Be a good neighbour

They Rode West (1954)

Directed by Phil Karlson this cavalry western stars Robert Francis, Donna Reed, May Wynn and Philip Carey. A new medical officer at a cavalry out post falls out with with his fellow officers and men after taking a sympathetic view of the local Native Americans.

While the plot of this film attempts to take a more sympathetic view of the Native Americans in this film it is not exactly what you would call nuanced. Suggesting that you need to “win hearts and minds” is a fair idea but the Native Americans have good cause to be more than unhappy with their situation. There is not a lot of star power in this lightweight John Ford imitation and the film is fairly well shot even if the acting is a little ropey at times.

2/5

Drugs, shirts, boats, guns & girls

Miami Vice (2006)

Directed by Michael Mann this film based on the TV series of the same name stars Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li and Naomie Harris. Police from Miami go undercover as drug smugglers to find who had an informant's family killed.

The plot of this film is fast moving and has some great locations but at times I have to wonder if the plot moves so fast just so you do not get a chance to sit and think about the various less realistic elements of the story. With in the script there are a few lines that come right out of the cliché draw and will make you role your eyes as well. Mann goes for a clean look and realism which I am not sure really fits with the over the top nature of the story here but the sound track is pretty good.

2/5

Playing some bball

He Got Game (1998)

Written and directed by Spike Lee this film stars Denzil Washington, Ray Allen, Milla Jovovich and Rosario Dawson. A man in prison for killing his wife is let out for one week to convince his son to play Basketball for the Governor’s favourite college.

This may not be Spike Lee's most hard hitting film but his ode to basketball still has enough to interest even non sports fans as this film looks at the drive needed to succeed and how everyone suddenly wants something as soon as success is in the offing for the protagonist. While the script may seem a little on the flabby side it works well and does not over push the main themes even if it is a little unrealistic at times. As a non actor Ray Allen does really well in a lead role and the sound track for the film is excellent.

4/5

Katrina calling

Hours (2013)

Written and directed by Eric Heisserer this film stars Paul Walker, Genesis Rodriguez and Yohance Myles. On the eve of Hurricane Katrina a man's wife dies in child birth and he becomes trapped in a hospital with his prematurely born daughter.

The plot of this film provides a good snap shot of the situation for those trapped in New Orleans in 2005, it provides a tense survival story largely centred around just one character. While the film works well as a thriller despite it's minimalist script it never looks into the reasons behind the abandonment of those in New Orleans. Largely the film is well made, nearly always having a ticking clock on events which helps maintain tension and the late Paul Walker is pretty impressive in nearly the only role in the film.

4/5

Disorganised crime

96 minutes (2012)

Written and directed by Aimee Lagos this film stars Brittany Snow, Evan Ross, Christian Serratos and J. Michael Trautmann. Two female college students are carjacked by two male high school students.

The plot of this film is a fairly standard thriller that looks at crime, race and poverty in the US but without ever really offering any insight or answers. Where the script falls down is using a non-linear structure as this cuts all the tension out of the film, by the time we know the characters enough to care what is happening far too much of the film has passed. Other than the poor choice of structure the film is fairly well made with decent direction and performances.

2/5

Yet more coming of age

About Cherry (2012)

Directed by Stephen Elliott this film stars Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, Dev Patel and Heather Graham. An 18 year old girl runs away from home to San Francisco with her best friend and starts working in porn.

Unlike a lot of films on the same subject matter this film is fairly subtle in it's treatment of the porn industry but that subtleness comes with having little to say about the people involved or the nature of the industry. What plot we are left with is a pretty standard coming of age tale that offers not much new in that direction either. Dev Patel puts on a slightly strange American accent but otherwise the film is pretty well made if sadly underdeveloped in some areas.

3/5

Flaccid 6

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

Directed by Justin Lin this sequel stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and the rest of the gang back for another car based action film. The crew are brought out of retirement to hunt down a gang of master criminals and the presumed dead girl friend of Dominic Toretto.

The script of this film suffers under the weight of a large cast leaving little room for character development and when a major character event does happen it is largely glossed over as it happens to one of the minor characters. It does not help that the antagonist lacks charisma and screen presence so this comes off as a fairly by the numbers sequel. Some of the action sequences are fairly ridiculous and the film fails to really capture the culture of the main location London in the way previous entries in the series did.

2/5

Something stirs in the ghetto

The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920)

Directed by Paul Wegener this film stars Albert Steinruck, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Deutsch and it's director. In medieval Prague a Rabbi creates the Golem to protect his people against a prophecy of disaster and expulsion from the city by the Emporer.

This is the only remaining part of a trilogy made by Wegener but as it is a prequel to the others the story stands well by itself. The plot is a fairly average monster film where the protagonists ends up realising they have messed with forces they do not really control. Where the film is strongest is in it's great sets, costumes and direction as it creates a really impressive stylised look.

4/5

Suspect scripting

The Suspect (2013)

Written and directed by Stuart Connelly this film stars Mekhi Phifer, William Sadler, Sterling K. Brown and Derek Roche. After a bank is robbed in a small town in the mid west United States an African American man is arrested.

I am sure there is plenty of interesting things still to be said about race relations and prejudice in America but this film does not really explore that area and is more interested in being a twisting crime piece. Sadly the plot tips it's hand far too early in this film so you are never really guessing as to what is going on. What this film really needs is another go at the script and a re-ordering of when information is given to the viewer.

2/5

Fails to transform

Ladyhawke (1985)

Directed by Richard Donner this film stars Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. In medieval Italy a small time thief reluctantly helps a couple that have been cursed by an evil Bishop.

This film is some what of a mixed bag containing as many good elements as it does weaker ones. There are some really well shot scenery and locations but at times the dialogue as well as the special effects are not up to scratch. As an action adventure this is not a bad diversion but the score seems out of place for the type of film and really dates the film due to it's use of 80s pop.

2/5

The trouble with Marge

Bernie (2011)

Directed by Richard Linklater this film based on real events stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. In Texas a mortician befriends and a rich elderly widow before eventually murdering her.

How well this film portrays real events is hard to say but it is a fun dark comedy and provides a nice snap shot of small town America. What the film never really does is probe into what makes either the characters or communities the way they are though. As always Jack Black gives a great performance in the title role and it is nice to see Shirley MacLaine on screen again.

3/5

Proto-Kane

The Power and the Glory (1933)

Directed by William K. Howard this film stars Spencer Tracy, Colleen Moore, Ralph Morgan and Helen Vinson. Following the funeral of a railway tycoon his friend recounts the man's life story.

This film serves as a proto Citizen Kane (1941) and while the story may not be as rounded or as fleshed out as the later Orson Wells film it is still a decent watch. The story skips about on the time line of events and does a good job of showing how perceptions of a person can be different from reality but the ending is slightly weakened by the heavy cutting for censorship reasons. Unfortunately this film was lost for a while and copies available are not always of the best quality but the film is still decently made and enjoyable.

3/5

One night in Vienna

Before Sunrise (1995)

Directed and co-written by Richard Linklater this film stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. An American man and French woman meet on a train and spend the night wandering round Vienna.

The plot of this film is a fairly simple “getting to know you” story which is dialogue heavy and may be a little slow or uneventful for some as like the characters themselves the conversation meanders about. Much like Linklater's earlier Slacker (1991) this is a sort of updating of the day in the life of a city film that works pretty well. There are good performances from the two lead actors which the film really relies on but I do think this is a subtle romance film that you have to be in the right mood to watch.

4/5

After caring

After Earth (2013)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan this film stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith. One thousand years after man kind left Earth a father and son are the only survivors of a space ship that crashes there.

Essentially this is a pretty simple coming of age story with some father/son stuff mixed in but the problem is that it seems like nearly every element of the film is a token effort from those involved. The story never really engages with the world it is set in or the central father/son relationship with any depth. Will Smith is pretty much wasted in a role that negates all the charisma he can bring to a film.

2/5

Post war problems

I Was a Male War Bride (1949)

Directed by Howard Hawks this film stars Cary Grant, Ann Sheridan and Marion Marshall. Shortly after WW2 a male French officer marries a female American officer and tries to emigrate to the US.

The first half of this film is a fairly standard screwball comedy and it takes too long to get to the more interesting part of the film. Once the film shifts into a reversal of gender roles it is a lot more fun but really could have done with making this the focus of the whole film rather than just half. As with any Hawks film this film is well made but Cary Grant is not exactly convincing as a Frenchman.

3/5

Dream master

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Directed by Wes Craven this film stars Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon and Johnny Depp. Several teenagers share similar nightmares and those dreams start to become real with bloody consequences.

I would say that this slasher film is a cut above it's peers and does a decent job of blending reality with dream to create ambiguity. The plot is your standard gory trauma as metaphor for adolescence which you see repeatedly in this genre. Mostly the film is well made and the antagonist provides a great threat that is the best part of the film.

4/5

Enhancing

Blowup (1966)

Directed by Michelangelo Antoioni this film stars David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles. An arrogant fashion photographer may or may not have taken pictures of a murder in a London park.

It takes a little while for the plot of this film to get going but when it does it is a nicely ambiguous thriller with hints of film noir that brings into question the fallibility of the recorded image and memory. You can also see the film as a criticisms of the swinging sixties and the with self interest as well as hedonism preferred over looking at the darker things happening in the distance through out the world. I really like the use of ambient sound in the park scenes, something which is rare in film, and the famous sequence where the photographer blows up his pictures works really well too.

4/5

Something came in through the window

Intruders (2011)

Directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo this film stars Clive Owen, Carice van Houten, Ella Purnell and Pilar Lopez de Ayala. Two children think they are being menaced by a face stealing monster that sneaks into their bedrooms.

If you stick with this film it actually does a really good job of tying together fear, nightmares and unresolved trauma into a good horror film. There are hints as to what is happening through out but the film does manage to keep you guessing nicely. While the film may not necessarily be that scary it is fairly tense and keeps you on the edge of your seat with decent direction.

4/5

Ze war is hell

Westfront 1918 (1930)

Directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst this film based on a novel stars Fritz Kampers, Gustav Diessl and Hans-Joachim Moebis. In the final days of WW1 a German infantry unit is sent to the front while one member gets leave to return home.

The plot of this film is what has become pretty much your standard war is hell, anti war films set in the first world war. You can find a fair amount of similarity between this film and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) that was made in the US. There is a lot of realism in the way the film is made but the final battle sequence the camera may be a little static for modern tastes.

3/5

Uncle Charlie

Stoker (2013)

Directed by Park Chan-wook this film stars Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode and Nicole Kidman. Following the death of her father an 18 year old girl and her mother are visited by an uncle they never knew about.

This film takes a fairly standard plot and puts it together with a coming of age tale to form an excellent Hitchcock inspired narrative (specifically Shadow of a Doubt). It is the direction that really makes this film going from subtle creepiness to full on darkness gradually over the course of the film. There is plenty of symbolism at work as the direction takes what could have been an average genre effort above and beyond what you usually expect.

5/5

Fuck you Sally

Oblivion (2013)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski this film stars Tom Cruise, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurlenko and Morgan Freeman. In the future after the planet has been largely destroyed in a war with alien invaders a repairman helps maintain resource gathering machines for the rest of humanity that has left for Titan.

Essentially this is an action film masquerading as science fiction, the plot is a combination of elements of better films that never really amount to any grand undertaking here. There are a lot of interesting elements but they all seem to be included as part of a check list for what someone things is required of a sci-fi film. Visually the film is really impressive and the acting is decent but sadly it is always the script that leaves you underwhelmed, it just never really connects on any level.

3/5

A load of bull?

The Rare Breed (1966)

Directed by Andrew V. Mclaglen this film stars James Steward, Maureen O'Hara, Juliet Mills, Brian Keith and Don Galloway. A cowboy helps two English women transport a rare bull to Texas.

The plot of this film works pretty well at using the breeding of both cattle and people to explore what is needed to survive in the harsh environments of Texas ranching. There is some humour which helps the story along and generally this is a pretty well told story. Thanks to the good cast and experienced director this is a fun watch that might not be John Ford but has more than a hint of one of his westerns about it.

4/5

Mash before MASH

Battle Circus (1953)

Directed by Richard Brooks this film stars Humphrey Bogart, June Allyson, Keenan Wynn and Robert Keith. During the Korean War a doctor and a nurse at a mobile field hospital fall in love.

While the film does a decent job of portraying the work of MASH units this is little more than a propaganda or recruiting film really that was some what common of the era. The plot such as it is is a weak love story and little real drama happens. It also seems that the film was show with pretty low quality film on a cheap budget using stock footage for what little action there is.

2/5

Not a revisionist

Appaloosa (2005)

Directed by Ed Harris this film based on the novel of the same name stars it's director, Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons and Lance Henriksen. Two tough law men are hired by a town to take on a local rancher.

Nearly everything about this film is in the tradition of a classic western including the plot which is a fairly standard tale. Despite being steeped in the westerns of the 1950s the story never really goes beyond it's basic genre conventions. Mostly the film is well made although Renee Zellweger is a bit hit and miss at times.

3/5

It's good to have someone to blame

The Sessions (2012)

Directed by Ben Lewin this film based on real events stars John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy and Moon Bloodgood. A man paralyzed from the neck down due to polio seeks the services of a sex surrogate to lose his virginity.

Largely this film handles it's subject matter with respect and good humour, being more funny than you would expect. In general the plot is pretty light hearted and of a feel good nature, the story really lacks any counter points of view to make this a more rounded film. There are good performances from Hawkes and Hunt which help carry the film.

3/5

More early German vampires

Vampyr (1932)

Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer this film stars Nicolas de Gunzburg, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz and Jan Hieronimko. A young man out wandering stumbles into strange goings on in a village.

The plot for this film is pretty much your classic vampire tale with nothing that really surprises from the story. As this was Dreyer's first sound film and made in multiple languages there is little dialogue instead the film relies on inter titles in the style of a silent film a fair amount. Where the film is strongest is in the use of light and shadow in the style of German expressionism as well as some good dream style sequences.

4/5

Flight's end

Aces High (1976)

Directed by Jack Gold this film stars Malcolm McDowell, Christopher Plummer, Simon Ward and Colin Firth. During WW1 a young English airman gets his first posting to a squadron lead by a man he idolised before the war.

The plot of this film is loosely based on the play Journey's End but moves the action from the trenches to the air. Largely the story works well and is a decent if unremarkable look at how the stresses of combat as well as a high mortality rate affect men. While some of the aerial battles are good a portion of this is reused material from other films.

3/5

Standing on the shoulders of medicority

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

Directed by Bryan Singer this film stars Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Ian McShane. A young boy goes to sell his uncle's horse and cart but comes back with magic beans, what could possibly go wrong?

This film takes the classic fairy tale and attempts to expand it out into a pretty standard coming of age tale, which it does fairly well but in an unremarkable way. The setting for the story is a miss match of fantasy and historical anachronism that never really becomes a coherent world for me. In general the film is well made but it's hodge-podge nature never really does anything to impress.

3/5