Bad script

Bad Neighbours (2014)

Directed by Nicholas Stoller this film stars Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne and Zac Efron. New parents missing their freedom end up in a war against the fraternity that moves in next to them.

It would seem this film has a simple premise that is hard to mess up and yet it manages to do so by having a muddle of character motivations and pretty unearned changes at the end. The character arcs do not really work and I found it impossible to route for any of the characters, the script is frustrating as it contains some decent elements but they are never properly realised. There are some funny moments but the film never fulfils it's potential of comparing different generations under going big moments of change in their lives.

2/5

Things that go bump in the night

The Haunting (1963)

Directed by Robert Wise this film based on the novel “The Haunting of Hill House” stars Julie Harries, Claire Bloom, Richard Johnson and Russ Tamblyn. Four people head to a house in the country to conduct a real investigation into claims it is haunted.

This film may not have the out right gory shocks modern audiences are used to but it's slow burn of creepy psychological horror works well, especially the protagonists arc fitting in with the larger story. While this may very much be a genre film what you rarely see these days is a horror film that takes more interest in it's characters than using them as stand ins waiting to be killed off. There are a few good special effects but not a huge amount that stands out in the execution as remarkable.

4/5

The hunt for genes

Decoding Annie Parker (2013)

Directed by Steven Bernstein this film stars Samantha Morton, Helen Hunt and Aaron Paul. A woman battles against breast cancer, which has a long history in her family, while scientists struggle to find a genetic link between some types of breast cancer.

Trying to tell two parallel stories in a 90 minute film means that the scientific side of this film ends up really short changed and never gets the times and detail it needs. The main story of Annie Parker and her personal struggle with cancer is well done but not necessarily something you have not seen before on film. What is impressive about the film is the large supporting cast that has a lot of familiar faces in minor roles.

3/5

Perfect shit

The Perfect Summer (2013)

Directed by Gary Wheeler this film stars Adam Horner, Eric Roberts, Sydney Penny and Katie Garfield. Following the death of his father a boy and his mother move to live in a beach town with the boy's grandfather.

There might be something to like about this weak effort at a by the numbers coming of age film but if there is I'm not sure what it is. The plot is a mind numbingly poor attempt at a film you have seen done better 1000 times over and to say it was going through the motions would be generous. Adam Horner is way too old to be playing a seventeen year old and his limp performance is no better than anyone else in the film.

1/5

Country at a crossroads

Aparajito (1956)

Directed by Satyajit Ray this sequel to Pather Panchali (1955) stars Karuna Banerjee, Smaran Ghosal, Pinaki Sen Gupta and Kanu Banerjee. Having moved to the big city the father becomes sick and dies leaving Apu and his mother with an uncertain future.

This sequel places our protagonist as a personification of India facing a choice between family, tradition and religion on one side with education and modern world to explore on the other. While I preferred the original this film is still just as interesting and has a couple of great moments of tragedy. One moment of direction stands out, the father's death, and there a number of nice call backs to symbols used in the first film.

4/5

A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse.

Shoeshine (1946)

Directed by Vittorio De Sica this film stars Franco Interlenghi, Rinaldo Smordoni and Annielo Mele. Two young shoeshine boys raise money to buy a horse but in doing so fall foul of the law.

This is a great look at post war poverty in Italy and how families and the state both mistreat the children that they see as a burden on them. The contrasting approaches of state and family show both care and cruelty leaving the fate of poor children a real uncertainty. While the film is well made and has some tragic moments I am not sure it is as good as some of De Sica's following films.

4/5

Robbed of my time

Plastic (2014)

Directed by Julian Gilbey this film based on a true story stars Ed Speleers, Will Poulter, Alfie Allen, Sebastian De Souza and Emma Rigby. Four university ages friends make money by credit card thief and identity fraud but find themselves in debt to a crime boss.

While this film claims to be based on a true story it is hard to believe that much of it is real just because of how easily the plot fits the formula of certain script writing books. At times the script has bad dialogue, character actions that make no sense and a moral tone that is all over the shop. It's hard to find much to like here you can never empathise with the characters but are supposed to despite their pretty horrid actions at times.

1/5

Go back to Tarantino school

Catch .44 (2011)

Written and directed by Aaron Harvey this film stars Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll, Forest Whitaker and Bruce Willis. Three women working for a drug boss go off to a remote tuck stop to intercept a rival gang's drug deal.

This film has all the hallmarks of wanting to be Tarantino, specifically Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction, and falling far short. At times it seems a lot like the script is imitating without understanding and some of the characters actions just make no sense. Forest Whitaker players a character that is supposed to be strange in a creepy sense but is just bizarre in a “what the heck is he doing?” sense.

2/5

It's a gamble

A Throw of Dice (1929)

Directed by Franz Osten this film based on an episode from an Indian epic stars Seeta Devi, Himansu Rai and Charu Roy. Two princes that like to gamble both desire the same woman while one schemes to take her and the kingdom of the other prince.

The plot of this film is pretty basic and does not offer a huge amount that will surprise most viewers. As an anti-gambling film the story never really goes far enough or explores what draws the princes towards gambling. Some of the scenery is pretty nice and there is an element of authenticity as the film was shot in India.

3/5

A real life Peggy Carter

Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)

Directed by Lewis Gilbert this film based on real events stars Virginia McKenna and Paul Scofield. A quick war time marriage to a French officer leaves a woman as a widow and she is recruited into the SOE to work as a field agent in France.

It seems this film largely sticks to real events although it does compress events and omit some stuff for time reasons. The story does a good job of showing the life and moral quandaries faced by SOE agents in WW2. Lewis Gilbert may be guilty of some of the worse excesses in the Bond franchise but does a great job here of handling a real story with tact and subtlety.

4/5

Czech out the POWs

The Captive Heart (1946)

Directed by Basil Dearden this film stars Michael Redgrave, Basil Radfrod, Rachel Kempson and Mervyn Johns. In 1940 a Czech on the run from the Gestapo assumes the identity of a British officer to avoid being shot and is sent to a POW camp.

A lot of the usual elements of the POW film are present here but unusually the film mostly focuses on the private lives of the captives and what they have lost in that regard. It was slightly refreshing to see a more personal take on the usual POW story even if the plot is a little contrived in places. Most of the direction and performances are as you would expect and the film fits in with the tradition of British stiff upper lip in the face of wartime adversity.

3/5

Dreams, colours and madness

Betty Blue (1986)

Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix this film based on the novel “37° 2 le matin” stars Jean-Hugues Anglade and Beatrice Dalle. Two young lovers move in together after a week of knowing each other but the young woman dreams of more and is prone to occasional outbursts of uncontrollable anger.

I watched the directors cut of this film which is over three hours and I'm not really sure how a shorter cut could exist. The plot always has your attention but I would not say it is overly interesting or deep as romances go. Where the film is amazing is in it's use of colour and long, slow camera moves that litter the film.

4/5

Camera magic

Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Written and directed by Dziga Vertov this film was edited by Elizaveta Svilova. We follow the life of a city from dawn till dusk.

There is no plot to this film but it is a great exploration of cinema and a snap shot of life in a Soviet city at the time the film was made. While this may be a documentary it is also Soviet montage taken as far as possible with some juxtapositions being more interesting than others. Nearly every camera or editing trick in the book is wheeled out here and it makes the film a tour de force in that regard.

4/5

More crosses than a naughts and crosses convention

All things to All Men (2013)

Written and directed by George Isaac this film stars Gabriel Byrne, Rufus Sewell, Toby Stephens and Elsa Pataky. A bent policeman bribes a mob boss to organise a robbery so as to ensnare a master thief.

For the 84 minute run time there is far too much plot going on and we never get enough time to understand the characters before the plot twists and turns out of control. I am not even sure that the plot makes sense or is realistic but it does seem like there is something workable here if there had been another half hour or so in the script. Disappointingly the direction is pretty good and really moody at times but sadly it ends up going to waste really.

2/5

Space zombies

The Last Days on Mars (2013)

Directed by Ruairi Robinson this film stars Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Romola Garai and Olivia Williams. During the last day of a mission to Mars astronauts on the surface discover something strange.

There is not much in the way of originality or depth on show here, what you get is a very basic horror film set on Mars. It is very easy to point fingers at what this film is not but what we are left with while bland is a serviceable film even if it's nothing more. While a lot more work was needed on the story to give this film a chance and some of the direction in the action sequences was annoying to me this is not the worst film you will ever see.

3/5

A dance of death

Come Drink with Me (1966)

Directed by King Hu this film stars Cheng Pei-Pei, Yueh Hua, Chan Hung-lit and Lee Wan-chung. A young woman sets off to rescue her brother from bandits and is assisted along the way by a wandering drunk.

The plot of this film is pretty simple but it is nice to see an early use of a female protagonist especially when it's one that is a serious butt kicker like this. While there might not really be much depth to the film here the script just about does it's job. Where the film is at it's best is in the action sequences that while not up to modern standards have plenty to enjoy and casting a dancer in the lead role was certainly a great choice.

4/5

War finally good for something

The Mouse that Roared (1959)

Directed by Jack Arnold this film based on the novel of the same name stars Peter Sellers (in three roles), Jean Seberg and William Hartnell. A small duchy in Europe that has fallen on hard times declares war on the United States planning to lose quickly and get financial aid to rebuild.

While this is no Dr. Strangelove (1964) this is still a really funny satire that does more than a little to poke fun at the post war situation. Nuclear weapons are also up for joking at and while the film's resolution may be a little naïve there are some good jokes through out. There is plenty to enjoy here even if this is not the most complete satire you will find.

4/5

New world, old problems

Stroszek (1977)

Written and directed by Werner Herzog this film stars Burno S, Eva Mattes and Clemens Scheitz. A musician just out of prison, a prostitutes and an old man leave Germany to live with the old man's nephew in Wisconsin.

This film is a depressing look at the realities of the American dream where things are different but everything turns out the same for our down on their luck protagonists. Despite the bright lights and promises of riches the characters quickly fall into their old habits which gives the film a more than depressing outlook. I enjoyed this film even if I'm still not a fan of Bruno S, his performance here is at least better than in The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974).

4/5

It looked real but turned out fake

The Best Offer (2013)

Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore this film stars Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Cylvia Hokes and Donald Sutherland. An eccentric auctioneer of high class art that is a little corrupt on the side ends up helping an agoraphobic young woman sell her deceased parents antiques.

This is one of those films where it his moments of real excellence but is brought down by an ultimately average plot. The protagonist is the only one who can't see the clichéd plot coming a mile off which is a real shame as there are some interesting elements here. As much as I enjoyed the direction and elements of the romance plot the central confidence trick weakens the whole film.

3/5

No bread, big church

Land Without Bread (1933)

Directed by Luis Bunuel this documentary has a voice over by Alexandre O'Neill in the English version. We explore a harsh, mountainous region of Spain here poverty is rife.

This film shows a stark and desolate way of life and does so through the dispassionate tone of a disinterested narrator. At times I am left wondering how much is real and how much is added for affect but the film does a good job of showing how the people are abandoned by both the state and the Church. Some of the image quality was not the best on the version I watched but that could just have been as I was watching a youtube upload.

4/5

Zero guilt

The Wind Rises (2013)

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki this Studio Ghibli animation uses the voices talents of Hideaki Anno, Miori Takimoto and Hidetoshi Nishijima. A young boy in Japan grows up dreaming of building planes and finally gets to do so but finds his designs used for war.

As a true biography this film is not very accurate but it is a great, dream like exploration of the sadness over the corruption of beauty. While there is a lot to enjoy in the film I am not sure it ever really gets to grips with the dark events of the times it portrays, rather just uses them as a back drop. The animation is good and certainly characteristic of that Japanese style but is maybe not ground breaking or breath taking in the way we might hope.

4/5

Doesn't work?

Transcendence (2014)

Directed by Wally Pfister this film stars Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara and Morgan Freeman. A specialist in AI is shot and given radiation poisoning by anti-AI terrorists and has his mind uploaded to a computer to try and extend his life.

This film got massively bad reviews but was not nearly as bad as I expected, there are tons of really interesting elements to the story even if sadly they are never explored properly. Most of the time this film feels like a failure to fulfil it's promise rather than an outright failure. The large supporting cast often find themselves a little wasted but I do not think this film is the complete write off some do.

3/5

Not even bronze

Silver Lode (1954)

Directed by Allan Dwan this film stars John Payne, Lizabeth Scott and Dan Duryea. US Marshals ride into town and accuse a man of being a wanted murderer on his wedding day.

Covering the same ground as High Noon (1952) this film comes off as weaker in pretty much every regard. There are some decent moments of jeopardy but really this is a second rate anti-McCarthyism film. The cast is barely memorable for Stuart Whitman appearing in an early supporting role but otherwise is full of nobodies that fail to impress.

2/5

A tale of the strange South

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1994)

Directed by Clint Eastwood this film based on the novel of the same name stars Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and Jack Thompson. A writer travels to Savannah, Georgia to cover a high society Christmas party and finds himself involved in the investigation of the host for shooting his lover.

The book this film is based on is inspired by real events and between the two adaptations there is a fair amount of slippage in terms of reality. What we end up with here is a gothic tale of prejudice and lies which is hard to pin down at times. There are some good performances but in condensing for the screen I think some of the detail has been lost sadly.

3/5

Blows

Heart of Glass (1976)

Directed by Werner Herzog this film stars Josef Bierbichler, Stefan Guttler and Clemens Scheitz. When the master glass blower dies taking the secret of a special type of glass to the grave the small community around a glass factory slowly goes crazy.

Herzog had the most of the cast perform while under hypnosis and this gives the film a very strange feel, most of the cast seem barely present as they recite their line with odd gestures. As much as I wanted to like this film I ended up finding it impenetrable which is a shame as it has wisps of really interesting hooks. The plot is certainly dark and offers little solace to the viewer but may be enjoyable to some.

2/5  

Children of the night

Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

Directed by Werner Herzog this film based on the novel “Dracula” stars Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani and Bruno Ganz. A man travels to a castle in Transylvania to help a reclusive count by a house in Germany.

While this is an adaptation of Dracula this film draws heavily on F. W. Muranu's film Nosferatu (1922). There are some changes to the second half of the story and they bring an interesting twist to a story that has been adapted countless times before. I really enjoyed the moody direction and the way that the character of Lucy Harker takes control towards the end.

4/5

People are dying, hearts are breaking

The Cranes Are Flying (1957)

Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov this film stars Tatyana Samojlova, Aleksey Batalov and Vasili Merkuryev. A young couple is split up as Germany invades the Soviet Union and the woman faces hardships and alienation.

Surprisingly for a Soviet era film this film shows a lot of military defeats as well as having a fairly depressing story line when I am more used to Soviet cinema being used for propaganda. The plot is a bit melodramatic but works well, telling a nuanced story with a good deal of subtlety. Where the film is at it's strongest is in the direction which has some great camera moves and some editing with more than a nod to the old masters of Soviet montage.

4/5

An indie throwback

Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Written and directed by David Lowery this film stars Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Ben Foster, Keith Carradine and Nate Parker. A man goes to jail to protected his pregnant girlfriend after a robbery and shoot out gone wrong then breaks out of jail four years later.

As a homage to films of the 60s and 70s there is a lot to like about this film but while it aims to be a slow burner I think it ends up being more of a meandering story. Subtlety is the word of the day here but I am not sure that all the subtle moments of this film add up to much new or different. The film does look excellent but it is just slightly disappointing that some of the cast such as Rooney Mara do not have more to do.

3/5