Based on a Scandinavian film of the same name, Insomnia was director Christopher Nolan's third film and represented the first time he had worked with a big budget and named Hollywood stars. Backed by executive producers George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh, Insomnia took $113m at the box office from a budget of $46m, but is often one of the overlooked Nolan films as it bridges … [Read more...]
The Prestige (2006) review by That Film Guy
Based on the 1995 novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige was writer and director Christopher Nolan's follow up to his first big budget blockbuster Batman Begins. Following the novel's epistolary approach, The Prestige is told in a non-linear, multi-narrative way, similar to Frankenstein. It stars Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and Nolan regulars Christian … [Read more...]
Memento (2000) review by That Film Guy
Marking director Christopher Nolan's first mainstream success, Memento became his calling card during his early career. Using similar methods of narrative story-telling, which he would expand upon a decade later in Inception, Memento received almost universal critical acclaim upon release. It also marked one of the first major acting roles for former Neighbours star Guy Pearce. … [Read more...]
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) review by That Film Gal
With a total running time of over four hours, it was decided that Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino's eclectic homage to everything from the golden era of Hong Kong Kung-Fu cinema to Sergio Leone-style spaghetti westerns, was to be cut into two halves. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 focuses more on the martial art genre (the dusty, lazy vibes of the small-town south come to the fore in Part 2), … [Read more...]
Infernal Affairs II (2003, Hong Kong) review by That Art House Guy
Infernal Affairs II arrived just a year after its smash hit predecessor. It was a moderate commercial success, pulling in about half that of the first movie. The diminishing return can be at least partially put down to the absence of the two stars of the first movie “ Andy Lau and Tony Leung (though Lau did return as the producer). … [Read more...]
Red Lights (2012) review by That Film Guy
Following on from his praised work on claustrophobic thriller Buried, director Rodrigo Cortes helms Red Lights, a supernatural thriller. Paranormal activity debunkers Dr. Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Dr. Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) travel the US investigating fraudsters who take peoples money by pretending to be in touch with spirits. Having never found any proof … [Read more...]
Jaws (1975) review by That Film Guy
1975 was a big year in the film industry. The golden era was over and films were in a state of nostalgic throwback to the 1950s, with homages and remakes rife. Audiences in general were dwindling and a shake-up was needed. This came in the summer from the mind of Steven Spielberg. His film Jaws, the first ever summer blockbuster, and such a commercial and critical success that … [Read more...]
Review: The Room (2003)
[pullquote cite="" type="left, right"][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=1451661193][/pullquote] In the race to find the worst film of all time, this is a real contender. Terrible acting, no plot, awkward dialogue “ The Room has them all in abundance. The first thing to note is that, having just watched this film, I still have no idea what … [Read more...]
Jaws 3 (1983) review by That Film Guy
During the last 3D craze at cinemas a host of horror franchises released sequels specifically to cater to what they saw as a new market. Jaws 3, or Jaws 3D to give it its original title promised that 'the 3rd dimension, was terror. Unable to convince any of the original casts of the first two films, Jaws 3 recast Brody's children with the main lead taken by a young Dennis Quaid … [Read more...]
District 9 (2009) review by That Film Dude
Once in a while, something happens which gives you hope for the film industry. District 9 is one such something. It was originally supposed to be an adaptation of the Halo videogame series, but when that idea fortunately fell apart, it was reconstituted as a feature length take on director Neill Blomkamp's short film Alive in Joburg. The result was a relatively low budget, … [Read more...]