stunts | the m0vie blog

New Escapist Column! On the “John Wick” Movies as a Love Letter to Stuntwork…

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Darren

I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the upcoming release of John Wick: Chapter 4, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look back at the action franchise.

In modern Hollywood, the John Wick movies stand out from a lot of their competitors by embracing a very practical and material philosophy, leaning heavily on in-camera effects for maximum impact. However, the films are more than just a showcase for stuntwork as one of the industry’s most undervalued artforms. They are also an argument for stunt work as an artform unto itself, particularly in the way that they emphasis the importance of action as a means of storytelling and the way in which they frequently place their stunts in the context of more broadly-accepted forms of artistic expression.

You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.

Filed under: Movies | Tagged: art, ballerina, ballet, buster keaton, charlie chaplin, history, hollywood, in the frame, john wick, Keanu Reeves, Performers, silent cinema, stunts, stuntwork, the escapist | Leave a comment »

217. Sherlock Jr. (#198)

Posted on January 16, 2021 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guest Andrew Max Tohline, The 250 is a weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released Saturdays at 6pm GMT.

So this week, Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr.

In a small town, a movie projectionist (and janitor) falls in love with a beautiful woman. He dreams of ways in which he might win her love, turning to detective fiction and the silver screen for inspiration. However, sometimes the boundaries between reality and fantasy are more porous than they might appear.

At time of recording, it was ranked 198th on the list of the best movies of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

Continue reading →

Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: andrew max tohline, buster keaton, fatty arbuckle, hollywood history, imdb, john wick, list, max tohline, metatext, postmodernism, Sherlock Jr, silent cinema, silent film, stunts, stuntwork, surrealism | Leave a comment »

147. The Matrix – Summer of ’99 (#18)

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and this week with special guests Grace Duffy and Alex Towers, The 250 is a (mostly) weekly trip through some of the best (and worst) movies ever made, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users. New episodes are released every Saturday at 6pm GMT.

This time, continuing our Summer of ’99 season, Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s The Matrix.

1999 was a great year for movies, with a host of massively successful (and cult) hits that would define cinema for a next generation: 10 Things I Hate About You, The Virgin Suicides, Run Lola Run, Election, Cruel Intentions, Fight Club. The Summer of ’99 season offers a trip through the year in film on the IMDb‘s 250.

Thomas Anderson lives a fairly ordinary life; an office drone by day, a computer hacker by night. However, Anderson’s life quickly begins to fall apart when he finds himself drawn to a mysterious hacker named Trinity. It soon becomes clear that Anderson’s life (and his very reality) is not at all what it appears to be.

At time of recording, it was ranked 18th on the Internet Movie Database‘s list of the best movies of all-time.

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Filed under: The 250 | Tagged: 1999, action movies, alex towers, existence, film, grace duffy, hugo weaving, Keanu Reeves, Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Movie, philosophy, reality, simulationism, stunts, the matrix | 2 Comments »

94. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (#166) – This Just In

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Darren

Hosted by Andrew Quinn and Darren Mooney, and with special guests Graham Day and Luke Dunne, This Just In is a subset of The 250 podcast, looking at notable new arrivals on the list of the 250 best movies of all-time, as voted for by Internet Movie Database Users.

This time, Christopher McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout.

At time of recording, it was ranked the 166th best movie of all time on the Internet Movie Database.

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Filed under: This Just In | Tagged: action, Church of Scientology, graham day, luke dunne, mission: impossible, mission: impossible - fallout, podcast, Scientology, stunts, The 250, tom cruise | 2 Comments »

The X-Files – Ascension (Review)

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Darren

This August (and a little of September), we’re taking a trip back in time to review the second season of The X-Files. In November, we’ll be looking at the third season. And maybe more.

Ascension is effectively a giant chase sequence and an epilogue to the first six episodes of the second season. While lacking the tight focus of Duane Barry, Ascension moves fast enough and provides enough plot momentum that it feels like a satisfactory conclusion. For an episode that was essentially written to deal with a cast member’s unexpected pregnancy, it’s a pretty fantastic piece of television.

Keep watching the skiis… er, skies!

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Filed under: The X-Files | Tagged: alien abduction, betrayal, cliffhanger, duane barry, gillian anderson, krycek, mulder, scully, Skinner, stunts, Television, tension, ust | 4 Comments »

Non Review Review: Cliffhanger

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Darren

I picked up Cliffhanger on bluray because it was €9 and because I’d never seen it before. My aunt and uncle both suggested that the film would look absolutely stunning in high definition – and they were right. Say waht you (and even I) will about Renny Harlin’s storytelling ability or his difficulties with actors, he does shoot good scenery. The scenery gives the best performance in the film, with the aerial photography give a huge sense of scale to proceedings. Nice mountains, shame about the movie.