Director Rian Johnson began his career with the language-muddling high school film noir Brick, before moving on to the con-man film The Brothers Bloom, yet his third film, arguably his best, is a science fiction time-travel action film called Looper. Creating an original, but familiar location of near-future Earth, Johnson is able to place interesting characters with a complex … [Read more...]
You Only Live Twice (1967) review by That Film Guy
Originally slated to be the final appearance of Sean Connery in the lead role, You Only Live Twice was the fifth James Bond film in the franchise. Featuring one of the largest sets ever created for film, it was a commercial and critical success during its original release taking $111m at the box office from a budget of $10m. You Only Live Twice would be the first film in the … [Read more...]
Thunderball (1965) review That Film Guy
The production of Thunderball, the fourth film in the James Bond canon is one riddled with conflict, disagreement and indirectly led to the creation of Never Say Never Again, the Bond film that wasn't quite Bond. Author Ian Fleming and co-writer Kevin McClory fell into dispute in 1961 over whom owned the rights to the Thunderball script. McClory insisted that he had co-written … [Read more...]
Goldfinger (1964) review by That Film Guy
No James Bond film better epitomises the mass appeal of Britain's coolest spy than the third instalment in the franchise, Goldfinger. A huge critical and commercial juggernaut, Goldfinger would create the template from which most future films would draw their inspiration and it marked the characters transition from simple thriller to iconic blockbuster draw. Based on a novel by … [Read more...]
From Russia with Love (1963) review by That Film Guy
Following on from the success of Dr. No, director Terence Young returned to Ian Fleming's legendary British secret agent James Bond in an adaptation of From Russia with Love. Sticking with Sean Connery as 007 and maintaining the same supporting cast of Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, From Russia with Love is the first Bond film to include most of the … [Read more...]
Killing Them Softly (2012) review by That Film Dude
Having previously worked together on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, director Andrew Dominik and star Brad Pitt have teamed up again for Killing Them Softly, a gangster thriller based on the novel Cogan's Trade. It's almost really good, but makes a few unfortunate missteps which prevent it from being as good as it should have been. … [Read more...]
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) review by That Film Guy
After the critical and commercial success of Austin Powers and the Spy Who Shagged Me, it was inevitable that a sequel followed and in 2002 Austin Powers in Goldmember was released. Acting as a direct parody of the James Bond films You Only Live Twice and Goldfinger, Austin Powers in Golmember continues to satirize 1960s and 70s spy films, while even going as far as to satirize … [Read more...]
Dr. No (1962) review by That Film Guy
The James Bond films are the longest running franchise in film history. The first ever Bond film, Dr. No was released in 1962 to mixed reviews, but despite its low budget of $1m it recouped a massive $56m at the box office, launched the 1960s spy thriller sub-genre and made lead star Sean Connery a household name. Since then there have been over 20 sequels which have dominated … [Read more...]
Review: Dredd (2012)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B008OGHUFK][/pullquote] 2000 AD's iconic character Judge Dredd has had a somewhat disappointing relationship with film adaptations. Sylvester Stallone's 1995 incarnation was roundly panned for straying too far from the source material, while there have been several … [Read more...]
Judge Dredd (1995) review by That Film Guy
Following the commercial and critical success of Demolition Man and based on the iconic 2000 A.D. comic book character, Judge Dredd is a Sylvester Stallone action vehicle that was a commercial flop upon release, making only £113m from a budget of $97m. … [Read more...]