All Quiet on the Western Front

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....All Quiet on the Western Front!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th April 2019

Well yesterday was Anzac Day so of course I will watch a war movie. And you can't do better than the granddaddy of them all.

It's always a risk going back to a movie pre-New Hollywood - and perhaps an even greater one going back to a movie that sits on the cusp of the transitional period out of the silent era. This is because they tend be ruined by the ravager that is time.
Mind you, this movie was, in it's prime, banned in Germany, Austria, Italy, France and Australia - but you wouldn't think that now.

But that is not the case here. The anti-war message hits like a hammer, the performances are top-notch, the spectacle is astonishing (more so for a movie made in 1930) and the humanism is prominent. Special mention must go to the war scenes which are both realistic and horrific in equal amounts (perhaps the ultimate goal for any war movie) and that unforgettable conclusion. Indeed, it says a lot when an eighty-nine year old move still commands such power.

Shazam

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

Original image located here. Accessed 19th April 2019

Its no coincidence that I saw Big last week. After all, both movies are based around the same theme so seeing how each approach differs would be something to see right?
To be honest I wasn't looking forward to this movie as i though the trailer didn't look anything special - but somehow I've heard some good things about Shazam so i decided i would give it a shot. And sometimes, there is something to be said about being proven wrong.

So yeah this movie was a lot of fun. It was funny and definitely shows signs of a low budget being made the most out of. Indeed one gets the feeling that seeing as Shazam is a lesser tier DC hero, the makers of this movie just decided that, (much like Aquaman) they could whatever they wanted - and in this case this is some sly attempt to remake Big (note the homage) under the guise of a super hero movie.
Of particular note however are instances of particular poignancy that are indeed surprising and are pulled off well.

All in all, a great movie and a sign that DC are heading down the correct path after numerous misfires - Clearly the dour approach wasn't working out for them.
Yet it is a disappointment that this movie does a better job of being a Superman movie than any of the recent Superman movies

Big

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

Original image located here. Accessed 12th April 2019

I've always liked Tom Hanks as an actor and here he doesn't disappoint. Sure he might have won Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump but this is perhaps the best role I've seen him in. He really sells being a kid in an adult's body. Sure the rest of the movie is funny but Tom's performance is the pretty much the engine that is driving this movie.

On a personal note however, this movie did strike a chord with me, upon seeing this character. You see, I have spent the past eighteen years being an adult - or at least trying to be one. Seeing an adult acting solely on a childlike innocence does indeed remind me of me at times and the people I have met. The type of people who resemble adults but don't shy away from acting like kids (lets be honest here: Who wouldn't want to play Heart and Soul on a giant keyboard?).
In recent years I have gotten my act together and become more of an adult - even when other people may balk at such a prospect (hence the phrase "I can't adult today!"). Even if i may indulge in some youthful enthusiasms, at least I take comfort in the knowledge that I am no more winging adulthood than everyone else

Stan and Ollie

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Stan and Ollie!

Original image located here. Accessed 5th April 2019

Once again, I see John C Reilly in a biopic. The difference here however is whilst Walk Hard was a parody, this however is done serious.
I can't say I know a lot about about Laurel (Stan) and Hardy (Ollie) beyond their status as legendary comedians and Hardy's catchphrase ("This is another fine mess..."). But i was curious about this movie because I heard some good things about it.

And you know what? I'm glad I did.
As mentioned above, i know next to nothing of Laurel and Hardy's comedy routines but I was impressed to see this routines replicated. Even more impressive is that i found routines nearly a hundred years old really funny.

But ultimately, the weight of this movie lies on the shoulders of Steve Coogan and John C Reilly as they recreate Laurel and Hardy with freakish accuracy, you'd swear you were watching the real thing.
However the humour and and recreation does not hide that this is a bittersweet movie about a partnership that's at the end of the line. That sense of finality does hang throughout this movie and certainly gives it an emotional punch.

So yeah, great movie and one of the best I've seen so far this year (meaning Endgame has it's work cut out for it)

The Big Chill

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Big Chill!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th March 2019

It has often been said that revivals happen in chunks of twenty years. And as Grease is the 70's tribute to the 50s, here we have the 80's tribute to the 60's.

That being said, i kind of get the feeling this movie was made for baby-boomers: The kind of people who grew up in the idealistic era of the 60s only to left in disappointment by being in a more materialistic era. But of course, both eras mean little to me (in the case of the 80s I was a little kid for most of it) so i was left alienated, let alone bored, by this movie.

I was indeed open to the possibility of this movie being a critique of revival movies in that showed the era of one's youth wasn't as good as people would like to think it was and/or the aforementioned disappointment with the difference of youth to adulthood but I never got that impression.
Still the soundtrack was pretty good

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd March 2019

I was interested in seeing this movie because it was sold to me as something of a contrast to Bohemian Rhapsody. Whereas a common complaint of Bohemian Rhapsody was that it adhered to the tried-and-tested tropes of the music bio-pic (often at the expense of the facts), Walk Hard however mocked said tropes, making them both stupid and hilarious at the same time. The ultimate irony is however that Walk Hard was a bomb whilst Bohemian Rhapsody raked in the cash.

Personally? I thought this was hilarious. The tropes are indeed all recognizable and are mercilessly mocked. Some of the cameos are a scream (the scene where Dewey meets the Beatles is one such moment), the personalities are similarly made fun of, the songs are great, and the contributions from real-life personalities are a hoot. Sure some of the jokes are incredibly stupid but it's my kind of silliness. But when the jokes do hit, they hit out of the park (witness the Bob Dylan parody and Dewey's multiple encounters with drugs through his drummer).
Plus it has Jack White (!) in scene-stealing form as Elvis (!!). Can't go wrong with that.

Captain Marvel

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th March 2019

In a way i wasn't looking forward to this. Prior to this movie we've had a build up which can only be described as a PR disaster with this being talked up as feminist film and the subsequent hostility from the misogynist crowd. Personally, i didn't want to be talked down by a movie that's falling over backwards to prove how woke it is - I just want to see Carol Danvers kicking arse.

Thankfully, that's exactly what i got (the latter that is).
It may be adhering to the Marvel formula with the action, humor and special fx we've come to expect, but there are some excellent character moments throughout. Ben Mendolson is in top form, Samuel L Jackson appears to be relishing the chance to be a major player in an MCU movie but in the end, this is still Brie Larsen's show and she carries the movie with flair. The various Nineties references were great too.

Do i feel like this was going out of it's way to talk down to me, the white-cis-male/scum-of-the-earth? Personally, I never got that impression. Perhaps I have a thicker skin than I realise but somehow the idea of getting back up after being constantly knocked down is indeed a universal one.
Ultimately, this may be adhering to the Marvel formula but for a series that supposedly winding down, this movie certainly proves there's some gas left in the tank.

As a side note, as someone who is a nephew to a woman called Carol, i find some degree of amusement with Monica's declaration of 'Auntie Carol!'.

Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th March 2019

A few weeks ago, i watched The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? which chronicled a Superman movie that never got made. This time however we have a documentary on a movie that did get made - even if the finished product was nothing like what was originally envisioned. Seems that the potential of what of could've been is a remarkably effective selling point (Firefly anyone?)

I first saw The Island of Dr. Moreau went i was in high school. At the time I didn't think much of it but in the years since, I have learned about the horrors that went into the shoot that have grown to become the stuff of legend. When one considers instances of Richard Stanley (the original director /driving force) being sacked four days in, the replacement director showing little enthusiasm, Stanley sneaking back onto the set as an extra, actors behaving like children, sets being at the mercy of Mother Nature, extras having way too much time on their hand, a mutinous crew, and a three week shoot stretched out to six months, one would think they have a making of documentary to end all making of documentaries.

Based on what I already know, there is indeed some new information being presented here. Richard Stanley has a lot to say and he certainly come across as being a smart, if oddball, person. His original ideas are interesting, the conceptual artwork is impressive, and the journey to getting the film green-lit is engaging. But when the production starts and countless problems rear their head, then the flow of the narrative heads towards disastrous. There is no shortage of bad things said about Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer (who is, unsurprising, absent here) and there is certainly some horror stories related by the cast and crew. Not to mention a lot of frustration and lamentations on the loss of Richard Stanley on a project that, under his gaze, held a lot of potential.
But ultimately, the triumph of this documentary is that we have a making-of documentary that is more fascinating and engaging than it's parent movie XD

Atari: Game Over

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Atari: Game Over!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st March 2019

Anyone heard of this? It's a documentary focusing on the video game that was ET that was on the Atari 2600. It discusses it's background, the backlash it copped, the urban legend of how countless copies of the game was buried in landfill and an excavation to unearth said copies to see if the legend was true.

While the parts involving the excavation were fascinating - not to mention the outcome - the real meat here is showing how Atari worked in the early eighties and what kind of environment it was. We get to meet hotshot designer Howard Scott Warshaw - and the documentary goes a long way in restoring his reputation - and shows just how much of a wild west the pioneering / pre-Nintendo console gaming era was.

While it is disappointing that the gaming crash is brief in both it's description and aftermath, this documentary does raise an interesting point about game preservation - and how easily things can be forgotten in an industry that moves so fast that it's difficult to keep up. Some say we may need a new Gaming Crash in order to ditch the dead wood that's clogging up the gaming industry But I am more interested in preserving classics: Far too many of them get claimed by history that would make the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria look tame by comparison.

Alita Battle Angel

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Alita Battle Angel!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd February 2019

My interest in anime truly blossomed during the nineties when my impressionable teenage mind became aware of these Japanese cartoons and how they did things differently to western animation. At the time, watching this breed of animation seemed 'badass' and 'not for the faint-hearted' and far from the 'nerdy' stigmata that anime tends to attract. It was also during this time that i managed to see the likes of Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll and Akira. And in amongst this clutch of titles was one Battle Angel Alita.

I did think highly of the title at the time - and still do years later, especially when quite a few anime seen in this period now come across as puerile (although not the afore-mentioned titles). So when i heard, years ago, that James Cameron was keen on adapting it, i was all for it. Little did I know however was I would have to wait for nearly two decades to see the final product.

It would be cynical of me to decree that nearly two decades of waiting couldn't hope to match the result - not to mention realistic - but somehow, this movie still manages to impress. The big eyes of Alita took some getting used to but the motion capture and the movements were certainly eye-catching. Rosa Salazar does a superb job carrying the movie and a lot of the cast managed to hold their own even when competing against a green screen of special effects (Christoph Waltz especially). And speaking of the green screen, what a special effects bonanza it is. Well choreographed action scenes, inventive designs and some truly mind-blowing action sequences.
Furthermore, clearly this adaptation follows the anime closely, as i recognized certain scenes and plot details. So this is indeed an adaptation of anime that gets the source material and proves that there is indeed an audience outside, what is ultimately, a niche interest.

One question though: Does this adaptation owe more to the anime or the original manga? Because the anime only covers the first two volumes of a nine volume series. In any case, i sincerely hope there is a sequel coming out of this adaptation because hey, why stop at the end of volume two?

The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th February 2019

For the uninitiated, this is a crowd-funded documentary discussing the unmade Superman movie Superman Lives, circa sometime in the late nineties. The trails and tribulations of this unmade movie are well-documented but this iteration offers unseen imagery, of designs, footage of costume tests and the experiences of those involved.

Prior to seeing this documentary i had read up on the troubled production of Superman Lives. And whilst it is fascinating to see the unseen material, the most interesting part is the involvement of producer Jon Peters. Previous accounts on Superman Lives have painted Peters as the bad guy with stories of him being incompetent, a bully, throwing in ideas with no rhyme or reason and not taking Superman seriously beyond him being a meal ticket. So it is fascinating, especially in the wake of the odd stories of him as told by Kevin Smith, to hear his voice. Granted he comes across as arrogant, of questionable honesty, spinning the narrative in his favour and a jerk, but he has a say at least.
All in all, a fascinating documentary and indeed, a glimpse at some truly lost potential

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....How to Train Your Dragon: the Hidden World!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th February 2019

Well here we are: the endpoint of a saga that was nearly a decade in the making. A journey that may have taken years for some but was only two weeks for me - therefore, one would say that I had a different journey compared to those who've been following these movies for as long as they have - and, some might say, a less rewarding journey. Nevertheless, I too have followed these characters, I've seen them grow and change and I've come to connect with them (HICCSTRID!!!). So I have got to the destination quicker but each step was far from dishonest.

As for the movie itself, well it has been said that Toothless has been a major selling point in these movies so of course they would bring in a second Night Fury. I suppose these is some inevitability that the second Night Fury would be a romantic interest for Toothless (especially seeing as the trailer talked it up) But i am willing to forgive such predictability as the scenes with Toothless and the Light Fury working off one another was a delight
The rest of the movie? Well it;s more of the same but that's not bad thing. Lot's of action, flying sequences, laughs, and another step in the evolution of these characters and the world in which they inhabit. But in a way, perhaps it is best the movies stop now, out of fear that it may settle into the complacency that is predictability.
And I will admit: that last portion of the movie did touch my cold, jaded heart - proof that if I made the journey quicker than other people, the outcome was still no different.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....How to Train Your Dragon 2!

Original image located here. Accessed 1st February 2019

So how do you deliver a sequel? Well you take that which is already established and present it in a new light while simultaneously take into unexplored territory. And to this end How to Train Your Dragon 2 succeeds with flying colours.

There's not much i can add to that statement: the animation is better, the stakes are higher, Hiccups' journey continues with some interesting developments, the flying sequences are astonishing, Toothless is still a delight, there's a welcome subtext of a handicapped character doing awesome feats, there's lots of laughs, moments of a kick to the guts variety and Valka is an interesting character, helped by the voice talents of the ever-wonderful Cate Blanchett
Also pleasing is the presence of Kit Harrington, who sounds like he's relishing the chance to not play a mopey git.