films | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Toy Story 3

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Darren

At this stage of my life, I’ve figured out that Pixar are like an old friend you see but once a year. You almost take them for granted until you meet up with them – and they’re filled with amazing stories of adventure, fun and whimsy. Somehow they always have the most exciting tales and wonderful way of spinning their yarns, but they’re also strangely intimate – perhaps it’s because you feel almost like you’ve grown up with them. And then they make you cry. Possibly like a little girl. Who am I to judge, my eyes are still red. And you leave knowing that you’ll see them again around about the same time next year, to share more wonderful fantasies and stories – but you can never hear the same story twice.

Yes Ken Do...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: animation, buzz lightyear, classic, film, films, lotso, Movies, ned beatty, night & day, non-review review, pixar, review, tim allen, tom hanks, toy story, toy story 3, toy story trilogy, woody | 14 Comments »

Super-Snobbery…

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Darren

I was very interested to read a piece comparing Christopher Nolan to Stanley Kubrick in The Guardian over the weekend. Ignoring the fact that I don’t think it’s fair to attempt to seriously describe anyone as the “new” anything (it’s really only handy as a shortcut, to form a quick association, rather than forming the basis of a whole argument) and, if I had to, I’d say Nolan was “the new Hitchcock”, one piece stood out at me, when comparing Kubrick’s work to Nolan’s under “thematic daring”:

In the end, what are Nolan’s films actually about? Two of them are superhero flicks, two are cop movies and one is about a magician. Nolan isn’t exactly going to the wall for the big ideas. (Interestingly, by far the most radical film he’s made was that very first one, Following – a very creepy existential story about a stalker.) Kubrick made films about paedophilia, military justice, atomic obliteration, urban violence and the Vietnam war … Nolan is – at present, anyhow – a confirmed establishment figure; nothing he’s done has caused the smallest ripple of disquiet. This may change, but with another Batman film in the works I can’t see it happening just yet.

What immediately struck me about that paragraph was how ridiculously condescending it was to the genres that Nolan worked with – as if to say he’s “only” made two movies about a guy who dresses in formfitting rubber, two cop thrillers and one film about some blokes who do magic. How ridiculously patronising can you get?

If Batman hears one more person say "The Dark Knight isn't bad for a comic book movie..."

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: better films, blockbusters, Christopher Nolan, elitism, films, genre, good films, Movies, Oscars, prejudice, snobbery, snobs, The Dark Knight, the guardian | 4 Comments »

Why Inception Matters…

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Darren

I spent a great deal of last weekend heavily anticipating the box office figures for Inception. Of money it makes won’t change the fact that I think it’s an amazing film, but it will affect the impact that Christopher Nolan’s latest will have on the movie industry. And that, my friends, is very important. In fact, I’d go out on a limb and suggest that Inception might be the most important summer blockbuster of the decade, and possibly longer.

More movies like Inception? Hopefully not just in my dreams...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: audiences, big budget, blockbusters, box office, challenges, Christopher Nolan, dumbing down, films, hollywood, ideas, Inception, Movies, smart, studios, Warner Brothers, why inception matters | 6 Comments »

Thoughts on Inception…

Posted on July 17, 2010 by Darren

I already wrote my review of the film after watching it, and it’s a largely spoiler-free piece that really only discusses things in abstract. But I thought the film deserved better that that, so I thought I’d spend a few minutes just letting my mind run a little bit wild while working through the jumbled maze of ideas and impressive visuals that was Nolan’s Inception.

Inception kept me off balance...

Note: As mentioned above, this article will contain spoilers. Consider yourself well-and-truly warned. But feel free to pop back after you’ve had a chance to view the film.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Christopher Nolan, dreams, films, Inception, interpretation, is inception a dream?, is it all a dream?, Movies, pet theory, theories | 32 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Inception

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Darren

Does the dreamer dream the dream, or the dream dream the dreamer? Nolan’s Inception somehow finds a way to cram a year’s worth of philosophical questions and big ideas into a two-and-a-half-hour epic which seems fleeting even with that runtime. Indeed there’s so much on offer at this cinematic banquet that I feel I need a second helping to fully savour the flavour. I can see Inception being divisive film – between those who feel it somehow is somewhat conceited and not as clever as it would have you think (many of whom, for example, may focus on the movie’s ending – some may even have honestly claimed to call it) and those who favour a movie which intelligently poses all manner of questions for it’s audience, believing answers – like dreams – are subjective and personal, and to offer or share them is a recipe for disaster. I am firmly in the latter camp.

Mind- (and corridor-) bending...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: blockbuster, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, dream heist, dreams, Ellen Page, fantasy, films, Inception, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, ken watanabe, ken watanbe, Leonardo diCaprio, marion collitard, marion cotillard, Michael Caine, Movie, non-review review, review, science fiction, tom berenger, tom hardy | 14 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Calendar Girls

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Darren

Calendar Girls is that sort of wonderfully quirky comedy that only the British can pull off. Based on the true story of a bunch of Yorkshire middle-aged women who stripped off for a calendar to raise funds for the local hospital, it’s a wonderfully wry and witty sort of tale that can really be split into two halves: the first exploring the societal pressures and prejudices which surrounded the construction of the calendar and the second an exploration of the consequences of the fundraiser’s success. While the first half is certainly more entertaining than the second, it’s a charming and endearing little film.

Get a load of those buns...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: ageism, based on a true story, calendar girls, ciaran hinds, films, helen mirren, julie walters, Movies, non-review review, penelope wilton, philip glenister, review, true story, yorkshire | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Monsters Inc.

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Darren

If you don’t love Pixar, you should see a doctor immediately. Because you clearly have no heart, which can lead to all manner of unpleasant complications. Okay, maybe Monsters Inc. is one of the more conventional entries in Pixar’s animated canon, but it’s an example of how – even when being as close to conventional as they can – Pixar are still absolutely incredible, blowing all the other major American animation studios out of the water.

Scarily good...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: animated, billy crystal, films, john goodman, monsters, monsters inc., Movies, non-review review, pixar, pixar films, review, steve buscemi | 4 Comments »

In Defense of Edward Norton as the Hulk…

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Darren

News broke over the weekend that Edward Norton will not be returning as the not-so-jolly green giant for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. This is after Whedon and Norton had a meeting, and Whedon reportedly blew Norton’s mind so badly that Norton (who had been iffy) cleared his schedule to work on the project – and Whedon seemed pretty cool about it as well. And then Marvel announced from on high that Edward Norton would not be returning as Bruce Banner for the big crossover superhero epic that is going to be the tentpole of 2012. And, with due respect to Marvel, that is pants. Purple, stretchy, non-ripping-when-I-turn-into-a-green-goliath pants.

You wouldn't like me when I'm angry...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: comic book films, edward norton, films, hulk, hulk recast, incredible hulk, marevel comics, marvel, Movies, the hulk, the incredible hulk | 16 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Dick Tracy

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Darren

There’s a good movie somewhere inside Dick Tracy. It’s hidden pretty deep inside, but I’m sure it must be there somewhere. All the trappings – costume design, set design, make-up and even some of the direction – run the gamut from good to great, but the movie is hampered by terrible performances and a really awful script. Seriously, it seems like the move was written on crayon in bright colours, which might fit well with the aesthetic that Beatty was going for – but does not a good film make.

Quit Dickin' around...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: al pacino, big boy caprice, comic books, comic strip, danny elfman, detective, dick tracy, dustin hoffman, films, madonna, Movies, non-review review, paul sorvino, pulp, review, stephen sondheim, warren beatty | 2 Comments »

Do We See Too Much of a Film Before It’s Released?

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Darren

Last month I bemoaned the fact that trailers give away too much of a film, but I’m starting to wonder if it isn’t just the general way that the Hollywood publicity machine works. I bring this up because I’ve been thinking a bit about Inception, which in opening this week. With the exception of the (rather excellent sounding) trailer, I’ve been trying really hard not to spoil the film for myself. And, in attempted to so, I’ve only really started to notice just how much of a movie we put on-line before its official release.