Movies | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Cleopatra

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Darren

The big budget Cleopatra is renowned as something of a massive contradiction. It was panned mercilessly by critics, and yet picked up four Academy Awards (and five more nominations). It was the most financially successful movie of the year, and yet still turned a fairly substantial loss. It’s one of the last great Hollywood epics, and it almost killed Twentieth Century Fox. So there’s something strangely fitting about the final line, in which it was suggested that the movie’s subject was “the last of so many noble rulers.” In many ways, the film was the last of its kind, but perhaps the most lavish. Perhaps history has been kinder to the production than its initial release was, but it’s still a very flawed film.

I can see Cleo now...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Academy Award, blockbuster, Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor, epic, film, historical epic, Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony, Mark Antony, Movie, Movies, non-review review, review, Rex Harrison, rome, studio system | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: Darkman

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

Spider-Man wasn’t Sam Raimi’s first foray into the world of superheroes. Darkman stands as one of the very few earnest superheroes created originally in the medium of film (as opposed to being adapted from comic books or other pulp fiction), and it’s certainly an interesting and entertaining feature. Going on to produce two direct-to-video sequels, some books, some comic books and even a computer game, the character is the very definition of “cult.”

The real Dark Knight?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: batman, danny elfman, dark knight returns, dark man, Darkman, Evil Dead II, Ivan Raimi, liam neeson, non-review review, Raimi, review, sam raimi, spider man, tim burton | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Spider-Man II

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

Aside from Nolan’s two superb Batman movies, Spider-Man II was the only other comic book superhero movie to make my top fifty films of the last decade. There’s a reason for that. Part of it is the fact that the movie helped define what the second film in a superhero franchise should really look like, but a larger part of it is that this film represents the moment at which Sam Raimi seemed most at home with his beloved central character – and I think that genuine enthusiasm on the part of the director really shines through over the course of the film.

I reckon Spider-Man polls highly among superhero fans...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Andrew Garfield, arts, Aunt May, bruce campbell, bryan singer, Comics, films, j.k. simmons, Movies, non-review review, peter parker, Raimi, review, sam raimi, spider man, stan lee, Steve Ditko | 6 Comments »

Your Highness Trailer

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Darren

I have to admit, I’m a sucker for eighties fantasy. Classics like Willow and Labyrinth were among the favourites of my childhood (although, I must confess, I have never actually seen all of Legend – Tim Curry gave me nightmares). So I’m actually really looking forward to Your Highness, which looks to be a sort of (vaguely) affectionate spoof of all those classic campy fantasy movies. Seriously, check out the appearance from a very Jim-Hensen-esque puppet at the end of the trailer. It’s written and starring Danny McBride, who you’ll probably be familiar with from great roles in some of the better comedies of the last few years (like Pineapple Express with co-star James Franco and Tropic Thunder). The movie filmed in Northern Ireland, and recently had students from around the US competing to host the world premiere, so it’s one to watch. By the way, check out that supporting cast – Damian Lewis, Charles Dance, Toby Jones and Justin Theroux (alongside leads McBride and Franco, Natalie Portman and Zooey Dreschanel).

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: danny mcbride, david gordon green, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Pineapple Express, scott pilgrim, tropic thunder, Your Highness | 9 Comments »

Tell Them I’m Coming: The Power of a Tagline…

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Darren

I have a confession to make. I have never seen The Limey. It may seem like I’m overreacting with that shameful confession, being only one of millions of film fans who have somehow stumbled through life without ever seeing that particular relatively unimportant Steven Soderbergh film, but let me put this in context. A good few years ago, I was browsing the video store and I stumbled across the relatively bland cover to the film, which smacks of an old-school exploitation vibe. On it, a very old (yet nevertheless bad ass) Terence Stamp is taking a moment out of what seems to be some very important business to have a quick sly cigarette (very much a politically correct faux pas these days). Anyway, it wasn’t that image which struck me of itself. It was the tagline. “Tell them I’m coming,” Stamp’s voice seemed to read the promo aloud to me. And, strangely, despite the fact I left the videostore without it, that tagline has stayed with me.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Bowfinger, DVD, film, Limey, los angeles, Movies, Steven Soderbergh, taglin, taglines, tell them i'm coming, Terence Stamp, the limey, yes man | 7 Comments »

Michael Gough, RIP

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Darren

You know, I’m never quite sure what to say about the passing of actors who I only really associate with one particular role. It’s not even that the role is all that I know them from or that I haven’t seen them anywhere else – I am well aware that Michael Gough’s prolific career spanned everything from theatre to movies to television, in the UK and the USA. However, to me, Gough will probably always be Alfred. I just hope I am not doing the distinguished actor a disservice by remembering him like that.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: actor, alfred, alfred pennyworth, batman, michael gough, rest in peace, rip | 2 Comments »

We Won the Pop Culture Award at the Irish Blog Awards!

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Darren

We won the Best Pop Culture Blog prize at the Irish Blog Awards! I had a “Melissa Leo” moment at the podium (it was the first award of the night and I was really not expecting it), so I thought I might clarify some of my thanks and articulate them in a more sophisticated fashion.

That is, one which isn’t a deep piercing sound growing from my lower gut which sounds a little like the opening notes of the CSI: Miami theme song.

I’d like to thank Damien and the team for organising the awards. It’s deadly. Recognition is great when it comes from anyone – be it your boss telling you “you really synergised that paradigm!” or a conversational drunk at your bus stop telling you that you smell like the first roses of spring – but it means a lot to come from the people who do what you do. People who know what it’s like to stare at an empty page and wonder “what the hell am I going to write now?” or “there’s no chance anybody will ready this!” Recognition from people who do what you do, and are the best at what you do, means a lot. This was the last awards that they will organise – so it means a lot to have won.

I’d also like to thank my fellow nominees. They really are a stunning bunch, and it was an honour to be nominated alongside them. If you haven’t checked them out, you should:

Also the sponsors, movies.ie, who make this possible. Thanks for sponsoring the category.

And, of course, to the person known anonymously on this blog as “better half.” Thanks for your continuing support, honest opinions and well-practiced typo-spotting (not that it’s too difficult).

And, to you guys, for reading and commenting. I honestly appreciate every opinion I read here, and you guys make the blog what it is. Thanks guys.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, awards, Belfast, Damien Mulley, Europa Hotel, irish blog awards, jameson dublin international film festival, Movie | 24 Comments »

Meme of the Moment: Desert Island CD’s

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Darren

This blog post is part of “Desert Island CD’s”, a blogging event being hosted by those gents over at Anomalous Material as a sort of a spiritual successor to last year’s “Desert Island DVD’s”. Check out the link above for everybody else’s list.

Movie soundtracks are a strange beast. They say that memory is most strongly associated with the sense of smell, but – since I guess we can’t smell movies outside of Hans Laube’s somewhat misguided “Smell-O-Vision” – I am never less than amazed at the capacity of a piece of music to take me back to a film. Whether it’s a piece of an orchestra score, a pop song featured in the background, an original composition for the film or even a piece linked to a particular trailer, film music has a strong tie to my memory. To show you that I am not kidding, thanks to the following truly corny international trailer, I can’t hear The Sun Always Shines on TV without thinking of Slumdog Millionaire. You may think I’m bluffing, but skip to about a minute into it.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, clubbed to death, Compact Disc, desert island, Ennio Morricone, god moving over the face of the water, Hello Zepp, moby, Movies, music, pearl harbour sucked, scores, slumdog millionaire, soundtracks, take my breath away, team america, top gun | 20 Comments »

Non-Review Review: True Romance

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Darren

True Romance is one of those films I’m surprised never found a stronger audience, even retroactively. It features a screenplay from Quentin Tarantino which really put the future director on the map, but it also features a huge number of pre-stardom appearances from actors as diverse as James Gandolfini, Brad Pitt and Chris Penn. The movie holds together fantastically, but perhaps it works better as a collection of scenes than as a fully-realised movie – but, when the scenes are this good, that’s not necessarily a heavy criticism.

It's Whirley ride...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: brad pitt, Chris Penn, Christian Slater, christopher walken, dennis hopper, elvis, elvis presley, ensemble, films, james gandolfini, Movie, non-review review, Patricia Arquette, quentin tarantino, review, tarantino, tony scott, true romance, true romance (film) | 4 Comments »

Back to Begins: Is Nolan Bringing The Dark Knight Rises a Full Circle?

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Darren

As The Dark Knight Rises draws closer and closer to filming, the rumours are just going to grow more and more intense. The latest rumour de jour (succeeding in a long line of debunked suggestions like the Riddler or Robin Williams as Hugo Strange) suggests that the League of Shadows will return to take on the Dark Knight in the final part of the trilogy, led by the daughter of Ra’s Al Ghul and her lover Bane. I was initially skeptical of the rumours, perhaps because they so neatly dove-tail back into the first film of the trilogy, Batman Begins.