Non-Review Reviews | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Invisible Man (1933)

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Darren

We’ll begin with a reign of terror. A few murders here and there. Murders of great men, murders of little men, just to show we make no distinction. We might even wreck a train or two. Just these fingers around a signalman’s throat, that’s all.

The Invisible Man is a classic, sandwiched between James Whale’s celebrated monster movies – Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. The movie was renowned at the time for its special effects, which still hold up remarkably well on the snazzy new blu ray issued by Universal Pictures. However, the film itself is still fantastic on its own terms, featuring a great leading performance from Claude Rains, a witty script and some fantastic direction from Whale. I think it’s also quite wonderfully telling that The Invisible Man manages to feature the story of simultaneously the most human and the most inhuman of these Universal Monster Movies.

The freak who came in from the cold…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: batman, Claude Rain, comedy, Doctor Septimus Pretorius, Experiment, film, frankenstein, George Carlin, god, Griffin, h.g. wells, india, Invisible Man, jack, James Whale, John J. Mescall, John P. Fulton, joker, Kemp, Movie, murder, non-review review, Recreation, review, Shopping, Una O'Connor, United States, universal monsters, Victor Frankenstein | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Room 237

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Darren

Room 237 is an ode to cinema. Not just Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, mind you, despite the fact that fact that Kubrick’s horror film is the focus of the film’s talking heads (or disembodied voices) discussion. No, Room 237 is a celebratory tribute to every discussion and dissection of popular film, no matter how plausible or implausible, no matter whether conducted in print, on-line or in the pub with friends. Director Rodney Ascher’s documentary is as interested in the personal lives of its subjects – where they came from, with regards to the film – as it is with their views on the film itself.

In case you can’t tell, I was very taken with it.

Cut it there, Jack!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 2001: A Space Odyssey (film), Barry Lyndon, blade runner, documentary, film, holocaust, kubrick, Movie, Native American, Native Americans in the United States, non-review review, Pope John Paul II, review, Rodney Ascher, room 237, shining, stanley kubrick | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Stitches

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Darren

Stitches is an interesting little Irish film. Featuring an interesting set up to parody the conventions of the supernatural slasher film, the movie finds itself falling prey to them just a little bit too often. Irish writer and director Conor McMahon creates a credible gory teenage bloodbath, but doesn’t really find a narrative hook to engage the audience. Never entirely sure how ironic it is trying to be, Stitches is a solid effort, albeit one far from greatness.

Not clowning around…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: art, arts, ATB, Cinema of Ireland, Clown, Conor McMahon, Cross-stitch, film, grabber, Horror film, irish, John Wayne Gacy, Movie, nightmare on elm street, non-review review, Performers, Performing Arts, Recreation, review, Ross Noble, Sewing, Slasher film, Stitch, Stitches, United States | 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 »

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.

“It’s aliiiive!”

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Boris Karloff, bride of frankenstein, Doctor Waldman, frankenstein, Frankenstein Monster, Fritz, Frontal lobe, god, Henry, Herman Rosse, James Whale, Mad scientist, Mary Shelley, romanticism, universal studios, Victor, Victor Frankenstein | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Sapphires

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Darren

The Sapphires is the perfect feel-good movie to take us into Oscar season. The “goldilocks” of feel-good cinema, the movie balances its tone well. It’s never too heavy, but it’s never too light. Dealing with the eponymous Aboriginal girl band and their career in Vietnam during the conflict, it’s often both witty and touching at the same time. This quality is best encapsulated by Chris O’Dowd, playing the group’s slightly dodgy Irish manager, Dave Lovelace. A barely-functioning alcoholic tasked with keeping the tensions in the group under control, O’Dowd manages to make Lovelace simultaneously hilarious and somewhat tragic – a character we truly like, even if we also pity him. It’s a fantastic performance in a very solid film.

Good morning, Vietnam!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aboriginal, Chris O'Dowd, Dave, Dave Lovelace, film, Gail, Movie, non-review review, O'Dowd, review, Sapphires, The Sapphires, United States, vietnam, Wayne Blair | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Skyfall

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Darren

There’s a moment about a third of the way through Skyfall that manages to perfectly encapsulate its opinion of the iconic British spy at the heart of the film. Casually dismissing the villain’s lofty accomplishments, Bond mutters, “Everybody needs a hobby.” The villain takes the jab quite well. “Oh. What’s yours?” Bond retorts, “Resurrection.” Released to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the film franchise, Skyfall is a veritable ode to Bond’s endurance – in both a literal and metaphorical sense. After all, not many fifty year olds look as stylish as this.

Sam Mendes, and his talented cast and crew, have managed to get Bond the perfect birthday present.

Working in the shadows…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Adele, bond, Christopher Nolan, daniel craig, film, Fleming, ian fleming, james bond, James Bond in film, James Bond Theme, judi dench, Movie, non-review review, Paul McCartney, r eview, resurrection, Skyfall | 22 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Darren

Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild is a fascinating film, and I’m not quite sure I’ve figured it out yet. It looks stunning, especially considering the relatively tiny budget, and it features two stunning lead performances from newcomers Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry. However, there’s a sense that movie lacks substance, that Zeitlin’s ethereal coming of age fantasy lacks a firm grounding necessary to convince us to embark with the young Hushpuppy on her coming of age adventure.

Lighting up the screen…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Academy Award, Bathtub, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin, coming of age, Dwight Henry, film, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Hushpuppy, Ice cap, Louisiana, Movie, New Orleans, non-review review, Quvenzhané Wallis, review, Screen Actors Guild Award, Wallis, Zeitlin | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Never Say Never Again

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Darren

Never Say Never Again has quite a lot weighing against it. Most obviously, there’s the fact that we already say this story at the height of the film franchise’s popularity, but there’s also a whole host of other issues that arise due to the attempts to distinguish this iteration of the character and story from the EON productions. There are times when the film can’t seem to decide if it is or isn’t Thunderball, just as there are times when it can’t decide if it wants to acknowledge the “other” Bond films, or ignore them completely. Despite that, there’s some good stuff on display here. The film famously opened against Octopussy, losing the box office battle. While neither is “vintage” Bond, I think that Never Say Never Again is the stronger of the two films. At least it serves as a better swan song for Sean Connery than Diamonds Are Forever.

The Bond who came in from the cold…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bond, film, GoldenEye, james bond, James Bond in film, Movie, Never Say Never Again, non-review review, Octopussy, review, Roger Moore, sean connery, Spy Who Loved Me, thunderball | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Nick of Time

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Darren

Nick of Time is an underrated nineties high-concept thriller that really runs on the charm of its cast and the skill of director John Badham.In a way, Badham seems stuck in a race against time that is just as tense as anything facing his protagonist. Badham has to make it from the start of the film to the final fadeout before the audience stops to think too much about the somewhat convoluted plot taking place. Nick of Time features perhaps the most ridiculously convoluted assassination attempt ever, but it’s generally so much fun that it’s easy not to get tangled in some of the logic problems.