brad pitt | the m0vie blog

Watch! First Twelve Years a Slave Trailer!

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Darren

Shame was one of the best movies of 2012. So it stands to reason that I’m looking forward to the next collaboration between Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender. Twelve Years a Slave looks to be a decidedly larger-scale affair than either of the duo’s past collaborations, based on the epic and heart-wretching true story of Solomon Northup, a man born free and then sold into slavery. The cast is also a lot more impressive, with well-respected character actors (like Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor) standing alongside Brad Pitt. It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out, even if it does look a bit more like conventional Oscar-bait than Shame or Hunger.

Of course, that could simply be a stylistic decision made when cutting up the trailer, given the success of other slavery-themed epics (Lincoln and Django Unchained) at this year’s Oscars. Either way, UK and Irish audiences won’t know until 24th January 2013.

Check out the trailer below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 12 Years a Slave, Benedict Cumberbatch, brad pitt, chiwetel ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, paul giamatti, Shame, Solomon Northup, steve mcqueen | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: World War Z

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Darren

World War Z is a lesson in compromise, a Frankenstein’s monster stitched together out of necessity with the lines very clearly showing. It goes this way and then that way, never really sure where it wants to be in the next act, save that it’s a safe bet there might be zombies. World War Z isn’t as bad as it might have been, but the problem is that it feels like it’s trying so hard to find an ending that it never bothers to excel. It’s not that World War Z is bad, it’s a competently made thriller that works as well as it can with a script that spent most of production in triage. The problem is that it’s never bold enough to do anything genuinely exciting.

Pitting our best man against the zombie horde…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: brad pitt, facebook, film, george romero, history, List of zombie films, Marc Forster, Max Brooks, Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, Movie, non-review review, review, Twentieth Century, United Nations, Wars and Conflicts, World War, World War I, world war z, zombie | 12 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Killing Them Softly

Posted on September 21, 2012 by Darren

There’s been a lot of talk about how Killing Them Softly is a critique of the Obama administration. It’s easy to see why. Obama might as well receive an “and” credit, given how frequently he appears and how deeply his influence seems to seep into the film. He’s there at the beginning, between moments of static, and he’s there at the end, interrupting exchanges between two primary characters. The film is set during the President’s first campaign, and released just in time for his second. Still, Andrew Dominik’s adaptation of Cogan’s Trade feels like a more rounded criticism of the American political system, with Obama serving as a focal point if only because the promise he offers, one of change.

At one point during the film, our leading hit man confronts one of the people on his list. “Not many people get what you have,” he assures the nervous and sweaty young man who seems way over his head. “You have a choice.” Of course, it’s not really a choice – everybody knows that. The young guy knows it, the assassin knows it, and we know. Sure, he can pick between two alternatives, but there are no happy endings here. Dominik’s Killing Them Softly feels like an older, harsher, more bitter Tarantino film, one jaded and numbed by the promise of a false choice. Cynically, it seems to suggest that elections – now and then – are like that offer made in a dive bar.

Sure, there’s technically a choice. But there’s not an opportunity to substantially improve anybody’s position.

Cogan’s run…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Andrew Dominik, Barack Obama, brad pitt, Cogan, Cogan's Trade, film, George V Higgins, james gandolfini, John McCain, Killing Them Softly, Movie, New Orleans, non-review review, obama, Obama administration, review, Scoot McNairy, United States | 5 Comments »

Tony Scott, R.I.P.

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Darren

One of the downsides to running a blog the way that I run a blog is that I don’t always have the opportunity to respond to news as it breaks. As such, in writing about the passing of director Tony Scott, pretty much everything that I would say has been said by the time I can publish this, and far more eloquently than I could ever hope to say it. Obviously, I never knew Tony Scott personally, so I won’t comment on the man himself – although the tributes from those who did know him are deeply moving. I knew Tony Scott as countless film fans knew the director, through his work. And that work meant a lot to me.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Beverly Hills Cop II, brad pitt, Crimson Tide, denzel washington, michael bay, quentin tarantino, ridley scott, San Pedro Los Angeles, Scott, tony scott, top gun, true romance | 6 Comments »

Win! Tickets to the Jameson Cult Film Club Screening of Snatch, in Cork! (Closing Tomorrow)

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Darren

I’m a big fan of the Jameson Cult Film Club. It’s a great excuse to celebrate cinema in a delightful unconventional way. Literally transforming the screening into a scene or location from the film,a s well as bringing key scenes to life, it’s a wonderfully awesome way to enjoy cult classics. So far, the screenings have – as far as I’m aware – been confined to Dublin. However, this time, the wonderful team behind the Jameson Cult Film Club are bringing Snatch to Cork. And we have four tickets to give away, to one lucky individual and three mates.

I’ll be closing the competition at 9am on the 23rd May 2012. Courtesy of the nice folks at the Jameson Cult Film Club, here’s an example of what’s in store.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, Blues Brother, brad pitt, Cork, cult film, dublin, guy ritchie, jameson cult film club, Movie, Reservoir Dogs, Snatch | 1 Comment »

“Must Do Better”: Dramatic Talents & Wasted Potential…

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Darren

There’s something very sad about Eddie Murphy. His latest movie, A Thousand Words, opened last Friday in the States with an almost impressive 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That means that there wasn’t a single reviewer who though that the movie was even “okay”, let alone “good” or “great.” It’s are to find a film that can generate such a consensus, although I don’t think anybody was especially astounded that Eddie Murphy headlined a comedy that was frustrating and disappointing. Of course, he has undoubtedly made a lot of money, and has decided that this is what he wants to do, but there’s something very frustrating about actors like Eddie Murphy, who have demonstrated uncanny ability, but seem willing to settle for generic film after generic film.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: adam sandler, animation, arts, Beverly Hills Cop, brad pitt, Dave, eddiemurphy, Friday, hollywood, Jack McCall, jim carrey, Meet Dave, Movies, Murphy, oscar, reviews, rotten tomatoes | 4 Comments »

Generation Next: The Changing of the Cinematic Guard…

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Darren

There are times when I feel quite young. I was born on the same day that The Joshua Tree was released. My dad took me to the cinematic re-release of Star Wars. I was mainly introduced to the great directors through video and DVD. Hollywood as it exists today is not markedly different from the Hollywood that I grew up with. However, as I sat in the cinema last week, it occurred to me: perhaps I have sat through my first real changing of the cinematic guard, so to speak. It’s an occurance so subtle and gradual that I never really noticed it, and yet it must, by necessity, be part of Hollywood’s seasonal cycle.

Putting the older generation out to feed?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: adam sandler, al pacino, Benedict Cumberbatch, brad pitt, bruce willis, dennis hopper, george clooney, Gerard McSorley, hollywood, Juliette Lewis, Kevin Costner, michelle forbes, Niels Arestrup, robert deniro | 9 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Happy Feet II

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Darren

Happy Feet II is perfectly functional kids entertainment. It has enough set pieces to keep the audience ticking over, lovely animation and a timely environmental message underneath the fuzz. It is a little bit too inconsistent to hold the attention of older audience members, as the plot struggles to find a focus, with the movie often seeming like a stew brewed from a variety of different ideas. The result is often satisfying enough in small chunks, but it doesn’t impress enough overall to make a lasting impression. Although a younger, perhaps more idealistic, viewer at the screening did describe it as “the bestest experience in united history.”

The pitter-patter of little Happy Feet...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bill, brad pitt, Happy Feet, happy feet 2, happy feet two, i taut i taw a puddy cat, krill, looney tunes, matt damon, Mel Blanc, non-review review, penguisn, review, robin williams, sylvester, tweety, United States | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Moneyball

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Darren

I know nothing of baseball. Unlike the other great American sporting pastime of American Football (or, I guess, “football” to them), I simply can’t wrap my head around the activity, which seems (to me) to be a strange mix of rounders and the imaginary “whack bat” from The Fantastic Mr. Fox (which was undoubtedly intended as a parody of cricket, to mix my metaphors even further). It takes a lot for me to invest in a movie about an activity that I can barely comprehend, and Moneyball accomplishes that, by managing to craft one of the most telling and relevent sporting movies I’ve seen in quite some time. I think the film does struggle to establish an emotional connection, but it’s a very clever and very intriguing little movie.

Field of dreams...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Beane, Billy Beane, brad pitt, fantastic mr. fox, film, jonah hill, Moneyball, Movie, non-review review, Oakland Athletics, Peter Brand, philip seymour hoffman, Pitt, review, United States | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Ocean’s Thirteen

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Darren

I have a soft spot for Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Thirteen. Yes, it’s big and vacuous and ultimately empty, with a bunch of celebrities sitting around and enjoying each other’s company, but it’s also fun and diverting, composed by a director with a wonderful eye. I’d argue that it’s almost as solid as Ocean’s Eleven, and a damn sight stronger than Ocean’s Twelve.