Studio Ghibli has been producing hit animations for nearly 30 years and through Hayao Miyazaki has created some modern classics, most notably 2001's Spirited Away. While Miyazaki is at the heart of much of its output, he only occasionally turns his hand to feature length animations such as 2008s Ponyo. … [Read more...]
Harry Brown (2009) review by That Film Dude
Harry Brown is an odd film. It feels like the sort of thing that would have been made in the 1970s in the wake of Dirty Harry and Death Wish, and it's hard to believe that the fact that the main character is called Harry is a coincidence. It's not that bad a film, but it just doesn't feel like it belongs in the 21st Century; its message is essentially that violence can solve … [Read more...]
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) review by That Film Brat
After the ridiculous success of Resident Evil at the box office, the studio green-lit a sequel and injected a bit more money into it this time ($45 million versus Resident Evil's $30 million). Paul W. S. Anderson decided not to stay on as director, but instead wrote the script and produced the film. And thank god. Resident Evil: Apocalypse improves on the first film in almost … [Read more...]
He’s Just Not That Into You (2009) review by That Film Guy
He's Just Not That Into You is a portmanteau film in a similar style to Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve. It stars a host of Hollywood A-List stars like Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck whose failing and troublesome love lives all intertwine. Like What to Expect When You're Expecting, He's Just Not That Into You began life as a self-help … [Read more...]
Goodbye First Love (2011, France) review by That Art House Guy
Goodbye First Love (or Un Amour de Jeunesse) is the latest film from writer / director Mia Hansen-Løve. Loosely autobiographical, it tells the story of Camille, a teenage girl who is desperately in love with her older boyfriend, Sullivan. However, he is dropping out of university in order to travel around South America. This awareness hangs over their relationship and they … [Read more...]
What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012) review by That Film Guy
In the same form as the awful Valentine's Day and the even worse New Year's Eve comes the latest ensemble piece What to Expect When You're Expecting. Loosely based on an instructional book for pregnant couples, What to Expect When You're Expecting is clearly attempting to appeal to such a broard demographic using high-profile stars like Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and … [Read more...]
Moonrise Kingdom (2012) review by That Film Guy
Director Wes Anderson has often been described as original and quirky. This description is both apt and misleading as he previous works have not only been both of these things, but also beautiful, heart-breaking, compelling and in some cases utterly wonderful. From early gems like Rushmore and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, his work has always had a definitive look in both … [Read more...]
Never Been Kissed (1999) review by That Film Guy
Never Been Kissed is a late 1990s romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore and follows her character, Josie Geller enlisting back into high school to get a newsworthy story. The central conceit of an adult posing as a high-school student is not an original one. Originally made famous in cult 1980s TV show 21 Jump Street (and its recent remake), Never Been Kissed takes an … [Read more...]
Men in Black III (2012) review by That Film Guy
Ten years after the release of the previous installment, direct Barry Sonnenfeld and stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return for Men in Black III. Mired in a controversial production cycle ever since being announced in 2009, Men in Black III uses an idea of Smith's to have his Agent J travel back in time to the 1960s to meet a younger version of Jones' Agent K. … [Read more...]
The NeverEnding Story (1984) review by That Film Gal
The title of Wolfgang Peterson's The Neverending Story can be misleading. At just over one hour and forty minutes long, the film does in fact have a very finite end. It is also the name of a book within the story as well as the name of the original novel written by Michael Ende. But despite these confusions, The NeverEnding Story is a tale of pure transportation which also … [Read more...]