In 2007 director Michael Bay took the formerly popular children's toy franchise Transformers and turned it into a multi-million dollar film franchise. With the success of the first, a sequel was immediately green-lit and Bay given the reigns once again. Having introduced the main characters in the first film, he took the opportunity to expand the Universe considerably in … [Read more...]
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) review by That Film Guy
When JJ Abrams announced that he was going to reboot the Star Trek franchise, few could have imagined just how spectacularly he would have succeeded. Taking the term 'reboot' seriously, he created an alternative timeline in which the established narrative could be bent, modified and in some cases obliterated. Star Trek Into Darkness builds upon this idea and presents a … [Read more...]
Olympus Has Fallen (2013) review by That Film Toad
Beware of Spoilers below... Action thrillers of the 90's have largely escaped the room 101 of film-trocities we keep locked in the basement here at That Film Guy. Their vulgar ˜face-meets-fist' ways were excused by audiences who at the time lusted for ripped defiant types with a can-do attitude and an endless supply of bullets and one liners.... fair enough I guess. Happily, … [Read more...]
Review: G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013)
Toy giant Hasbro continues its run of films based on its merchandise with G.I. Joe: Retaliation. After continued box office success with the Transformers films, Battleship and its predecessor G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Retaliation removes most of the major characters from the first film and installs a small team lead by action favourite and WWE wrestling star Dwayne 'The … [Read more...]
Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
In the early-to-mid 1980s toy companies realised that to help boost sales of their products it made commercial sense to create cartoons as a way of advertising to children. This lead to a boom in cartoons such as Transformers, He-Man and Thundercats on television. In recent years, Hasbro, one of the biggest toy companies in the world have begun to produce feature films at … [Read more...]
Parker (2013) review by That Film Guy
Donald E. Westlake's crime fiction series, starring the simply titled Parker has been adapted and used for a variety of films in the past, although never with the characters name intact. Most recently Mel Gibson used the character for his tough-and-gritty thriller Payback. Finally though, with the help of former British Olympic diving competitor-turned-action star Jason … [Read more...]
Red Dawn (1984) review by That Film Guy
After the height of the Cold War, Hollywood showcased a group of young talent in the invasion, war drama Red Dawn. Supposing that a collection of communist states have joined together. The film charts the birth of a resistance force formed from a high school American football team called the Wolverines. Based on the novel Ten Soldiers and co-written by John Milius, Red Dawn was … [Read more...]
Red Dawn (2012) review by That Film Guy
Now that the remake bandwagon is in full swing, it's not surprising that films of all sorts of quality and cultural impact are getting the up-to-date treatment. Cue Red Dawn, a vehicle for rising star, and Loki-botherer Chris Hemsworth who inherits the role from 80s icon Patrick Swayze. This time it's not the Russians, Cubans or Nicaraguans, but rather those ˜dastardly' North … [Read more...]
Faster (2010) review by That Film Guy
Following his run of family-friendly films, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was clearly keen to get back to more adult, muscle-flexing fair. Enter Faster, a throwback to the pulp action thrillers of the 1970s directed by George Tillman Jr. and co-starring Billy Bob Thornton and Maggie Grace. … [Read more...]
Welcome to the Punch (2013) review by That Film Doctor
British films tend to have a certain stereotype associated with them. Bridget Jones' Diary, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The King's Speech, there's a certain ˜Britishness' that's expected from UK-made films; that is, if they are to be successful. This says more about the cultural pastiches that circle the globe than the quality of UK films, yet there is certain ˜recipe' for a … [Read more...]