Reel Thinker

Thoughts on a ground-breaking Oscars ceremony (82nd Academy Awards)

Captain Howdy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:13:32 +0000

It used to be that I’d have to endure a media blockout through an entire Monday so I could enjoy the Oscars telecast. As it happens live on a Sunday night in the States, it’s actually around 10AM Monday morning in Australia, and in the past the TV network screening the event wouldn’t do so [...]

THE BLIND SIDE: Hollywood’s default setting

Captain Howdy — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:57:25 +0000

Ordinarily, getting my wife to watch a film with me simply because I state: “it’s supposed to be really good, it’s up for an Oscar!” isn’t enough to get her keen on viewing it. She has good reason to doubt my judgement, and once you’ve done the house duties and put the kiddies to sleep, [...]

MEMENTO review: holy short-term memory loss, Batman

froley — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:10:49 +0000

Christopher Nolan is best known for his Bat-films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight; big, heavy, dark comic book movies that have captured the hearts and wallets of a generation of moviegoers. But once upon a time, before Christian Bale gargled gravel and donned the bat cowl, Christopher Nolan made a little film called Memento. [...]

WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY promises to shed light on unsung Disney heroes.

JonBoy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:52:37 +0000

If you asked a group of people in their twenties what films come to mind when you hear the word “Disney”, you’d most likely get responses along the line of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. These films have managed to stand the test of time with all of them [...]

Summer review round-up: the good, the bad and the ugly

froley — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:51:24 +0000

Way back in the beginning of December, in our first week of existence, I posted a list of the five most anticipated films of the summer. Now that it is officially autumn (even if the weather obstinately refuses to accept this incontravertible truth), it’s the perfect time to look back over the past three months [...]

TREKKIES review: celebrating geekiness

froley — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:45:17 +0000

If you think Star Trek is ‘lame’ or ‘uncool’ then you are still manacled to the ball-and-chain of high-school mentality populararity contests, and should probably go back to listening to Green Day and reading Harry Potter and watching Avatar, you soulless humbug. Star Trek is a forty-year-old institution, a supporting pillar of modern pop culture, and [...]

UP secures both Best Animated Film and Best Picture nominations and it totally deserves it.

JonBoy — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:31:06 +0000

[Writer's note: This review was originally written when Up was in theatrical release and my thoughts on it haven’t changed since then. I’m thrilled to see it nominated for both best animated feature and best picture at the Academy awards. When reading over this, I found it funny that I compared it to District 9 [...]

BAFTA awards snub AVATAR, earn my respect

froley — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:42:38 +0000

Ah, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts: Britain’s answer to the Academy Awards. I don’t think I know any people who speak of the BAFTAs (or the Golden Globes, for that matter) when comparing the calibre and critical worth of films; it’s always the Oscars that everyone talks about ten years after the fact. [...]

A personal reflection on M.NIGHT SHYAMALAN

JonBoy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:00:16 +0000

Remember the first time you watched The Sixth Sense? Perhaps you were lucky enough to not know the ending upon your first viewing – making the twist all the more powerful. I remember hearing about the film long before I saw it, there was always someone at school talking about how they went with their [...]

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE review: return to sender

froley — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:35:57 +0000

From Paris With Love reeks of squandered potential. Charlie Wax could have been an iconic, entertaining character in his own right, and John Travolta’s performance is desperately trying to push the character in the direction of success, but something about the film’s script and direction really drags the otherwise entertaining character into the inescapable realm [...]