non-review review | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Solaris

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Darren

Can you tell me what’s happening here?

I could tell you what’s happening, but I don’t know if it would really tell you what’s happening.

– Chris Kelvin and Snow

Soderbergh’s Solaris is bold, challenging, brilliant, chaotic, unstructured, clever, obtuse, dense, frustrating, unsatisfying and fascinating. Frequently at the same time. The director’s adaptation of Andrei Tarkovsky’s incredibly dense science-fiction feature might not necessarily be for everybody, but there’s enough substance here for eager audience members to chew on. A film subscribing to the idea that less is more, it seems to take more joy in posing questions than in answering them. This will obviously frustrate those viewers who dislike that sort of ambiguity.

Well suited to this drama...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Andrei Tarkovsky, art, arts, Chris, Chris Kelvin, film, god, IBM, literature, Mark Hurd, Movie, NASA, non-review review, Operating system, Oracle Corporation, review, science fiction, Soderbergh, solaris, space, Steven Soderbergh, Sun Microsystem, Technology | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: My Little Princess

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012.

My Little Princess is a deeply disturbing piece of French cinema. It’s very hard to address the topic of the sexual exploitation of children in a way that doesn’t end up feeling exploitative itself. However, despite some moments of melodrama, Eva Ionesco’s creepy and unsettling character exploration is a fairly well-crafted film, one that leaves you feeling just a little bit dirty for even watching it.

Mamma Mia!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: art, arts, Arts and Entertainment, Cinema of France, Cultures and Groups, Diana Princess of Wales, Eva Ionesco, film, france, French, Gary Glitter, Ionesco, jameson dublin international film festival, Little Princess, Mother, Movie, Movies, non-review review, review, Violetta | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Samsara

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012.

Director Ron Fricke first came to attention as the cinematographer on Godfrey Reggio’s groundbreaking Koyaanisqatsi. His contributions to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith not withstanding, he has somewhat followed in the footsteps of Reggio, offering up a series of films without character or narrative that explore man’s relationship with the world around him. Samsara is another entry in the canon that includes Chronos and Sacred Site, and is a direct sequel to Baraka. It goes almost without saying that Fricke’s cinematography is transcendental. Set to music by frequent collaborator Michael Stearns (with Lisa Gerrard and Marcello de Francisci), there’s no denying that Fricke has a canny and incredible eye for beauty. That said, Samsara does suffer a bit from being heavy-handed with its central themes and ideas – quite an accomplishment for a film with no dialogue.

Armed with ideas…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Baraka, film, Fricke, godfrey reggio, jameson dublin international film festival, Koyaanisqatsi, Michael Stearns, Movie, non-review review, review, Ron Fricke, Samsara | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Casa De Mi Padre

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012. It was the first “surprise” film.

Will Ferrell’s Casa De Mi Padre is perhaps the most esoterical comedy ever produced. The comedian has his legion of loyal fans, but it’s difficult to imagine that there’s a large crossover between those who enjoy Ferrell’s work and those with an affection for Mexican telenovelas. Filmed in “Mexico Vision”, with pretty much all of the dialogue in Spanish (rather than, as one DEA agent puts it, “American”), the movie displays an astonishing commitment to its basic premise, which is effectively one joke sustained over its runtime. I can sense already that Ferrell’s latest project will be his most divisive to date, dividing film fans into “love it” or “hate it” camps. I fall strongly into the former.

A que no me alcanzas!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: business, Casa de Mi Padre, Ferrell, film, Gloucestershire, Illegal drug trade, jameson dublin international film festival, lars von trier, Meta-joke, Mexican people, Mexico, Movie, non-review review, prison, review, Spanish, Spanish language, Sunglasses, Terrence Malick, United States, will ferrell | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Black Gold

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012.

The problem at the heart of Black Gold is that its politics are too simple to fit within the confines of the epic sand-swept adventure that it sets out to tell. It’s hard to construct a standard epic when there’s no clear delineation between the forces of good and evil. While the stylish direction, larger-than-life performances and James Horner’s classic score may point to an old-fashioned adventure film, the fact we’re asked to sympathise with a protagonist burning men alive in tanks or engaging in terrorist tactics creates a surreal dissonance that the movie never quite gets past.

Riders in the sandstorm...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Antonio Banderas, Arab, Arab people, Auda, Banderas, Black Gold, black gold (2012), black gold (film), film, hollywood, James Horner, London, mark strong, Movie, non-review review, review | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Albert Nobbs

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012.

Albert Nobbs is a fascinating little film that plays host to two fascinating central performances. It’s no secret that the movie has been something of a passion project for Glenn Close since she first played the role on stage, and she relishes the opportunity to bring the eponymous character to the big screen. Just as impressive is Janet McTeer as her confident and an unlikely friend. However, the movie suffers a little bit from a script that offers clever and enticing symbolism and metaphor, at the expense of offering an accessible narrative.

Close call...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: aaron johnson, Albert, Albert Nobbs, arts, brendan gleeson, film, Glenn, Glenn Close, Janet McTeer, John Banville, Mia Wasikowska, non-review review, review, Rodrigo García Barcha | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012.

Coming from director John Madden, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is fairly straight-forward in what it offers audiences. Unlike Dev Patel’s entrepreneurial “Sonny”, who lures foreign tourists to his Indian hotel using a carefully photoshopped image, there’s no sense that the movie is in any way misleading. It’s a feel-good travel comedy-drama that throws together a wealth of experienced British talent in a story about embracing life and change and various other wonderful aspects of existence. It’s always thrilling to see these sorts of actors afforded the opportunity to shine, and a huge amount of the appeal of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is in watching its veteran thespians just cut loose and have a bit of fun.

Lounging around...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, bill nighy, Celia Imrie, dev patel, film, india, John Madden, judi dench, London, Maggie Smith, Movie, non-review review, penelope wilton, review, the best exotic marigold hotel, Tom Wilkinson | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Saving the Titanic

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Darren

This film was seen as part of the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2012.

Saving the Titanic is an interesting blend of documentary and drama, exploring the efforts of the engineers onboard the ill-fated ship, fighting to keep her afloat and alight just a little bit longer. The narration from Liam Cunningham suggests that the selfless bravery of those working in the bowels of the ship allowed her to survive more than an hour and a half longer than she should have. While the docu-drama never really reconciles the two approaches it takes to events – creating the impression that it should have opted for a “one or the other” style of approach – it is a fascinating look at one of the most important events of the twentieth century.

It's a dirty job...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: cgi, Ciarán McMenamin, Computer-generated imagery, denzel washington, film, Hugh O'Connor, james cameron, jameson dublin international film festival, Jamie Bell, liam cunningham, Movie, non-review review, Papist, programming, review, RMS Titanic, Saving the Titanic, Shepard, Steve Lynch, titanic, United States | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Darren

Stephen Daldry’s latest film, and surprise Best Picture nominee, looks lovely. It opens with a credit sequence that see Tom Hanks falling through the air like an even more stylish version of the Mad Men opening credits. The blue background is just the right shade, the picture is crisp, the focus is tight. Of course, that beautifully illustrative opening sequence exposes the primary flaw with Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. Some things just aren’t meant to look pretty, and some events can’t be wrapped up inside a feel-good blanket with a tidy ribbon on the outside.

Not quite picture perfect...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Academy Award, Academy Award for Best Picture, Asperger syndrome, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, film, Jonathan Safran Foer, max von sydow, Movie, new york, non-review review, Oskar, Reader, review, sandra bullock, stephen daldry, tom hanks, viola davis | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Leon (The Professional)

Posted on February 14, 2012 by Darren

What makes Leon so fascinating is the combination a wonderfully disturbing script that puts a novel and unsettling twist on that “suddenly a father” subgenre, Besson’s understated direction, Eric Serra’s atmospheric score and a trio of fantastic central performances. The movie is never less than completely engaging, especially when it’s being very deeply uncomfortable. The movie is very much a “messed up”portrait of the survivor of a family massacre and her unconventional surrogate father figure, with the difficulties that both have adapting to their situation, although it’s probably Gary Oldman’s powerhouse villainous performance that you’re going to leave the film thinking about.