films | the m0vie blog

Does Hype Ruin Good Films?

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Darren

So, how was Avatar Day for you?

The word so far has been a resounding ‘meh‘, but still a somewhat enthusiastic one. Still, it’s nothing compared to the hype that has built up around the movie. A ‘game changer’, Avatar was rumoured to redefine movies themselves – ushering in the golden era of three-dimensional filmmaking. How does a film live up to that hype? In fairness, most of the comments on the preview footage have been relatively positive, but most seem a little disappointed. So, has the Hollywood hype machine spoiled a perfectly good movie?

Is James Cameron still king of the world?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: advertising, avatar, avatar day, blockbusters, classics, district 9, fans, films, hype, marketing, masterpieces, Movies, peter jackson, pr, star wars, The Dark Knight, watchmen | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: X-Men

Posted on August 20, 2009 by Darren

It’s the movie that started it all. We wouldn’t have this tight-spandex-wearing superhero craze in Hollywood today were it not for Bryan Singer’s ambitious adaptation of the Marvel wonder team (okay, Sam Raimi’s Spider Man played a part too). I don’t know what’s more surprising: that it worked at the time or that it still holds together quite well today.

: No claws for alarm…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bryan singer, films, hugh jackman, ian mckellen, magneto, Movies, non-review review, patrick stewart, review, wolverine, x-men | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Romeo + Juliet

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Darren

I’m baaaaack!

Is it a spoiler to say that Romeo + Juliet is a tragedy? You never know these days (I’m reminded of that great Simpsons’ quote, “It started out like Romeo & Juliet, but it ended up in tragedy” – I remember a few people being surprised when I laughed at that, leading me to explain the joke). Still, the opening monologue lays it all out on the table, as does the fact that Shakespeare only ever wrote comedies or tragedies – and this ain’t a comedy. Anyway, I must confess I hate the play, as I hate hell, all Montagues and thee. Okay, not really, but it was drilled into my head for my Junior Certificate exam (as Macbeth would be drilled into my head for the Leaving Certificate). I remember my English teacher – a very nice old lady, by all accounts – steadfastly refusing to show us the Baz Luhrmann ‘reimagining’ of the play. To this day I’m not sure if she made the right call.

Get used to those wings...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: baz luhrman, baz luhrmann, claire danes, films, john leguizamo, Leonardo diCaprio, Movies, non-review review, review, romeo + juliet, shakespeare, tybalt | 1 Comment »

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Critic Scorned…

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Darren

So, G.I. Joe didn’t get screened for critics as part of Paramount’s unusual marketing. I’m miffed. I’m ticked off. I think it’s a bad omen.

I’m also (apparently) a damnsight more professional than the huge number of film critics out there. Apparently the fact that most of them haven’t seen a frame of it, a huge number of professional film critics are panning the movie.

Are critics a bigger threat to Joe than Destro?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: criticism, critics, film reviews, films, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, gi joe, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, jouranlism, LA Times, Movies, opinions, reviews, screenings, Wall Street Journal | 2 Comments »

TV Movies…

Posted on August 5, 2009 by Darren

It surfaces every now again. Talk of a Sopranos movie. It’s the same deal-io with the oft-requested Veronica Mars movie or a sequel to Serenity. It seems that the big screen has become the desired home for any number of TV shows – whether they ended before their time (as Firefly did) or as planned (per the Sopranos). I’m a little surprised, though, that everyone seems to think this is a good idea.

Seeing red...

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Filed under: Movies, Television | Tagged: adaptations, bewitched, big screen, films, firefly, franchises, get smart, in the loop, in the thick of it, miami vice, Movies, serenity, simpsons, simpsons movie, small screen, sopranos, sopranos movie, starsky & hutch, state of play, Television, the simpsons, the simpsons movie, veronica mars, veronica mars movie | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

I’ll admit that Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably the most technically magnificent of the Indiana Jones trilogy, but Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has all the heart. It’s a surprisingly sweet, sensative and funny film, all wrapped inside the trappings that made Raiders of The Lost Ark so fantastic in the first place. That’s awesome of it itself. And then Spielberg goes and adds Sean Connery to the mix. Even more awesomeness ensues.

Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are on fire...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: films, harrison ford, indiana jones, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Movies, non-review review, review, sean connery, steven spielberg, the holy grail, the last crusade | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

To “celebrate” the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (what’s to celebrate?), Sky Movies ran all three of the original movies back-to-back over the weekend. That’s a pretty good start to the weekend. I caught the first and third films, as well as rewatching the fourth. I’m going to try to catch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom during the week. So, how do does the newly-formed tetralogy stand up?

"Doctor Jones, Doctor Jones... Calling Doctor Jones..."

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: films, george lucas, harrison ford, indiana jones, indiana jones and the raiders of the lost ark, Movies, non-review review, raiders of the lost ark, review, steven spielberg | 6 Comments »

G.I. Joe teams up with Uncle Sam…

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

I’ll admit it. In my defense, I’m suitably ashamed. But I am a little bit interested in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Yes, I know – deep down in my heart – that it will be terrible. No, I was not a fan of the television show, nor the toys – so I have no defense. I am a fan of Christopher Eccleston and I always have been, so my faith in him is on the line. And Stephen Sommers is the guy behind the two really good Mummy films, right? Still, the most interesting aspect of the production (amid all the rumours and gossip, the leaked reviews – both good and bad) is the approach that the studio is taking to marketing. Some movies – like The Dark Knight or Tron: Legacy or Cloverfield – go the subtle, nuanced approach of viral marketing. They create an emersive, engaging experience. G.I. Joe, on the other hand, is not subtle. The marketing team seems to be hammering home on single message: if you don’t dig this movie, you just ain’t patriotic enough.

No Dennis Quaid, you can't out act him... He's Christopher Eccleston!

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: andrews air base, audience, blockbusters, box office, critics, films, G.I. Joe, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, gi joe, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, middle america, military, Movies, patriotism, politics, premiere, previews, republicans, reviews, rise of cobra, stephen sommers, uncle sam | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: The Usual Suspects

Posted on August 3, 2009 by Darren

Wow. Neo-noir is a very tough genre to pull off. It really is. Think of how many dodgy movies you’ve seen about drug dealers and bent cops in the last year alone (I’ve even seen one this weekend). When it works, it works magically. It seems like the mid-nineties was the era for producing any number of classic modern noir-style tales. There’s Copland, L.A. Confidential and – of course – the movie that arguably started the whole trend. We’re looking at you, The Usual Suspects…

Calvin Klein models just aren't trying anymore...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bryan singer, christopher mcquarrie, crime, films, gabriel byrne, kevin spacey, Movies, mystery, neo-noir, noir, non-review review, reviews, the usual suspects | 9 Comments »

Mon Capitan – Captain America and International Audiences

Posted on July 31, 2009 by Darren

With The Avengers universe building up – Marvel’s plan to introduce a bunch of comic book characters through solo films and tie them together into one big team-up movie -, there is one of the prequels (if we can call them that – they aren’t really prequels or sequels and some aren’t even origins) that I am really interested in. It isn’t Favreau and Downey’s Iron Man 2, nor is it Branagh’s Thor. I am most interested in how the Captain America movie comes about – particularly at the moment. This has nothing to do with the charmingly awful version we saw about twenty years ago. This is more to do with how the most blatantly American superhero will do overseas.