film | the m0vie blog

Non-Review review: Panic Room

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Darren

We happened to catch Panic Room on TV3 last night. It’s interesting to watch in retrospect, considering that David Fincher was between the two high watermarks of his career to date (se7en and Zodiac – we can discuss The Curious Case of Benjamin Button later). It’s interesting to see Fincher play with the thriller genre in a much less radical way than he did with either of the films that sandwich it. What we’re left with might not necessarily be groundbreaking, but it is solidly entertaining.

Hell of a time for Jodie Foster to adapt to texting...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: david fincher, dwight yoakam, film, forest whitaker, jared leto, jodie foster, kristen stewart, Movie, non-review review, panic room, review, thriller | 1 Comment »

Pleasing All of the People Some of the Time – Oscar Voting for Dummies…

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Darren

You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

John Lydgate

The above quote is frequently attributed to Abraham Lincoln (though Lincoln actually substituted ‘fool’ for ‘please’, in a bit of West Wing-style trivia for you, say what you will of “Honest Abe”), and applies to many things in life. Since this is a movie blog, and the Oscars changed the practice of counting votes for the Best Picture, today it applies to the practice of counting votes for the Best Picture. The Academy used to adopt both approaches – favouring all in the selection of nominees, but only some (as little as 18%) in its selection of winners – but now it looks like the academy is shifting towards adjusting the selection of winners to allow all (well, a lot more than before) members some say in the matter.

Anyway, we’ve put together a little maths guide to how the new system will work in practice.

If I have three Oscar statuettes, and Meryll Streep moves in with her thirteen Oscar statuettes, how inferior am I going to feel?

If I have one Oscar statuettes, and Jack Nicholson stands next to mewith his three Oscar statuettes, how inferior am I going to feel?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: academy, AMPAS, awards, best picture, cinema, democracy, elections, examples, film, maths, Movies, Oscars, plurality, single transferable vote, stv, voting, voting for dummies | Leave a comment »

Gotta Get a Gilliam…

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Darren

Apparently Terry Gilliam wants to work at Pixar. How incredibly awesome would that be? Even the concept is intriguing. I’m not as head-over-heels in love with Gilliam as most film fans seem to be (his output tends to fluctuate wildly in quality), but Brazil is quite possibly my favourite science fiction film ever. And I love science fiction. Anyway, I would have thought a major studio that is a subsidiary of possibly the largest and most influential entertainment conglomerate in the world would be the last place an auteur like Gilliam would be found.

Evidently, I was wrong.

Rawr! Gilliam's Gonna Get Ya!

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: animation, artist, auteur, director, film, gilliam, monty python, Movies, pixar, terry gilliam | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

I would love to have been there when the sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. The anticipation and the build up to a sequel to one of most brilliantly bright and fun adventure films ever made. I don’t know what I would have been expecting… but I don’t think it would have been this. As a piece of trivia, the film is actually a prequel, but that doesn’t matter. It has a bit of an odd child of the franchise (even after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), in that it’s the only film that doesn’t follow Indy’s quest for a mysterious relic. But that isn’t the only (or even the biggest difference). There’s a massive shift in tone between this and the film proceeding it and the film following. Everything’s just a hint darker and… well, weirder. Still, I’ve a soft spot in my heart for the black sheep of the franchise and I fully and whole-heartedly embrace that weirdness.

Indy bridges the divide...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, harrison ford, india, indiana jones, indiana jones and the temple of doom, Movies, non-review review, review, steven spielberg, temple of doom | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Once

Posted on July 30, 2009 by Darren

Maybe Once is that mythical “good Irish movie” that comes along roughly once every five years or so, or maybe I’m being a little soft on it, but I really enjoyed it when I caught it last night. It does have some rather glaring flaws, but it seems to work well despite them.

Tally ho(wth)...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, glen hanstead, irish cinema, irish movie, john carney, Markéta Irglová, Movie, music, non-review review, once, review, the frames | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Iron Man

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

I had a bit of a Marvel weekend this weekend, where I caught both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk back-to-back. I think I have to concede that I am – just slightly – fonder of the not-so-jolly green giant. Though they both are very good superhero films and a testament to what was a fantastic summer season. Iron Man was a stunningly well-put together movie on a hero who had – until the movie – been relatively second-tier and it’s anchored in an astonishing central performance from Robert Downey Jnr.

Gold-Titanium Alloy Man just doesn't have the same ring to it...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: comic books, film, iron man, jeff bridges, jon favreau, marvel, Movies, non-review review, review, robert downey jnr., tony stark | 15 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Fox and The Child

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

Myself and the girlfriend caught The Fox and The Girl (or Le Renard et L’Enfant) on Sky last night. It was a film with more than a few beautiful moments, but left us with the distinct impression that director Luc Jacquet works a lot better with animals than he does with humans.

Half-good, half-bad...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: documentary, fable, fairytale, film, kate winslet, Le Renard et L'Enfant, luc jacquet, march of the penguins, Movie, nature, non-review review, review, The Fox and The Girl | Leave a comment »

Machine Steals Giamatti’s Soul; Simpsons’ Plot…

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Darren

The first clip from Cold Soul, the upcoming movie starring Paul Giamatti as… Paul Giamatti, were released yesterday. And, hearing the plot summary, I couldn’t help thinking that The Simpsons already did it. Basically, Giamatti has his soul extracted and then discovers he misses it and then embarks on a quest to win it back, discovering that it has been sold on the black market. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it’s also the plot to the cleverly titled Simpsons-episode Bart Sells His Soul. I’ll wait to see how it turns out, but the movie’d want to be something really special to top that vintage piece of American television.

The similarities are astounding...

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bart sells his soul, cold soul, film, Movies, paul giamatti, plot, the simpsons, the simpsons already did it | 1 Comment »

Awards Season Forecast…

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Darren

It’s summer time! That means blockbusters, comic book movies! It’s comic con time! That means more blockbuster and more comic book movie gossip! It seems that everything from the Tron viral campaign to the impending release of the Alice in Wonderland teaser is generating a lot of buzz. And quite right, too. We do live in the era of the geek. However, once we get into autumn proper, there are more prestigious films approaching. Looks like the studios are sticking to the tried-and-true “cram as many Oscar contenders as you can into the least amount of time” method, and there’s a huge schlock of films coming out. Here are just some of the main ones I’m looking forward to during awards season.

Starring Morgan Freeman? Check. Directed by Clint Eastwood? Check. Story of an iconic figure? Check. Story of triumph over adversity/prejudice? Check. Set in the past? Check. Oscar Gold? Check.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 2010 academy awards, 2010 oscar nominees, academy awards, amelia, avatar, Clint Eastwood, Daniel Day-Lewis, ewan mcgregor, film, hilary swank, invictus, james cameron, Leonardo diCaprio, martin scorcese, matt damon, moon, Morgan Freeman, Movies, Nine, oscar nominees, Oscars, peter jackson, pierce brosnan, precious, rob marshall, scorcese, Shutter Island, star trek, stephen soderberg, the ghost, the hurt locker, the informant, the lovely bones, the road, up | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Doubt

Posted on July 20, 2009 by Darren

Doubt is quite possibly the best movie I’ve seen this year. It’s a fantastic adaptation of a hit play with a cast to die for. It’s also a stunning portrayal of a religious institution at a time of great upheaval, both internally and externally.