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.

The Killing

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

Original image located here. Accessed 27th January 2017

I have been asked how I choose the movies to watch on a Friday night. In this case, it was down to two reasons.

The first reason it was an early film by Stanley Kubrick - someone whose work i have held an interest in for a long time. And in the sense that each of his films is a separate entity onto itself, The Killing shows Kubrick to handle a crime movie pretty well. Sure it may be dated (it was made in 1955 after all) and I'm not sure about the use of the narrator, but the movie had enough clout to maintain my attention and have me see it through to the end.

The second reason are the alleged similarities between this and Reservoir Dogs. Although Quentin Tarantino has credited the Killing as an influence and dismissed claims of trying to do a rip-off, it did not stop similarities arising - even to the point where some TV channel in the UK showed both movies back to back. Personally i don't see the similarities beyond the basic plot of 'a bunch of guys pull off a heist and it goes wrong'. I think what separates both films is the Killing is BEFORE the heist and Reservoir Dogs is AFTER the heist.
So yeah, I enjoyed the Killing a lot because it had my attention - which is what a movie should do.

Moana

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

Original image located here. Accessed 20th January 2017

It would seem now that every Disney Animated feature is doomed to remain in the shadow of Frozen. Such a thing would be unfair to say but if Frozen changed the rules of being a Disney princess, and subsequently became a runaway hit, it remains to see what will be done in a post-Frozen environment.

That being said, with regards to Moana, there is a lot going for it: I like the characters, the songs, the art direction (the art direction!) and the very high quality of animation. Maui is a riot (especially when one considers who's voicing him), Tamatoa is a hilarious channeling of David Bowie and the climax/resolution is truly a thing of beauty.
Some people are saying that the movie is falling back on Disney's tried-and-tested formulas and not pushing the envelope but I really enjoyed this movie. And, in the terms of portraying Polynesian cultures, this movie is indeed a success.

Chopper

And this week's Friday night move has been.....Chopper!

Original image located here. Accessed 13th January 2017

So this was the movie that pretty much launched Eric Bana's star into the stratosphere. And I will agree he alone makes the movie. But get past that I'm not sure what to make of the movie itself. Is it cautionary tale? A character study? An attempt to beat Tarantino at his own game?

Still, I've seen plenty of Australian made films and this is, hands down, one of the most memorable. So something must've worked.

Rogue One

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

Original image located here. Accessed 6th January 2017

Ever since i saw Force Awakens, I've come to regard it as the 'Apology Letter for the Prequel Trilogy'. But now that Lucasfilm/Disney have got it out of their system, they can return to making proper movies now, right? And can we tell a story that doesn't involve the horrifically dysfunctional Skywalker family?

Apparently we can. Now, speaking as a fan of both Star Wars Rebels and Knights of the Old Republic, I welcome any opportunity to see the Star Wars universe from a different angle. And I certainly got it here. Great action, gripping set pieces and a truly exciting climax. I also like how the Jedi/Force stuff took a backseat, to make way for a grittier look at the rebellion and the Star Wars equivalent of the Dirty Dozen. Rogue One is certainly different to the regular Star Wars flair but it's all the better for it
Incidentally, did anyone else think that Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus deserved their own movie? Because I'd watch that!

Joyeux Noel

And this year's Christmas Eve movie has been.....Joyeux Noel!

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd December 2016

Errrr....wow, I came into this movie not knowing what to expect (beyond the general concept of it being based on the WW1 Christmas Truce) and I came away impressed. A superb movie and certainly gripping. It's also interesting to see a war movie which focuses on the different sides involved.

But really, this movie is about a bunch of soldiers from three factions who, despite the war going around them, desired for a peace and, on Christmas Eve, put down their weapons and joined together in solidarity. And in a year which saw the lines of division grow even wider, I think we can all learn something from that.

Have a Merry Christmas

Searching For Sugar Man

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Searching For Sugar Man!

Original image located here. Accessed 9th December 2016

I think we know all the story by now: Rodriguez, A troubadour from Detroit US, makes two albums in the early seventies which don't go anywhere. But unbeknownst to him, Rodriguez's music finds an audience in South Africa where his albums are big sellers and he himself is ionized. And of course this documentary played an instrumental role in giving Rodriguez a wider audience and the subsequent belated success that eluded him.

So what can i say that hasn't been said already? The documentary was fascinating, the story was both incredible and engaging and, i have to admit, i did get the feels when confronted with the video footage of Rodriguez playing his first show in South Africa in front of a sell-out audience.
I recently had the pleasure of seeing Rodriguez perform live (and that was before I saw this documentary). He was funny, charismatic, and can certainly engage a crowd.

Enchanted

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

Original image located here. Accessed 2nd December 2016

You gotta hand it to Disney: Poking fun at themselves and the tropes they pioneered. I will gladly support any big company that has the willingness to laugh at themselves and this film delivers in spades. Oh and Amy Adams. She was a riot to watch and she pretty much steals the show. So yeah: Great film!
Could've done without that dragon at the end though....

Doctor Strange

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

Original image located here. Accessed 25th November 2016

I went into this movie expecting something along the lines of 'Inception on steroids' and, in a way, that's kind of what I got. The SFX were certainly mind-blowing and, in an age were CGI is overused to the point of tedium, one gets the feelings the makers of Dr Strange wanted to show everyone how it's done. In that case, mission accomplished! (although i hope there were some practical FX in there somewhere...).

Other than that, the character of Dr Strange was great (helped considerably by the actor performing him) and it would be interesting to see him fit in with the rest of the MCU...wait, he'll be in the new Thor movie? With both Thor AND Hulk?! Oh YES!!!!!

Barry Lyndon

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

 Original image located here. Accessed 11th November 2016

I have to say, this movie was a surprise. I'd heard beforehand about how the movie involved a lot of natural lighting - notably the use of candles in certain indoor scenes - but nothing could prepare just how visually beautiful this film was. The art direction (the art direction!!!), the attention to detail and how true to the time period this movie was blew me away. So much so, I found myself caring less for the drama that was unfolding before me. But that's not to say i found it dull - the final duel scene in particular being a stand out.

All in all, seems we got another winner here

Raging Bull

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

 Original image located here. Accessed 4th November 2016

Once again, I have myself facing down one of THOSE movies: A movie widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time that it comes across as intimidating. Will I like this or not? How will i address a rate of expectation that can't possibly be reached?

Well to be honest I'm not sure if i can add anything that hasn't been already said about this movie: It's the anti-Rocky, it's Robert de Niro's show, the >direction is top notch, the cinematography gripping, the fighting brutal and the drama compelling.

But I will say at least I now know where Ant-Man (in Civil War) got the phrase "I'm the Boss! I'm the Boss! I'm the Boss!"