The Life of Emile Zola

    And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Life of Emile Zola!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 10 (1937)

Stop me if this sounds familiar: There's this guy who has a talent in a creative field. He produces works that bring him fame but antagonises those in power. He falls into a slump but then becomes aware of a man going to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Guy then rouses the public using well-worded speeches in the pursuit of truth and justice. The narrative then shifts to the courtroom where those in power are challenged and are ultimately overcome. 
If such a narrative was made today one would think it had 'Oscar Bait' written all over it.
But the thing is, that's the plot of this movie which was made in 1937.....

It would seem that time has not been kind to this movie, with the major problem being the application of self-censorship as to not antagonise 1930s Germany (ie references to the accused being a Jew removed; why the image used in the poster does not resemble the protagonist). 
Personally, it wasn't bad: It does present an interesting version of historical events. Muni does a magnificent job in the lead role. And I can't say it was dull.
But reading up on the production of the movie, I was struck by the constant clashing between producer Henry Banke and exec. producer Hall B Wallis. And someone should adapt that because that would make a movie worth watching.

Mutiny on the Bounty

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Mutiny on the Bounty!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 8 (1935)

This film is an interesting case in Oscar history. It was nominated for eight awards but only won one (need I say which one?). Also it had three entrants into the Best Actor category which led to the foundation of the 'Best Supporting Actor/Actress' categories. 

In recent years people have come put forth the theory of 'Oscar Bait': By fulfilling a particular set of criteria, success is guaranteed. And this could well be the earliest example of such a practice: Grandiose setting? Check. Historical piece (accuracy be damned!)? Check. Big name actors? Check. Presence of previous Oscar winners? Check. Exotic locales? Check. Plot involving rising up against an unjust authority? Check.

Cynicism aside however it would seem that time has been kind to this movie. It was a rollicking adventure film and was fun to watch. But the MVP is still Charles Laughton, commanding the screen every time he appears and proving he was truly born to play villains (how he never got the Oscar for Best Actor, I'll never know).

It Happened One Night

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... It Happened One Night!

Original image located here. Accessed 12th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 7 (1934)

This film has quite the reputation behind it: It was the first movie in Oscars history to scoop the top five awards (Best Picture/Actor/Actress/Director/Screenplay) and several elements inspired the mannerisms of Bugs Bunny. But perhaps the greatest legacy of this movie is that it is the progenitor of the modern rom-com.
You know those movies where two people come together, by chance, start hating one another and then form a romantic bond that cumulates in a disrupted wedding? Yeah, you can thank this movie for that.

Ultimately however this is still pretty funny and age has not withered the humour present. Likewise for the presence of our two leads - which is an impressive achievement considering Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable hated making it. But you wouldn't think that watching it now.
In fact, this movie still comes across as fun even when it has been copied countless times (but never bettered). Truly a gem.

Wings

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

Original image located here. Accessed 5th January 2024

This year marks a full decade since I started this series. So to acknowledge such a milestone, I'm going to attempt something ambitious:

For every week in 2024, I will be watching a movie that won the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Certainly watching the Best Picture winners is something I've been wanting to do for a while so now is as good a time as any to do so. After all, these movies are the best of the best - or so it would seem so it would be interesting to see if such a notion holds up. Of course, it would be easy to kowtow to the ongoing joke that the Academy get wrong time and time again but at the same time, it would be interesting to see if said joke still holds up. 

So some ground rules:

• The one rule of this series - watch a movie I've never seen before - still applies
• At time of writing there have been 95 Best Picture winners. Already I have seen 28 of them. Of course I'm not going to get through all of the remaining 67 so I am allowed to be selective. 
• I have a rough plan mapped out but I am open to suggestions

And now, what better way to commence this year-long plan than with the very first Best Picture winner.

A lot of this movie's reputation is being the first winner as well as being the only silent movie to gain the top honour. It was also worth keeping in mind, in my approach to this movie, that time may not have been kind to it and it may come across as dated now (a notion that may be ever present as this plan continues).

So what we have here is a war movie where air combat is married to a human drama off the battlefield. As it turned out, I wasn't exactly thrilled with the latter (indeed you could easily have shaved half an hour off and no one would've noticed) but the former is where the movie shines. The aerial sequences are astonishing - moreso when considers this was all done with practical effects - and still hold up nearly a century later. Director William A Wellman was a WW1 pilot himself and he shows a great knowledge for realism and how to convey air combat into the screen. 

It looks like this is going to make for an interesting year.....

Blazing Saddles

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

Original image located here. Accessed 29th December 2023

So how do I see out 2023? By watching one of the most funniest/offensive movies ever made.

It's a popular statement nowadays to declare that this movie wouldn't have a hope in hell of being made today but I feel such a declaration is selling the movie short. Because it is still really funny. There are some genuinely laugh-out moments and there is some biting satire. I knew from watching Spaceballs in my youth (many many times) I thought I'd know what to expect from Mel Brooks' brand of humour but this movie still manages to surprise.
Indeed, I do remember, quite vividly, seeing the climax but seeing it now, and with proper context, it is still a riot (pun intended).

Anywho, this concludes this series for 2023. Thank you for joining me on this journey and for following these ramblings over the past twelve months.
Next year will be 2024 - and thereby making it ten years since I started this series. So do I have something special planned for the tenth anniversary? Well it's funny you should mention that..

Scrooged

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

Original image located here. Accessed 22nd December 2023

I have spoken previously of my admiration of A Christmas Carol and how the source material is strong enough that it can adapted so many times and still work. So it was only a matter of time before I came across this.
On paper this sounds like it has potential: Bill Murray playing the Scrooge role? And it's updated with Scrooge playing a TV bigshot? And it utilises an adaptation of the original text as a framing device? Sounds like something that could work. So does it?

Watching Scrooged, I can't shake the feeling that it was looking over Ghostbusters' shoulder, with the presence of Murray, the use of horror & fantasy and ingenious special effects. Also it is difficult to ascertain the mood the movie is going for, with it starting being critical of Christmas sentimentality before giving up by the end and embracing it.
But in the end, this movie works because of Murray - proving that he is his best when he gets to play complete jerks. The afore-mentioned framing device works, and I will admit that I enjoyed the speech at the end.

You know, when I was a kid, I saw the music video to Put a Little Love in Your Heart on rage and wondered what movie it was selling. Now I know. 

Incidentally, would anyone else want to watch The Night the Reindeer Died?

Anywho, hope you all have a Merry Christmas. 

Ratatouille

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

Original image located here. Accessed 15th December 2023

And here we have another movie that originally escaped my notice the first around and, through some miracle, managed to do so for the next sixteen years, And once again, it is better late than never.

Ultimately, this is a Pixar movie so one expects it to be of very high quality. And Ratatouille delivers with it's animation, it's ingenious attempts at physical comedy, it's humour, it's depiction of Paris and the careful attention to detail with it's characters, Yes such strengths may be par for the course with Pixar but when they do what they do so well who am I to complain?
But perhaps the greatest takeaway I got from Ratatouille is the message of trying something and keeping at it no matter the risk or the number of failures one might experience on the way. Such a message may be nothing new in a kids movie but here it is delivered in a way that is nothing less than exceptional. Indeed, the concluding review from the character of Anton Ego is truly the apex of the movie - and is of particular resonance as I continue to bash these words out.

And one day I might actually learn how to correctly pronounce 'Ratatouille' (whilst writing this review I was referring to it as The Rat Movie).

Elemental

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

Original image located here. Accessed 8th December 2023

I will admit that this year I have indulging in my inner film geek with my viewing choices. But, as we head into the final weeks of this year, there is still time for me to bring something more crowd pleasing to the table.

This movie has quite the shelf life: What started as a disappointing opening weekend has eventually grown into a success, finding an audience who appreciated the immigrant angle. Yet at the same time, there have been some whispers that this is one of Pixar's weakest efforts. I suppose such feedback would be inevitable considering the triumphs the studio has enjoyed in the past and it is only a matter of time before a misfire happens and/or the output starts to look formulaic. Still, I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt: Not everyone can produce a high quality body of work AND make each entrant an unique entity (Stanley Kubrick anyone?).

However I can't fool myself: This was a gem. The usual Pixar inventiveness is on display - indeed it was a treat seeing how this world works - and the animation is, once again, of high quality. 
But, as always, the real strength of this movie is it's heart, showing the trials and tribulations of an immigrant family, the need to forge one's own path and the necessity for connection (which indeed resonated with an Aspergan such as myself). Indeed that 'Touch' scene was truly a thing of beauty.
And it wouldn't be a Pixar movie if it didn't leave me an emotional wreck by the end.

So it the end I don't know what the nay-sayers are complaining about: This is another solid entry in Pixar's (admittedly well-stocked) library. 

Funny People

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

Original image located here. Accessed 1st December 2023

Once again, I try to sit through a movie starring Adam Sandler. I have already made my view on Adam Sandler clear previously so to find something where he isn't confined to the formula that made him famous is a challenge and a half. I have been lucky so far (see Reign Over Me and 50 First Dates) so can this recommendation keep that hot streak going?

Apparently no. 
First lets talk the positives:
 - Once again Sandler is playing a jerk but this is shaken up in some interesting ways: Halfway through the movie he makes the effort to stop being a jerk but for second half, this character clearly hasn't learned anything and is still being a jerk. So props to Sandler for taking the time to reconsider the role that made him famous
 - The cameos are fun. The appearances of James Taylor and Eminem are of particular note.
 - Eric Bana's presence was great (you can just tell he is a major St Kilda fan, right?)
 - Given that this movie is about stand-up comedy and features many comedians this clearly was a labour of love for the craft. So I'll give it that much.

But the Achilles heel of this movie is it's length. It's a bloated two and half hour run hat could easily been shorn of thirty minutes - or even forty five. Some scenes drag on and come across as pointless. And matters aren't helped with not all the jokes hitting the mark, leaving moments of radio silence.

So yeah, a disappointment if ever there was one

To Kill a Mockingbird

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... To Kill a Mockingbird!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th November 2023

It's one of the most famous movies of it's era, having come out during the civil rights movement of the 1960s and therefore becoming a representation of a time and place. 

Unfortunately it also means that this film comes across as dated. It seems to me that this film's reputation lies heavily on the courtroom drama that takes place in it. And whilst those scenes are great, they do however only take up a quarter of the movie. Other times, the movie is more focused on what the kids are doing - often to the movie's detriment. I mean, am I convinced a child can manage to change the minds of an angry mob? I don't think so.

Still, I do not doubt Gregory Peck's efforts and his Oscar for Best Actor was nothing less than well deserved.

Reign Over Me

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Reign Over Me!

Original image located here. Accessed 17th November 2023

And here we have another stab at Adam Sandler's oeuvre. As mentioned previously, he may have a reputation for playing childish idiots but it's a reputation that's made him into a punchline. As a result, it can be one that would be difficult to shake off. 
Therefore, to see him playing a serious role would surely be the most ill-advised career move ever. I mean, the concept sounds awful on paper: Adam Sandler playing a widower who's struggling to overcome his losses and is stuck in some form of PTSD? That sounds utterly ludicrous.

So it is therefore a monumental surprise that it actually works. Sure Charlie is the same jerkass character Sandler has played before but here his behaviour is given some vital context. Sandler makes Charlie, the character he's portraying, sympathetic and, most crucially of all, he finally gets to show what he can truly do with his acting prowess - notably the scene when Charlie reveals the depth of his loss. 
Okay sure the script seems kind of all over the place, but when it works, it knocks it out of the park.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th November 2023

I've been meaning to get this on DVD for the longest time and Disney's recent announcement that they will no longer distribute physical media in Australia is a good enough reason to grab it.
So why on earth would I get the physical release in this age of streaming? Well there was a special feature on the DVD that caught my attention: An audio commentary by Walt himself. Granted buying a DVD for a special feature, let alone buying a DVD, would look downright archaic now but keep in mind: once upon a time, special features were once a major selling point for DVDs.
Furthermore, the audio commentary got my attention just to see/hear how they did it (turns out, gathering all these sound clips of Walt, stitching them together and boom: there it is).

So about the movie: It's the big one. The one that proved feature length animation could work and the one that built an empire from the ground up. 
Of course, it may be easy to dismiss this movie for it's age but I don't think so. The animation and art direction still stand up really well. There is a lot of creativity and expressiveness on play here. Sure one might think that Disney and his animators are showing off what they can do but the animation still works some eighty six years later. 
And for a studio noted for formula, it is interesting to see it being put into play first up. And just how it works: Proof that the formula so well the first time that it has been reused many times since. 

So yeah, an important movie to the history of film that, remarkably, still holds up

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance!

Original image located here. Accessed 3rd November 2023

"He was the bravest of them allllllll......."

Once again, I tackle one of the westerns forged from the partnership between director John Ford and actor John Wayne. By all accounts, this was an unbeatable team, making some of the finest westerns ever committed to celluloid.

So it is indeed a surprise to see that this movie does things differently: it is shot in black and white and the location shooting is non-existent. These two elements are pretty much defined Ford's westerns so their absence is indeed striking. 
And one gets the impression that this is exactly the point: This movie is pretty much built around the notion of how the mythology of the wild west is built up and thrives. And it is therefore fitting that Ford is casting a critical eye to the westerns he crafted and the legend he, and Wayne, built up.

Keep in mind that this was made in the 1960s, where the western genre was on shaky ground: On one hand, the genre itself was falling fast out of favour and, on the other, in doing so it was perfectly positioned to be reinvented by the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone and the nihilism of Sam Peckinpah. And in that sense, the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance seems to be the endpoint of the classic western that defined the decades prior. But that doesn't mean it is without merit. 
So yeah: An excellent western all around