Movies | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The White Buffalo

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Darren

I’m sure there must have been a good movie in there somewhere. The story of Wild Bill Hickok hunting down the wild white buffalo from his nightmares through the Old West could have been a compelling one, even if it’s hard to imagine it ever being a classic. Instead, the movie is hackneyed cheese-fest that seems uncertain what to do with itself. It doesn’t help that Charles Bronson, sleepwalking his way through the production, gives the best performance of the film. If that’s not a bad omen, I don’t know what is.

What a load of bull...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Charles Bronson, doctor who, film, jaws, Manifest Destiny, Moby Dick, Movie, Native American, Native Americans in the United States, non-review review, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, review, United States, White Buffalo | 2 Comments »

Second Chances for Sequels…

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Darren

What if you have to pee when you’re on fire?

It’s awesome.

I have a confession to make. I am actually kinda looking forward to Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. The trailer looks like it could be either off-the-wall over-the-top brilliant, or mind-numbingly terrifying, but promises to be interesting either way. Still, the taint of the original Ghost Rider, perhaps the weakest comic book adaptation of the past decade (and there have been some weak adaptations), hangs around the title, and I can’t help but wonder if my dislike of the original film should somehow mute my anticipation for the sequel. After all, I’ve seen the concept fail on screen before, so why should I feel even a hint of excitement for a follow-up to a ridiculously crap film? Appropriately enough, with sequels, is it once burnt and twice shy?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Amazing Spider-Man, Brian Taylor, film series, ghost rider, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, marc webb, Mark Neveldine, Movie, Movies, nicolas cage, Peter Fonda, sam raimi, sequels, sony, spider man | 2 Comments »

Short Stories 2011: The Pit

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Darren

Ronan from Swear I’m Not Paul (he’s not) sent on the final instalment in the Relentless Short Films competition, and I’ve enjoyed the other entries so far, so I thought I’d share this last video with you. It’s an interesting look at the world of crowd surfing, and you can see it below.

For more details of the Relentless Short Films competition, click here.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, Crowd surfing, Filmmaking, Jeff Gordon, Moshing, Movies, Relentless Short Stories, Shaw Conference Centre, Short film, The Pit | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Shaft (2000)

Posted on August 30, 2011 by Darren

It feels like something of a backhanded compliment to describe Shaft as John Singleton’s best movie since Boyz n the Hood. Singleton has been one of those directors who has found himself living in the shadow a tremendously influential and successful debut, struggling to find a way to match or surpass it. I think that his take on the most famous blaxploitation hero of all time, while deeply flawed, works so well because it seems intentionally light. It’s not attempting to be big or epic, or even especially socially conscious, it’s just trying to be a decently entertaining – if slightly cheesy – little thriller.

Who's the cat who won't cop out when there's danger all about?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Boyz n the Hood, Busta Rhymes, christian bale, Dave Arnold, David Arnold, film, Jeffrey Wright, John Singleton, Movies, non-review review, review, Richard Roundtree, samuel l. jackson, Shafts | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Please Give

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Darren

Please Give is an interesting little dramedy, with some very well-observed points and a strong cast. It’s smart, it’s biting and it’s quite funny in places, with its wry commentary on some of the more cynical aspects of the human condition. However, I do find myself wondering why the lead characters, wonderfully superficial and weighted down by various forms of guilt, are really worth caring about at.

No mean Peet...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Amanda Peet, arts, Business and Economy, Catherine Keener, film, GenBank, Guilt, Homeless, Movie, non-review review, Organisations, Please Give, ProfNet, Randall Munroe, rebecca hall, review, Shopping, They (2002 film), United States, USA Today | Leave a comment »

Same Movie, Different Audience & The Variables of the Movie-Going Experience…

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Darren

I saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes again. I was with a relative who hadn’t seen it, and I thought I’d tag along. Part of it was to determine whether the fact that I so thoroughly enjoyed the film had been a fluke, perhaps due to relatively low levels of anticipation going in, but also because it was a good movie, and one I thought might be worth watching again. Truth be told, I enjoyed the film as much the second time, perhaps even more. However, something occurred to me while I was watching it – the audience I was with reacted quite differently to one or two key moments, which (to be honest) also impacted how I looked at those scenes. I don’t think it radically altered my opinion of the film, but I found it interesting to note how watching the film with a different group of people could lead to a slightly distinct viewing experience.

Paws for thought?

Note: This article, by its nature, will include spoilers for two key moments in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I suspect, if you’ve seen the film, you know which ones I am talking about. If you haven’t seen the film, I recommend you do before reading the article.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: andy serkis, audiences, film, film criticism, James Franco, Movie, planet of the apes, rise of the planet of the apes, Rupert Wyatt, Thought, Tom Felton, viewing experiences | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Phone Booth

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Darren

Phone Booth is proof that the high-concept thriller isn’t quite dead yet. A concept that had been floating around Hollywood for decades (with the master of suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock, lined up to direct at one point), it seemed that – with the decline of the phone booth and the rise of mobile phones – perhaps the window in which to tell the tale might be closing. Of all the directors to bring the tale to the screen, I don’t think I ever would have expected Joel Schumacher to make one of the most intense and superbly intimate little thrillers ever written to the screen.

There's a lot on the line...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: alfred hitchcock, colin farrell, film, joel schumacher, Katie Holmes, kiefer sutherland, Movies, non-review review, phone booth, phone booth (film), phone booth (movie), Radha Mitchell, review, Woody Allen | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Uncle Buck

Posted on August 24, 2011 by Darren

Uncle Buck doesn’t represent a career high for any of the major players involved, with John Hughes have any number of more iconic films behind him, and more enjoyable family comedies ahead of him, and John Candy enjoying the space the movie affords him, but somewhat restricted by the material. That said, the film represents an enjoyable little comedy with a strong cast, a good central performance and marks an interesting transition point for Hughes, who had cut his teeth on teenage comedy dramas before transitioning to write more mainstream comedic fare.

This is not a drill...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Breakfast Club, ferris buellers day off, films, Jean Louisa Kelly, John Candy, John Hughes, Macaulay Culkin, Movies, non-review review, review, Uncle Buck | 3 Comments »

Thoughts on Documentaries and Objectivity…

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Darren

I caught The King of Kong at the weekend and I really enjoyed. It’s a fantastic underdog tale set in a fascinating subculture that really deserves to be seen. However, the movie was beset by claims after the fact that it had been somewhat unfair to Billy Mitchell, the reigning Donkey Kong champion who found himself cast in the role of villain. While fictional movies take liberties with their characters all the time, I can’t help but wonder what sort of standard should apply to documentaries. They obviously require some basis in fact, but to what extent is possible to be entirely fair and objective in bringing any subject to screen?

Something to chew on...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, Billy Mitchell, documentaries, Documentary film, Donkey Kong, film, Filmmaking, Michael Moore, Movies, Werner Herzog | 12 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The King of Kong – A Fistful of Quarters

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Darren

I think part of the reason that The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters works so well is because it takes any number of well-loved and popular story-telling tropes concerning the conflict between a hard-working underdog and an exclusive and elitist authority, and then plays them out against one of the most brilliantly ridiculous backdrops possible. Professor Wallace Sayre, a political scientist at Columbia University once made the observation that “in any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake.” So perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised that a competition over a videogame world record should capture these ridiculous grand themes with such skill, and a wonderful sense of humour.