film | the m0vie blog

For the Love of Film 2012: Alfred Hitchcock Film Preservation Blogathon

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Darren

I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be taking part in this year’s For the Love of Film blogathon, organised by the Self-Styled Siren, Ferdy on Films and This Island Rod. A celebration of classical cinema, the event hopes to raise money to preserve and restore classic films that would otherwise be lost to the ages. This year, from the 13th May through to the 18th, bloggers from around the world will contribute articles on classic film, hoping to raise awareness and to raise $15,000 to make The White Shadow available to stream live for anybody with internet access. I am honoured to announce that the m0vie blog shall be proudly participating.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alfred hitchcock, art, Birds, film, Filmmaking, Graham Cutts, hitchcock, Movie, North by Northwest, steven spielberg, The White Shadow, Tippi Hedren, White Shadow | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Wayne’s World 2

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Darren

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Wayne’s World 2. It’s not a patch on the original film, but there’s something so charming about Mike Myers’ creations that it’s hard not to enjoy the film, even if the number of misfiring jokes is compounded by a sense of “been there and done that.” More than that, though, the sequel features any number of original and hilarious moments that have managed to bleed out into wider popular culture. While it’s nowhere near as brilliant as the first film, it’s a still a fairly entertaining watch.

There's no need to feel down...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: christopher walken, film, Mike Myers, Movie, non-review review, party on wayne, review, Rob Lowe, Saturday Night Live, Village People, Wayne, Wayne's World, wayne's world 2, World | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Man on a Ledge

Posted on February 3, 2012 by cimooney

I was at the launch of the Jameson Film Fest last night, so Ciaran bravely jumped in to review Man on a Ledge for me. What a ledge(nd).

Man on a Ledge has a fairly simple premise. Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), a former policeman, is pushed to the ledge of a Manhattan hotel in an attempt to clear his name after he was convicted of stealing a 40M$ diamond from David Englander (Ed Harris), a well established real estate investor. Nick demands to talk to officer Lydia Nercer (Elizabeth Banks), who was unsuccessful in her last negotiation with a suicidal cop, in order to form a large crowding the street below. This crowd acts as a distraction while Nicks brother, Joey (Jamie Bell), and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) break into one of David Eglander’s buildings, which is located across the road. The plan is to steal the diamond and prove Nick’s innocence.

Exactly what it says on the tin...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Angie, Burj Khalifa, Cassidy, ed harris, film, Joey, Man on a Ledge, Manhattan, Movie, Nick, non-review review, review, Sam Worthington | 48 Comments »

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012 Highlights

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Darren

The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival have released their programme for 2012. Taking over the city centre from the 16th through to the 26th of February 2012, the team have been working tirelessly to put together a schedule offering something for everybody. I have to admit, I’m quite looking forward to a number of these films, and have included some of my own choices and preferences below.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: al pacino, arts, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Cinema of Ireland, cineworld, Dark Knight Rises, dublin, film, Film festival, jameson, jameson dublin international film festival, judi dench, Movies, Sherlock Jr, tim burton | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Chronicle

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Darren

Chronicle is a fascinating deconstruction of the American superhero myth – the notion that “with great powers comes great responsibility”, as Stan Lee once wrote (albeit in a more convoluted fashion). Much like Fox’s other major release this week (Martha Marcy May Marlene), it represents an impressive theatrical debut from a young director who hopefully has a long and distinguished future ahead of him. While there are elements of Chronicle that do lack a bit of polish, it’s a compelling and engaging film, one that succeeds at picking apart some of the core assumptions of the superhero genre.

He's got the power!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Andrew, Andrew Garfield, Chronicle, chronicle (film), chronicle (movie), Dane DeHaan, film, Josh Trank, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Max Landis, Movie, non-review review, Trank | 10 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Darren

The feature debut from director Sean Durkin, Martha Marcy May Marlene, is a shockingly powerful piece of cinema. Deeply unpleasant and uncannily unsettling, Durkin’s debut is occasionally a bit awkwardly paced, but is intensely gripping for most of its runtime. While the film is making waves for a breakout performance from Elizabeth Olsen, it’s John Hawkes who steals the show as the enigmatic and sinister cult leader, known only as Patrick.

A cult film...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Charles Manson, cult, Durkin, Elizabeth Olsen, film, John Hawkes, Martha, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Movie, Patrick, review | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Young Adult

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Darren

Young Adult is a good film, even if it falls short of greatness. It has a wonderfully engaging premise, and a set of truly wonderful leading performances from Patton Oswalt and Charlize Theron. It is also, for most of its runtime, a very compelling and brave examination of a very flawed protagonist. For the first two-thirds of the film, it invites us to follow a truly loathsome lead character, one with very few redeeming features. Unfortunately, this rather gutsy set-up is undermined by a fairly shallow attempt to justify and rationalise her flaws in the movie’s third act.

Homecoming queen?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Buddy, charlize theron, Elizabeth Reaser, film, Mavis, Movie, non-review review, patrick wilson, Patton Oswalt, review, Theron, Young Adult | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Darren

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is probably the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time. I’ll admit that I probably skew a little bit towards it, what with being a fan of cheesy horror movies and a sucker for a high concept comedy, but Eli Craig’s cinematic debut feature is a masterful comedic deconstruction of the conventional horror film, daring to turn genre conventions on their head and ask: why do we always side with the college students in these sorts of films?

What a waist...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Alan Tudyk, Dale, Eli Craig, film, Hills Have Eyes, Horror film, Movie, non-review review, review, Tucker, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Tyler Labine, wes craven | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Paul

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Darren

Paul is a charming little film. It’s not the most consistently hilarious comedy of the year, and it occasionally gets a little bit too hung up on a particular joke, but it does have a few chuckles and an affable quality that allows it go down easy. There’s a genuine sense of affection in the film, following two British nerds and the eponymous alien escapee on a road trip across America, but there’s also enough of a bite the film never wallows too much in sentimentality. It’s hard to find a single quality that Paul excels in, but it has a broad enough mesh of qualities that it makes for a pleasant enough viewing experience.

Ap-paul-ling behaviour...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: andy serkis, Bob Clampett, Charles Darwin, Computer-generated imagery, film, Frost, Hot Fuzz, Movie, non-review review, Paul, review, Richard Hammond, rise of the planet of the apes, Seth Rogen, Southern United States, United States | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: My Cousin Vinny

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Darren

My Cousin Vinny still works after all these years, I think, because it’s pretty broad and universal in its humour. It’s essentially two types of fish-out-of-water film blended together, simultaneously documenting a street-smart guy tangling with the red tape of legal bureaucracy, and offering a standard city-slickers adventure with “Noo Yawker” Vinny and his girlfriend adjusting to life in the Deep South. My Cousin Vinny is funny and frank, but never offensively so. It’s aware that it’s trading in caricatures and stereotypes, but never seems too mean in its portrayal of anybody.