Movie | the m0vie blog

In Search of the Average Movie-Goer…

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Darren

You know, I wonder from time-to-time how close I am to the experience of a regular movie-goer. Sure, I blog and I write, but I don’t get scoops and I don’t do exclusives. I essentially keep myself as up-to-date on the latest Hollywood happenings as any avid film fan. So, I wonder how close the avid film fan is to the typical movie-goer. I mean, how many people who wouldn’t consider themselves “movie nerds” or “film geeks” check out film sites regularly? How many of those actually seek out (or randomly stumble across) spoilers for films that are still in pre-production? What is the average film fan’s experience with movie news? How do they decide what to see?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, audiences, Cultures and Groups, film, films, hollywood, Movie, Movie theater, movie-goers, Movies, review, They (2002 film) | 11 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Darren

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (try saying that ten times fast) is one of those quirky cult movies that has built up a rather large following in the twenty-five-odd years since its initial release. Not withstanding the wonderfully quirky title, the intentionally campy production design, and perfectly awesome cast, it’s easy to see why the movie may have found the niche which cherishes it so much. Unfortunately, it’s also possible to see to see why the movie never found its footing with a larger audience.

Not so fast, Buckaroo...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, buckaroo banzai, Christopher Lloyd, cult film, Doc Savage, Ellen Barkin, film, john lithgow, Movie, non-review review, orson welles, review, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, white house | 2 Comments »

Short Stories 2011: All In

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Darren

Last month, Ronan from Swear I’m Not Paul (he’s not) asked me to share a short film about Frank Turner with you. This month, he’s back with another little gem, All In, looking at the world of urban skateboarding. Check it out here or embedded below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, film, Film festival, Filmmaking, Frank Turner, Movie, Paul, Short film | 2 Comments »

The Sequel Myth and the Death of Originality in Hollywood…

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Darren

It seems that every other day somebody is taking the opportunity be bemoan Hollywood’s creative bankruptcy. The decision not to press ahead with Del Toro’s version of The Mountains of Madness sparked a similar debate a little while ago, and the success of films like The Fast & The Furious Five seem to be raising the topic once again as we enter summer. It’s become something of a mantra for film fans, quietly chanted and repeated, something that we can use to continually bash the studios over the heads with. And, truth be told, I’m tired of it.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, arts, Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son, blade runner, fast & furious, Fast Five, film, harry potter, hollywood, Movie, Movies, Plan 9 from Outer Space, raiders of the lost ark, review, sequel, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, Vin Diesel | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Batman & Robin

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Darren

It takes a lot to kill Batman. Just ask Bane. That character broke Batman across his knee, discarded him and claimed Gotham for his own… only to have Bruce claw his way back and reclaim the mantle. The evil New God Darkseid once decided not only to kill Batman, but to send him back to the dawn of time to live through a cycle of death and rebirth in the hopes of destroying the Caped Crusader… Batman just sorta shrugged that one off. He’s a tough nut to keep down, is that Dark Knight.

However, Joel Schumacher managed to nearly knock Batman out for the count (at least on film) with Batman & Robin, the movie which – if it didn’t kill the Batman franchise – at least put it into a coma for several years.

It's some kinda storm (it's not "snow", but it begins with "s")...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Alicia Silverstone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, batman, batman & robin, batman forever, bruce wayne, camp, dark knight, filom, joel schumacher, michael gough, Movie, non-review review, review, sylvester stallone, terrible | 10 Comments »

Putting a lot of Sloth into it: Sloth in se7en…

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Darren

A few months back, I watched the film se7en twice in quick succession, as I knew two people who hadn’t seen it, and thought I might join them. The film actually rewards repeated viewings, which is nice, but I couldn’t stop a particular question from popping into my mind as I watched the film again. The murders in the film, as the title implies, all follow a fairly basic theme, with each based around one of the seven deadly sins. However, I had a bit of difficulty making “sloth”stick.

Dead tired...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: crime, film, john doe, kevin spacey, Movie, murder, se7en, serial killer, seven, Seven deadly sins, Sloth | 41 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Duellists

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Darren

The Duellists is the first film from director Ridley Scott. While it certainly isn’t his best remembered or the most highly rated, it is a cracking piece of historical cinema that manages to do a lot with very little. It’s a simple little concept, set against an epic backdrop, elevated by two leads, a wonderful sense of historical fidelity, and a young director with a long career ahead of him.

Ridley Scott's first stab at directing...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Duel, dueling, europe, films, france, harvey keitel, historical drama, history, Keith Carradine, Louis Theroux, Movie, napoleon, non-review review, Pete Postlethwaite, review, ridley scott, The Duellists | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Monsters

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Darren

At this stage it seems almost pointless to reflect on how impressive Monsters is from a purely film-making perspective. Filmed on a ridiculously tiny budget, the film features a wonderful epic scale, beautiful locations and not-half-bad special effects (they’re more The Mist than Avatar, but let’s not complain). It’s the latest “look what modern film directors can do on a shoe string!” picture, one that you drop into conversation when you wonder how a film like Transformers can cost as much as it does. Unfortunately, as bedazzling as these aspects are, and they are very bedazzling, the film has several shortcomings which have nothing to do with budget.

Here be monsters...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Filmmaking, H. P. Lovecraft, horror, jurassic park, low budget, Mexico, monster, monster movie, monsters, Movie, New Orleans, non-review review, review, thriller, United States | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Wild at Heart

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Darren

I’ve always had a soft spot for David Lynch, if only because – much like David Cronenberg – you always got the sense that his artistic vision was pretty unfettered by concerns about broad appeal or studio policy or anything like that. There’s a wonderful sense of freedom, in how he works. There’s a great quote from the guys at Pixar that they don’t make movies for kids, they make movies for themselves – if other people happen to enjoy it, well… that’s great too. That sums up a lot of what I respect about Lynch. Wild at Heart isn’t perhaps one of those moments where Lynch’s interests manage to overlap with truly great cinema (as they do, I would argue, for Mullholland Drive, Blue Velvet and The Straight Story), but it isn’t so completely scattershot as to be impenetrable, either.

Dancing in the... highways?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Angelo Badalamenti, arts, david cronenberg, david lynch, elvis, elvis presley, film, Harry Dean Stanton, Movie, murder, music, nicolas cage, non-review review, review, Sound Files, Straight Story, wild at heart, willem dafoe | 7 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Hanna

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Darren

A special thanks to the guys over at movies.ie for sneaking us into an advanced preview screening.

If ever there was an odd choice for an early summer release, I think Hanna is it. Directed by Joe Wright (the guy who brought you Atonement) and starring an Oscar bait cast including Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett (with solid support from Jason Flemyng and Olivia Williams), Hanna is the story of a teenage assassin set loose upon the world after a life spent in the wilderness. If that cocktail doesn’t sound crazy enough, Wright sets the movie as a fairy tale.

What’s genuinely astounding is how frequently these elements compliment each other, even if there are a few moments where they seem at odds.