Posted on August 8, 2011 by Darren
It’s interesting the odd way that comic books occasionally overlap with the mainstream. Mainly, it appears to be when a death is involved, like the coverage that Ed Brubaker’s The Death of Captain America inspired, or the pop culture impact of Grant Morrison’s Batman R.I.P. (or even Jonathan Hickman’s death of Johnny Storm in The Fantastic Four). These week, we’ve had a minor media storm over something a bit different: a new character taking an established identity. Most mainstream media outlets weren’t interested in the resurrection of Bucky Barnes to replace Steve Rogers, nor Dick Grayson donning the cowl in Batman & Robin. However, there’s been a storm in a teacup brewing over the fact that the new lead in Ultimate Spider-Man is black.
Why on Earth is this such a big deal?
The only colours I associate with Spider-man are blue and red...
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Filed under: Comics, Movies | Tagged: batman r.i.p., brian michael bendis, Death of Captain America, dick grayson, Donald Glover, ed brubaker, grant morrison, Jonathan Hickman, luke cage, marvel comics, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, spider man, ultimate comics spider-man, ultimate spider man | 3 Comments »
Posted on August 5, 2011 by Darren
A large part of me has tremendous respect for Francis Ford Coppola, even if his stock was considerably diminished by the twin misfires of The Godfather, Part III and Bram Stoker’s Dracula in the nineties. However, it takes a significant amount of courage to pretty much turn your back on major movie studios and produce a string of relatively independent and relatively experimental films, especially when you could legitimately be described as one of the main architects of modern cinema. Part of me wonders what would happen if George Lucas and Steven Spielberg attempted something similar to the string of low-budget arthouse releases Coppola has directed in recent years. His latest film, Twixt, comes with a gimmick that would put 3D to shame. The director is taking it on tour, and will apparently “remix” it for each and every audience. There’s no guarantee that two different audiences will see the same film.
Mixmeister Coppola...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Ben Chaplin, Bram Stoker's Dracula (Collector's Edition), Elle Fanning, francis ford coppola, george lucas, richard donner, ridley scott, steven spielberg, Twixt, val kilmer | 6 Comments »
Posted on August 5, 2011 by Darren
The first images of Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises have been revealed, and – as with everything about the movie – they’re stirring a considerable amount of controversy. There’s an official still below and a photo of a stunt double in action below. I have to admit though, I genuinely love it.
Click to enlarge...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: anne hathaway, batman, Batman in film, bruce wayne, catwoman, Christopher Nolan, dark knight, Halle Berry | 4 Comments »
Posted on August 5, 2011 by Darren
There’s Something About Mary is easily one of my favourite comedies of all time. I don’t like to think I’m especially crass or low-brow, and I don’t have much love for the work of the Farrelly Brothers outside this film (though Dumb and Dumber was charming while Kingpinwasn’t all bad). However, there’s just something so wonderfully chaotic and random about the wit on display in the film, which manages to encompass old-fashioned physical slapstick, situation comedy, grossout humour, character-based laughs and all manner of subversive charm. All those elements and styles are at play in the film, under the watchful eye of the Farrelly Brothers conducting: they know it would be too easy to hit a bum note, but instead they manage to keep pretty much everything playing in symphony.
Had me hooked from the start...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: ben stiller, Casey Affleck, eddie murphy, Farrelly Brothers, film, Jonathan Richman, Matt Dillon, Movie, non-review review, review, Sarah Silverman, There's Something About Mary, Tower Heist | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 4, 2011 by Darren
The real problem with Dinner for Schmucks is that it’s not really that funny. I can talk for quite a while (and probably will) about how the movie takes all the flaws with unsympathetic comedic protagonists demonstrated by films like Due Date and turns them up to eleven, but that will ignore the fact that the laughs in the film are relatively few and far between, which is a shame when one considers the sheer volume of talent involved. Paul Rudd, in particular, is a talented and charismatic actor who really needs to make better choices in films.
No funny business...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bruce greenwood, Charlie Day, Dinner for Schmucks, films, Hangover, Horrible Bosses, Morgan Freeman, Movies, non-review review, paul rudd, review, Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis | 5 Comments »
Posted on August 3, 2011 by Darren
I’m going to level with you up front. I was born in the late eighties, so – in ways – I’m a child of the nineties. I grew up with cheesy action movies, and I have a certain fondness for that sort of outrageously cheesy nineties action thrillers. Hell, I’ll confess to being a huge fan of Demolition Man, for cryin’ out loud. So, in the interest of full and frank disclosure, you should know that I probably have some form of bias in favour of Drop Zone before you read this review. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s a great film – I’d struggle to even describe it as “good”– but, if you know what you’re going in for, it can at least be entertaining.
Oh, chute!
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Action film, Drop Zone, Gary Busey, Hans Zimmer, nineties, non-review review, Parachuting, Point Break, review, Steven Seagal, United States, Wesley Snipes | Leave a comment »
Posted on August 2, 2011 by Darren
Super 8 is a love letter to film. It’s an ode to the trashy, forgettable – yet still endearing – stuff, like a bunch kids screwing around with an obvious fixation on the work of George A. Romero. It’s also a sweet tribute to the film that emotionally connects with us, like the footage of a long lost relative projected against a wall, almost convincing us for a second that they’re still with us. JJ Abrams might consciously evoke early Spielberg with his style, but it’s only to celebrate the common ground they both share, the believe that film is truly powerful and emotion medium, one that strikes a chord on the most improbable of notes, teaching us life lessons and engaging us in nothing short of magic. The posters and trailers might convince you that Super 8 is a classic monster movie with seventies trappings – and it is – but it’s also that other difficult-to-get-quite-genre, the coming-of-age tale. Just one that features giant monsters.
Nice camera work...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Elle Fanning, film, george a. romero, J. J. Abrams, jj abrams, Joe Lamb, Michael Giacchino, Movie, non-review review, review, steven spielberg, super 8, Super 8 mm film | 2 Comments »
Posted on August 2, 2011 by Darren
I have a soft spot for Enemy of the State, I must confess. Perhaps it’s the opportunity to see Will Smith in a great leading role, perhaps it’s the fact that this is one of those movies that actually became far more relevant after its release, or perhaps it’s the superb ensemble assembled by Tony Scott. I don’t know, I think it’s a lot of those things together, but – along with Scott’s superb Crimson Tide – I think that Enemy of the State can easily be considered one of the best things that Jerry Bruckheimer ever put his name too.
Brill dishes the dirt...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Crimson Tide, enemy of the state, enemy of the state (film), film, Jake Busey, Jerry Bruckheimer, jon voight, Movie, non-review review, patriot act, political, politics, review, Scott Caan, tony scott, Wild Wild West, will smith | 9 Comments »
Posted on July 30, 2011 by Darren
Hey, I was invited to take part in the latest movie blogger meme by the wonderful Marc over at Go, See, Talk. The idea is to pretend you run a movie theatre and schedule a week of double-bills for that cinema. There are no other rules, save for the fact that you run a triple-feature on Sunday. So I peered into an alternate universe where I was allowed any sort of responsibility, and came back with a handy brochure for Cine-Moi, the exclusive high-end movie theatre experience that my alternate self has somehow bamboozled his way into running (not into the ground… so far). Let’s see what a typical movie schedule might look like.
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 2001: A Space Odyssey (film), arts, cinema, Clint Eastwood, david cronenberg, Double Feature Blog-A-Thon, Movie, Saturday morning cartoon, sergio leone, Theaters, Theatre | 25 Comments »
Posted on July 29, 2011 by Darren
Captain America: The First Avenger doesn’t have the heart of X-Men: First Class or the wit of Thor, but the story of Marvel’s star-spangled superhero does have its own charms. Part of it reflects its lead, little Steve Rogers, an appealing and sincere earnestness in dealing with material that it would be too easy to cynically dismiss. The First Avenger embraces the cheesiness at its core, and offers a rather stunning version of THE great American myth. Zack Snyder would do well to play close attention when bringing that other America fable to the big screen.
Patriot games...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Avengers The, captain america, captain america: the first avenger, chris evans, iron man, joss whedon, marvel comics, Marvel Studios, Old World, Red Skull, stan lee, Superhero film, United States, world war ii, zack snyder | 8 Comments »
