The Dark Tower

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Dark Tower!

Original image located here. Accessed 25th August 2017

In a word: Disappointing. I knew this was based on a series of fantasy books written by Stephen King but therein lies the main problem: It's a series squashed into a seventy minute movie. As a result, i was confused by this movie and left feeling it should've gone for much longer, Apparently this movie was trying to present something new for the both those familiar with the source material and those unfamiliar with the source material (ie me) but me? I was left feeling flat out baffled.
There's certainly some good ideas to be sure but as a pitch for something larger? No thanks.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power!

Original image located here. Accessed 18th August 2017

Well I saw An Inconvenient Truth so watching the follow-up is pretty much a given. And if there was a documentary that needed a followup it is certainly this one, just to show the changes that have been wrought since the first movie.

Sadly this follow-up turned out disappointing. One would think Al Gore would take the opportunity to refute the challenges of sceptics and deniers but he doesn't. One would think Al would bring up the improvements made but he doesn't spend enough time on them. But he certainly does spend plenty of time bringing up the the disasters that have occurred and the persuasion of world leaders to take action.

And that is the problem with the film: It seems aimless. It can't be denied that An Inconvenient Truth may have brought awareness, and changes, to the mess that has been made of this planet but I came away feeling we still have a long way to go. Is that truly the reality?
Is it likely that ten years from now we'll have another sequel to An Inconvenient Truth wherein an aged Al Gore talks about more dangers of the environment in a manner that suggests progress has been moving at a glacial pace?

An Inconvenient Truth

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....An Inconvenient Truth!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th August 2017

Those who follow this series will know that the only rule for my Friday night movie is that it has to be something I haven't seen before. Thus it seems a travesty that this movie has slipped my notice, considering the impact it has and the ripples it has throughout the world since. Still, the prospect of a sequel may be a good enough reason to get off my lazy arse and see it.

Thing is, the information presented here is over a decade old. This information has been repeated over and over across the years since. It's not a bad thing as the mess we've made of this planet has been terrifying to say the least but it can't be denied that this documentary has motivated a lot of action. Thus it would be interesting to see the changes that have been made since this documentary was made - hence the need for a sequel.
Oh wait, is said sequel now out in cinemas?

Five Deadly Venoms

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Five Deadly Venoms!

Original image located here. Accessed 4th August 2017

Has anyone heard of this? It's a Hong Kong kung-fu movie from the late seventies. I only heard about it largely through reputation and it being referenced in Kill Bill. So what did I think of it?

Well, there are some goofy moments, some odd sound design and a scene that utilizes the intro music to Monty Python and the Holy Grail but seriously, the only reason people watch kung-fu movies is for the action. And this movie delivers the type of action that is no laughing matter. The action is astonishing, even with the passage of four decades, all held together by the six leads.
Can i think of a better martial arts team assembled on film? No I don't think i can XD

Kubo and the Two Strings

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Kubo and the Two Strings!

Original image located here. Accessed 28th July 2017

I.....for once, am at a lost for words. So i just boil down what it was like seeing this film to a single word:

Awestruck.

Yep it's been a while since I've seen a movie to have such an impact but seriously: I think i may have to reconsider my list of favorites and make a prominent space for this one. So many good things with this movie I don't know where to begin. The direction is masterful, the animation quality staggering (moreso when one remembers this is stop-animation) and the heart is enormous.
In fact what are you doing still reading this inane post? Go and watch it. NOW.

Good Will Hunting

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Good Will Hunting!

Original image located here. Accessed 21st July 2017

In the years since this movie, the careers of both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have gone through ups and downs and have even become punchlines. But once upon a time, they were two young actors who figured the only way to get anywhere was to write their own script. And clearly it worked.

As for the movie itself, there's something to be said about a character who has potential but does not (or is unwilling to) realise it. There's something to be said about a movie that is clearly baiting for an Oscar that has so much cussing in it. There's something to be said for a movie that has excellent performances all around (one of which won a well-deserved Oscar). And there's something to be said about a movie that connects with it's audience. I will admit that i can see some of myself in the titular character and if a movie can do that, then it must've done something right
Also, Happy Birthday Robin T__T

Spiderman: Homecoming

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Spiderman: Homecoming!

Original image located here. Accessed 14th July 2017

Marvel may have 'borrowed' the rights to make a Spiderman movie from Sony so what now? Are they going to show them how to do it properly?
Sarcasm aside, this is the sixth Spiderman movie so is there anything that can be done with this character?

Apparently so. Yes this is the Marvel formula applied to a teen movie and yes it delivers what we all kind of expect from this studio by now, but it works! Better still, we have an interesting villain (something Marvel has often struggled with), we have Tony Stark being a mentor as opposed to an irresponsible jerk (helped considerably by RDJ's performance), and we have Spiderman taken seriously. It may be doomed to remain trapped in the shadow of the Sam Raimi films but it does it;s own thing, adds something new to the mythos and the MCU and is a decent film in it's own right - a difficult balancing act to say the least but it works.

So when's the Infinity War duology coming then?

Beauty and the Beast

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... Beauty and the Beast (2017)!

Original image located here. Accessed 7th July 2017

Hooo boy, how this one made me cautious in my approach.
Let it be known that Beauty and the Beast is my favourite of the Disney Renaissance so I wasn't exactly eager to see this new version. What was wrong with the original that warranted a second go (besides a cash grab?). Still I was open to the possibility of being surprised.....

I think it's fair to say that this movie will be one of those that will polarize people: The kind that attract detractors and supporters who will defend it with unusual fervor. Me? Well I didn't think this movie was a complete disaster, but i came away underwhelmed.
Okay, so sure the movie was visually interesting and the art direction was engaging and some of the new stuff worked (I particularly liked that Harpsichord) but there's something about this movie that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth.

You see, one selling point of this movie was that addressed some of the plot holes of the original. Not a bad choice but there were times when i felt like it was the sole point of the movie. Or, as another critic put it, it was like the movie was written by someone on the internet who wanted to say "I'm Smarter Than a Disney Movie!" - and in that case, you're still being patronized to. Thus, in the haste to correct the plot holes, it seems the script forgot to work on some of the more important elements. Consequently some of the more important parts (ie Belle's imprisonment and Beast letting Belle go) come across as abrupt - and this movie is longer than the original!

I'm also not fond of the Beast either: He seems far too much of a jerk and looks far too much like a satyr than that wonderful creation of the original. But the original was purely a creation of 2d animation so the question remains: What can you do in live action that hasn't already been done better elsewhere?
So in the end, it's not a disaster but I'll stick with the original thank you very much

Silence of the Lambs

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Silence of the Lambs!

Original image located here. Accessed 30th June 2017

In regards to selecting my Friday night movie, I only have one rule: The question of 'Have I seen this movie before?'. Needless to say, the movies I haven't seen are the ones that get watched. But this one is an intriguing selection: Largely because this movie has been referenced and parodied so many times that coming to the source is a challenge to say the least.

To be honest, there's not a lot else I can say about his movie that hasn't been already said. Yes that may sound like a boring answer but what else can I say? It's tense, disturbing, and it boasts Anthony Hopkins' most unforgettable role. Even if this movie has been parodied to death it still holds some considerable power twenty six years on.
Still, i doubt I've seen a movie with so many close ups XD

Taxi Driver

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

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd June 2017

There's not a lot I can say about this movie that hasn't already been said before: A major step in Martin Scorsese's career, a star-making role for Robert de Niro, Bernard Herrmann's final movie score, and a very unflattering portrayal of New York City.

What I find interesting about this movie however, is it's still relevant some forty-one years later. The main character is a guy, Travis, who is paranoid, lonely, woefully cut off from modern society and has no idea how to interact with anyone else. Thing is, such people still exist only they aren't buying firearms, they're yelling at other people on the internet.
It's quite a demand on me, the viewer, to try and connect with such a character. Travis runs the gauntlet of being pathetic, frightening and strangely sympathetic. He is just like any other socially maladjusted misanthrope that we may have encountered at one stage in our lives in one form or another. So how am i supposed to react? Judging by the eventual fate of Travis by the end of the movie, it seems the movie is just as unclear as I am.
Which is why it succeeds.

Ever After: A Cinderella Story

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Ever After: A Cinderella Story!

Original image located here. Accessed 16th June 2017

This may seem like an odd choice but I have been intrigued by this movie ever since I first heard of it: A more realistic telling of the Cinderella story? Sounds like an intriguing challenge to me (although why it took me nineteen years to see it is...oh wait we're getting sidetracked here).

But yes, this movie is actually a delight. It works for me in that it takes a story told many times before and treats it as a historical fiction, eschewing much of the magic that is associated with the original tale. I mean why have a fairy godmother when you have Leonardo da Vinci instead?

Also pleasing is the treatment of the stepsisters and the stepmother (Angelica Huston is a standout) as real characters and not being evil for the sake of evil. The Prince and the King (and Queen) also get some substantial screen time and character development that the original story didn't provide.
In fact, now that i think of it, was this the turning point for the Cinderella mythos? Where everyone started treating the other characters as actual characters? Probably not, but I can't stop thinking that....

So in conclusion this movie was a lot of fun and enjoyable for the dateless wond...sorry, hopeless romantics out there

Wonder Woman

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

Original image located here. Accessed 9th June 2017

Yeah it's all right.

Okay seriously, it's a given that DC's attempts to chase Marvel's successes are obvious to the point of painful. And such attempts have divided audiences drastically (ie Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad). So what do you do when you've got your back to the wall? You knuckle down and make a decent movie, that's what.

So yeah there is a lot going for this movie. And it shows that a lot of effort has been put in the correct previous mistakes: A script with proper structure and plausible dialogue; a distinct lack of drab colors; action scenes that aren't a mess of confusion and blurry shots; And a true understanding of the character.

It's not quite on par with Marvel's finest but it succeeds because it shows DC are putting in effort and learning from their mistakes. Now it remains to be seen if DC can stop themselves from falling back into bad habits....

Return to Oz

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Return to Oz!

Original image located here. Accessed 2nd June 2017

Said it once and I'll say it again: The Eighties were a surprisingly fertile time for fantasy movies and they look very different to the movies made in a post-Lord of the Rings world. But in the case of Return to Oz, this is the one that has a rotten reputation, being disowned as being nightmare fuel for many a young child and a bastard offspring for a much-beloved family movie.

Me? I thought it was great! Sure I'm speaking from the vantage point of being an adult, but I thought the movie was inventive, creative and the practical effects look great. The sets were something to behold as well.
All of which would be enough to grant a pass from me, but I'm just pleased that, unlike the gazillion adaptations of Wonderful Wizard of Oz, someone decided to go beyond the first book. In a fourteen book series.