Steven Spielberg is one of the most admired and best loved directors in Hollywood, and undoubtedly one of the most influential people in the movie business. However, there is a suspicion that his powers could be on the wane, after a number of slightly underwhelming films in recent years such as War Horse and the best forgotten Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. … [Read more...]
The Impossible (2012) review by That Film Fatale
True stories are a difficult genre of film to portray in an accurate light. They should be respected and tell the story of that persons journey in a dignified manner. When it was announced that a film, The Impossible, was being made based on the tsunami that hit Thailand and surrounding countries on Boxing Day, 2004, it appeared a dubious prospect. There's always a fear that if … [Read more...]
The Sessions (2012) review by That Art House Guy
A festival hit, winning the Audience award at the 2012 Sundance Festival, and tipped for Oscar nominations, The Sessions is the latest film from director Ben Lewin. The opening scenes suggest that this is typically award-friendly material. Based on a true story, The Sessions' main character is Mark O'Brien (John Hawkes), a poet and journalist, who is paralysed from the neck … [Read more...]
Les Miserables (2012) review by That Film Guy
One of the most famous musicals of all time, Les Miserables has been adapted to the big screen for the first time since 1998 with the help of The King's Speech supremo Tom Hooper. Based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo it was adapted to a stage musical by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg and was first performed in Paris in 1980. … [Read more...]
Gangster Squad (2013) review by That Film Guy
In the ever-growing history of the genre of LA noir films comes Gangster Squad. It's the 1948 and righteous police officer Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) is on the trail of Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), the most powerful mobster in Los Angeles. Constantly frustrated by the lack of backbone shown by his superiors and the courts, O'Mara accepts a covert position at the behest of … [Read more...]
Texas Chainsaw (2013) review by That Film Guy
It is a tougher job than one might imagine, being a film reviewer. There are so many films released each week and finding the time to write a review for each one you see is a tough thing. Sometimes it's worthwhile when you find an unexpected gem and sometimes you just know going into a film that it's just going to disappoint you. While the ideal situation would be to go into a … [Read more...]
Jack Reacher (2012) review by That Film Brat
Jack Reacher didn't start off well. Controversy erupted when it was announced that the actor who was cast for the titular big, hulking 6'5 military policeman was none other than Tom Cruise. Many fans cried out against this, saying he didn't match the psychical attributes described in the books, and didn't have the power for the role. Author Lee Child supported the decision, … [Read more...]
Django Unchained (2012) review by That Film Guy
When Quentin Tarantino burst into the mainstream in the early 1990s he redefined what cinema was to be for the next decade. Utilising non-linear narrative, dialogue-heavy scripts he began creating his very own back-catalogue of homage and satires relating to exploitation cinema while single-handedly creating some of the most memorable and iconic characters in all of film … [Read more...]
Elysium (2013) review by That Film Dude
Neill Blomkamp's previous feature, District 9, was one of the best science fiction films of recent years, so his follow-up project Elysium was always going to be an exciting prospect. However, considering that the summer of 2013 has largely been dominated by mega-budgeted disappointments, there is even more pressure for it to deliver on its considerable potential. Well, good … [Read more...]
Wreck-It Ralph (2012) review by That Film Guy
Since the release of the first computer game, Pong in 1972 there have been a raft of new and ingenious ways to play virtual games. Now that games are reaching 4 decades in age there has been a growing movement among a certain generation to play ˜retro games.' Disney, drawing from the popularity of retro games, has created Wreck-It Ralph, an animated film that supposes that … [Read more...]