For a film about warring colleagues, This Means War has certainly divided our critics. Below are the vastly opposing views of That Film Brat James Haves and That Film Fatale Jordanna Virdee. One gives a ranting review about the cynical nature of the film-making and the other gives a more positive, 'it's all in the name of fun' popcorn-fluff review. Which do you most agree with? … [Read more...]
Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
After The Castle of Cagliostro, Hayao Miyazaki made Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Although this is generally considered a Studio Ghibli film, it is actually not. Studio Ghibli was not founded until a year later. However, it is still included in the ˜Studio Ghibli Collection' DVD series. Miyazaki was approached to allow an adaptation of the manga he wrote, and he initially … [Read more...]
Review: Finding Nemo (2003)
Finding Nemo is the fifth feature film created and released by Pixar in association with Disney Studios. It is the first Pixar film not to be directed by John Lasseter, with Andrew Stanton taking over the helm as well as writing it. Like all Pixar films, the cast and crew researched the topic of Finding Nemo in great depth, including learning to scuba dive so as to better … [Read more...]
Review: Persepolis (2007, France)
Persepolis is an animated movie based on a graphic novel of the same name by Marjane Satrapi. Based on her own experiences, Satrapi herself co-wrote and co-directed the movie alongside Vincent Paronnaud, bringing her style of illustration to the big screen. The movie tells Satrapi's own story, that of a young girl growing up in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The film begins with … [Read more...]
Review: Toy Story 2 (1999)
After the success of Toy Story had loudly announced Pixar's arrival in the world of feature animation and A Bug's Life continued their box office success, John Lasseter and friends went back to Woody, Buzz and the gang with Toy Story 2. Reuniting the same cast as the original, but with a new crew due to the work taking place on A Bug's Life and during production Lasseter once … [Read more...]
Review: Project X (2012)
Project X, released by producer Todd Phillips of The Hangover, The Hangover Part 2 and Old School fame, and follows three teenagers who try to throw a 'game-changing' party and increase their popularity at school and use that to 'hook up' with hot chicks. Project X was a place-holder name for the film while it went into production, but the mysteriousness of it all convinced the … [Read more...]
Review: Run Lola Run (1998, Germany)
Run Lola Run is a film based on a very simple premise: Lola's boyfriend Manni, has lost 100,000 of some Very Bad Men's Deutschmarks, and they're going to meet him in twenty minutes' time. So Lola (Franka Potente) has twenty minutes to somehow find/borrow/steal 100,000 DM and get to Manni. So she'd better start running. And run she does. To a soundtrack of pulsing techno music … [Read more...]
Review: The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz has achieved a feat almost unchallenged by any other motion picture of the last century; any frame of the film is almost instantly recognizable, the imagery legendary (twisters, the yellow brick road, the ruby slippers) and is as fresh, loved, venerated and watched as it was at the time of its release over seventy years ago. In actuality, the film was not a … [Read more...]
Review: A Bug’s Life (1998)
The second feature film released by Pixar and to be directed by John Lasseter, A Bug's Life has become something of the forgotten man of the animation houses history. Sandwiched between Toy Story and Toy Story 2 it is rarely mentioned in the same breath as its book-ending brethren, but at the time of release it took over $363m at the box office form a budget of $60m. The film … [Read more...]
Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Roald Dahl is one of the most popular children's authors ever. Numerous adaptations of his books have made it to the big screen, but none, arguably have been completely successful (the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is probably the one with the most fans, but it's by no means universally acclaimed). The latest to have a go is Wes Anderson with his version of … [Read more...]