Justice League

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

Original image located here. Accessed 24th November 2017

This film surprised me: I was expecting it to be rubbish but it instead turned out to be....kinda alright.
No doubt about it, the backstage dramas are inescapable with this film, what with Zack Snyder pulling out and Joss Whedon stepping in for script reworking and re-shoots. Thus, it becomes unclear how much of this film is down to Snyder and how much of it is down to Whedon. Did Snyder want to make a less dour film? Or how much of Whedon's trademark wit came creeping in? It's anyone's guess really.

Coming off the huge success of Wonder Woman I don't feel that this movie is a step backwards but it isn't a step forwards either. More a step to the side. I like the character interaction but the villain is dull (criminal when one considers how many great villains lie within the DC Rogue's gallery). I like the presence of a humor in a DCU that is sorely lacking in it but I dislike how sometimes the action is going too fast to take in. I like the small touches (ie The sequence where the Flash taps Wonder Woman's sword into her hand) but what is intended to be grand comes across as underwhelming.
In fact a lot of this movie can be summed up with the following: it's a step up just not a step froward
Other than that, Jason Mamoa and Gal Gadot are both in fine form but the real star is Ezra Miller playing, what appears to be, an Autistic Flash. Works for me!

Also, we have a villain named Steppenwolf and there's no rendition of 'Born to be Wild"?! A wasted opportunity if ever there was one.

Being There

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

Original image located here. Accessed 17th November 2017

I heard about this movie largely through it being something of a passion project for Peter Sellers. In addition, it won him critical acclaim and whilst it isn't his final film many people choose that it rather be.

Personally I found this movie a very strange movie, even for the standards of the late 1970s. It may seem improbable in this present age but it wins purely due to Sellers' performance and director Hal Ashby's direction.
Sellers' performance is indeed his finest hour. I certainly believe that this was a part he persued with a passion and it shows in his commitment to it.
Ashby's direction is indeed something else: It has been pointed out that this movie could've been a parable on gullibility but thankfully it didn't go down that path - and I agree the movie is all the better for it.

This movie is a subtle one: it has been billed as a comedy but I don;t think it's meant to be: Sure it's farcical and a Comedy of Errors but I think, at it;s heart, it's something different. It's a deceptive piece, offering one thing but delivering something else that ultimately sticks within the mind of the viewer - indeed that final scene is the clincher, challenging everything the viewer saw beforehand.
And if a movie can do something like that, then it must've done something right
And hey, I'll take subtly over constant explosions any day.

The BFG

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

Original image located here. Accessed 10th November 2017

I have had a love for Roald Dahl ever since my primary school teacher read his stories to myself and the rest of her first year class. So i had high hopes with this one. Sure the adaptations of Dahl's work haven;'t been that great but having Spielberg handle this one showed promise.
Interestingly enough, this movie flopped in the US - which has led many to declare Spielberg's day as a box-office drawcard has come to an end. As fan of Dahl, such a frosty reception is puzzling - or perhaps people these days are more likely to associate the letters BFG with DOOM.

As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it. It was visually interesting, inventive and I enjoyed seeing how things work in BFG's home. There may have been some awkward moments with the script, what with the issue of snozzcumbers, pacing issues, BFG not being that friendly at first and the absence of the Jack the Giant Killer joke. But in the end, of all the adaptations of Dahl's work, this is one of the better ones.

Thor Ragnarok

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

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd November 2017

It's better than Dark World.

Ok seriously. I may not be the first to think that after Dark World flopped but I was curious to see if Marvel could learn from their missteps. in addition, the success of Wonder Woman also raises the issue to see if Marvel will step up their game.

Personally, i really enjoyed this movie. It has been noted that Thor is always upstaged by Loki in HIS OWN MOVIE but here, Thor finally comes into his own. But still, i have to admit Cate Blanchett steals the show.
So yeah, this was a lot of fun and definite a contender for a top tier posie in the MCU hierarchy. In fact, in my next RPG, I'm definitely using the line "Point me in the direction of whose arse I have to kick!"

The Quiet Family

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

Original image located here. Accessed 27th October 2017

Has anyone heard of this? It's a Korean film from 1998 which piqued my interest largely it through it described as a hybrid of Fawlty Towers and the Addams Family. Sounds like a bonkers idea if ever I did hear one - I'm in!
Now I will be the first to admit my sense of humour can be best described as pitch-black so this movie would be a natural fit right?

Well to be honest I didn't find this movie a laugh-a-minute funny movie or a horrific movie. No, i found it more bizarre. Okay so the situation is strange and the comedy very black but somehow, this comes across as more tame than the stuff I've seen previously.
Can't win 'em all

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Tucker and Dale vs Evil!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th October 2017

As mentioned last week, I have no love for slasher movies but I am prepared to make an exception if said movie takes the tried & tested tropes and makes fun of them. Because seriously, the slasher genre is definitely a genre in need of being mocked.

That being said, coming to this movie was somewhat inevitable. And to be honest i can't recall watching a movie that made me laugh so hard. On paper, a comedy of errors shouldn't work as a slasher movie, but here it does!
Highly recommended - if anything just for the wood-chipper scene

There's Nothing Out There

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....There's Nothing Out There!

Original image located here. Accessed 13th October 2017

Has anyone heard of this? It's a B-Movie / Slasher Movie from the early nineties (although it looks like it was made in the previous decade).
I am not a fan of Slasher movies. Largely because they are populated by idiots - the type that don't fight back and instead do ridiculously dumb things. Granted, seeing such idiots getting hacked to bits is kinda the whole point of slasher movies but I will only indulge in a slasher movie if it does something different on a formula that, let's face it, has been well and truly run into the ground.
Which is where There's Nothing Out There comes in: I was drawn to it on the premise that's a parody with horror movie tropes pointed out. It's the film that did Scream's schtick well before Scream - and, according to some, did it better.

As for the movie itself, yeah it was all right. Getting past the B-Movie nature of it I found it to be entertaining. The jokes were dead on and it certainly is welcome to see people in this type of movie who aren't complete idiots.
So I went in to see a kick in the balls for the slasher genre and I sorta got it. That's good enough for me

Hunt for the Red October

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Hunt for the Red October!

Original image located here. Accessed 6th October 2017

It's been said that this movie is the last of the Cold War thrillers - largely because this came out the same year that the Cold War...y'know.....ended. So yes it's a given that this movie is a product of it's time but does it hold up nearly three decades later?

Actually yes. It's gripping, it's suspenseful and Connery is as a commanding presence as ever (even if his accent is puzzling - but then again all the Russian accents in this movie are all over the place). Sam Neill is also awesome in this but then again he's always awesome.
But the real MVP goes to the soundtrack: It's nothing short of epic. In fact, next time i charge into battle in some RPG, i want a full Russian choir going with me every step of the way XD

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)!

Original image located here. Accessed 29th September 2017

As promised last week, I am tackling the remake Hitchcock did of his own movie. Funny thing is, I have found some cinephiles find the remake the superior of the two. Indeed, i found it quite telling that the remake was easier to find whilst the original required some effort to track down.

As for the movie itself, well, it some areas it is superior to the original: The pacing is more natural and less abrupt. There are less characters so more time is devoted to seeing them develop. The movie is more engaging and less dull. And there is certainly a sense that Hitchcock is in fair greater control on his second attempt.

However, not all is good news: The villains are boring and the climax was better handled in the original.
Still, Hitchcock did what he set out to do and he wanted to improve on his original. And to that end he succeeded. Now if other remake-obsessed film producers would take notice....

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)!

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd September 2017

Whenever someone brings up to the topic of remakes I always think of this movie. For you see, this was a movie made by Alfred Hitchcock when he was living in the UK. Then, in 1956 when he'd moved to Hollywood, Hitchcock remade his own movie. And why did he do it? Well, he thought he could've done a better job the second time around.

I will eventually watch the remake but for now, what did I take away from the original? Well, to be honest I found it kinda dull. I could write this down as the movie showing it's age but somehow it just didn't engage me.

That's not to say it wasn't without highlights namely Peter Lorre stealing the show, the fight scene in the chapel and the concert scene proving Hitchcock's status as The Master of Suspense is well earned.
That's my take on the original but how will the remake turn out? Tune in next week....

My Name is Khan

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....My Name is Khan!

Original image located here. Accessed 15th September 2017

Has anyone heard of this? It's an Indian movie from 2010 which tells the story of a Muslim man with Asperger's Syndrome - and how his eccentric behavior gets him mistaken for a terrorist.
It may sound like a situation for a comedy but thankfully that movie refuses to go down that route. I will admit that yes this movie may be a bit long, somewhat melodramatic, has a few eye-rolling moments, and has a stronger first half than second half. But at the same time, there is still a lot going for it.

A lot of it rests on the shoulders of it's lead, Shah Rukh Khan, and his very convincing performance - stand out moments for me was when Khan reconnects with his estranged brother and the scene in the mosque. Also pleasing is the amount of heart this movie has and how it has a lot to say about both Muslims (particularly in a post-9/11 world) and humanity in general.

And speaking as a Aspergan, I found the portrayal of Khan quite the relatable character. And Shah Rukh Khan certainly knows his stuff without once being patronizing.
So in the end, the movie does it's job and does it well.

Oliver and Company

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Oliver and Company!

Original image located here. Accessed 8th September 2017

My reasons for watching this movie are twofold: Firstly, I am, at time of typing, am currently involved in a stage production of Oliver!. Secondly, THIS was the movie I really wanted to see when I was a little boy. I remember at the time this movie was advertised a lot on TV accompanied by Why Should I Worry (*shakes fist* Curse you Billy Joel!) and it sucked me in (of course). I drove my family nuts at the time but once it's time in the cinemas was passed, I never got around to watching it. At least until now....

Alas the passage of time can be cruel: watching this as an adult turned out to be underwhelming. Okay the art direction and the animation is both top notch but its a given seeing this is a Disney movie. But beyond that, I found the connection to Oliver Twist tenuous at best. I'm puzzled by the setting of New York (even if it does look great) and ultimately I found the thing far too short: I could see some possibly of stretching it out beyond the seventy minute running time but sadly it never came about.

So in the end, this movie had some potential and glimpses of brilliance (the fate of Sykes comes to mind) but sadly, it didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Sorry six year old me

Walkabout

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

Original image located here. Accessed 1st September 2017

Behold! Scenery Porn: the Movie!
Okay seriously, much has been written about how this movie was a major milestone in Australian cinema, how it portrayed the Australian wilderness and the improvisational nature of the movie (ie the script was just 14 pages of hand-written notes). What can i add to it?

Well it was a passion project of Nicholas Roeg to make a movie that shows off the Australian landscape and to that end he succeeds. Sure there are some odd directorial choices and some puzzling diversions but I felt the movie was at it's strongest when it focused on the three primary characters and the journey they take, discussed the conflict between civilization and nature and, again, the photography.

Mind you, being an Australian, I have seen this type of imagery a gazillion times before as depictions of what Australia is. Therefore it is nice to know that this was where such advertising began.
So in the end, it was a peculiar movie but strangely hypnotic