Posted on April 19, 2011 by Darren
A special thanks to the guys over at movies.ie for sneaking us into an advanced preview screening.
To paraphrase the immortal Odin-son, “I say thee yay!”
In other words, a great start to blockbuster season.
If I had a hammer...
Note: Those unfamiliar with Thor might like to take a look at my informal introduction to the mythos, but – to be honest – Branagh handles it well enough you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ve also written a piece about the film over at ComicBuzz, if you want to check it out.
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: chris hemsworth, howard stark, iron man, kenneth branagh, marvel comics, non-review review, review, review of thor, superman, thor, thor film, thor film review, thor movie, thor movie review, thor review, tom hiddleston, walt simonson | 10 Comments »
Posted on April 19, 2011 by Darren
For my money, Wall-E is perhaps the strongest Pixar film from an artistic point of view. The Incredibles is perhaps the most consistently entertaining. Finding Nemo is the most emotional. Truth be told, I could probably find a way to rank almost every Pixar film so that it was my favourite in some way or another, because they’re all pretty much that good (although I’ll concede that Ratatouille, A Bug’s Life and Cars were merely “good” or “very good”). So, having completely picked apart any lavish praise I could shower on the film, I have a very special fondness for Pixar’s Toy Story trilogy.
Just say Jesse...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Action figure, andy, arts, buzz lightyear, Collecting, films, jurassic park, List of Toy Story characters, Movies, non-review review, pixar, Recreation, review, Sheriff Woody, Shopping, star wars, Toy, toy story, toy story 2, toys, twitter | 9 Comments »
Posted on April 18, 2011 by Darren
Network is a compelling condemnation of news television. The black comedy from Sydney Lumet is one of those great movies which actually feels more relevant now (thirty years after it was first released) than it did when it first appeared on the big screen. In particular, while some plot developments are clearly satire, it seems that quite a few moments in the movie seem a lot less ridiculous or fantastical in this day and age than they would have when originally written. It’s a rare movie that can do something like that, and the fact that it’s a lot easier to imagine some of the movie’s jokes coming to pass in this day and age only makes it all the more potent.
Beales appeal...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Archie Bunker, charlie sheen, film, Howard Beale, media, Movies, multimedia, ned beatty, Network, non-review review, Peter Finch, review, Sidney Lumet, Television | Leave a comment »
Posted on April 15, 2011 by Darren
I’m of two minds about Insidious, the latest entry in the “haunted house” horror subgenre. On one hand, I definitely respect its attempts to return to the roots of these types of films without dwelling on gore for the sake of gore. On the other, it doesn’t seem like the film is entirely certain what to show you when it can’t fill the screen with fountains of blood and guts erupting. Film is obviously a visual medium, but horror is very much an exception to the old maxim “show, don’t tell.” The problem is that Insidious shows too much.
A (para)normal family?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, films, Haunted house, Horror film, Insidious, James Wan, Motion Picture Association of America film rating system, Movies, MTV, non-review review, paranormal activity, review, Rose Byrne, sam raimi, saw | 7 Comments »
Posted on April 14, 2011 by Darren
Imagine The Terminator if you were substitute “heaven” for “the future” and you’d have a good idea of what this movie is about, right down to a mother offering a philosophical closing narration (okay, that’s Terminator II, but still…). Oh, and maybe drop the quality expectations a bit.
Okay, quite a bit.
Don't cross him...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Archangel Michael, Charles S. Dutton, film, Gabriel, god, Kevin Durand, legion, legion (film), Michael (archangel), Movie, non-review review, paul bettany, review, Satan | 4 Comments »
Posted on April 13, 2011 by Darren
Your Highness is crass, stupid, vulgar and fun. However, it’s endearingly aware of the fact. I found myself warming to the film quite a bit as I sat down to watch it, somewhat comfortable in the knowledge that Danny McBride’s latest will undoubtedly end up playing on the DVD players of countless college students into the wee hours of the morning for some years to come. It isn’t going to be a film for everyone, but I do think it will find an audience. It’s not perfect or classic, but then none of the films that it is attempting to emulate are. It does succeed in offering a constant and endearing stream of low-brow jokes for its runtime.
The best of the quest?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: danny mcbride, david gordon green, Fantasy film, films, James Franco, Jim Henson, Justin Theroux, Movies, non-review review, Other Guys, review, Your Highness | 6 Comments »
Posted on April 12, 2011 by Darren
MGM has been running a rather wonderful sci-fi season this past week, screening classics like Robocop along with smaller cult films, like Rollerball. One of the great things about having channels like this that it gives you a chance to sit down and watch what you wouldn’t normally – there’s something specially about stumbling across a gem on television that you might otherwise have missed. In fairness, Rollerball isn’t quite that gem, but it’s an entertaining high concept science-fiction ideas and some great direction, even if it does seem a little bit heavy-handed and cheesy from time to time.
Is Jonathon all burned out?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arts, films, James Caan, Jonathon, Movie, Movies, non-review review, Norman Jewison, review, Rollerball, star trek, Video game | 2 Comments »
Posted on April 12, 2011 by Darren
Return of the Living Dead is a fairly strange beast. Something of a black comedy spin-off from George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, the film is a ridiculously campy exploration of trashy low-rent horror… and yet somehow has been picked up and embraced by popular culture. After all, this is the movie that introduced the idea that zombies weren’t just satiated by consuming large quantities of meat (most often from humans) – this was the film which introduced the idea of zombies stumbling forward, repeatedly droning “braaaaains!” It’s a concept which has been so throughly incorporated into pop culture’s definition of zombie (although it’s rarely the case, we still expect it and recognise it), so it seems strange that it came from a spoof.
No bones about it...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Dan O'Bannon, film, george romero, horror, Horror film, Living Dead, Michael Jackson, Movie, Movies, night of the living dead, non-review review, parody, popular culture, return of the living dead, review, sam raimi, schlock, zombie | 3 Comments »
Posted on April 11, 2011 by Darren
I love Crimson Tide. It comes from a time when, through my nostalgic eyes, Tony Scott could do no wrong. This was the nineties, when Scott was after directing the under-rated True Romance and on his way to helming the solidly entertaining Enemy of the State. Sure, there was also The Fan in there, but we really don’t talk about that. Part of the appeal of Crimson tide, beyond it’s wonderfully powerful basic premise, is the fact that concept could work as either a powerful Aaron Sorkin stage play, or as a bombastic Michael Bay production – the set-up is such that either approach is possible with the material. Scott manages to straddle the middle, offering a tense action thriller which isn’t afraid to ask a few probing questions about the nature of the chain of command and the morality of blinding following orders.
It's long and hard and... ugh, you get it...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Aaron Sorkin, Chi McBride, Crimson Tide, film, james gandolfini, michael bay, Movie, non-review review, quentin tarantino, review, silver surfer, Steve Zahn, tony scott, United States | 6 Comments »
Posted on April 8, 2011 by Darren
I will confess that I enjoyed The Mummy for what it was. It wasn’t ground-breaking or revolutionary, but it was a nice attempt to resurrect the old Universal Monster Movie for modern audiences, with Raiders of the Lost Ark providing a rather clear inspiration. Perhaps part of the appeal was novelty, as we hadn’t seen an old-style monster movie like that in quite some time. I remember being somewhat disappointed on seeing the second film in cinemas, feeling like it just didn’t measure up to the solidly entertaining original. Having caught it again this weekend, I find I’m in firm agreement with my younger self.
I'll stick my neck out and admit I enjoyed the first film...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ancient Egypt, arts, brendan fraiser, British Museum, comedy, films, horror, Joe Wright, Movies, Mummy, non-review review, rachel weisz, review, the mummy, the mummy returns, United States | 3 Comments »
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