The idea of magicians as master criminals is a wonderful conceit that powers the narrative of Louis Leterrier's Now You See Me. Combing a cast of superb, if unconventional characters actors it plays out a bit like a magic version of Ocean's 11. … [Read more...]
Review: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Based on an autobiography of the same name The Wolf of Wall Street follows the rise and fall of stock exchange broker Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) who rose to financial success in the 1980s and 90s. Directed by Martin Scorsese and boasting a huge and diverse cast as well as a 3 hour running time, the film is all about excess and the moral ambiguity of the US stock … [Read more...]
Review: Dom Hemingway (2013)
Strolling through prison under a cascade of toilet paper, Dom Hemingway is the titular cockney geezer in Richard Shepard's latest film. Played with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer by Jude Law, the character is an amalgam of a number of 1970s British ex-prisoner archetypes. But in a World that has any number of cheeky chappies vying for our attention in low-budget British … [Read more...]
Review: The Untouchables (1987)
The decade is the 1920s, via a stylized 1986, the town is Chicago and notorious gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro) is at the height of his criminal power. Holding the city in his firm grip, his constant acts of violence alert the FBI who place young Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) in charge of the flying squad with his sole mission to be to bring down the kingpin. After initial … [Read more...]
Prisoners (2013) review by That Film Guy
Prisoners is the first English-language film from Canadian director Denis Villeneuve, most famous for the 2010 drama Incendies. Taking a stellar cast of Hollywood favourites, Villeneuve creates a complicated, in-depth thriller that is at times packed with edge-of-your-seat tension. … [Read more...]
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013) review by That Art House Guy
Ain't Them Bodies Saints starts fast. There are two lovers, Bob (Casey Affleck) and Ruth (Rooney Mara). They are going to have a baby. They are going to commit a crime. Something goes wrong and they find themselves in a shootout with police at an abandoned house. Their friend is killed by a policeman's bullet, and Ruth returns fire, hitting one of the gathered lawmen. Realising … [Read more...]
The Act of Killing (2012) review by That Film Journo
Where do you start with a film as extraordinary as this? … [Read more...]
RIPD (2013) review by That Film Guy
Boston Police Departments Nick Walker (Ryan Reynolds) and his partner Bobby Hayes (Kevin Bacon) have recently found a horde of gold on a bust and decided to keep it. Nick has reservations and decides he's going to hand it in, but is killed in action on another bust. Discovering that there is an afterlife he is drafted into the RIPD (Rest in Peace Department) by Mildred Proctor … [Read more...]
The Factory (2012) review by That Art House Guy
I have this strange compulsion. It happens when I'm tired “ maybe on an aeroplane, or browsing Netflix on a plan-free Saturday. What happens is, I see a John Cusack movie (generally a thriller) from the last couple of years, that I haven't really heard of and I think Yeah, that could be ok “ I'll give it a go. Experience has taught me that this is a mistake, but still I … [Read more...]
Mulholland Drive (2001) review by That Film Journo
Few directors have such a cultural impact that a style of film is named after them. Hitchcockian, Kubrickian, Tarantinoesque are the few that spring to mind along with Lynchian. And no-one makes films like David Lynch. … [Read more...]