Welcome to The Daily Cup a movie blog/writing project by Kyle B. Dekker, presented by Hot Chocolate Media. You can read series concept here. The basic rules, Kyle must watch 365 movies in 2018 and write about all of them. 292 of them have to be movies he's never seen before. Thanks for reading.
Some films are just perfect for you. One of the joys of watching a movie is not knowing when a movie will really resonate with you, but knowing that it could happen with any movie you watch. Flash Gordon (1980) is one of those films for me. This is a comfort film for me, and I love every damn minute of it.
Directed by Mike Hodges, one of my all time favorite genre directors. Most of his films are crime films set in Great Britain. He may seem like an odd choice for this film, and he wasn’t the first, or the second, he was the third choice of the film. His decision to embrace the camp, and celebrate pure pulp fun is what makes this film work.
The movie leaps right off the pages of 1930s comic books. The visuals are nothing short of stunning. Big constructed sets, the most amazing costumes (Max Von Sydow never wears the same costume twice in the whole film), and unabashed use of technicolor clouds and blue screen. This all meshes together to bright you cotton candy adventure, and goofy fun.
Flash Gordon as a protagonist is a noble buffon. He does what he thinks is right all the time, even at great risk to himself. He’s not smart enough to think through the consequences of his actions, he just knows he needs to do the right thing. Along his journey he makes friends and enemies, all of them are interesting and you root for or against them with gusto.
HAWKMEN DIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEE!
I must note how much I love Brian Fucking Blessed, as Prince Vultan the Hawkmen leader. His costume in this film is my cosplay dream, I hope one day I have the money and time to pull it off. After watching this film, you will be struggling not to saw “HAWKMEN DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVEEEEEEEEE.” At the top of your lungs.
The number one most amazing thing about this film is the score. Composed and performed in its entirety by Queen. Every song is perfect for the moment, memorable and fun. From the title song, to the driving guitar in the final battle. I’m so glad that I’m lucky enough to have been alive during the time this score was created, and that I can listen to it. I did you a favor and included the video below, enjoy.
I've probably seen this movie twenty times, it never fails to put a smile on my face, or a spring in my step. Pure camp fun, with the most amazing costumes ever put in any movie ever. If you want your sci-fi films gritty, realistic, and rooted in real science, give this a hard pass. But if you like fun, watch and enjoy the ride.
Tally
Movies new to me watched: 10/292
Other movies: 2/73
Total movies watched: 12/365
Have your own thoughts or opinions on this movie? Comment below or contact Kyle at kyle@hotchocolatemedia.net or on Twitter at @kbdekker.