May | 2010 | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Kill Bill, Vol. 2

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Darren

Another film, another only very vaguely controversial decision from Darren. I actually prefer Kill Bill, Vol. 2 to the Kill Bill, Vol. 1. There, I said it. Don’t get me wrong, I like Japanese samurai swords, massive brawls, over-the-top violence and kitchen knife fights as much as the next man, but there’s just something about the second half of this “roaring rampage of revenge” which appeals to me.

Careful with your knives at the table...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bill, exploitation, film, kill bill, kill bill 2, kill bill: vol. 2, Movies, non-review review, quentin tarantino, review, roaring rampage of revenge, sergio leone, the bride | 8 Comments »

Going Looney About 3D…

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Darren

Well, as far as 3D is concerned, I’m not convinced, despite it’s increasing presence in the market place. However, after all my time criticising post-rendering in 3D or how certain films don’t necessarily need the gimmick, maybe it’s about time I got a little bit excited about 3D and stopped complaining so damn much. Or at least recognised that it’s not all bad. The good news of which I speak? The Looney Tunes are coming back… in 3D.

This coyote is about to get ugly...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 3d, animation, cats & dogs, coyote falls, film, looney tunes, looney tunes 3d, Movies, road runner, shorts, Warner Brothers, wile e. coyote | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Road

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Darren

Fire is a recurring image in the work of Cormac McCarthy. Particularly the notion of a generational line “carrying the fire” and being the good guys. There’s a moment at the end of No Country For Old Men, another adaptation of McCarthy’s work, where the tired sheriff played by Tommy Lee Jones shares a weird dream he’s been having with his wife, where he finds himself walking down a long road, and he passes his father – who is carrying a torch. It’s a powerful image, which really cuts to the heart of the piece. For those wondering what that road and that torch may actually look like… well, there’s this.

The Road less traveled...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: cormac mccarthy, faith, films, john hillcoat, Movies, non-review review, post-apocalyptic, review, the road, viggo mortensen | 14 Comments »

Congratulations to the LAMMY Nominees…

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Darren

A well-deserved congratulations to all those shortlisted for the LAMMY’s, the annual awards ceremony run by the wonderful guys over at The Large Association of Movie Blogs (who also deserve a congratulations for all the work they do for us little guys). There are some familiar faces on the list and some I barely know, but well done to all and well-deserved. The nominees are listed here.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: awards, blogging, lamb, lammys, large association of movie bloggers, large association of movie blogs | 8 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Sherlock Holmes

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Darren

Well. I enjoyed that probably far more than I should have. If you ever wondered what Bad Boys would look like set in turn-of-the-last-century London and featuring a better director, then look no further. Although it would seem to be your typical old-fashioned action yarn in the mode of The Mummy or Shanghai Noon, the movie really works best as a time-displaced buddy cop film – or even just as a regular bromance. The movie is light, quick and entertaining. What more could you expect?

There's going to be bloody 'ell to pay...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bad boys, bromance, guy ritchie, jude law, mark strong, Movies, non-review review, rachel mcadams, review, ribert downey jr, robert downey, robert downey jnr., sherlock holmes, watson | 6 Comments »

Iron Man: Extremis (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Darren

John Pillinger says the Iron Man suit is a military application. I told him he was wrong. I’m trying to decide if I was lying. I’ve never sold any element of the Iron Man to the military. It’s used for extraordinary rescue and response situations. Iron Man saves lives. Iron Man used to represent the future.

– Tony Stark considers his legacy

What’s the Iron Man for, Tony?

– Sal cuts straight to the heart of the matter

The more Iron Man stories I read – and the more movies I see as well – it appears that Tony Stark as a lost individual isn’t a metaphor, it’s more of a metaphysical observation. He’s typically well written and carefully considered (of course, there are glaring exceptions), but he rarely seems to find himself involved in any particularly strong narratives. His appeal is centred entirely on the character’s charm, charisma and pride of place as one of fiction’s most famous and prestigious futurists. I don’t mean this as a slight on Extremis by any means – in fact, Warren Ellis’ revised mission statement for the true man of tomorrow may be the best Iron Man story I’ve read.

What is Tony Stark made of?

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: adi granov, Comics, extremis, futurism, Guy Pearce, iron man, iron man: extremis, jon favreau, marvel, marvel comics, Movies, robert downey, Stark, tony stark, warren ellis | Leave a comment »

Game On: The Video Game Curse…

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Darren

Prince of Persia is coming soon. You can’t miss it, what with all the airtime they’re filling the television channels with, and all the movie specials. The movie is what it is – it’s a cynical attempt to cash in on the retro-chic of the old swords-and-sandals pulpy serial adventures in the same way that Pirates of the Caribbean originally did, while remaining anchored to a property with at least some geek recognition attached. It isn’t by any stretch of my imagination a must-see movie this year (not even making it into my top ten most anticipated films), but it looks it might manage to do what it says on the tin. It might offer a distracting low-brow Middle-Eastern-themed romp with an effective cast and competent direction masking what’s undoubtedly a weak premise. However, the movie has one major fact playing against it: it’s a video game adaptation. And those have something of a dodgy history in Hollywood.

Is Prince of Persia going to get to the next level of video game adaptations?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: adaptations, art, blockbuster, film, mario brothers, media, medium, Movies, prince of persia, video games | 12 Comments »

I Love the Eighties: Blockbuster Edition

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Darren

I am a child of the eighties. It’s a bit of an irony that I am too young to actually recall any of the decade, but still feel more than a pang of nostalgia about it. Evidently I’m not the only one. Perhaps it’s in recognition of the turn of a new decade or the rise of a younger generation, but even a cursory glance at the big budget blockbusters coming our way this summer reveal that the times, they are a-changing. No longer is our fascination with quirky seventies sex comedies or gritty urban cop dramas of that decade: this year, we’re going back to the eighties.

The Expendables is a blast from the past...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: action movies, blockbusters, films, hot tub time machine, macgruber, macgyver, Movies, nostalgia, predator, predators, prince of persia, remakes, retro, sylvester stallone, the a-team, the eighties, the expendables, the past | 7 Comments »

Dream On: The Mysteries of Inception…

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Darren

I just belatedly saw the Inception trailer last week. My first reaction is just… well, I can’t quite do it justice in printed form, so I guess “wow” will have to do. It’s my single most anticipated movie of the year, but I haven’t really written about it. I haven’t written about it because it’s all been (and will likely continue being) played close to Christopher Nolan’s chest. We only just recently got a plot synopsis, for a movie now two months away. And, you know what? I love it.

I'll be sitting these spoilers out...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blockbusters, blogging, Christopher Nolan, cinema, Inception, Movies, spoiler, spoilers | 9 Comments »

Daredevil by Ed Brubaker Omnibus, Vol. I

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Darren

It’s pretty tough taking over a beloved cult title from a run which certainly measures among its best. Daredevil has long been a testing ground for many an iconic comic book writer, but Brian Michael Bendis left the book seeming to have done the impossible. Depending on who you asked, he had either come extremely close to matching the seminal run by Frank Miller, or had simply left it in the dust behind him. So taking over from Bendis would be no easy task. Thankfully, Ed Brubaker is more than up to the task.