Starbuck is a 2011 Canadian comedy film directed by Ken Scott. It was the most successful Quebec-made movie within the province in 2011, bringing in just over $3m at the box office. Based loosely on the real life case of a popular sperm donor who met his previously unknown offspring, it extends and dramatizes certain factual elements throughout. … [Read more...]
Kon-Tiki (2012, Norway) review by That Film Guy
Norway's most expensive film to date, Kon-Tiki was rewarded for its efforts with an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards. Directed by Joachim Ronning (Max Manus), Kon-Tiki stunningly recreates one of Norway's most famous national narratives, namely the crossing of the Pacific by Thor Heyerdahl (Pal Sverre Hagen) on a balsawood raft in an … [Read more...]
The Invisible War (2012) review by The Documentalist
Kirby Dick tackles the subject of rape in the US military in this Oscar nominated documentary which is both startling and tough to stomach. The cold hard facts of the US military are that there is a greater chance of being raped by a colleague than killed by enemy fire and with only an estimated 14% of all cases actually being reported the extent of the problem is not even … [Read more...]
No (2012, Chile) review by That Film Guy
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, No is Pablo Larrain's final installment in his General Pinochet trilogy. Named after the advertising campaign which aimed to overthrow the dictator's rule; Rene Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal) is a money-hungry advertising executive who is asked to run the 'No' campaign, which aims to have a democratically … [Read more...]
How To Survive a Plague (2012) review by That Art House Guy
These days HIV/AIDS, while still a serious condition, isn't (at least in the developed world) the death sentence it once was. Combination therapy means that it can be effectively managed for many years, so it's easy to be complacent and forget how terrifying the epidemic was in the 80s and early 90s when millions died from a disease that seemed almost untreatable “ a genuine … [Read more...]
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) review by That Art House Guy
The hit man movie is a well-worn genre with well-worn archetypes “ especially the ruthless yet strangely principled assassin who lives by his own code, which usually leads to trouble sooner or later. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai offers an intriguing spin on this. Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is the loner assassin, but the code he lives by, as you may have guessed by now, is … [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...]
The Warriors (1979) review by That Art House Guy
New York in 1979 was very different to the New York of today. That much is clear from both the movie The Warriors, which was shot entirely on location in the city “ a gritty, unnerving, graffiti covered city “ from dusk till dawn. It's also clear from the furore that surrounded the film on its release. It was linked to outbreaks of violence and vandalism. Cinemas were released … [Read more...]
Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot (1977) review by That Film Geek
Following the release of the famous Patterson-Gimlin film, (footage of an alleged Bigfoot sighting in 1967) there was a wave of excitement about Bigfoot, resulting in many Bigfoot films such as The Legend of Boggy Creek and The Creature from Black Lake. Roger Patterson, the filmer of the famous footage, tried to finance a film called Bigfoot: Americas Abominable Snowman, about … [Read more...]
I Love You Phillip Morris (2009) review by That Film Student
Based on a remarkable true story, I Love you Phillip Morris details the countless escapes of Steven Russell a fraudster who is still currently serving his 140-year sentence in Texas. Initially a cop with a young family and a wife who adores him, we are taken aback (to say the least) when ten minutes in there is a rather explicit (shall we say) revelation, that Steven (Jim … [Read more...]