With Marley, Director Kevin Macdonald adds to his increasing roster of fine documentaries, presenting an energetic and moving portrait of arguably the 20th century's greatest musical icon. Right from the off this is a film packed full of character, verve and passion. Macdonald clearly embraces this aesthetically, with colours bursting forth from the screen at every opportunity. … [Read more...]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) review by That Film Guy
When James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger collaborated on The Terminator in 1984 they created a franchise that has run for over two decades. The most successful both critically and commercially of the franchise is its immediate sequel Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which reverses the role of Arnie's character from killing machine to protector of a young John Connor (Edward … [Read more...]
Suspiria (1977) review by That Film Guy
The 1970s were something of a golden era for the horror genre. Following the success of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead and latterly the critically acclaimed The Exorcist, a new wave of director's pushed the boundaries of the genre both in terms of narrative and theme. Dario Argento, one of the new wave of directors in the 1970s created … [Read more...]
Lethal Weapon (1987) review by That Film Guy
The late 1980s was a hotbed of action films with fast-talking dialogue, big explosions and over-the-top action scenes. One of the finest examples, and one that was so successful that it spawned a host of hit-and-miss sequels is the Mel Gibson star-making vehicle, Lethal Weapon. Directed by 1980s supremo Richard Donner, Lethal Weapon would turn Mel Gibson into a megastar while … [Read more...]
Labyrinth (1986) review by That Film Gal
There are many of us out there who lovingly watched Labyrinth so many times that the image of David's Bowie's bulging (and probably stuffed) crotch, as he pranced about in skin-tight leggings -throwing babies in the air and singing ˜dance magic, dance,'- is now permanently ingrained into the collective consciousness. Bowie's Goblin King is an iconic image for many children of … [Read more...]
Predators (2010) review by That Film Guy
After one sequel and two spin-off films, the eponymous Predator was brought back to the silver screen by Robert Rodriguez in 2010 in Predators. Pitched as the true sequel, and ignoring the events of Predator 2, Alien vs. Predator and Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Predators takes the franchise back to the jungle atmosphere of the original and cleverly uses the ˜slasher horror' … [Read more...]
Teeth (2007) review by That Film Guy
In the ever increasing low-budget horror market a lot of films will go for a sensationalist approach to story-telling. Saw and Hostel went for intense gore and human suffering, whereas Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project focused on a more ˜old wives tale' ghostly approach. Whatever your feelings about any of these films, or the horror genre as a whole, it is clear … [Read more...]
The Matrix (1999) review by That Film Guy
When Jean Baudrillard published his philosophical treatise Simulacra and Simulation in 1981, he had no way of knowing that Hollywood would take the ideas within and construct a science fiction action film. But this is exactly what the Wachowski brothers did when directing The Matrix. … [Read more...]
The Way Back (2010) review by That Film Dude
As his follow-up to 2003's excellent Master and Commander, Peter Weir made The Way Back, a film based on a supposedly true story about a group of prisoners escaping from a Gulag in Stalin-era Soviet Russia. Their journey takes them through the frozen tundra of Siberia, to Mongolia and the Gobi Desert, and finally over the Himalayas into India. … [Read more...]
Hard Boiled (1992) review by That Film Guy
In the late 1990s John Woo's name was synonomous with high-adrenaline action films. He's the man that gave us Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Mission: Impossible II, but before making the transition into Hollywood he had honed the art of action films in Hong Kong. Hard Boiled represents the best action film he developed during this period, and while it lacks the slick visuals of … [Read more...]