review | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Flightplan

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Darren

Truth be told, I think part of the reason I have a soft spot for Flightplan is simply because Jodie Foster doesn’t make enough films. She’s an actress who devotes so little time to major releases of late that each of her movies is a gem of itself. That’s not to argue that she shouldn’t spend time with her family or pursue other interests, it’s just an acknowledgement that she’s really one of the best actresses working today and – sadly – works all too infrequently. She’s an actress who can add a high level of quality to what might otherwise be a mundane production, and here she manages to turn a rather disappointing thriller into an enjoyable hour-and-a-half of entertainment.

Aisle watch Jodie Foster in anything...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, British English, conspiracy, crazy, films, Flightplan, imaginary, jodie foster, kidnapping, Movie, Movies, non-review review, panic room, peter saarsgard, Peter Sarsgaard, review, sean bean, timothy dalton | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Bridesmaids

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Darren

It’s kinda interesting. Bridesmaids opens over here a month or so after it does in the States, so I’ve had the opportunity to pick up quite a significant amount of chatter on the film, as a good film tends to attract on the information super highway. Most of the discussion around the film has been centred around the movie’s gross-out humour, with reviews branding it as “The Hangover in heels”or some such, and a great deal of discussion focusing on the fact that it demonstrates women can do that sort of disgusting and crass physical comedy. Such a discussion seems to be just a little bit over-the-top, as the movie really only features three absurdly crass set pieces (one of which admittedly opens the film, another competes with anything else in a comedy this year, and the third is tucked away in the credits) – so much so I doubt anyone would bat their eye if the same level of juvenile conduct were contained in a film about a bunch of dudes. It’s a damn shame that this seems to monopolise the conversation on Bridesmaids, because it’s actually just a really good film.

Maids of honour?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Annie, brides, Bridesmaid, comedies, comedy, feminism, films, funny women, greg kinnear, Hangover, John Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Movies, non-review review, review, Rose Byrne, the hangover, tina fey, weddings | 4 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Shelter

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Darren

Shelteris a horror with an intriguing original premise. However, it’s also packed with tonnes of other premises, some of which are remotely interesting, while others are quite mundane. It’s an uneven film, which actually works best when it paces itself more as a thriller or a mystery than an out-and-out horror, but there are weaker choices out there.

Psyche!

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, Dissociative identity disorder, film, gillian anderson, Horror film, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Julianne Moore, Movie, murder, non-review review, review, sam raimi, shelter, shelter (movie) | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Grand Canyon

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Darren

Lawrence Kasdan is probably more famous as a writer than a director. The talent behind such classics as Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and… er, Clash of the Titans, Kasdan has made a name for himself as the writer of all manner of big-budget spectacle. However, he has also established himself as a director of much quieter fare, such as The Big Chill and Grand Canyon, an early nineties ensemble drama built around the notion that all of life’s troubles seem relatively small if put in the proper perspective. Occasionally just a little bit too heavy-handed for its own good, it’s still an interesting little piece with a nice cast.

Happy families…

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Alfre Woodard, arizona, ensemble, films, Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park, kevin kline, Lawrence Kasdan, los angeles, Mary Louise Parker, Movies, non-review review, review, United States | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Death at a Funeral

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Darren

I think the charm of Death at a Funeralis the fact that it feels very much like a classic comedy of errors. Sure, there are some scatological moments thrown in, but it really feels like an old-fashioned slapstick comedy of manners, based around putting its characters through a variety of hilariously awkward little subplots, playing out against the backdrop of what should be a classy and respectful family occasion. If nothing else, the movie is a charming and affectionate homage to that style of comedy I had feared might be dearly departed.

A grave matter...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Chris Rock, Danny Glover, Death at a Funeral, film, james marsden, Keith David, Luke Wilson, martin lawrence, Movie, Neil LaBute, non-review review, review, Ron Glass, zoe saldana | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Green Lantern

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Darren

Green Lantern is solidly middle of the road as far as superhero movies go. Perhaps in a less crowded (and less high quality) summer action season it would seem a stronger contender, but the film really shows as Warner Brothers’ first major attempt to produce a big-budget superhero film not directly related to Superman or Batman. It’s perfectly functional, managing to do everything it sets out to in a relatively efficient manner, but there’s never really a sense that the film exists as anything more than a series of plot points that need be checked in order for the movie to cross the finish line. Given the potential of the source material, as well as its relatively unique nature amongst the slew of generic superheroes, a functioning and formulaic adventure can’t help but feel like a bit of a disappointment.

Hal Jordan: Space Cop? It has a nice ring to it...

Note: We also have an introduction to the Green Lantern mythos available, if you’re interested in checking it out.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Blake Lively, dc comics, dc universe, geoff johns, Geoffrey Rush, green lantern, green lantern corps, green lantern film, green lantern film review, green lantern movie, green lantern movie review, Greenlantern, hal jordan, Hector Hammond, in blackest night, in brightest day, lois lane, mark strong, martin campbell, michael clark duncan, michael clarke duncan, non-review review, parallax, Peter Sarsgaard, review, richard donner, ryan reynolds, sinestro, tim robbins, Warner Bros, Warner Brothers | 10 Comments »

Y: The Last Man – The Deluxe Edition, Book III (Review)

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Darren

In an effort to prove that comic books aren’t just about men in spandex hitting each other really hard, this month I’m reviewing all of Brian K. Vaughan’s superb Y: The Last Man. In April, I took a look at all the writer’s Ex Machina.

What continues to astound about Y: The Last Man is how Brian K. Vaughan took a pulpy science-fiction concept that might have served as an episode of The Twilight Zone and has managed to not only expand it out into a five-year series, but also continue to offer new and clever takes on a world without men. It’s a wonderful and thoughtful book, but perhaps the most impressive thing is that – amidst the end of the world – Vaughan never loses sight of humanity.

It's bloody great...

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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: arts, brian k. vaughan, catholic church, Christian Church, christianity, Churches, dc comics, Exmachina, Jesus, Protestantism, Religion and Spirituality, review, san francisco, Sydney Opera House, Transubstantiation, United States, y: the last man | Leave a comment »

Pygmalion at the Abbey Theatre (Review)

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Darren

I think it’s safe to say that George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion has had quite the impact on popular culture. Even those unfamiliar with the original 1912 play written by the great Irish playwright will know the basic structure of the story, filtered down through countless reruns of My Fair Lady and She’s All That. It’s hard to argue that anything in Shaw’s impressive back catalogue is quite as crowd-pleasing, but never at the expense of being sharp and provocative. The fact that it’s turning out to be next-to-impossible to get a seat at the Abbey’s run of the play indicates that the work has lost none of its appeal.

Doolittle doctored?

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Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: abbey, abbey theatre, Basil Fawlty, charlie murphy, dublin, eliza doolittle, george bernard shaw, Henry Sweet, John Cleese, monty python, professor higgins, pygmalion, review, Risteárd Cooper, the abbey theatre, theatre review | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Amélie

Posted on June 9, 2011 by Darren

I feel a little bit heartless in confessing this, but Amélie (or Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain, to use its original title), never really connected with me. Don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate the film’s wonderful visual style, and those amazing opening scenes with a young Amélie growing up the way she did thanks to the strange and particular set of circumstances around her, but I couldn’t maintain that emotional connection through the film. Which is a shame, because the movie is a wonderful technical accomplishment, from its heavily saturated primary colours through to its distinctive score, and the manner at which it plays with the fourth wall.

Making a splash...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Amélie, arts, Audrey Tautou, film, Filmmaking, french cinema, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Movie, non-review review, paris, review | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Celebrity

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Darren

As I was watching Celebrity, one of Woody Allen’s mid-nineties efforts, two things ran through my head. The first was that the movie was clearly intended to explain why the director had given up on his life in America and moved overseas (sparking his creative rebirth with films like Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona). The second, and much more pressing, was the observation that it’s not really fair to write a character with yourself in mind and then expect Kenneth Branagh to step in and play that avatar as you. Not to diminish Branagh’s Woody Allen impression (it’s much better than one might expect), but it tends to draw attention away from the rest of the film.