Gran Torino

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

Original image located here. Accessed 26th May 2017

I've always loved Clint Eastwood - one my favorite actors and he makes some great movies to boot. And here we are at what was intended to be his final hurrah as an actor.
And what do you know: He does a superb job. Clint is more or less playing an aged incarnation of one of his most famous roles, Dirty Harry, but Walt is no less charismatic, intimidating, or quick with the quip than Mr Callahan.

I've heard criticisms that this movie relied on the trope of the 'Great White Hope' to help out some oppressed Asians but I never got that impression. What i saw was a movie about a damaged man reclaiming his humanity and eventually finding redemption
But then again, that's the type of role that Clint could do in his sleep.

Alien: Convenant

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

Original image located here. Accessed 19th May 2017

I......honestly don't know what to make of this movie. Is it a rehash of Alien? Is it a lot of talking and philosophizing that I found more draining than engaging? Is it just a movie with more meat-shields than actual characters? Or is it incomprehensible to me as I've never seen Prometheus?
Still that escape sequence was pretty awesome

Excalibur

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th May 2017

I admit I have an interest for fantasy movies in the eighties because they strike me as looking more gritty and grungy than the fantasy movies made in a post-Lord of the Rings world. I will argue that the eighties produced some solid fantasy movies (ie Labyrinth, Conan the Barbarian, Never Ending Story and this) with a unique look that has never since been replicated.

As for the movie itself, this was a decent retelling of the stry of King Arthur and indeed setting a benchmark for future adaptations. Ever since I was a young lad I'd always associated King Arthur with the stories of heroism that made them famous - so it is indeed a surprise to see this adaptation boasting lots of grittiness, blood and sex. No way around it: Excalibur is King Arthur viewed through the lens of eighties Low fantasy and is all the better for it.
Special mention must also go to the use of music with O Fortuna and Siegfried's Funeral March
Plus it's fun to see a young Gabriel Bryne, Patrick Stewart, Liam Neeson and Helen Mirren.

Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th May 2017

No way around it: This movie does face a challenge living up the original: A movie where Marvel took a risk dusting off a lesser-known property (among many other risks) and ending up striking gold. So how does the sequel hold up?
Well it may not have surprise of the original, but it still plays up to it's strengths: Witty dialogue, interesting locales and characters that play off each other.There certainly is plenty of room for some character development and, whilst this movie may certainly be buying some time until the Infinity War, one doesn't get that impression.
All in all, it's a decent film and a step up from previous Marvel sequels

The Princess and the Frog

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Princess and the Frog!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th April 2017

I enjoyed this one, what with it's playful animation, snappy soundtrack, New Orleans setting & art design (par for the course with Disney) and a truly glorious villain in the form of Dr Facilier (oh Keith David, is there nothing you can do?).

HOWEVER! I was enjoying the first half hour so much that (and I swear I'm going to be in the minority when I say this) when the movie moves away from New Orleans and to the swamp, I found the movie came to a grinding halt and a lot of what made the film initially interesting got shoved to one side. Needless to say, for me it took some time before it got back on track again.
Grumbling aside though, this movie did a lot right and it did it well.

Four Lions

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

Original image located here. Accessed 31st March 2017

I like British Comedy and I like black comedies - both of which appeal to my (admittedly demented) sense of humor. So this movie was a certainly amusing, smart and, at times, poignant. Just the way i like them.
Great cameo by Benedict Cumberbatch too

The Social Network

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Social Network!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th March 2017

You know, watching the opening credits I noticed this movie was written by Aaron Sorkin. Which is fascinating to me because I know this man less through his works and more through YouTube videos parodying his works. Funny yes but strangely less unusual in this internet-powered culture we live in today.

As for the movie itself, yeah it wasn't bad. Lotsa dialogue (kinda expected for the writer) but honestly? I don't see it any different from a rags-to-riches-hang-on-you-stole-my-idea-I'll-gunna-sue-you story
However! I did find a particular poignancy in the last scene. Especially this line: "You're not an asshole Mark - you're just trying so hard not to be"

In a world of internet-culture, where the dominant voice is the loudest, there's something to be said for such clarity

Titanic

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

Original image located here. Accessed 17th March 2017

I've spoken previously about approaching movies with a reputation big enough to inspire intimidation but this one takes the cake.

You see, I remember this being a big deal in my last year of high school and my first year of college. Some people loved it but others hated it. It gave Leonardo Di Caprio's profile a mammoth boost. It made people call James Cameron a traitor for going to action movies (Terminator 1+2 and Aliens) to making a romance. It inspired criticisms ranging from the length, how the ship sinking was the only good thing about it and giving us that damn Celine Dion song.

A formidable reputation to be sure but for me the only way to approach this movie was to build some distance from it and view it on my own terms (as always). Well, two decades is a suitable enough distance so what do I think of this movie?

Yeah, it's not bad.

Strangely enough I didn't find Titanic slow or tedious as it's reputation suggests. The level of detail is impressive and the CGI effects still hold up rather well. Special mention must also go to the (very long) sinking sequence which is both impressive and horrific at once.

Ultimately though Titanic was indeed a passion project for James Cameron and it shows. It may be his show but it's certainly a good one

Bridesmaids

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

Original image located here. Accessed 10th March 2017

I was interested in this movie because it was written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo - so instead, of male comedians writing their own movie we have female comedians writing their own movie. It's an admirable change of pace but does it work?

Actually it does. This was a genuine surprise for me. I found myself really getting into this movie and laughing out loud at certain moments. I was expecting a lot of female-centric jokes that would end up going over my head but that wasn't the case. There's some great comedic talent being put to work and some priceless moments.
Could've done without some of the gross-out humour however but you can't have everything.

The Emperor's New Groove

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

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd March 2017

No way around it: It seems to me that people don't like this - or at least overlook it - because it's part of Disney's post-renaissance slump.
Not so with me: i thought it was hilarious! Easily the funniest of Disney's animated features with rapid fire jokes, riotous timing, witty dialogue and a show-stealing duo that is Yzma and Krunk.
As always the art direction is superb, with the Incan feel but seeing as this is Disney, that's hardly a surprise.

I've heard this movie being compared to the Looney Tunes shorts and i can sorta see that - but if anything, this seems like Disney's attempt to beat the Warner Bros at their own game. And it works

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th February 2017

Once again this is a case of me seeing the sequel before it's predecessor: I saw Bogus Journey years ago when I was a kid but it is only now I've seen this, the original movie.

I have fond memories of Bogus Journey but maybe that's through the eyes of youth. That being said, I did enjoy Excellent Adventure through an adult perspective but I have to wonder what the younger me would have thought of it. Still, this movie made me laugh so it succeeded as a comedy - and, seeing as we all live in a tribal society, perhaps there is value in 'Being Excellent to each other'
Oh and Keanu Reeves should play more stoners - he seems to be really good at doing that XD

Only Yesterday

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

Original image located here. Accessed 17th February 2017

Hayao Miyazaki may have become synonymous with Studio Ghibli but that does present a problem: Ghibli's other works (you know, the one's not directed by Miayzaki and/or not feature fantastical whimsy) may find themselves getting the shaft. Which is a shame because some of them are pretty good in their own right.

Which brings us to Only Yesterday. Once again, this is an anime movie that shows that Ghibli can do 'Slice of Life' anime really well. The art direction is astonishing and could well be the most beautiful of Ghibli's works - which is certainly saying something.
But I have to admit this movie does come with a degree of resonance for me: It is a reflection on a life lived and how one's choices can shape one's self - and how they can never hold anyone back. It's something for me to consider as I limp through my mid-thirties, and posting reflective Notes in this corner of cyberspace. Thus, if a movie has had such a profound effect then it must've done something right
Oh and special mention must go to the end-credits sequence - truly a thing of beauty.

The Devil At Your Heels

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Devil at Your Heels!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th February 2017

Has anyone heard of this? This is a 1981 documentary on the (now deceased) Canadian stuntman Ken Carter. This follows his attempts to perform the ultimate stunt: Jumping the St Lawrence River (on the border of Canada and the U.S.) in a rocket car. It was Ken's intention that this be his moment of glory after twenty years of car jumps.

So what this documentary....documents is the journey to make that jump. But it never runs smoothly: It covers five years (!) to make it happen, wherein so many things go wrong with backers coming and going, numerous attempts to drum up support, technical faults and delays & cancellations upon delays & cancellations. It may sound like grounds for a Monty Python skit but it's not: There is an aura of tragedy - particularly when one sees Ken Carter himself: He's always talking up this jump like any man with a dream and he certainly has the passion and conviction to see it through. Thus in a way, you really feel sorry for the guy when nothing is going right.
Still, great documentary, and it;s great to finally see it after some twenty four years since i was first made aware of it.