July | 2011 | the m0vie blog

The Marvels Project (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Darren

hIn celebration of the 4th of July and the release of Captain America: The First Avenger later this month, we’re jumping into Marvel’s comic book alternate history and taking a look at the star-spangled avenger every Wednesday this month.

Truth be told, I’m not sure what to make of The Marvels Project, a miniseries from Ed Brubaker. Brubaker has been doing acclaimed work on Captain America for some years now, so I guess I almost figured that The Marvels Project would be an extension of that – a period piece set during the Second World War which would allow perhaps the definitive Captain America author to put his own stamp on that iconic comic book origin. For better or worse, this isn’t really that story – sure, Steve Rogers’ early career is covered, but as one small section of a much larger puzzle. Far more than the origin of Captain America, The Marvels Project is the origin of the Marvel Universe.

Carryin' the torch...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: alternate history, alternate universe, captain america, comic book history, ed brubaker, fictional universe, forties, Human Torch, J. Michael Straczynski, marvel comics, marvel universe, Marvels Project, nostalgia, retro, second world war, stan lee, Steve Epting, the marvels project, Timely Comics, world war ii | 1 Comment »

To The Devil His Due: Why I Don’t Begrudge Classic Actors “Selling Out”…

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Darren

I happened to catch a few minutes of Anger Management on television last night. Not enough that I’d feel comfortable reviewing it, but enough to remember most of what I needed to about the movie – which was a perfectly standard Adam Sandler comedy notable for affording the comedian the opportunity to play opposite Jack Nicholson. Nicholson who was an autopilot for the most of the film, but managed to deliver one of the most awkwardly creepy-and-hilarious moments in recent cinematic history as his eyebrows urge Sandler’s character to deliver the line, “I’m sorry I was so rude before… but… it’s difficult for me… to… express myself… when I am on the verge of… exploding in my pants.” Aside from that surreal perv-y old man moment, Nicholson seemed to be in the film mostly for the pay check, which seems to be a recurring trend these days for all manner of respected veteran actors. It’s easy to label performances by Al Pacino in Righteous Kill and 88 Minutes or Robert DeNiro in Little Fockers as classic actors “selling out”, but is it really that big a deal? Is it something we can begrudge these one-time icons?

Most of his paychecks get made out to "Jack Nicholson's eybrows"...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: acting, adam sandler, al pacino, big names, films, hollywood, jack nicholson, Leonardo diCaprio, martin scorsese, meryl streep, money, Movies, raúl juliá, righteous kill, robert deniro, sellign out | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Darren

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a movie that really works very much better than it really should. It’s clunky, predictable and standard box office fare, hardly designed to provoke or probe the extremes of the human imagination. It opens with a clunky exposition-filled narration which crams an entire franchise’s worth of back story into what should be a simple and straight forward tale, which even Ian McShane’s distinctive tones can’t completely elevate. From there on out, its by-the-numbers and fairly straight-forward. On the other hand, the movie has something that the vast majority of other summer blockbusters are seriously lacking in.

And that thing, my friends, is Nicolas Cage.

Cage certainly takes some balsy roles...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: blockbuster, Fantasia, films, ian mcshane, Jay Baruchel, Mickey Mouse, Movies, nicolas cage, non-review review, review, Sorcerer's Apprentice, the sorcere's apprentice, tropic thunder, Wicker Man | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Drive Angry

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Darren

I really liked Drive Angry, which feels like cinematic junk food. It’s not especially well-made, it’s not good for you, but damn if it isn’t just a little bit tasty. It’s not art, it won’t make you think, and it isn’t going to appear on too many “best of”lists. However, it’s the dirtiest, trashiest, most ridiculously over-the-top adventure that I’ve seen in quite some time. It might have felt like the engine was going to pull right out of the body, but it was a heck of a ride.