the m0vie blog

New Escapist Column! Reviewing “What If…?”

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Darren

I published a new column at The Escapist today. I took a look at the opening three episodes of the new animated series What If…?

What If…? is an interesting step into the Marvel multiverse. It is a series of adventures that depart from the existing shared continuity in interesting ways, imaging alternate possibilities within the established superhero framework. The series itself is at its most interesting when it embraces the possibilities of the shared universe, but it suffers from a weird conservatism. At its worst, What If…? feels far too beholden to what has been rather than would could be.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: Television | Tagged: continuity, marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios, the escapist, what if | Leave a comment »

New Podcast! The Escapist Movie Podcast – “The Suicide Squad Accomplishes Its Mission”

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Darren

The Escapist have launched a movie podcast, and I was thrilled to join Jack Packard for the twenty-second episode of the year. With the release of The Suicide Squad on streaming and in cinemas, there was only one movie to discuss. The Suicide Squad was one of my favourite films of the year so far, so I was thrilled to geek out about it.

You can listen to back episodes of the podcast here, click the link below or even listen directly.

Filed under: On Second Thought, Podcasts! | Tagged: escapist movie podcast, jack packard, suicide squad, the escapist movie podcast, the suicide squad | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On the Pandemic’s Failed Streaming Revolution…

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With disappointing box office for Black Widow and Jungle Cruise, and pending lawsuits from actors like Scarlet Johansson, it seemed like a good time to dive back into the ongoing debate about streaming during the pandemic.

With cinemas closed and audiences trapped at home, the pandemic was the perfect testcase for the viability of streaming as a sustainable long-term business model for major Hollywood studios. Many of these studios had been pushing for something like this for decades, to effectively vertically integrate production and delivery. However, with a year of experimentation in the rear view mirror, it increasingly seems like the streaming revolution promised by the pandemic is a bit of a dud.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: black widow, cinema, digital, films, home media, jungle cruise, Movies, pandemic, reviews, straight to streaming, streaming, theatres | Leave a comment »

246. Raiders of the Lost Ark – Indiana Summer 2021 (#55)

Posted on August 7, 2021 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn, Tony Black and Darren Mooney, with special guest Niall Murphy, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every Saturday at 6pm GMT.

This time, kicking off our Indiana Summer, Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark.

In the lead-up to the Second World War, veteran archeologist Indiana Jones finds himself approached by the United States government with a top secret assignment: to locate and secure the long-lost Ark of the Covenant. However, to complete his mission, Indy will have to face Nazis, lost love and the wrath of God.

At time of recording, it was ranked 55th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Continue reading →

Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: evil, george lucas, good, harrison ford, heroism, indiana summer, irony, nazis, niall murphy, occult, raiders of the lost ark, second world war, steven spielberg, The 250, theme park, tony black | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On How “The Suicide Squad” Deconstructs Amanda Waller…

Posted on August 6, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of The Suicide Squad, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at one small-but-clever aspect of James Gunn’s superhero sequel.

The character of Amanda Waller is a pop culture archetype. She is an example of the ruthless intelligence operative who will cross whatever line it takes in pursuit of what she believes to be the greater good. Outside of comic books, one need only look at the character of Jack Bauer. Within the modern superhero landscape, the archetype is embodied by Nick Fury. These characters might be edgy or ambiguous, but they are also undeniably cool. Gunn’s approach to Waller in The Suicide Squad is interesting in large part because it rejects that idea of effortless cool in favour of something a lot blunter and more horrific.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: 9/11, Amanda Waller, in the frame, jack bauer, James Gunn, nick fury, suicide squad, the escapist, the suicide squad, the war on terror, viola davis, war on terror | Leave a comment »

New Podcast! Mr. TARDIS – “Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall Leaving. What Next? + Poorly Animated”

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Darren

I was thrilled to be invited to join the very generous Will Carlisle for one of his weekly live streams at Mr. TARDIS.

I joined him to discuss the news that Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall would be departing Doctor Who together, to explore the complicated politics of the era and to ponder what might potentially follow. It was a fun and broad discussion, and I was delighted to join Will to have the conversation.

You can watch the full live stream below.

Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: Chris Chibnall, doctor who, jodie whittaker, livestream, will carlisle | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Censor

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Darren

Censor is a love letter to the era of so-called “video nasties” and an exploration of the moral panic that tends to encompass discussions of the genre.

Niamh Algar plays Enid, the eponymous moral guardian with a traumatic back story who has committed herself to protecting the nation’s sanity by watching and rating the low-rent horrors flooding the market. Over dinner conversation, Enid takes offense when her mother asks if she has seen any good movies recently. “It’s not entertainment, Mam,” Enid snaps. “I’m protecting people.” It’s very clear that Enid believes this, taking meticulous notes and engaging in rigorous debates about exactly how much eye-gouging the public can tolerate.

The Green Night.

On the surface, Censor is a movie with a plot that loosely suggests something akin to Hardcore or 8mm. Throughout the film, hints are dropped about Enid’s traumatic past, including the mysterious disappearance of her younger sister while the two girls were playing together. When the latest film from a provocative auteur named Frederick North crosses her desk, Enid seems to recognise one of the on-screen victims. Is her sister still alive? Has she been swallowed by this world of exploitation horror cinema? More to the point, can Enid finally rescue her and bring her home?

The beauty of Censor lies in how co-writer and director Prano Bailey-Bond plays with this familiar set-up, building a movie around the idea that horror movies are a form of escapism for moral guardians as much as the intended audience, a space into which these people can project their own nightmares and anxieties without ever having to confront the reality of the world around them.

Signalling concern.

Continue reading →

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: censor, film, horror, horror cinema, margaret thatcher, Movie, niamh algar, non-review review, prano bailey-bond, review, video nasties | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! On Why “The Expanse” Was Shut Out of the Emmys…

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Darren

So, as I have mentioned before, I am launching a new video series as a companion piece to In the Frame at The Escapist. The video will typically launch with every second Monday’s article, and be released on the magazine’s YouTube channel the following week. This is kinda cool, because we’re helping relaunch the magazine’s film content – so if you can throw a subscription our way, it would mean a lot.

With the Emmy nominations earlier last month, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at how the awards work. In particular, why they tend to overlook particular shows, despite positive reviews and consistent levels of quality. In particular, whether the institution has a longstanding bias against genre television or if there are other factors at play.

Filed under: Television | Tagged: awards, emmys, escapist, in the frame, the escapist, the expanse | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On the the Folly of Franchising the Predator…

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist yesterday. With news that Dan Trachtenberg’s new Predator film might receive an edit for PG-13, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at the difficulty in trying to reshape the iconic eighties movie monster into a modern franchise.

The appeal of the Predator is very simple. It hunts. It’s a concept that is perhaps best suited to a mode of franchising that doesn’t really exist any more, a set of reasonably budgeted sequel films that swap out characters and locations while retaining the core concept. However, modern franchises demand more. They demand world building, mythology, scale, spectacle and a shared universe. There’s something absurd about trying to retroactively apply that to the Predator as a concept.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: blockbusters, franchise, hollywood, in the frame, predator, sequels, shared universe, the predator | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Last Letter From Your Lover

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Darren

The Last Letter from Your Lover is an adaptation of Jojo Moynes’ breakout romantic novel of the same name, and it very much feels like a cinematic adaptation of a beloved novel.

The basic premise of The Last Letter from Your Lover is a nested love story. While working on a feature about another subject, an intrepid journalist named Ellie Haworth finds a mysterious love letter. This love letter suggests a secret affair in sixties high society. The letters are clearly addressed to Jennifer Stirling, a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a wealthy industrialist, who finds herself navigating her own past following an accident that leaves her with amnesia.

How I Met Your Lover.

It’s a solid set-up for a romantic drama, with The Last Letter from Your Lover paralleling both Ellie and Jennifer in their investigations into Jennifer’s mysterious past in an effort to explore and investigate the sordid affair that potentially could derail Jennifer’s entire life. The Last Letter from Your Lover benefits from two charming lead performances from Felicity Jones as Ellie and Shailene Woodley as Jennifer, along with strong direction from Augustine Frizzell.

Unfortunately, The Last Letter from Your Lover never feels like a convincing screen romance, but instead a shadow of a much more engaging love story on the page.