Alex Cross is an action-thriller based on the best-selling book Cross by James Patterson. The books (now totalling at nineteen) revolve around the titular detective, Alex Cross. He is famous for using deduction and logic to catch criminals rather than fighting or violence. You know, like every single literary detective since Sherlock Holmes. The books were previously adapted in … [Read more...]
Killer Joe (2012) review by That Film Guy
We are told from the opening credits that Killer Joe is based on a play by Tracey Letts, but also a film by William Friedkin. The latter is far more apparent than former judging by the viciously satirical, yet utterly compelling way in which the story unfolds. Chris (Emile Hirsch) owes $6,000 to a local criminal. Poor, unemployed and lacking in other options, he suggest to his … [Read more...]
Argo (2012) review by That Film Guy
Based on real-life events and the improbable story of the rescue of on-the-run US embassy workers in Iran in the late-1970s, Argo stars and is directed by Ben Affleck and co-produced by George Clooney. In many ways Affleck's acting career has a similar trajectory to Clooney's and it's interesting to see their directorial careers continue this similarity. Both started as … [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...]
The Wicker Man (1973) review by That Film Guy
The decade of the 1970s was a hotbed of experimental, ground-breaking and now classic horror films. The Exorcist was the first of the genre ever to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was sweeping the US like a plague, while Italian Dario Argento was creating giallo (Italian word for yellow, which was the colour of the pages of the Italian … [Read more...]
Review: Audition (1999)
Formally the domain of British giant Hammer and latterly Hollywood in the 1970s, Late 1990s and early 2000 Japan has produced some of the most memorable and disturbing films. Other than Ring and Dark Water, which have both since received English-language remakes, one film has yet to find an auteur willing to take on the job. Directed by controversial maestro Takashi Miike, … [Read more...]
Tower Block (2012) review by That Film Doctor
With the release of The Raid and Dredd in recent weeks, it seems that there is something about the high rise skyscraper as a setting for tense action films. Ever since The Towering Inferno and then Die Hard, the claustrophobia of a high-rise building as fascinated film makers. … [Read more...]
House at the End of the Street (2012) review by That Film Gal
Much has been made of the fact that the House at the End of the Street was shot before The Hunger Games catapulted Jennifer Lawrence to the dizzying heights of the A list. Some have even suggested that the lack of previews might in fact point to an embarrassed cast, which would have preferred it if this little forgotten thriller from all the way back in 2010, had been swept … [Read more...]
Taken 2 (2012) review by That Film Fatale
When the insanely brilliant Taken was released to Box Office, Liam Neeson became THE action man. The infamous I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you became so legendary that Mr. Neeson now refuses to recite those exact words. Neeson who is often undervalued, proved his worth with that project but the time has come for him to fend off the bad guys once more. … [Read more...]
Killing Them Softly (2012) review by That Film Dude
Having previously worked together on The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, director Andrew Dominik and star Brad Pitt have teamed up again for Killing Them Softly, a gangster thriller based on the novel Cogan's Trade. It's almost really good, but makes a few unfortunate missteps which prevent it from being as good as it should have been. … [Read more...]