October | 2012 | the m0vie blog

The Six Faces of 007: Sean Connery

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Darren

To celebrate James Bond’s 50th birthday on screen (and the release of Skyfall), we’re going to take a look at the character and his films. We’ve already reviewed all the classic movies, so we’ll be looking at his iconic baddies, and even at the character himself.

Ian Fleming created James Bond. However, he crafted the character as a “blunt instrument”, a relatively bland character that might serve as a vehicle for all manner of adventures. It’s fair to argue that a lot of what modern audiences take for granted in the character of James Bond came from Sean Connery, the tall Scotsman who played the character for the first five films in the series, before returning once officially (and once more unofficially). Connery’s portrayal of the secret agent was so definitive that even Fleming himself retroactively gave Bond Scottish roots in tribute to the actor.

The name’s Connery, Sean Connery…

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Beretta, bond, Connery, From Russia With Love, ian fleming, james bond, James Bond in film, Lotte Lenya, Miss Moneypenny, Moneypenny, Moore, Roger Moore, Russia With Love, sean connery | 12 Comments »

An Interview with Robert Davi

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Darren

We’ve been doing a bit of celebrating this month, to mark Bond’s fiftieth anniversary on film (and the release of Skyfall). Actor Robert Davi, who played the villain Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill, was kind enough to get in contact with us about a piece we published covering the character, and politely volunteered to ask a few questions about the film. Davi has been a remarkably recognisable screen presence since the eighties, with roles in iconic movies like Licence to Kill, The Goonies, Die Hard and the hit television show Profiler.

He now manages his own film (Sun Lion Films) and music production (Sun Lion Records) companies. In 2007, he made his directorial debut with The Dukes, and launched a professional singing career in 2011. You can check out his Sinatra-inspired work at Davi Sings Sinatra, with some great testimonials. (Quincy Jones knows music, and his endorsement is worth more than mine – although consider mine offered as well. Check out a sampler here.)

The opportunity to ask Davi some questions was too good to pass up. It was a delight to be able to put some of my questions to him, and Davi was very generous with his time in answering quite a few of the more tangential and nerdy ones – a great insight into the construction of, I’d argue, one of the more fascinating Bond villains.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bond, casino royale, Darren, Franz Sanchez, ian fleming, James Bond in film, John Glenn, Licence to Kill, Richard Maibaum, robert davi, Sanchez, United States | 5 Comments »

Watch! Dark Zero Thirty Trailer!

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Darren

So far, Dark Zero Thirty has been a bit of an unknown quantity in the end-of-year Oscar race. Following the team responsible for assassinating Osama Bin Laden, Kathryn Bigalow’s movie has to be on the short-list for awards contention. It received a fairly radical change of course yesterday, meaning that it might not open in the States as early as expected. Instead, it looks like it might be pushed back to January for a wide release, following a more traditional Oscar pattern. It’s a roll-out strategy that was worked quite well for contenders in other years.

Reportedly, the film’s release had been considered for the November elections, but it may now open wide in the States only slightly early than it opens here. (The notion of being used as a political volleyball in various election-related op-eds was probably less-than-appealing to the film.) It releases in Ireland on 25th January 2013, and we have the new trailer below. Bigalow has assembeld one hell of an ensemble, with some fantastic actors putting in appearances. I am very much looking forward to this one. Enjoy.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, Dark Zero Thirty, Hurt Locker, Ireland, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Kathryn Bigelow, Osama bin Laden | Leave a comment »

The Judas Kiss at the Gaiety Theatre (Review)

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Darren

Rupert Everett is amazing as Oscar Wilde in The Judas Kiss, with the veteran actor’s enthusiasm for all things Wildean seeping into the very fabric of David Hare’s examination of the Irish writer’s tragedy (or folly, depending on how sympathetic you are). Ably supported by fantastic ensemble, lavish set design and solid direction, The Judas Kiss is a rare theatrical pleasure. David Hare’s script manages to entertain and engage without ever seeming to pander, or without ever seeming too forced or obvious, and Everett provides a stunning portrait of a man struggling with his own ideas of fate and determinism.

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: Cal MacAninch, David Hare, Freddie Fox, Judas Kiss, London, oscar wilde, rupert everett, wilde | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Mummy (1932)

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Darren

The Mummy is often unfairly dismissed as an inferior attempt to emulate the success of Dracula. It’s from the same writer, John L. Balderston, and the credits are even set to the same music – the powerful Swan Lake theme that opened that other iconic horror. I’d argue that the influence of Frankenstein can also be keenly felt on the picture, and not just in its leading actor. However, I think The Mummy is often unfairly overlooked when examining the Universal Monster Movies, playing more like a creepy existential romantic epic than a conventional creature feature horror film.

He needs his beauty sleep…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Boris Karloff, British Museum, BritishMuseum, creature from the black lagoon, dracula, Edward Van Sloan, egypt, Egyptian Museum, film, Frank, frankenstein, Helen, Imhotep, John L. Balderston, Karl Fruend, Karloff, Kim Newman, Mary Shelley, Movie, Mummy, Mummy's Hand, non-review review, Reincarnation, review, Scroll of Thoth, Sudan, swan lake, Tutankhamun, Universal Monster, universal monsters | 3 Comments »

Tomb of Dracula Omnibus, Vol. III (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Darren

Darkness spreads across the land like a bone-chilling evening mist. It swirls, boils and froths.

Then, at the moment when midnight madness is at its greatest, the darkness takes form and substance and becomes a thing of hell-born horror.

This is… THE TOMB OF DRACULA.

Pray you can avoid its deadly embrace…

Sometimes classic movie monsters just look better in black and white, eh? Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan told pretty much a complete Tomb of Dracula epic in the seventy issues of the main title produced in the previous two omnibus collections. This third gigantic tome collects a lot of what might be considered “a Tomb of Dracula miscellany”, collecting various odds and ends from Marvel’s Draculacomics during the seventies to sort of expand and enhance the story told in the main title. It isn’t as consistent as that seventy-issue run, with a variety of weaving story threads, one-shots, text stories and a variety of artistic and authorial talent, but it’s still an interesting look at Marvel’s horror comics during the seventies.

Feed your Dracula addiction!

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: adam sandler, arts, black swan, Bram Stoker, Colan, Colin Callender, dracula, Exorcist, gene colan, green lantern, hbo, horror, Hotel Transylvania, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, London, Marv Wolfman, marvel comics, NBC, Romania, Selena Gomez, Tomb of Dracula, Vlad, wolfman | 1 Comment »

A View to a Bond Baddie: Le Chiffre

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Darren

A new era of Bond deserved a new type of villain. Or, at least, a renewed look at the oldest. Casino Royale had been the first James Bond novel written, but it was only the twenty-first filmed – long past the point where the series had even paid lip-service to Fleming’s novel and short story titles, let alone their plots. Much like the Bond girl Vesper Lynd, Martin Campbell’s Casino Royale radically reimagined the story’s villain, while remaining relatively true to the character’s roots. The result is a rather interesting addition to Bond’s iconic selection of foes, as brought to life by Mads Mikkelsen.

Playing his cards right?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bond villains, casino royale, ian fleming, james bond, le chiffre, Mads Mikkelsen, martin campbell, Skyfall | 3 Comments »

Watch! Trailer for Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land!

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Darren

Universal Pictures Ireland just sent over this trailer for the upcoming reunion of Matt Damon and Gus Van Sant, Promised Land. The actor and director famously worked together on the Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting, so it’ll be interesting to see if their latest collaboration can match that Oscar-winning gem. Much like Good Will Hunting, Van Sant has surrounded Damon with a powerhouse cast including veterans like Frances McDormand and Hal Holbrook, younger developing talents like John Krasinski and Scoot McNairy, and even familiar faces like Titus Welliver. It’s certainly worth a look.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: frances mcdormand, Good Will Hunting, gus van sant, Hal Holbrook, John Krasinski, matt damon, Scoot McNairy, Titus Welliver | 2 Comments »

Watch! Iron Man 3 Trailer!

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Darren

Disney have released the first Iron Man 3 trailer. Check it out below and let me know what you think.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: film, iron man 3, Movie, robert downey jr, trailer | 10 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Frankenstein (1931)

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Darren

We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation – life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even – horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now’s your chance to – uh, well, we warned you.

James Whale’s Frankenstein tends to be overshadowed by its sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, as perhaps the definitive take on the mad scientist and his creepy, tragic monster. While the script for Universal’s 1931 Frankenstein is occasionally a bit too loose for its own good, it’s still a stunning piece of classic monster movie cinema. I had the pleasure of watching the recent blu ray release of the film, and it looks just as good now as it ever did.