As Pixar developed a stranglehold on the digital animation market, there was only one company that managed to give them any competition. Dreamworks Animation managed to find a huge success with the Shrek series of films. Shrek is loosely based on a series of children's books entitled Shrek! written by William Steig. Originally conceived by Steven Spielberg as a hand-drawn … [Read more...]
Lovely Molly (2012) review by That Film Fatale
From the creators of The Blair Witch Project comes Lovely Molly. A horror film to carry on the genre Eduardo Sanchez prefers but completely different to the documentary, black and white, running around the woods film previously made. With the lead, Gretchen Lodge (Molly), starring in her first feature film anything could happen. Johnny Lewis who has racked up a few more … [Read more...]
Chernobyl Diaries (2012) review by That Film Guy
One of the innovators of the found footage genre returns with Chernobyl Diaries. Following the birth of the found footage film with Cannibal Holocaust, the genre was blown wide open in 1999 by The Blair Witch Project. In more recent years Oren Peli's name has become the latest to be associated with the films after the release of his seminal classic Paranormal Activity. His … [Read more...]
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005) review by That Film Dude
Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, whether you prefer the radio show or the novels, is one of the undoubted classics of modern science fiction, and pretty much every work of comic sci-fi made since owes something to it. The film was supposedly in development hell for 24 years before finally being made, sadly only seeing a release after Douglas Adams passed … [Read more...]
Red Lights (2012) review by That Film Guy
Following on from his praised work on claustrophobic thriller Buried, director Rodrigo Cortes helms Red Lights, a supernatural thriller. Paranormal activity debunkers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Dr. Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) travel the US investigating fraudsters who take peoples money by pretending to be in touch with spirits. Having never found any proof … [Read more...]
Batman and Robin (1997) review by That Film Guy
The second Batman outing for director Joel Schumacher after Batman Forever was Batman and Robin. It is now famous for having effectively damaged the careers of everyone involved and often found itself at the bottom of critics ˜Worst Films of 1997' lists. Commercially Batman and Robin was a disappointment only taking $238m from a budget of $125m and signalled the end of the … [Read more...]
Batman Forever (1995) review by That Film Guy
For Batman Forever, the third instalment of the Batman franchise, studio executives felt that a more mainstream approach could garner a much bigger box office. As a result they moved Tim Burton from director to producer and hired Joel Schumacher to take his place. After seeing the new direction the series was taking, Michael Keaton refused to take the role of Batman again and … [Read more...]
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) review by That Film Guy
A staggering masterpiece in science fiction art or a long, laborious and thoroughly pretentious borefest. Opinions on 2001: A Space Odyssey have been divided ever since it was released in 1968. Based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke, which was written simultaneously with the screenplay, 2001: A Space Odyssey was directed by Stanley Kubrick and is broken down into four defined … [Read more...]
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) review by That Film Guy
After the phenomenal success of X-Men 2, Fox studios immediately green-lit a third instalment to complete the X-Men trilogy. Bryan Singer, director of the first two films was too busy working on Superman Returns and stepped down. Initially Darren Aronofsky and Joss Whedon were both attached to the project, but a series of clashes with other films forced their withdrawal and … [Read more...]
Jack and Jill (2012) review by That Film Guy
Commercially, Adam Sandler is one of the most successful actors of all time. After a string of early success' like Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer he was able to create his own fan base who would pay to see almost any film with his name above the line. This level of success has not necessarily meant that the films have remained of the high quality of his early work. In … [Read more...]