RED, which rather colourfully stands for Retired, Extremely Dangerous is a knockabout action comedy starring a host of older actors who prove that blowing up bad guys is far more interesting than standard retirement activities. Forming part of a growing sub-genre of OAP actioners, RED is actually based on a limited comic book series by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner published by … [Read more...]
From Up On Poppy Hill (2011, Japan) review by That Art House Guy
From Up On Poppy Hill is the second movie from Goro Miyazaki, son of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. Like his first film Tales From Earthsea, Miyazaki chose to adapt an existing story, but there the similarities end, as From Up On Poppy Hill is a small scale drama based on comic book series of the same name “ quite a change from the sweeping science fiction fantasy of the … [Read more...]
The Garbage Pail Kids Movie (1987) review by That Film Guy
The late 1980s saw a rise in the popularity of the child's toy The Cabbage Patch Kids. In response to this Topps Cards produced a line of collectible cards that parodied their more popular cousins and were known as The Garbage Pail Kids (latterly The Garbage Gang in the United Kingdom). They became a huge success in their own right and in 1987 a film was commissioned to cash in … [Read more...]
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966) review by That Film Dude
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The study of film has hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying … [Read more...]
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) review by That Film Guy
The step-up from television to film can be a dangerous excursion for beloved characters. In an attempt to fit within the three-act structure of films, there is a temptation for directors to place the characters in unfamiliar and unexpected circumstances to get the ˜film feel' needed to differentiate it from the television show. It is fortunate then, that Alan Partridge: Alpha … [Read more...]
The Heat (2013) review by That Film Dude
Director Paul Feig's follow-up to the critically and commercially lauded Bridesmaids, The Heat serves a similar purpose in giving a prime summer release date to a female-fronted comedy in a genre usually dominated by men. And fortunately, it looks set to follow in the success of Bridesmaids, having grossed over $130 million at time of writing from a budget of $43 million, … [Read more...]
White House Down (2013) review by That Film Guy
Like buses, you often wait for a film to come along only to have two arrive at the same time. This is certainly the case for the latest Roland Emmerich film White House Down, which follows hot on the heels of the superior-named Olympus Has Fallen about a White House siege. … [Read more...]
The Lone Ranger (2013) review by That Film Doctor
The Lone Ranger started off as a radio play in America in 1933. Since then, he has become a cultural touchstone within contemporary Americana, epitomising the spirit of freedom, justice and courage that has become synonymous with the American Dream. It is perhaps equally fitting then this current incarnation represents the bilious trite, commercially driven vacuity that is … [Read more...]
Only God Forgives (2013) review by That Film Brat
In 2011, Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling teamed up to create Drive, a stylish, 80s-esque neo-noir masterpiece that was my film of 2011 and one of my favourite movies of all time. Now, Gosling and Refn are back for another collaboration, this time with the revenge thriller Only God Forgives. As I said above, I was a big fan of Drive, so I was looking forward to this film … [Read more...]
The Bling Ring (2013) review by That Film Brat
The blurred line between 'harmless fun' and 'crime' is an interesting topic. There are films that shamelessly glamorize it with little to no consequences like 21 & Over, but there are also films that claim to go into the mindset of it. This was used to fantastic effect in this year's Spring Breakers, and now Sofia Coppola's new film The Bling Ring attempts to de-construct … [Read more...]