Posted on June 19, 2009 by Darren
Well, if Hollywood is going to aggressively continue its campaign of remakes in a 3D era, I suppose there are worse genres to resurrect than the old “Universal Monster Movie” horror sub-genre. We really should have seen this coming with the impending release of The Wolf Man later in the year, but there are confirmed remakes of The Bride of Frankenstein and The Creature from the Black Lagoon in the works. It seems that Hollywood is as keen to cannibalise its trashy glories as it is to remake its celluloid classics.
Something fishy's going on...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bride of frankenstein, creature from the black lagoon, dracula, films, frankenstein, hollywood, monster movies, Movies, remakes, The Wolf Man, universal monster movies, wolfman | 4 Comments »
Posted on June 18, 2009 by Darren
I think everyone has family issues. They’re a bunch of people in your life who you never chose to be close to you. And you’re stuck with them, for better or worse. I think that’s why Little Miss Sunshine strikes the chord it does. That, and it’s an astonishingly good film.
"Everyone pretend to be normal."
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, greg kinnear, little miss sunshine, Movies, non-review review, review, steve carrell, toni collette | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 16, 2009 by Darren
The advent of incredibly flexibly home media has had an amazing impact on the world of film, right down to how the damn things are made. With producers carefully putting together additional content (or “bonus features”) for the eventual release of the film on home video (if that phrase means anything these days), and the temptation to “retouch” old films to bring them to the standard of the current format of entertainment system, it’s little surprise that we’ve seen the upswing that we have in the market for “Director’s Cuts” and “Extended Editions”. I’m kinda wondering if we’re entering a phase where all movies should be viewed in the same light as George Lucas views his own: they’re works in progress, never finished.
Screenshot from the mythic "Deckard is Keyzer Soze" ending to Blade Runner
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: blade runner, blade runner: the final cut, blu ray, directors cut, DVD, extended cut, george lucas, hollywood, Movies, star was, superman 2: the richard donner cut, watchmen, zach snyder | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 15, 2009 by Darren
I’d never seen Desperado. I had seen once Upon a Time in Mexico, and found it to be an enjoyably over-the-top (if not particularly deep) action movie anchored in some strong performances. Mom and my sister happened to be attending a Take That concert, so Dad and I decided to stick in this now-classic actioner and put together our own opinion on the beastie.
El Mariachi's guitar solos went down the bomb in that bar...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: antonio bandares, desperado, el mariachi, Movies, non-review review, review, robert rodriguez | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 15, 2009 by Darren
Batman Begins has been somewhat overshadowed by the success of The Dark Knight, but Christopher Nolan’s original reimagining of the Batman mythos is a compelling and clever examination of one of pop culture’s most enduring icons. I think there’s a case to be made that Batman Begins represents the best superhero origin story ever told in film – and quite possibly the definitive introduction to Batman and his world. The key isn’t collecting bits of trivia to explain the finer details, although the script from the Nolan brothers and David Goyer certainly does that. Instead, Nolan dares to examine the psychology of Batman. Richard Donner’s Superman famously boasted that you’d believe a man could fly. Nolan makes you believe that a man would dress up as a giant bat to fight crime.
Swooping ahead of the competition…
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: batman, batman begins, Bruce, bruce wayne, christian bale, Christopher Nolan, gotham, Henri Ducard, Movies, nolan, non-review review, ra's al ghul, review, richard donner, scarecrow, The Dark Knight, tim burton, Wayne Enterprises | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 14, 2009 by Darren
I’m on a bit of a comic book binge this week (it helps that Hollywood is churning out so many of the damned movies), and I couldn’t help but not with a wry smile on my face the internet response to the first pictures of Mickey Rourke as the villain (or “a” villian, given the ambiguous roles played by Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson as a business rival and catsuit-wearing spy) in the new Iron Man film. There had been a lot of gossip about whether the loud-mouthed Oscar-nominated actor would be playing Whiplash or Crimson Dynamo. From what fans are saying about the image (appearing below), it appears he’s playing a weird amalgamation of both… and a few more to boot. Though most of fandom appears to have taken this pastiche in their stride, there are a few cynical souls remaining out there who are a little ticked off to see these characters revamped in such a strange way. However, mixing and matching and distorting is by no means anew thing when it comes to adapting iconic characters to the big screen.
It looks like someone has finally tamed Mickey Rourke's wild streak by making him wear an over-sized shock collar
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: adapting characters, backlash, batman & robin, Christopher Nolan, comic book movies, crimson dynamo, iron man 2, jon favreau, Mickey Rourke, Movies, mr. freeze, the penguin, whiplash | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 11, 2009 by Darren
As 3D enters its second golden age (yes, I’m using a little hyperbole, but let’s run with it), it’s generating a lot of discussion. Just how gimmicky is it? Is doomed to forever by a “nine day fad”, as blithely summed up by Alfred Hitchcock himself? Worse, does 3D fade colours and detract from the actual viewing experience, as Roger Ebert protests? I figured I’d give my two cents on the third dimension.
Retro chic
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: 3d, 3d films, alfred hitchcock, avatar, cinemas, coraline, gimmicks, james cameron, Movies, pixar, up | Leave a comment »
Posted on June 10, 2009 by Darren
The Academy rarely gets it right when it comes to the Best Picture Oscar (Gladiator… Shakespeare in Love?), but this is one of the exceptions. Sam Mendes’ first major motion picture and arguably his best, American Beauty is a movie where all the elements seem to come together perfectly.
A bed of roses indeed...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: academy awards, american beauty, annette bening, dead again, kevin spacey, Movies, non-review review, Oscars, review, sam mendes, thomas newman | 3 Comments »
Posted on June 10, 2009 by Darren
Wow, things are really heating up, remake-wise. In the past week we’ve had confirmation that Robert Rodriguez will be doing The Jetsons and that Liam Neeson will be Hannibal in the A-Team remake. Couple that with the upcoming remake of V that will soon be hitting our screens (giving Elizabeth Mitchell a welcome home after the Lost finale), and it got us thinking: are there any television shows that actually warrant a remake?
I hate it when the neighbours come looking for sugar...
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Filed under: Television | Tagged: a-team, elizabeth mitchell, land of the lost, liam neeson, miami vice, Movies, reboot, remake, starsky and hutch, television shows, the jetsons, the wire, v | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 9, 2009 by Darren
Last week we caught The Prestige on Network 2. It’s a breath-taking movie that tends to get lost among 2006’s other magic-themed outings (Scoop and The Illusionist). A well-crafted magical treat, I think that the film might be Nolan’s most well-crafted to date. And – a little to my surprise, I must admit – my girlfriend enjoyed it as well.
"Are you watching closely?"
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: christian bale, Christopher Nolan, film, hugh jackman, magic, Michael Caine, Movies, non-review review, review, scarlett johansson, The Dark Knight, the prestige | 8 Comments »
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