The apocalypse starts, what do you do? If you're Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, you hunker down with your celebrity friend James Franco in his newly designed house and hope to survive. This is the End, based on a short film called Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse, marks the directorial debut of long-time collaborators Rogen and Evan Goldberg. … [Read more...]
The Internship (2013) review by That Film Student
Google is a search engine; its purpose is to provide immediate results. The same can be said for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson's new film, The Internship, what you expect is what you get. You know that the predictable plot will invoke outbursts of uncontrollable laughter (involving Alanis Morissette and a cameo appearance from Will Ferrell), just as you know that Vaughn will … [Read more...]
Seven Samurai (1954) review by That Film Dude
The huge international success of Rashomon in 1950 had cemented Akira Kurosawa's reputation as the most famous Japanese filmmaker in the world, and given him an enormous amount of clout for his future projects. Having had great success with that period piece, Kurosawa decided to make a true samurai film, something he had never done before, and so was born Seven Samurai, the … [Read more...]
The Experiment (2010) review by That Film Guy
In 1971 US psychologist Philip Zimbardo ran a sociological study known as the Stanford Prison Experiment. The idea of the experiment was to see how a diverse group of people would respond to being placed into the positions of prisoner and guard in a prison. The experiment was stopped after only six days after the guards began inflicting psychological torture on the prisoners. … [Read more...]
After Earth (2013) review by That Film Guy
The potent combination of Hollywood nepotism and a quickly fading directorial star provide the backbone of science fiction action drama After Earth. In the future, the human race had to evacuate Earth and move to other planets, which brought them into contact with a race of alien hunters who can ˜literally smell your fear known as the Ursa. Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) is a young … [Read more...]
Grabbers (2012) review by That Film Journo
You either go down the serious route with monsters movies or take a more tongue-in-cheek approach. Grabbers is definitely in the latter camp and what a hoot it is, an uproarious blend of Jaws, Alien, Tremors and Father Ted that serves up generous helpings of both shocks and laughs. … [Read more...]
Much Ado About Nothing (2012) Review by That Art House Guy
Picture the scene. It's October 2011, and Joss Whedon is taking a holiday from post-production work on The Avengers. Having spent a a lengthy period working on one of the most hotly anticipate movies for years, dealing with the stresses of huge expectations from the legions of fans (and as we know, expectation is the root of all heartache*) and working all the plot strands into … [Read more...]
Review: Man of Steel (2013)
Man of Steel is the bold, brash, blue-ish grey reboot of the Superman mythos by director Zack Snyder. Taking the more Christopher Nolan route than the recent Marvel route, he presents to his audience a dark and brooding take on the last son of Krypton that follows Kal-El's growth from wonderkid to Super-Man and has him lead the charge into the new DC Cinematic Universe. … [Read more...]
The Seasoning House (2012) review by That Film Punk
The Seasoning House is the first feature from Paul Hyett, a make-up and effects maestro previously known for his gore and creature designs in such films as The Descent and Attack The Block. His directorial debut is a gritty, atmospheric feature, but one with some intensely troubling issues that make it difficult to recommend. … [Read more...]
Blade Runner (1982) review by That Film Doctor
Blade Runner was a genre-defining film. Made at a time when the world's technological capabilities were increasing quicker than our ability to use them all properly, it tapped into all those futuristic dreams (or anxieties) that characterised societies across world. Even the futuristic-sounding musical score by Vangelis was carefully crafted to add to the fantastical atmosphere … [Read more...]