the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Mummy Returns

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Darren

I will confess that I enjoyed The Mummy for what it was. It wasn’t ground-breaking or revolutionary, but it was a nice attempt to resurrect the old Universal Monster Movie for modern audiences, with Raiders of the Lost Ark providing a rather clear inspiration. Perhaps part of the appeal was novelty, as we hadn’t seen an old-style monster movie like that in quite some time. I remember being somewhat disappointed on seeing the second film in cinemas, feeling like it just didn’t measure up to the solidly entertaining original. Having caught it again this weekend, I find I’m in firm agreement with my younger self.

I'll stick my neck out and admit I enjoyed the first film...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ancient Egypt, arts, brendan fraiser, British Museum, comedy, films, horror, Joe Wright, Movies, Mummy, non-review review, rachel weisz, review, the mummy, the mummy returns, United States | 3 Comments »

The Trouble With Trilogies: Why Superhero Fanchises Have Trouble With the Third Instalment…

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Darren

So, it turns out that The Dark Knight Rises has a top secret ending. That’s very interesting, and I wonder what it could be. A few obvious possibilities have popped into my head, but there’s one facet of this news which really fascinates me: this piece of information gives weight to the suggestion that Nolan is going to give his superhero franchise a definitive ending, something that perhaps explains why we don’t really have a “classic” superhero trilogy yet, despite the fact that quite a few comic book characters have pushed well past the third film. So will Batman be able to do what Superman, Spider-Man, the X-Men and even another Batman have failed to do before him? Will he craft a complete and wonderful trilogy?

Batman really wants to know what the ending is...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: batman forever, Batman in film, Christopher Nolan, closure, conclusion, endings, film trilogies, films, george lucas, Movies, spider man, spider-man 3, star wars, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, The Godfather Part III, trilogies, Wachowski Brothers | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: X-Men III – Last Stand

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Darren

I’ll confess right off the bat that I don’t share the same honest-to-goodness hatred of this third film in the X-Men series that most on-line commentators do. It isn’t a patch on Bryan Singer’s original two films (and – looking at Superman Returns – it might have been better for all if he’d stayed on here), but it isn’t quite as weak as other third-instalments in other superhero franchises (Spider-Man III and Batman Forever, for example). It’s not a fantastic film, and it’s not the final chapter that the film series deserved, but it’s not a complete disaster.

Weathering the Storm...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: anthony heald, batman forever, bill duke, brett ratner, bryan singer, cure, cyclops, dark phoenix, dark phoenix saga, gifted, Golden Gate Bridge, Halle Berry, hugh jackman, james marsden, mutant cure, patrick stewart, phoenix, Shohreh Aghdashloo, spider-man 3, superman returns, Warren Worthington III, wolverine, x-men | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no more f%$#ing Abba!

The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is one of those wonderfully fun and upbeat little movies that often can’t help but draw a smile from even the most cynical of viewers. Despite a somewhat bitchy and frothy exterior, the film is a charming little road movie about a quirky little pseudo-family unit making their way through the heartland of Australia.

Bus-ted...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Australia, Benny Hill, film, films, Guy Pearce, hugo weaving, Movies, non-review review, review, Terence Stamp, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tony Sheldon, Village People | Leave a comment »

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition – Volume I (Review)

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren

In an effort to prove that comic books aren’t just about men in spandex hitting each other really hard, this month I’m reviewing all of Brian K. Vaughan’s superb Ex Machina. And in June, I’ll be reviewing his Y: The Last Man.

I don’t think that any creator has had quite the success of Brian K. Vaughan when it comes to original comic book series over the past decade (okay, maybe Robert Kirkman). Both of his famous original books recently came to a close after runs of over fifty issues each, and are both being collected in superb deluxe editions. Ex Machina doesn’t quite have the same dramatic hook or clarity of focus as Y: The Last Man does, but that’s not to say that it isn’t a stunning example of pulp fiction – wonderfully well-written social fantasy which is cleverly observed and even more smartly constructed.

All cogs in The Great Machine...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Aaron Sorkin, brian k. vaughan, Brooklyn Bridge, comic books, Comics, ex machina, Exmachina, Great Machine, Mayor, Mayor of New York City, mitchell hundred, new york, New York City, wildstorm, y: the last man | Leave a comment »

Time to Worry About Snyder’s Superman?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren

Well, the reviews for SuckerPunch are in, and they are… less than encouraging. I could have great fun going through them looking for pithy put-downs, but let’s just agree that it looks pretty bad. The film was a critical and commercial flop, generally agreed to be the handiwork of a director who was allowed to run completely wild with Warner Brothers footing the bill. As inevitably happens after a disaster like this, people are wondering about the director’s next film – it would be a hot topic even if it wasn’t relaunching Superman, but the amount of weight that Warner Brothers is putting on Superman makes it a downright explosive little issue. So, do I believe that Snyder can do it?

No Snyde(r) remarks...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Christopher Nolan, david s. goyer, directors, film, Kevin Costner, man of steel, Movie, steven spielberg, Sucker Punch, suckerpunch, superman, superman reboot, superman returns, Warner Bros, zack snyder | 8 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Robo-Cop

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren

I think Robocop might be on the shortlist of most influential B-movies ever made. Certainly, coming out of the eighties, I think that Robocop defined what an audience expected from an incorporated future – the notion that big business would eventually replace local government in the lives of citizens. It’s not a novel theme, it’s one that science-fiction has been throwing out for decades, but I think that Robocop almost redefined that argument. It’s hard not to detect the influence of the film in a lot of movies that followed, so effortless and all-consuming was the “not too distant future” presented by Verhoeven.

I wonder if that's a manual or an automatic...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Detroit, film, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Movie, non-review review, Paul McCrane, Paul Verhoeven, Peter Weller, Ray Wise, review, RoboCop, Ronny Cox | 5 Comments »

Justice for the JLA: Warner’s New Stand-Alone Superhero Team-Up…

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren

News broke during the week that Warner Brothers are planning a new Justice League movie, apparently for 2013. Reportedly Ryan Reynolds has not been approached to play the Green Lantern in the film, and – based on comments from both film makers – it’s unlikely that Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot or The Dark Knight Rises will play into the film in any meaningful way. One might consider that something of a marketing faux pas, as that would represent a fairly intense lead-in into the movie (as opposed to the four-odd years Marvel has been teasing The Avengers). Indeed, it has been suggested that the proposed Justice League movie might stand entirely on its own two feet, completely distinct from the superhero movies that Warners are churning out. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this was exactly the plan with the company’s last aborted attempt at a Justice League film.

Justice for all?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Batman in film, christian bale, Christopher Nolan, ensemble, film, green lantern, jla, justice league, Movies, ryan reynolds, spotlight, superhero ensemble, superman, teams, Warner Bros, zack snyder | 2 Comments »

Snap Trailer

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren

Eclipse just sent along the trailer for their upcoming Irish film Snap. It’s generated some good buzz (nationally and internationally) and should be well worth a look. It’s out in cinemas Friday.

Filed under: Movies | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: AntiTrust

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren

In the real world, when you kill people, they die. For real!

– this movie is brought to you by the letter “o” for “open source” (and “obvious”)

You know, I think Microsoft’s PR department deserves a huge round of applause. Sure, they are still pretty universally regarded as a big evil corporation intent on global domination – using controversial business practices in order to stay on top of the computer software food chain. So there’s a lot of hate still out there. And yet, ten years on, it’s remarkable how far we’ve come since AntiTrust was released. There is a lot of hate on show here.