joe johnston | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Wolfman

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Darren

The Wolfman was clearly intended to kickstart a relaunch of Universal’s Monster Movie franchises, updating them for a whole new generation of movie-goers. It was intended to call back to a whole generation of horror films, starring Lon Chaney and Boris Karloff and so on. However, director Joe Johnston’s attempt to update the monster movie for a new generation is a muddled affair, simple and straight-forward, but clouded with unnecessary blood, gore and CGI.

No escape claws...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Benicio del Toro, Boris Karloff, Emily Blunt, frankenstein, horror, joe johnston, Lon Chaney, monster movie, monster movies, Movies, non-review review, review, universal monster movies, universal monsters, universal studios, werewolf, wolfman | 2 Comments »

Captain America? &%#$ No! Thoughts on the Naming Controversy…

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Darren

Last year, I remarked that – although it was perhaps the least likely of Marvel’s movies to be awesome – Captain America: The First Avenger was going to be the most interesting movie on their slate to follow, at least when it comes to international markets. Predictably enough, Marvel have decided that not everyone on the planet is going to be cool with a movie about a literal American super-patriot. They will be dropping the title “Captain America” completely, simply selling it as “The First Avenger” in Russia, the Ukraine and South Korea. I, for one, am quite disappointed.

Walk tall... and carry a star-spangled shield...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: america, captain america, catwoman, chris evans, film, films, First Avenger: Captain America, international audiences, jack kirby, joe johnston, mark millar, marvel comics, Marvel Studios, Movies, politics, politics on film, prejudice, steve reogers, the first avengers, Ukraine, United States | 8 Comments »

Captain America: Bob Hope With Better Abs…

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Darren

I remember announcing last year that Captain America: The First Avenger was the movie in the Marvel canon I was most anticipating over the next few years. Well, it looks like the gods of movie-making are out to smite me for my doubts about Jon Favreau and Kenneth Branagh by giving me a taste of what exactly director Joe Johnston has in mind for the erstwhile superhero and super-patriot. I have to admit – after thinking about Iron Man 2 and reading all the casting and discussion on Thor – that this take on Captain America seems rather… mundane. To say the least.