the m0vie blog

Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord (Review)

Posted on May 11, 2024 by Darren

“Why have I never done that before?”

The Devil’s Chord is, to put it frankly, a mess.

It is an episode that is trying to do so many things. It is an attempt at a celebrity historical featuring the Beatles. It is a journey into the history of Doctor Who. It is an attempt to build up lore to play into the larger arc of the season around it. It is an attempt to argue for the very idea of art as something with intrinsic value at a time when writer Russell T. Davies is openly lamenting the erosion of the BBC. It is an effort to introduce a new memorable villain, played by a notable guest star. It is an attempt of that classic trope, the musical episode.

There is a sense that all of this is too much. The Devil’s Chord is bursting with ideas. Like Wild Blue Yonder, it feels like an episode written by a showrunner who has had more than a decade to kick around new ideas for Doctor Who and is bristling to get them into the show. While Wild Blue Yonder was able to make those ideas cohere into a single narrative, The Devil’s Chord fractures and breaks under the sompeting impulses driving it.

Unfortunately, The Devil’s Chord strikes a bum note.

This Venom sequel is not what I expected.

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: doctor who, musical, russell t. davies, music, The Beatles, the devil's chord, the maestro, the toymaker, the giggle, abbey road | 2 Comments »

Doctor Who: Space Babies (Review)

Posted on May 11, 2024 by Darren

“There’s no such thing as monsters. Just creatures you haven’t met yet.”

Space Babies is an interesting season premiere, in large part because it feels like a test case for Russell T. Davies’ return to Doctor Who.

Of course, the three sixtieth anniversary specials were in effect a miniature season. The Star Beast was structured like a classic Davies premiere and The Giggle delivered a lot of the spectacle that one might expect from a Davies era finale. Still, Space Babies represents the start of Davies’ first full season as returning showrunner. It is also the first episode to premiere on Disney+. As such, it is a mission statement. Space Babies is an interesting demonstration of how Davies has changed and how he remains consistent.

Space Babies is recognisable as a Davies era premiere, evoking stories like Rose, New Earth, Smith and Jones and Partners in Crime. It is a decidedly low-stakes adventure featuring a couple of appealingly goofy elements and a fairly generic plot, which allows Davies to foreground character and theme while also outlining his vision of the show in a way that is designed to be welcoming to new viewers. It’s a solid example of what Doctor Who is, particularly under Davies. Davies has been away from Doctor Who for nearly fifteen years, but some things remain consistent.

At the same time, it’s also very obviously written with the understanding that Davies is pitching the show to a slightly different audience than he used to. This changes are subtle, but they are instructive. While the plot and rhythms of Space Babies suggest that Davies himself hasn’t changed, there are shifts that demonstrate an understanding of how the show itself has changed.

“It’s Space, Babes.”

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: doctor who, disney, russell t. davies, Abortion, refugees, space babies, snot, season premiere | 1 Comment »

375. Monsters, Inc. – Ani-May 2024 (#200)

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guest Graham Day, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Pete Docter’s Monsters, Inc.

In the city of Monstropolis, monsters harvest children’s screams as an energy source. In the midst of an energy crisis, James P. Sullivan is the best scarer in the business. However, when an innocent child named Boo crosses over into this world of monsters, Sulley finds his entire life – and everything that he believed – turned upside down.

At time of recording, it was ranked 200th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: billy crystal, boo, graham day, Mike, monsters, monsters inc., Pete Docter, pixar, podcast, sulley, The 250 | Leave a comment »

373. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (#225)

Posted on April 13, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Jonathan Victory and Billie Jean Doheny, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Will Turner is an orphan, discovered adrift at sea. Making a life as a lowly blacksmith’s apprentice, Will pines for the heart of Elizabeth Swann, the governor’s daughter. However, the tide brings strange visitors to their tranquil community. First, in the person of Jack Sparrow, failed and disorganised pirate. Then, in the crew of cursed pirate ship The Black Pearl. Will and Elizabeth are about to find themselves swept up in an epic adventure that will carry them across the seven seas and into the jaws of dangers unimaginable.

At time of recording, it was ranked 225th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: action, billie jean doheny, blockbuster, disney, epic, Geoffrey Rush, Gore Verbinski, imdb, johnny depp, jonathan victory, pirates, pirates of the caribbean, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, podcast, spectacle, The 250, wet movies | Leave a comment »

371. Poor Things (#246)

Posted on March 23, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Deirdre Molumby and Ciara Moloney, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things.

Bella Baxter is a most remarkable young woman. Although she has the body of an adult woman, she also seems to possess the mind of a child rapidly developing and growing. Under the guidance of her adoptive father Godwin Baxter and his assistant Max McCandless, Bella tries to navigate the complex and contradictory Victorian soiety, learning much about humanity – and herself.

At time of recording, it was ranked 246th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: barbie, Emma Stone, european, Filmmaking, formalism, frankenstein, gender, identity, imdb, lily gladstone, Oscars, podcast, poor things, sex, sexuality, Succession, The 250, This Just In, Yorgos Lanthimos | Leave a comment »

370. Dune: Part Two (#12)

Posted on March 17, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guest Brian Lloyd, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

So this week, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two.

House Atreides has fallen to an ambush by their old rivals, House Harkonnen. Rumous swirl of the Emperor’s involvement in this scheme. However, as the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen schemes to get spice production back up to targets, not all members of House Atreides lie buried in the desert sand. Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen, and charts a course towards revenge.

At time of recording, it was ranked 12th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: antihero, austin butler, brian lloyd, deconstuction, dune, dune: messiah, dune: part two, epic, fantasy, florence pugh, Frank Herbert, gen z, Hero, imdb, lord of the rings, podcast, sci-fi, science fiction, star wars, the lord of the rings, timothée chalamet, zendaya, zendaya coleman | Leave a comment »

369. Memento (#57)

Posted on March 9, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Phil Bagnall and Kurt North, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

Suffering from a unique of amnesia, a man called Leonard lacks the ability to generate new long-term memories. Haunted by the death of his wife, Leonard has committed himself to finding the man responsible for her murder. However, Leonard finds himself in the midst of various competing agendas, unsure what he is doing from minute-to-minute. What is Leonard really doing? Who can Leonard truly trust?

At time of recording, it was ranked 57th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: carrie ann moss, Christopher Nolan, end of history, film, Guy Pearce, history, imdb, joe pantoliano, kurt north, leonard, los angeles, memento, memory, neo-noir, Nevada, phil bagnall, podcast, the matrix, unreality | Leave a comment »

368. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (#154)

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guest Luke Dunne, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

The legendary King Arthur sets about assembling a cadre of knights, and embarks on an epic quest to claim the Holy Grail. Hilarity ensues.

At time of recording, it was ranked 154th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: anarchy, Celtic, comedy, curation, Eric Idle, history, imdb, internet, John Cleese, jokes, king arthur, legend, luke dunne, media, Michael Palin, myth, podcast, review, terry gilliam, terry jones, The 250 | Leave a comment »

367. Star Trek: Generations (#—)

Posted on February 24, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, David Carson’s Star Trek: Generations.

Disaster strikes during the maiden cruise of the USS Enterprise-B: James T. Kirk is killed in a freak accident, an encounter with a cosmic force beyond all reckoning. Nearly a century later, Jean-Luc Picard commands another Enterprise. Grappling with horrific news from home, Picard finds himself drawn into the sinister machinations of the mysterious Tolias Soran. A survivor of that fateful tragedy that killed Kirk, Soran is pursuing something beyond even Picard’s deepest imaginings.

At time of recording, it was not ranked on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: addiction, ending, film, finality, franchise, guinan, imdb, kirk, Malcolm McDowell, mortality, nexus, nostalgia, picard, podcast, production, soran, star trek, star trek: the next generation, Television, The 250, time, Whoopi Goldberg | Leave a comment »

365. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (-#56)

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Ciara Maloney and Dean Buckley, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

This week, Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.

As a child, Christopher Robin befriended a mysterious group of animals in the Hundred Acre Woods. However, as Christopher grew up and went to college, he abandoned his magical friends. With nobody to care for them, the creatures turned feral. Returning to the Hundred Acre Wood with his fiancée, Christopher ends up unleashing a primal and unexpected evil.

At time of recording, it was ranked 56th on the list of the worst movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.