the m0vie blog

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 2 (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Darren

Join us the December as we take a dive into the weird and wonderful Will Eisner Spirit Archives, the DC collections of the comic strip that helped define the medium.

With this second collection of six months worth of strips, we can see Eisner’s vision of The Spirit really cement itself, as well as the true beginnings of the more experimental work that the writer and artist would do with the newspaper strip. While a lot of people would argue that Eisner truly hit his stride in the postwar era of The Spirit, I think we can see him beginning to truly hone his craft here, and can get a sense of an artist slowly testing the horizons of an eight-page newspaper comic strip. It might not be his best work on the title, but it’s still fascinating stuff.

Accept no substitutes…

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: arts, batman, catwoman, clark kent, comic, comic strip, crime, dc comics, dc universe, Eisner, Ellen, Ellen Dolan, Homer, New York City, Raven, Spirit, Statue of Liberty, The Spirit Archives: Volume 12, The Spirit Archives: Volume 2, Will Eisner, world war ii | Leave a comment »

Star Trek: The Next Generation – Encounter at Farpoint (Review)

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Darren

To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and also next year’s release of Star Trek: Into Darkness, I’m taking a look at the recent blu ray release of the first season, episode-by-episode. Check back daily for the latest review.

It is very hard to believe that it has been a quarter of a century since Star Trek: The Next Generation first appeared on our screens. It is actually quite nice that Paramount and CBS are using the opportunity to give the series a bit of a visual overhaul, going back to the original films and special effects and updating them for high definition. This is not the same approach adopted by George Lucas with his remastering of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Instead, the aim of these high definition re-releases is to bring what was already there up to modern standards, rather than to retroactively re-do the special effects. The project is being overseen by the wonderful Mike and Denise Okuda, and Mike has argued that this restoration is a very bold endeavour, suggesting, “it’s the largest – as far as we know – the largest project of its kind that has ever been attempted.”

And I am proud to support it. In a large way, my interest in this high definition release is in large part grounded in recognition of the scale of the work involved. Because, let’s face it, the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation is a solid contender for the worst year of Star Trek ever produced for television.

“Let’s see what’s out there…”

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Filed under: The Next Generation | Tagged: Brent Spiner, Charlie X, Denise Okuda, Encounter at Farpoint, facebook, Farpoint, Game, Jonathan Frakes, Klingon, levar burton, patrick stewart, picard, Squire of Gothos, star trek, Star Trek Next Generation, star trek: enterprise, star trek: the next generation, star trek: the original series, Starfleet, Tagged, video games, Wil Wheaton | 9 Comments »

The Spirit Archives, Vol. 1 (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Darren

Join us the December as we take a dive into the weird and wonderful Will Eisner Spirit Archives, the DC collections of the comic strip that helped define the medium.

It’s hard to overstate the impact that Will Eisner had on comic books as a medium. The writer, entrepreneur and artist is known as “the father of the graphic novel”, with A Contract With God regard as one of te very first examples of the format. Eisner made massive in-roads into developing comics as a medium that merited discussion and attention, trying frantically to break out of the ghetto where the artform is so frequently trapped. While he has made countless pivotal contributions, arguably Eisner’s largest and most influential body of work can be found in The Spirit, the weekly comic strip that the author syndicated across America. Packaged with any number of respected newspapers, it was among the most widely-read comic strips in the country, but it also allowed Eisner the freedom to expand and develop his craft.

DC have collected the bulk of the character’s history in a series of their superb “Archive Editions”, from the first strip published through to Eisner’s last work on the title (with a supplementary volume published by Dark Horse). Here, in the first volume, we can see the artist honing his craft and developing the series into one of the most important in comic book history.

That’s his name!

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: A Contract with God, alan moore, arizona, Bob Iger, Canada, comic book, comic strip, Comics, dc comics, Ebony White, Eisner, Eisner Award, Ellen Dolan, Homer, japan, North Carolina, Secret World of Arrietty, Spirit, Spirit (comics), Studio Ghibli, Terence McKenna, United States, Will Eisner | 1 Comment »

Infinite Crisis (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Darren

This month I’m taking a look at DC’s massive “Infinite Crisis” Event. Although it was all published in one massive omnibus, I’ll be breaking down the lead-in to the series to tackle each thread individually, culminating in a review of the event itself. Check back for more.

Infinite Crisis is a fantastic concept with a somewhat muddled execution. The idea of reflecting on the way the DC Universe has evolved since Crisis on Infinite Earths is a fascinating hook for an event miniseries, and writer Geoff Johns does an effective job of exploring how times have changed. However, the original Crisis on Infinite Earths had a tendency to seem too vast and too all-encompassing for its own good, randomly jumping between a cast of hundreds lost in a maelstrom. Given that Marv Wolfman had twelve issues to tell that story, and still occasionally ended up a little confused, it seems a little unfair for Geoff Johns to attempt a similar effort in only seven issues.

There are times when Infinite Crisis feels less like one cohesive story and more like a series of vignettes based around a theme. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of interesting stuff going on here – or that Johns doesn’t have something compelling to say about modern superhero comics – it just means that Infinite Crisis is a bit of a mess. A bold and ambitious mess, but a mess nevertheless.

A smashing success?

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: alan moore, batman, Blue Beetle, Bruce, crisis on infinite earths, DarkKnight Rises, dc universe, dick grayson, Geoff John, gotham city, infinite crisis, joker, maxwell lord, power girl, superboy prime, superman, wonder woman | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Red Riding Trilogy

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Darren

The Red Riding trilogy is a triumph of British television drama, and proof that the British channels are capable of producing home-grown drama that is of the highest possible quality. Demonstrating that HBO doesn’t hold complete dominion over quality drama, the Red Riding films were of enough quality to earn a limited theatrical release in the United States. I know that a high profile and commercial success isn’t a universal guarantee of quality, but it is certainly worth noting when discussing these three films exploring crime and corruption in the three “Riding” administrative zones. (For the record, the three zones are “North”, “East” and “West.” There is no “South”, which feels appropriate given the themes of the trilogy.)

Mingling fact and fiction into a head noir-ish cocktail, Red Riding is highly recommended for those who like bleak and sophisticated drama.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Anand Tucker, arts, Arts and Entertainment, Big Bad Wolf, David Peace, hbo, Julian Jarrold, Little Red Riding Hood, Peter Hunter, Recreation, Red Riding, Television, Tony Grisoni, United States | Leave a comment »

Watch! New Django Unchained Trailer!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Darren

Okay, I’m still sore that Django Unchained isn’t opening here until next year, but a new trailer does a little bit to alleviate that. And, well, at least I’ll be getting my most anticipated movie of 2013 a little early, I suppose.

There’s not too much here we haven’t already seen, but everybody looks to having such a good time that I can’t help but feel a little more excited about the film. In particular, Leonardo DiCaprio looks like he’s having a whale of a time.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: christoph waltz, django unchained, inglourious basterds, jamie foxx, Kerry Washington, Leonardo diCaprio, quentin tarantino, samuel l. jackson | Leave a comment »

Watch! Hardy Bucks Trailer!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Darren

It’s always nice to see an Irish success story. I can be quite tough on Irish television when the occasion calls for it. Any system that makes it easier to pitch a show like Father Ted or Moone Boy to a British broadcaster must be flawed in a significant way. Despite that, I’ll readily concede we do a lot of things quite well. Apparently Love/Hate is doing quite well abroad, and I’ve always been proud of our current affairs coverage. It’s also nice to see one of our shows making the leap to the big screen. Hardy Bucks has been one of the great success stories of Irish television. It was found during the 2009 Storyland competition and ended up going from strength-to-strength on Irish television. While it’s not quite my own cup of tea, it’s hard not to admire the charm and energy put into it – as well as the fact that it has managed to make quite an impact on Irish pop culture.

So the move to the big screen is certainly an interesting development, and I hope the show’s success continues. More popular comedy and diversity in Irish television is inherently a good thing. The trailer is a little bit too much at points – seeing a cheesily earnest American voice-over applied to an “Irish men behaving badly in Europe” comedy feels a little… dissonant – but the trick isn’t so much in the concept as the execution. I’m curious to see how it pays off. It’ll be opening here in February next year.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Celtic, Current affairs (news format), ethnicity, film, Hardy Bucks, Ireland, irish, John Ford, Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Television in Ireland | Leave a comment »

Photos from the Jameson Cult Film Club Screening of Jaws!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Darren

Sadly, I had to miss Tuesday’s Jameson Cult Film Club screening of Jaws, due to unforeseen circumstances. This was a shame, because I’d actually been really looking forward to it. The guys involved generally put on one hell of a show, and Jaws occupies a special place in my film fanatic’s heart. Still, I’ve got some photos of the event here, and they actually make me a little sadder that I had to miss out on it. Still, there’s always the next one.

You can still sign up to the Jameson Cult Film Club, and they run a film blog all year around. Signing up also allows you to enter the draws for free tickets to the event. Pop on over to their website to check it out.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, cult movies, film, jameson cult film club, jaws, Movie, steven spielberg, Tuesday | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Red Riding – The Year of Our Lord 1983

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Darren

To the North, where we do what we want!

– Bill Molloy

It must be very tough to round off a trilogy of films, but Red Riding seems to possess more than its fair share of challenges. On top of the expansive cast and somewhat convoluted plot, this trilogy of adaptations for Channel 4 actually omits an entire story from the source material. David Peace wrote Red Riding as a four-book series, and yet there was only enough in the budget for a three-film adaptation. On top of that, the inevitable realities of pragmatic adaptation means that various characters have to be omitted and reworked and reconfigured so that the series of films makes sense on its own terms.

Red Riding: 1983 isn’t quite a flawless resolution to the trilogy, but it does enough things with enough skill that feels satisfying. A few contrivances feel a little awkward or cheesy, and some of the plot points feel a little too obvious and easy, but the cast and the characters are strong enough to carry this ambitious series past the finish line.

Good Jobson…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Anand Tucker, appeal, arts, batman begins, Big Bad Wolf, Clare, Craven, Crewe, david morrissey, David Peace, film, Leonard Cole, Little Red Riding Hood, London, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Morrissey, Movie, non-review review, Peter Hunter, Red Riding, review, Royal Courts of Justice, Solicitor | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Seven Psychopaths

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Darren

“Meta” is a concept that can be very rewarding, but it’s very difficult to do right. Often, it seems a little heavy-handed, a little self-indulgent. The art of writing fiction about fiction can easily descend into a writer documenting his own process, or become clever for the sake of being clever – offering an easy way out of virtually any dramatic situation, and allowing the script to answer pretty much any question with “because the writer says so.” Nevermind that movies about movie are prone to become a little self-congratulatory, or a little too self-focused. Seven Psychopaths never completely falls apart, but it occasionally struggles with these sorts of problems a little bit in the middle. Martin McDonagh has produced a very thoughtful and clever exploration of the traditional revenge film, but the execution feels a little bit too clunky at times.

I understand that this might be the point, but there are times when Seven Psychopaths feels like more of a narrative experiment than a compelling story in its own right. Still, it’s witty and funny and bold and smart and charming. Those attributes aren’t the easiest to come by, and certainly not in this combination. Seven Psychopaths might not be the incredible success that In Bruges was, but it’s a film that takes chances, and which tries to push both the genre and its audience a little out of their comfort zone. It is very hard not to respect that, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I was fairly consistent charmed throughout its runtime.