October | 2012 | the m0vie blog

Listen! Adele’s Skyfall Theme…

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Darren

We’re doing a month celebrating James Bond’s fiftieth anniversary, so it feels fair to include the latest Bond theme, released on Friday. Adele actually seems like the perfect choice for a Bond theme, evoking the style of classic themes like Diamonds Are Forever and Goldfinger. I haven’t actually enjoyed a Bond theme since Garbage’s superb The World is Not Enough, but When The Sky Falls sounds much more classic than that, harking back to the middle of the Roger Moore era at the latest. (Being honest, I could easily imagine Shirley Bassey knocking it out as a Sean Connery theme.) It seems to support Sam Mendes’ claims he’s taking Bond back to his roots, with “echoes” of earlier films.

Check it out below, and let us know what you think. Interestingly, it may be disqualified from this year’s Oscars race, potentially blocking Skyfall‘s highest profile possible win. Ah well, it’s still a nice and classy Bond theme.

Filed under: Movies | 6 Comments »

A View to a Bond Baddie: Max Zorin

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Darren

To celebrate James Bond’s 50th birthday on screen, 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.

An interesting thing about Roger Moore’s Bond films is the fact that the best baddies tended to pop up in the worst films. Okay, I have a soft spot for Julian Glover in For Your Eyes Only, arguably the best of Moore’s outings as James Bond, but I’m thinking of Christopher Lee in The Man With the Golden Gun and Christopher Walken in A View to a Kill. In particular, Walken’s Max Zorin stands out – in my opinion – as one of the best villains of the entire franchise. He’s a character who really stands at the half-way point between the classical Bond villains and the characters we’ve seen since, positioned half-way between Auric Goldfinger and Franz Sanchez. It also helps that Walken is having a whale of a time, and that fun is contagious.

Hang on in there…

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: A View to a Kill, bond, christopher walken, Cold War, Dresden, East Germany, entertainment, Goldfinger, ian fleming, james bond, James Bond in film, List of James Bond villains, Man With The Golden Gun, Max Zorin, Moore, paris, Roger Moore, Russian, Russians, san francisco | 6 Comments »

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Omnibus (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Darren

Stephen King’s Dark Tower Omnibus is an absolutely stunning collection. It might, in terms of production value, be the finest hardcover that Marvel have ever produced in their prestigious omnibus line. Ignoring the issue of content, it’s hard to think of any collection that looks or feels more impressive than this massive slipcase edition, housing two gigantic tomes of King’s iconic lore. One volume reprints the first six story arcs of Marvel’s Dark Tower series, all written by Peter David and stunningly illustrated by Jae Lee. The second book contains all manner of supplementary material – from interviews with the creators, to sketches, to prose pieces and background information on King’s absolutely monumental fantasy epic. While the comic book itself might have some flaws (some serious, some less so), there’s absolutely no faulting the skill and care that went into crafting this deluxe special edition.

A towering accomplishment?

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Crimson King, dark tower, Grapefruit, Gunslinger, Jae Lee, king, Maerlyn, Roland, Roland Deschain, Stand, stephen king, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, Wizard's Rainbow | 2 Comments »

A View to a Bond Baddie: Auric Goldfinger

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Darren

Golden words he will pour in your ear
But his lies can’t disguise what you fear
For a golden girl knows when he’s kissed her
It’s the kiss of death… from Mis-ter…
Goldfinger.

Pretty girl, beware of his heart of gold
This heart is cold…

He loves only gold!

The first film in the series, Dr. No, did an exceptional job establishing the template for a Bond villain. Dr. Julius No had an island fortress, a stylish layer, an army of henchmen, a few key soldiers with a gimmick, a sinister plan and a physical deformity, all of which would become fairly key ingredients for an archetypal Bond baddie. That said, Joseph Wiseman only appear on-screen in the role for about twenty minutes, so the audience actually got relatively little time to know him. The follow-up, From Russia With Love, also had a set of memorable bad guys, but the interaction with Bond was limited to the final few minutes of the film. (That isn’t to suggest those few minutes weren’t fantastic.)

On the other hand, we actually spend most of Goldfinger with Auric Goldfinger, and he’s the first villain in the series who has a number of extended interactions with our hero.

His finger in many pies…

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Adolf Hitler, auric goldfinger, bond, China, Fort Knox, Goldfinger, ian fleming, james bond, James Bond in film, Joseph Wiseman, Julius No, List of James Bond henchmen in Goldfinger, napoleon, Nazi, Pussy Galore, world war ii | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Batman Beyond – Return of the Joker

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Darren

The Joker holds a special place among Batman’s iconic selection of villains. Appearing as early as Batman #1 all those years ago, the clown prince of crime has managed to hold on to his position as the prime Batman bad guy for pretty much all of Batman’s publication history. It was the Joker who put Barbara Gordon in a wheelchair in The Killing Joke, and it was the Joker who killed Jason Todd in A Death in the Family. As such, it’s no real surprise that the character should eventually make his way to the futuristic setting of Batman Beyond, to give Bruce one last challenge.

Guess who’s back…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: barbara gordon, batman, batman animated series, Bruce, bruce wayne, ChristopherNolan, dark knight, Dark Knight Rises, dc animated universe, film, gotham city, heath ledger, joker, mark hamill, Movie, New Batman Adventures, non-review review, paul dini, review, robin, Terry, Wayne Enterprise, Wayne Enterprises | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: What Richard Did

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Darren

The latest film from Lenny Abrahamson is a solid slow boil moral and psychological drama. It treads well-worn ground, exploring the relationship between guilt and entitlement, but does so in a relatively charming way, navigated by Abrahamson’s solid direction and a great central performance from Jack Reynor. However, it’s hard not see this as a variation on a familiar story, one we’ve seen rendered in an American and a British context quite often. Malcolm Campbell’s overly melodramatic script never quite manages to ground to film in a particularly Irish setting, despite the posh Blackrock background and the occasionally recognisable landmark. Even the title change, eschewing the novel’s Bad Day in Blackrock for a more generic What Richard Did seems to try to broaden the scope of the film, losing a lot of the more potentially fascinating avenues that could be explored.

More than his ego is bruised…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Abrahamson, Bret Easton Ellis, film, Filmmaking, FirstGroup, jack reynor, Jon Ronson, Lenny Abrahamson, Malcolm Campbell, Michael Fassbender, Movie, non-review review, Patrick McLoughlin, reivew, Richard, Richard Branson, the best irish film of the century, United States, West Coast Main Line, Woody Allen | Leave a comment »

The Picture of Dorian Grey at the Abbey Theatre (Review)

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Darren

Neil Bartlett’s take on The Picture of Dorian Grey sounds like it might be a good idea on paper, but it doesn’t really come off in the execution. Oscar Wilde’s dark and sinister gothic horror has a timeless quality to it, but Bartlett’s interpretation of the material seems a little too shallow. Given the subject matter, you could argue that’s a good thing, but it sadly doesn’t make for the most satisfying of results.

Shades of Grey…

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: art, Dorian, Dorian Grey, Eric Idle, gothic, Gothic fiction, Jasper Britton, Lord Henry, Neil Bartlett, oscar wilde, Picture of Dorian Gray, sherlock holmes | 2 Comments »

The Punisher by Rick Remender Omnibus (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Darren

Rick Remender’s Punisher is a fun run. It’s not the most important or iconic take on the character, nor is it the writer’s best work at Marvel (or in the industry as a whole). It’s disjointed, it’s awkwardly paced, it seems to resolve itself merely because Remender was moving on to another title, but it’s also fun, exciting and interesting. Somewhat akin to Jason Aaron’s Ghost Rider work, it’s a great writer cutting lose with a grindhouse character and concentrating on telling a tale that is entertaining rather than definitive. In many respects, Remender’s Punisher really shouldn’t work half as well as it does, and that’s certainly a testament to the writer’s skill.

Here there be monsters…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Daken, dark reign, Frank, Garth Ennis, Hood, Jason Aaron, john romita, Kingpin (comics), marvel, marvel comics, Microchip, punisher, Remender, Rick Remender, Tomb of Dracula | 1 Comment »

Watch! It’s Neeson Season!

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Darren

To celebrate the release of Taken 2, the guys behind Silence! The Musical – a musical adaptation of The Silence of the Lambs – has released this rather brilliant musical compilation of Liam Neeson’s greatest moments. (Jon and Al Kaplan are also some of the best pop cultural musical minds out there – I adore 24: The Musical, a pitch-perfect musical adaptation of the second season of the show.) By the way, “Neeson season” totally needs to be a thing. Like between blockbuster season and Oscar season.

Anyway, enjoy.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, Awareness, Breast cancer, Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres, liam neeson, Performing Arts, taken | 4 Comments »

A View to a Bond Baddie: Dr. Julius No

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Darren

In many ways, Dr. No feels like a rather strange first instalment for a franchise that has managed to persist from half a century. Many of the trademarks we associate with the series are absent. There’s no pre-credits sequence. No powerful theme song involving the title of the film. Even the music playing over that iconic gun barrel shot sounds weird. There are no gadgets and gizmos, save for a Geiger Counter. The movie’s iconic Bond girl, Honey Rider, only shows up past the mid-point of the film.

As such, it’s amazing that the Bond villain emerged almost fully formed, with Dr. No providing perhaps the archetypal James Bond baddie.