Simon's Movie Reviews

It can be a bit weird watching movies that were shot decades ago as well as movies in which the characters work in your own profession. With His Girl Friday (1940) I get a helping of both cases since a lot of this movie is set in a newspaper office close to 80 years ago. Some things portrayed in the movie have changed, some things have stayed the same, and as with most movies set in a certain workplace some things are down right inaccurate. However there’s no denying this remains a hugely entertaining story thanks to the rapid-fire dialogue, the film’s humour and the chemistry between the two leads. I think I first saw His Girl Friday during a university course on classic movies, but I recently re-watched it to refresh my memory. Upon first viewing I was just a university student and now I have been working as a journalist for a few years. Since then the terms “fake news” and “alternative facts” have sadly become a part of the vernacular, and it was hard not to think of that while...

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) is a very interesting entry in Steven Spielberg’s grandiose filmography. It was made a few years before E.T the Extra-Terrestrial , in which only one alien is stranded on Earth, and decades before War of the Worlds , in which the aliens come to our homes for conquering. It was also made at a time when he was single, which might explain why a character would decide to abandon his family in order to chase after visitors from another world. A married Spielberg with kids might have made a different movie. In any case the final product is one of his most regarded films due to the iconic music by long-time collaborator John Williams and the stunning images courtesy of the late cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. I can’t remember exactly when I first saw Close Encounters from beginning to end (I have my limits) but I do know there is a ceiling lamp in my mom’s dinning room that awfully looks like the alien mothership. I also have John Williams’ s...

The Usual Suspects (1995) is a crime movie with a superb script, tightly directed action sequences, compelling performances and one of the great twists to come out of 1990s cinema. Unfortunately the people involved with the film now resemble the people they play in the movie in the sense that they have pretty spotty history. You have Kevin Spacey, who has been accused by multiple men of sexual harassment and assault, and is now under investigation by Scotland Yard ( https://bit.ly/2C77Yna ). Then there is the director, Bryan Singer, who has been accused of sexual assault by a minor ( https://bbc.in/2Prp7K8 ). You also have Stephen Baldwin, who has endorsed Donald Trump, a man who lest we forget, has also been accused of sexual misconduct ( https://bit.ly/2BZn4Hc ). The Usual Suspects indeed. It is therefore awkward to praise this movie in a post #MeToo era, but to be fair the first time I watched this movie I had no idea these people were allegedly this disgusting. Like eve...