Posted on April 12, 2011 by Darren
MGM has been running a rather wonderful sci-fi season this past week, screening classics like Robocop along with smaller cult films, like Rollerball. One of the great things about having channels like this that it gives you a chance to sit down and watch what you wouldn’t normally – there’s something specially about stumbling across a gem on television that you might otherwise have missed. In fairness, Rollerball isn’t quite that gem, but it’s an entertaining high concept science-fiction ideas and some great direction, even if it does seem a little bit heavy-handed and cheesy from time to time.
Is Jonathon all burned out?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, films, James Caan, Jonathon, Movie, Movies, non-review review, Norman Jewison, review, Rollerball, star trek, Video game | 2 Comments »
Posted on April 12, 2011 by Darren
Return of the Living Dead is a fairly strange beast. Something of a black comedy spin-off from George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, the film is a ridiculously campy exploration of trashy low-rent horror… and yet somehow has been picked up and embraced by popular culture. After all, this is the movie that introduced the idea that zombies weren’t just satiated by consuming large quantities of meat (most often from humans) – this was the film which introduced the idea of zombies stumbling forward, repeatedly droning “braaaaains!” It’s a concept which has been so throughly incorporated into pop culture’s definition of zombie (although it’s rarely the case, we still expect it and recognise it), so it seems strange that it came from a spoof.
No bones about it...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Dan O'Bannon, film, george romero, horror, Horror film, Living Dead, Michael Jackson, Movie, Movies, night of the living dead, non-review review, parody, popular culture, return of the living dead, review, sam raimi, schlock, zombie | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 8, 2011 by Darren
This is my new addiction. It’s a shame there’s only fifty films on a loop. Basically, the guys at Veer have reduced a tonne of classic movies down to three photos, and give you 60 seconds to name them. I’m quite proud that I got 47 out of 50 on my first pass – though it took me a while to get the last three. There’s a nice mix of obvious ones in there, along with quirky takes on popular films. If you’ve got a spare ten minutes this weekend, it’s a great way to spend it. Check it out here.
I do have one minor complaint. To avoid spoiling it, highlight the following: muscles + robo-face + furnace = Terminator 2: Judgment Day, not The Terminator (which ended on a factory floor).
Still, fantastic little game, and I’d love to see them expand it – because it’s crap being addicted to a game you can only play once.
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: arts, clockbusters, film, Movies, veer | 89 Comments »
Posted on April 8, 2011 by Darren
I will confess that I enjoyed The Mummy for what it was. It wasn’t ground-breaking or revolutionary, but it was a nice attempt to resurrect the old Universal Monster Movie for modern audiences, with Raiders of the Lost Ark providing a rather clear inspiration. Perhaps part of the appeal was novelty, as we hadn’t seen an old-style monster movie like that in quite some time. I remember being somewhat disappointed on seeing the second film in cinemas, feeling like it just didn’t measure up to the solidly entertaining original. Having caught it again this weekend, I find I’m in firm agreement with my younger self.
I'll stick my neck out and admit I enjoyed the first film...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ancient Egypt, arts, brendan fraiser, British Museum, comedy, films, horror, Joe Wright, Movies, Mummy, non-review review, rachel weisz, review, the mummy, the mummy returns, United States | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 7, 2011 by Darren
So, it turns out that The Dark Knight Rises has a top secret ending. That’s very interesting, and I wonder what it could be. A few obvious possibilities have popped into my head, but there’s one facet of this news which really fascinates me: this piece of information gives weight to the suggestion that Nolan is going to give his superhero franchise a definitive ending, something that perhaps explains why we don’t really have a “classic” superhero trilogy yet, despite the fact that quite a few comic book characters have pushed well past the third film. So will Batman be able to do what Superman, Spider-Man, the X-Men and even another Batman have failed to do before him? Will he craft a complete and wonderful trilogy?
Batman really wants to know what the ending is...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: batman forever, Batman in film, Christopher Nolan, closure, conclusion, endings, film trilogies, films, george lucas, Movies, spider man, spider-man 3, star wars, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, The Godfather Part III, trilogies, Wachowski Brothers | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no more f%$#ing Abba!
The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is one of those wonderfully fun and upbeat little movies that often can’t help but draw a smile from even the most cynical of viewers. Despite a somewhat bitchy and frothy exterior, the film is a charming little road movie about a quirky little pseudo-family unit making their way through the heartland of Australia.
Bus-ted...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Australia, Benny Hill, film, films, Guy Pearce, hugo weaving, Movies, non-review review, review, Terence Stamp, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tony Sheldon, Village People | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren
News broke during the week that Warner Brothers are planning a new Justice League movie, apparently for 2013. Reportedly Ryan Reynolds has not been approached to play the Green Lantern in the film, and – based on comments from both film makers – it’s unlikely that Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot or The Dark Knight Rises will play into the film in any meaningful way. One might consider that something of a marketing faux pas, as that would represent a fairly intense lead-in into the movie (as opposed to the four-odd years Marvel has been teasing The Avengers). Indeed, it has been suggested that the proposed Justice League movie might stand entirely on its own two feet, completely distinct from the superhero movies that Warners are churning out. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this was exactly the plan with the company’s last aborted attempt at a Justice League film.
Justice for all?
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Batman in film, christian bale, Christopher Nolan, ensemble, film, green lantern, jla, justice league, Movies, ryan reynolds, spotlight, superhero ensemble, superman, teams, Warner Bros, zack snyder | 2 Comments »
Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren
In the real world, when you kill people, they die. For real!
– this movie is brought to you by the letter “o” for “open source” (and “obvious”)
You know, I think Microsoft’s PR department deserves a huge round of applause. Sure, they are still pretty universally regarded as a big evil corporation intent on global domination – using controversial business practices in order to stay on top of the computer software food chain. So there’s a lot of hate still out there. And yet, ten years on, it’s remarkable how far we’ve come since AntiTrust was released. There is a lot of hate on show here.
Hit a NURV?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: AntiTrust, Bill Gates, Claire Forlani, film, films, Google, Microsoft, Movies, non-review review, open source, review, software, Steve Jobs, tim robbins, William Gates | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 2, 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.
Spider-Man III has a lot of problems. I’ll get to a couple of them in a moment. However, the single biggest issue with the movie seems to be that nobody seems especially interested in making it. It’s a feeling that it’s hard to back up with substantive evidence, but there’s just this general sensation that the film wasn’t the product of the same love and enthusiasm that made the first two films so refreshing. It almost seems like the movie was made out of a sense of obligation, rather than because anyone wanted to be there. It seems that they didn’t really care.
Back in black?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Avi Arad, brian michael bendis, Christopher Young, danny elfman, films, flint marko, green goblin, harry osborn, hollywood, Movies, peter parker, sam raimi, sandman, spider man, spider-man 3, spider-man iii, stan lee, symbiote, venom | 7 Comments »
Posted on March 31, 2011 by Darren
Limitless has an epiphany about half-way through its runtime. We follow our lead, Eddie, as he discovers a miracle drug which manages to somehow make you a genius (he boasts he has “a four-digit IQ”). However, he is stunned to discover that coming off the drug isn’t exactly pretty. Those who haven’t given up have all died. He meets a survivor in a small café, where she recounts how wonderful the experience of using the drug was, but how hallow life seemed afterwards. Having tasted that sort of greatness, she relates how the world seemed boring afterwards, she couldn’t focus and nothing could hold her attention for more than ten minutes. She seems to have been speaking on behalf of the film.
It's all falling into place...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arrogance, bradley cooper, films, hubris, Illegal drug trade, lazy, Limitless, limitless (film), miracle drug, Movies, Neil Burger, Nico Muhly, non-review review, Paul Leonard-Morgan, potential, pride, review, robert deniro, Time in New Zealand | Leave a comment »
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