August 18, 2010
Salt
Rated M
Starring Angelina Jolie and Liev Schreiber
The premise of Salt alone is enough to sell tickets: A CIA agent is interviewing a Russian man who wants to defect to America. The Russian knows the identity of a Russian spy, planted in the CIA, who is going to kill the Russian Prime Minister. The spy’s name is Evelyn Salt. The CIA agent replies “But that’s my name.” “Then you must be a Russian spy.” Now that’s a great way to start a movie. Salt (played by Angelina Jolie) goes on the run. Is she trying to clear her name or is she really a Russian spy? Unfortunately, the movie never manages to equal or better these opening moments.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
August 18, 2010
Scott Pilgrim vs The World
Rated M
Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Directed by Edgar Wright
I’m going to put it out there right at the start: this could well be one of my favourite movies of all time. There, I’ve said it. I mean, I’ll have to watch it a few more times to make sure, but it’s definitely up there. Have I set the bar suitably high enough? Good. Because Scott Pilgrim vs The World is truly an epic of epic epicness.
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2 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 1 John, Computer Games, Edgar Wright, Epic, Forgiveness, Kieran Culkin, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Cera, Movie Review, Ramona Flowers, Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim vs The World | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
August 11, 2010
Ghost Writer
Rated MA
Starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan
Take a walk through the aisles of your local bookstore. When you get to the autobiography section, stop for a moment. There’s a lot of books there, right? Books written by rock stars, cricket players, movie stars, and politicians. People who have led amazing lives. Chances are the subject didn’t actually write the book, even though it has their name on the cover. Chances are a ghost writer did all the heavy lifting.
Now before you think I’m getting all spooky on you, I’m not talking about a literal ghost like Casper. I’m talking about an author who takes the words and the stories of the autobiography subject and makes them readable. And when they finish, they disappear into the background. They never get the credit. You never know who they are or how hard they worked to get the autobiography into your hands.
In Ghost Writer, Ewan McGregor’s character is hired to fix up the autobiography of the former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan). However, there’s a catch: McGregor is not the first man to take on the job. The previous ghost writer was found dead under suspicious circumstances. The former Prime Minster has secrets locked deep away and uncovering them may prove fatal.
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 1 Peter, Autobiography, Ewan McGregor, Ghost Writer, Movie Review, Pierce Brosnan | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
August 11, 2010
Splice
Rated MA
At this point in time, I am not a parent. I don’t know first hand what it’s like to be a parent. But I do know lots of people who are parents. I’ve talked to them about their kids. I’ve shared meals with them where their kids would sit and eat with us. I’ve been there when times are good and when times are bad. The moments where the parent couldn’t possibly be prouder of their youngen. And times where the parent is literally pulling out their hair in frustrating and wondering about the process of adopting out their child. Parenting can be tough. But imagine how much tougher it would be if the child was a human/animal hybrid that you created in your lab and she was growing at an incredible rate.
I know some parents think that their children aren’t exactly human. In Splice, this is not an exaggeration but the situation a young couple find themselves after playing God with test tubes.
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2 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 1 Peter, DNA, Morality, Movie Review, Parenting, Splice | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
July 28, 2010
Me and Orson Welles
Rated PG
Starring Zac Efron, Claire Danes, Christian McKay
Orson Welles was a creative genius. He directed and starred in Citizen Kane, regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made. He was responsible for the radio adaption of War of the Worlds that was so realistic that it caused mass hysteria because people listening actually thought aliens had invaded. And for most people of my generation or younger, he’s best known for being the voice of Unicron in the 1986 Transformers: The Movie. Okay, that last one might not be a career highlight. But it can’t be denied that Orson Welles was an impressive guy.
Me and Orson Welles is a movie that shows us a snapshot of Orson Welles’ life as he prepares for his 1937 stage production of Julius Caesar at the Mercury Theatre. Zac Efron plays Richard Samuels, a young aspiring actor who finds himself cast in the play and discovers that Welles (played by Christian McKay) is every bit the genius he imagined. However, he grows to realise that Welles also has a dark side.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
June 5, 2010
Legion (2010)
Rated MA
A movie about a group of ordinary people holed up in a diner, surrounded by desert, using machine guns to fight off angels. This should be an awesome movie. Right? Right? Well it isn’t. Thankyou Legion for taking a good concept and turning it into a very, very bad movie.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
May 22, 2010
Robin Hood (2010)
Rated M
Starring Russel Crow and Cate Blanchett
There are certain things you expect in a Robin Hood movie. A gang of outlaws hiding in the forest. Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. A false king abusing his power while the real king is away. Stacks of archery tricks.
This is not a Robin Hood movie.
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
May 11, 2010
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Rated M
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson
Tony Stark has it all. Money, women, fast cars, and popularity. He’s on the front cover of every magazine and the lead story of every news program. Crowds of people swarm together just to get a chance to see him. On top of all that, his new invention has everyone excited. So excited that it looks like he may have brought about world peace. Tony Stark is Iron Man, the armored avenger. So what could possibly go wrong?
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
April 14, 2010
Kick-Ass (2010)
Rated MA
What kind of loser thinks that it would be a good idea to put on a costume and fight crime? Meet Dave. He’s the main character of Kick-Ass and he’s a loser. He’s not a top student, he’s not on any sport teams, and girls think he is below their notice. Here’s a guy looking for something to give his life meaning. So inspired by his comic book heroes, he orders a wetsuit and mask off the internet and begins his career as a costumed crime fighter.
This is a very bad idea.
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Big Daddy, Hit Girl, James, Kick-Ass, Movie Review, Nicholas Cage, Red Mist, Significance, Superheroes | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
March 4, 2010
Avatar (2009)
Rated M
Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver
I think I’m the last person on the planet to see this movie. I spent the six weeks of the summer holidays in non-English speaking countries. Avatar was so big that it was showing in every country we went to. However my German was no where near good enough to even bother trying to keep up. And life was so busy after we got back to Australia it seemed like we’d miss out.
But because Avatar is one of the biggest movies ever, it was still showing almost every where last weekend, so I managed to get along to a session. I’d heard so much about it, I thought I’d be disappointed. I wasn’t. The movie was visually spectacular and held my attention all the way through, despite being a very lengthy flick.
A lot has been said about Avatar. So instead of giving an in-depth review, I’m going to give my impressions in point form. That way I’m going to cover a lot, but in less detail. If you want to explore any of these ideas further, that’s what the comments are for. Let’s do this thing!
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Avatar, Imperialism, James Cameron, Jesus, Mission, Movie Review, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
March 3, 2010
This week:
- Pandorum
- Dear John
- Alice in Wonderland
- Ninja Assassin
- The Men Who Stare at Goats
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
February 10, 2010
It’s been a long time since I’ve written one of these. I haven’t even stepped into a movie cinema since last year. What have I missed? Anything I should rush to see? I’ll be checking out Sherlock Holmes at the Moonlight Cinema this week. Anything else?
Let’s get into this week’s new releases:
- Valentine’s Day
- The Wolfman
- A Prophet
- My Name is Khan
- Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief
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Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 18, 2009
Only two movies this week:
- Twilight Saga: New Moon
- A Serious Man
Let’s do this thing.
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2 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: A Serious Man, Movie Guide, New Moon | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
November 11, 2009
For those of you not suffering under the burden of exams, here’s this week’s Movie Guide.
This week:
- Amelia
- Dorian Gray
- The Brothers Bloom
- 2012
- The Boys Are Back
- Sister Smile
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 2012, Amelia, Boys Are Back, Brothers Bloom, Dorian Gray, Movie Guide, Sister Smile | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 30, 2009
Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009)
Rated G
It was going to be one of the biggest concerts ever. After ten years, Michael Jackson was set to return to the stage. However, days before the final dress rehearsal, Jackson passed away. People all over the world were in mourning. And many wondered what that last show would have been like. This Is It takes video recorded during numerous rehearsals to give us a glimpse of what we might have seen. It also serves as tribute to the man named “The King of Pop”. This is both more and less than a concert recording. It’s less than a concert recording for various reasons which I will outline below. More importantly, it is more than a concert recording because of the glimpse we get not only of Jackson: the man, but also of Jackson:the object of worship.
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4 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Acts, Church of Rock and Roll, False gods, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson's This Is It, Movie Review, This Is It | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 27, 2009
The movie Legion has got me interested. Here’s a plot synopsis from IMDB:
After a terrifying biblical apocalypse descends upon the world, a group of strangers stranded in a remote truck stop diner in the Southwest unwittingly become humanity’s last line of defense when they discover the diner’s young waitress is pregnant with the messiah.
It’s due out in January 2010 in the US. No Australian release date yet.
Leave a Comment » | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Angels, Apocolypse, Legion, Messiah, Movies | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
October 20, 2009
Fame (2009)
Rated PG
The New York Academy of Performing Arts is a high school that’s pretty tough to get into. Each year 10,000 teenagers apply. 200 make the cut. This is a school where being good isn’t good enough. You have to be the best. As the students begin their time at PA, the principal warns them that it’s going to be hard going. There’s going to be a lot of sweat, blood and tears. That they’ll have to work twice as hard as any other student. That some of them won’t make it. That’s the price these talented youngster have to pay for being the best.
That’s the premise of Fame. Shame they didn’t do anything with it.
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3 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: 1 John, Fame, Movie Review | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
August 31, 2009
Southland Tales (2006)
Rated MA
Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Justin Timberlake
Donnie Darko is one of my favourite movies of all time. If not my all time favourite. A few years ago, I started hearing word of Richard Kelly’s next project, Southland Tales. And I waited. And I began to believe this movie was mythical. IMDB said it existed. Movie reviews said it existed. But I just couldn’t get my hands on a copy. I was hesitant to buy a copy of a movie I hadn’t seen before. What if it wasn’t worth the money? The reviews I had read weren’t very complimentary. But then I found it. Sitting on the shelf at my local video store in the weekly section. And it was $1 Tuesday. Score!
So was it worth the wait? Was it a work of unappreciated genius or an utter disaster? With an abundance of recognisable stars, a soundtrack by Moby, and special effects galore, there’s a lot going for this movie. It’s an apocalyptic tale of the end of the world. It’s a satire of the war on terror and the infringement of civil liberties. It’s a music video. It’s a love story. It’s a science fiction tale involving time travel and creepy psychic scientists. It’s a multi-media experience involving comic books and websites. It’s all of these things and more.
Have a nice apocalypse.
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1 Comment | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Apocalypse, Dwayne Johnson, Justin Timberlake, Movie Review, Revelation, Richard Kelly, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Seann William Scott, Southland Tales | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
August 12, 2009
District 9
Rated MA
All men are equal. Allegedly. In practice, the truth is somewhat different. There’s a huge difference between the life of someone living in a developed country and someone living in a slum in the third world. Ideally, everyone should be treated the same, regardless of gender, nationality, age, sexuality, etc. But in the real world, it doesn’t always happen that way. You watch the news and see some of the atrocities that people commit against other human beings. If that’s how we treat other human beings, how would we treat aliens?
Aliens have landed. They’re sick, malnourished, and disorganised. They need our help. Instead we show them the ugly side of human behaviour. Instead of love they are shown heartless bureaucracy, racism, and fear. Welcome to District 9.
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3 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Aliens, District 9, Movie Reviews, Refugees | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
August 10, 2009
The big movie season is nearing it’s end for 2009. I managed to see quite a few and missed some others. For a change, I don’t think I regret missing any of the movies I missed.
But now my eyes turn towards the rest of 2009. What’s coming up for the rest of the year that I’m interested in seeing?
- GI Joe – Out Now (Will see it if I get a chance, but not that fussed)
- Coraline – Out Now (I want to see this, especially in 3d)
- Taking Woodstock – 13 Aug
- Inglourious Basterds – 20 Aug
- Shorts – 3 Sep
- Up – 3 Sep (Still don’t understand why we get this one so much later than the USA)
- Funny People – 10 Sep
- The Surrogates – 8 Oct
- Astro Boy – 22 Oct
- Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus – 29 Oct
- Where The Wild Things Are – 3 Dec
- Avatar – 17 Dec
- Sherlock Holmes – 26 Dec
Is there anything that you think should be on my list that isn’t? What movies are you excited about for the rest of 2009?
2 Comments | Movie Reviews | Tagged: Cinema, Coming Soon, Upcoming Movies, What To Watch | Permalink
Posted by Joel A Moroney
