the m0vie blog

New Escapist Video! “A Marvelous Escape” – Falcon and the Winter Soldier – “One World, One People” Discussion…

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Darren

With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series. I’ll be joining the wonderful Jack Packard and the fantastic KC Nwosu to break down WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki as they come out.

This week, we take a look at the final episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which has a lot to wrap up. Can the show stick the landing?

Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: a marvelous escape, audience, jack packard, kc nwosu, marvel, sam wilson, streaming, Television, the falcon and the winter soldier | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On Young Adult Movies Operating Under Star Power…

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Darren

I published a new column at The Escapist earlier in the week. With the release of Shadow and Bone on Netflix last week, it seemed a good opportunity to take a look at the state of the young adult in modern Hollywood. in particular, the ways in which the genre is dependent on an ineffable star quality.

The young adult boom really kicked off with the Harry Potter series. However, not all the adaptations that followed succeeded. Looking back over the various attempts to tap into that market, it becomes clear that the series that triumphed tended to share one key factor: lead performers who had genuine movie star charisma and energy.

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

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: harry potter, movie stars, netflix, shadow and bone, star power, sun summoner, the hunger games, twilight, Young Adult | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! On “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” as the First Fan Service Blockbuster…

Posted on April 27, 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 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 channel – so if you can throw a subscription our way, it would mean a lot.

This week, following the release of Mortal Kombat, we thought we’d give audiences what they really wanted. Yes, that’s right: a deep dive on Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: blockbuster, continuity, fan service, fans, history, in the frame, intellectual property, Lore, mortal kombat, mortal kombat: annihilation | Leave a comment »

New Podcast! The Escapist Movie Podcast – “Is Mortal Kombat a Knock-Out?”

Posted on April 27, 2021 by Darren

The Escapist have launched a movie podcast, and I was thrilled to join Jack Packard and Jesse Galena for the thirteenth episode of the year, for a jam-packed discussion that covered Mank, the Oscars and Mortal Kombat.

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

Filed under: Movies, Podcasts! | Tagged: jack packard, jesse galena, mank, mortal kombat, Oscars, podcast, the escapist, the escapist movie podcast | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On the “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” as the First Fan Service Blockbuster…

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of Mortal Kombat over the weekend, it seemed like as good a time as any to take a look back at the earlier nineties iteration of the cinematic franchise.

In particular, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is a much more interesting movie than is often acknowledged. It is a complete disaster in just about every sense, but is a revealing one. Watched from remove of two decades, Annihilation often feels like a template for the sort of fan service blockbuster that we now take for granted, with its broad themes of “family” and its plot that serves primarily as an object on which continuity references and nostalgic shoutouts might be ornately arranged.

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

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: annihilation, blockbusters, fan service, film, in the frame, mortal kombat, mortal kombat: annihilation, Movie, the escapist, x-men 3 | Leave a comment »

232. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (-#78)

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Richard Drumm and Niall Glynn, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

So this week, John R. Leonetti’s Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.

Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Johnny Cage have just won the Mortal Kombat tournament, saving Earthrealm from Outworld. However, the villainous Shao Kahn does not accept victory so easily. Breaking the rules of the tournament, Kahn and his army of monsters launch a full-scale invasion of Earth. Can our heroes stop “the merger” in time?

At time of recording, it was ranked 78th on the list of the worst movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Continue reading →

Filed under: The Bottom 100 | Tagged: films, mortal kombat, mortal kombat: annihilation, Movies, niall glynn, reviews, richard drumm, The 250, The Bottom 100, video game movies | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “Mortal Kombat – Review in 3 Minutes”

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching 3-Minute Reviews on Escapist Movies. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute film review of the new Mortal Kombat movie that is now available in cinemas and on HBO Max.

Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: 3 minute review, 3mr, escapist, mortal kombat, the escapist, video game movies, video games | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Column! On the Negative Space in “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”…

Posted on April 23, 2021 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. As The Falcon and the Winter Soldier winds down its season, it seemed like a good opportunity to consider the show’s approach to the question: “What does Captain America stand for?”

It has been a turbulent few years for American identity, and it makes sense that a television about a character carrying the mantle of “Captain America” should have to figure out what that title means. The biggest issue with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is that it defines the concept of “Captain America” in negative terms. The series is more preoccupied with what Captain America isn’t than what he actually and actively is.

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

Filed under: Television | Tagged: captain america, captain america and the winter soldier, comic books, escapist, falcon and the winter soldier, in the frame, marvel, Movie, the escapist | Leave a comment »

New Escapist Video! “Shadow and Bone – Review in 3 Minutes”

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Darren

I’m thrilled to be launching 3-Minute Reviews on Escapist Movies. Over the coming weeks and months, I will be joining a set of contributors in adding these reviews to the channel. For the moment, I’m honoured to contribute a three-minute television review of the new Netflix streaming series Shadow and Bone.

Filed under: Television | Tagged: 3mr, netflix, shadow and bone, the escapist, three minute review | Leave a comment »

231. Mac and Me (-#83)

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Niall Glynn and Richard Drumm, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

So this week, Stewart Raffill’s Mac and Me.

Following a move to California, young Eric is feeling a little alienated and disconnected. However, the young boy’s life is quickly turned upside down following a chance encounter with a creature from another world that has a strange hunger for Coca-Cola and Skittles.

At time of recording, it was ranked 83rd on the list of the worst movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.