Sequel sadness

Ted 2 (2015)

Directed by Seth MacFarlane this film stars Mark Wahlberg, the voice of the director, Amanda Seyfried, Jessica Barth and Giovanni Ribisi. Now married the come to life teddy bear faces problems with proving he is not just property.

I enjoyed the original but I found this sequel to be a lazy effort with a meandering plot. What chat the original had appears to be gone in favour of always taking the easy joke. Maybe a sequel was not required but if it was this was certainly not the way to go about it.

2/5

A magician's fantasy

The Golden Beetle (1907)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. A magician transforms a beetle and is surprised by the results.

While I found it a little hard to follow the story here, which is pretty simple, this is still an interesting watch. The screen is filled with great visuals and the early use of tinting brings some nice colours to the film. Special effects are what makes this film and it holds up well to modern viewing.

4/5

From Spain with spooks

The Haunted Hotel (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is a short film from the silent era. Three people travelling arrive at an inn where they are bothered by spirits.

Nearly every camera trick and optical illusion in the book is brought out here in what is a really good example of early cinema's special effects. Right up there with anything made by Georges Melies this is an entertaining if very basic story. A little more story or suspense might have helped make this a more scary effort but it is well worth watching.

4/5

An uncivil war

Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)

Directed by Biyi Bandele this film based on the novel of the same name stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, John Boyega and Anike Noni Rose. Two twin sisters in Nigeria take different paths as the country becomes independent and then fights a civil war.

Some what disappointingly for me this film was too focused on the privileged class of Nigerian intelligentsia rather than exploring the civil war it self. At times it feels like we are only scraping the surface with this adaptation rather than getting the full content. There are good performances and nice sets but I found the script to be a let down.

3/5

Protector, oppressor

Partisan (2015)

Directed by Ariel Kleiman this film stars Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel and Florence Mezzara. A man takes in single mothers, helping them raise their children in a community isolated from society and in return uses the children as assassins.

There is a lot to enjoy here in this slow burning film which goes from a seemingly nice gesture of taking in those with no where to go to worryingly disturbing. The plot could easily reflect the rise of many a dictatorship from either end of the political spectrum. I really liked the score which gave the film a very moody atmosphere.

4/5   

A spirited morning

Ghosts Before Breakfast (1928)

Directed by Hans Richter this film stars Werner Graeff, Walter Gronostay and Paul Hindemith. Various people try to go about their morning routine but are hampered by unseen ghosts.

There is a lot of fun trick photography to enjoy here but that is about the limit of this film. For such a care free and silly film it is odd to see that this is one the Nazis singled out for banning but I suppose that just goes to show how stupid the Nazis were. If you enjoy some of the early films of Georges Melies then this is one for you.

3/5

Don't look at me

Bad Words (2013)

Directed by it's star Jason Bateman this film also features Kathryn Hahn, Rohan Chand and Alison Janney. A 40 year old man abuses a loop hole in the rules to enter spelling competitions for children.

There are times when this film threatens to descend into cliché but thankfully Bateman always has just enough bad guy charm to carry things. Nothing is especially evolutionary here but it is always fun to watch someone be the asshole that we all know there is a little bit of in each of us. The supporting cast does well enough but this film is pretty much all Bateman start to finish.

3/5

Same old boxing story

Southpaw (2015)

Directed by Antoine Fuqua this film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams and Naomie Harris. After the death of his wife a boxer loses his way.

This is a solid effort but unfortunately regurgitates too much familiar genre material. If you have seen any boxing film before a lot of the content will be recognisable and the film sleep walks through a lot of the required beats. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a good performance as do other members of the cast but it's hard to make anything remarkable out of such tired material.

3/5

Damsels and donuts

Little Red Riding Hood (1922)

Directed by Walt Disney this is an early animated film. A girl takes some donuts to her grandmother's house.

This is only an adaptation of the classic fairy tale in the very loosest sense as the story veers off the known path considerable. There are plenty of jokes that give a hint of the style of Disney which were to come. The animation style is pretty rough and is unremarkable for the period it is made in.

2/5

C6 or riot!

Locke (2013)

Written and directed by Steven Knight this film stars Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson, Olivia Coleman and Andrew Scott. On a long night time car journey one man's personal and professional lives threaten to fall apart via a series of telephone calls.

This is a really impressive film that manages to make a gripping story out of a man driving down the motor way and talking about concrete a lot. The story is a great character piece on a practical man trying not to succumb to his emotions when all around him threatens to go to ruin. As always Tom Hardy gives an outstanding performance and the direction is also excellent making the uninteresting surroundings interesting.

5/5

Filthy good

Filth (2013)

Directed by Jon S. Baird this film based on the novel of the same name stars James McAvoy, Jamie Bell, Joanne Froggatt and Imogen Poots. A police officer with all the addictions strives for promotion while waging psychological warfare on all around him.

It seems this adaptation sticks largely to the novel it is based on and does a good job of taking a horrid character and making you feel sorry for the way the story ends in tragedy for him. The plot moves a long at a fair pace and manages to switch emotional gears seamlessly at the end. I enjoyed the direction which is slick in places and certainly has some style to it.

4/5

Insanity on insanity

Room 237 (2012)

Directed by Rodney Aschey this documentary explores Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining. Several fans of the film off amateur film criticism on the hidden meanings with in the film.

Most of the theories offered in this documentary are pretty out there but that is not what the documentary is really about. What the film is really about is the way fans will look so deeply into the films they love, not just this one, and find what they want to find. I really enjoyed the usage of footage from Kubrick's other films and how well it fits with the narration.

4/5  

Looney opera tunes

Magical Maestro (1952)

Directed by Tex Avery this is a short animated film which features “Largo al factotum” from The Barber of Seville. After being rejected for being the opening act for a famous opera singer a magician has his revenge during the opera singer's act.

This is a timelessly funny cartoon right up to the point it starts to rely on racial stereotypes for humour and then it instantly becomes dated. I would not say this is one of my all time favourite cartoons but if you can look past the racism it is entertaining. The animation is good but nothing which sets it apart from the cartoons of it's time.

3/5

Game attempt

Ender's Game (2013)

Directed by Gavin Hood this film based on the novel of the same name stars Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis and Ben Kingsley. In the future after Earth has barely survived an alien invasion a young boy is trained as part of an advanced military program.

While this is a fun watch and contains some interesting material unfortunately this appears to be a much streamlined version of it's source material. This is one of those films that would probably have benefited from being an hour longer as the sequence of events seems just too rushed at times. I did enjoy the performances, the special effects and the moral exploration but the film required a bit more to be really good.

4/5

Another soul destroying Sandler film

Pixels (2015)

Directed by Chris Columbus this film stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage and Josh Gad. Aliens think a film of video games broadcast into space is a war challenge and Earth can only be saved by arcade gamers from the 1980s.

Taking a some what interesting concept and a decent visual style this film manages to be an empty disappointment. Sadly there is just no content or personality despite all the talent involved here. Ultimately this feels like a really lazy attempt at what could have been a fun film.

2/5

Rotten in Argentina

El Patron: Anatomy of a Crime (2014)

Directed by Sebastian Schindel this film stars German de Silva, Joaquin Furriel and luis Ziembrowski. A rich lawyer is stuck looking into the case of a poor man accused of murder who worked as a butcher for his corrupt victim.

This is a pretty good look at the way the poor are taken advantage of by criminal types and how to sell rotten meat. While this film is not especially revolutionary it is a grounded story that does cover a serious issue. There are some decent performances and the direction is solid.

3/5

An incomplete debut

Over the Fence (1917)

Directed by J. Farrell MacDonald and star Harold Lloyd this film also features Snub Pollard and Bebe Daniels. A young tailor wants to take his girl out to see a baseball game but his work mate has ideas of sabotaging the date and getting the girl for himself.

Unfortunately it seems that this film only exists in an incomplete state but it is famous as the debut of Harold Lloyd's famous on screen persona. There is not much to the plot as it remains but there are a couple of nice moments of slapstick comedy. On the version I saw the image quality was not the best but we are probably lucky any of this film survives at all.

3/5

Grey monsters

Dark Was the Night (2014)

Directed by Jack Heller this film also known as “Monster Hunter” stars Kevin Durand, Lukas Haas and Bianca Kajlich. When animals start disappearing and strange tracks appear round a small down the local sheriff has to deal with a monster.

Nothing much stands out about the plot of this bland horror film and there is little character depth to work with either. The film is never scary and trundles through a bunch of the usual genre elements. I found the colour correction to be really flat and the monster itself is kept out of shot because it's disappointingly unimpressive.

2/5

Crock, crock

Knock, Knock (2015)

Directed by Eli Roth this remake of Death Game (1977) stars Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo and Ana de Armas. A married father stuck working home alone is seduced by two beautiful young women who then try to mess up his life.

It is hard to feel any empathy for a protagonist who so quickly cheats on his wife and the final suggestion that all men would cheat like that is a further turn off for this film. At times this seems more like a parody than a straight up thriller. Some of the dialogue is suspect and Keanu Reeves gives some even worse delivery.

1/5

Example editing

Cosmic Ray (1962)

Directed by Bruce Conner this short film features “What'd I Say” by Ray Charles. We see a nude woman dancing intercut with various found footage.

This short film does a really good job of editing to fit with the music track, making image and sound fit seamlessly. While the images may not necessarily reflect the lyrics or add much depth to them this is still an interesting watch. I enjoyed what must be one of the first music videos out there.

4/5

Baby blues and puppy love

Kelly & Cal (2014)

Directed by Jen McGowan this film stars Juliette Lewis, Jonny Weston, Josh Hopkins and Cybill Shepherd. Following the birth of her first child a married woman struggles to come to terms with being a mother in suburbia and befriends a recently disabled teenage boy.

Nothing is overly original about this tale of confused feelings of two people in emotionally bad states but it does handle it's content well. The plot is not overly melodramatic and while predictable is not annoyingly so. There are some decent performances from the cast but I would have prefered if they had something a little more unusual to work with.

3/5

Another sequel we didn't need

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Directed by Gregory Jacobs this sequel stars Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Kevin Nash. Three years after the first film our protagonist returns to the world of stripping for one last weekend on a road trip to a stripping convention.

There was a lot to enjoy about this film's predecessor but sadly this is a bit if a limp follow up that does not add anything fresh. Stomping over a few well known cliches the film grinds to a predictable conclusion. I expect the dance numbers are the main draw here but are not the type that appeal to me.

2/5

Introducing the venom mob

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

Directed by Chang Cheh this film from the Shaw brothers stars Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Kou Chui and Lo Mang. The students of a secretive martial arts clan fight over the clan's hidden fortune as their master is dying.

There is not a huge amount of depth to the plot of this film but it provides the required set up for plenty of martial arts sequences. While this is a fairly well known Shaw brothers film film I am not sure it lives up to the hype completely. The action sequences are of a level you would expect but nothing amazing.

3/5

Choo choo, here comes the train

The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat (1896)

Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumieres this is one of the earliest surviving short films. A train pulls into a station.

There is not a lot too this 50 second long film beyond a static shot of a train pulling into a station. An urban legend states that this film terrified viewers on it's first screening but it's pretty basic to modern viewers. As a piece of historical record this is an important film, as a piece of entertainment it's not anything to write home about.

2/5

Darkness in the snow

The Captive (2014)

Directed by Atom Egoyan this film stars Rosario Dawson, Ryan Reynolds, Mireille Enos and Scott Speedman. We follow the story of an abduction of a 9 year old girl over two time periods, as it happens and eight years later.

It takes a while to get a handle on the non linear nature of this film with scenes presented wildly out of order but once you get to grips with it I found it to work well. The plot takes an uncomfortable in to the dark world of child abduction. I was surprised to see the negative reviews of this film as I thought it tackled the subject well and showed the affect it has on different characters.

4/5

Not about maligned comic book workers

Tracers (2015)

Directed by Daniel Benmayor this film stars Taylor Lautner, Marie Averopoulos, Adam Rayner and Rafi Gavron. Boy meets girl, boy learns parkour to impress girl and joins the parkour criminal gang she is in.

Shuffling through a number of ham fisted cliches there is not much to enjoy about the plot of this film. The only female character is turned into a victim that needs saving and more often than not I found myself rolling my eyes at the heroes interactions with her. To my untrained eye there are some nice parkour sequences which are pretty well shot but that is about the only highlight of the film.

2/5

The wind in the trees

3/60: Trees in Autumn (1960)

Directed by Kurt Kren this is a short black and white film. Short snips of images of trees are combined with the sound of the wind blowing over the microphone.

While there is not a lot to this film it does capture that experience of being outside and the wind blowing through the trees. It may go on a little long for my taste but this is a pretty good short film. Unlike other experimental films I did find this one fairly enjoyable.

3/5

Unwanted, unneeded encore

Entourage (2015)

Written & directed by Doug Ellin this continuation of the television series of the same name stars Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Piven. After getting divorced on the first day of his honeymoon film star Vincent Chase decides he wants to direct his next film.

This film is little more than an extended television episode and does nothing to warrant a cinematic outing. Nothing major really happens in the film and the characters continue to have the attitude of misogynistic teenagers towards women. I suppose all the cameos are something to look forward to but generally this is a limp, self congratulatory effort.

2/5

Repeating the same mistakes

Jurassic World (2015)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow this 4^th film in the franchise stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson. Two brothers are sent to visit their aunt to who works running the new Dinosaur theme park, predictably everything goes to shit.

Falling foul of what little criticism it may have of it's own industry this film lacks and really depth or wonder in comparison to it's predecessors. The finale of the film is pure fan service as dinosaurs battle it out to save the human characters. I suppose the special effects and performances are not bad but this is 120 minutes without much of substance to go around.

3/5

Just another Pixar piece of genius

Inside Out (2015)

Directed by Peter Docter this animated film has voice acting from Amy Poehley, Phyllis Smith, Kaitlyn Dias and Lewis Black. We see the struggles of an 11 year old girl following her family moving to a new state through the emotions that control her.

Like always Pixar have come up with something original and really knocked it out of the park. This is a coming of age story that does a great job of exploring the human psychology in a way fit for younger viewers. The plot does a good job of showing the role sadness plays in our lives and how it is not something to be feared or suppressed. I enjoyed the animation and voice acting but it's the story that really makes this one.

5/5