If there's one best-selling author working at the moment that has proved to have no range whatsoever, it's Nicholas Sparks. All his stories are the same. Two people with no character flaws meet, they fall in love (regardless of the chemistry they actually have), something happens to separate them in which they sit around moping for a while, then meet up again, make-up, and … [Read more...]
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013) review by That Film Guy
The mission for Hollywood executives to fill the gaps left by Harry Potter and Twilight in the burgeoning tween market continues with the fairytale-based Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. Directed by Tommy Wirkola of Dead Snow fame, it lists Will Ferrell as a producer and saw its release delayed by a year to coincide with star Jeremy Renner's meteoric rise in popularity. … [Read more...]
Song for Marion (2012) review by That Film Brat
Song For Marion (also known as Unfinished Song) focuses around Arthur (Terence Stamp), the grumpy husband of Marion (Venessa Redgrave), a free spirit who is set on performing with her choir in an upcoming competition. However, when Marion falls ill of cancer, Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) tries to convince Arthur to sing in Marion's place. Arthur is also at odds with his estranged … [Read more...]
Stoker (2013) review by That Film Guy
Following the success of his Vengeance Trilogy, director Park Chan-Wook has been busy establishing himself on the global stage. First his vampire-lead thriller Thirst and now his English language debut comes in the form of psychological thriller Stoker. … [Read more...]
Starbuck (2011, Canadian) review by That Film Guy
Starbuck is a 2011 Canadian comedy film directed by Ken Scott. It was the most successful Quebec-made movie within the province in 2011, bringing in just over $3m at the box office. Based loosely on the real life case of a popular sperm donor who met his previously unknown offspring, it extends and dramatizes certain factual elements throughout. … [Read more...]
Kon-Tiki (2012, Norway) review by That Film Guy
Norway's most expensive film to date, Kon-Tiki was rewarded for its efforts with an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards. Directed by Joachim Ronning (Max Manus), Kon-Tiki stunningly recreates one of Norway's most famous national narratives, namely the crossing of the Pacific by Thor Heyerdahl (Pal Sverre Hagen) on a balsawood raft in an … [Read more...]
The Invisible War (2012) review by The Documentalist
Kirby Dick tackles the subject of rape in the US military in this Oscar nominated documentary which is both startling and tough to stomach. The cold hard facts of the US military are that there is a greater chance of being raped by a colleague than killed by enemy fire and with only an estimated 14% of all cases actually being reported the extent of the problem is not even … [Read more...]
No (2012, Chile) review by That Film Guy
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, No is Pablo Larrain's final installment in his General Pinochet trilogy. Named after the advertising campaign which aimed to overthrow the dictator's rule; Rene Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal) is a money-hungry advertising executive who is asked to run the 'No' campaign, which aims to have a democratically … [Read more...]
How To Survive a Plague (2012) review by That Art House Guy
These days HIV/AIDS, while still a serious condition, isn't (at least in the developed world) the death sentence it once was. Combination therapy means that it can be effectively managed for many years, so it's easy to be complacent and forget how terrifying the epidemic was in the 80s and early 90s when millions died from a disease that seemed almost untreatable “ a genuine … [Read more...]
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) review by That Art House Guy
The hit man movie is a well-worn genre with well-worn archetypes “ especially the ruthless yet strangely principled assassin who lives by his own code, which usually leads to trouble sooner or later. Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai offers an intriguing spin on this. Ghost Dog (Forest Whitaker) is the loner assassin, but the code he lives by, as you may have guessed by now, is … [Read more...]