Posted on October 1, 2010 by Darren
Road to Perdition may be the best graphic novel adaptation ever to make it to screen – and also perhaps one of the most seldom recognised (very few people seem to realise the film’s roots, perhaps because – as an Oscar contender – it played them down). It’s an old-style biblical fable set in the thirties about the lengths that a father will go to in order to protect his son, but it’s crafted with a skilled hand. It’s a genuine classic.
He's a New Man...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: American Beauty (film), films, jude law, Michael Sullivan, Movies, non-review review, Paul Newman, review, Road to Perdition, sam mendes, tom hanks, training day | 5 Comments »
Posted on April 20, 2010 by Darren
Remember how I mocked the idea of remaking The Wizard of Oz? I may take it back. The rumour is that Oz The Great and Powerful has entered production, a sort of prologue to the book and movie, based on the cult book Brick. It is basically an origin story for the Wizard himself. And rumour has it that Robert Downey Jnr. may be starring, with Sam Mendes directing. I’m waiting for more to get really excited (as, with Iron Man 2 coming out, this is the silly season for Robert Downey Jnr. related stories – we’ll see him linked to everything over the next two weeks), but this is certainly interesting.
I'd be off to see the wizard...
Filed under: Movies | Tagged: oz, oz the great and powerful, robert downey jnr., sam mendes, the great and powerful oz, the wizard, the wizard of ox | 4 Comments »
Posted on January 9, 2010 by Darren
There’s been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on the next Bond film, provisionally titled as Bond 23. This week has been a bonaza of news about the project, which has been slowly taking shape through dribs and drabs of information. On one hand, we had the official confirmation of what everybody really knew (but it’s nice to know for sure): the movie won’t get made until someone buys MGM or the rights. The other tidbit was much more interesting. Bond has a director: Sam Mendes. I think it’s a great idea.
Things at MGM are so bad that Bond can't even afford dry-cleaning...
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Filed under: Movies | Tagged: bond, bond 23, daniel craig, film, james bond, mgm, Movies, news, peter morgan, sam mendes | Leave a comment »
Posted on September 20, 2009 by Darren
That was depressing. Really depressing. Soul crushingly depressing. What we have here is a good movie that flirts with greatness but never really comes to life. Perhaps Mendes is trying to evoke the dull lifelessness of suburban life, but the movie just doesn’t sparkle enough to engage the audience. Still, it holds two of the best performances of last year, and is never less than intriguing in its exploration of 1950s America.
Yep... Anyone want to bet things are going to work out better this time around?
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: 1950s, 1950s america, american beauty, drama, film, kate winslet, Leonardo diCaprio, Movie, non-review review, review, revolutionary road, richard yates, sam mendes, suburban, suburbia | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 10, 2009 by Darren
The Academy rarely gets it right when it comes to the Best Picture Oscar (Gladiator… Shakespeare in Love?), but this is one of the exceptions. Sam Mendes’ first major motion picture and arguably his best, American Beauty is a movie where all the elements seem to come together perfectly.
A bed of roses indeed...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: academy awards, american beauty, annette bening, dead again, kevin spacey, Movies, non-review review, Oscars, review, sam mendes, thomas newman | 3 Comments »
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