Ghosts of childhood

Spirited Away (2001)

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki the English version of this film has voice acting from Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden and Suzanne Pleshette. A girl travelling with her parents to live in a new town finds herself transported to a world of spirits.

The basic plot of this film is a coming of age tale where our heroine goes from scared to courageous and has more than an echo of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland about it. Drawing heavily on Japanese culture and folklore some of the elements of the film are pretty strange to me as a western viewer but always entertaining. Of course the animation is of a high standard and fits in with the usual style you expect from Anime.

4/5

Dark dreams of afternoon

Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

Directed by Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid this film stars Deren who also wrote and edited the film. A young woman returns home and falls asleep in her arm chair.

This short film does a better job of framing it's bizarre narrative than other surrealist/avant garde films I have seen but is still wildly open to interpretation. You can easily see how the film had more than a little influence on Mulholland Drive (2001) for example with some of the repeated elements from this film appearing in Lynch's film. There is some camera work and editing but the film may be a little ambiguous for some.

4/5

El Poopo

El Topo (1970)

Written & directed by star Alejandro Jodorowsky this film also features Brontis Jodorowsky, Mara Lorenzio and David Silva. A gunfighter rides through the desert with his young son.

While I really enjoyed The Holy Mountain (1973) I found this film to be a mess of symbolism for the sake of it and a story that goes nowhere. Maybe it helps to watch this film high but to the sober mind I found it to be a film that tries to be clever rather than a film that actually is clever. At times there are some nice landscapes but unless you find something that speaks to you in the film this can be a hard one to sit through.

2/5

If you go into the woods today

Calvaire (2004)

Directed by Fabrice Du Welz this film stars Laurent Lucas, Jackie Berroyer, Jean-Luc Couchard and Philippe Nahon. A travelling singer has his van break down on him in a rural area and is taken to the local inn by a strange man looking his missing dog.

Through out the film this is a strange and creepy experience with some really messed up events but I do not think it is anything beyond that. Mostly the plot is just messed up for the sake of it and relies on the cliché of “country people are strange” with nothing much more to it than that. None of the direction really takes this beyond being an average genre piece and it is more off an oddity than truly scary.

3/5

Once Upon a time in China

A Touch of Zen (1971)

Written and directed by King Hu this film stars Hsu Feng, Shih Jun, Pai Ying amd Roy Chiao. An unambitious artist/scholar has his life turned upside down by a fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials.

This film has a huge reputation and while I'm not sure it's one of the all time greats it's certainly entertaining throughout it's over 3 hour run time. Elements of the story, especially the ending, hint at Buddhist themes but I am not sure these are fully realised beyond the action/adventure story. There is some use of symbolism and the sets/locations no doubt inspired more modern Wuxia films that you are probably more aware of.

4/5

Not exactly those it looks up to.

The Longest Week (2014)

Written and directed by Peter Glanz this film stars Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Billy Crudup. A man that has spent his entire life living off his absent parent's hotel fortune suddenly finds himself cut off.

This film is somewhere between a Wes Anderson and Woody Allen film with a hint of early Jean-Luc Godard, specifically Olivia Wilde made up like Anna Karina. Never hitting the heights of any of the masters that it is inspired by the plot of this film is not as bad as I have seen reviews suggest even if the protagonist is a terrible person and the film goes beyond being obvious about it's intent. Jason Bateman is always watchable and does a good job here despite it not being the strongest script he has had to work with.

2/5

Blood in the water

Children of Glory (2006)

Directed by Krisztina Goda this film stars Kata Dobo, Ivan Fenyo, Sandor Csanyi and Karoly Gesztesi. A young water polo player on the Hungarian national team ahead of the 1956 Olympics gets caught up in the political uprising in Hungary during the same year.

While this film tells a fictional story it reflects a lot of moments of real history which it thankfully does without any claims of being a true story. The film does a good job of showing the repressive nature of living under the thumb of the Soviet state against the desire for freedom. Largely the film is well made and does not give in to over sentimentality or melodrama.

4/5

Failure to take off

Red Tails (2012)

Directed by Anthony Hemingway this film inspired by real events stars Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo and Elijah Kelley. During WW2 African American fighter pilots struggle against racial prejudice to be allowed to do their part for the war effort.

As the “inspired by” suggests factual accuracy is not necessarily this films strong point and to be honest neither is a mature tone. At times the script is overly simplistic and the characters lack any real depth as does the exploration of the big issues at work here. The action sequences are entertaining and certainly exciting but I am not sure this film ever does justice to the story it is telling which is a big shame.

2/5

Not your usual episode of family feud

Our Hospitality (1923)

Directed by John G. Blystone and star Buster Keaton this film also features Joe Roberts, Natalie Talmadge and Ralph Bushman. A man made orphan following a feud between two families heads south to inherit the family estate.

Some of the humour here is based on stereotypes of Southern hospitality and a specific feud from US history which means some things may go over the head of foreign and/or modern viewers. It takes a while for the film to get going but the basic set up provides plenty of scope for wacky events. There are plenty of stunts, maybe not as impressive as some other Keaton films, but still plenty to keep you entertained.

3/5

A Brief Hong Kong Encounter

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Written and directed by Wong Kar-wai this film stars Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. Two married neighbours realise their respective spouses are having an affair with each other and tentatively begin to get to know each other.

Set in Hong Kong in the 1960s this film very much reminds me of Brief Encounter (1945) as both share a subtle and unfulfilled tale of illicit romance in a judgemental society. At times the film favours ambiguity which can be a little confusing but always handles the story with care. There are some nice uses of colour, reflections and moving camera shots.

4/5

Live. Die. Be Not Overly Impressed.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Directed by Doug Liman this film based on the novel “All You Need Is Kill” stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Earth is invaded by aliens and an advertising executive is forced onto the front lines as a soldier then gets caught in a time loop.

The premise of this film is a mash up of Groundhog Day (1993) and Starship Troopers (1997) with an echo of video games. While the film has fun with the humour in the set up as well as a nice change on gender roles it lacks any really heart or brains. If you just want a fun two hours of explosions and a story that doesn't take itself too seriously then this is the place to be but if you want something more then you might have to look elsewhere.

3/5

City in the sky

Chronopolis (1982)

Written and directed by Piotr Kamler this animated film is a French/Polish collaboration. A man climbs up to a massive futuristic city which is filled with strange beings that spend their days on monotonous tasks.

I watched the shorter version of this film which has all of the narration omitted and that does make this film really ambiguous which is not to the taste of everyone. The plot harks back to the style of various myths, such as stealing fire from the gods, but leaves plenty of room for anyone to offer an interpretation. It took 5 years to make this film but it has a truly unique animation style which is very much reminiscent of ancient carvings.

4/5

Elephant shit

Blended (2014)

Directed by Frank Coraci this film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Terry Crews and Bella Thorne. Two single parents have a terrible first date then find themselves stuck on a holiday in Africa together with each other's children in tow.

One thing you can say about Adam Sandler is that at least he is consistent, it's low brow humour all the way here even when something more subtle would have worked better. The plot never fails to feel contrived and the humour over acted, about the only question here is if you will find the film offensive or not. In it's favour there are a handful of funny moments but the depictions of gender and Africans are more than questionable for most of the film.

1/5

Not so mysterious

Ten Little Indians (1965)

Directed by George Pollock this film based on the novel “And Then There Were None” stars Shirley Eaton, Hugh O'Brian, Stanley Holloway and Dennis Price. Ten strangers are invited to a remote house in the Alps by a man none of them know and are all accused of being guilty of murder.

By the end of the film the plot ends up feeling contrived and we never get an explanation for how anyone knew so much about these people's secrets. There are some changes to the original novel but the one to the ending is at least in part the same as Christie's own stage version. Some moments are a little over the top such as giving the audience a break in the film to discuss “who done it” but otherwise this is a fairly well made film.

2/5

Whale of a time

Hell Below Zero (1954)

Directed by Mark Robson this film based on the novel “The White South” stars Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel and Stanley Baker. A woman suspicious about the death of her father joins the Antarctic whaling fleet she now part owns as does an American with a crush on her.

This is a fairly simple mystery film that does not take a lot to resolve but does have the odd moment of action. If you are put off by the killing of whales do not watch this film as it shows a large amount of whale killing and butchery. At times this does feel a bit like a dressed up advert for the whaling industry but there are worse ways to spend 90 minutes.

3/5

District brick

Brick Mansions (2014)

Directed by Camille Delamarre this remake of District 13 (2004) stars Paul Walker, David Belle and RZA. In the near future the projects in Detroit have been walled off and left to the control of drug lords, one cop and a vigilante have to work together to save the people there.

The structure and pacing of this film are very odd with a first act that takes up about half the film and doesn't really make sense towards the end. If you can turn off your brain then this film is watch-able but it will test you at times. What the film does have in it's favour is plenty of action sequences to fill the void left by the lack of something more cerebral.

2/5

Very average girls

Very Good Girls (2014)

Written and directed by Naomi Foner this film stars Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Boyd Holbrook and Ellen Barkin. Two 18 year old girls vow to lose their virginities during the summer before college and pine for the same guy.

The plot of this film covers a lot of the usual coming of age ground and features many of the set pieces you expect from a love triangle plot. While the film has a nice slow feel to it unfortunately it has a few really bum notes that just stink of cliché and drag down an otherwise well made effort. Probably the best thing about this film is the great supporting cast but we see far too little of them.

2/5

Shirking responsibility

A Thousand Times Good Night (2013)

Directed by Erik Poppe this film stars Juliette Binoche, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Lauryn Canny. A war photographer gets injured in a suicide bombing she is at least partly morally responsible for and finds her family struggling to deal with her career.

There is a ton of really interesting and morally ambiguous stuff here which highlights some of the dilemmas facing war photographers. I am not sure the film ever completely gets to grips with the subject matter and at times the resolutions do feel a little too easy, it is not till right at the end that the protagonist has to in part face up to the realities of her actions. The film is excellently shot and as always Juliette Binoche gives an excellent performance.

4/5

A poor imitation of life

The Imitation Game (2014)

Directed by Morten Tyldum this biographical film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode and Mark Strong. During WW2 a genius mathematician is recruited to help break the top German encryption.

The life of Alan Turing contains many great achievements and terrible treatment by the establishment but sadly instead of telling his story this film wanders far too deeply into fantasy land. By over stating Turing's involvement and achievements as well as changing his personality and adding ridiculous fantasy versions of events the script is a massive disservice to Turing. Benedict Cumberbatch gives a really good performance but when the script is so far off the mark it's a bit of an exercise in futility really.

2/5

Attempts to get it on

L'Age d'Or (1930)

Directed by Luis Bunuel this film stars Gaston Modot, Lya Lys, Caridad de Laberdesque and Max Ernst. A bunch of weird stuff happens and a couple try to have sex.

Buried with in the wandering surrealist dream that is this film is a condemnation religious and class repression of sexual urges. Unfortunately at times the thrust of the film gets lost in the seemingly bizarre and unrelated elements that litter the film. Certainly this film is something you need to have a specific taste for, the rest of us are just left bemused.

3/5

Back from the dead

Only Loves Left Alive (2013)

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch this film stars Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska and Anton Yelchin. An old vampire living in Detroit and tired of life is visited by the vampire he has been married too for centuries.

While the plot of this film contains many familiar elements it provides a refreshing spin on what could easily have been a cliché story. The central characters muse about humanity, creating art and living for centuries while always holding your attention. All the performances are great and this is probably the best vampire film in a long time.

4/5

Shadow of screenwriter

Cast a Giant Shadow (1966)

Written and directed by Melville Shavelson this film based on a true story stars Kirk Douglas, Senta Berger, Yul Brynner and James Donald. An American military officer heads to Palestine unofficially to help the Jewish state build an army in the months before independence.

Despite being a compelling tale it does seem at times this film succumbs to the usual Hollywood temptations of embellishing in the name of entertainment. While the film is entertaining through out it is heavy handed in places and at times amounts to little more than propaganda. There are some big name cameos that are worth watching out for but given the subject matter this is not an overly remarkable film.

3/5

WW2 up close

The Battle of San Pietro (1945)

Directed by John Huston this documentary was shot in Italy during WW2. Members of the 143^rd Regiment of the 36^th Division of the US army attack a hill top village.

There are various claims about just how close camera men got to fighting during the battle and how real the footage is, whatever the case this documentary shows a the stark horrors of war well. While the narrative is a little dry and more like an army training film at times it still does a good job of showing the viewer what it was like on the ground. Some nice juxtapositions between image and narration help move things along as well.

4/5

First blood on crack

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

Directed by the brothers Strause this film stars Steven Pasquale, Reiko Aylesworth and John Ortiz. A small town in the US finds itself as the battleground for a fight between Aliens, Predators and an Alien-Predator hybrid.

There is not a lot of plot to this film and we never get to know any of the character long enough to care about them. We see a parade of stock characters in cliché situations get dispached so rapidly there is never enough time for any character arcs. Most of the action is either cut too fast or shot too dark to be suspenseful so there is not a lot to look forward to here.

2/5

Over sized monster

Godzilla (2014)

Directed by Gareth Edwards this reboot of the popular monster franchise stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Olsen. An American military officer heads to Japan to find his father who thinks that there is a conspiracy to cover up what caused a nuclear meltdown.

There is a lot that this film does not do such as have any characters of interest but it does deliver on the prerequisite of plenty of monster inspired destruction. Unlike the original film there is no real depth here but I suppose it does have some enjoyable moments even if the attempts to force Americanization on what is clearly a Japanese story is slightly awkward in places. The special effects are clearly just a CGI extravaganza and disappointingly despite having three great actresses cast all there parts combined don't add up to a decent role.

3/5

Africa's bright cinematic light

Yeelen (1987)

Written and directed by Soulemane Cisse this film based on a Bambara legend stars Issiaka Kane, Niamanto Sanogo and Aoua Sangare. A young man with magical powers seeks out his paternal uncle to help him fight his father who wants to destroy him.

It may take a little to adjust to this African mythic tale but it is a really interesting story of cross generational struggle and man's connection with the Earth. While not exactly a classic hero's journey in the mono myth style it has plenty in common with that idea and the cyclical nature of the story works well. The landscapes of Mali are captured beautifully and the magical elements are well done.

5/5

Remaking a remake

Last of the Comanches (1953)

Directed by Andre de Toth this film, which is a transplanted remake of Sahara (1943), stars Broderick Crawford and Barbara Hale. Six US Cavalry survivors of a massacre pick up a group of civilians and hide out from Comanches on the war path.

While this film maybe a remake (of what seems to be a remake itself) it throws nearly every genre cliché there is at the screen. We may end up with a deeply average film but in it's favour it does have a positive Native American character and keeps events moving along at a brisk pace. Really the script could have done with more depth but for a short Western this is not a bad film.

3/5

Fizzles

The Big Bang (2011)

Directed by Tony Krantz this film stars Antonio Banderas, Sienna Guillory, Autumn Reeser and Robert Maillet. Three policemen interview a private eye about his most recent case, the search for a stripper pen pal of a recently released murderer.

This script would work a lot better if it included just an ounce of subtlety but it is intent in smashing you over the head with the parallels between the scientific theories discussed and the plot. What plot there is is a standard neo noir by way of cheap Tarantino imitation and does not hold up especially well. There are one or two moments of interesting direction involving light and colour but they are not nearly enough to save this film from being a snooze-fest.

2/5

No art.

The Art of the Steal (2013)

Written and directed by Jonathan Sobol this film stars Kurt Russell, Jay Baruchel, Matt Dillon and Terence Stamp. After spending seven years in prison thanks to his half brother selling him out a man seeks revenge with the theft of a rare book.

Stuck between being a comedy, a slick heist film and a Tarantino rip off this film ends up being none of those and is a real waste of all the talent involved. The script is limp to say the least and does not offer much in the way of entertainment. Given there are some pretty good actors involved the most puzzling thing is what drew them all to this project and I have no answers here.

2/5

Everybody was kung fu fighting

The 36^th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)

Directed by Liu Chai-Liang this film stars Gordon Liu and Lo Lieh. A young student gets caught up in rebellion against the Manchu government and heads to a Shaolin temple to learn the ways of kung fu to fight oppression.

Despite this having a reputation as being the best Shaw Brothers film for my liking it spends far too long on the training sequence over action. While the training sections do a good job of exploring the Shaolin and their methods it leaves little time for much else. Generally the film is well made and has some nice sequences but given the reputation of the film I was expecting a little more.

4/5

Once a night is plenty, more and you could get sore

Knights of Badassdom (2013)

Directed by Joe Lynch this film stars Ryan Kwanten, Steve Zhan, Peter Dinklage and Summer Glau. Three roleplayers head to a LARP after one has broken up with his girlfriend and accidentally unleash a real evil fiend.

Right from the get go it's clear this is not going to be the most intelligent or emotionally deep film you will see but it just about stays clear of being completely juvenile. There is not a huge amount to say in favour of this film but I suppose it's depiction of LARP culture is not too bad. It would have been nice to see a more affectionate, subtle take on the material but for what we get it's not the worst film you will ever see.

2/5