In 1995, fledging animation house, Pixar released their first ever feature film, and the first film to use only CGI throughout, its name was Toy Story. Based on a short film called Tin Toy and using recognisable toy characters from the past, Toy Story became a critical and commercial smash hit and revolutionized animation and immediately made Pixar one of the most exciting … [Read more...]
Review: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
In 1979, Hayao Miyazaki made his first movie, The Castle of Cagliostro. He had previously co-directed 6 episodes of the anime series based around the character Lupin III, a world renowned master thief. The Castle of Cagliostro is the most well-known Lupin III film (and there are many), but the least well-known Miyazaki film. It was probably forgotten due to Miyazaki always … [Read more...]
Review: The Princess Bride (1987)
It˜s testament to modestly-budgeted 1987 fairy tale The Princess Bride that decades later, the mere mention of this film elicits gushing from young and old viewers alike, followed by recollections of everyone's favourite quotes and characters. Most will either wax lyrical over the love story between Buttercup (Robin Wright - before the Penn) and her farm-boy turned … [Read more...]
Review: The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
Most people are familiar with Hayoa Miyazaki's work, specifically Spirited Away, which became the first foreign film to win Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and went on to become the most successful Japanese film of all time. The film propelled Studio Ghibli into fame, and other films they did, such as Princess Mononoke, The Cat Returns, Whisper of the Heart, and My … [Read more...]
Review: The Muppets (2012)
The Muppet Show was a much treasured children's TV Show created by Jim Henson in 1976. It was a great success, and was one of the first children's shows that could be enjoyed by adults just as much as it could be enjoyed by kids. This was down to it's witty scripts, enjoyable characters, and smart humour. In 1979, we got the first big screen Muppet adventure, appropriately … [Read more...]
Review: A Christmas Story (1983)
For a Christmas film to do its job, there are certain boxes that it needs to tick. Firstly, and most obviously, it needs to be set at Christmas. Secondly there needs to be something that the main character is striving for, with obstacles constantly appearing in his way. There should be a nice feeling of nostalgic sentimentality to everything, preferably some snow and children … [Read more...]
Review: Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone is now considered a Christmas classic, although many don't remember that, at the time, it received a lukewarm (at best) reception from critics. As a Christmas film, there isn't really much in it that is related to Christmas. Sure, they have a bit of Christmas related dialogue and a moral that fits with it, but apart from that, it's an oddly mean-spirited film. With … [Read more...]
Miracle on 34th Street (1994) review by That Film Guy
John Hughes, the master of 1980s kid-orientated films always had a good track record around the holidays. Home Alone, Home Alone 2 and Planes, Trains and Automobiles were all released in the lead-up to Christmas and they stand as some of his most successful works. So it made sense for him to have a go at remaking a 1947 classic and make it more relevant for a modern audience. … [Read more...]
Review: Hugo (2011)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B0064YON8G][/pullquote] Rarely in this age of cinema where box offices are dominated by hulking great franchise films like The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon do you expect to find a high-budget independently-spirited, world … [Read more...]
Review: Puss in Boots (2011)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B005A5YYZ2][/pullquote] Shrek was a monster commercial and critical success that spawned three sequels and now, with a spin-off of one of the most popular characters introduced in Shrek 2: Puss in Boots. Clearly Dreamworks are no fools and with the popularity of each … [Read more...]