Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Yann Martel, Life of Pi was initially courted by M. Night Shyamalan, Alfonso Cuaron and Jean-Pierre Jeunet before Ang Lee took on the task of filming a seemingly unfilmable book. A Canadian author (Rafe Spall) is sent in search of a mysterious Indian-born Canadian called Pi (Irrfan Khan) because he's told that he has a story … [Read more...]
Holy Motors (2012, France) review by That Art House Guy
On stumbling out of Holy Motors, my head was full of questions. Not least of which was ˜how do I write a review of this?' Director Leos Carax has eschewed traditional review fodder, such as structure, character development and suchlike, making it tricky to know what to write about. So, by way of review, here are a few of the questions that were rolling around my addled brain … [Read more...]
Silver Linings Playbook (2012) review by That Art House Guy
Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) is a man with problems. He has just been released from an institution, where he has spent eight months after beating the man who was sleeping with his wife half to death. He has been diagnosed with severe bi-polar disorder and his wedding song is a major trigger causing out of control episodes. Back home, he has move in with his parents and … [Read more...]
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) review by That Film Guy
Produced by the self-proclaimed "grassroots, independent filmmaking army" Court 13 and very loosely based on the one-act play Juicy and Delicious by Lucy Alibar, Beasts of the Southern Wild is the directorial debut of Benh Zeitlin. A magical realist fable about a potential 'end of days' storm and the return of mythical creatures, Beasts of the Southern Wild is quite unlike any … [Read more...]
Rust and Bone (2012, France) review by That Art House Guy
Rust and Bone is the latest film from Jacques Audiard, following on from critically acclaimed works A Prophet, The Beat That My Heart Skipped and Read My Lips. So there are some heavy expectations weighting on Rust and Bone. However, the early critical response was good and the film competed for the Palme D'Or at Cannes. Unfortunately for Audiard, he has the bad habit of … [Read more...]
Review: End of Watch (2012)
End of Watch is a new installment in the buddy patrol cop genre, set in gangland Los Angeles focusing on Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Pena). The movie swiftly establishes the level of violence with a high speed pursuit ending in a shootout and the reputation of the films two stars as the gunslinging good guys, all before the opening credits roll to … [Read more...]
The Master (2012) review by That Art House Guy
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...]
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...]
My Brother the Devil (2012) review by That Film Doctor
My Brother The Devil is the debut feature film by Sally El Hosaini, and tells the story of two brothers living in the gang-ruled, drug-afflicted estates of Hackney. The younger of two, Mo, (played by the amateur actor Fady Elsyad) idolises his drug-dealing older brother Rashid (James Floyd), but as he gets drawn more into his world, he realises and uncovers truths which causes … [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...]