Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. Opening with these immortal words of Arthur C. Clarke, Dark Skies, the third film by Scott Stewart blends horror with supernatural science fiction. The fact that the popular computer game XCOM: Enemy Unknown used the exact same quote six months earlier should by no means … [Read more...]
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) review by That Film Guy
In the history of film there are some reasonably well-regarded truths. The Godfather is one of the best films ever made, Michael Bay likes sexualising women and Ed Wood is one of the most notoriously bad directors of all time. There's even an excellent biopic called Ed Wood, directed by Tim Burton starring Johnny Depp as the man himself which tracks the creation of his … [Read more...]
Cloud Atlas (2012) review by That Film Guy
In general films released today follow a broad structure of three acts, with the setup, the obstacle and the resolution. There are some films however that bend and manipulate this structure and try and create something more fluid. Then there are films that are pure and utter madness. A chaos of ideas and themes that distinctly do not follow the classical structure. Based on the … [Read more...]
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) review by That Film Dude
Apparently because the Star Wars prequels didn't teach him to leave the old classics alone, George Lucas decided that what Indiana Jones needed was another sequel, even after Last Crusade ended the series on just about the best possible note twenty years before. Why it was deemed necessary to resurrect such a great trilogy, and not even bother to do the new film properly, is … [Read more...]
Battle Los Angeles (2011) review by That Film Guy
Battle Los Angeles follows a group of US Marines who are thrown into combat with extraterrestrial invaders in the City of Angels. On August 12, 2011, large masses thought to be meteorites land in the oceans near several major coastal cities. The objects are discovered to be spacecraft containing hostile extraterrestrial life. Marines from Camp Pendleton arrive in Los Angeles, … [Read more...]
Storage 24 (2012) review by That Film Doctor
How do you make an alien monster movie on a shoestring budget? Set it in a storage warehouse facility in South London of course. Johannes Roberts' newest horror film, Storage 24 tells the story of Charlie (Noel Clarke) and his estranged ex-girlfriend Shelly (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) as they come to blows over the contents of a lock up, and the exposed relationship Shelly has … [Read more...]
Elysium (2013) review by That Film Dude
Neill Blomkamp's previous feature, District 9, was one of the best science fiction films of recent years, so his follow-up project Elysium was always going to be an exciting prospect. However, considering that the summer of 2013 has largely been dominated by mega-budgeted disappointments, there is even more pressure for it to deliver on its considerable potential. Well, good … [Read more...]
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) review by That Film Guy
Films can be predictable things. Romantic comedies as a genre are one the most formulaic there is. Guy meets girl, they hit it off, some small obstacles are placed in their way, they overcome them, usually involving a big gesture and the live happily ever after. Then, every once in a while a romantic comedy comes along that goes a different route. A more realistic route. These … [Read more...]
Looper (2012) review by That Film Guy
Director Rian Johnson began his career with the language-muddling high school film noir Brick, before moving on to the con-man film The Brothers Bloom, yet his third film, arguably his best, is a science fiction time-travel action film called Looper. Creating an original, but familiar location of near-future Earth, Johnson is able to place interesting characters with a complex … [Read more...]
Body Melt (1993) review by That Film Klown
At first glance, Body Melt is far better than other entries to our terrible film dungeon. The acting, script, direction, music and just about everything else are all immeasurably better than those in, for example, The Room or Birdemic. But the longer Body Melt goes on, the worse it gets. It's horrendously gory throughout and even after it's finished you may struggle to say … [Read more...]