film | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Dictator

Posted on May 10, 2012 by Darren

The obvious point of comparison for The Dictator would seem to be Borat or even Bruno. After all, the film reteams Sacha Baron Cohen with director Larry Charles, while providing a vehicle for exploring American society. However, The Dictator is a very different beast – it’s a much safer film, which is quite something to say about a film featuring a joke about “911 2012.” It is more conventional, more accessible, and more driven by a clearly focused narrative. In a way, it feels almost closer to Ali G in da House, only a lot funnier.

The Dictator is a very funny film, but it does feel like Cohen is a little more constrained than usual, a lot more rigidly structured. This lacks the sort of anarchic spirit that viewers have come to expect from Cohen, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it. Still, Cohen has a unique ability to blend offensive boundary-crossing with classic comedy, and The Dictator feels like a film that will have a broader appeal than his cult hits. Despite the abundance of jokes about male and female anatomy, I think this might be the first Sacha Baron Cohen film I would recommend to my parents.

Coming to America…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aladeen, ali, Borat, bruno, Cohen, Dictator, film, Howard Stern, israel, Larry Charles, Movie, non-review review, review, sacha baron cohen, United States | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Dark Shadows

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Darren

I really liked Dark Shadows. Of course, the film comes with the proviso that it’s probably nothing at all like anybody is expecting, at least based on the trailers. While there are elements of a comedy about a vampire lost in time, Tim Burton is far too busy constructing an elaborate spoof of a gothic melodrama to every really develop that thread. Instead, it’s a movie that seems wry and self-aware more than it is side-splittingly hilarious, an old-fashioned homage to the melodramatic horrors of old rather than a compelling story in its own right. I don’t think anybody could argue that this is truly “classic” Burton, measured against Ed Wood or Batman Returns. However, it is a director who seems to be having a great deal of fun playing with some rather esoteric toys.

Collins family values…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Angelique, art, Barnabas Collins, burton, Chloe Moretz, Dark Shadow, Dark Shadows, Ed Wood, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, eva green, film, helena bonham carter, jackie earle haley, johnny depp, Julia Hoffman, michelle pfeiffer, Movie, non-review review, review, tim burton | 114 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Half Moon Street

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Darren

I do feel a little pang of sorrow that Half Moon Street opens with the “RKO” branding. RKO was the studio that gave us Citizen Kane and King Kong, so it’s just a bit disheartening to see the studio branding a half-hearted thriller that seems to exist only to show as much of Sigourney Weaver naked as humanly possible. Don’t get me wrong, of course, I’m not a prude. I have no problem with the notion of an “erotic thriller”, were it well handled. However, Half Moon Street is just a disjointed poorly-conceived mess featuring two leads who seem to give up on the movie about half-way through. It’s not as if there isn’t fertile ground for a gripping espionage thriller here, it’s more that the script by Edward Behr and Bob Swaim is so lifeless (and Bob Swaim’s direction so lethargic) that there’s absolutely no reason to care at all about anything that unfolds throughout the series of insanely massive coincidences that drive the plot.

“Okay… try to look inconspicuous…”

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Bob Swaim, Citizen Kane, Edward Behr, film, Half Moon Street, Jan Hammer, Michael Caine, Middle East, Movie, non-review review, review, sigourney weaver, Slaughter | 2 Comments »

Not Everything, Not Yet: Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises and the Prospect of Finality

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Darren

Read our in-depth review of the film here.

It’s a funny thing watching The Dark Knight Rises trailer that was released earlier in the week. It seems that a lot of people had the same response that I did. Colleagues in work, friends and family members, all looked at the trailer for the third in Nolan’s trilogy that began with Batman Begins and seemed to have the same observation. “I think he might kill Batman,” a lot of people remarked on viewing the teaser for the film. Given how safe most major studio productions are, especially those that are part of a cash-cow franchise, it’s amazing that the possibility even exists at all, hovering faintly over the film.

Broken bat…

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: avengers, bane, batman, Christopher Nolan, daniel craig, Dark Knight Rises, film, Luke Skywalker, nolan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, sam raimi, Warner Bros | 8 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Safe

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Darren

Safe is remarkably up-front about what it is. It’s a collection of action clichés strung out on a series of contrivances and coincidences that exist purely so Jason Statham can appear menacing and get involved in brutal fight sequences. There’s no surprise to be had in Safe, save perhaps the charm of Statham as a leading man and his wonderful chemistry with the debuting Catherine Chan. The movie’s never outside its comfort zone, but it manages to do what it sets out to do with a respectable efficiency and charm. While he does occasionally succumb to the rapid-fire editing that plague modern action movies, I think that it’s safe to say that Boaz Yakin is a much stronger director than he is a writer.

Looking for a Safe house…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Action film, Boaz Yakin, Catherine Chan, film, guy ritchie, Jason Statham, Luke Wright, New York City, non-review review, ovie, review, Safe, Safe (film), Statham, Transporter, Yakin | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Lucky One

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Darren

It’s hard not to feel a tad manipulated by The Lucky One, a story that seems to want to be about the relationship between fate (or chance) and choice. Following a veteran of a foreign conflict as he tries to adjust to life back home, trying to make sense of his survival in a war that claimed the lives of countless friends and colleagues, I don’t doubt that The Lucky One was intended as a profound meditation on those themes. However, what we end up with is a rather muddled romance that never truly gets off the ground thanks to a lackluster central performance from Zac Efron and some rather uncomfortable subtext.

Not quite picture perfect...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Blythe Danner, Dr. Seuss, Efron, film, High School Musical, Lucky One, Movie, Nicholas Sparks, non-review review, Posttraumatic stress disorder, review, Romeo and Juliet, Taylor Schilling, youtube, Zac Efron | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Cedar Rapids

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Darren

Cedar Rapids is a charming little film, even if it seems to struggle a bit blending its drama and its comedy. Despite unfolding at an insurance corporate conference, there’s a lot of very sincere and very earnest observations contained in the film, as we watch small-town insurance salesman Tim Lippe expand his world view. (Not just figuratively, but literally – the film features the character’s first trip on an airplane, for example.) While the movie’s sincerity and respect for the naive small-town operator lends the movie a bit of weight, the film struggles to balance that earnestness with a very immature sense of humour. The resulting cocktail isn’t always smooth, but it’s always fascinating, and director Miguel Arteta populates the film with a talented cast who help keep it all together.

It never really embraces its drama or its comedy...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: anne heche, Cedar Rapids Iowa, CedarRapids, Central Time Zone (North America), Ed Helms, film, hollywood, Insurance, Isiah Whitlock Jr, john c. reilly, Miguel Arteta, Movies, non-review review, review, sigourney weaver, Tim Lippe | 2 Comments »

What Does It Take To Get You To See a Movie Twice In the Cinema?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Darren

Going to the cinema is expensive. In fact, it’s been getting progressively more expensive these past few years, which seems to be a contributing factor in steadily decreasing theatre attendance. (The behaviour of fellow patrons and lax enforcement of basic cinema etiquette might be another.) Still, there’s something inherently romantic about a trip to the cinema, seeing the lights go dark and the images projected on a big screen, as they were intended to be seen. While a home cinema system offers its own perks, there’s just something inherently appealing about the real deal. Last Friday, I had the pleasure of seeing Cabin in the Woods with my better half – the second time I’d seen the film. I very rarely double-dip on cinema trips, but there were a variety of factors that alleviated my guilt. What does it take you to see a film more than once in a cinema?

Cinema is a cottage industry...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, Arts and Entertainment, Cabin in the Woods, Canada, Christopher Nolan, david fincher, Drew Goddard, film, home cinema, Indoor Theaters, joss whedon, Movie theater, Movies, Theaters, titanic, United States, Woods | 12 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Seamonsters

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Darren

Seamonsters makes for an interesting feature film directorial debut from Julian Kerridge, Kerridge has a long and distinguished filmography as an actor, and has directed a pair of short films before this, but Seamonsters stands out as a fascinating first feature-length effort. Working from a script by Kerridge and co-writer Martin Sadofsky, the film offers an exploration of teenage life in a quiet seaside town. While Kerridge does seem to lose a grip on the plot during the second half, Seamonsters benefits from a wonderful young cast, a mostly light approach to its subject matter and an endearing almost ethereal atmosphere, perfectly capturing the idleness of teenage life.

All at sea...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Atlantis, film, Georgia Henshaw, Jack McMullen, Julian Kerridge, Kerridge, Leila Mimmack, London, Martin Sadofsky, Moony, Movie, New Zealand, non-review review, reece noi, review, sea monsters, Seamonster, seamonsters | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Albert Nobbs

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012. It’s getting its Irish theatrical release this weekend, so I thought I’d re-post this one.

Albert Nobbs is a fascinating little film that plays host to two fascinating central performances. It’s no secret that the movie has been something of a passion project for Glenn Close since she first played the role on stage, and she relishes the opportunity to bring the eponymous character to the big screen. Just as impressive is Janet McTeer as her confident and an unlikely friend. However, the movie suffers a little bit from a script that offers clever and enticing symbolism and metaphor, at the expense of offering an accessible narrative.