And this week's Friday night movie has been... Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping!
Well I saw one movie this year that mocked the music biopic (Weird) so why not another one?
Coming from the comedic minds that is The Lonely Island, one knows what to expect: hilarious gags, layered comedy, celebrity cameos and snappy songs. And this movie does indeed deliver, mocking all the tropes, not only with music biopics but the popstar career in general. It may all be easy targets but the gags still hit.
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Sister Act 2!
Well I watched the first one so I may as well watch the second one. That and Kiera decided that we both watch this one.
I do recall this movie, as is often the case, not living up to the success of it's predecessor. Yet at the same time there seems to something of a recent reappraisal of this movie, citing a diverse cast as one of it's strong points.
Watching the movie now, I will admit that yes: the class that Dolores teaches is indeed diverse and shows the kind that puts a lot of more recent movies to shame. However, in doing so one can't help but notice that Dolores has a lesser role in the movie. Indeed, ones get the feeling this was a movie about a teacher handling a class from the rough side of the tracks (Dangerous Minds anyone?) but it was only made when the characters from the first Sister Act movie were added. Which is a shame as I found the end result as going against the grain of what made the first movie work: The laughs are fewer, the themes of the stodginess of nuns has nowhere left to go and the crime-world sub-plot is sorely missed.
Not bad but I have the feeling it could've been better....
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Sister Act!
I recall this movie being a huge hit in the early nineties and it being instrumental in making Whoopi Goldberg a huge star. Personally I have only seen bits and pieces of it but have never sat all the way through it. Little did I know that Kiera had plans for me...
Watching it now, what strikes me is that the strength of this movie is not the murder plot, nor the humour (I will admit however the Catholic joke got a good laugh out of me), nor the general premise of poking fun at the stodginess of nuns. No, the strength of this movie is the musical numbers. They are snappy and there is some solid singing involved - indeed one could make the case this movie is an ancestor of the Pitch Perfect movies.
And that's enough for me
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin: The Final!
I first became aware of Rurouni Kenshin in 2000 - the same year I discovered Queens of the Stone Age. As such it didn't take much to combine the two: "K-K-K-K-K-Kenshin!!!"
*crickets chirping*
Moving swiftly along, given that I saw the Beginning last week, it is therefore a natural progression that I would watch The Final. And this movie is of particular interest as it's an attempt to cover the Revenge arc - which was never covered by the original anime (well there was the Reflections OAV but we don't talk about that one...). Of course, I did know what the Revenge arc covered beforehand so it is interesting to see how this would stack up.
Its interesting to watch this having watched the other movie the previous week before (even if it was released second). Because they're both like night and day. Beginning is grim, with desaturated colours, realistic fight sequences and a tragic air. Final is colourful, Wire-fu all over the place and a theme of redemption. And again, the LA cast have the mannerisms of their animated counterparts down pat with freakish accuracy.
Obviously this is working with the strengths established with the previous movies which is well and good. But what as an adaptation?
Well it follows the same story beats but this is where the filmmakers have to deliver something news that wasn't already covered in previous adaptations. So this adaptation is a loose one but it still feels lacking. Most of the side characters get the shaft and some moments don't have the punch that they should have. Guess the Revenge arc will never have a proper adap.. wait, there's a new Kenshin anime? Coming out this year?
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Rurouni Kenshin: The Beginning!
Back in 2020, i saw the first Live action Rurouni Kenshin movie and liked it enough to have a look at the rest. But, as is often the case with me, I never got around to it. However, as of now, I was able to find the final two - Final and Beginning - on Netflix. Of course, I will be missing out on the middle two but having seen that portion of the Kenshin story in animated form, I can feel confident that I can skip that part.
As for this? Well it's the LA adaptation of Kenshin's background as an assassin - which was done previously with the Trust/Betrayal OVAs. And much like said OVAs, much of the mood is carried over: This movie is grim, lacking in colour, bloody and the tragedy still hits like a truck. And in a way it does improve over the OVAs as it dispenses with some of the arty diversions for a more tighter narrative. Much of the strengths of the first movie, the cast and the visuals are carried over but they still work even when placed under such a grim light.
I have to say: Of all the Live action adaptations of well known manga/anime, this is hands down the best. But then again, when the source material is so strong you can't really do a bad job of it, right?
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Man With a Movie Camera!
Anyone heard of this? It's a Soviet movie dating all the way back to the silent era - 1929 to be precise - that has gone down in history as being one of the most influential movies ever made. Such a reputation rests on the fact that this movie employs many film-making techniques: cross-cuts, slow motion, fast motion, reversing, quick cuts, stop animation and more.
Granted this could yet another instance of me, so far this year, of watching yet another lesser known/foreign/arty film but then again, I have always relied on the notion that I talk about the movies I've seen and hope that what I type connects with someone. So I see no reason to stop now.
As for the movie, well, clearly it's reputation lies on how it managed to expand the vocabulary of film. At first glance it is a documentary what with it showing a day in the life of an Eastern European city, with it's occupants at work and play. Yet I personally felt that I was watching the distant progenitor of countless music videos.
Ultimately however, the strength of this movie lies in it's visuals and what the director, Dziga Vertov had managed to accomplish. There are some stunning visuals and some interesting narratives at work.
That being said, has this movie aged? I ask this as we are watching the same techniques that have been replicated many, many, MANY times since. I would say no as this movie's followers would no doubt take the 'I can do that too' approach. Here however I don't get the impression that Vertov was showing off - largely because this is still a documentary first and foremost.
So yeah, nearly a century later, this movie still has power.
And this week's Friday night movie has been... Puss in Boots: The Last Wish!
So we arrive here: As promised it is time to see if this is cracked up as it was made out to be.
And what do you know? It delivered and then some. Sure I had the slight advantage as I didn't have to wait a full decade between seeing this and it's predecessor, but this truly was a gem.
In a previous post, I may have slammed the Shrek movies for introducing a formula that many have tried to replicate since - and like any formula it can only go for so long before it gets tiresome. But I don't get that impression here: Much like it's predecessor, it breaks away from the formula to say something of it's own.
And that something is one that refuses to talk down to it's audiences and is unafraid to talk about major themes - particularly that of living life that wasn't wasted. Which is big deal given this is a movie staring a spanish-accented tabby with boots and a big hat.
The highlights for me are the Wolf and the quality of animation. Sure it reeks of the same techniques that the Spiderverse movies worked with but it is interesting to see Dreamworks take an approach of 'I can do that too'. One would think it would be derivative but that the animators made wonders out of what they were working with is truly astonishing.
So yes, once again the further Puss divorces itself from the Shrek formula, the better the final product is.
And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Leaving Neverland!
I was originally going to watch Puss in Boots: Last Wish but I had a last minute change of plan and opted for this.
I think a lot of my audience would have heard of this: It's a documentary where two guys, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, talk about how they were befriended by Michael Jackson at a young age and what followed afterwards. Needless to say, this documentary has gone a long way in challenging Michael's reputation.
Personally I always had an indifferent stance with Michael Jackson. So upon watching this documentary, two things stand out. Firstly it is long at four hours (Heaven help me if I ever decide to watch Shoah). And secondly, this is really Wade and James being very open about their experiences. I've heard people complain that this documentary is one-sided but really, it is both Wade and James' story.
And what a story it is. A lot of detail is given about what happened to these two and how they processed it: Stories of abuse, separation, secrecy, silence, cover-ups, and the long road in processing the trauma endured. This documentary certainly isn't easy to sit through but it certainly has power as a description of child abuse.
Powerful and without a doubt nothing quite like it....
So what did prompt that last minute change? Buggered if I know.
And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Puss in Boots!
I've been hearing good things about the latest Puss in Boots movie (Last Wish) so I may as well take a look at it's predecessor as a primer.
So what do I think of Shrek? I enjoyed the first two movies but I avoided what came after once it became clear this was a franchise that was going to be run into the ground. Furthermore, it seemed to me that the first one introduced a formula for success that many other movies in it's wake have sought to replicate. Also the jabs at Disney in the first movie are looking quite antiqued now.
So you can imagine my scepticism when returning to this particular franchise.
But I think the distance did me some good: I had a great time with this. It was a good move to make Puss the star of his own movie as there was a lot to the character and plenty to be added to him. It also helps that Antonio Banderas seems to having the time of his life in this role (and that is saying something given it's a voice role).
The humour certainly does seem to differ from the Shrek formula and is all the better for it. I don't know if that was the intention but this movie does suit the action/adventure format anyway.
So yeah great fun. Puss is as dynamic as ever and Kitty makes for a fun addition.
Now about the sequel....
And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Weird: The Al Yankovic story!
Being the uber nerd I am, it should come to no surprise that I am a fan of Weird Al Yankovic. I've seen him live twice and it's a true display of one's nerd credentials - and, as I found, a good way to annoy one's big brother. So of course I would see this movie.
Years ago, I saw the movie Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story which I thoroughly enjoyed for it's mockery of the Rock Biopic. The reason I mention it now is that Weird is telling the same joke.
But what does it matter? This was the funniest movie I have seen in a long time, with genuine belly laughs, numerous references, the blatant disregard for factual context and the complete absurdity of it all. And the fact that Weird Al is played by Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter himself - and he actually does a fantastic job is just the icing on the cake.
Seriously, I can't remember the last movie I laughed so hard at XD
And this week's Friday Night movie has been... McCabe and Mrs Miller!
If there has been a theme in my movie watching for this year (thus far) it is me addressing my to-watch list: watching the stuff that have been on there for a long time, and finally striking said movies from the list.
And this is one such movie: No idea how long it's been on my to watch list so that's a good reason to watch it.
So what we have here is a western (not gonna complain there) but with a difference: This is a western that takes a realistic approach. Instead of deserts, we get snow. Instead of the gunslinger protagonist we have a gambler-turned-businessman. Instead of a desolate, weather beaten town, we have a village on the grow.
Indeed it is that refusal to go with the grain of tried and tested western conventions that is the main strengths of this movie. And that the movie is beautifully shot is an added bonus.
The best moment for me is the final showdown, which plays much differently than one would expect and where the tension is milked for every drop.
So yeah, it's different but it's certainly compelling
And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Super Mario Bros. Movie!
These past couple of weeks I have been indulging my inner fan geek: watching these classic movies that achieved classic status. Well, this time around I think it's time I watched something more current.
I will admit that this movie's reaction intrigued me. Critics aren't liking it that much but the audiences are loving it. I suppose that is a given sense this particular franchise has an in-built (and not to mention sizable) fanbase.
But you know what? I had a lot of fun with this movie. Certainly i will admit that it pretty much exists for gaming geeks like myself who can spot all the visual references, identify all the musical cues and pick up on the notion that persistence pays off. But dammit, this movie clearly has a lot of love put into it and it gave me an enormous grin that stretched from ear to ear as well as provided plenty of laughs all the way through.
I guess film connoisseurs like myself don't have to go for the serious stuff all the time XD
And this week's Friday Night movie has been... Throne of Blood!
Last year I watched Ran - Akira Kurosawa's take on the Shakespeare play King Lear. This year I watch Throne of Blood - Akira Kurosawa's take on the Shakespeare play Macbeth ("Aahhhhh! Hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends!").
Part of the thrill of watching this play is seeing a play i am very familiar with being shown in a different context - after all that is the challenge of doing Shakespeare: presenting something that has been done countless times before in a different light. So whilst this play may not follow the text to the letter, there are still some recognisable scenes and the plot progresses the same.
But what this film really understands about the source material is that the play has a sense of mystery and dread about it. And the film certainly runs with it, what with having a lot of fog, paranoia, ominous moments and a tiny number of locations. Indeed the triumph of this movie is that does a lot with what little it has.
Throw in some compelling performances from the two leads (Toshiro Mifune and Isuzu Yamada) and a death scene that has to seen to be believed and we have a movie that has lasted very well against the march of time.
Damn Kurosawa sure knew how to make a movie, eh?
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