There are somethings you can’t put a positive spin on. The rape and murder of a fourteen-year-old girl is one of those things.
A little too lovely...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: films, heaven, mark wahlberg, Movies, non-review review, peter jackson, rachel weisz, review, saoirse ronan, stanley tucci, susan sarandon, susie salmon, suzie salmon, the lovely bones | 9 Comments »
I quite enjoyed Get Him to the Greek. It wasn’t quite as wonderfully put together as Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but it’s a pleasant little comedy that treads familiar ground, but in a witty and confident manner. The movie isn’t exactly a laugh-a-minute, it is one of the better major releases so far this summer.
Aldous is about to have his world rocked...
Note: My brother and correspondent, Ciaran, reviewed the film earlier in the week. My thoughts aren’t too different than his – save a few details here or there (I maybe liked it a tiny bit more). It’s well worth a read.
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: aldous snow, colm meaney, comedy, films, forgetting sarah marshall, get him to the greek, jonah hill, music, non-review review, p. diddy, puff daddy, review, russell brand, sean combs | 4 Comments »
It’s great when film makers find something original enough to play with. Daybreakers takes an intriguing little snippet most of us have probably had and dismissed while watching a cheap vampire film – “what would happen if the vampires won and became the dominant species?” – and stretches it out to a two-hour film. It’s a movie that’s bristling with all sorts of witty ideas, but the problem is that it never really takes the opportunity to lift itself out of the “trashy B-movie” category of vampire and futuristic military films. While there are some great notions and concepts at play here, they aren’t executed with a hint of finesse, instead played with the sort of skill you traditionally find in a hackneyed slasher movie. Which is a damn shame, because when the movie hits the right buttons, it really works.
Blood work...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: day breakers, daybreakers, ethan hawke, films, Movies, non-review review, review, sam neill, vampires, willem dafoe | 4 Comments »
Stephen Spielberg helmed something of a loose science-fiction trilogy in the early years of this century. A.I. and Minority Report are still relatively contentious (perhaps the former more than the latter) when it comes to discussing the place of his modern output in the context of his wider filmography. However, it’s the third film of the three which I’ve always been most fascinated with, despite the fact it has been mostly forgotten on his somewhat impressive list of accomplishments. Never afraid to stick up for a film that most people seem to have just shrugged their shoulders about, I’m going to stand up for the not-quite-so-little-but-not-so-big-you’d-notice-him guy. I think that War of the Worlds is the best film Spielberg has directed in the last decade.
This invasion hasn't got three legs to stand on...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: adaptation, aliens, film, h.g. wells, hg wells, invasion, mars, martians, Movie, non-review review, review, spielberg, stephen spielberg, the war of the worlds, tom cruise, tripods, war of the worlds | 11 Comments »
Still, it must have been nice for you, Murdock.
What?
To win this one. It seems like you really needed it.
– North and Murdock
There goes the whiniest superhero I ever met.
– Mr. Izo
I’ve said it before and I’ll likely say it again: Daredevil has had an amazing ten-year run under the stewardship of Kevin Smith, David Mack, Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker. It’s just been a really well-put together comic book which really works. one of the finest compliments of the book I’ve read, and one I sadly can’t take credit for, is that Daredevil mostly avoids the deconstruction which has been a fixture of many iconic runs, while also avoiding the pitfalls of nostalgia that typically define the reaction to deconstruction – instead, the book has found a third way: it has found a way to take the conventional tropes of the superhero genre, and use them to offer something relatively new and exciting, exploring the story potential inherent in ideas like a secret identity, or what happens when a vigilante creates a vacuum in crime. Ed Brubaker, who – if you ask me – has offered the most fascinating run on the character and has surpassed his work on Captain America, finishes his run here and closes a chapter in the life of the Marvel Universe’s most tragic superhero.
Stars in your eyes...
Note: This review will contain spoilers for the end of Brubaker’s run, if you aren’t already familiar with it. I’ll flag them beforehand, but consider yourself warned.
Filed under: Comics | Tagged: ande parks, black tarantula, comic books, cruel and unusual, daredevil, daredevil by ed brubaker, daredevil by ed brubaker and michael lark, daredevil by ed brubaker and michael lark omnibus, daredevil by ed brubaker omnibus, david aja, ed brubaker, graphic novel, greg rucka, lady bullseye, marvel, marvel omnibus, matt murdock, michael lark, return of the king, review, the blood of the tarantula, the hand, the kingpin, tragedy, wilson fisk | 2 Comments »
I’m a big fan of Russell Brand but he seems to be somewhat overshadowed by Jonah Hill in Get Him to the Greek. Hill easily steals the show and is the main reason this film is funny, I may even go as far as saying he’s the only reason this movie is funny. Without Hill this movie may have fallen down, but luckily he keeps everything a float throughout the course of the film.
It's only rock'n'roll but we like it...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: aldous snow, comedy, films, get him to the greek, jonah hill, Movies, non-review review, p. diddy, puff daddy, review, russell brand, sean combc | 1 Comment »
Ever thought Hamlet was kinda a downer, what with everybody dying and all? Well, you’re not alone. Failed actor and volunteer drama teacher Dana Marschz had the same notion. Drafting only his misfit bunch of drama students, he has decided to stage a play of his own, using it as a window to explore his own peculiar father issues through the window of a time-traveling Hamlet and a (rock me, rock me) sexy Jesus. The movie doesn’t perfectly capitalise on its downright hilarious premise, but it’s still a wonderfully entertaining story with a promising lead performance.
Sexy Jesus found his role greatly increased in the sequel...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: comedy, hamlet, hamlet 2, mvoies, non-review review, review, steve coogan, the arts | 7 Comments »
Yes Man is a fairly standard romantic comedy with an inventive (but one-note) high concept. It does, however, have an ace in the hole: Jim Carrey.
Keep Pottering on...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: bradley cooper, comedy, films, fionnula flannigan, jim carrey, luis guzman, Movies, no, non-review review, review, rhys darby, spencer garrett, terrence stamp, yes, yes man | 4 Comments »
Remember when Al Pacino was great? Yeah, it was a while ago.
Wow, they're really trying to keep Pacino out of that taxi, aren't they? Not that I'd blame him for trying to get away from this film...
Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 88 minutes, al pacino, films, Movies, non-review review, review, righteous kill | 2 Comments »
Arcadia is great. It’s a wonderfully dense, witty work from writer Tom Stoppard. The Gate production is, as one would expect, top notch, and the play seems to suit the surroundings of the theatre, with its lavish set design and production values. Whether you’re looking to wrap your head around something stimulating, or simply looking for an entertaining night at the theatre, you could do a lot worse than Arcadia.
Don't worry, he doesn't lay the maths on too hard...
Filed under: Theatre | Tagged: arcadia, dublin, gate the gate theatre, gate theatre, play, review, stoppard, the gate, Theatre, tom stoppard | Leave a comment »
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