Based on one of Marvel's most popular titles, X-Men directed by Bryan Singer was one of the first highly successful comic book films of the modern era. It spawned two direct sequels and a host of spin-offs and prequels having taken nearly $300m at the box office from a budget of $75m. Loosely based on the early X-Men stories shown in the 1990s cartoon it focuses on mutation as … [Read more...]
The Cove (2009) review by The Documentalist
Winner of the 2009 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, The Cove centres around the mass slaughter of dolphins in Japan which immediately means that it is going to be an emotive documentary and, for most, a tough watch. In reality whilst it is hard to endure, it is not entirely because of the subject matter. … [Read more...]
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) review by That Film Guy
Bringing the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy to a close is Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Once again directed by Gore Verbinski and starring the original, returning cast At World's Endties up the stories from the previous films. Upon release, it took a staggering $963m from a budget of $300m, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all times. … [Read more...]
Jaws (1975) review by That Film Guy
1975 was a big year in the film industry. The golden era was over and films were in a state of nostalgic throwback to the 1950s, with homages and remakes rife. Audiences in general were dwindling and a shake-up was needed. This came in the summer from the mind of Steven Spielberg. His film Jaws, the first ever summer blockbuster, and such a commercial and critical success that … [Read more...]
Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) review by That Film Brat
Of all the video game adaptations in the world, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider was one of the better ones. Okay, maybe 'better' is too strong a word. More entertaining, at least. There's no doubting that Tomb Raider was bad, but somehow, it didn't matter. It was fun either way. It went the way of most video game movies and received a critical bashing, yet somehow still made loads of … [Read more...]
Rock of Ages (2012) review by That Film Guy
From the opening scene where a bus full of people start singing along to a medley of Sister Christian's hit 'Night Ranger' and David Lee Roth's 'Just Like Paradise' the audience know they're in for something a little different. Based on the hit Broadway musical of the same name, Rock of Ages tells the story of an Oklahoma girl, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) who travels to Los … [Read more...]
Young Adult (2012) review by That Film Guy
The award-friendly duo of director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody reunite after the success of Juno with the Charlize Theron vehicle Young Adult. It was a moderate success taking $20m from a budget of $12m, which compared to Juno's $230m haul at the box office must be considered a disappointment. … [Read more...]
The Pact (2012) review by That Film Fatale
The horror genre seems to lack everything these days, film after film fail to really terrify. The Pact, I hoped would be a different. I was wrong. With a gripping trailer I wanted and expected way more than was actually delivered. Money not well spent. … [Read more...]
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) review by That Film Guy
After the staggering and somewhat unexpected success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, two sequels were immediately green-lit to complete a trilogy. The first of them, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was released in 2006 and reunited the original cast with director Gore Verbinski and become one of the highest-grossing films of all time. … [Read more...]
Bel Ami (2012) review by That Film Guy
Based on a 1885 French novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant, Bel Ami is a film directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod. It follows Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson) a poor ex-soldier who is introduced to Parisian society in the late 19th Century. Once established he begins to seduce the wives of high-profile people, notably Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci), … [Read more...]