August | 2009 | the m0vie blog

Does Hype Ruin Good Films?

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Darren

So, how was Avatar Day for you?

The word so far has been a resounding ‘meh‘, but still a somewhat enthusiastic one. Still, it’s nothing compared to the hype that has built up around the movie. A ‘game changer’, Avatar was rumoured to redefine movies themselves – ushering in the golden era of three-dimensional filmmaking. How does a film live up to that hype? In fairness, most of the comments on the preview footage have been relatively positive, but most seem a little disappointed. So, has the Hollywood hype machine spoiled a perfectly good movie?

Is James Cameron still king of the world?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: advertising, avatar, avatar day, blockbusters, classics, district 9, fans, films, hype, marketing, masterpieces, Movies, peter jackson, pr, star wars, The Dark Knight, watchmen | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: X-Men

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Darren

It’s the movie that started it all. We wouldn’t have this tight-spandex-wearing superhero craze in Hollywood today were it not for Bryan Singer’s ambitious adaptation of the Marvel wonder team (okay, Sam Raimi’s Spider Man played a part too). I don’t know what’s more surprising: that it worked at the time or that it still holds together quite well today.

: No claws for alarm…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bryan singer, films, hugh jackman, ian mckellen, magneto, Movies, non-review review, patrick stewart, review, wolverine, x-men | 3 Comments »

Ultimate Spider-Man Collection (Hardcover Volumes #1-3) (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Darren

In 2000, Marvel did something genuinely bold with one of its pop culture icons. Of course, the early part of the last decade saw a breath of fresh air at the House of Ideas, with iconic and influential (and occasionally iconoclastic) runs on books like New X-Men, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, X-Statix, Punisher and other titles like Daredevil or Alias. However, the formation of the Ultimate line of comics was perhaps the most significant creative gamble taken at the time. The idea was simple, and the timing perfect. With Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man around the corner, and Bryan Singer’s X-Men proving that superheroes were the stuff of summer blockbusters, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to launch a line of books that would be easily accessible to new readers, free from decades of tangled continuity and plot developments.

And, appropriately enough, the character chosen to spearhead this new line was arguably Marvel’s most iconic character, Spider-Man.

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: bendis, brian michael bendis, Comics, Eddie Brock, green goblin, marvel, marvel comics, michael bendis, new avengers, peter parker, review, sam raimi, spider man, spider-man 3, spiderman, the amazing spider-man, ultimate, ultimate comics spider-man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, ultimate marvel, ultimate spider man, ultimate spiderman, ultimate venom, ultimate x-men, venom | 6 Comments »

The Ultimates by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch Omnibus (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Darren

The Ultimates got me into comics. I’d read a couple beforehand, of course, and picked up a stray issue in the nineties, but it was The Ultimates that convinced me that superhero comic books could be something bold and innovative and clever, rather than generic and plain. Looking back, I think that The Ultimates stands as one of Marvel’s crowning accomplishments of the last decade, with only New X-Men and Daredevil ever really coming close. A lot of people argue that it’s the cynical world view that sets Mark Millar’s origin story apart, and gives it a broad appeal, but I’d disagree.

I think that Millar’s story doesn’t work because it dismantles the conventional superhero narrative through glib nihilism and cool apathy, but rather because it vindicates that ideal by passing it through a crucible. In many ways, The Ultimates is perhaps the most optimistic superhero story I’ve ever read, if only because the idealism is truly earned.

Holding out for some heroes…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Avenger, brian hitch, brian michael bendis, captain america, comic books, graphic novels, iron man, mark millar, marvel, Marvel Comic, marvel comics, marvel omnibus, Millar, review, stan lee, the avengers, the ultimates, the ultimates omnibus, thor, ultimate marvel, ultimate universe, Ultimates | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Romeo + Juliet

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Darren

I’m baaaaack!

Is it a spoiler to say that Romeo + Juliet is a tragedy? You never know these days (I’m reminded of that great Simpsons’ quote, “It started out like Romeo & Juliet, but it ended up in tragedy” – I remember a few people being surprised when I laughed at that, leading me to explain the joke). Still, the opening monologue lays it all out on the table, as does the fact that Shakespeare only ever wrote comedies or tragedies – and this ain’t a comedy. Anyway, I must confess I hate the play, as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee. Okay, not really, but it was drilled into my head for my Junior Certificate exam (as Macbeth would be drilled into my head for the Leaving Certificate). I remember my English teacher – a very nice old lady, by all accounts – steadfastly refusing to show us the Baz Luhrmann ‘reimagining’ of the play. To this day I’m not sure if she made the right call.

Get used to those wings...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: baz luhrman, baz luhrmann, claire danes, films, john leguizamo, Leonardo diCaprio, Movies, non-review review, review, romeo + juliet, shakespeare, tybalt | 1 Comment »

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Critic Scorned…

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Darren

So, G.I. Joe didn’t get screened for critics as part of Paramount’s unusual marketing. I’m miffed. I’m ticked off. I think it’s a bad omen.

I’m also (apparently) a damnsight more professional than the huge number of film critics out there. Apparently the fact that most of them haven’t seen a frame of it, a huge number of professional film critics are panning the movie.

Are critics a bigger threat to Joe than Destro?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: criticism, critics, film reviews, films, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, gi joe, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, jouranlism, LA Times, Movies, opinions, reviews, screenings, Wall Street Journal | 2 Comments »

the m0vie blog goes on holidays

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Darren

Hey, just to let you guys know I’m heading off on holliers for the next few weeks. I should have internet access, so I might be able to offer some coverage or some feedback, but there’ll obviously be a lot less of it.

Anyway, take it easy. See you soon.

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Absolute Sandman: Volume III

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Darren

All things must end. I have to admit appreciating this volume a lot more reading through it again. It’s odd that the penultimate volume in a collection should reward repeated reading more than the early editions, but so it is. All-in-all, the collection is possibly the weakest of the four, but only barely. It’s still a damn good read and an excellent chapter in a compelling saga.

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: absolute sandman, absolute sandman: volume 3, absolute sandman: volume iii, arts, brief lives, Cain and Abel, comic books, Comics, dc comics, Destruction (DC Comics), dreams, Endless, Gaiman Chubut, graphic novels, morpheus, neil gaiman, orpheus, review, Rowan Atkinson, sandman, worlds end | Leave a comment »

TV Movies…

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Darren

It surfaces every now again. Talk of a Sopranos movie. It’s the same deal-io with the oft-requested Veronica Mars movie or a sequel to Serenity. It seems that the big screen has become the desired home for any number of TV shows – whether they ended before their time (as Firefly did) or as planned (per the Sopranos). I’m a little surprised, though, that everyone seems to think this is a good idea.

Seeing red...

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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: adaptations, bewitched, big screen, films, firefly, franchises, get smart, in the loop, in the thick of it, miami vice, Movies, serenity, simpsons, simpsons movie, small screen, sopranos, sopranos movie, starsky & hutch, state of play, Television, the simpsons, the simpsons movie, veronica mars, veronica mars movie | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

Why?

That’s my only question after seeing the film: why was it necessary? It’s not entirely a bad film – indeed, without the baggage coming with the franchise it might have been a perfectly average film. Unfortunately it is a terrible Indiana Jones film that is packed to the brim with elements that just don’t work and only one that does. Harrison Ford is one hell of a fantastic performer, but even he can’t save this film.