films | the m0vie blog

The Ambiguous Ending of The Usual Suspects…

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Darren

This post is somewhat prompted by an interesting discussion over at MCarter’s review of The Usual Suspects, concerning the ending. Some people remarked that while they were impressed with the ambiguity of the film, they thought that the ending was just a little bit too clear cut. I have no problem with a definite ending to a film, but I’m not so sure that The Usual Suspects is as open and shut as it might seem. But wait! you protest, as someone who has seen the film, That ending was fairly clear. Maybe it was. But maybe it wasn’t.

The highest quality photo of the "real" Keyser Soze...

Note: Seeing as how this is a discussion on the ending of The Usual Suspects, it will obviously contain spoilers on the film. Don’t read this if you haven’t seen the movie. Really. Go, rent or borrow or buy the movie, watch it and come back – and give us your thoughts. The Usual Suspects is a movie you owe it to yourself not to ruin.
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: ambiguous, discussion, ending, films, gabriel byrne, keyser soze, kobayashi, Movies, noir, Opinion, Pete Postlethwaite, surprise, suspects, The usual suspects. kevin spacey, twist ending, verbal kint, who is keyser soze | 61 Comments »

Grumpy Old Men – Bad-Ass Geyzers in Revenge Flicks…

Posted on September 21, 2009 by Darren

What is it about the revenge flick? There have been tonnes of them made, but there hasn’t really been a definitive one produced to date. The trailer for Michael Caine’s latest effort (does the man ever sleep?) Harry Brown has appeared on-line and looks to be released fairly shortly. It’s interesting to see Caine – at his present age – playing a riff on his classic Get Carter role as he plays an ex-army man who tries to avenge the death of his best friend. I’d run out of fingers listing movies with that plot, but I can’t really think of a really, really, really good one. What is it about rip-roaring rampages of revenge that we can’t get behind? And, if we are so disturbed by them, how come they keep getting made?

Harry's pretty Brown-ed off...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: films, harry brown, Michael Caine, Movies, revenge, rip-roaring rampage of revenge, the brave one, vigilantes | 1 Comment »

How Is Hollywood Dealing With Recession?

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Darren

Hollywood. It’s the place where dreams come true. Where normal things like traffic don’t bother heroes like Jack Bauer, credit ratings and mortgage payments don’t halt Carrie’s spending spree and Bruce Willis never has to fill out an insurance claim form. No wonder they used to call it Hollywoodland, like some sort of fairytale kingdom (in actuality it was to advertise a housing development). This magical quality (or, if you’re cynical, ‘disengagement’) means that Hollywood can take its time in reflecting the tastes of the common people and the issues that really affect them.

High-flying corporate executive...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: confessions of a shopaholic, context, credit crunch, economic climate, films, george clooney, hollywood, issues, jason reitman, Movies, optimism, recession, sex and the city, sex and the city 2, studios, up in the air | 2 Comments »

Star Trek (X)II: The Search for Issues?

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Darren

This could go either way… or nowhere at all.

Recent quotes from JJ Abrams and Roberto Orci seem to suggest that the sequel to this year’s Star Trek could “reflect the things that we are all dealing with today”. It’s certainly interesting, suggesting that the movie series could reflect the goings on in the real world – but it would require a damn fine writing staff to pull it off.

Kirk will have issues...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: allegory, films, jj abrams, Movies, robert orci, science fiction, sequel rumours, social commentary, social issues, star trek, star trek 12, star trek sequel | 2 Comments »

Bah Humbug! Are We Past the Point Where Technical Wizardry Can Amaze?

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Darren

Hmm… I bet Robert Zemickas was expecting a somewhat bigger reaction for the release of the first trailer for his version of A Christmas Carol (aka Jim Carrey plays almost everyone), the follow-up to The Polar Express (aka Tom Hanks plays everyone), than the collective ‘meh’ that it received. I’ve watched the trailer and it looks technically magnificent (and I’m sure it’ll be even more technically impressive in 3D) – but why should I care? If I’m going to put on a pair of glasses and look at something beautiful until it give me a mild headache, shouldn’t I at least be looking at something interesting and intriguing of itself? Are we past the point where technical wonders alone are enough to lure the geeks out in droves?

Here's hoping Santa can bring Zemickis a 150% return on his investment...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 3d, a christmas carol, animation, audiences, avatar, box office, cgi, digital, films, final fantasy, final fantasy: the spirits within, first, groundbreaking, heaven's gate, imax, james cameron, jim carrey, pioneering, pixar, robert zemickis, star trek, technical, technical wizardry, the final destination, the polar express, toy story | 1 Comment »

Lisbon 2 – The Sequel

Posted on September 15, 2009 by Darren

I try not to get too political over here, seen as how this is a pop culture blog. I did happen to notice, however, that the Irish government has decided to expand the Lisbon Treaty debacle into a franchise. We’ve had economists, armchair pundits and politicians weighing in on the matter, but why don’t we ask the people who really count: the film critics? I humbly submit my thoughts on the proposed Lisbon 2.

Maybe you can go too European with the posters...

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Filed under: Opinion | Tagged: brian cowen, farce, films, Ireland, lisbon, lisbon 2, lisbon referendum, lisbon treaty, Movies, politics, referendum, referendum campaign, sequel | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Dorian Gray

Posted on September 10, 2009 by Darren

I thought that monster remake mania wasn’t kicking off until The Wolfman finally gets released? This Oscar Wilde adaptation is an odd beast: one part slow, stately and almost cumbersome exploration of a boy who can never grow up and another part Universal horror movie for the MTV generation. It’s a very strange mix which works in parts and fails in others. I’m fairly sure I’m satisfied with my viewing experience, if not completely won over.

The portrait of the writer as a young man?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: adaptation, ben barnes, colin firth, dorian gray, ealing studios, films, jack the ripper, literature, Movies, no-review review, oliver parker, oscar wilde, rebecca hall, review, the portrait of dorian gray, wilde | Leave a comment »

Science Fiction by any other name…

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Darren

I’m genuinely excited about The Road, the adaptation of the novel from Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Cormac McCarthy. despite a shakey production history, it looks like the Weinstein might be able to mount a successful Oscar campaign for this science-fiction tale. Oops. I shouldn’t have mentioned that hyphenated word. Pretend you didn’t hear it – maybe the Academy hasn’t heard it either. In fact, given the way that people talk about the book and the film, you’d be lucky to hear that ‘tag’ even within the same paragraph. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.

A nice father-son day out...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, charlize theron, classification, cormac mccarthy, critics, films, genre, labels, Movies, novel, oscar campaigns, Oscars, prejudice, sci-fi, science fiction, snobbishness, tags, the road, viggo mortensen | Leave a comment »

Summer 2009 in Review…

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Darren

So, how was it for you?

Long after the movies of summer are gone...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: big movies, blockbusters, cinema, district 9, films, harry potter, public enemies, summer 08, summer 09, summer 2008, summer 2009, the hangover, transformers 2, wolverine | 2 Comments »

Film Studies in the Leaving Certificate…

Posted on September 7, 2009 by Darren

I sat the Leaving Certificate over five years ago, so the memory of the examine is still fresh in my mind. For those international readers, that’s the exam we do at the end of secondary school before we go to college (it determines whether we get a place as we don’t really have college fees… yet). Anyway, no subject perplexed me as much as English did. here was a subject that could be interesting and compelling, but mostly ended up boring the pants off anyone sitting it. The subject is taught over two years with students choosing one core text (taken for a set list by the Department) and then three ‘comparative texts’ (also from a list, albeit a larger one). There were also poets and composition and all the stuff we would expect. I remember being excited when I heard that films were on this comparative list. But that soon changed when I learned which films. With all the kids going back to school, I wonder if film studies should be made a larger part of English studies, or if we simply need to revise which films we use and how we use them in the class room.