asking for trouble. 
But seeing as it's that time of the year.....

To adapt a story from the Bible is similar to adapting Shakespeare: The material has been done countless times before so the challenge lies in finding a new angle. So what does this movie do?
What I find interesting is that the director is one Catherine Hardwick: Future director of the first Twilight movie. And while her interest in desaturated colours is present here and her approach may be heavy-handed (A choral version of Silent Night playing at the end? Seriously?), there are some striking visuals at play here. I also admire the realistic approach this movie takes. I am also impressed to see a pre-fame Oscar Isaacs giving a compelling performance as Joseph. And the sci-fi nerd in me finds it amusing to see Alexander Siddig playing the Angel Gabriel. 

But what really makes this movie works is that it tells the story of a couple going on a journey and facing various trials and tribulations before before and during. And that's where the movie really shines, being gripping and finding a strength in both it's simplicity and sensitivity. 

So may I conclude this post by wishing you all a Merry Christmas. 

Prince of Egypt

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Prince of Egypt!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th March 2018

I've been wanting to see this for a long time. And this time of year is as good as any.
So yeah, this is a really good movie. Clearly it's forging it's own path from that set by 1950s film The Ten Commandments and it becomes all the better for it.

What intrigues me the most about this movie is that it's something of an anti-Disney movie. This movie has a remarkably different art style, this is clearly aimed for an older-audience and it's intention to go down paths Disney refused to tread. Also pleasing is the relationship between Moses and Rameses. And Patrick Stewart's unmistakable voice.

But what stands out for me the most in this movie is the scale of it. Everything is..... well....Big. A lot of the settings are big, the songs are big and the animation is big. And all of this accumulates to the Parting of the Red Sea - which is...jaw-dropping to say the least.
So yeah. Great movie and I'm glad I saw it