the m0vie blog

The Once and Future King (Kong)…

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Darren

Wow, looks like those monster movie revivals show no signs of abating. King Kong is apparently next in line, getting the prequel treatment. There’s apparently an adaptation of a book Kong: King of Skull Island. It seems a rather quick revival for Kong, who seems to go through thirty-to-forty-year cycles of popularity.

Quit Monkeying Around...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: cgi, films, in development, king kong, king of skull island, kong: king of skull island, Movies, peter jackson, prequel giant monkey, remake, skull island, spin-off | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Iron Man

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

I had a bit of a Marvel weekend this weekend, where I caught both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk back-to-back. I think I have to concede that I am – just slightly – fonder of the not-so-jolly green giant. Though they both are very good superhero films and a testament to what was a fantastic summer season. Iron Man was a stunningly well-put together movie on a hero who had – until the movie – been relatively second-tier and it’s anchored in an astonishing central performance from Robert Downey Jnr.

Gold-Titanium Alloy Man just doesn't have the same ring to it...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: comic books, film, iron man, jeff bridges, jon favreau, marvel, Movies, non-review review, review, robert downey jnr., tony stark | 15 Comments »

The Incredible Avengers…

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

The Avengers has gone form being the movie project I was most skeptical about to one of my most anticipated movies of the comic years. Indeed, the summer of 2011 is looking to be one for the books with a whole rake of massive cult and comic book films coming out – Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern and, should Gary Oldman be believed, Batman 3. However, the culmination of Marvel’s planning within the cinematic world will be the release of The Avengers in 2012. I’ve never been much of a Marvel fan, but I will concede that they have pulled off an amazing movie-making feat. They have created a fully-integrated film universe from a variety of disparate sources building to to a clear target.

Avengers Assemble...

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Filed under: Comics, Movies | Tagged: ant-man, avenegrs, captain america, co-exist, comic books, crossover, crossovers, fantastic four, fictional universes, franchises, hugh jackman, hulk, iron man, iron man 2, john munch, kenneth branagh, marvel, Movies, samuel l. jackson, shared continuity, shared storyline, shared universe, Television, the icnredible hulk, thor, tommy westphall, tony stark, universes, wolverine, x-men | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: The Fox and The Child

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

Myself and the girlfriend caught The Fox and The Girl (or Le Renard et L’Enfant) on Sky last night. It was a film with more than a few beautiful moments, but left us with the distinct impression that director Luc Jacquet works a lot better with animals than he does with humans.

Half-good, half-bad...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: documentary, fable, fairytale, film, kate winslet, Le Renard et L'Enfant, luc jacquet, march of the penguins, Movie, nature, non-review review, review, The Fox and The Girl | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Moon

Posted on July 25, 2009 by Darren

It’s been a good year for niche cinema. And looks to continue to be. For the moment though, Moon is one heck of a science fiction film. I’m goign to try to be careful and not really give away too many spoilers, but sufficed to say hat it is one of the most cleverly constructed science fiction films of the past decade – possibly since The Truman Show and Gattaca.

Sam Rockwell gets spaced out...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: duncan jones, kevin spacey, moon, Movie, non-review review, review, sam rockwell, science fiction | 10 Comments »

Comic Con – It’s Like All My Geek Christmases Have Come at Once…

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Darren

I’ll do a retrospective of this year’s comic con when it’s finished, but today has been a big day for news at Comic Con. These are two of my favourite discoveries:

Not only does Flynn live, but he’s a bad ass. The famous test footage from last year has been remastered and turned into a pretty intense teaser. Looking at it, it might just buck the trend with long-delayed sequels.
Gary Oldman has confirmed Batman 3 is coming, despite Christopher Nolan’s rumoured reluctance. Wow. Even Warner Brothers seem surprised. Michael Caine loves jerking fans around, but Oldman is normally pretty dead-on. He says we’ll see it in 2011.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Filed under: Comics, Movies | Tagged: Batman 3, Christopher Nolan, comic con, gary oldman, jeff bridges, movie gossip, Movies, The Dark Knight, the dark knight sequel, tron, tron: legacy | Leave a comment »

The Bechdel Rule – Feminism in Movies

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Darren

I discovered a really fascinating movie-related concept this week, from my better half, who in turn picked it up from the Irish Times magazine. Basically, it’s The Bechdel Rule. Basically it states that the eponymous author will only watch movies that meet three simple conditions:

It has to have at least two women in it…
… who talk to each other…
.. about something besides a man.

There’s also a suggested corollary (known as the Mo Movie Measure) that the two women must be named characters. I’m dubious about using the test as a measure of quality, but it is interesting to think about how many movies meet that criteria. And which movies don’t.

So, does talking about how crap their lives are because they are oppressed by men count?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bechdel rule, equality, feminism, feminism in movies, gender, Movies, popular culture, roles, Television, the bechdel rule, the mo movie measure, women, women in movies | Leave a comment »

Crime and Pun-ishment: The Art of the CSI One-Liner

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Darren

I caught an episode of CSI: Miami last night and I am ashamed to admit that I had forgotten the cheesy power of Horatio Caine and the Sunglasses of Justice. I suspect that, isolated from each other, neither would be of note but, combined, they are unstoppable. Sure, some may question the ability of lead actor David Caruso, but I think it is a breathtaking performance. If he is a wooden performer, he is fashioned from rich mahogany. If he is two-dimensional, he is a Looney Tune of two-dimensionality. If he is a bad actor, he is the Marlon Brando of bad actors. And, in fairness, are you watching for anything other than the one-liners?

Raising Caine...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: csi, csi: miami, david caruso, drama, horatio caine, miami, one liners, puns, sunglasses of justice, Television | 1 Comment »

Sequels Separated by Decades…

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Darren

Flynn lives! Jeff Bridges’ career declines! The viral marketing campaign for the sequel to Tr0n kicks off this week at Comic Con and I’m skeptical – but not just because they haven’t decided to go with the logical title Tr1n. I’m mostly skeptical because it’s a sequel to a cult movie produced twenty years after the fact. How many sequels separated by decades have actually succeeded?

It was cutting edge for the time, I swear...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: avatar, chinatown, film series, films, flynn lives, franchises, godfather, indiana jones, james bond, jeff bridges, Movies, sequels, star wars, the godfather, tr0n, tr0n2, tron, tron 2, tron: legacy | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Rivals at the Abbey

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Darren

We caught The Rivals playing at the Abbey last night. I’m not sure quite what to make of it. Featuring characters with wits as sharp as their swords, a fantastically ‘theatrical’ set design and a solid cast, I couldn’t help agreeing with the author’s opinion as I’d read it in the Prologue earlier that day: the play is just too long. Apparently when it first appeared, the play was less than a success with audiences – being considered too long. Apparently Sheridan went back and significantly re-edited the play, and that is the version we are left with today. I would suggest that it is still just a tad too long, but only a little bit. Still, it was an entertaining evening sparkling with humour, flair and vitality, and there have been far worse productions this year. So, what did I make of George Washington’s favourite play?