It's quite hard to overstate how influential A Fistful of Dollars has been to the Western genre. In 1964, the Western was beginning to show its age, as was its most recognisable star, John Wayne; Sergio Leone's ironic, subversive film helped breathe new life into the Western, created the spaghetti Western subgenre, and began a serious of revisionist Westerns which would be the … [Read more...]
Them! (1954) review by That Film Guy
Watching films can be a sometimes unsurprising activity. With the majority of films you know where you stand. Something from Christopher Nolan is likely to be psychological and non-linear, something by Quentin Tarantino is likely to be dialogue-heavy with plenty of blood and swearing and something by Michael Bay is going to be loud, shot in golden sunshine and populated with … [Read more...]
The Prestige (2006) review by That Film Guy
Based on the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige was writer and director Christopher Nolan's follow up to his first big budget blockbuster Batman Begins. Following the novel's epistolary approach, The Prestige is told in a non-linear, multi-narrative way, similar to Frankenstein. It stars Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and Nolan regulars Christian … [Read more...]
Memento (2000) review by That Film Guy
Marking director Christopher Nolan's first mainstream success, Memento became his calling card during his early career. Using similar methods of narrative story-telling, which he would expand upon a decade later in Inception, Memento received almost universal critical acclaim upon release. It also marked one of the first major acting roles for former Neighbours star Guy Pearce. … [Read more...]
Clerks (1994) review by That Film Brat
Clerks was the first film in the ˜View-Askewniverse', the fictional universe in which most of writer/director/actor Kevin Smith's films take place. They feature many of the same characters, and are best viewed in order, as a later film may have spoilers for a previous one. Clerks is the film that launched Kevin Smith's career, and is the definition of a cult film. It was made … [Read more...]
Shrek (2001) review by That Film Guy
As Pixar developed a stranglehold on the digital animation market, there was only one company that managed to give them any competition. Dreamworks Animation managed to find a huge success with the Shrek series of films. Shrek is loosely based on a series of children's books entitled Shrek! written by William Steig. Originally conceived by Steven Spielberg as a hand-drawn … [Read more...]
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) review by That Film Guy
A staggering masterpiece in science fiction art or a long, laborious and thoroughly pretentious borefest. Opinions on 2001: A Space Odyssey have been divided ever since it was released in 1968. Based on a novel by Arthur C. Clarke, which was written simultaneously with the screenplay, 2001: A Space Odyssey was directed by Stanley Kubrick and is broken down into four defined … [Read more...]
Jaws (1975) review by That Film Guy
1975 was a big year in the film industry. The golden era was over and films were in a state of nostalgic throwback to the 1950s, with homages and remakes rife. Audiences in general were dwindling and a shake-up was needed. This came in the summer from the mind of Steven Spielberg. His film Jaws, the first ever summer blockbuster, and such a commercial and critical success that … [Read more...]
The Fly (1986) review by That Film Guy
When you think of body shock horror the first director's name to come to mind is probably David Cronenberg. Always delighting in pushing the boundaries of shocking human disfigurements and transformations in film, arguably Cronenberg's most lasting and commercially successful body shock horror is The Fly. Loosely based on the 1958 original, also called The Fly, itself based on … [Read more...]
Back to the Future (1985) review by That Film Guy
It's hard to imagine a film world without Back to the Future, a film so delightfully playful, wistfully nostalgic and utterly enjoyable that it shaped the childhoods of an entire generation. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg, Back to the Future had a powerhouse production team who later became used to creating generation-defining films. It became a … [Read more...]