In 2006 after the shambles that was Die Another Day the James Bond franchise got a much needed reboot. Casting Daniel Craig as the MI6 spy, Casino Royale took the character back to his origin story and in a pre-titles sequence showed him getting his first two kills while on duty. Originally linked to Quentin Tarantino, the director's chair was eventually given to Martin … [Read more...]
Review: Smiley (2012)
The internet is a new and fascinating way to communicate, share, and create with other people across the world. It's an exciting new technology that could have (and has had) boundless effects, on culture, society, and life itself. Unfortunately, it also means we get terrible films based on websites filled with deplorable people. Like Smiley. … [Read more...]
Cockneys vs Zombies (2012) review by That Film Guy
Despite the B-Movie title and fresh memories of the terrible Strippers vs Werewolves, the British zombie comedy film Cockneys vs Zombies is something of a pleasant surprise. Pitching itself in the Shaun of the Dead arena of horror comedy it unites a cast of young British talent including former Bionic Woman and Eastenders star Michelle Ryan with a host of famous older actors … [Read more...]
Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) review by That Film Guy
As inevitable as Halloween itself is the next installment in a horror franchise that is cheap to make and keeps making good money. Previously the home of Final Destination or Saw, the found footage juggernaut of Paranormal Activity rolls through its fourth entry. Made for a budget of around $5m it found itself in profit after its opening night. Within the chronology of the … [Read more...]
Live and Let Die (1973) review by That Film Guy
With Sean Connery officially departed and the catastrophe of George Lazenby put to bed, a search began for a new James Bond. Rather than trying to find someone to replace Connery, EON decided to take the character and the franchise in a different direction and cast Roger Moore, famous for playing suave characters in television shows like The Saint and The Persuaders he brought … [Read more...]
The Wicker Man (1973) review by That Film Guy
The decade of the 1970s was a hotbed of experimental, ground-breaking and now classic horror films. The Exorcist was the first of the genre ever to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was sweeping the US like a plague, while Italian Dario Argento was creating giallo (Italian word for yellow, which was the colour of the pages of the Italian … [Read more...]
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012) review by That Family Film Guy
Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller) is back with friends this time determined to make it¦.back to his home of New York in Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. The film opens to a dream sequence with Alex picturing a dull existence where he and his friends have grown old in Africa, they decide to head for New York for all the good things they remember but first they have to swing by … [Read more...]
Private Peaceful (2012) review by That Film Brat
Private Peaceful, based on the book by Michael Morpurgo, is a low-budget British war film. The movie is inevitably going to be compared to War Horse, the other Morpurgo adaptation to come out recently. This comparison would be unfair, however, as not only did Private Peaceful start production before War Horse, but it's actually a much better movie. While the Speilberg film was … [Read more...]
Ruby Sparks (2012) review by That Film Brat
Directed by husband and wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Ruby Sparks is a 2012 comedy-drama, based around a struggling writer named Calvin (Paul Dano), suffering writer's block in attempting to write the follow-up to his big success. His therapist (Elliot Gould) suggests he writes something regardless of it's quality. So, he invents a girl, his dream girl, in fact. … [Read more...]
Diamonds are Forever (1971) review by That Film Guy
After the critical mauling that George Lazenby and the series had suffered after On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the James Bond franchise looked back to the original Bond Sean Connery to bring a steady performance and right a potentially sinking ship. Diamonds are Forever took Bond back to the formula that had served it so well in the 1960s and gave the producers time to … [Read more...]