Apparently because the Star Wars prequels didn't teach him to leave the old classics alone, George Lucas decided that what Indiana Jones needed was another sequel, even after Last Crusade ended the series on just about the best possible note twenty years before. Why it was deemed necessary to resurrect such a great trilogy, and not even bother to do the new film properly, is … [Read more...]
West of Memphis (2012) review by The Documentalist
For those outside of the US the story of the 'West Memphis Three' may be a new one but for anyone who has tuned in to the national news since 1993 it would have been hard to escape hearing about it at some point. Following the triple murder of three school boys in small town Arkansas, three teenagers were convicted and sentenced to life in prison on the back of a trial lead by … [Read more...]
The Breakfast Club (1985) review by That Film Student
United by a common affliction: youth, John Hughes' iconic The Breakfast Club presents a cliché of teenagers from all corners of the social spectrum trapped together, who only reach an understanding of one another during an 8 hour Saturday detention. The criminal (Judd Nelson), jock (Emilio Estevez), prom queen (Molly Ringwald), weirdo (Ali Sheedy) and geek (Anthony Michael … [Read more...]
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) review by That Film Dude
Now this is much more like it. Temple of Doom, while good overall, was a disappointment after the unadulterated brilliance of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and as such the pressure was on to try and recapture the magic for the final film of the trilogy. Last Crusade is not the equal of Raiders. It does, however, come damned close, bringing back the light-heartedness and sense of fun … [Read more...]
Granny (1999) review by That Film Brat
This will contain spoilers, not that it matters really. Its just as brilliant either way. Normally I start off a review with some back story about the film's production and/or the filmmaker. I would do this here too, if not for the fact that I can't find anything online about the filmmaker, Boris Pavlovsky, or the film itself. This is possibly because he might have gone out … [Read more...]
Hyde Park on Hudson (2012) review by That Film Guy
Hyde Park on Hudson is the country home of the mother of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Bill Murray), the 32nd President of the United States. In 1939 he hosted the first visit to America of a British monarch, King George VI (Samuel West) and his wife the Queen, Elizabeth (Olivia Colman). It happened to coincide with a blossoming relationship between him and his 5th cousin, Daisy … [Read more...]
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) review by That Film Dude
With Raiders of the Lost Ark an instant classic and probably the defining film of Harrison Ford's career, it's hardly surprising that a sequel was on the cards, to test whether Steven Spielberg and George Lucas could make that particular brand of lightning strike twice. Since going darker had worked such wonders for The Empire Strikes Back, it was decided that the same strategy … [Read more...]
Movie 43 (2013) review by That Film Brat
Occasionally a film comes along that has a unanimous consensus. Either for being good or bad. Last year it was Jack and Jill, and this year it's Movie 43. The reaction for this film has been so negative it was quite a curiosity to me. I felt I had to see it after people were calling it the worst film ever made. I decided to go in with an open mind. I did a little research and … [Read more...]
The Last Stand (2013) review by That Film Brat
What screams cheesy 80s action films more than Arnold Schwarzenegger? Arnie is the symbol of 80s action flicks, films like The Terminator, Commando and The Running Man are now known as definitive of the era. After a cameo in The Expendables that was so small it might as well of not been there at all, and a much more extended role in The Expendables 2, Arnie announced he was … [Read more...]
Waiting for Superman (2010) review by The Documentalist
The US school system is in trouble. For at least two entire generations results have been static at best and high school drop out rates are high. With many public schools seen as 'academic sinkholes' basic proficiency in Maths, English and Science in many areas of the country is staggeringly low. With powerful unions providing tenure to teachers effectively giving them … [Read more...]