Movies | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Blob (1958)

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Darren

I’m surprised that The Blob doesn’t get more love as a late-fifties creature feature. It has all the right ingredients, from a compelling monster, a clever central metaphor and a dashing lead in Steve McQueen. Sure, the special effects haven’t aged well, and the movie occasionally veers into the realm of cheese, but it is a wonderful example of type of monster movies American studios used to churn out during the fifties – seemingly disposable little horrors that ended up a lot smarter and more sophisticated than most viewers took them for.

It came from outer space...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 1950s, Binary large object, Blob, business, Database, Drinkbox Studios, Earth, Google App Engine, Jeff Sharlet, non-review review, PlayStation Vita, review, Special effect, Star jelly, steve mcqueen, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, The Blob, United States | 4 Comments »

For the Love of Film 2012: Alfred Hitchcock Film Preservation Blogathon

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Darren

I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be taking part in this year’s For the Love of Film blogathon, organised by the Self-Styled Siren, Ferdy on Films and This Island Rod. A celebration of classical cinema, the event hopes to raise money to preserve and restore classic films that would otherwise be lost to the ages. This year, from the 13th May through to the 18th, bloggers from around the world will contribute articles on classic film, hoping to raise awareness and to raise $15,000 to make The White Shadow available to stream live for anybody with internet access. I am honoured to announce that the m0vie blog shall be proudly participating.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alfred hitchcock, art, Birds, film, Filmmaking, Graham Cutts, hitchcock, Movie, North by Northwest, steven spielberg, The White Shadow, Tippi Hedren, White Shadow | 5 Comments »

Does Whatever a Spider Can: Do Chronicle and Kick-Ass Render The Amazing Spider-Man Moot?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Darren

We still have a few months to wait before Marc Webb reboots Sony’s Spider-Man franchise with The Amazing Spider-Man. Despite some tonal worries, I’ll admit Webb has quite a talented crew assembled – Andrew Garfield is on the cusp of stardom, and Emma Stone is a bit ahead of him. However, I can’t help but wonder if Webb’s film might be a few months too late. After all, haven’t Kick-Ass and Chronicle offered a fairly solid deconstruction of the iconic web-slinging superhero? Is there really enough left to be said in the Spider-Man origin story when we’ve already seen it picked apart and subverted so often and skilfully?

Webb's Spider...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Amazing Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, batman, bryan singer, clark kent, Emma Stone, fantastic four, Gwen Stacy, kick-ass, lizard, marc webb, mark millar, Peter, peter parker, sam raimi, sony, spider man, stan lee | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Wayne’s World 2

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Darren

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Wayne’s World 2. It’s not a patch on the original film, but there’s something so charming about Mike Myers’ creations that it’s hard not to enjoy the film, even if the number of misfiring jokes is compounded by a sense of “been there and done that.” More than that, though, the sequel features any number of original and hilarious moments that have managed to bleed out into wider popular culture. While it’s nowhere near as brilliant as the first film, it’s a still a fairly entertaining watch.

There's no need to feel down...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: christopher walken, film, Mike Myers, Movie, non-review review, party on wayne, review, Rob Lowe, Saturday Night Live, Village People, Wayne, Wayne's World, wayne's world 2, World | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Man on a Ledge

Posted on February 3, 2012 by cimooney

I was at the launch of the Jameson Film Fest last night, so Ciaran bravely jumped in to review Man on a Ledge for me. What a ledge(nd).

Man on a Ledge has a fairly simple premise. Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), a former policeman, is pushed to the ledge of a Manhattan hotel in an attempt to clear his name after he was convicted of stealing a 40M$ diamond from David Englander (Ed Harris), a well established real estate investor. Nick demands to talk to officer Lydia Nercer (Elizabeth Banks), who was unsuccessful in her last negotiation with a suicidal cop, in order to form a large crowding the street below. This crowd acts as a distraction while Nicks brother, Joey (Jamie Bell), and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) break into one of David Eglander’s buildings, which is located across the road. The plan is to steal the diamond and prove Nick’s innocence.

Exactly what it says on the tin...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Angie, Burj Khalifa, Cassidy, ed harris, film, Joey, Man on a Ledge, Manhattan, Movie, Nick, non-review review, review, Sam Worthington | 48 Comments »

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012 Highlights

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Darren

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival have released their programme for 2012. Taking over the city centre from the 16th through to the 26th of February 2012, the team have been working tirelessly to put together a schedule offering something for everybody. I have to admit, I’m quite looking forward to a number of these films, and have included some of my own choices and preferences below.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: al pacino, arts, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Cinema of Ireland, cineworld, Dark Knight Rises, dublin, film, Film festival, jameson, jameson dublin international film festival, judi dench, Movies, Sherlock Jr, tim burton | 2 Comments »

Negotiating Potential Hazards: The Art of Movie Negotiation…

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Darren

I’m kinda looking forward to Man on a Ledge, if only because it looks like the sort of high-concept thriller that could be fascinating viewing – I’m hoping for something similar to Phone Booth or Buried or other movies that take a fairly simple situation and centre a thriller around it. I’m a sucker for a good negotiation thriller. There’s something about that sort of film that just intrigues me. Whether it’s a hostage situation, a botched bank robbery or something else entirely, I think that those kinds of movies that manages to combine large-scale epic drama with a more intimate personal conflict. I think that’s a dynamic that’s somewhat hard to mess up, there’s just something inherently compelling about such a small-scale interaction with such large-scale consequences that it’s very hard not to get sucked up in the drama of it all.

High stakes game...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: al pacino, Chris Sarandon, Clarice Starling, Dog Day Afternoon, elizabeth banks, Man on a Ledge, Negotiator, new york, New York City, phone booth, Sam Worthington, samuel l. jackson, Sidney Lumet, Taking of Pelham 123 | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Chronicle

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Darren

Chronicle is a fascinating deconstruction of the American superhero myth – the notion that “with great powers comes great responsibility”, as Stan Lee once wrote (albeit in a more convoluted fashion). Much like Fox’s other major release this week (Martha Marcy May Marlene), it represents an impressive theatrical debut from a young director who hopefully has a long and distinguished future ahead of him. While there are elements of Chronicle that do lack a bit of polish, it’s a compelling and engaging film, one that succeeds at picking apart some of the core assumptions of the superhero genre.

He's got the power!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Andrew, Andrew Garfield, Chronicle, chronicle (film), chronicle (movie), Dane DeHaan, film, Josh Trank, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Max Landis, Movie, non-review review, Trank | 10 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Darren

The feature debut from director Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene, is a shockingly powerful piece of cinema. Deeply unpleasant and uncannily unsettling, Durkin’s debut is occasionally a bit awkwardly paced, but is intensely gripping for most of its runtime. While the film is making waves for a breakout performance from Elizabeth Olsen, it’s John Hawkes who steals the show as the enigmatic and sinister cult leader, known only as Patrick.

A cult film...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Charles Manson, cult, Durkin, Elizabeth Olsen, film, John Hawkes, Martha, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Movie, Patrick, review | 4 Comments »

Matthew Broderick’s Day Off…

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Darren

Part of me would love to watch the Super Bowl. Not for the American football, of course – I could make less sense of that than I can of soccer. For the advertisements. With a huge audience and incredibly expensive airtime, those investing in advertising spots tend to bring their “a-game.” This year, for instance, we have the below clip, which sees Matthew Broderick effectively re-living his most iconic role, skipping work. Of course, the Honda CR-V isn’t nearly as cool as Cameron’s father’s convertible, but we’ll chalk that up to suspension of disbelief, right?

I love the way that they actually use Yell-O’s Oh Yeah.

And it’s worth remembering last year’s stand-out spot, the famous Darth Vader commercial, which is only now airing in Irish cinemas. Yes, it’s taken us a year to receive the cast-offs of last year’s football.