[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B0051ZH8CC][/pullquote] Much has been made of the controversy surrounding this Italian-made cult horror: probably a surprise to nobody with a title like that. Banned in several countries due to its graphic violence and sense of amorality, the film even attracted … [Read more...]
Review: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2012)
The horror genre, possibly more than any other in cinema, has specific tropes and clichés that recur over and over again. The teens in peril sub-genre is so templated that the makers of the Final Destination franchise are able to make minor variations on the same film over and over again and still turn a profit “ a lot of their audience want to play at working out who'll be … [Read more...]
Review: Muscle Shoals (2013)
Modern pop music is, for better or worse, an unstoppable monster. It thunders on and on: an accelerating, extrapolating force, always expanding and erupting in every direction at once. Each genre splinters into a thousand sub-genres, with each sub-genre birthing a thousand niches of its own. But every new sound is built on the foundation of what went before, each taking … [Read more...]
Review: Captain Phillips (2013)
Like no other modern director of mainstream movies, Paul Greengrass captures the geo-political spirit of the times while keeping his films very personal. That's harder than it sounds. Marshaling action, fights and explosions and still making a film intimate and engaging is quite a trick. From his Bourne films to United 93 and Green Zone, Greengrass pinpoints and examines the … [Read more...]
Review: Romeo and Juliet (2013)
˜Never was there a story of more woe' than the new Romeo and Juliet. Expecting a passionate whirlwind of tragedy, love and desire, I'm afraid to say that Julian Fellowes' adaptation was anything but. Instead I watched a cheapened, dumbed down, version that failed to inspire a generation with the greatest love story in the English Language. … [Read more...]
Review: Sunshine on Leith (2013)
Following on from the success of his directorial debut Wild Bill, Dexter Fletcher turns his attention to adapting a stage musical. Sunshine of Leith is a musical drama set in Edinburgh to a soundtrack composed entirely of songs by The Proclaimers. … [Read more...]
Review: Gigli (2003)
Gigli. The mere mention of that film is enough to send shivers down most spines. This is usually followed by snorting laughter. Regarded as one of the worst Hollywood films of all time, this reputation relies on a number of key points. All of them valid. The fact that people often pronounce it incorrectly makes it even funnier, remember as Ben Affleck tells us at the beginning … [Read more...]
Review: Machete Kills (2013)
While you don't quite have to switch your brain off to appreciate this Robert Rodriguez directed offering, you may just enjoy the ride a little more if you do. Rest your analytical muscles for the 107 minutes and let Machete Kills make you laugh out loud, consider the ridiculousness of it all and wait with excited glee for what might be coming next. In other words, let it … [Read more...]
Review: Ghost Ship (2002)
After a successful rescuing of a sinking boat, a ship salvaging crew is celebrating in a local bar. That is, of course, until John Ferriman (Desmond Harrington), a weather service pilot comes to congratulate them and offer them a job. On a routine fly over, he spotted a ship adrift in international waters, and couldn't get in contact with it. And since it appears to be a … [Read more...]
Review: The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Following the staggering success of Pixar and computer-generated feature films, Disney moved away from the more hand-drawn ˜traditional' style of animation for many years. They returned to it in 2009 with their own unique take on the classic children's story The Princess and the Frog. … [Read more...]