Starbuck is a 2011 Canadian comedy film directed by Ken Scott. It was the most successful Quebec-made movie within the province in 2011, bringing in just over $3m at the box office. Based loosely on the real life case of a popular sperm donor who met his previously unknown offspring, it extends and dramatizes certain factual elements throughout. … [Read more...]
Kon-Tiki (2012, Norway) review by That Film Guy
Norway's most expensive film to date, Kon-Tiki was rewarded for its efforts with an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards. Directed by Joachim Ronning (Max Manus), Kon-Tiki stunningly recreates one of Norway's most famous national narratives, namely the crossing of the Pacific by Thor Heyerdahl (Pal Sverre Hagen) on a balsawood raft in an … [Read more...]
No (2012, Chile) review by That Film Guy
Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, No is Pablo Larrain's final installment in his General Pinochet trilogy. Named after the advertising campaign which aimed to overthrow the dictator's rule; Rene Saavedra (Gael Garcia Bernal) is a money-hungry advertising executive who is asked to run the 'No' campaign, which aims to have a democratically … [Read more...]
5 Broken Cameras (2011) review by That Art House Guy
In 2005, Emad Burnat's fourth son, Gibreel was born in the village of Bil'in on the West Bank. In the same year, Isreal began building a separation fence between Israeli and Palestinian areas. The villagers of Bil'in realised that the fence would cut through their agricultural land, confiscating around half of it “ land they relied on for their livelihoods and to feed their … [Read more...]
Sukiyaki Western Django (2007, Japanese) review by That Film Dude
It's tough to know how to summarise Sukiyaki Western Django. It is, without question, one of the most singularly insane films going; it makes basically no sense and is wildly incoherent at the best of times, but it's so stylish and so entertaining in such a weird way that you can't help but really like it. … [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...]
The Raid (2012, Indonesia) review by That Art House Guy
The Raid is not just any action movie “ it's a rare and curious thing, being an Indonesian movie directed by a Welshman (Gareth Evans). Its premise is simple “ a SWAT team are sent to a derelict apartment building in Jakarta where a notorious drugs baron, Tama has set up his HQ. Seemingly untouchable by the police, the block has become a haven for all manner of undesirables, … [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...]
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...]
Carancho (2010, Argentina) review by That Art House Guy
Work on Carancho (which translates as The Vulture) was completed in 2010. Despite being selected as Argentina's entry for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards (though it didn't make the final shortlist), and being entered at Cannes, the movie only arrived in UK cinemas on a limited release in 2012. … [Read more...]