Movie | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Day of the Dead (1985)

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Darren

Welcome to the m0vie blog’s zombie week! It’s a week of zombie-related movie discussions and reviews as we come up to Halloween, to celebrate the launch of Frank Darbont’s The Walking Dead on AMC on Halloween night. So be sure to check back all week, as we’ll be running posts on the living dead.

Day of the Dead is the third in Romero’s classic “dead” trilogy and perhaps the last film he produced that has been universally accepted. While he has, to date, produced three more zombie films (and there are those – including myself – who appreciate some of those to a greater or lesser degree), Day of the Dead is considered something of a closing note on Romero’s epic zombie apocalypse saga – perhaps the other three acting as appendices (with Land of the Dead an epilogue and Diary of the Dead a “reimagining”). Either way, it’s a strong little film which holds together relative well. It will never be iconic as the two earlier films produced – The Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead – but it still feels like a fitting companion piece.

He's got him undead to rights...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, films, george a. romero, george romero, Jan Hammer, Living Dead, miami vice, Movie, night of the living dead, Tofurkey, zombie week!, zombies | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Darren

It’s strange. For all the huge cultural impact that George A. Romero’s The Night of the Living Dead had (and it had quite a bit), people tend to focus quite a bit on the sequel, Dawn of the Dead. Perhaps it’s because the film is in colour, or because it features a far broader tapestry than Romero’s original zombie effort, or maybe it’s simply a better film, but the sequel is arguably every bit as well known (even to those who haven’t seen it) as the original – the idea of surviving a zombie apocalypse in an American shopping mall is one now etched on public consciousness (so much so that anywhere any survivor in any film ever seeks shelter is compared in some way to that mall) and even the damn elevator music has become famous in its own way. While I will concede the film is far more ambitious than its direct predecessor (and probably contributes more to the zombie mythos), I think it can also be argued that the film has far greater weaknesses as well.

Hope he's a dead shot...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Dawn of the Dead, films, george romero, horror, Irish Film Institute, Living Dead, Movie, Movies, night of the living dead, non-review review, review, Shopping mall, zack snyder, zombie week!, zombies | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: 28 Days Later

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Darren

I know there’s some debate as to whether this is actually a zombie movie – what with the “infected” not technically being dead and all (not to mention the running) – but I think it feels like a “zombie” movie, even if the creatures aren’t necessarily zombies. I’m going to be entirely honest here and confess that while I was impressed with Trainspotting, it was 28 Days Later which confirmed to me the Danny Boyle was a talent to watch. Not just for offering a film which feels different yet never inaccessible, but also for his ability to shift genre – The Beach confirmed him as a quirky almost-indie director, but 28 Days Later demonstrated that he could bring the same talent to low-budget horror. More than that, he constructed a shrewd little film which feels more like a George A. Romero film than any of his more recent efforts.

Danny Boyle's on fire...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 28 days later, brendan gleeson, christopher eccleston, Cillian Murphy, danny boyle, film, george a. romero, Movie, night of the living dead, non-review review, review, zombie | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Town

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Darren

It’s interesting to see how well Ben Affleck has redeemed himself as a director. After seeing Gone Baby Gone two years ago, I was willing to forgive the actor his roles in bad films like Jersey Girl, Phantoms and even Daredevil. I know he did Gigli too, but I can never forgive him for that. His second film behind the camera, The Town, demonstrates that he isn’t a one-hit wonder – but I have to admit that perhaps I am a bit disappointed. It isn’t that The Town is a bad or even an average film, it’s just one that I heard so much about that I had almost psyched myself up to watch. It’s a well-made exploration of urban decay which tackles its subjects with what seems (to a guy educated and living in a different country) to be a lot more honesty and neutrality than most films on the same subject matter.

So good it's criminal?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Baby Gone, bank robbery, ben affleck, Blake Lively, boston, charlestown, Chris Cooper, film, gone baby gone, Hurt Locker, jeremy renner, Jersey Girl, Movie, non-review revew, Pete Postlethwaite, rebecca hall, review, Titus Welliver, victor garber | 3 Comments »

Should There Be a Distinction Between The Best Picture and the Best Director Oscar?

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Darren

Ignoring the fact that, in practice, the Best Director Oscar simply exists to be a “runner-up” award in a really tight Best Picture race (like with Crash and Brokeback Mountain), with there being a huge overlap between the winners in both categories, I have been thinking a bit recently about whether there should be a more practical distinction between the two. Perhaps we should divorce the two awards, and decouple them in public consciousness. Of course, this is a purely academic argument (as the Academy voters will continue to associate them), but is the link between the two yet another indication of Hollywood’s director-centric culture?

Is it two for one?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, academy award for best director, Academy Award for Best Picture, academy awards, best film, best picture, Brokeback Mountain, Christopher Nolan, Hurt Locker, jim carrey, Movie, Oscars, ridley scott | 10 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Edward Scissorhands

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Darren

Perhaps no film better exemplifies the key themes of Tim Burton as well as Edward Scissorhands. It recalls the broad strokes of the Frankenstein story – in particular the iconic Boris Karloff Frankenstein movie from the thirties – telling the story a hideous scientific experiment which seeks acceptance in the outside world (and is turned upon by the villagers after a tragic misunderstanding). While Frankenstein’s monster responded with anger and murderous rage, Edward seems unable to full fathom what is occurring. The movie offered the first collaboration between Burton and Depp, a delightful pairing which we’d see on the big screen many times in the years that followed – there’s a reason the two have continued to work together for so long: they just work really well together.

Blades of glory...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: alan arkin, Anthony Michael Hall, arts, batman returns, Edward Scissorhands, film, gothic, johnny depp, Little Red Riding Hood, Movie, non-review review, review, tim burton, Vincent Price, winona ryder | Leave a comment »

When Average Just Isn’t Good Enough: Do Better Directors Have Further to Fall?

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Darren

I watched Cop Out at the weekend, and I have to admit it was just about okay. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t consistently funny. It had moments of wit, but they were separated by pointless and boring scenes. It had a talented cast, but didn’t do anything with them. I wouldn’t describe it as a bad film, but I wouldn’t advise you to rent it (or otherwise seek it out). However, there was a stronger and more bitter taste in the air. There was something especially disappointing about the film, because of its director. Cop Out was a Kevin Smith film, and it actually felt a bit worse than it arguably should have because I knew the director was capable of so much more. Am I the only one who tends to be more disappointed by an average film from a talented filmmaker than perhaps even a bad film from an untalented director?

Feels like a bit of a cop out...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, Christopher Nolan, cop out, critics, david fincher, directors, films, francis ford coppola, kevin smith, Movie, Movies, reviews, roger ebert, stanley kubrick | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Cop Out

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Darren

Cop Out has a bit of a troubled history. Director Kevin Smith originally wanted to call it A Couple of Dicks (or even A Couple of D.I.C.’s – detectives in charge), but the studio wouldn’t let him. He had to fight tooth-and-nail to get the film out in its “R” rated format. When critics savaged the film, it prompted an aggressive response from the director. It’s his first film based on a screenplay he didn’t write. And, to be honest, it isn’t terrible. It’s just a shame that the film comes from a director capable of so much more.

Beached...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, bruce willis, Clerks II, cop out, film, kevin smith, Movie, non-review review, review, Tango & Cash, Tracy Morgan | 2 Comments »

Remember Me: The Box Office & Pop Culture Longevity…

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Darren

I was reading an interesting article on Rope of Silicon which pondered whether Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was our generation’s iteration of The Big Lebowski. Much like the comparisons between The Social Network and Citizen Kane, it doesn’t matter whether the question is downright ridiuclous or even improper, it simple serves to illustrate the type of movie that people think of when they see these modern films. That people would even utter “Scott Pilgrim” and “The Dude” in the same sentence is a huge compliment to the latter, no matter what the literal result of the comparison. Of course, this is small comfort to the studio which is no doubt disappointed by the less than stellar box office returns. However, ignoring the obvious immediate and practical impact of box office receipts, do they speak at all to a film’s longevity?

Does the box office disappointment mean "game over" for Scott Pilgrim?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Big Lebowski, box office, Citizen Kane, Eat Pray Love, film, Frank Capra, Movie, Movies, ridley scott, scott pilgrim, scott pilgrim vs. the world, the social network | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Punisher – WarZone

Posted on October 15, 2010 by Darren

Punisher: WarZone is not a good film. But it’s not necessarily a poorly-made film, either. There’s a fair amount of skill on display here, but the problem is that the movie never seems to be sure how seriously it wants to be taken. Perhaps the closest point of reference is one of the well-made Steven Seagal films: it spends a great deal of its time delivering what amounts to ridiculousness while offering itself to the audience with a stoic face. It’s a fairly entertaining piece of disposable action fare, but it’s nothing to write home about.