peter berg | the m0vie blog

New Podcast! Scannain Podcast (2018) #33!

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Darren

Bringing us completely up to date with the Scannain podcast, it’s this week’s episode!

This week, I join Grace Duffy, Ronan Doyle and Luke Dunne from Film in Dublin for a jam-packed discussion of the week in film news. There’s a lot of great stuff here, covering everything from the closure of the Village Voice to the strong feelings that Luke and I had towards the Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg action vehicle Mile 22. It’s also a big week for new releases, including Bart Layton’s American Animals, Corin Hardy’s The Nun and Lance Daly’s Black ’47. The latter of which will be the largest Irish cinematic release ever, screening in one hundred cinemas North and South.

Give it a listen at the link, or check it out below.

Filed under: Movies, Podcasts! | Tagged: american animals, black '47, film, mark wahlberg, mile 22, new media, peter berg, the nun, village voice | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Mile 22

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Darren

Mile 22 is an intriguing and muddled piece of work.

Judged by the standards of contemporary filmmaking, Mile 22 is a deeply frustrating and disjointed piece of cinema. In some ways, it seems strange to describe it as a movie. It is a film with one of the most blatant and transparent sequel hooks in recent memory, cutting to the credits at what feels like the end of the second act. This sense of confusion and bewilderment is only increased by Berg’s direction of action sequences, which are disorienting to the point where they come close to incomprehensibility.

Wahl-to-Wahl action.

However, while these elements add up to an underwhelming cinematic experience, there is something strangely compelling in the way that Berg stitches together this relatively straightforward narrative. The chaos at the heart of the movie makes it hard to enjoy the action sequences, but offers an endearing frenetic energy that sustains the film. There are moments when Mile 22 borders on the self-aware, particularly as at careens towards a climax that seems to have been reverse-engineered from two separate Mark Wahlberg memes.

The results are baffling, but fun to pick at.

Picking up the pace.

Continue reading →

Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: action movie, film, mark wahlberg, mile 22, non-review review, peter berg, review, the raid | Leave a comment »

Battleship: Shred Your Street

Posted on April 17, 2012 by Darren

Hi. The guys over at Universal just sent this on. It’s a piece of viral marketing for Battleship, the blockbuster that came out last week. It’s a nifty little tool that uses google maps to simulate a Battleship-style attack on a location of your choice. It’s not half bad, and a fairly clever use of google maps. Check it out here or click the image below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: battleship, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Decker, Google, peter berg, Rihanna, Sydney, Taylor Kitsch | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Independence Day

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Darren

I think there’s a serious argument to be made for Independence Dayas one of the truly exceptional summer blockbusters. It’s not exceptionally clever or insightful, its characters aren’t necessarily more than plot functions given life by a wonderful cast, but it has a high-octane energy and wonderful sense of tone that makes it a joy to watch. It’s cheesy enough that it never takes itself too seriously, and yet it’s efficient enough and effective enough that it never descends to the level of pure camp. It’s a deft balance, and I suspect that it might be a fluke, but I think that Independence Day remains a gleefully enjoyable guilty pleasure to this day.

Don't run! We are your friends!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Alien invasion, Area 51, Barack Obama, battleship, Brent Spiner, Emmerich, Executive Branch, film, Government, history, hollywood, id4, Independence Day, Interstellar war, James Rebhorn, jeff goldblum, Judd Hirsch, Leland Orser, liam neeson, Movie, Movies, non-review review, peter berg, president, Recreation, review, roland emmerich, Shopping, Smith, Taylor Kitsch, United States, War of the Worlds (2005 film), white house, will smith | 2 Comments »

We Come in Peace, Shoot to Kill: Battleship’s Truly Alien Alien Invasion…

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Darren

I really liked Peter Berg’s Battleship, and I think a part of that was the way that he tried to subtly bend some of the Michael Bay blockbuster conventions against themselves. So, for example, the hero doesn’t step up to the plate so much as realising he’s not the right person to step up to the plate. The heroes aren’t the bunch of hot pop-stars and would-be male models that make up the leading cast, but people who have actually experienced war and suffered for their patriotism. However, I really like how distinctively alien Battleship’s aliens were.

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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: battleship, Berg, Brooklyn Decker, Hopper, liam neeson, michael bay, Optimus Prime, peter berg, Stephen Hawkins, transformers, United States | 31 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Battleship

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Darren

Battleship is a big American blockbuster. And, to be fair, it falls pray to a large number of the pitfalls of those sorts of films. There’s more action than thought. There’s lots of CGI filling the scenes. It rigidly adheres to a formula. It’s characters aren’t developed beyond shallow archetypes. However, I can forgive most of these flaws because Peter Berg actually makes this fun. I can very honestly and shamelessly admit that this was the most fun big dumb blockbuster that I’ve seen since Independence Day or perhaps The Rock. And that’s quite a compliment. It’s never anything more than it claims to be, but does well not to take itself too seriously.

Something to sea...

Continue reading →

Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Alexander Skarsgård, aliens, battleship, Berg, blockbuster, Brooklyn Decker, cgi, film, Hopper, liam neeson, michael bay, Movie, non-review review, peter berg, review, Rihanna, Stephen Hawkins, Taylor Kitsch, transformers, United States | 7 Comments »

Win! Battleship Goodie Bags!

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Darren

The nice folks over at Universal Pictures Ireland have given us three goodie bags to give away for their upcoming blockbuster release Battleship. Each goodie bag contains:

A pair of tickets for the Battleship food and drinks after-work party followed by the Dublin screening of the film on April 11th.
A Battleship T-Shirt.
A pair of sunglasses as seen on the film.
Two caps.
A Waterproof case.

To be in with a chance to win one of these impressive packs, please answer the question below and submit the form. There’ll be more news and giveaways from Universal Pictures Ireland‘s Facebook page, so check it out for details. In case you need any hints, here’s the trailer for the film:

This competition is now closed. Winners shall be notified shortly.

Terms and conditions apply. Prize is non-transferable. Entrant must be based in the Republic of Ireland and available to attend the preview screening on 11th April 2012. The contact information provided above will be used to contact the eventual winners and for no other purposes.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: battleship, Brooklyn Decker, dublin, Facebook features, peter berg, Republic of Ireland, Taylor Kitsch, universal studios | Leave a comment »

New Battleship Trailer

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Darren

The guys over at Universal just sent on this latest trailer for their summer blockbuster Battleship. Being entirely honest, I’m not quite sold on the nautical adventure yet, if only because it looks a little bit too much like Transformers… but with boats. Still, I’m willing to be convinced, and I think the movie could work, if it manages to avoid the heavy-handed dour seriousness that sucked the fun out of Michael Bay’s film series. There is, after all, plenty of room for fun in blockbuster cinema and I hope this could offer the fun of something like Real Steel. Personally, I think it’d be worth it simply to hear Liam Neeson utter the line “they sunk my battleship” with the utmost gravitas. (I don’t actually know if he does, but that’s really been something I’ve been hoping for since he was cast. I’m actually 100% serious, I’m imagining the dramatic pauses and everything.)

Anyway, here the trailer is. Make up your own mind on it and let me know.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: Alexander Skarsgård, battleship, Brooklyn Decker, Hasbro, liam neeson, michael bay, peter berg, Rihanna, Taylor Kitsch, transformers, universal studios | 10 Comments »

Does the Battleship Adaptation Demonstrate the Problem With Adapting Games?

Posted on November 12, 2009 by Darren

I remember laughing when Roger Ebert made a shortlist of toys and games just waiting to be adapted into big screen properties after the success of Transformers 2. How far we’ve come in so little time. When Peter Berg (director of The Kingdom and Hancock) was announced as the director of the forthcoming Battleship film, we didn’t know quite what to expect (apart from that it would likely feature Jason Bateman). That’s only natural, since the boardgame it is based upon is fairly straight-forward. Well, since the news broke that it’s going to be set IN SPACE, I’ve been wondering why that news surprises me as much as it did.