Posted on February 25, 2011 by Darren
I quite like black comedy. There’s definitely a place for the more bitter strain of humour on the big screen, and there’s no denying that the British do black comedy wonderfully – it’s like a national trait of some kind. However, there’s something even deeper and more unpleasant than the black comedy at the heart of Burke & Hare. As I watched it, I couldn’t quite get the fact that it was based on two very real serial killers who (to this very day) have made a lasting impact on Scotland’s political and social history. There’s something very trite about turning their story into a black romantic comedy with a soundtrack from The Proclaimers.
They haven't a leg to stand on...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: andy serkis, black comedy, burke & hare, burke and hare, Burke and Hare murders, crime, film, john landis, Movie, murder, non-review review, review, serial killer, Simon Pegg, The Doctor and the Devils, timothy dalton | 9 Comments »
Posted on February 24, 2011 by Darren
They’re describing tomorrow’s election as one for the history books. The eyes of the world are on Ireland at the moment. However, my eyes are squarely on a dark horse candidate: Mickey Rourke. Bavaria Beer, the favoured beverage of many a young student, are running an Irish campaign based around the big screen icon – urging voters to put their faith in the Oscar-nominated lovable lug. I have to say, I actually think the campaign’s kinda cool. If only because I’ve always heard of advertising campaigns carried out by actors overseas, but it’s kinda cool to see one first hand in my own country. I realise that Rourke himself is probably unaware of the campaign, but it’s nice to know that the Irish election has garnered enough attention to attract this sort of wonderful parody.
All you Americans take note: you might have a surprise candidate in 2012. You can’t argue with the policies. Because Mickey might wrestle you if you do.
Note: I don’t actually drink myself, so don’t consider this an endorsement in any way shape or form. It’s just a reflection on an interesting advertising campaign.
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bavaria beer, ge 11, ge 2011, general election 11, Ireland, Mickey Rourke | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 24, 2011 by Darren
I attended the Irish premiere of Unknown last night as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. It was a fairly bland film, but what really stuck out to me of the night was a heckler during Grainne Humphreys’ introduction to the film. The guy was a bit of a dick, and it got me thinking – when is it appropriate to heckle?
What a muppet...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: audience participation, Berlin, Canada, Film festival, grainne humphreys, heckle, Heckler, jameson dublin international film festival, liam neeson, matt damon, Red carpet, Unknown, unknown (film) | 7 Comments »
Posted on February 24, 2011 by Darren
This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.
Unknown is not, despite what it may want you to believe, anything to do with Taken. I have a sense that audiences catching the film without that pre-existing expectation might enjoy it more than others, but I can’t help but feel the movie suffers by comparison to the earlier film in the “Liam Neeson as badass action hero” subgenre.
Taken for a ride?
Note: By its very nature, this review will involve the very slightest of spoilers. I will literally be discussing the first twenty or so minutes of the film, and I doubt it’s any more than you could discern from the trailers, but I figure it’s worth flagging with the spoiler-conscious out there.
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: action, Berlin, Diane Kruger, facebook, films, identity theft, james woods, jameson dublin international film festival, Jaume Collet-Serra, liam neeson, liamneeson, Movies, non-review review, paris, review, Seine, taken, taken (film), thriller, Unknown, unknown (film) | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Darren
This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.
Even though I never lived through their “golden age” of schlock horror films, I still feel a sympathetic affinity for Hammer’s House of Horror. Watching movies late into the night with my gran and grandfather was one of those treats my younger self enjoyed on returning from abroad for Summer or Christmas holidays. As such, it’s nice to see Hammer producing movies again. Let Me In was a fairly major success for the company, remarking the already-classic vampire film Let the Right One In, but it didn’t feel as deeply rooted in Hammer’s horror traditions as the Irish horror the Wake Wood does. For better or worse, the Wake Wood is pure Hammer Horror.
The truth always comes to light...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aidan Gillen, Daniel Newman, dublin, Eva Birthistle, film, Hammer Film Productions, hammer horror, hammer house of horror, horror, Horror film, jameson dublin international film festival, Movie, non-review review, review, Timothy Spall, Wake Wood | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Darren
You’re the divine wrath of God himself, Johnny Blaze. Yet you spend all your time cruising around the U.S. of A. Did you really think that was the only country God cared about?
– Sara, The Last Stand of the Spirits of Vengeance
Ghost Rider is a strange character. Created in the seventies, he saw his stock take a huge increase in value during the nineties in the era of “darker and edgier” heroes before slowly fading down to relative obscurity. The closest the character has come to mainstream success has been the god-awful Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider film. So, he makes a strange choice to receive a Marvel Omnibus, somewhat comparable to the Omnibus collecting The Immortal Iron Fist a few years back. The prestige format is usually reserved for the best of the best, high profile runs (past and present) on characters of either historical importance or receiving a feature film in the coming year. Jason Aaron is a creator rising in prominence, but it still seems a strange choice to publish his Ghost Rider run in the format. That said, it is perhaps the best run ever written on the character.
Head-to-head, skull-to-skull...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: comic books, Comics, ed brubaker, ghost rider, ghost rider by jason aaron, ghost rider by jason aaron omnibus, ghost rider omnibus, ghost rider: heaven's on fire, heaven's on fire, hell-bent and heaven bound, Jason Aaron, john romita jr, Johnny Blaze, Mark Neveldine, marvel, marvel omnibus, matt fraction, nicolas cage, review | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Darren
This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival.
I have to admit that I have a soft spot for Julie Taymor’s Titus. It was a punk rock adaptation of perhaps Shakespeare’s trashiest play, and it was a fusion which just worked. The Tempest, on the other hand, is a very different beast. Far from being one of the Bard’s more easily forgotten plays, it has been one of his most highly regarded since its revival in the nineteenth century. It is, despite some outward cynicism, a far more optimistic and (dare I say it?) lighter piece than the orgy of death and destruction in Titus Andronicus. So Taymor’s skills aren’t quite as perfectly in step as they might be. That said, she’s still a remarkable director with a keen visual sense, and the movie manages to be engaging and entertaining, despite a few missteps.
It's a kinda magic...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: adaptation, alan cumming, classic, dreams, helen mirren, jameson dublin international film festival, Julie Taymor, metafiction, non-review review, play, prospera, Prospero, review, russell brand, shakespeare, Tempest, the tempest, Titus Andronicus, William Shakespeare | 6 Comments »
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Darren
The wonderful folks over at Ross v. Ross asked me to contribute a very special edition of Film Fight Club, going over the ten Best Picture nominees. I stood in the corner for The Fighter, Marky Mark and what is left of Christian Bale. You can pick up a copy in the morning, or check it out here.
I got this guy in my corner...
UPDATE: Guess what just got put on the IMDb Hitlist? If you guessed Robert Rodriguez’s shoe ad, you guessed correctly, but that’s beside the point. Yep, we’re up there. Thanks to everyone for inviting me to take part, and it was a pleasure to cover the race with a bunch as witty, clever and insightful as that selection.
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, Academy Award for Best Picture, christian bale, david fincher, Fighter, King's Speech, mark wahlberg, Melissa Leo | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 22, 2011 by Darren
I don’t think any television show has been quite as anticipated as Boardwalk Empire. The entire digital television channel Sky Atlantic HD seems to be be marketed around the lush period drama, and well it might be. Sure, there are plenty of things to look forward to on HBO’s British channel, but nothing has the big name appeal of a period gangster television show starring Steve Buscemi and directed by Martin Scorsese. That combination was influential enough to secure the show a place on the family’s television planner, a huge vote of confidence if ever there was one – we like to watch stuff together, but a television show takes a lot of commitment (simply because it means getting everybody in the same room roughly once a week). Did Boardwalk Empire live up to the promise it offered? I think it’s too early break open the proverbial Champagne, but all indications so far are good.
Tonight we're going to party like it's 1920...
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: arts, Atlantic City New Jersey, Boardwalk Empire, hbo, martin scorsese, Organized crime, steve buscemi, Terence Winter | 2 Comments »
Posted on February 22, 2011 by Darren
The way that society treats its elderly makes for great fodder for films. After all, what happens to us when we climb over that hill – when we make it all the way to retirement and cease to contribute in the most conventional manner? Will anybody care? Will anybody notice? It’s something that will (hopefully) happen to a lot of us, but it’s not necessarily something we give a lot of thought to – perhaps because we wouldn’t be too comfortable with the answers we’d find. “I never thought this would happen to me,” Joe Matheson confesses at one point as he strolls around “Green Spring Rest Home” with his old colleague, Frank. When Frank asks what he means, Joe elaborates, “Getting old.”
Up to their old tricks...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: brian cox, bruce willis, Ernest Borgnine, films, GoldenEye, helen mirren, john malkovich, Julian McMahon, Mary Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, Movies, non-review review, RED, retired extremely dangerous, review, Richard Dreyfuss, spies, warren ellis | 2 Comments »
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