review | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Darren

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: no more f%$#ing Abba!

The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert is one of those wonderfully fun and upbeat little movies that often can’t help but draw a smile from even the most cynical of viewers. Despite a somewhat bitchy and frothy exterior, the film is a charming little road movie about a quirky little pseudo-family unit making their way through the heartland of Australia.

Bus-ted...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Australia, Benny Hill, film, films, Guy Pearce, hugo weaving, Movies, non-review review, review, Terence Stamp, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Tony Sheldon, Village People | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Robo-Cop

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Darren

I think Robocop might be on the shortlist of most influential B-movies ever made. Certainly, coming out of the eighties, I think that Robocop defined what an audience expected from an incorporated future – the notion that big business would eventually replace local government in the lives of citizens. It’s not a novel theme, it’s one that science-fiction has been throwing out for decades, but I think that Robocop almost redefined that argument. It’s hard not to detect the influence of the film in a lot of movies that followed, so effortless and all-consuming was the “not too distant future” presented by Verhoeven.

I wonder if that's a manual or an automatic...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Detroit, film, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Movie, non-review review, Paul McCrane, Paul Verhoeven, Peter Weller, Ray Wise, review, RoboCop, Ronny Cox | 5 Comments »

Non-Review Review: AntiTrust

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Darren

In the real world, when you kill people, they die. For real!

– this movie is brought to you by the letter “o” for “open source” (and “obvious”)

You know, I think Microsoft’s PR department deserves a huge round of applause. Sure, they are still pretty universally regarded as a big evil corporation intent on global domination – using controversial business practices in order to stay on top of the computer software food chain. So there’s a lot of hate still out there. And yet, ten years on, it’s remarkable how far we’ve come since AntiTrust was released. There is a lot of hate on show here.

Hit a NURV?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: AntiTrust, Bill Gates, Claire Forlani, film, films, Google, Microsoft, Movies, non-review review, open source, review, software, Steve Jobs, tim robbins, William Gates | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Suckerpunch

Posted on April 2, 2011 by cimooney

A special thanks to the guys over at movies.ie for sneaking us into an advanced preview screening. My brother Ciaran stepped in to review the film for me at short notice, so thanks to him as well.

“Don’t write checks with your mouth, that you can’t cash with your ass.”

I feel this quote sums up the movie quite well… pointless.

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Babydoll, Emily Browning, film, Jena Malone, Movie, non-review review, punisher war zone, review, Sucker Punch, Vanessa Hudgens, zack snyder | 9 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Evil Dead III – The Army of Darkness

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

It’s interesting how concrete the shift in genre is between the original Evil Dead and the final part of the trilogy. It’s grown from a bona fides video nasty into a dark age comedy I actually wouldn’t have too much trouble watching with my family. I think I’m significantly fonder of the third instalment in the series than most other reviewers are, but it’s a film which is solidly and consistently fun – pure, random, non-sensical fun.

"This... is my BOOMSTICK!"

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Army of Darkness, Ash Williams, bruce campbell, Dark Ages, evil dead, evil dead 3, Movie, non-review review, review, sam raimi, spider man, the evil dead, The Three Stooges | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: Limitless

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Darren

Limitless has an epiphany about half-way through its runtime. We follow our lead, Eddie, as he discovers a miracle drug which manages to somehow make you a genius (he boasts he has “a four-digit IQ”). However, he is stunned to discover that coming off the drug isn’t exactly pretty. Those who haven’t given up have all died. He meets a survivor in a small café, where she recounts how wonderful the experience of using the drug was, but how hallow life seemed afterwards. Having tasted that sort of greatness, she relates how the world seemed boring afterwards, she couldn’t focus and nothing could hold her attention for more than ten minutes. She seems to have been speaking on behalf of the film.

It's all falling into place...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: arrogance, bradley cooper, films, hubris, Illegal drug trade, lazy, Limitless, limitless (film), miracle drug, Movies, Neil Burger, Nico Muhly, non-review review, Paul Leonard-Morgan, potential, pride, review, robert deniro, Time in New Zealand | Leave a comment »

Non-Review Review: Evil Dead II – Dead by Dawn

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

I don’t think there’s ever been a movie quite like Evil Dead II. Although you could argue that Raimi’s unique stylings are evident in the original Evil Dead, they don’t really come into their own in quite the same way that they would for the sequel. Although the movie is obviously indebted to any number of sources, the film has a crazy energy all of its own. It rockets along at such speed that the audience is caught a little off guard. It’s refreshing and more than a little zesty, which are certainly among the film’s charms.

Has Ash crossed the wrong monsters?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Ash Williams, bruce campbell, comedy, evil dead, Evil Dead II, films, horror, Horror film, looney tunes, Movies, Necronomicon, non-review review, review, sam raimi, slapstick comedy, spider man | 1 Comment »

Non-Review Review: All-Star Superman

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Darren

March is Superman month here at the m0vie blog, what with the release of the animated adaptation of Grant Morrison’s superb All-Star Superman. We’ll be reviewing a Superman-related book/story arc every Wednesday this month, so check on back – and we might have a surprise or two along the way.

From the outset, it’s immediately clear that All-Star Superman is immensely faithful to the twelve-issue miniseries that inspired it. There are a few key deviations from Morrison’s core text – some of which were made simply to save time or money, but others which are interesting of themselves. Still, this is pretty much as direct an adaptation as we are ever likely to receive – right down to the eight-word introduction (intercut here with the opening action sequence), the power of the origin distilled down to its core attributes. So the movie, based on perhaps the finest Superman story ever told, obviously has a lot of power drawn from its roots – but one has to wonder what the real point of making an animated feature of it ever was.

Shine on...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: alan moore, All Star Superman, Anthony LaPaglia, bizarro, bruce timm, Christina Hendricks, clark kent, dc, dc animated universe, dcau, grant morrison, joker, lex luthor, lois lane, non-review review, review, richard donner, solaris, superman, the tyrant sun, zack snyder | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Source Code

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Darren

A special thanks to the guys over at movies.ie for sneaking us into an advanced preview screening.

Duncan Jones really grabbed our attention with Moon, one of the most boldly original films of the last decade. However, it’s often the second film of a promising young director that is the most fascinating to watch, as the weight of expectation is measured against a (typically) larger budget and profile. Too many young talents fizzle out or stumble at the second hurdle. I’m glad to report that Jones manages to make it safely across. While Source Code might lack the power of his debut, it’s still a fascinating little science-fiction thriller, one I’m still thinking of hours after I left the screening. And that is certainly a mark of quality.

Has Colter gone off the rails?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: Beleaguered Castle, duncan jones, films, Groundhog Day, Jake Gyllenhaal, moon, Movies, non-review review, philosophy, reality, review, sci-fi, science fiction, source code, source code (film), the source code, time travel, war on terror | 6 Comments »

Non-Review Review: The Evil Dead

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Darren

This is a post as part of “Raimi-fest”, the event being organised by the always wonderful Bryce over at Things That Don’t Suck.

Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead is actually a pretty decent addition to the zero-budget teens-go-up-to-the-woods-today-and-are-sure-of-a-big-surprise subgenre. It’s a trashy horror which demonstrates a deeper affinity for the genre than a lot of other “video nasty” slasher films are prone to. However, while the film displays clear hints of the director’s developing skill, it still feels just a little bit too much like another random exploitation “schlock and shock” film.