non-review review | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Julie & Julia

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Darren

I am quite surprised to admit that I greatly enjoyed Julie & Julia. Probably more than I should have, on careful analysis. The film’s main gimick – juxtaposing Julia Child’s time in France with Julie Powell’s attempt to cook through the gigantic tome which resulted from Child’s time in France – never really comes together, but it manages to work on pure whimsy despite highly predictable subject matter (indeed, the thread running through Julie’s storyline kinda presupposes the end of Julia’s arc – Julie wouldn’t be cooking from her book if she didn’t succeed). It isn’t a masterpiece or a classic, but it’s a very watchable piece of moviemaking.

Can you smell what the blogger's cooking?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: amy adams, biography, blogs, comedy, films, julia child, julia powell, julie & julia, julie and julia, julie child, julie powell, meryl streep, Movies, non-review review, nora ephron, review | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Shutter Island

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Darren

I’ll talk a bit about my more tempered analysis of the film in a moment, but I think it’s only really fair to open with my gut reaction – those few words that escaped my mouth as I turned to my girl friend as the credits started to roll.

“I want to see this again.”

Is your mind the scene of the crime?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, holocaust, Leonardo diCaprio, martin scorcese, Movie, Movies, non-review review, review, rko, Shutter Island | 9 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Gran Torino

Posted on March 12, 2010 by Darren

I think it’s fair to say that Hollywood tends lose interest in actors and characters when they pass a certain threshold, age-wise. Perhaps it’s representative of a general societal lack of interest in the elderly, or maybe it’s because old people don’t pay to see movies, but it’s very rare to see an actor hang around past their use by date. So rare, in fact, that people balked when Pixar announced that Up would follow a pensioner. In many ways we’re lucky that Clint Eastwood has held on to his influence in Hollywood, as I imagine any other director or star would have had great difficulty getting a film like Gran Torino made. Yes, the film has a few shortcomings, but it’s a stunning condemnation of the way that America tends to treat the outsiders, be they elderly or immigrants, but also a very effective character piece.

A very grumpy old man...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Clint Eastwood, films, Gran Torino, Movies, non-review review, review | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Bad Boys

Posted on March 7, 2010 by Darren

Watching Bad Boys is a strange experience. On one hand, it’s a smooth reminder of the odd-couple cop comedies that were the style of the eighties, right down to an angry and exasperated (but ultimately trusting) chief. On the other, it has adopted all the stylistic mannerisms of the big, bold and empty action movies of the nineties. Advertised as an action comedy, it really doesn’t contain enough of either to justify a watch, and many of its stylistic ticks – driven by an inexperienced Michael Bay – have either been surpassed or become so common that they seem trite. Still, there’s a small charm to the film, most of which stems from the chemistry between the two leads and the way the movie seems to consciously revel in bromantic undertones of the genre. In that regard, it’s ahead of its time. And unlike all of its original ahead-of-it-time selling points, the bromantic angle still works. I’m just not sure that enough of the rest of the movie works to justify it.

I wish I could say the action was explosive...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: action movies, bad boys, martin lawrence, miami, michael bay, movies films, nineties, non-review review, review, will smith | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Harry Brown

Posted on March 5, 2010 by Darren

Forget your Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and your neighbourhood watch, the only real way to stop the downward trend in modern society is to give Michael Caine a gun and let him clean house. It’s fun to see Michael Caine back in leading role and it’s fun to see that the whole ‘gritty urban vigilante’ subgenre is still alive – it’s like The Brave One in a British housing estate. The film comes apart at the end, perhaps succumbing from a need to answer the iconic question ‘what’s it all about?’, and disconnecting the movie from its initially intriquing premise, but Harry Brown is a respectable old-school law-in-the-lead-characters-hands drama.

Michael Caine is... browned off...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: asbos, britain, council housing, films, harry brown, justice, Michael Caine, Movies, non-review review, vigilante, yob | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Zombieland

Posted on March 4, 2010 by Darren

It takes a certain mindset to enjoy Zombieland. Not everyone can laugh at the fact that a zombie clown’s nose squeaks as you bash its head with a mallet. Fortunately, I discovered, I can.

Tallahassee goes to bat...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: films, jesse eisenberg, Movie, non-review review, review, tallahassee, the undead, woody harrelson, zombieland, zombies | 7 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Deal

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Darren

You know the kind of movie The Deal is. It’s about an over-the-hill writer who decides to screw with the Hollywood system and play it against itself, while seducing a beautiful woman and generally just being a cad. In short, it’s a movie writer’s fantasy. That’s by no means a bad thing, to be honest – when done right, you get the dark comedy Robert Altman’s The Player, a story of a writer’s revenge on a corrupt studio executive; unfortunately, when you do it wrong, you end up with a self-indulgent mess like The Deal.

Deal or no deal?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: cinema, elliott gould, films, hollywood, ll cool j, meg ryan, Movie, non-review review, review, the deal, william h. macy | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: The Rock

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Darren

I think there’s a case to be made for The Rock as a pop culture masterpiece. And, no, I’m not being sarcastic or bitchy – I genuinely believe that. It’s tough to look back no in the era of huge summer blockbusters, but the movie really codified what we should expect from a modern summer tentpole. I remember the gasps of shock when the Criterion – the gold standard of DVD releases – announced that they would be including Armageddon as part of the Criterion Collection, in what was clearly meant to be a nod to the mainstream action movies. Being honest, they should have picked The Rock.

Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: action movies, armageddon, cliche, ed harris, film, michael bay, Movies, nicolas cage, non-review review, review, the rock | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Alice in Wonderland

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Darren

I imagine Lewis Carroll’s iconic fantasy story poses quite the problem for anybody looking to bring it to the screen. Both Alice in Wonderland and Alice’s Adventures Through The Looking Glass essentially consist of a collection of vignettes, very loosely linked to each other. One minute you’re translating The Jabberwockey and the next you’re hearing the story of The Walrus and the Carpenter. I can’t imagine it would be particularly easy to produce a film following that sort of almost random structure. Perhaps that’s why Tim Burton’s wonderfully visual fantasy seems to draw perhaps more heavily from The Lord of the Rings than its own source material, which is a shame, as the director fantastically brings the magic of Wonderland to life. If only there were more of it.

Down the rabbit hole...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 3d, alice in wonderland, anne hathaway, disney, fantasy, films, helena bonham carter, johnny depp, lord of the rings, Movies, non-review review, review, the lord of the rings, tim burton | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Invention of Lying

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Darren

What a fantastic concept. Imagine a world where nobody lies. Now imagine a world where some cheeky bugger – oh, look, it’s Ricky Gervais, who would have thought? – invents the concept of lying, an un-truth. Doesn’t it sound like comic dynamite in the right hands? I mean, humour is always about exploring and subverting social conventions, so removing all the little ‘white lies’ must surely be the stuff of comedy gold? Not so much, it turns out.

"look into my eyes, can't you see they're open wide? Would I lie to you baby, would I lie to you?"

Note: This review will probably mention some stuff that might spoil the movie for you – in some small way. We won’t be discussing the ending or such, but there’s a significant tonal shift in the middle you might not want flagged. If you want a quick opinion on the film, here it is: it isn’t worth your time, it doesn’t go anywhere with the concept and insists upon its own brilliance just a tad too much. If you want some reasoning, read on. If not, consider yourself forewarned.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, Movie, non-review review, review, ricky gervais, the invention of lying | Leave a comment »

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