Movie | the m0vie blog

Time to Worry About Snyder’s Superman?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren

Well, the reviews for SuckerPunch are in, and they are… less than encouraging. I could have great fun going through them looking for pithy put-downs, but let’s just agree that it looks pretty bad. The film was a critical and commercial flop, generally agreed to be the handiwork of a director who was allowed to run completely wild with Warner Brothers footing the bill. As inevitably happens after a disaster like this, people are wondering about the director’s next film – it would be a hot topic even if it wasn’t relaunching Superman, but the amount of weight that Warner Brothers is putting on Superman makes it a downright explosive little issue. So, do I believe that Snyder can do it?

No Snyde(r) remarks...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Christopher Nolan, david s. goyer, directors, film, Kevin Costner, man of steel, Movie, steven spielberg, Sucker Punch, suckerpunch, superman, superman reboot, superman returns, Warner Bros, zack snyder | 8 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Robo-Cop

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren

I think Robocop might be on the shortlist of most influential B-movies ever made. Certainly, coming out of the eighties, I think that Robocop defined what an audience expected from an incorporated future – the notion that big business would eventually replace local government in the lives of citizens. It’s not a novel theme, it’s one that science-fiction has been throwing out for decades, but I think that Robocop almost redefined that argument. It’s hard not to detect the influence of the film in a lot of movies that followed, so effortless and all-consuming was the “not too distant future” presented by Verhoeven.

I wonder if that's a manual or an automatic...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Detroit, film, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Movie, non-review review, Paul McCrane, Paul Verhoeven, Peter Weller, Ray Wise, review, RoboCop, Ronny Cox | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Suckerpunch

Posted on April 2, 2011 by cimooney

A special thanks to the guys over at movies.ie for sneaking us into an advanced preview screening. My brother Ciaran stepped in to review the film for me at short notice, so thanks to him as well.

“Don’t write checks with your mouth, that you can’t cash with your ass.”

I feel this quote sums up the movie quite well… pointless.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Babydoll, Emily Browning, film, Jena Malone, Movie, non-review review, punisher war zone, review, Sucker Punch, Vanessa Hudgens, zack snyder | 9 Comments »

Moon and Source Code Posters from South by Southwest…

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Darren

I know I’m late to the party on these, but they are still cool enough to share. Especially with Source Code out this weekend. Basically, these are the posters designed by Ollie Moss for Duncan Jones’ two films at South by Southwest. Appropriately enough for a festival named in honour of Hitchcock, there’s a definite vibe to these posters which reminds me of the great man. Not that the films don’t remind me of him either. Anyway, check them out below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: duncan jones, Jake Gyllenhaal, moon, Movie, Olly Moss, poster, source code, South by Southwest | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Evil Dead III – The Army of Darkness

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

It’s interesting how concrete the shift in genre is between the original Evil Dead and the final part of the trilogy. It’s grown from a bona fides video nasty into a dark age comedy I actually wouldn’t have too much trouble watching with my family. I think I’m significantly fonder of the third instalment in the series than most other reviewers are, but it’s a film which is solidly and consistently fun – pure, random, non-sensical fun.

"This... is my BOOMSTICK!"

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Army of Darkness, Ash Williams, bruce campbell, Dark Ages, evil dead, evil dead 3, Movie, non-review review, review, sam raimi, spider man, the evil dead, The Three Stooges | 1 Comment »

March (2011) In Review

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Darren

That was a fun month.

I’m still, to be honest, entirely speechless. I picked up the Best Pop Culture Award at the Irish Blog Awards earlier this month, and I’m still delighted and humbled and honoured and all those things. I know I don’t blog to win awards, but I really feel motivated to try even harder to justify the huge vote of confidence that it represents.

Other than that, there was tonnes of stuff. I’m currently blogging along with Things That Don’t Suck‘s “Raimi-fest”, which is a blast. Always a joy to be asked to take part. March also had some fairly decent films – with two brilliant films in Source Code and The Adjustment Bureau, along with a slew of quite good films to go along with it. So that was pretty fantastic. Although maybe I’m just a big softie.

I got to ramble (at length) about the upcoming Superman film, and revisit Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (and just why he was so damn suited to it). I had my first honest-to-goodness interview, with the wonderful Grace Dyas.

I defended big budget blockbusters, wondered who killed The Mountains of Madness and got to discuss why this year’s Academy Awards felt like a great big group hug.

It was a fun month. Hopefully the trend will continue!

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, Adjustment Bureau, arts, Belfast, irish blog awards, Movie, popular culture, sam raimi, source code, spider man, spider-man 3 | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Cleopatra

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Darren

The big budget Cleopatra is renowned as something of a massive contradiction. It was panned mercilessly by critics, and yet picked up four Academy Awards (and five more nominations). It was the most financially successful movie of the year, and yet still turned a fairly substantial loss. It’s one of the last great Hollywood epics, and it almost killed Twentieth Century Fox. So there’s something strangely fitting about the final line, in which it was suggested that the movie’s subject was “the last of so many noble rulers.” In many ways, the film was the last of its kind, but perhaps the most lavish. Perhaps history has been kinder to the production than its initial release was, but it’s still a very flawed film.

I can see Cleo now...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Academy Award, blockbuster, Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor, epic, film, historical epic, Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony, Mark Antony, Movie, Movies, non-review review, review, Rex Harrison, rome, studio system | 1 Comment »

We Won the Pop Culture Award at the Irish Blog Awards!

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Darren

We won the Best Pop Culture Blog prize at the Irish Blog Awards! I had a “Melissa Leo” moment at the podium (it was the first award of the night and I was really not expecting it), so I thought I might clarify some of my thanks and articulate them in a more sophisticated fashion.

That is, one which isn’t a deep piercing sound growing from my lower gut which sounds a little like the opening notes of the CSI: Miami theme song.

I’d like to thank Damien and the team for organising the awards. It’s deadly. Recognition is great when it comes from anyone – be it your boss telling you “you really synergised that paradigm!” or a conversational drunk at your bus stop telling you that you smell like the first roses of spring – but it means a lot to come from the people who do what you do. People who know what it’s like to stare at an empty page and wonder “what the hell am I going to write now?” or “there’s no chance anybody will ready this!” Recognition from people who do what you do, and are the best at what you do, means a lot. This was the last awards that they will organise – so it means a lot to have won.

I’d also like to thank my fellow nominees. They really are a stunning bunch, and it was an honour to be nominated alongside them. If you haven’t checked them out, you should:

Also the sponsors, movies.ie, who make this possible. Thanks for sponsoring the category.

And, of course, to the person known anonymously on this blog as “better half.” Thanks for your continuing support, honest opinions and well-practiced typo-spotting (not that it’s too difficult).

And, to you guys, for reading and commenting. I honestly appreciate every opinion I read here, and you guys make the blog what it is. Thanks guys.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, awards, Belfast, Damien Mulley, Europa Hotel, irish blog awards, jameson dublin international film festival, Movie | 24 Comments »

Non-Review Review: True Romance

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Darren

True Romance is one of those films I’m surprised never found a stronger audience, even retroactively. It features a screenplay from Quentin Tarantino which really put the future director on the map, but it also features a huge number of pre-stardom appearances from actors as diverse as James Gandolfini, Brad Pitt and Chris Penn. The movie holds together fantastically, but perhaps it works better as a collection of scenes than as a fully-realised movie – but, when the scenes are this good, that’s not necessarily a heavy criticism.

It's Whirley ride...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: brad pitt, Chris Penn, Christian Slater, christopher walken, dennis hopper, elvis, elvis presley, ensemble, films, james gandolfini, Movie, non-review review, Patricia Arquette, quentin tarantino, review, tarantino, tony scott, true romance, true romance (film) | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Matrix Revolutions

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Darren

Today I’m taking a look at the Matrix trilogy. All three films, all watched and reviewed in one day. Join us for the fun! All three reviews will be going on-line today.

I remarked in my earlier review of The Matrix Reloaded that I feel I’m in the minority in regarding the final part of the trilogy as a much stronger film than the second film in the cycle. I mean, if you look at the Rotten Tomatoes score, the second film is almost regarded as highly as the first (higher among top critics), while the third is very clearly “rotten.” On the IMDb, the second film scores higher among audiences than the third. However, while neither sequel comes close to matching the impact of the original, I do have a fondness for the third over the second. Perhaps my preference derives from the same reason many find it weaker – the fact that the only way to enjoy it is to really disengage from the underlying philosophical questions posed by the second film.