School's Out I love films. I think that's obvious from the fact that I write for a film website, but really, I do. Films are what keeps me going, what gets me up, what I'm passionate about. As with any passion, there needs to be something to set it off. No flame without a spark. I may go on about the genius of Before Sunrise or the tragic beauty of A Bittersweet Life, these … [Read more...]
Review: The Den (2013)
You've got mail Never judge a book by its cover¦or a film. The Den, one of Fright Fest's last showings of the evening, plays to an empty cinema but gut instinct led me to fill one seat; an instinct I would come to appreciate. … [Read more...]
Review: As Above, So Below (2014)
Lara Croft and the Philosopher's Stone [pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00LSW70MU][/pullquote] There is an old saying with films that it's better to start weak and finish strong than start strong and finish weak. John Erick Dowdle, the director of the latest found footage horror As Above, So Below … [Read more...]
Review: The Guest (2014)
Look who's coming to dinner Trying to understand people's lives, what makes them tick, who they are, is difficult. This becomes even more impossible when someone joins the Army, is deployed and never seen again whilst still being young. Who they were becomes distant; memories are pinned together through sheer desperation to keep a lover/friend/spouse/sibling or child alive. … [Read more...]
Review: The Green Inferno (2014)
Canni-fail holocaust [pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B0051ZH8CC][/pullquote] My belly is lined with Nutella and Pancakes, an error in hindsight. I am now settled in for the next hour and a half, and have just been informed this Fright Fest exclusive is really a one time only. The film has been … [Read more...]
Review: The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
Anarchy-by-law [pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00CI39NHS][/pullquote] The Purge is an odd beast. It was a film that got lambasted by critics and audiences alike, and yet still made about 30x its budget. Plenty of films do this, mind, this isn't a new thing, but there's the kind of bad that gets … [Read more...]
Review: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Bohemian Rhapsody [pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00IKMC0YO][/pullquote] Cult directors don't get much more cult than Jim Jarmusch and who better than the bequiffed auteur to breathe new life into that tiredest of genres, the vampire film. … [Read more...]
Review: Oculus (2013)
Through the Looking Glass [pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00J9C05NM][/pullquote] Mainstream horror films have had a bit of a lull recently. The normal plethora of over-edited horror trailer were conspicuously absent from the beginning of my screening of Oculus, and it's been nearly a year since we … [Read more...]
Review: The Borderlands (2014)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00C3L3VW8][/pullquote] The found footage horror genre has hit something of a creative cul-de-sac in recent years. The explosion in popularity because of its low cost to make and high returns at the box office have seen an explosion in the number being made, which has … [Read more...]
Review: The Quiet Ones (2014)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B00JE8VO5Y][/pullquote] The latest from the revived Hammer horror brand The Quiet Ones delves into a 'Based on true events' theme that has become so popular in the genre in recent years. Following their biggest success to date, The Woman in Black they take another … [Read more...]