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...]
Broken City (2013) review by That Film Doctor
New York is the quintessential film city. It's iconic skyline, famous architecture and yellow taxicabs make for sometimes stunning, but always-functional backdrops for film narratives. Also, its film-friendly economic policies make it relatively easy (and cheap) for filmmakers to close streets, hire vehicles, to commandeer subway stations. As such, many films have used the city … [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...]
Hitchcock (2012) review by That Film Guy
Alfred Hitchcock might just be the most famous director of all time. His works, now many decades old are still looked upon with great fondness and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't like any of his back catalogue. Hitchcock has a reputation that is at least, partly based in reality, for punishing his leading actresses to get the best performances out of them, … [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...]
Braveheart (1995) review by That Film Guy
Following on from The Man Without a Face, director and 80s megastar Mel Gibson turned his eye toward a historical epic about a Scottish legend; William Wallace in Braveheart. The film was a huge commercial and critical success earning $210m from a budget of $53m as well as winning the Best Director and Best Film Oscar at the 68th Academy Awards. … [Read more...]
Amour (2012, France) review by That Art House Guy
Amour is the latest film from Austrian writer / director Michael Haneke. Like many of Haneke's most successful movies, such as Hidden and The White Ribbon, it is set in France rather than his native Austria and features a French cast. Amour is a small-scale, claustrophobic film, set almost entirely in a single apartment “ that of Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne … [Read more...]
Review: Ikiru (1952, Japanese)
Akira Kurosawa tends to be best remembered for his period samurai films, particularly Seven Samurai, often considered one of the best films ever made. His films set in the modern day have consequently been rather overlooked, which is a real shame. Ikiru, meaning to live, is one of his best, rivalling Seven Samurai for the top spot, and is particularly noteworthy because it was … [Read more...]