February | 2010 | the m0vie blog

February in Review

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Darren

Wow, that month just flew…

Anyway, it was the month that we learnt that Christopher Nolan would return to Gotham, and take control of the Superman franchise. We had a few ideas on where David S. Goyer should take the big blue superhero.

It’s Oscar season! For the record, I have €10 bet with my brother. He has his money on Avatar and I have mine on The Hurt Locker. Only a week to go! Anyway, we pondered all the old-timer love on the acting nominations, the revamped Best Picture category and whether Paramount should have backed Star Trek instead of The Lovely Bones. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, eh? And are the Razzies, of all insititutions, out of touch?

We also wondered about the death of the tradition romantic comedy (although it seems to be clinging to life stubbornly) and whether 3D will become the de facto manner of film making for all films, not just blockbusters (think Frost/Nixon in 3D).

We vigorously mocked the rumoured plot details of Captain America: The First Avenger – while pondering if the world was ready for a black Captain America. The John Krasinski rumours would suggest not. And is Iron Man 2 the closest we’ll get to a Dark Knight sequel anytime soon?

Oh, and we got longlisted for the Irish Blog Awards. Thanks to all who nominated us.

Filed under: Months in Review | Tagged: february, irish blog awards, month in review, Oscars | Leave a comment »

I just won tickets to a preview screening of Alice in Wonderland as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. I’ll have my review up on Monday morning, but in the meantime, here’s how I won. It’s a reworked version of The Walrus and the Carpenter. Apologies in advance to Lewis Carroll, his estate, fans of the poem and people with taste.

Apologies in advance...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alice in wonderland, film, jameson dublin international film festival, jdiff, lewis carroll, Movies, poetry, teh walrus and the carpenter, the blogger and the girlfriend | Leave a comment »

Matthew Goode on Making Bad Films…

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Darren

It’s turgid. I just know that there are a lot of people who will say it is the worst film of 2010. [The location] was the main reason I took it – so that I could come home at the weekends. It wasn’t because of the script, trust me. I was told it was going to be like The Quiet Man with a Vaughan Williams soundtrack, but in the end it turned out to have pop music all over it. … Was it a bad job? Yes, it was. But, you know, I had a nice time and I got paid.

– Matthew Goode on Leap Year

It’s rare to hear an actor being so candid about a film that met with… less than stellar reception. On one hand I admire the guy’s honesty in speaking out, but on the other I kinda wonder if he really has the right to label the movie as ‘turgid’ after starring in it and whether ‘I got paid’ is really a justification for inflicting that racist romantic comedy upon mankind.

Look on my works ye mighty and despair...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: actors, amy adams, bad films, film, honesty, leap year, matthew goode, Movies, romantic comedy, turgid, watchmen | 7 Comments »

Did Paramount Back the Wrong Horse in the Oscar Race?

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Darren

It’s fun to analyse the Oscars. It’s even more fun before any individual awards have been handed out. I’ve already given my thoughts on the Best Picture race and the acting nods, but I was just thinking specifically about Paramount’s Oscar campaign this year. Making the infamously misguided decision to champion The Lovely Bones at the expense of all others, they were left empty-handed and red-faced when the film imploded. In hindsight, it looks like they made the wrong choice in pushing forward their prospective Best Picture nominees. Maybe they would have been better-pushed to get behind Star Trek?

Saorse wasn't the only lost during The Lovely Bones...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 82nd academy awards, academy, best picture, best picture nominees, Oscars, paramount, paramount pictures, Shutter Island, star trek, the lovely bones | Leave a comment »

Die Hard and the Rule of Escalating Threat…

Posted on February 25, 2010 by Darren

Bruce Willis has started talking about Die Hard 5 (maybe that should be Die Hard 5.0, but I digress), and has suggested that the next logical step for John McClane is to save the world. Think about it. In Die Hard, he saved a building full of people – not bad, you might say. In Die Harder, he saved an entire airport and the planes in the sky – impressive, you might agree. In Die Hard With A Vengeance, he saved New York from a mad bomber – maybe a little outside of his pay grade, you’ll possible argue. In Die Hard 4.0 (or Live Free and Die Hard), McClane pretty much single-handedly (because nerdy sidekicks don’t count) saved the United States of America. The remark that McClane is porbably going to save the world – while probably a bit of a joke on Willis’ part – got me thinking: is the rule of escalating threat necessarily a good thing?

More sequels, less hair...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bruce willis, die hard, die hard 4.0, john mcclane, Movies, sequels, the first law of metafictional thermodynamics, the rule of escalating threat, threats | Leave a comment »

Looking for Christopher Nolan’s Superman…

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Darren

Superman is a tough character to get right. In any format. I remarked earlier in the week that there are very few truly classic stories featuring the character. While I’m more than a little delighted that Christopher Nolan has been handed the reigns to the franchise, I’m also a little bit nervous. Is there a way to make Superman a viable commercial franchise for the twenty-dirst century? I’d argue there is, if we look in the right place. Here’s my opinion: Look! Up in the skies! I think that the place to look to take the character back to his roots is the sort of wonderful ‘out there’ science fiction of the fifties. Batman does noir, so let Superman do hokey sci-fi.

"You will always be a child of two worlds..." Wait, sorry, wrong monologue...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bryan singer, Christopher Nolan, clark kent, comic books, fifties, nostalgia, richard donner, sci-fi, superman, superman 3.0, superman ii, superman reboot, superman returns | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Invention of Lying

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Darren

What a fantastic concept. Imagine a world where nobody lies. Now imagine a world where some cheeky bugger – oh, look, it’s Ricky Gervais, who would have thought? – invents the concept of lying, an un-truth. Doesn’t it sound like comic dynamite in the right hands? I mean, humour is always about exploring and subverting social conventions, so removing all the little ‘white lies’ must surely be the stuff of comedy gold? Not so much, it turns out.

"look into my eyes, can't you see they're open wide? Would I lie to you baby, would I lie to you?"

Note: This review will probably mention some stuff that might spoil the movie for you – in some small way. We won’t be discussing the ending or such, but there’s a significant tonal shift in the middle you might not want flagged. If you want a quick opinion on the film, here it is: it isn’t worth your time, it doesn’t go anywhere with the concept and insists upon its own brilliance just a tad too much. If you want some reasoning, read on. If not, consider yourself forewarned.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, Movie, non-review review, review, ricky gervais, the invention of lying | Leave a comment »

Is the Romantic Comedy Dead & Gone…

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Darren

I’m a romantic at heart. I really am. Underneath my cold, cynical exterior beats the heart of a poet. A bad poet, no doubt, but a poet nonetheless. Which is why I find it somewhat disingenuous when my mother or my aunt feel the need to attack me for not appreciating or understanding films like My Sister’s Keeper or The Ugly Truth. It’s easy to joke that “ha, I’m a dude and dudes don’t understand the romantic or emotional drama movies!” and so on, but I think that belies the problem. And the problem is that I don’t like too many romantic comedies because… well, they aren’t good movies (or, to qualify, I don’t believe they are good movies). Read on to hear my reasoning.

The only gold standard in the traditional romantic comedy is Matthew McConaughey's fake tan...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 27 dresses, film, Movies, romance, romantic comedies, the ugly truth, valentine's day | 8 Comments »

Superman: Red Son

Posted on February 23, 2010 by Darren

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! Superman: Strange visitor from another world! Who can change the course of might rivers, bend steel in his bare hands and who, as the champion of the common worker, fights a never-ending battle for Stalin, socialism and the international expansion of the Warsaw Pact.

…

Let out enemies beware: the is only one super-power now.

– Russian propaganda broadcast

I’ve remarked before, and many others have remarked as well, that Superman is a very tough character to write for, particularly after seventy years of publication. This is a fact reflected by the difficulty even comic book aficionados have in picking the iconic Superman stories – the essential collections, as it were. Undoubtedly Alan Moore’s work on the character would be collected (handily in Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?), as would Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman. I’m fairly sure that this collection would also make the shortlist. As far as interesting and insightful takes on the character go, Mark Millar has what might be termed a “doozie” here: what if Superman had landed in Russia? What if instead of fighting for “truth, justice and the American Way”, he fought for Mother Russia? It’s certainly an intriguing idea, and Mark Millar’s execution is near-flawless as well.

Well, of course the balloon is red...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: alan moore, comic book, dave johnson, dc comics, dc universe, elseworlds, grant morrison, Jimmy Olsen, justice league, mark millar, red son, review, superman, superman: red son, superman: red son: the deluxe edition, United States | 3 Comments »

Could Kick-Ass Be a Cinematic Watchmen?

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Darren

Okay, I think we were all a little disappointed with Watchmen. Although the use of that word seems unfair. The book defined the comic book superhero genre in a way that bled into film long before the movie was made. Zach Snyder’s work seemed… redundant. Watchmen had influenced the comic books that came after and they had influenced the movies. If anything, the movie adaptation seemed much less mature and developed than the previous year’s Batman blockbuster – The Dark Knight. Publicity and reviews for this year’s Kick-Ass are beginning to emerge and it seems like it’s all good, so far. The film, along with Shutter Island, was the runaway hit of Butt-Numb-A-Thon this year, a sort of geeky Sundance. It’s an interest look at what “real” superheroes would look like, and part of me wonders if this is movie will end up being what Watchmen should have been?