PART ONE

Back to the Future is the most enjoyably predictable and watchable movie I’ve seen in a while. Reviewer Adam Smith put it perfectly all the way back at the film’s release in 1985, writing in The Empire: “to put it bluntly; if you don’t like Back to the Future, it’s difficult to believe that you like films at all”. Honestly, I’d have to agree with that. 

I’m not sure what else there is to say about Back to the Future that hasn’t been said already – it’s perfectly paced, glossy 80s fun with likeable characters and a charming setting. It’s comfortable, making it exactly the kind of film that’s perfect to see at the Moonlight Cinema. 

Before this screening, I had actually never seen Back to the Future. I knew of the obvious iconography of the film – the DeLorean Time Machine, the outfits etc. – but I went in without knowing the fundamental plot of the film. It was quite nice to experience that in a cinema environment (thank god the cinema is back), outside and in the last days of summer. Despite having never seen it, it’s a relaxed and unchallenging watch in the best possible way – the film is characterised by whacky hijinks and a ticking time bomb situation, but deep down you know that everything is going to be alright in the end. Although the Doc’s ‘death’ at the start provides some emotional gravitas, the movie doesn’t focus too heavily on this. The characters are extremely likeable and have definitely stood the test of time in popular media. 

If you’ve seen it, you know all of this. And if, like me, you haven’t yet – I would recommend it. It’s nice, silly 80s fun with the same teenage wit and charm as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the comedy science-fiction elements of a movie like Ghostbusters. 

PART TWO

At the Moonlight Cinema, my friend and I were basically thrown freebees, some of which were better than others. Enjoy some mini-reviews within this review of the samplings of free products they gave to me and my friend at the Moonlight Cinema. I would call it Reviewception but I’m not an asshole.

The first thing that we were given, were free three sachets of NESCAFÉ Gold Plant Based Lattes, in Coconut, Almond and Oat. Here is a definitive ranking of the flavours, from most to least drinkable. 

• Coconut
  • It was very sweet. Like, really sweet. Which I guess makes sense because the first two ingredients listed are glucose syrup and sugar (yikes), and you can’t taste much else but the sweetness. Would I recommend buying it? No. Was it the best out of a bad bunch of horrible caffeinated powders? I guess. 
• Almond 
  • This tasted like licking a dusty floor. Actually couldn’t finish the cup.
• Oat
  • Oh my god. Undrinkable. Tasted like warm water left over from a particularly shit porridge. I honestly think that user zoegl stated it quite eloquently when they left this one star review on the Nescafe page: “Absolutely disGUSTING! I tried the Oat Lattè and it tasted like toilet water mixed with soil. Will never have the plant based coffee ever again!”

We also got given some Garnier Hair Masks, in Papaya, Coconut and Avocado. Honestly, they’re all quite nice smelling conditioners. I don’t think there’s any difference to how they act on your hair, just different scents. Comes down to personal preference I suppose!

IN CONCLUSION

All in all: watch Back to the Future if you haven’t already for some stress-free fun and avoid the NESCAFE Gold Plant Based Lattes like the goddam plague. Ew. 

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References

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Smith, Adam. “Back To The Future.” Empire. January 01, 1985. Accessed March 17, 2021. https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/back-future-review/.

NESCAFE Gold Oat Latte. 2020. Accessed March 17, 2021. https://www.nescafe.com/au/nescafe-gold-oat-latte.