Movies | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Mea Maxima Culpa – Silence in the House of God

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013.

It’s very hard to know how to react to the seemingly bottomless pit of sex abuse allocations that have surfaced against the Catholic Church over the past couple of decades. Mea Maxima Culpa reveals that not only does the institutional abuse reach far into the past of the religious organisation, but that the Vatican was aware of these betrayals and violations of trusts for forty years. Mea Maxima Culpa is brutally candid in the way that it exposes the steps that the Catholic Church took to insulate and protect itself from these allegations and insinuations, even pointing out that most modern concessions and apologies are more concerned about the violation of the sanctity of the priesthood than with the damage done to the victims.

Mea Maxima Culpa is rough and overwhelming at times, but it’s hard to fault the documentary for this candid approach to the most uncomfortable subject matter. It’s well-constructed, thoughtful and also quite affecting – a powerful piece of documentary cinema that really exposes the true extent of a problem that has only been acknowledged in the past decade or so.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Alex Gibney, boston, catholic church, christianity, Father Murphy, film, Mea culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa, Movie, Murphy, non-review review, pope, Pope Benedict XVI, review, Sexual abuse, United States, vatican | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Broken

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013. It was the opening gala.

Broken is that rarest of beasts, a suburban ensemble drama that manages to merge charming humanism with gritty reality. Mark O’Rowe’s adaptation of Daniel Clay’s novel is filled to the brim with humour and joy, but isn’t afraid of the darker shades of emotion. It’s unflinching and occasionally brutal, a candid exploration of the intersecting lives of those inhabiting a small close. However, this honesty lends the film credibility in its lighter moments. The smiles, the giggles and the laughter that come from many off the movie’s more human moments feel earned, and there’s a wonderful sense of balance to Broken, as if to concede that life cannot be composed of entirely happy moments, nor entirely sad. That’s the wonder of it all, and Broken skilfully manages to combine those extremes into a single charming and engaging coming of age drama.

A close call…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, book, Christ, Cillian Murphy, Equilibrioception, fiction, film, Harper Lee, mark o'rowe, Movie, non-review review, Rabies, Religion and Spirituality, review, Robert Emms, Rory Kinnear, Rufus Norris, Shopping, Skunk, Skunk Anansie, Specific Titles, tim roth, Wine tasting descriptors | 2 Comments »

Look! Quentin Tarantino Death Chart!

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Darren

Vanity Fair have published this chart of the deaths in Quentin Tarantino’s film – breaking down each film in the director’s filmography by number and method of death. Yes, there is a lot of fire in Inglourious Basterds. It’s interesting to examine, if only because it is (generally speaking) a lot less bloody than I would have expected. I didn’t realise that Kill Bill, Vol. 1 only had 62 on-screen deaths. (That said, I did expect Kill Bill,Vol. 2 to have a much lower count – 13 sounds about right.) Anyway, check it out below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: inglourious basterds, quentin tarantino | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Movie 43

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Darren

For a collection of comedy sketches assembled together from a bunch of different writers, directors and actors, Movie 43 is pretty consistent in quality and tone. Sadly, in the worst possible way. It’s consistently and awkwardly unfunny, substituting rude words and crude references to male and female anatomy for jokes or witticism. You know you’re in trouble when the sketch that comes closest to fulfilling the promise of the movie – the lure of crass, immature and ridiculously low-brow comedy – is directed by Brett Ratner. Even then, it’s hardly anything to write home about. Ratner’s sequence is the best part of the film, but it’s hardly anything especially memorable.

Don’t worry, Mister Gere. In a year, nobody will remember this.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, brett ratner, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone, Halle Berry, hugh jackman, kate winslet, Movie, Movie 43, Naomi Watts, richard gere, Stephen Merchant, United States | 1 Comment »

Look! Olly Moss’ 85 Years of Oscars Poster!

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Darren

The wonderful Olly Moss has designed a commemorative poster celebrating eighty-five years of the Best Picture Oscar, with a redesigned statuette for each winner. It really is fantastic. Check it out below. You can buy it from the Academy website. Can you name ’em all?

Click to enlarge

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Win tickets to the Jameson Cult Film Club ‘LA Confidential’ screening with special guest Danny DeVito!

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Darren

To celebrate the 11^th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, we are giving you and a guest the chance to walk the same green carpet as Hollywood star Danny DeVito, who will attend a special Jameson Cult Film Club screening of the 1997 classic ‘LA Confidential’ on Thursday 21^st February. Guests will also be treated to an on-stage Q&A with the legendary actor-director-producer, Mr Hush-Hush himself after the screening.

Following on from last year’s successful screenings of Silence of the Lambs, JAWS, Blues Brothers and Reservoir Dogs, Jameson are kicking off the 2013 series of Jameson Cult Film Club screenings with the neo-noir film, LA Confidential. This very special screening promises to transport the audience right back to glamorous Los Angeles in 1953 with its compelling mix of LA history, police corruption and celebrity scandals. LA Confidential features an all-star cast including co-star Kevin Spacey, who attended the Jameson Cult Film Club screening of The Usual Suspects during the 2011 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.

The Jameson Cult Film Club events offer movie fans unforgettable screenings of their favourite cult movies held in locations highly relevant to the film’s storyline. Themed special effects and live theatre timed perfectly with the onscreen action will create an electric atmosphere in the venue. Experience this classic the way it was meant to be enjoyed!

To apply for free tickets to this screening and for all the latest information, please log onto www.jamesoncultfilmclub.ie

For your chance to win tickets to this exclusive event, simply answer the below question:

This competition is now closed. The winner will contacted shortly.

To find more details on the 2013 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival which takes place from 14^th – 24^th February, check out www.jdiff.com

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: danny devito, Hush-Hush, jameson dublin international film festival, kevin spacey, LA Confidential, los angeles, Reservoir Dogs, Usual Suspects | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Warm Bodies

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Darren

Warm Bodies is a very curious film – a weird genre fusion that feels like it really shouldn’t work, but with just barely enough charm to pull it off. The movie hinges on the wonderfully crazy idea of blending zombie horror with romantic comedy. Drawing from the book of the same name, the film is light enough and fast enough that it never overstays its welcome. There are times when it overplays its hand, when it threatens to descend into sentimental nonsense, and when the two genres seem to threaten to smother one another. However, it has enough charm and wit that it never veers too far off course before correcting itself.

At its best, it demonstrates that there’s life in these two old genres yet.

Uncanny.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, george romero, Grigio, JohnMalkovich, Jonathan Levine, Juliet, Movie, Nicholas Hoult, non-review review, return of the living dead, review, rob corddry, Romantic comedy film, Teresa Palmer, Warm Bodies, zombie, zombie apocalypse | 5 Comments »

Alfred Hitchcock at the Space!

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Darren

Hitchcock is released in the UK and Ireland this week. I actually quite enjoyed it, but – then again – I am a big fan of the director and his work. I was notified this week that The Space, Britain’s on-line cultural hub run by the BBC and by the Arts Council, is celebrating the director’s legacy and has collected a host of Hitchcock-related materials from its archives, all of which are available via their website. It’s a great service, and I’m remarkably fond of it. It’s also nice to see a celebration of Hitchcock, and the sharing of material from the archives, free to the public at large. You can find the website here or click the picture below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alfred hitchcock, anthony hopkins, arts, Arts Council, bbc, hitchcock, Psycho, space | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Campaign

Posted on February 7, 2013 by Darren

The Campaign is hardly the most complex piece of political satire ever written. In fact, the movie suffers a great deal because its observations about political corruption feel fairly superficial. The relationship between donors and politicians, and the sway that what the movie terms “big money” has over elected officials, are hardly cutting insights into the way that lobbying and electioneering actually works. To be fair, there is something in the way that the movie parodies the tendency of US elections to get incredibly dirty incredibly fast, but The Campaign ultimately winds up feeling a little superficial.

That’s not to say that there aren’t moments of wit to be found here. Both Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are skilled comedians, even when the material isn’t necessarily up to scratch. And in order to make fun of the extreme rhetoric that such campaigns may involve, the movie occasionally pushes itself into the realm of the surreal. However, its observations and its targets seem so obvious that the movie can also be remarkably frustrating.

A candid(ate) look at the electoral process?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Brady, Campaign finance, Campaigns and Elections, Dylan McDermott, Eric McCormack, Ferrell, film, Galifianakis, Humor, Knife Fight, Official, Political campaign, Political corruption, Political satire, politics, republicans, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, United States, will ferrell, Zach Galifianakis | 3 Comments »

About Time: Time Travel Logic, Paradoxes and Looper…

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Darren

I watched Looper again at the weekend. It’s still a pretty great movie, well-constructed and thoughtful. Of course, it still doesn’t feel like a proper “time travel” movie, because the time travel element doesn’t logically gel as easily as it otherwise would. After all, the original time line sees young!Joe kill old!Joe as soon as he appears. Therefore, old!Joe can’t logically kill Sara. If old!Joe doesn’t kill Sara, then why does Cyd become the Rainmaker? After all, we’re told (or it’s heavily implied) that young!Joe killing himself (and old!Joe) prevented Cyd from becoming the Rainmaker. So if this never happened in the time line where young!Joe grows into old!Joe, how did the Rainmaker come to be?

Oh no, I’ve gone cross-eyed.

This is the thing with time travel movies, and it’s something I’ve been thinking about. How important is internal consistency to a time travel movie? How necessary is it for a time travel movie to flow relatively logically from its own premise? At what point do we just stop trying to apply rules of logic and just enjoy the movie for what it is?