Movies | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Kung-Fu Panda

Posted on July 29, 2009 by Darren

There’s nothing like a nice relaxing movie that you can cuddle up on the couch and just enjoy. Another testament to what was a fantastic summer last year, Kung Fu Panda may not have been the best animated film of the year – that honour goes to Wall-E – but it was still a fun, enjoyable and lively romp which should leave you smiling for most of the runtime.

Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: angelina jolie, animated, animation, cgi, dreamworks, dustin hoffman, films, ian mcshane, jack black, kung-fu, kung-fu panda, Movies, non-review review, panda, po, review | 1 Comment »

Blessed are the Geek, For They Shall Inherit the Earth…

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Darren

It’s a good time to be a nerd. When exactly did it happen? How did Star Trek become cool again? When did nearly half of all blockbusters find their roots in the oft-mocked comic book artform? When did Comic Con become a major event in the Hollywood calendar? When did it become truly hip to be square?

Haute culture?

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Filed under: Comics, Movies, Opinion | Tagged: arts, blockbusters, comic book movies, comic books, comic con, culture, films, geeks, graphic novels, mainstream, Movies, nerds, pop culture, popular consciousness, popular culture, popular taste, prestige | 2 Comments »

The Once and Future King (Kong)…

Posted on July 28, 2009 by Darren

Wow, looks like those monster movie revivals show no signs of abating. King Kong is apparently next in line, getting the prequel treatment. There’s apparently an adaptation of a book Kong: King of Skull Island. It seems a rather quick revival for Kong, who seems to go through thirty-to-forty-year cycles of popularity.

Quit Monkeying Around...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: cgi, films, in development, king kong, king of skull island, kong: king of skull island, Movies, peter jackson, prequel giant monkey, remake, skull island, spin-off | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Iron Man

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

I had a bit of a Marvel weekend this weekend, where I caught both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk back-to-back. I think I have to concede that I am – just slightly – fonder of the not-so-jolly green giant. Though they both are very good superhero films and a testament to what was a fantastic summer season. Iron Man was a stunningly well-put together movie on a hero who had – until the movie – been relatively second-tier and it’s anchored in an astonishing central performance from Robert Downey Jnr.

Gold-Titanium Alloy Man just doesn't have the same ring to it...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: comic books, film, iron man, jeff bridges, jon favreau, marvel, Movies, non-review review, review, robert downey jnr., tony stark | 15 Comments »

The Incredible Avengers…

Posted on July 27, 2009 by Darren

The Avengers has gone form being the movie project I was most skeptical about to one of my most anticipated movies of the comic years. Indeed, the summer of 2011 is looking to be one for the books with a whole rake of massive cult and comic book films coming out – Thor, Captain America, Green Lantern and, should Gary Oldman be believed, Batman 3. However, the culmination of Marvel’s planning within the cinematic world will be the release of The Avengers in 2012. I’ve never been much of a Marvel fan, but I will concede that they have pulled off an amazing movie-making feat. They have created a fully-integrated film universe from a variety of disparate sources building to to a clear target.

Avengers Assemble...

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Filed under: Comics, Movies | Tagged: ant-man, avenegrs, captain america, co-exist, comic books, crossover, crossovers, fantastic four, fictional universes, franchises, hugh jackman, hulk, iron man, iron man 2, john munch, kenneth branagh, marvel, Movies, samuel l. jackson, shared continuity, shared storyline, shared universe, Television, the icnredible hulk, thor, tommy westphall, tony stark, universes, wolverine, x-men | 1 Comment »

Comic Con – It’s Like All My Geek Christmases Have Come at Once…

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Darren

I’ll do a retrospective of this year’s comic con when it’s finished, but today has been a big day for news at Comic Con. These are two of my favourite discoveries:

Not only does Flynn live, but he’s a bad ass. The famous test footage from last year has been remastered and turned into a pretty intense teaser. Looking at it, it might just buck the trend with long-delayed sequels.
Gary Oldman has confirmed Batman 3 is coming, despite Christopher Nolan’s rumoured reluctance. Wow. Even Warner Brothers seem surprised. Michael Caine loves jerking fans around, but Oldman is normally pretty dead-on. He says we’ll see it in 2011.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

Filed under: Comics, Movies | Tagged: Batman 3, Christopher Nolan, comic con, gary oldman, jeff bridges, movie gossip, Movies, The Dark Knight, the dark knight sequel, tron, tron: legacy | Leave a comment »

The Bechdel Rule – Feminism in Movies

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Darren

I discovered a really fascinating movie-related concept this week, from my better half, who in turn picked it up from the Irish Times magazine. Basically, it’s The Bechdel Rule. Basically it states that the eponymous author will only watch movies that meet three simple conditions:

It has to have at least two women in it…
… who talk to each other…
.. about something besides a man.

There’s also a suggested corollary (known as the Mo Movie Measure) that the two women must be named characters. I’m dubious about using the test as a measure of quality, but it is interesting to think about how many movies meet that criteria. And which movies don’t.

So, does talking about how crap their lives are because they are oppressed by men count?

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bechdel rule, equality, feminism, feminism in movies, gender, Movies, popular culture, roles, Television, the bechdel rule, the mo movie measure, women, women in movies | Leave a comment »

Sequels Separated by Decades…

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Darren

Flynn lives! Jeff Bridges’ career declines! The viral marketing campaign for the sequel to Tr0n kicks off this week at Comic Con and I’m skeptical – but not just because they haven’t decided to go with the logical title Tr1n. I’m mostly skeptical because it’s a sequel to a cult movie produced twenty years after the fact. How many sequels separated by decades have actually succeeded?

It was cutting edge for the time, I swear...

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: avatar, chinatown, film series, films, flynn lives, franchises, godfather, indiana jones, james bond, jeff bridges, Movies, sequels, star wars, the godfather, tr0n, tr0n2, tron, tron 2, tron: legacy | 3 Comments »

Machine Steals Giamatti’s Soul; Simpsons’ Plot…

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Darren

The first clip from Cold Soul, the upcoming movie starring Paul Giamatti as… Paul Giamatti, were released yesterday. And, hearing the plot summary, I couldn’t help thinking that The Simpsons already did it. Basically, Giamatti has his soul extracted and then discovers he misses it and then embarks on a quest to win it back, discovering that it has been sold on the black market. If that sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it’s also the plot to the cleverly titled Simpsons-episode Bart Sells His Soul. I’ll wait to see how it turns out, but the movie’d want to be something really special to top that vintage piece of American television.

The similarities are astounding...

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bart sells his soul, cold soul, film, Movies, paul giamatti, plot, the simpsons, the simpsons already did it | 1 Comment »

Awards Season Forecast…

Posted on July 22, 2009 by Darren

It’s summer time! That means blockbusters, comic book movies! It’s comic con time! That means more blockbuster and more comic book movie gossip! It seems that everything from the Tron viral campaign to the impending release of the Alice in Wonderland teaser is generating a lot of buzz. And quite right, too. We do live in the era of the geek. However, once we get into autumn proper, there are more prestigious films approaching. Looks like the studios are sticking to the tried-and-true “cram as many Oscar contenders as you can into the least amount of time” method, and there’s a huge schlock of films coming out. Here are just some of the main ones I’m looking forward to during awards season.

Starring Morgan Freeman? Check. Directed by Clint Eastwood? Check. Story of an iconic figure? Check. Story of triumph over adversity/prejudice? Check. Set in the past? Check. Oscar Gold? Check.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 2010 academy awards, 2010 oscar nominees, academy awards, amelia, avatar, Clint Eastwood, Daniel Day-Lewis, ewan mcgregor, film, hilary swank, invictus, james cameron, Leonardo diCaprio, martin scorcese, matt damon, moon, Morgan Freeman, Movies, Nine, oscar nominees, Oscars, peter jackson, pierce brosnan, precious, rob marshall, scorcese, Shutter Island, star trek, stephen soderberg, the ghost, the hurt locker, the informant, the lovely bones, the road, up | Leave a comment »