the m0vie blog

Civil War (Review/Retrospective)

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Darren

This is the fourth in a series of comic book reviews that will look at the direction of Marvel’s “Avengers” franchise over the past five or so years, as they’ve been attempting to position the property at the heart of their fictional universe. With The Avengers planned for a cinematic release in 2012, I thought I’d bring myself up to speed by taking a look at Marvel’s tangled web of modern continuity. Get an overview of what I’m trying to take a look at here.

Civil War was Marvel’s big event of 2006-7, and – as this lovely deluxe edition loves to remind you – it was “the industry’s best selling series in over a the decade”. The premise of the series is straight-forward enough – it’s a conflict between the heroes of the Marvel Universe (it’s all there in the title) – and perhaps that is the reason that the series has arguably had more crossover mainstream appeal than the vast majority of comic book crossovers. Marvel have produced a lovely deluxe hardcover which contains just about everything you could possibly want from the event, it’s just a shame I’m not overly impressed by the event itself.

I'm sure we can iron this out...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: anti-registration, captain america, Civil War, civil war script book, comic books, continuity, crossover, event, graphic novel, marvel, marvel comics civil war, marvel universe, miniseries, pro-registration, retrospective, review, spider man, steve mcniven, the fantastic four, the punisher | 6 Comments »

Richard Donner & Geoff Johns’ Run on Action Comics – Last Son, Escape from Bizarro World, Superman & The Legion of Superheroes & Brainiac

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Darren

In light of the recent announcement that the villain of Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot will be General Zod (brought to the screen by Terrence Stamp in Superman II), we thought we might take a look at the run which reintroduced Zod to comic book audiences (written by the director of the first two films).

You kinda figure that Geoff Johns would be the perfect fit for Superman as a character. I mean, no character needs to re-engage with his roots while seeming fresh and renewed quite like the modern Superman. Despite his iconic status, the character hasn’t really registered on global pop culture since Richard Donner brought him to life in Superman, the first of the modern superhero films. Fittingly enough, legendary director Donner joins Geoff Johns as co-writer for the first half of the run – if you needed any more indication that this was a pairing to be excited about, consider the fact that Donner gave Johns his first “in” in show business, working as the director’s assistant. If you needed any more, take a look at how perfectly illustrator Gary Frank draws the Man of Steel, making him look like Christopher Reeve. However, although the run is entertaining and engaging, it can’t help feeling a little incomplete – as if Johns is spending more times aligning the pieces on his board rather than playing with them. Still, it’s a pretty damn good collection of Superman stories that Johns and Donner have put together here.

Superman is adrift no more...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: adam kubert, arts, bizarro, brainiac, christopher reeve, clark kent, Comics, dc comics, escape from bizarro world, Fortress of Solitude, gary frank, general zod, geoff johns, green lantern, infinite crisis, jonathan kent, kandor, krypton, last son, last son of krypton, legion of superheroes, lex luthor, new krypton, Perry White, richard donner, superman, superman & the legion of superheroes, superman 2, superman and the legion of superheroes, superman ii, zod | 2 Comments »

Oh My Zod: Nolan’s Superman Movie Gets Its Villain…

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Darren

It had been quite an exciting day for Superman fans. First, director Zack Snyder was confirmed as the man who will be helming the movie under the tutelage of Christopher Nolan. It was then suggested Brandon Routh would not be returning to the role. And then we got some supervillain confirmation. Thankfully it looks like the movie won’t be featuring Lex Luthor as its primary antagonist, but will feature General Zod.

I'm Zod-ding in approval...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Action Comics, brandon routh, Christopher Nolan, comic books, continuity, dark knight, david s. goyer, dc comics, film, general zod, lex luthor, man of steel, Movie, richard donner, superman, superman 3.0, superman reboot, superman villains, villains, zack snyder, zod | 10 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Ocean’s Eleven

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Darren

Everybody likes to take it easy sometimes. Just because we generally work hard on offering some sort of deep insight on the way that people (or the world) work doesn’t mean that – every once in a while – you want to just kick back and take things easy. And so it is with Ocean’s Eleven, which is considered (along with its two sequels) among the lighter work in Steven Soderbergh’s ambitious filmography. If you ever wondered what the man responsible for ambitious (if not always effective) movies like Che and Traffic does to relax, I can’t help but imagine it might look a little bit like this. Ocean’s Eleven is a triumph of style over substance. There’s not a lot going on underneath the shiny surface (hell, for all I know it’s dead under there), but the exterior just oozes effortless cool.

A drop in the Ocean...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: andy garcia, arts, Bernie Mac, brad pitt, Carl Reiner, Casey Affleck, casinos, cool, danny ocean, don cheadle, elliot gould, film, julia roberts, los vegas, matt damon, Movie, non-review review, o11, ocean's 11, Ocean's Eleven, Rat Pack, review, Scott Caan, Steven Soderbergh, Traffic | 2 Comments »

Is a Film Ever “Done” These Days?

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Darren

I was reading last week about how George Lucas is planning yet another re-release of Star Wars in 2012. This time in glorious 3D. Glorious post-conversion 3D. Yes, that was sarcasm. It’s interesting that Lucas continues to push for editing and updating the saga, especially considering his earlier position on updating existing films (in this case arguing against converting black & white films to colour):

“I am very concerned about our national heritage, and I am very concerned that the films that I watched when I was young and the films that I watched throughout my life are preserved, so that my children can see them,” he said. He furthermore remarked: “In the future it will become easier for old negatives to become lost and be ‘replaced’ by new altered negatives. This would be a great loss to our society. Our cultural history must not be allowed to be rewritten.”

And yet, he has repeatedly demonstrated over the past decade or so that he is devoted to rewriting his version of Star Wars, arguing that it is simply never complete – he’s moving it closer to complete with every update. In this era of directors’ cuts and special extended editions, is becoming commonplace to accept that the theatrical release of a film isn’t the “finished” or “completed” version.

The infamous "everyone rocks out" deleted scene...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blade runner, directors cut, DVD, extended editions, film, george lucas, Kingdom of Heaven, Movie, revisionism, ridley scott, science fiction, special editions, star wars, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, THX 1138 | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: The Other Guys

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Darren

Have you ever watched Lethal Weapon and wondered what the cops in that precinct who aren’t Riggs and Murtagh get up to? Or watched Die Hard and wondered what John McClane’s deskmate might have been like? Well then, The Other Guys is the movie for you.

Top of the cops?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Al Gore, comedy, Damon Wayans, Departed, financial crisis, Financial crisis of 2007–2010, mark wahlberg, Movie, non-review review, Other Guys, review, samuel l. jackson, steve coogan, the other guys, will ferrell | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Road to Perdition

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Darren

Road to Perdition may be the best graphic novel adaptation ever to make it to screen – and also perhaps one of the most seldom recognised (very few people seem to realise the film’s roots, perhaps because – as an Oscar contender – it played them down). It’s an old-style biblical fable set in the thirties about the lengths that a father will go to in order to protect his son, but it’s crafted with a skilled hand. It’s a genuine classic.

He's a New Man...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: American Beauty (film), films, jude law, Michael Sullivan, Movies, non-review review, Paul Newman, review, Road to Perdition, sam mendes, tom hanks, training day | 5 Comments »

Wall Street Guy

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Darren

What with my review of Wall Street going up today and the release of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, I thought I’d post this quick bit of marketing genius from the guys over at Fox. Basically, somebody in the marketing department must have discovered that they were releasing a Family Guy DVD boxset on the same day as the 20th anniversary edition of Wall Street, and though it would be hilarious to mash-up Gordon Gekko and Stewie Griffin. It’s a fun little clip, and it shows that the marketing at the studio doesn’t exactly take itself too seriously (after all, I doubt there was too much overlap between the two fandoms), but it works.

Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: arts, Carey Mulligan, Gordon Gekko, josh brolin, Stewie Griffin, Television, Wall Street, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Wall Street

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Darren

It’s interesting that Wall Street, a movie set in the time that it was made, begins with a titlecard reminding the audience that it’s 1985. Maybe it’s because director Oliver Stone realised that the movie would be dated almost as swiftly as it had been released – financial services are very much a product of their time, anchored in a specific moment. “By four o’clock, I’m a dinosaur!” one character exclaims over the phone as he tries to get information – information that will be redundant if he waits too long. However, I don’t think Wall Street is in anyway redundant. The current financial crisis suggests that – if anything – the original film is as relevant now as when it was released (and is the only reason I am not flat-out dreading the release of Wall Steet: Money Never Sleeps). No, I think that it is because, even in the midst of the decade that it was produced, Stone could see the movie would perfectly capture that moment in time. Seriously, despite the fact that its core ideas are as insightful as they were twenty-five years ago, the movie itself feels like the pure essence of the eighties distilled into a two-hour film. That titlecard isn’t there to remind viewers that this is a dated film, it serves as a stamp or a label. Not to say “this is set in 1985”, but “this is 1985″.

Gordon takes stock...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: broker, business, charlie sheen, films, Financial crisis of 2007–2010, Gordon Gekko, martin sheen, Michael Douglas, money, money never sleeps, Movie, Movies, non-review review, oliver stone, review, Wall Street, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps | 2 Comments »

Trail me Lies, Trail me Sweet Little Lies: Hollywood Trailers, Omission of Facts and Downright Lies

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Darren

Movie trailers are a fickle bunch. Some spoil movies by revealing crucial plot twists. But there’s arguably something far more sinister than an advertisement which innocently gives a plot twist or two away: the movie trailer which actively lies to the audience. It’s a very dodgy advertising strategy, but sadly one that movie studios seem to be quite comfortable resorting to.