Viy-ing to be good and failing

Viy (2014)

Directed by Oleg Stepchenko this film also known as “Forbidden Kingdom” stars Jason Flemming, Aleksey Chadov, Anna Churina and Charles Dance. An English cartographer in the 18^th century travels into the Ukraine making maps where he comes upon a village living in fear of a witch.

Taking it's basis in Nikolai Gogol's classic story unforunately this film wanders rather far from it's source material. There is a good basis for the story in the fear of peasants, religious oppression and the coming scientific enlightenment but this gets bungled in favour of action sequences leaving a story that is sometimes hard to follow. I found the dubbing of this film to be all over the place which was distracting to say the least.

2/5

Shocking

Electric Current (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this silent era short film stars unknown performers. A couple regularly steal from a shop so the shop keeper electrifies the shop.

There is not a huge amount to this film but the simple narrative is easy to understand. I am not sure having the shop keeper's plan back fires on him carries any deeper commentary but for a bit of slapstick this is fairly funny. Compared to other films but the same director this is not nearly as fantastical but not a bad watch.

3/5

Point/less

Self/Less (2015)

Directed by Tarsem Singh this film stars Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez, Matthew Goode and Ben Kingsley. An ageing business tycoon is dying of cancer so pays a secretive medical company to transfer his consciousness to a new body.

Unfortunately this film is not interested in living up to it's premise or exploring the implications of the technology involved on any level. This ends up being a mindless action film where the protagonist's change of personality is just too unconvincing. I suppose the director and cast do as well as they can but the script is just too disappointing.

2/5

Silky moves

Loie Fuller (1902)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film stars Loie Fuller. A bat disappears to be replaced by a dancer who shows off her skills with a silk dress.

This short does a good job of capturing a hint of the talents of the famous dancer Loie Fuller. While undoubtedly the film is too short to capture a full performance the flowing movement of the dancer is intriguing. Despite appearing as just a single static shot I still found this to be an entertaining watch.

3/5

Racism?

Watermelon Contest (1900)

Directed by James H. White this is a short film. Four African Americans eat some watermelon.

There is nothing really funny or entertaining about what I can only assume is an early short film that was popular because of a racial stereotype. The film comprises of a single static shot and really runs a little too long as not much actually happens in the film. Lacking a narrative and based on racism it's hard to find a reason anyone would recommend this film.

1/5

Stretching it out

Grand Piano (2013)

Directed by Eugenio Mira this film stars Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Kerry Bishe and Tamsin Egerton. Returning to the stage for the first time in five years a famous concert pianist finds there is a sniper in the audience that will kill him if he plays a wrong note.

While the premise of this plot is a bit of a gimmick it does just about manage to fill out the film fully. The story is not that interesting, the idea of a performer critical of things in their own performance that no one else notices has some mileage but is not really taken full advantage of. Mostly the film is well made but does start to drag a little towards the end as it tries to stretch out the premise.

3/5

The Republican Lassie

Max (2015)

Directed by Boaz Yakin this film stars Josh Wiggins, Thomas Haden Church, Lauren Graham and Mia Xitlali. A dog that served in the US Marines helps the teenage brother of his dead handler come to be a good American and get a girlfriend.

Essentially this a modern Republican version of any dog film you have previously seen. The plot is pretty simplistic and hammers home it's morals with no concern for subtlety. I suppose the performances from the dog are decent but the whole film leaves a lot to be desired.

2/5  

Gallows, no humour

The Gallows (2015)

Written as well as directed by Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing this film stars Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos and Cassidy Gifford. Twenty years after a student was accidentally hung during a school play called “The Gallows” the same school puts on another production of the play.

I find found footage to be overly used for no good reason and this another example of annoying camera work without much motivation. The plot is pretty basic, taking a bunch of simple genre cliches and going no where with them thanks to a bunch of pretty unlikeable characters. There was little to like here for me but this film did make a massive profit on it's tiny budget so it did something right.

2/5

English old wave

Rough Sea at Dover (1895)

Directed by Brit Acres and Robert W. Paul this is an early short film. We see the sea at Dover in England as waves crash against a wall.

Weighing in at only 40 seconds long there is not a lot to this film and it only really served as a proof of concept in it's day. There is no narrative but there is always something slightly spell binding about the hypnotic movement of the waves. The image quality is not the best but for it's age this film has survived well.

2/5

Some kind of the usual repackaged romance

Some Kind of Beautiful (2014)

Directed by Tom Vaughan this film also known as “Lessons in love” Stars Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba and Malcolm McDowell. An English professor of literature sleeps with all his female students and upon getting one pregnant moves to America to be with her.

This is a pretty pedestrian romantic comedy that often threatens to hit full on melodrama but mostly manages to fall just about the right side. Unfortunately just too many parts are far too predictable. The cast is far better than the material they have to work with but this not too bad of a film really.

2/5

Not a wreck

Trainwreck (2015)

Directed by Judd Apatow this film stars writer Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson and LeBron James. A woman who works as a writer for a men's life style magazine does not believe in lasting relationships but begins seeing a doctor who does.

While this film is not massively original seeing the usual gender roles for this genre flipped is a nice change. The story unfolds much as you would expect but is fairly entertaining along the way if not overly funny. At times it seemed like Amy Schumer was performing stand up rather than acting but the rest of the time her performance is really good and the cameos are a lot of fun.

3/5

Kid got moves

Dancing Darkey Boy (1897)

Directed by William Heise this is a very short film that does not even run to a full minute in length. A young boy dances on a table top for the entertainment of those around him.

Apart from the suspect title this is a pretty enjoyable little short film. While there may be no narrative the star of the piece has some moves that are more than enough to be entertaining. Given this is such a short clip though it's hard to make much of it.

2/5  

A bad idea badly executed

The Friday Download Movie (2015)

Directed by John Henderson this film stars Dionne Bromfield, Shannon Flynn, Bobby Lockwood, George Sear and Richard Wiskers. The presenters of a children's entertainment show go on holiday together in a van but end up at a haunted house.

Converting a children's program with a non narrative format to a film is a strange idea to begin with and unsurprisingly it does not work. About the only time the film threatens to be funny is when David Mitchell has a cameo and it is never scary. The acting is hammy at best, the effects cheap and the plot somewhere between simplistic and mind numbing.

1/5

Snow and sex

Two Night Stand (2014)

Directed by Max Nichols this film stars Analeigh Tipton, Miles Teller, Jessica Szohr and Leven Rambin. A couple that meet online for a one night stand find themselves stranded together in a blizzard and forced to get to know each other.

While this film may hit a lot of the usual genre beats it does so in a pretty gentle way, not smacking you over the head with familiar elements too hard. There is nothing especially original here but the film does a good job of navigating through well trodden ground without making a mess of things. The performances from the cast are nothing remarkable but do a good enough job.

3/5

Cold

Hot Pursuit (2015)

Directed by Anne Fletcher this film stars Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara. A by the book female police officer is sent to help transport a mobster's wife to court.

Some how this odd couple film manages to be pretty terrible despite having two good leads. The jokes and scenarios are all just too easy making the comedy lazy and not really funny. Reese Witherspoon just does not seem to be able to fit the physical comedy of her role while Sofia Vergara's performance heads into the realm of uncomfortable racial stereotype.

2/5

When women want the vote

Ladies' Skirts Nailed to a Fence (1899)

From the Bamford company this film also known as “Women's Rights” is by an unknown directoe and stars. Two women talk by a fence then have their skirts nailed to it by two men.

There is something reminiscent of a Monty Python sketch here but with a much simpler joke. Until you add in the context that the women are supposed to be talking about getting the right to vote the film has some comedic value. In the end this is just an old time sexist film rather than just a silly slapstick comedy.

2/5

Oh my, an ankle!

As Seen Through a Telescope (1900)

Directed by George Albert Smith this is a short film also known as “The Professor and His Field Glass”. An old man uses a telescope to scandalously check out a woman's ankle at distance.

Some what similar to The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903) it is hard to imagine anything more Victorian than the titillation of checking out nothing more than a clothed ankle. There is some humour to this short film but you aren't going to get a lot in this less than a minute run time. The film maybe a pioneer in terms of using a close up and editing but otherwise it is not that remarkable to a modern viewer.

3/5

Moshing Meryl

Ricki and the Flash (2015)

Directed by Janathan Demme this film stars Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Kevin Kline and Audra McDonald. A woman in her middle ages starts to reconnect with the family she abandoned for a music career that ultimately failed.

While this film is pretty predictable it stumbles through the motions pretty well. Some of the musical numbers seemed a little longer than was necessary but generally the story is told decently enough. The highlight of the film is seeing Streep in such a different role and as always she gives a good performance.

3/5

The problems with censors

Lolita (1962)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick this film based on the novel of the same name stars James Madson, Sue Lyon, Shelley Winters and Peter Sellers. A professor tries to ignore the amorous attentions of his land lady while obsessing over her underage daughter.

Thanks to censorship of the time it was essentially impossible to film an adaptation of the novel as is and I think the film does suffer in it's treatment of the material thanks to this hamstringing by censorship. There some darkly comedic moments but it always feels like the film is only ever scratching the surface. I enjoyed the performances but ultimately I do not think it is possible to put this film up there with Kubrick's other masterpieces.

3/5

The strangest of educations

Der Bunker (2015)

Directed by Nikias Chryssos this film stars Pit Bukowski, Daniel Fripan, Oona von Maydell and David Scheller. A student seeking solitude for his work goes to stay with a strange couple and their son in a bunker in the woods.

Deeply bizarre this film wanders in all sorts of odd directions and while always captivating I am not sure it has much depth to it. The story is not necessarily realistic but the messed up world and characters will keep you watching. I enjoyed the performances and there a couple of nice moments of direction too.

3/5

Hop and change

The Frog (1908)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film stars Julienne Mathieu. A frog hopes round a fountain and magic transformations happen.

As enjoyable as the fantastic imagery is here the film lacks a clear story or plot to thread all the action together. The scenes created are impressive but the fact that it is all done with one simple editing trick does take away some of the wonder from this film. An enjoyable diversion but not much more.

3/5

Not your usual Arnie

Maggie (2015)

Directed by Henry Hobson this film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin and Joely Richardson. A girl is cared for by her father and step mother as she slowly succumbs to the infection of a zombie apocalypse.

When you hear Arnie and zombies a small budget indie film is not what springs to mind but there is something interesting about seeing on the of the biggest action stars of our time out of his element. There are a lot of decent hooks in the script but it never really goes far enough, certainly not exploring the idea of assisted suicide in enough depth for me. I enjoyed the performances but the cast needed a little more to work with.

3/5

Thugs in all but name

The Sweeney (2012)

Directed by Nick Love this film based on the television series of the same name stars Ray Winstone, Ben Drew, Hayley Atwell and Damian Lewis. A group of thugs work in a police unit specializing in armed crime.

This is an attempt to put an American style action film in a British police setting and as Hot Fuzz (2007) showed this is completely ridiculous. There is not much of a plot and any thought of the characters having a moral compass is well out the window. Given all the talent involved this is a really disappointing film but most disappointing of all is Hayley Atwell getting stuck with a role that is there just to show some skin and motivate the men.

2/5

Cuttings

Magic Roses (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film is an early short film in colour. A magician uses a bouquet of roses to perform some magic tricks.

This is a pretty good but simple use of early trick photography to create a film in the style of Melies. Being tinted with colour adds to the visual of the film but the content is not overly impressive. While I enjoyed this film the tricks are just a little too easy to pick out.

3/5

Of butterflies and love

The Duke of Burgundy (2014)

Directed by Peter Strickland this film stars Sidse Babett Knudsen and Chiara D'Anna. A woman works for her lover as a maid in a BDSM relationship but not all is as it seems.

I found this film to be a pretty interesting twist on the relationship dynamic you would expect and the film does a good job of slowly peeling back the layers to reveal more about it's central characters. My only quibble would be with the dream sequence which while reminiscent of Mothlight (1963) seems out of place and a little unintelligible. The cinematography is also really good making use of reflections and the locations well.

4/5

Close to if not exactly blue

Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)

Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche this film based on the graphic novel of the same name stars Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. We follow a girl from the age of 17 to 20 something as she explores love and her place in the world.

This is a really strong coming of age story which explores both love and sexuality in an intimate yet realistic way. There is a lot to enjoy about this film even if it is not what you would consider a pure adaptation. I really enjoyed the performances of the two leads and the close up camera work through out the film which really helps you feel close to the characters.

4/5

A weak forgery

The Forger (2014)

Directed by Philip Martin this film stars John Travolta, Christopher Plummer, Tye Sheridan, Abigail Spencer and Jennifer Ehle. A painting forger goes in debt to a crime boss to get out of jail and spend time with his teenage son who has cancer.

This is a half baked crime thriller that is short on thrills by a large amount. Nearly everything here feels like a film just stumbling through the motions. There is some suspect rear projection in one scene and despite the good cast nothing impresses here.

2/5

Not Japanese, not acrobats

Kiri-Kis (1907)

Directed by Segund de Chomon this is a short film that is surprisingly colourful for it's age. A bunch of people in yellow face lie on the floor pretending to be Japanese acrobats.

This is a simple trick of filming people on the floor from above to make it seem like they are doing amazing tricks. Neither the camera trick itself or having a bunch of people in yellow face is interesting. Compared to the other shorts I have seen from the same director this one was a real let down.

2/5

Hosed

Tables Turned on the Gardener (1895)

Directed by Louis Lumiere this film stars Francois Clerc and Benoit Duval. A gardener uses a hose to water flowers and a boy plays a prank on the gardener.

This is a very simple short film that is barely over half a minute long but the basic joke does work. The image quality is decent for the age of the film but the film is just one static shot. While this is an enjoyable short it is not overly impressive.

3/5