There haven't exactly been a shortage of films based on Akira Kurosawa's classic Seven Samurai, with another remake apparently planned for the near future, and the high point of the films inspired by it is easily The Magnificent Seven, a great Western and a classic in its own right. Ironclad isn't anywhere near that good, but go into it in the right mindset and you'll still … [Read more...]
Review: Jane Eyre (2011)
Jane Eyre is one of the most famous literary works of Charlotte Bronte and one that has been adapted numerous times for stage and screen. 2011 saw the release of Cary Fukunaga's take in the canonical work, using the script penned by Moira Buffini sees the casting of Mia Wasikowska as the titular character and Michael Fassbender as her Rochester. It took a healthy $32m at the … [Read more...]
Review: W.E. (2012)
It's no secret that Madonna likes and identifies with strong women. So when her second directional effort turned out to be about scarlet-woman du jour Wallis Simpson, no one was much surprised. W.E follows the story of rich, lonely New Yorker Wally Winthrop and her obsession with the affair which rocked the pre-WW2 nation. The split narrative jumps between the story of Wallis … [Read more...]
Review: The Three Musketeers (2011)
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas is one of the most adapted books to film in history. When Paul W.S. Anderson decided to create a new version in 2011 it was the 21st adaptation of the famous novel. Known for his work on the Resident Evil series, Anderson was clearly looking for a new franchise to continue his trend of producing low quality, high-earning films. From a … [Read more...]
Review: Yamada: The Samurai of Ayutthaya (2010, Thai)
Yamada: The Samurai of Ayutthaya is a historical martial arts movie, based (rather loosely perhaps) on the life real life figure of Yamada Nagamasa. Yamada was a Japanese Samurai who ended up in Siam (modern day Thailand) after his lord was defeated in battle and he was forced to leave his homeland. In the period in which the film is set, the early 17th century, there was a … [Read more...]
Review: Midnight in Paris (2011)
More so than almost any director, Woody Allen makes films with a clear voice. His voice. In his earlier works he would star in his films, but as age has caught up with him, he has inserted various actors into his films to speak the words and opinions that he writes. Having never quite achieved the same critical success of his early films like Annie Hall and Manhattan, each new … [Read more...]
Review: The King’s Speech (2011)
When it was released at the beginning of 2011, The King's Speech was a somewhat unknown quantity. It seemed to be another British historical piece with a good cast and a healthy dollop of patriotic jingoism that would carry it to moderate success at the box office. Imagine the audiences surprise when they sat down and so a simmering epic character piece, with one of the most … [Read more...]
Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
Guy Ritchie re-imagined the classic Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character Sherlock Holmes in the 2009 film of the same name. With Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as his sidekick Dr. Watson, the film was a thumping success taking $524m off of a budget of $90m at the box office. A sequel was almost immediately announced. That sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was … [Read more...]
Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Sherlock Holmes, released in 2009, takes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary character and gives him an action-adventure reboot at the hands of Guy Ritchie. The film was a monster success in both the US and the stories setting of the UK and it took over $524m at the box office off of a budget of $90m. This lead to the immediate announcement of a sequel Sherlock Holmes: A Game of … [Read more...]
Review: Immortals (2011)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B008I31JZQ][/pullquote] After the success of Sin City in 2005, another Frank Miller graphic novel went into production. 300 proved an even bigger box office success and helped launch the careers of Michael Fassbender and Gerard Butler. Aimed squarely at the teenage … [Read more...]