the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Three Days of the Condor

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Darren

Reflecting the political climate of the time, the seventies produced any number of high-quality conspiracy thrillers. I think what helps Three Days of the Condor stand above most of the rest is a great leading performance from Robert Redford at the height of his charisma, confident direction from Sydney Pollack and a rather clever central premise that feels interesting in its own right, rather than just a vehicle to create a palpable sense of paranoia.

Branching out...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, California Condor, faye dunaway, paramount pictures, Pinnacles National Monument, Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Sydney Pollack, Three Days of the Condor, thrillers, Watergate Scandal | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Darren

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a movie that can be measured against the very best of John la Carré adaptations, and among the very best that the espionage subgenre has to offer. I make that assertion based upon a single viewing, convinced that revisiting the movie will be something of a wonderful experience, an attempt to decode and sift through the film seeking what Control cynically describes as “treasure.” Tomas Alfredson, who established himself with Let the Right One In makes one hell of an English-language debut, providing a film that embodies the culture as much as the language, an elegant and stately affair, never feeling forced or rushed or dumbed down. I think that, with its intriguing structure and manner of suggesting ideas (rather than stating plot points), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy might represent that mythical ideal: the perfect film for grown-ups.

Never gets Oldman...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Benedict Cumberbatch, ciaran hinds, colin firth, films, gary oldman, George Smiley, john la carré, mark strong, Movies, non-review review, review, spies, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, tom hardy, Tomas Alfredson | 16 Comments »

The Absolute Authority, Vol. 1 (Review)

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Darren

With Wildstorm being officially folded into the relaunched DCU (the “DCnU”), I thought I might take a look at some of the more successful and popular Wildstorm titles that the company produced. In particular, The Authority, the superhero saga that spun out of Stormwatch – a series that is getting its own post-relaunch book written by Paul Cornell, easily one of my more anticipated titles.

It’s really hard to grasp how much of a revolution Warren Ellis’ run on The Authority was, in hindsight. Sure, the writer had been playing with the idea of a more “real world” superhero team (at least in political and philosophical terms) since his original run on Stormwatch, but it was with The Authority that Ellis and Hitch managed to effectively lay out the design of superhero comics in the twenty-first century. It’s no coincidence that both halves of the creative team behind The Ultimates cut their teeth on the title (albeit at different times).

Was I the only one thinking of Gene Hunt everytime I read the word "superbastards"? "You are surrounded by armed superbastards!"

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: absolute authority, Apollo, arts, Authority, comic, comic books, Comics, jack kirby, Outer Dark, Paul Cornell, Robert McKee, stan lee, stormwatch, stormwatch (comics), Story arc, the authority, the authority (comics), warren ellis, wildstorm | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Supernova

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Darren

I’m going to be honest. I like B-movies. I have a soft-spot for a nice cheesy bit of entertainment that doesn’t demand to be taken seriously, and I can forgive a movie some bad acting or dodgy special effects, if the core ingredients are at least marginally interesting. Hell, I actually honestly enjoyed Event Horizon, something not too many other people will confess to. However, watching Supernova, a surprisingly lame rip-off that comes from a handful of directors (including Francis Ford Coppola), I found myself struggling to find anything to remotely enjoy. Instead, I spent most of its relatively short runtime counting down the seconds until it was over.

Guess which one of these gives the least mechanical performance...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, film, francis ford coppola, James Spader, Movie, non-review review, Peter Facinelli, review, Special effect, Supernova, Tom & Jerry, White dwarf | Leave a comment »

Sympathy for the Devil, or at Least Understanding for George Lucas…

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Darren

Next week, George Lucas will release his complete six Star Wars movies on blu ray. Truth be told, I’m not sure that I’ll buy them. This isn’t a note of protest against the director’s seemingly incessant tinkering with the movies that helped define a generation, but just one of indifference. The franchise doesn’t feel essential any more, even though I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but I can’t help but feel that – were I to buy the complete set – I wouldn’t be getting the iconic films that marked a collective cultural experience, but George Lucas’ heavily revised notes on those films, which is something quite different. That said, I can’t bring myself to spew the type of vitriol at Lucas that most on-line fans seem to enjoy producing, if only because I can almost respect what Lucas is attempting to do.

Whatever happened to light entertainment...?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blu ray, Darth Vader, DVD, george lucas, Hayden Christensen, Movies, sci-fi, star wars, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi | 8 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Talladega Nights – The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Darren

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is not as good as Anchorman. That said, this reunion of Will Ferrell with Adam McKay has its charm – helped along by the fact that its comedy is framed inside a wonderful little story, and acted out by all manner of skilled performers. I think, if anything, the movie stands as a testament to the huge difference that a sympathetic and engaging protagonist and strong supporting cast can make to a comedy.

A breath of fresh air...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: adam mckay, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, business, gary cole, john c. reilly, Leslie Bibb, Nashville Superspeedway, non-review review, Pat Benatar, product placement, review, Step Brothers (film), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, will ferrell | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: A Lonely Place to Die

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Darren

A Lonely Place to Die is a well-made little film. Barring a few minor (and one major) faults, it’s an innovative little film that makes the most of a beautiful setting and a wonderfully quirky supporting cast to offer a thriller that feels genuinely original. It’s a movie that takes a rather clever high concept, and does as much with it as it as it can, without ever stretching itself too thin. As far as autumn thrillers go, it’s worth a look for those who like something just a bit outside the norm.

If you go down to the woods today...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: A Lonely Place to Die, Alec Newman, Eamonn Walker, films, Julian Gilbey, Karel Roden, Melissa George, Movies, non-review review, review, Rhona Mitra, Sean Harris | Leave a comment »

Doctor Who: Night Terrors (Review)

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Darren

I’ve really liked Mark Gatiss’ contributions to Doctor Who. While not amongst the very best the series has to offer, The Unquiet Dead and The Idiot’s Lantern were both very solid monster-of-the-week episodes with clever concepts, a huge amount of energy and a sharp wit. Night Terrors shares all these attributes with those two earlier of Gatiss’ stories, but benefits from a wonderfully endearing sense of nostalgia and a very effective urban setting we really haven’t seen since the end of the Davies era.

George needs professional help…

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: Arts and Entertainment, Associated Press, DoctorWho, Idiot's Lantern, mark gratiss, night terrors, River Song, steven moffat, United States, Unquiet Dead | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Total Recall

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Darren

Total Recall, to quote the lead character, whoever or whatever he may actually be, might just be “the best mind%&@! yet.”

"Dammit Cohagen, give these people some air!"

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Arnold Schwarzenegger, film, Len Wiseman, mars, michael ironside, Movie, non-review review, Paul Verhoeven, Philip K. Dick, review, ridley scott, Ronny Cox, Sharon Stone, total recall | 4 Comments »

Red State Red Band Trailer

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Darren

Kevin Smith’s latest film, Red State, seems like a break out of the director’s comfort zone. While the director has tackled the idea of organised religion before (in the superb Dogma), his latest effort seems like something decidedly more serious. Being entirely honest, I’m always eager to see an established director attempt something that we’d never expect from them, and Smith’s cast (John Goodman, Melissa Leo and Kevin Pollack) is populated with enough skilled (and underrated) performers that it looks to be well worth a chance. If nothing else, the exploration of extremist religious groups in the United States always makes for a juicy viewing experience, even if Smith might not be going for a lot nuance. It looks like a mish-mash of a whole host of subgenres – from the hints at awkward teen comedy at the start to a sinister horror thriller through to an all-out action adventure. It seems like a lot for the director to handle, but the cocktail is intriguing enough to grab my attention.