There was no bigger comedy force in the late 1980s than Eddie Murphy. His two, now legendary, stand-up gigs Delirious and Raw are still best-sellers and he produced some of the finest comedies of the decade. Films such as Beverley Hills Cop and Trading Places helped to really establish him as a top comic actor. In 1988 he teamed up for a second time with another big-hitter from … [Read more...]
True Lies (1994) review by That Film Guy
In 1984 James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger teamed for the genre-defining action film The Terminator. A decade later they teamed up again in an attempt to fulfill the promise made on from the critically and commercially panned Last Action Hero, namely a satire of the action genre. And in typical Cameron fashion they succeed through a high-tempo script, over-the-top and … [Read more...]
The Terminator (1984) review by That Film Guy
The Terminator was a film that spawned one of the most film franchises of all time, solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger as an A-list star and set writer/director James Cameron on the path to some of the biggest box office returns of all time. The story of its creation is almost as far-fetched as the premise of the film itself. The story goes that while filming Piranha II: The … [Read more...]
Aliens (1986) review by That Film Punk
Rewind about twenty years, find the right school playground in a suburb on the outskirts of south London, and you will find the childhood form of That Film Punk. Step a little closer, and you will notice that little TFP is circling the painted lines of a netball court , holding an invisible pulse rifle and chirping out a pitch-perfect imitation of its gunfire. Two of his … [Read more...]
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) review by That Film Guy
In 1979 a low-budget Australian film called Mad Max was released starring an almost unheard of actor named Mel Gibson. Made on a tiny budget, the film would go onto to become a box office success, leading to the option for follow-up films being taken. In 1981, it's sequel, the more modestly budgeted ($4m) Mad Max 2 (titled The Road Warrior in the USA) introduced the world to … [Read more...]
Face/Off (1997) review by That Film Guy
Released around the same time as Con Air and The Rock, Face/Off completes a trilogy of action films in the late 1990s starring Nicolas Cage. Directed by famed Hong Kong action film connoisseur John Woo, it represents one final hurrah for the seemingly dying breed of action films that were so popular from the late 1980s. In coming years comic book films would surpass the modern … [Read more...]
Dreams of a Life (2011) review by That Art House Guy
In January 2006, the repo men arrived at Joyce Carol Vincent's bedsit in Wood Green, north London. She was heavily in arrears in her rent and they had come to collect. When there was no answer, they broke the door down, and inside, they found a skeleton lying on the sofa. Joyce had been dead for almost three years. The television was still on and there was a small pile of … [Read more...]
American Pie (1999) review by The Documentalist
In 1999 the mother of all teen comedy franchises began with American Pie which remains, to this day, at the top of the pile. Imitated countless times but never bettered, American Pie is the story of four high school friends who make a pact to have sex by the time their senior prom rolls round in three weeks. Each takes a different approach to getting laid, each with varying … [Read more...]
Speed (1994) review by That Film Fatale
1994 was a year that saw many big films being released, some of those now permanent fixtures in the ˜Best Films of All Time' collection. Rewinding back to the past, Speed enters the action film arena with Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves and Dennis Hopper leading the cast. With fresh faced, attractive, young actors, Speed appealed to both men and women globally meaning success was … [Read more...]
Review: Delicatessen (1991, France)
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is famous, above all, for Amélie. To an extent, the rest of his work has been overshadowed by this one film. And it's easy to see why “ it was after all, a huge popular and critical success, won a bunch of Césars (the French equivalent of the Oscars), launched Audrey Tautou's career, boosted Montmartre's tourist industry and has been endlessly copied, … [Read more...]