Posted on April 11, 2011 by Darren
I love Crimson Tide. It comes from a time when, through my nostalgic eyes, Tony Scott could do no wrong. This was the nineties, when Scott was after directing the under-rated True Romance and on his way to helming the solidly entertaining Enemy of the State. Sure, there was also The Fan in there, but we really don’t talk about that. Part of the appeal of Crimson tide, beyond it’s wonderfully powerful basic premise, is the fact that concept could work as either a powerful Aaron Sorkin stage play, or as a bombastic Michael Bay production – the set-up is such that either approach is possible with the material. Scott manages to straddle the middle, offering a tense action thriller which isn’t afraid to ask a few probing questions about the nature of the chain of command and the morality of blinding following orders.
It's long and hard and... ugh, you get it...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aaron Sorkin, Chi McBride, Crimson Tide, film, james gandolfini, michael bay, Movie, non-review review, quentin tarantino, review, silver surfer, Steve Zahn, tony scott, United States | 6 Comments »
Posted on April 8, 2011 by Darren
This is my new addiction. It’s a shame there’s only fifty films on a loop. Basically, the guys at Veer have reduced a tonne of classic movies down to three photos, and give you 60 seconds to name them. I’m quite proud that I got 47 out of 50 on my first pass – though it took me a while to get the last three. There’s a nice mix of obvious ones in there, along with quirky takes on popular films. If you’ve got a spare ten minutes this weekend, it’s a great way to spend it. Check it out here.
I do have one minor complaint. To avoid spoiling it, highlight the following: muscles + robo-face + furnace = Terminator 2: Judgment Day, not The Terminator (which ended on a factory floor).
Still, fantastic little game, and I’d love to see them expand it – because it’s crap being addicted to a game you can only play once.
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, clockbusters, film, Movies, veer | 89 Comments »
Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no more f%$#ing Abba!
The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is one of those wonderfully fun and upbeat little movies that often can’t help but draw a smile from even the most cynical of viewers. Despite a somewhat bitchy and frothy exterior, the film is a charming little road movie about a quirky little pseudo-family unit making their way through the heartland of Australia.
Bus-ted...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Australia, Benny Hill, film, films, Guy Pearce, hugo weaving, Movies, non-review review, review, Terence Stamp, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tony Sheldon, Village People | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren
Well, the reviews for SuckerPunch are in, and they are… less than encouraging. I could have great fun going through them looking for pithy put-downs, but let’s just agree that it looks pretty bad. The film was a critical and commercial flop, generally agreed to be the handiwork of a director who was allowed to run completely wild with Warner Brothers footing the bill. As inevitably happens after a disaster like this, people are wondering about the director’s next film – it would be a hot topic even if it wasn’t relaunching Superman, but the amount of weight that Warner Brothers is putting on Superman makes it a downright explosive little issue. So, do I believe that Snyder can do it?
No Snyde(r) remarks...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Christopher Nolan, david s. goyer, directors, film, Kevin Costner, man of steel, Movie, steven spielberg, Sucker Punch, suckerpunch, superman, superman reboot, superman returns, Warner Bros, zack snyder | 8 Comments »
Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren
I think Robocop might be on the shortlist of most influential B-movies ever made. Certainly, coming out of the eighties, I think that Robocop defined what an audience expected from an incorporated future – the notion that big business would eventually replace local government in the lives of citizens. It’s not a novel theme, it’s one that science-fiction has been throwing out for decades, but I think that Robocop almost redefined that argument. It’s hard not to detect the influence of the film in a lot of movies that followed, so effortless and all-consuming was the “not too distant future” presented by Verhoeven.
I wonder if that's a manual or an automatic...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Detroit, film, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Movie, non-review review, Paul McCrane, Paul Verhoeven, Peter Weller, Ray Wise, review, RoboCop, Ronny Cox | 5 Comments »
Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren
News broke during the week that Warner Brothers are planning a new Justice League movie, apparently for 2013. Reportedly Ryan Reynolds has not been approached to play the Green Lantern in the film, and – based on comments from both film makers – it’s unlikely that Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot or The Dark Knight Rises will play into the film in any meaningful way. One might consider that something of a marketing faux pas, as that would represent a fairly intense lead-in into the movie (as opposed to the four-odd years Marvel has been teasing The Avengers). Indeed, it has been suggested that the proposed Justice League movie might stand entirely on its own two feet, completely distinct from the superhero movies that Warners are churning out. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this was exactly the plan with the company’s last aborted attempt at a Justice League film.
Justice for all?
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Batman in film, christian bale, Christopher Nolan, ensemble, film, green lantern, jla, justice league, Movies, ryan reynolds, spotlight, superhero ensemble, superman, teams, Warner Bros, zack snyder | 2 Comments »
Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren
In the real world, when you kill people, they die. For real!
– this movie is brought to you by the letter “o” for “open source” (and “obvious”)
You know, I think Microsoft’s PR department deserves a huge round of applause. Sure, they are still pretty universally regarded as a big evil corporation intent on global domination – using controversial business practices in order to stay on top of the computer software food chain. So there’s a lot of hate still out there. And yet, ten years on, it’s remarkable how far we’ve come since AntiTrust was released. There is a lot of hate on show here.
Hit a NURV?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: AntiTrust, Bill Gates, Claire Forlani, film, films, Google, Microsoft, Movies, non-review review, open source, review, software, Steve Jobs, tim robbins, William Gates | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 2, 2011 by cimooney
A special thanks to the guys over at movies.ie for sneaking us into an advanced preview screening. My brother Ciaran stepped in to review the film for me at short notice, so thanks to him as well.
“Don’t write checks with your mouth, that you can’t cash with your ass.”
I feel this quote sums up the movie quite well… pointless.
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Babydoll, Emily Browning, film, Jena Malone, Movie, non-review review, punisher war zone, review, Sucker Punch, Vanessa Hudgens, zack snyder | 9 Comments »
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 »
Posted on March 28, 2011 by Darren
The big budget Cleopatra is renowned as something of a massive contradiction. It was panned mercilessly by critics, and yet picked up four Academy Awards (and five more nominations). It was the most financially successful movie of the year, and yet still turned a fairly substantial loss. It’s one of the last great Hollywood epics, and it almost killed Twentieth Century Fox. So there’s something strangely fitting about the final line, in which it was suggested that the movie’s subject was “the last of so many noble rulers.” In many ways, the film was the last of its kind, but perhaps the most lavish. Perhaps history has been kinder to the production than its initial release was, but it’s still a very flawed film.
I can see Cleo now...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Academy Award, blockbuster, Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor, epic, film, historical epic, Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony, Mark Antony, Movie, Movies, non-review review, review, Rex Harrison, rome, studio system | 1 Comment »
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