Monsters Inc. was the fourth feature film to be released by animation giant Pixar. A critical and commercial success, it has taken over 10 years for the follow-up to be released in the form of a prequel Monsters University. Reuniting the original cast along with newcomer Dan Scanlon as director it is the fourteenth film released by Pixar. … [Read more...]
World War Z (2013) review by That Film Guy
The zombie apocalypse has been the one of the most popular forms of world-ending cataclysm for some time. In fact it's now so embedded in the public consciousness that if it turns out to be a rogue asteroid or the arrival of aliens that ends our rule on the planet, a lot of people are going to be very disappointed. It is surprising then that Hollywood has taken so long to catch … [Read more...]
Behind the Candelabra (2013) review by That Film Guy
Having announced his retirement from directing, Academy award winner Steven Soderbergh has managed to cheat his announcement by producing a made-for-TV film based on the life of Liberace: Behind the Candelabra. Released in cinemas outside of the US, this biopic examines the relationship between Liberace (Michael Douglas) and his young chauffeur Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). … [Read more...]
The Purge (2013) review by That Film Brat
Platinum Dunes is a production company formed in 2001 by infamous high-budget-high-return-schlock film maker Michael Bay, along with producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form. They specialize in making horror films, specifically remakes of classics. These include the remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Amityville Horror, and Friday The 13th. They … [Read more...]
The Hangover Part III (2013) review by That Film Guy
After the nasty second instalment of the $1b franchise of The Hangover films, fans of the Wolfpack would be forgiven for feeling some trepidation before the release of The Hangover Part III. Gone is the ˜morning after the night before' premise that underpinned all the events of the first two films and instead we are given what is effectively a coming-of-age tale for the … [Read more...]
The Great Gatsby (2013) review by That Film Guy
Arguably the greatest American literary work, F. Scott Fitzgerald's jazz-age love tale The Great Gatsby has seen four previous film adaptations all of which failed to capture the essence of the famous novella. These bring us to director Baz Luhrmann and his attempts brings his undoubted eye for style and excess to this latest version, reuniting with Leonardo DiCaprio for the … [Read more...]
Epic (2013) review by That Film Guy
"From the makers of Ice Age" blazoned the poster for Blue Sky's new animated film Epic and much like their previous global box office success, this is a mixed bag in terms of quality. Following the success of Brave, it is to no surprise that lesser quality incarnations would follow. What Epic does have going for it are its visuals. Lush, rich and mesmerising to look at, if … [Read more...]
21 & Over (2013) review by That Film Student
Apparently turning 21 entails a shaggy-dog story of misadventures including tampon-scoffing, runaway balls and concluding your alcoholic enlightenment with a circumcision by teddy bear. 21 & Over screams, or rather drunkenly hollers, ˜live life to the fullest!' … [Read more...]
Review: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
The Fast & Furious films have to be one of the more interesting franchise stories. Blowing out the gate with the mediocre original before going off the boil with two pretty terrible sequels, it was given the breath of life by director Justin Lin and with the best instalment of the lot Fast & Furious 5. It became a global money-spinner, and thus with the melodrama … [Read more...]
Dead Man Down (2013) review by That Film Brat
Dead Man Down revolves around Victor (Colin Farrell), a bodyguard for a vicious kingpin named Alphonse (Terrence Howard), who has been receiving various letters with parts of pictures, notes, and various other threats, and is slowly closing in on them. Victor must unravel the secret of who is threatening his boss, why, and how it connects to a mysterious woman (Noomi Rapace), … [Read more...]