Movies | the m0vie blog

My 12 for ’12: Jeff Who Lives at Home & Living in Hope

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Darren

I’m counting down my top twelve films of the year between now and January, starting at #12 and heading to #1. I expect the list to be a little bit predictable, a little bit surprising, a little bit of everything. All films released in the UK and Ireland in 2012 qualify. Sound off below, and let me know if I’m on the money, or if I’m completely off the radar. And let me know your own picks or recommendations.

This is #9…

The eponymous Jeff, from Jeff Who Lives at Home, feels like something of a cousin to the Judd Atapow “manchild” that we’ve seen popularised in films like Knocked Up of The 40 Year Old Virgin. He’s unreliable, lazy and smokes a not inconsiderable amount of pot. His mother can’t even count on him to fix a shutter door on her birthday, although he is quick to offer seemingly vacuous philosophical insights garnered from Star Wars and Signs. His brother Pat is hardly a run-away success, trapped in a failing marriage and prone to sit around Hooters all day, but at least he has thrived when compared to Jeff. Jeff is, by all accounts, a fool whose own naivety leads him to get beaten and mugged within the first half-hour of the film.

However, at the heart of Jeff Who Lives at Home, is a surprisingly romantic idea. There’s the notion that the universe is somehow a far more compassionate and understanding place than we might suspect. Jeff’s logic and reasoning might be far from convincing, and it’s easy to be cynical. However, Jay and Mark Duplass craft a story that suggests sometimes things work out just right.

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Filed under: On Second Thought | Tagged: 40 Year Old Virgin, arts, British Isles, christmas, Christmas music, Father, film, Filmmaking, Hooters, Ireland, Jeff, Jeff Who Lives at Home, Knocked Up, Lykke Li, Mark Duplass, Movies, Oh God!, Pat, Sharon, Short film, star wars, twitter | Leave a comment »

12 Movie Moments of 2012: September (Intouchables)

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Darren

As well as counting down the top twelve films, I’m also going to count down my top twelve movie related “moments” of 2012. The term “moment” is elastic, so expect some crazy nonsense here. And, as usual, I accept that my taste is completely absurd, so I fully expect you to disagree. With that in mind, this is #11…

Apparently there was a great deal of upset when Intouchables was chosen ahead of Rust and Bone as France’s Oscar nominee this year. While I’d argue that any film that restricts nominations to one-per-country is a little bit daft (even if I can understand the practical concerns), I can’t help but feel like France made the right choice here. The Intouchables is a superb piece of feel-good cinema that works much better than one might expect. Even my inner cynic was convinced. And I was convinced, conveniently enough, by the opening sequence, which features a joy ride to the sound of September by Earth, Wind and Fire.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, arts, Bone, Driss, Earth Wind & Fire, france, Intouchables, Ludovico Einaudi, Movies, oscar, paris, Philippe, Rust | 2 Comments »

International On-Line Film Critics’ Poll Nominees Announced…

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Darren

The nominees for the 2012 International On-Line Film Critics’ Poll 2012 have been announced. Open to all films released in the United States between November 2011 and November 2012, it allows for a slightly different playing field than the Oscars typically does. It also means that I am (as a non-American) far more likely to have seen all the nominees, with only Lincoln yet to see among the Best Picture nominees. Anyway, I will be sending in my ballot soon enough, but take a gander at the full list of nominees below. It’s a strong list, to be sure.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Academy Award, Academy Award for Best Actor, Academy Award for Best Picture, Academy Award for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, arts, awards, ben affleck, Daniel Day-Lewis, Dark Knight Rises, Lincoln, Movies, oscar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tree of Life, United States, Visual effects | Leave a comment »

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: Ignorance, Bliss and Entertainment…

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Darren

Occasionally, I like to do a bit of research. That might shock some of my more regular readers. If I’m covering a particularly topic, I like to have a bit of background knowledge that will allow me to offer some nuanced or informed commentary. Hopefully, I might be able to tell you something you didn’t know – after all, hopefully the time spent reading my review isn’t wasted if I can tell you something you didn’t already know, regardless of whether our opinions agree or disagree. Also, it’s just nice to know these things because they can help my understanding of a particular film.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: alfred hitchcock, arts, Arts and Entertainment, Asia, Bertrand Russell, Birds, Cannibal Holocaust, Earth, education, film, Film Industry, Gaia, hitchcock, James A. Garfield, jeri ryan, Mo Rocca, Movies, People, PM Dawn, Robert Beltran, ronald d. moore, star trek, Tippi Hedren | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Twilight – Breaking Dawn, Part II

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Darren

Here’s the thing. Despite all the derision that the Twilight films generate, they actually have any number of ingredients for a perfectly workable young adult horror romance. Despite the sizeable and significant flaws, and those fundamental issues that are very hard to overlook, the film does have a number of very clear thematic roots that can be traced back through horror cinema. The problem with Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Part II isn’t that it’s inherently cheesy or trashy or absurd. The problem is that it’s never enough of these things. It feels far too comfortable and too casual to ever really grab the viewer, and everything feels far too safe and generic to get any mortal’s blood pumping.

Baby trouble…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Akan language, arts, bella, Bella Swan, breaking dawn, edward, jacob, kristen stewart, megan fox, michael bay, michael sheen, Movie, Movies, Robert Pattinson, stephen king, taylor lautner, the twilight saga: breaking dawn, transformers, twilight, Twilight Saga, Universal Monster | 12 Comments »

Jameson Cult Film Club: Jaws (November 27th)

Posted on November 8, 2012 by Darren

If you’re a regular visitor, you’ll know that I’m a massive fan of the Jameson Cult Film Club. They stage screenings of classic films in unconventional locations, enhancing the experience and even occasionally bringing scenes from the film to life. They’ve announced that their next film will be Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, screening on the evening of the 27th November at a top secret city centre location. The event promises all the fun of a day on the beach at Amity Island – with barbecues and refreshments, and a fantastic atmosphere. The best part, though? Is that tickets to the event are absolutely free. Coupled with their sponsorship of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, I think that Irish film fans have a lot to be thankful for – they really do a great job supporting the love of film in the city. (And outside it to boot.) Just head on over to their website to apply for free tickets.

If you don’t make it along, the film is now available on blu ray and I hear (from reliable sources) that the picture and sound quality of the original summer blockbuster is absolutely astounding in the format.

If you aren’t familiar with the Jameson Cult Film Club, check out some photos from past screenings: Alien, The Blues Brothers, Reservoir Dogs and Silence of the Lambs. It really is all top notch, and comes very highly recommended.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Amity Island, arts, Blues Brothers, jaws, John Williams, Movies, Reservoir Dogs, steven spielberg | Leave a comment »

A View to a Bond Baddie: Ernst Stavro Blofeld

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Darren

To celebrate James Bond’s 50th birthday on screen, we’re going to take a look at the character and his films. We’ve already reviewed all the classic movies, so we’ll be looking at his iconic baddies, and even at the character himself.

Blofeld is unique among the Bond villains for his capacity to keep turning up. He’s appeared in more on-screen adventures than any other Bond baddie, and he survives in the popular imagination, with a lot of gossip about the next Bond film likely to debate whether or not they’re bringing Blofeld back. The character has endured in the public imagination as the Bond baddie, and he’s perhaps best immortalised as Micheal Myers’ Doctor Evil from the Austin Powers movies. However, watching his appearances again, I’m actually struck by how little consistency there is in the portrayal of his character, and I can’t help but wonder if the reason he endures is because of his versatility as an adversary.

Bond movies have a remarkable adaptability. They can be serious, campy, ridiculous, sombre, mature and juvenile, often all at the same time. As far as Bond villains go, Blofeld’s really the only villain who can compete with that.

He looks like the cat who got the canary…

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, casino royale, Charles Gray, ernst stavro blofeld, james bond, James Bond in film, lex luthor, Movies, on her majesty's secret service, Piz Gloria, Roger Moore, Russia, spectre, telly savalas | 1 Comment »

The Six Faces of 007: Roger Moore

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Darren

To celebrate James Bond’s 50th birthday on screen (and the release of Skyfall), we’re going to take a look at the character and his films. We’ve already reviewed all the classic movies, so we’ll be looking at his iconic baddies, and even at the character himself.

I always feel a little bit guilty when I concede that I am not too fond of Roger Moore’s time as James Bond. After all, Roger Moore seems like a truly wonderful person, and a great ambassador for the franchise. Of all the actors to play the role, he’s the one most likely to appear on television or in print to share stories or anecdotes about he time in the role, to defend the latest lead actor to come under fire, or even just to make some wonderfully wittily self-deprecating remarks. My Word is My Bond is a great deal of fun for any fan of the character and the films. So, to be clear, I love Roger Moore. I just don’t really like him as James Bond.

What’s not to love?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: A View to a Kill, daniel craig, james bond, James Bond in film, Maud Adams, Miss Moneypenny, Moneypenny, Movies, pierce brosnan, Roger, Roger Moore, sean connery, timothy dalton | 8 Comments »

The Six Faces of 007: Pierce Brosnan

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Darren

I have a great deal of affection for Pierce Brosnan’s term as James Bond. I think the actor easily portrayed the most rounded James Bond since Connery, capable of being an angel or a killer as the script demanded it. His run got off to a solid start with (for my money) the most consistent two-fer in the franchise’s history. (Taken together, I’d argue that GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies are the perfect revision and update of the Bond mythos.) While the last two films of his tenure were awkward and uneven efforts, Brosnan never gave the role less than his all. He has gone on record as being disappointed that his term as James Bond didn’t last longer than four films and, despite the mess of Die Another Day, I can’t help but agree with him.

I was quite shaken by his departure…

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, Bond girl, Brosnan, Cold War, Die Another Day, George Lazenby, GoldenEye, james bond, James Bond in film, Movies, pierce brosnan, Roger Moore, sean connery, World Is Not Enough, xenia onatopp | 13 Comments »

A View to a Bond Baddie: Alec Trevelyan

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Darren

Alec Trevelyan stands out amongst Bond’s foes on the big screen because he’s really the first to be constructed explicitly to contrast with Bond. You could argue that many of the outings in the series are more preoccupied with the villain than with Bond himself, and GoldenEye stands out as one of the films most tightly focused on Bond himself. Alec Trevelyan, as such, exists as a more direct mirror to Bond than most of his foes. The bad guy even operates under the code name “Janus.” There are several implied reasons – his knack for treachery and betrayal, the scar on the side of his face. However, it also suggests that Bond and Trevelyan exist as two sides of the same coin.