the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Much Ado About Nothing

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Darren

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

Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing has delightfully intimate roots. Apparently, the movie stems from occasions in various Whedon households where he would host “Shakespeare Sundays”, with friends and family reading through classic plays in a very cosy environment. Much Ado About Nothing represents an extension of that intimacy. It’s literally filmed in Whedon’s own home, using money saved for his and his wife’s twentieth anniversary. Whedon even wrote the music, and his extended family are heavily involved. Jed Whedon supervised the music and his sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen can be seen singing at points.

That’s the wonderful charm of Much Ado About Nothing, a movie that seems to have grown and developed out of a genuinely personal creative space, a project deeply personal and intimate to Whedon, filmed while he was editing one of the biggest movies of all time. In a way, Much Ado About Nothing feels like the most talented and highest quality student film ever produced.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: alexis denisof, Amy Acker, Dogberry, film, Hero, Jed Whedon, Jonathan Cake, joss whedon, los angeles, Maggie Siff, Maurissa Tancharoen, Movie, Much Ado About Nothing, non-review review, review, shakespeare, Sunday, Theatre, Whedon, William Shakespeare | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Stoker

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Darren

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

Stoker is, without spoiling anything, essentially a vampire movie without a vampire. It’s a psychological thriller with a decidedly charged sexual undercurrent. It’s also a story of the things we keep secret, the dangers of blood and unwholesome desires. Park Chan-wook does an excellent job adapting Wentworth Miller’s screenplay for film, and the result is a strange and macabre beauty, a film that is occasionally a little too ethereal for its own good, but remains compelling and uncomfortable viewing.

Shear terror…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: dracula, film, india, matthew goode, Mia Wasikowska, Movie, nicole kidman, non-review review, Park Chan, Park Chan-wook, review, Stoker, vampire, Wentworth Miller | 2 Comments »

Jameson Cult Film Club: L.A. Confidential & A Talk With Danny DeVito (JDIFF 2013)

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Darren

This event was held as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013.

The Jameson Cult Film Club really is a film lover’s paradise, an excuse for the celebration of classic cinema in a unique environment that tries to bring classic movie moments to life – whether bringing the gospel sermon from The Blues Brothers to life, or having the face-huggers from Alien drop into the audience to the satisfying sound of screams. Launched two years ago at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, the club celebrates its birthday by hosting a very special guest at a celebration of one of their best films. Danny DeVito is this year’s guest of honour at the festival – hosting screenings of the superb The War of the Roses and Throw Mama From the Train. As such, holding a celebratory screening of L.A. Confidential was really the perfect fit for a cult film club event.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Blues Brothers, danny devito, DeVito, jameson cult film club, jameson dublin international film festival, LA Confidential, los angeles, Michael Douglas, Movie, Throw Momma From the Train, War of the Roses | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Blancanieves

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Darren

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

Blancanieves feels like either a film that has its finger firmly on the pop culture zeitgeist, or the victim of the worst timing. It appears less than a year after The Artist won the Best Picture Oscar, becoming a massive critical and popular success. Given the relative dearth of high-profile silent black-and-white films, Blancanieves is somewhat trapped within that shadow. More than that, though, it emerges following a year that demonstrated popular culture’s fixation on the Snow White story. 2012 saw the release of both Mirror Mirror and Snow White & The Huntsman, both reimaginings of the classic tale. Blancanieves is, for its own part, an adaptation of the fairy tale, and it seems like the story was weighing on the popular imagination.

In any other context, Blancanieves would seem like a breath of fresh air. An affectionate homage to the classic era silent cinema, retelling the Snow White story in an unfamiliar setting, there’s a lot to recommend it. Indeed, Blancanieves is easily the best Snow White adaptation of the past year. Unfortunately, it suffers because it’s not quite as charming, witty and well-constructed as The Artist.

Dark materials…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aki Kaurismäki, art, Blancanieves, Film festival, jameson dublin international film festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, Maribel Verdú, Mel Brooks, Movie, Pablo Berger, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, Ryan Gosling, silent film, snow white, spain, United States | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Look of Love

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Darren

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

Paul Raymond (or “Paul Ray-monde!” as he introduces himself in flashback) is a pretty compelling character. The so-called “king of Soho”, Raymond was at one point the wealthiest man in Britain, owning an empire built on the back of gentlemen’s clubs, pornography and property. Michael Winterbottom’s exploration of Raymond’s life and times is a fascinating exploration of a very contradictory figure. On one hand, with his sharp suits and dignified dialogue with the press, Raymond presented himself as something approaching a gentlemen. He owned a nice house, his children partook of “all the right activities” and he was even fond of quoting Oscar Wilde. On the other hand, his empire was founded and built on an idea that was so simplistic it would be condescending if it wasn’t so successful: Raymond acquired his wealth through simple acknowledgement of the fact that people will pay to look at naked women.

All that glitters…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: anna friel, britain, film, Imogen Poots, Look of Love, Michael Winterbottom, Movie, non-review review, oscar wilde, Paul Ray, Paul Raymond, pornography, Raymond, review, Soho, steve coogan, Winterbottom | Leave a comment »

Dario Marianelli at the National Concert Hall (Jameson Dublin International Film Festival)

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Darren

This event was part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013.

I’ve argued it before, but one of the best parts of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is the way that it isn’t just confined to the cinemas. The feast of fine Irish and international cinema is something that any film fan can celebrate, but the capital city itself becomes a hotbed for the celebration of film as an artform. So there’s all manner of wonderful extras going on – from classes in film criticism to workshops with Robert Towne, to the Jameson Cult Film Club screening of L.A. Confidential. The National Concert Hall typical does a nice job of getting into the mood, hosting celebrations of the sound of cinema. In the past, for example, they hosted the newly-written live musical accompanyment to The Four Horseman and a tribute to Danny Elfman.

This year, they invited composer Dario Marianelli over to showcase and introduce several selections of music from his distinguished career. It’s always a fantastic time to recognise and to celebrate Marianelli’s work, but to host the composer in Dublin less than a week before the Oscars is a very rare pleasure indeed.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, art, Brothers Grimm, Dario Marianelli, dublin, Film festival, jameson dublin international film festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, Joe Wright, LA Confidential, Marianelli, Movie, National Concert Hall, Robert Towne, RTÉ Concert Orchestra | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Le Capital

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Darren

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

Thanks to Costa-Gavras, Le Capital looks amazing. It’s crisp, it’s vibrant and it’s beautiful. For a movie about financial corruption, it moves along relatively quickly and with a lot of visual flair. The problem with Le Capital, though, is that it’s really a very simplistic version of a story we’ve all seen countless times before. A person assumes a large amount of power, only for that power to have a potentially corrupting influence. Okay, Marc Tourneuil is already a successful executive when good fortune thrusts him into the role of CEO of one of France’s largest banks, and he’s certainly not naive when he negotiates his salary and bonus scheme, but Le Capital hints early on that there is some level of decency to Tourneuil before the wealth and influence start chipping away. As such, as the movie explores his corruption and the way that power erodes him, Le Capital feels like an engaging modern telling of a story that we’ve already heard quite frequently.

Byrne the bondholders…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: american, art, Costa-Gavras, dublin, film, Film festival, france, Francis Urquhart, gabriel byrne, Gad Elmaleh, jameson dublin international film festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, London, Movie, non-review review, review, United States | 2 Comments »

Look! Star Trek Reimagined in the Pixar Style!

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Darren

The wonderful folks over at The Minion Factory have reimagined the classic Star Trek characters in the style of Pixar. It’s a fun collection of images (feel free to also check out the artist’s superhero gallery), and rendered with obvious affection for the show’s decidedly sixties aesthetic. I especially love the affection demonstrated in chosing the background images. Anyway, take a look and click to enlarge.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: games, Lucasfilm, Minion Factory, pixar, star trek, star trek: the original series, star wars, The Walt Disney Company | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Far Out Isn’t Far Enough – The Tomi Ungerer Story

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Darren

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

A lot of the strength of a documentary lies in the subject matter. If you can find an interesting premise or subject, then you’ve got a hook. Far Out Isn’t Far Enough, the debut from director Brad Bernstein, picks a fascinating central character – writer and artist Tomi Ungerer. It is very tough to reduce Ungerer to a one-line synopsis or to define him in a relatively short strong of words, but Far Out Isn’t Far Enough takes a look at the life and times of the artist who made an enormous impression on American popular consciousness, only to fade from view surprisingly quickly – retiring first to Nova Scotia and then to Ireland. Far Out Isn’t Far Enough is a fascinating portrayal of a unique talent, with Ungerer making for a charming and engaging subject. While Far Out Isn’t Far Enough might gloss over his departure from the scene a bit, it’s a fascinating overview of the life and work of a truly gifted individual.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: art, Brad Bernstein, film, Film festival, Ireland, jameson dublin international film festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013, Maurice Sendak, Movie, non-review review, Nova Scotia, review, Ryan Gosling, Three Robbers, Tomi Ungerer, Ungerer, United States | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Good Man

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Darren

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

Films about social justice can occasionally seem a bit clunky. Part of this is down to the way that most seem to have been conceived as simplistic morals rather than engaging stories, but there’s also a tendency to earnestly moralise in a manner that condescends to the audience. The Good Man manages to avoid the worst of these problems with a smartly-constructed third act that dovetails its two central narratives into one another, and because it accepts that the problem with our attitudes towards disadvantage and poverty in the rest of the world isn’t down to a simply lack of awareness. It is, the film suggests, easy to know about a problem, and easy to try to help. Understanding, on the other hand, is a far more challenging proposition.