Kiki (Kirsten Dunst) is a 13-year-old witch in training. An old tradition states that at 13, a young witch can leave home and study to become a full time witch. So, even though her parents are not overjoyed, she decides to leave. She takes her broomstick and her cat Jiji (Phil Hartman) and sets off for Koriko, a big port city. Once there, she finds she does not have any witch … [Read more...]
Review: Toy Story 3 (2010)
When Pixar launched their first feature length animated film, Toy Story in 1995 they introduced the world to set of full-realised toy characters, loosely based on their award-winning short, Tin Toy After the original was heralded with critical praise and a very successful run at the box office, the decision was made to release a sequel in 1999. Cleverly titled Toy Story 2, the … [Read more...]
Review: Contraband (2012)
Contraband is a remake of the 2008 Icelandic film ReykjavÃk-Rotterdam. ReykjavÃk-Rotterdam was Iceland's official submission into the Oscars 2010 for Best Foreign Film. Of course, it wasn't actually nominated, but it enjoyed great success and critical acclaim in Iceland. Critics in the US (or at the least the ones that reviewed it) were not so impressed. … [Read more...]
Review: WALL·E (2008)
It is suggested that WALL·E, Pixar's 9th feature film, was developed from an idea by writer Andrew Stanton that was mentioned during the post-Toy Story brain-storming session between him and John Lasseter. Pitched as a Robinson Crusoe style story of loneliness and isolation, but set on an evacuated Earth bears more than a passing similarity to Doug Trumball's now iconic Silent … [Read more...]
Review: Return to Oz (1985)
A well-loved trivia question is, ˜Which films have the longest gap between the original release and the sequel?' The answer is Victor Fleming's beloved The Wizard of Oz and its sequel Return to Oz which was filmed forty one years later. Despite the long gap, expectations were high and inevitably comparisons were made. As a result it garnered mixed reviews for its somber tone … [Read more...]
Review: Ratatouille (2007)
As part of Pixar's move away from the early childish topics for their films, their 8th feature, Ratatouille, focused on the broad topics of ˜family vs. career' and the need to improve, move forward and change. The budget for the film was $150m, which showed an increase in production costs necessary to improve the computer animation and it took over $620m at the box office. … [Read more...]
Review: The Devil Inside (2012)
1973 saw the release of not only the best exorcism film of all time, but the best horror of all time in William Friedkin's The Exorcist. Since then there have been a number of sequels, remakes and imitations that try to channel the same religious fear that this masterpiece inspired. Using similar marketing techniques, such as audience reaction and apocryphal tales of people … [Read more...]
Review: 21 Jump Street (2012)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00JWSVLJK][/pullquote] 21 Jump Street was an iconic American police procedural show in the late 1980s and early 1990s that is best known for launching the career of main star Johnny Depp. In an age where any and all TV shows and films are considered ripe for … [Read more...]
Review: Up (2009)
Up was something of a landmark movie for Pixar “ it marked the studio's 10th feature film, was the first animated movie to open the Cannes film festival and was the studio's first film to be presented in 3D (but try not to hold that against it). Directed by Pete Docter, his second time in the director's chair, after Monsters, Inc., it was also a huge commercial success grossing … [Read more...]
Review: Cars (2006)
The John Lasseter-directed Cars is the seventh feature film created and released by Pixar. Following on from the huge box office successes of Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, Cars took a respectable $461m from a budget of $120m. Inspired by a road trip taken by Lasseter and his family in 2000, Cars is the last Pixar film to star the voice talent of Joe Ranft who tragically … [Read more...]