film | the m0vie blog

What we loved about the Nolan Batman movies…

Posted on July 15, 2009 by Darren

Don’t get us wrong, we did enjoy the two Burton films (I have a soft spot for Batman Returns, despite fandom’s opinion of it). It’s just that the Nolan films – Batman Begins and The Dark Knight – managed to perfectly capture what it was about the Caped Crusader that we really loved. There was just something about them that really worked, and we thought we’d take a look at five of the reasons why we liked them so much.

Reason #243: excellent cinematography...

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Filed under: Movies, Opinion | Tagged: batman begins, Christopher Nolan, Comics, film, Movies, The Dark Knight | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Dark Knight

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Darren

Even four years after is original release, The Dark Knight casts a pretty big shadow. Not only is it the best Batman movie ever produced, and easily one of the best stories to feature the character in any medium, it’s also a wonderful piece of cinema on its own terms. Christopher Nolan is an astounding craftsman, and one who constructed his superhero sequel without ever feeling the need to dumb down. The Dark Knight is a wonderfully effective and stunningly constructed piece of popcorn cinema, but it’s also the most profound and engaging (and, importantly, even-handed) meditations on the War of Terror that Hollywood has produced. It’s bold and accessible, but it’s also intelligent and engaging. More than an astoundingly impressive blockbuster, it’s just a superb piece of cinema.

It all goes up in flames…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: aaron eckhart, batman, batman begins, christian bale, Christopher Nolan, dark knight, film, gary oldman, gotham, harvey dent, heath ledger, joker, Movies, non-review review, review, two face | 4 Comments »

A Man’s Mann…

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Darren

I have to confess I was not overly impressed with Public Enemies. In fairness, it was mostly down to the choices Mann made in filming the work – the high definition cameras and the insistence on shakey hand held movement. You might argue that it was a choice designed to place us in the real world of the Great Depression – to put us on the streets with Dillinger and immerse us in his world rather than the sanitised grandiose version of the 1930’s that typically finds its way on to our screens. This ignores one fundamental fact about Mann’s film making: it is no less grandiose or fantastic than those myths of times past. Mann is a film maker who works best exploring the dynamics of a masculine ideal that never existed. His male characters are drawn in the mold of a classic image that never actually existed.

I'll bet Pacino ordered the Large Ham. Overdone. VERY LOUDLY!

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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: action movies, ali, collateral, director, film, guns, heat, john dillinger, male, masculine, masculinity, men, michael mann, modern man, Movies, public enemies, themes, violence | Leave a comment »

Next Stop: Movies

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Darren

Kudos to the good people over at Vodkaster. They’ve put together the Top 250 Movies of All Time (as of 19th June 2009) in the style of a metro/subway map. It really is a fantastic acheivement, though I’d disagree with some of their classifications. Click here, or the photo, for more.

Should I make a pun about "underground classics"?

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: best movies, city plan, favourite movies, film, great movies, imdb, map, metro, subway | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Public Enemies

Posted on July 3, 2009 by Darren

I want to love this film. I really do. I enjoyed Miami Vice, so devoted am I to the cult of Mann and his study of the modern man lost in the world of violence and suffering. And Public Enemies has a lot going for it, it does. A fantastic cast, a better-than-fantastic lead, a solid script. On the other hand, the film is, technically speaking, a mess. And not the good kind of mess.

Don't get Christian Bale angry... He won't like you when he's angry...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: billy crudup, christian bale, crime, fbi, film, high definition, history, j edgar hoover, john dillinger, johnny depp, michael mann, Movies, non-review review, public enemies, public enemy number one, review | 11 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Posted on July 1, 2009 by Darren

We were browsing through the channels last night, looking for something to put on to amuse ourselves and quite disheartened to find that there was nothing really good on. We decided that the evening called for some light relief, so we stuck on Forgetting Sarah Marshall – and we were amazed at how well it holds up to repeat viewings.

Sex is a lot like a game of chess...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, forgetting sarah marshall, hawaii, jason segel, jonah hill, kristen bell, mila kunis, Movies, non-review review, paul rudd, review, russell brand | 1 Comment »

June in Review

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Darren

Hey, I thought in might be handy if I did a little post at the very end of every month that sort of picked out (from my own point of view) the highlights, so someone trawling through the archives has a handy little guide right at the top (but if you want to jump in wholesale, go right ahead).

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Filed under: Months in Review | Tagged: commentary, film, june, month in review, Movies, Opinion, summary | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Valkyrie

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Darren

We caught Valkyrie at the weekend. It’s a movie that Dad had been quite looking forward to and I’d heard good things from friends and family. I’m a big fan of Bryan Singer and was more than a bit excited to see him reteam with Christopher McQuarrie. The pair had given us one of the best neo-noir films ever in The Usual Suspects, but how do they deliver on historical epics?

Couldn't be more badass if he tried...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bryan singer, christopher mcquarrie, film, hitler, kenneth branagh, Movies, non-review review, operation: valkyrie, review, terrence stamp, tom cruise, valkyrie, von stauffenberg | 3 Comments »

Why Didn’t People Watch the Watchmen?

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Darren

So, the details on the Watchmen DVD and Blu Ray are officially out. Warner Brothers is going to make us double-dip for an Ultimate Edition near Christmas, but Snyder is assuring us that it will likely be just a vanilla release – so we best get buying now! (As if Warner Brothers won’t be releasing a hideously overpriced box set.) Anyway, the real news for me was that Watchmen: The Director’s Cut is getting a limited theatrical run in the United States and the United Kingdom. I’ve emailed Cineworld to see if there will be a screening in Dublin, but I’m not holding my breath. Anyway, as Watchmen returns to the cinema, I thought I’d take the time to ponder what went ‘wrong’ during the film’s initial release?

The many many copies of Watchmen coming to you on Blu Ray and DVD...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alan moore, box office, directors cut, film, home media release, Movies, watchmen, watchmen dvd, zack snyder | 2 Comments »

Academy to Cut Honorary Awards from Telecast…

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Darren

I’m going to give the expansion of the Best Picture category the benefit of the doubt and I don’t really care about the Original Song rules, to be completely honest, but I am a little ticked off at the announcement that the Honorary Oscars are being shunted back stage. Talk about completely missing the point – the Academy doesn’t seem to get that most viewers aren’t clamoring for that extra High School Musical song so badly that they’re shunt off someone who has made such a massive contribution to popular culture as to warrant the Honorary Award. I just don’t get this decision.