Following on from the success of his directorial debut Wild Bill, Dexter Fletcher turns his attention to adapting a stage musical. Sunshine of Leith is a musical drama set in Edinburgh to a soundtrack composed entirely of songs by The Proclaimers. … [Read more...]
Review: Gigli (2003)
Gigli. The mere mention of that film is enough to send shivers down most spines. This is usually followed by snorting laughter. Regarded as one of the worst Hollywood films of all time, this reputation relies on a number of key points. All of them valid. The fact that people often pronounce it incorrectly makes it even funnier, remember as Ben Affleck tells us at the beginning … [Read more...]
Review: Prince Avalanche (2013)
Slow shots of a beautiful yet ravaged landscape, long periods of ambient music and a melancholy thread running throughout. You'd be forgiven for thinking you were watching a Terrence Malick drama, but it's actually David Gordon Green, director of Your Highness and The Sitter returning to his independent film-making roots with the comedy film Prince Avalanche, a remake of an … [Read more...]
Blue Jasmine (2013) review by That Film Journo
To say Woody Allen's output in recent years has been variable is putting it mildly. But if you thought his best was behind him, think again. Blue Jasmine must surely rank among his finest work, a funny but heartbreaking portrait of a woman unravelling. … [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 Grandmaster (2013, Hong Kong) review by That Art House Guy
Wong Kar Wai is a legend of Hong Kong cinema, his reputation established by movies such as In The Mood For Love and Chungking Express. These films are remarkable for their unique visual aesthetic, all neon and rain, and for their atmosphere of melancholy and yearning. But Wong's last couple of films have been misfires “ the uneven sci fi of 2046 and the unsuccessful foray into … [Read more...]
Byzantium (2013) review by That Film Guy
The vampire genre has undergone something of a transformation in recent years. With the advent of the ridiculously popular Twilight series, we've moved away from the passionate, bloodthirsty melodrama of the past, toward a more friendly, bloodless, teenage angst love story. So most films now either have to tackle the Twilight films head on, or avoid them like the plague. In the … [Read more...]
Mud (2012) review by That Film Guy
Matthew McConaughey's resurgence and reinvention in acting continues in the Jeff Nichols-directed Mud. Not content with impressing in the likes of The Paperboy, Killer Joe and Magic Mike, he once again dons his sweaty white shirt to play the titular Mud, a man on the run for murder who befriends two boys Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) and through them … [Read more...]
Slap Shot (1977) review That Film Guy
In the documentary The Last Gladiators, which follows the career of former Montreal Canadiens ˜goon' Chris Nilan, the film Slap Shot is described as ˜the ultimate ice hockey fight film' and that's exactly what it is. Veteran player Reg Dunlop (Paul Newman) coaches the small town team of the Charlestown Chiefs during another disappointing season. Booed by what little fans they … [Read more...]
The Way, Way Back (2013) review by That Film Guy
From scriptwriters Jim Rash and Nat Faxon comes the latest Indy-spirited coming-of-age comedy-drama The Way, Way Back. Awkward teenager Duncan (Liam James) is dragged to a beach house by his mum Pam (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell). Watching as the adults in his life regress to their younger days, Duncan struggles to fit in, until a chance bike ride … [Read more...]