england | the m0vie blog

Equus at the Mill, Dundrum (Review)

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Darren

London Classic Theatre have brought Sir Peter Shaffer’s classic 1973 play to the Mill Theatre in Dundrum, and I had the pleasure of attending on Friday night. I must admit that it was my first time to see Equus, although I couldn’t help but be aware of the headline-grabbing aspects of the play. I wonder exactly how much work Daniel Radcliffe has done to popularise the play, using a West End run as an attempt to divorce himself from his most iconic role, and the media revelling at the details of the show. While I was impressed with what London Classic Theatrebrought to the stage, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by the play itself.

Easy rider...

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: arts, Cruelty to animals, daniel radcliffe, dundrum, england, Equus, horse, Hyundai Equus, London, london theatre company, malcolm james, Performing Arts, Peter Schaffer, Peter Shaffer, plays, the mill (theatre), Theatre | Leave a comment »

The Adventures of Tintin: The Black Island (Review)

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Darren

To celebrate the release of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn in the United States later this month, I’ll be taking a look at some of nineties animated television show. Check back daily!

Note: This is our review of the animated episode, check out our review of the book here.

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for The Black Island. There are probably multiple reasons for this. Snowy is my favourite member of the Tintin ensemble, and The Black Island is as close as possible to a Snowy-centric adventure. I also tend to enjoy the pulpier stories in Hergé’s series, the ones that have aged so well that they perfectly evoke the serialised fiction of the era without feeling trapped in it – stories like The Cigars of the Pharaoh, which is in series competition to be my favourite Tintin adventure. The Black Island is undoubtedly a product of the thirties, with the German counterfeiting ring in England and the homage to King Kong, but it never feels that old. In a way, the bright colours and wonderful depiction of rural England (and other stereotypical elements like the police constables) always made me think of the British pop culture of the sixties. I think that’s the appeal of the adventure to me, in a nutshell.

And most of it made it to this animated adaptation.

Something to think about...

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Filed under: Television | Tagged: england, Hergé, king kong, review, the adventures of tintin, the adventures of tintin: the black island, the black island, tintin, tintin: the animated series, tintin: the black island | Leave a comment »

Tintin: The Black Island (Review)

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Darren

In the lead-up to the release of The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, I’m going to be taking a look at Hergé’s celebrated comic book character, from his humble beginnings through to the incomplete post-modern finale. I hope you enjoy the ride.

The Black Island is a fun piece of pulp fiction, which wonderfully feels like Hergé was drawing on whatever pop culture reference was closest to hand at the time. In a way, this strange blend of influences mixes to produce a cocktail that fits surprisingly well against this instalment’s British background. It also features some of Hergé’s strongest artwork, in my own very humble opinion. It might lack the sort historical and political context that defined The Broken Ear and The Blue Lotus, but it’s still a more-than-worthy entry in the series.

Well, don't they have egg on their faces...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: Adventures of Tintin, adventures of tintin: the black island, blue lotus, British Isles, Captain Haddock, england, Hergé, indiana jones, Loch Ness Monster, peter jackson, snowy, steven spielberg, The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn, the adventures of tintin: the black island, the black island, tintin and the black island, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, tintin: the black island | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Evil Dead

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead is actually a pretty decent addition to the zero-budget teens-go-up-to-the-woods-today-and-are-sure-of-a-big-surprise subgenre. It’s a trashy horror which demonstrates a deeper affinity for the genre than a lot of other “video nasty” slasher films are prone to. However, while the film displays clear hints of the director’s developing skill, it still feels just a little bit too much like another random exploitation “schlock and shock” film.

Axe any questions you might have...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Ash Williams, bruce campbell, Bryce, england, evil dead, film, films, horror, Horror film, Mary Whitehouse, Movies, non-review review, review, sam raimi, schlock, shining, spider man, video nasty, wes craven | 1 Comment »

The Very British Mr. Bond: The Habits of Empire & The American Fixation on Bond

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Darren

This post is part of James Bond January, being organised by the wonderful Paragraph Films. I will have reviews of all twenty-two official Bond films going on-line over the next month, and a treat or two every once in a while.

James Bond is a peculiarly British phenomenon. He’s a charmingly debonaire socialite with great taste in women and suits, but also a coldly professional killer. I’ve had debates on him where I’ve classified him as a gentleman, a sociopath, a sexist, a piece of nostalgia in a tuxedo, one of the last true cinematic heroes and the very distillation of cinematic class – sometimes within the context of the same argument. Why is Bond so fascinating? What makes him so gripping? Is it perhaps the fact that Bond is, in all his personas, so incredibly British?

Is he mostly armless?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: angelina jolie, Atlantic Ocean, brad pitt, British Empire, daniel craig, england, Falklands War, films, james bond, james bond january, Movies, nostalgia, sam mendes, the queen | 4 Comments »

Edge of Darkness (BBC)

Posted on September 21, 2010 by Darren

Keeping with the theme of nuclear annihilation that began with Doctor Strangelove yesterday, I’m taking a look at Edge of Darkness, the BBC serial which was recently remade into a (reportedly disappointing) Mel Gibson film. Directed by Martin Campbell, who would go on to save Bond twice (with GoldenEye and Casino Royale) and is directing the upcoming Green Lantern, Edge of Darkness was something of a phenomenon in British television during the eighties. Originally broadcast on BBC 2, it was popular enough that it garnered a repeat on the parent station (BBC 1) within days. That’s something practically unheard of. And, yes, it’s just that good.