steven spielberg | the m0vie blog

Non-Review Review: Minority Report

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Darren

I don’t love Minority Report. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a well-made film – perfectly entertaining and cleverly directed by a director who is one of the best living today – but it just doesn’t feel consistent for me. The whole doesn’t necessarily add up to the sum of its parts, as it were.

They should probably screen their officers better...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: colin farrell, destiny, fatalism, fate, free will, future, max von sydow, minority report, philp k. dick, pre-cog, pre-crime, samantha morton, science fiction, stanley kubrick, steven spielberg, tom cruise | 7 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

Why?

That’s my only question after seeing the film: why was it necessary? It’s not entirely a bad film – indeed, without the baggage coming with the franchise it might have been a perfectly average film. Unfortunately it is a terrible Indiana Jones film that is packed to the brim with elements that just don’t work and only one that does. Harrison Ford is one hell of a fantastic performer, but even he can’t save this film.

Jonesing for some Jones?

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: aliens, cate blanchet, crystal skulls, harrison ford, indiana jones, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, john hurt, non-review review, ray winstone, review, sequel, shia labeouf, steven spielberg, the kingdom of the crystal skull | 7 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

I would love to have been there when the sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. The anticipation and the build up to a sequel to one of most brilliantly bright and fun adventure films ever made. I don’t know what I would have been expecting… but I don’t think it would have been this. As a piece of trivia, the film is actually a prequel, but that doesn’t matter. It has a bit of an odd child of the franchise (even after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), in that it’s the only film that doesn’t follow Indy’s quest for a mysterious relic. But that isn’t the only (or even the biggest difference). There’s a massive shift in tone between this and the film proceeding it and the film following. Everything’s just a hint darker and… well, weirder. Still, I’ve a soft spot in my heart for the black sheep of the franchise and I fully and whole-heartedly embrace that weirdness.

Indy bridges the divide...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: film, harrison ford, india, indiana jones, indiana jones and the temple of doom, Movies, non-review review, review, steven spielberg, temple of doom | 3 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

I’ll admit that Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably the most technically magnificent of the Indiana Jones trilogy, but Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has all the heart. It’s a surprisingly sweet, sensative and funny film, all wrapped inside the trappings that made Raiders of The Lost Ark so fantastic in the first place. That’s awesome of it itself. And then Spielberg goes and adds Sean Connery to the mix. Even more awesomeness ensues.

Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are on fire...

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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: films, harrison ford, indiana jones, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Movies, non-review review, review, sean connery, steven spielberg, the holy grail, the last crusade | 2 Comments »

Non-Review Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Darren

To “celebrate” the premiere of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (what’s to celebrate?), Sky Movies ran all three of the original movies back-to-back over the weekend. That’s a pretty good start to the weekend. I caught the first and third films, as well as rewatching the fourth. I’m going to try to catch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom during the week. So, how do does the newly-formed tetralogy stand up?