When Jean Baudrillard published his philosophical treatise Simulacra and Simulation in 1981, he had no way of knowing that Hollywood would take the ideas within and construct a science fiction action film. But this is exactly what the Wachowski brothers did when directing The Matrix. … [Read more...]
Alien vs. Predator (2004) review by That Film Guy
From the moment Predator was released in 1987, fans of it and the previously released Alien began speculating about a confrontation between the eponymous hunter and the H.R. Giger designed xenomorph. In 1989 a graphic novel pitted them against each other and an option was bought by Hollywood to turn it into a film. 15 years later, and after numerous script edits and changes in … [Read more...]
Aliens (1986) review by That Film Punk
Rewind about twenty years, find the right school playground in a suburb on the outskirts of south London, and you will find the childhood form of That Film Punk. Step a little closer, and you will notice that little TFP is circling the painted lines of a netball court , holding an invisible pulse rifle and chirping out a pitch-perfect imitation of its gunfire. Two of his … [Read more...]
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) review by That Film Guy
In 1979 a low-budget Australian film called Mad Max was released starring an almost unheard of actor named Mel Gibson. Made on a tiny budget, the film would go onto to become a box office success, leading to the option for follow-up films being taken. In 1981, it's sequel, the more modestly budgeted ($4m) Mad Max 2 (titled The Road Warrior in the USA) introduced the world to … [Read more...]
Predator (1987) review by That Film Guy
In the aftermath of Aliens, but before Die Hard came a film that combined the iconic alien killer with the tough as nails action hero to create a cult classic action film. The story of the Predator, it is claimed, began properly on a plane flight to Japan. Artist Stan Winston was working on the design of a creature created by script-writing brothers John and Jim Thomas and to … [Read more...]
The Fifth Element (1997) review by That Film Guy
When The Fifth Element was released in 1997, Luc Besson was one of the hottest directors in Hollywood. Much like fellow action-junkie Michael Bay, he had one commercial hit under his belt in the form of Leon and film-going audiences wondered where he'd go next. Bay followed Bad Boys with his best film to date in The Rock, Besson couldn't quite live up to the dramatic quality of … [Read more...]
Review: Moon (2009)
Moon is an engaging and thoroughly compelling science fiction drama which went almost completely unnoticed when released last year. It won a few awards, most notably the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Duncan Jones, but even that is hardly likely to attract a great deal of attention. It made very little money at the box office, which is … [Read more...]
Review: RoboCop (1987)
Paul Verhoeven is something of an anomaly in the directing world. None for making exploitation films, he managed to string together a series of surprising commercial successes. He will likely be remembered for being the man to take Saved by the Bell's Jessie and taking away her clothes in the universally condemned Showgirls, but it shouldn't be forgotten that this is the same … [Read more...]
Review: The Running Man (1987)
The Running Man, released in 1987 is an Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle loosely based on a novel by Stephen King released in 1982 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. After a slow start at the box office, The Running Man just took its $25m budget back ending with $38m. While initially receiving a lukewarm critical reception, it has since become something of a cult classic after … [Read more...]
Review: Resident Evil (2002)
Ask yourself, did anyone really think this was ever going to be a good film? It's a video game adaptation, for one thing. I have never seen a decent video game adaptation (and no, the two Final Fantasy films do not count, as one is a sequel to the game, and one has zero relation to any game in the series). And second, it's directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. Before this film, he … [Read more...]