In 1939 MGM gave us The Wizard of Oz, the iconic tale of Dorothy, Toto, red slippers, yellow bricks road and the Emerald City. Forty-six years later, an unofficial sequel came to us in 1985 in the form of Return to Oz, a much darker twist ion the classic Oz tale. And now in 2013 Disney and Sam Raimi have brought the tale full circle by giving us a prequel. Oz the Great and … [Read more...]
Road Kill (2001) review by That Film Guy
Road Kill, also known as Joy Ride or Never Play with Strangers is a 2001 thriller directed by John Dahl and written by JJ Abrams. It follows student Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) who agrees to drive his childhood friend Venna (Leelee Sobieski) home from University. On his way to pick her up, he is asked by his mother to bail out his brother Fuller (Steve Zahn). … [Read more...]
Rounders (1998) review by That Film Guy
The explosion in popularity of poker is often tied to three key moments. There was the advent of online poker, which provided a safe environment for those scared of the ˜underground' reputation of the game. This combined with the amateur player Chris Moneymaker beating all the pros in the main event of the World Series of Poker, proving that anyone could win the big one. But … [Read more...]
World’s Greatest Dad (2009) review by That Film Punk
Bobcat Goldthwait is perhaps best known to some as squeaky-voiced buffon Zed from the Police Academy sequels. But over the last decade or so, the actor-turned director has been carving himself a reputation for writing and directing comedies of a somewhat ˜unique' nature. Take breakthrough film Sleeping Dogs (2006), which gained a lot of attention on the independent circuit for … [Read more...]
Kindergarten Cop (1990) review by That Film Doctor
The 10 years between 1985 and 1995 were probably Arnold Schwarzenegger's finest years. Starting with Commando, he then went on to do some of the finest action films ever put to celluloid, including The Running Man, Total Recall, Terminator 2 and True Lies. His penchant for comedy also saw him team up with his aesthetically antithetical actor, Danny DeVito in Twins, another … [Read more...]
Runaway Jury (2003) review by That Film Gal
The jury system was introduced to ensure that bias is left out of court decisions and that a democratic verdict is found, rather than leaving it to the whims and prejudices of a single judge. Runaway Jury does its level best to topple this idealistic notion, and insists that even under the current system, a verdict can be ˜bought' as easily as buying a cup of coffee. … [Read more...]
Safe Haven (2013) review by That Film Brat
If there's one best-selling author working at the moment that has proved to have no range whatsoever, it's Nicholas Sparks. All his stories are the same. Two people with no character flaws meet, they fall in love (regardless of the chemistry they actually have), something happens to separate them in which they sit around moping for a while, then meet up again, make-up, and … [Read more...]
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) review by That Film Guy
The mission for Hollywood executives to fill the gaps left by Harry Potter and Twilight in the burgeoning tween market continues with the fairytale-based Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Directed by Tommy Wirkola of Dead Snow fame, it lists Will Ferrell as a producer and saw its release delayed by a year to coincide with star Jeremy Renner's meteoric rise in popularity. … [Read more...]
Song for Marion (2012) review by That Film Brat
Song For Marion (also known as Unfinished Song) focuses around Arthur (Terence Stamp), the grumpy husband of Marion (Venessa Redgrave), a free spirit who is set on performing with her choir in an upcoming competition. However, when Marion falls ill of cancer, Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) tries to convince Arthur to sing in Marion's place. Arthur is also at odds with his estranged … [Read more...]
Stoker (2013) review by That Film Guy
Following the success of his Vengeance Trilogy, director Park Chan-Wook has been busy establishing himself on the global stage. First his vampire-lead thriller Thirst and now his English language debut comes in the form of psychological thriller Stoker. … [Read more...]