Posted on June 26, 2009 by Darren
I really shouldn’t be too surprised at this, but here’s an excerpt from an interview with director Frank Darabont on looking for a study to produce his film version of Fahrenheit 451:
“I actually had a studio head read that script and say: ‘Wow, that’s the best and smartest script that I’ve read since running this studio but I can’t possibly greenlight it’ I asked why and he says ‘How am I going to get 13-year-olds to show up at the theater?’ And I said “Well, lets make a good movie and I bet that will take care of itself.”
– Frank Darabont
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blockbusters, dumb movies, Fahrenheit 451, frank darabont, hollywood, Movies, remakes, smart movies, studios | 4 Comments »
Posted on June 26, 2009 by Darren
We all caught Quarantine last night (which is a remake of the Spanish horror [rec]), and we were – for the most part – impressed as a family of horror buffs. Somewhat less irritating than most films shot on handheld cameras (it’s trick that is growing increasingly passé in horror, to be fair) it delivers more than its fair share of jump-in-your-seat shock moments. Still I’m not entirely won over. It’s a movie that does what it says on the tin, but nothing more, and falls apart in the third act.
I'd love to see the B-Roll...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: horror, Movies, non-review review, quarantine, remake, review, zombies, [rec] | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 26, 2009 by Darren
The trailer for The Box hit the internet yesterday and I’m… not really impressed. From what looks like an attempt to turn a moral quandary (would you take an action that would kill a stranger for a huge sum of money?) into a brainless action movie to the use of the Saw theme (“Hello Zepp”) as an overture at the end of the movie, it’s striking all the wrong notes. On the other hand, I’m quite taken with what looks to be a sixties-style design, so who knows? Director Richard Kelly can be really good (Donnie Darko) or really terrible (Southland Tales). Pending reviews, this is probably one to rent. Since the fad of remaking has spread to remaking episodes of old television shows, I’m wondering if there are any other anthology episodes that warrant a remake?
"So, if I push the button, I get $1 million... and an Oscar nomination?"
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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: and when the sky opened, anthology shows, Movies, night call, nightmare at 20000 feet, nothing in the dark, outer limits, richard kelly, richard matheson, Television, the box, the monsters are due on maple street, twilight zone | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 25, 2009 by Darren
My uncle and I were looking for something good to watch on Tuesday and unfortunately Sky doesn’t offer Sky Premiere HD +1, so we arrived halfway through Sweeney Todd. Feeling somewhat cultured for sitting through five minutes of musical (it is a fantastic film), we decided to indulge our… baser instincts. Digging through a pile of Blu Ray discs we’d found in some godforsaken bargain basement somewhere, we began to despair. Until we found it – the golden poster boy of mindless, insane, frentic and fun action movies of the 1990’s. Yes, we stuck on Face/Off.
Travolta took the news of Nicholas Cage's Ocar win worse than most...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: face/off, film, john travolta, john woo, Movies, nicholas cage, non-review review, review | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 25, 2009 by Darren
I’m not American, but I feel a strange fascination with Richard Milhouse Nixon. He’s a figure of almost Shakespearean complexity, driven to phenomenal heights and fantastic accomplishments, but never able to do enough to placate the insecurity gnawing at him. I had the pleasure of reading Conrad Black’s rather even-handed summary of his life and career last summer, and he seems as much a mystery as ever. The recent news item about another of his paranoid ramblings has grabbed media attention, but I’m amazed that there doesn’t seem to be much debate over the true impact of Nixon’s Presidency beyond the obvious shadow cast by Watergate. What is the American fascination with painting Nixon as a villain or a fiend? Why can he not embody something just a tad more complex?
Richard Nixon unsuccessfully attempts to distract from the Watergate scandal by declaring "It's behind you!" during a Press Conference...
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Filed under: Opinion | Tagged: film, frost/nixon, history, Movies, nixon, oliver stone, pop culture, richard m. nixon, richard nixon, watchmen, watergate, watergate tapes | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by Darren
The early reviews for Transformers 2 are in, and the Irish public seem to have more-or-less unanimously spoken (based solely on my own personal experience and those around me). It’s a mindless, stupid, soulless action movie that seems to propel itself forward not by the strength of its plot or by any particular arc, but merely by the force of its explosions. It manages to be dumber than the first film, which (in fairness to it) benefited slightly from a quirky sense of humour. As I sit here an dwell upon the pretty depressing reality that this may be the second biggest hit of the summer – never underestimate Harry Potter – I need to get my mind off that thought. Blockbusters weren’t always this stupid and loud and pointless, were they?
Meet Devastator, he's got the cajones to be a big summer baddy. I wish I were making that up...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blockbusters, Movies, summer movies, transformers 2 | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by Darren
Well, admitting that there’s a problem is the first step. The Academy announced today that next year (in a return to vintage Hollywood tradition) there would be ten nominees for Best Picture. The shadow of the snub of The Dark Knight looms large in the announcement, and though it isn’t explicitly stated in the statement, several commentators have inferred it. While it’s being pitched as some sort of vintage return to form, it’s hard not to see it as an attempt by the Academy to cast a much wider net when it comes to nominees. I agree with the sentiment, but the jury’s still out on the method.
Looking good for an 81-year-old...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: academy awards, AMPAS, films, oscar nominees, Oscars, trinity film review | 5 Comments »
Posted on June 24, 2009 by Darren
I’m kinda excited about The Time Traveler’s Wife. Soppy romantic movies generally don’t reel me in particularly well, but there’s something… romantic about a couple where one of two is shifting back and forth in time (what made Lost‘s The Constant possibly the sweetest hour of television last year). Lest sci-fi-phobes be worried by the notion of a time traveling romance (and why should they – what is the problem people have with science fiction as a genre?), the time traveler in question suffers from a genetic disorder which causes his brain to leap backwards and forwards in time. Because apparently if it doesn’t involve futuristic technology, it isn’t science fiction. Anyway, the story (adapted from a book) reminds me of a similar concept executed on the BBC a few years back.
Clare Abshire wonders how it's possible for her husband to be late...
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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: doctor who, film, madame du pompadour, stephen moffat, The Girl in The Fireplace, The Time Traveler's Wife | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 23, 2009 by Darren
It’s a news story that’s got a fair bit of coverage all over the shop, but I thought I’d simply put it up here.
Pixar got a phonecall from the family of ten year old Colby Curtin, a child dying of cancer. Colby was a huge fan of the studio’s work to date, and had told her mother that she’d hang on in to see their latest film, Up. The family had planned to take her to the cinema, but she took a turn for the worse before the release. Apparently the family didn’t even know anyone at the company, they’d just made the call when it became clear Colby would not be able to see the film in cinemas. Pixar sent out the film to her house for a private screening. Apparently Colby was impressed with the result. Having seen the movie, she died later that night.
A still from Pixar's Up
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: cinema, colby curtin, Movies, pixar, up | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 23, 2009 by Darren
I saw The Hangover last weekend, and it occurs to me: has there ever been a truly great Las Vegas movie? A movie (or even a show) that fully captures the feeling of living in a city that glows with neon glare twenty-four hours a day? I can name at least a dozen movies using Vegas as a backdrop: there’s the obvious ones like Viva Las Vegas, Leaving Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and maybe even Casino. Then there are the smaller films like Jon Favreau’s Swingers or The Cooler which are set in the city. I’m not sure that the film has received definitive treatment on film.
Bright light city gonna set my soul on fire...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: cities on film, film, las vegas, las vegas on film, Movies, the hangover | Leave a comment »
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