After the mega-blockbuster smash hit Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Michael Bay, the infamous filmmaker that consistently churns out terrible film after terrible film yet keeps making embarrassing amounts of money, comes back to our screens two years later with his, quote, "great character piece". Pain & Gain is an odd film to review, since it's based on the true story of … [Read more...]
Review: The Conjuring (2013)
Riding a wave of critical success in the States, The Conjuring has outsold almost every big budget blockbuster of the summer with a meager budget of only $20m in comparison. Directed by James Wan, the man who kick-started the torture-porn sub-genre a decade previously, The Conjuring is a surprisingly blood-free horror that bears more in common with his last work Insidious than … [Read more...]
Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (2013) review by That Film Guy
The step-up from television to film can be a dangerous excursion for beloved characters. In an attempt to fit within the three-act structure of films, there is a temptation for directors to place the characters in unfamiliar and unexpected circumstances to get the ˜film feel' needed to differentiate it from the television show. It is fortunate then, that Alan Partridge: Alpha … [Read more...]
The Heat (2013) review by That Film Dude
Director Paul Feig's follow-up to the critically and commercially lauded Bridesmaids, The Heat serves a similar purpose in giving a prime summer release date to a female-fronted comedy in a genre usually dominated by men. And fortunately, it looks set to follow in the success of Bridesmaids, having grossed over $130 million at time of writing from a budget of $43 million, … [Read more...]
White House Down (2013) review by That Film Guy
Like buses, you often wait for a film to come along only to have two arrive at the same time. This is certainly the case for the latest Roland Emmerich film White House Down, which follows hot on the heels of the superior-named Olympus Has Fallen about a White House siege. … [Read more...]
The Lone Ranger (2013) review by That Film Doctor
The Lone Ranger started off as a radio play in America in 1933. Since then, he has become a cultural touchstone within contemporary Americana, epitomising the spirit of freedom, justice and courage that has become synonymous with the American Dream. It is perhaps equally fitting then this current incarnation represents the bilious trite, commercially driven vacuity that is … [Read more...]
Only God Forgives (2013) review by That Film Brat
In 2011, Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling teamed up to create Drive, a stylish, 80s-esque neo-noir masterpiece that was my film of 2011 and one of my favourite movies of all time. Now, Gosling and Refn are back for another collaboration, this time with the revenge thriller Only God Forgives. As I said above, I was a big fan of Drive, so I was looking forward to this film … [Read more...]
The Bling Ring (2013) review by That Film Brat
The blurred line between 'harmless fun' and 'crime' is an interesting topic. There are films that shamelessly glamorize it with little to no consequences like 21 & Over, but there are also films that claim to go into the mindset of it. This was used to fantastic effect in this year's Spring Breakers, and now Sofia Coppola's new film The Bling Ring attempts to de-construct … [Read more...]
The Wolverine (2013) review by That Film Doctor
The summer wouldn't be summer without an X-Men movie, and for 2013, we have The Wolverine. After the disappointing and rather languid X-Men Origins: Wolverine, James Mangold has been charged with bringing fresh impetus to a character that has some of the richest, most fascinating and indeed some of the most excitingly open (given the very handy fact that he is immortal) … [Read more...]
Pacific Rim (2013) review by That Film Guy
What child doesn't want to see giant robots fighting giant monsters? In Pacific Rim, director Guillermo Del Toro attempts to bring the wonderfully playfully world of Kaiju cinema to another generation of Western audiences. Kaiju is Japanese for 'strange beast' but was seen its translation turn into 'Giant Monster' and it is from this idea that films like Godzilla evolved. This … [Read more...]