non-review review | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: A Dangerous Method

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Darren

Charles Issawi once formulated Syre’s Law, named for noted academic Wallace Stanley Sayre. “In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake,” he argued. “That is why academic politics are so bitter.” Set in the shadow of not one but two looming European conflicts, David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, adapted from the play The Talking Cure, makes sure that we know just how bitter academic politics can be. Ably supported by two strong performances from its three leads, the movie is at its most fascinating in exploring the ideological and personal relationships of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, but loses a large amount of momentum when we’re asked to accept Keira Knightley as a mad Russian.

Psycho-analysts, assemble!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: A Dangerous Method, Carl Jung, Charles Issawi, Christopher Hampton, Dangerous Method, david cronenberg, film, Freud, Keira Knightley, Knightley, Michael Fassbender, Movie, non-review review, Otto Gross, review, Sabina Spielrein, Sigmund Freud, viggo mortensen | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Muppets

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Darren

It’s interesting to imagine what the reaction in the room must have been after Jason Segal was asked to name his next project, building off the success of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The fast-rising actor and writer could have had his pick of any number of features, and yet he chose to work on a revival of The Muppets. After all, these were a group of characters who had enjoyed a reasonable revival with The Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island in the early-to-mid-nineties, but had seen their fame quickly eroded with a string of poorly-received television and movie projects. It’s easy to imagine discussions being had about the “relevance” of the Muppets in the era of reality television and pandering television, as the film portrays with a fictional executive portrayed by Rashida Jones. It seemed like there was a lot of weight riding on the project, both for Segal and the studio, and for Jim Henson’s creations themselves.

I think they can all be extremely proud. I think it’s safe to describe the finished product as the best family film of the past year.

Brush with greatness?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: amy adams, Bret McKenzie, film, forgetting sarah marshall, Fozzie Bear, James Bobin, Jason Segal, jason segel, Jim Henson, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Movie, Muppet, Muppet Treasure Island, Nicholas Stoller, non-review review, review, Walter | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Just Go With It

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Darren

I have to concede, I think Adam Sandler is sort of struggling through something a transitional stage of his career. We’re past the point where Sandler can so easily play the angry young man who defined films like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore or Big Daddy, so we’re faced with an actor trying reconcile himself with that fact. Now, it seems the actor is preoccupied with the idea of finally growing up – as we see in films like Grown Ups and Just Go With It. The problem is that Sandler isn’t nearly as convincing or as interesting as a mellowing out man instead of an acting-out manchild.

Divorced from reality...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: adam sandler, big daddy, Billy Madison, Candy Land, candyland, film, Gilmore, grown ups, happy gilmore, jennifer aniston, jim carrey, Just Go with It, nicole kidman, non-review review, Punch Drunk Love, review, Sandler, Saturday Night Live | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Raven (1963)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Darren

Part of me longs for the day that Edgar Allen Poe might get a cinematic adaptation befitting his work. I’m a huge fan of Poe, who is an author who seems destined to receive more cinematic homage that straight-up adaptation. So, despite having relatively little to do with the poem of the same name, is the epic team up of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson worthwhile? Well, The Raven is almost too camp even for me.

I did say “almost.”

The Price is right...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Baltimore Ravens, Beauty, Boris Karloff, Edgar Allan Poe, entertainment, Hair Care, hammer house of horror, Health, jack nicholson, Les Baxter, non-review review, Peter Lorre, Raven, Raven-Symoné, review, Roger Corman, Shopping, Sister Act, Vincent Price | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace (3D)

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Darren

In 1999, after decades of anticipation, George Lucas unleashed Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace. The response was… less than enthusiastic. After years of heightened anticipation, during which the original trilogy had been built up to near mythical status, anything less than the second coming was going to disappoint viewers. I think it is reasonable to say that The Phantom Menace fell well short of that particular target. That said, I’ve always felt a bit of sympathy for the first of the prequel trilogy. Not enough to label it as a good film (it really isn’t), but enough to argue that the fairly fundamental and central flaws do mask a number of virtues. Those virtues don’t quite redeem the film, but they do make the end result a lot more fascinating than most would concede it to be.

Schindler’s miffed…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: avatar, Darth Vader, george lucas, Jar Binks, Jar Jar Binks, John Williams, Lucas, Luke Skywalker, martin scorsese, Naboo, non-review review, Oedipus complex, Palpatine, Phantom Menace, Qui-Gon Jinn, review, star wars, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Trade Federation | 29 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Woman in Black

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Darren

The Woman in Black is a stately, old-fashioned horror film – the kind of Victorian era ghost story that I honestly feared had vanished from the multiplex. James Watkins’ adaptation of Susie Hill’s cult 1983 horror novel revels in the classic horror conventions, complete with jump scares, a stylish atmosphere and a hyperactive orchestral string section. It’s very much a loving resurrection of the type of classy conventional scary movies that have been replaced by serial killer or found footage films. There are moments when the movie might stick a little bit too close to that classic formula, and it feels a little brisk in the middle, but it’s a hugely enjoyable and thrilling experience.

Potter at the gates at dawn?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Christopher Lee, daniel radcliffe, film, Hammer Film Productions, harry potter, Horror fiction, Horror film, James Watkins, Movie, non-review review, Peter Cushing, Radcliffe, review, the woman in black, Victorian era, Woman in Black | 7 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Blob (1958)

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Darren

I’m surprised that The Blob doesn’t get more love as a late-fifties creature feature. It has all the right ingredients, from a compelling monster, a clever central metaphor and a dashing lead in Steve McQueen. Sure, the special effects haven’t aged well, and the movie occasionally veers into the realm of cheese, but it is a wonderful example of type of monster movies American studios used to churn out during the fifties – seemingly disposable little horrors that ended up a lot smarter and more sophisticated than most viewers took them for.

It came from outer space...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 1950s, Binary large object, Blob, business, Database, Drinkbox Studios, Earth, Google App Engine, Jeff Sharlet, non-review review, PlayStation Vita, review, Special effect, Star jelly, steve mcqueen, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, The Blob, United States | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Wayne’s World 2

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Darren

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Wayne’s World 2. It’s not a patch on the original film, but there’s something so charming about Mike Myers’ creations that it’s hard not to enjoy the film, even if the number of misfiring jokes is compounded by a sense of “been there and done that.” More than that, though, the sequel features any number of original and hilarious moments that have managed to bleed out into wider popular culture. While it’s nowhere near as brilliant as the first film, it’s a still a fairly entertaining watch.

There's no need to feel down...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: christopher walken, film, Mike Myers, Movie, non-review review, party on wayne, review, Rob Lowe, Saturday Night Live, Village People, Wayne, Wayne's World, wayne's world 2, World | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Man on a Ledge

Posted on February 3, 2012 by cimooney

I was at the launch of the Jameson Film Fest last night, so Ciaran bravely jumped in to review Man on a Ledge for me. What a ledge(nd).

Man on a Ledge has a fairly simple premise. Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), a former policeman, is pushed to the ledge of a Manhattan hotel in an attempt to clear his name after he was convicted of stealing a 40M$ diamond from David Englander (Ed Harris), a well established real estate investor. Nick demands to talk to officer Lydia Nercer (Elizabeth Banks), who was unsuccessful in her last negotiation with a suicidal cop, in order to form a large crowding the street below. This crowd acts as a distraction while Nicks brother, Joey (Jamie Bell), and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) break into one of David Eglander’s buildings, which is located across the road. The plan is to steal the diamond and prove Nick’s innocence.

Exactly what it says on the tin...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Angie, Burj Khalifa, Cassidy, ed harris, film, Joey, Man on a Ledge, Manhattan, Movie, Nick, non-review review, review, Sam Worthington | 48 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Chronicle

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Darren

Chronicle is a fascinating deconstruction of the American superhero myth – the notion that “with great powers comes great responsibility”, as Stan Lee once wrote (albeit in a more convoluted fashion). Much like Fox’s other major release this week (Martha Marcy May Marlene), it represents an impressive theatrical debut from a young director who hopefully has a long and distinguished future ahead of him. While there are elements of Chronicle that do lack a bit of polish, it’s a compelling and engaging film, one that succeeds at picking apart some of the core assumptions of the superhero genre.