Ken Loach is something of a national treasure; a British director who is a genuine auteur, successful on his own terms and never having felt the need to head to Hollywood to make movies. He's also a strange sort of national treasure “ they're usually lovable, comforting figures whereas Loach has spent his career making confrontational, fiercely political, gritty films, like … [Read more...]
Review: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00A6HL7S6][/pullquote] The wait for Twilight-fans is over and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 finally closes the book on the narrative of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The Twilight film series has enjoyed massive box … [Read more...]
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) review by That Film Gal
In Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Quentin Taratino's bloody revenge saga comes to a less bloody conclusion, as The Bride (Uma Thurman) confronts her attackers with words as well as swords. Building on the short glimpse of the wedding day massacre in Vol. 1, Vol. 2 shows us the sequence in full. Leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad ˜Bill,' (David Carradine) visits The Bride during … [Read more...]
The Prestige (2006) review by That Film Guy
Based on the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige was writer and director Christopher Nolan's follow up to his first big budget blockbuster Batman Begins. Following the novel's epistolary approach, The Prestige is told in a non-linear, multi-narrative way, similar to Frankenstein. It stars Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and Nolan regulars Christian … [Read more...]
Gran Torino (2008) review by That Film Dude
Billed as Clint Eastwood's last acting role, Gran Torino would certainly be an appropriate one for him to end his acting career on. A deconstruction of and farewell to all of the tough guy characters of his early career, it provides a wonderful end-note to his long and distinguished career. He has directed films since, and may yet go back to acting, but Clint's best films tend … [Read more...]
Fast Girls (2012) review by That Film Guy
With the Olympic Games being hosted in Britain in 2012, it made sense to try and squeeze every possible penny from the event hence the release of comedy-drama Fast Girls. Developed from a script by British actor-director Noel Clarke, Fast Girls was forced by the Olympic Committee to remove any mention of said event, forcing a rewrite to base the action in a fictional … [Read more...]
Bel Ami (2012) review by That Film Guy
Based on a 1885 French novel of the same name by Guy de Maupassant, Bel Ami is a film directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod. It follows Georges Duroy (Robert Pattinson) a poor ex-soldier who is introduced to Parisian society in the late 19th Century. Once established he begins to seduce the wives of high-profile people, notably Clotilde de Marelle (Christina Ricci), … [Read more...]
Review: The Room (2003)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=1451661193][/pullquote] In the race to find the worst film of all time, this is a real contender. Terrible acting, no plot, awkward dialogue “ The Room has them all in abundance. The first thing to note is that, having just watched this film, I still have no idea what … [Read more...]
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) review by That Film Guy
Almost no franchise has had the complete collapse in quality like the Jaws films. Starting with a Steven Spielberg directed masterpiece in tension, thrills and blood-curdling terror we come to its final death rattle in the bizarre and preposterous Jaws: The Revenge. Chronologically following Jaws 3, Jaws: The Revenge chooses to ignore the action of its third installment … [Read more...]
Harry Brown (2009) review by That Film Dude
Harry Brown is an odd film. It feels like the sort of thing that would have been made in the 1970s in the wake of Dirty Harry and Death Wish, and it's hard to believe that the fact that the main character is called Harry is a coincidence. It's not that bad a film, but it just doesn't feel like it belongs in the 21st Century; its message is essentially that violence can solve … [Read more...]