There are two Paul Andersons currently operating in Hollywood, and they seem to be almost polar opposites. Paul W.S. Anderson is seemingly the go-to guy for formulaic trash with no directorial imprint “ movies that look like they could have been directed by anyone. Paul Thomas Anderson's films, by contrast, have his personality stamped all over them “ from scene one you know … [Read more...]
Alex Cross (2012) review by That Film Brat
Alex Cross is an action-thriller based on the best-selling book Cross by James Patterson. The books (now totalling at nineteen) revolve around the titular detective, Alex Cross. He is famous for using deduction and logic to catch criminals rather than fighting or violence. You know, like every single literary detective since Sherlock Holmes. The books were previously adapted in … [Read more...]
Sightseers (2012) review by That Film Dude
Sightseers is a very difficult film to review, because it's one of those films which you're better off seeing while knowing as little about it as possible. If you go into it knowing nothing, the first big surprise happens about fifteen minutes in, so it's very difficult to talk about it without getting into spoilers. So, in brief: it's very good; clever, twisted, and extremely … [Read more...]
The Sapphires (2012) review by That Film Guy
Based on a play by Tony Briggs of the same name, and inspired by a true life story, The Sapphires is an Australian dramatic comedy set in the late 1960s about a group of aboriginal soul singers. Obviously attempting to grab the same audience as 2008's Dreamgirls, The Sapphires opened strongly in its native Australia before bombing in France. It follows the story of a group … [Read more...]
Argo (2012) review by That Film Guy
Based on real-life events and the improbable story of the rescue of on-the-run US embassy workers in Iran in the late-1970s, Argo stars and is directed by Ben Affleck and co-produced by George Clooney. In many ways Affleck's acting career has a similar trajectory to Clooney's and it's interesting to see their directorial careers continue this similarity. Both started as … [Read more...]
Hotel Transylvania (2012) review by That Film Guy
Sandwiched between two of the years other big animated films in Paranorman and Frankenweenie comes the Adam Sandler-voice starring Hotel Transylvania. Much like the two excellent films around it, Hotel Transylvania takes horror mythology and turns it into a dramatic comedy for kids. Set within the eponymous establishment, Hotel Transylvania follows owner Dracula (Sandler) who … [Read more...]
Frankenweenie (2012) review by That Film Guy
Director Tim Burton has a history of making films about social outcasts and characters who learn that it's ok to be different. Frankenweenie, based on a short film he created early in his career when working at Disney, which was rejected for being too dark. It acts as almost an overview of all of his previous canonical works and provides an open-minded look at the pressures of … [Read more...]
Room 237 (2012) review by That Art House Guy
The Shining, as we all know, is Stanley Kubrick's mea culpa for his part in faking the video footage of the moon landings “ an expression of the angst he felt about lying to his wife about what he had done and a howl of rage about the difficulties he found in complying with government orders and keeping the whole thing secret. This is clear because at one point in The Shining, … [Read more...]
Skyfall (2012) review by That Film Guy
With the legal wranglings finished and the shonky Quantum of Solace left firmly in the past, the film-makers at EON made their intent clear during pre-production. On the 50th anniversary of the franchise, they wanted a James Bond film of such quality that it would do what no predecessor has managed and bag nominations in the big categories at the Oscars. So the stakes are high … [Read more...]
Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) review by That Film Guy
As inevitable as Halloween itself is the next installment in a horror franchise that is cheap to make and keeps making good money. Previously the home of Final Destination or Saw, the found footage juggernaut of Paranormal Activity rolls through its fourth entry. Made for a budget of around $5m it found itself in profit after its opening night. Within the chronology of the … [Read more...]