Eyes

Film Study (1926)

Directed by Hans Richter this is an experimental short film. We start with eye balls and go on an journey of shifting shapes.

This is a well put together short film that progresses nicely through a selection of odd imagery. While it did not really impress me too much this is still a decent watch compared to some of the experimental films I have seen. Finding a deeper meaning was beyond me here but at least it was not boring.

3/5  

Africa past and present

The Forgotten Kingdom (2013)

Written & directed by Andrew Mudge this film stars Zezno Ngqobe, Nozipho Nkelemba and Lebohang Ntsane. A young man living in Johannesburg collects his fathers body from a township and takes him back to Lesotho to be buried.

I really enjoyed this African film which takes in the conflict between modern and historical Africa. Mixing the present with a heroes quest reminiscent of Yeelen (1987) the film shows how young Africans are caught between past and present as well as the restrictions both place on them. There is some stunning landscape as well which adds some scope to the film.

4/5

The need for $630

Grandma (2015)

Written & directed by Paul Weitz this film stars Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden and Judy Greer. A grandmother struggling with her own issues tries to help her granddaughter collect up the money she needs to pay for an abortion.

This is a decent film with a good heart to it looking at three different generations of women in the same family and the relationships between them. While I did enjoy the film I am not sure it was ever as funny or emotional as it could have been. I was slightly surprised to see the film had a male writer and director which maybe detracts a little from the films authenticity.

3/5

Too proud for hides and glue

Cow Country (1953)

Directed by Lesley Selander this film stars Edmond O'Brien, Helen Westcott, Robert Lowery and Peggie Castle. With a crash in meat prices someone is trying to put the cattle men in a Texas valley out of business to get all their land on the cheap.

Plodding through a fairly dry plot this film makes it's intentions clear in the first 15 minutes and shakes out as you would expect. I suppose there is nothing massively wrong with the script but it is all to familiar and just goes through the paces. None of the acting or direction stands out and the required fight scenes are fairly weak.

2/5

Proto-Bugs

Hare-um Scare-um (1939)

Directed by Ben Hardaway and Cal Dalton this carton has voice acting from Mel Blanc. Discovering there is a rise in meat prices a man heads out into the woods with his trusty dog to hunt down his own meat.

This film is pretty clearly an early prototype for many Bugs Bunny cartoons that were to follow but does not completely crack the formula. While this is a solid effort it fails slightly in comparison to later efforts as understandably it lack their polish. The animation is decent if unremarkable and most of the gags are good if simple.

3/5

They built a wall but I doubt the monsters paid for it

Monsters (2010)

Written & directed by Gareth Edwards this film stars Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able. In the near future an American photographer is tasked with helping his publisher's daughter travel from Mexico back to the US through a zone infected with monsters.

Highly impressive for it's low budget this is not exactly a horror film but does a good job of mixing monsters in with ideas about illegal immigration. While I am not 100% convinced on the subtext this was still a great watch through out that builds plenty of tension without the excesses of CGI in a lot of monster films. There are decent performances from the cast but it is the direction and cinematography both from Edwards that stand out.

4/5

Predictable parent problems

Daddy's Home (2015)

Directed by Sean Anders this film stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini and Thomas Haden Church. A step father struggles to deal with the sudden arrival of the much cooler biological father of the children he is helping to raise.

This film is not exactly overly funny or clever but it does belatedly have it's heart in the right place at least. To work fully the film really needed to have the antagonists psyche worked out a little better as his character arc feels a bit cheap and is what should round off the film. I did just about enjoy this film and I do not think it is as bad as some people do.

3/5

A natural montage

Etude cinegrapique sur une arabesque (1929)

Directed by Germaine Dulac this film also known as “Arabesque” is an experimental short film. We see a montage of black and white images from various different natural sources.

While this is an enjoyable montage I never picked up any clear rhythm or meaning to the editing of the film. The images are certainly interesting but this is another experimental film that kept me at arms length.

3/5

The Alice Show

Welcome to Me (2014)

Directed by Shira Piven this film stars Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Linda Cardellini and Wes Bentley. A woman diagnosed with borderline personality disorder wins the lottery and uses the money to have her own talk show so she can be just like her hero Oprah Winfrey.

Entertaining as this film is it is not overly funny and does not really have a greater depth to it. I enjoyed the film and as always Kristen Wiig does well with what she has to work with. Really the film could have done with dealing with the mental health topics a bit more seriously but it is still a fine watch.

3/5

Relentless machinery of the legal system

Court (2014)

Written & directed by Chaitanya Tamhane this film stars Vira Sathidar, Vivek Gomber, Geetanjaki Kulkarni and Pradeep Joshi. An ageing folk singer is charged with abetting a suicide due to the content of one of his songs.

Taking the idea idea of the slick court room drama and turning it on it's head this is a realistic look at the slow moving nature of the lower courts that most experience. Gradually the apparatus of the state crushes away at a man deemed subversive once he is trapped in the system. I also liked the way the film is filled with interludes of the daily life of the court officials contrasting their lives and class with that of the people that show up in court. At times the detached camera work is a little frustrating but it adds to the realistic, documentary style of the film.

4/5

A royal revolution

A Royal Affair (2012)

Directed by Nikolaj Arcel this film stars Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander and Mikkel Folsgaar. In the late 1700s an English noble woman goes to Denmark to marry the king and finds he is mentally unfit to rule.

I suppose the best way to describe this film is not exactly historically inaccurate but certainly fairly biased in it's view on events. No doubt this is an entertaining watch but it seems not all details follow real events. While I enjoyed the film it did not do much to stand out.

3/5

Drifting through the park

Barcelona Park at Twilight (1904)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. A camera on a boat floats down a river through a park in Barcelona.

This short is pretty much exactly what is says on the tin and somewhat of a contracts to it's director's more fantastical work. Not a great deal happens but this is a nice view of a park from a by gone era. The tinting is supposed to indicate the time of day but does not add massively to the film.

3/5

Not all that glitters is gold

The Lovers (2013)

Written & directed by Roland Joffe this film also known as “Time Traveller” stars Josh Hartnett, Bipasha Basu and Tamsin Egerton. In the near future a marine archaeologist finds two rings then goes into a coma after saving his wife, while in a coma he dreams of a romance in 1778 in India.

Pretty suspect through out this muddled story divided by national affiliations is hard to follow at times and ultimately is disappointing. The framing story resolves in a nonsensical manner and I found the whole thing frustrating. Some of the acting also raises an eye brow from time to time which does not help matters.

2/5

Just a bit too gentle

The Intern (2015)

Written & directed by Nancy Meyers this film stars Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway and Rene Russo. A retired widower struggles to fill his time so applies for an internship aimed a senior citizens at a new tech company and ends up working for the boss of the company.

While there is nothing especially wrong with this film it is just a little bit too gentle and easy going for my taste. Nearly everything unfolds as is to be expected but the plot does at least look at the problems of being a career woman even if it doesn't do so in any great depth. Both the leads give good performances which help the film hold it's head above water but it's hard not to want something more given all the talent involved here.

3/5

Walled off

Bopping the Great Wall of China Blue (1979)

Directed by Saul Levine this is an experimental short film. We see a bunch of cut together in a grungy style.

This is one of those short films I found impenetrable, the mix of clips adding up to nothing for me. The editing style is jarring and helps to keep you confused. More explanation of what is supposed to be going on here would really help the viewer.

2/5

Not all is fair in fruit and war

Tangerines (2013)

Directed by Zaza Urushadze this film stars Lembit Ulfsak, Elmo Nuganen, Giorgi Nakashidze and Mikheil Meskhi. Two men from Estonia living Abkhazia try to harvest tangerines while the 1992-1993 war in the region goes on around them.

While this is a simple and clearly constructed tale it is a good look at war, pacifism and accepting others as human with clear religious undertones. The story moves along as gently and builds nicely to it's conclusion leaving you genuinely sad for the fate of some of the characters. I really enjoyed the performances of the cast and the direction shows measured restraint.

4/5

Things that go more than bump in the night

Last Shift (2014)

Directed by co-writer Anthony DiBlasi this film stars Juliana Harkavy, Joshua Mikel and J. LaRose. On her first day as a police officer a woman is sent alone to work the last shift at a police station set to be closed.

Building up for the small things you notice when alone a building this film is a pretty effective horror film with plenty of scares. The plot draws heavily on a Mason like cult and with a little more thought this really could have been a great film but falls just short. Both the direction and acting of Juliana Harkavy who has to carry the film is excellent, keeping you guessing through out.

4/5

Too short to delve

Every Secret Thing (2014)

Directed by Amy J. Berg this film based on the novel of the same name stars Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, Dakota Fanning and Danielle Macdonald. Two teenagers recently released from prison after serving their sentence for killing a baby are suspected in the kidnapping of a child.

Covering some dark material this is a fairly interesting film but it never fully convinces. I do not think we ever get to see enough of some of the characters to see how the events in the past affected them. Neither the direction of the acting is overly impressive.

3/5

Bum note

Bottoms (1966)

Directed by Yoko Ono this film also known as “Four” stars Susannah Campbell, Philip Corner, Anthony Cox and Yoko Ono. We see a selection of celebrity bottoms.

If you were to say this film was “a load of arse” you would be correct as there is nothing else to it. There is a fair amount of cheek to a film that is nothing more than bottoms but it's a bit of an infantile joke really. I suppose this is not the worst experimental film you will ever see but it's difficult to draw a deeper meaning from it.

2/5

Korean crimes

A Girl at My Door (2014)

Written & directed by July Jung this film stars Bae Doona, Kim Sae-ron and Song Sae-byeok. After a personal scandal a lesbian police officer is transferred to a small fishing town to be chief of police where she tries to help an abused teenage girl.

This film does a good job of dealing with heavy subjects like abuse, alcoholism and prejudice against lesbianism in a low key way that build up to something unsettling. The story leaves the viewer slightly unsure about the relationship between some of the characters which is good for keeping you thinking. There are good performances and direction which stop the material becoming melodramatic of sensationalised.

4/5

The imagined Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs (2015)

Directed by Danny Boyle this film stars Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels and Seth Rogen. We follow Steve Jobs as he prepares to launch three different computers at three different times in his life.

It is inevitable this film will be compared to Jobs (2013) but this film relies much more on fiction to create a picture of Steve Jobs rather than being a more standard biography. The script is clearly an Aaron Sorkin piece from the get go and is constructed very much like a play. I very much enjoyed the performances and direction but in the end I'm not sure this film really nailed it's subject either as it relies too much on speculation or invention.

4/5

Cops & counterfeiters

Raid on a Coiner's Den (1904)

Directed by Alf Collins this is a early short film from the silent era. A gang making counterfeit coins find themselves drawing the attention of the local law enforcement.

This is a fairly basic tale of cops and criminals with a little bit of action along the way. Nothing much stands out but for it's era this is a pretty standard effort. None of the action or direction is particularly impressive but it does a job creating a bit of suspense.

3/5

Not your usual sitter

Emelie (2015)

Directed by Michael Thelin this film stars Sarah Bolger, Joshua Rush, Chris Beetem and Randi Langdon. On their anniversary a married couple leave their three kids with a new baby sister who is not who she claims to be.

Creepy from the start this is a fairly good horror film that while it has it's unsettling moments is never out right scary. I enjoyed the plot even if it was a little predictable. There are good performances from the child actors that are required to hold the film together.

3/5

Not all the Lomax facts

The Railway Man (2013)

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzkey this film based on a true story stars Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman and Jeremy Irvine. In 1980 a man who was a POW held by the Japanese and forced to work on the Thai-Burma Railway marries but still struggles with his past.

The subject matter of this film has been covered plenty of times before really well but the slightly unique take this film brings to the subject is showing the after affects of surviving such conditions. While the film is enjoyable and largely accurate there are a few key areas on which it is not which is a slight disappointment. There are good performances from all the cast and some solid direction.

3/5

Fizzling finales

Dark Places (2015)

Directed by Giles Paquet-Brenner this film based on the novel of the same name stars Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks, Nicholas Hoult and Chloe Grace Mortez. Thirty years after a surviving the massacre of her family and testifying that her brother was the killer a woman re-examines her past.

Starting off slowly this film gradually becomes an interesting exploration of lies and poverty right up to the point that it is ruined by a weak ending. I feel like both this film and Gone Girl (2014), which is also adapted from a novel by the same author, have problems with their ending but this film does not have Fincher to guide it. You can certainly pick some interesting things out of this film it is just a shame about how it ends given how good the cast is.

3/5

All the world's a stage

Next (1990)

Directed by Barry Purves this is a short film from the Aardman Animations company. In just five minutes an actor who looks a lot like a certain play write gives us a run through of all of Shakespeare's plays.

Despite it's short run time this is a really fun whistle stop tour through the works of Shakespeare. While I was unable to pick out all the plays it is fun spotting the ones you do know and this film ends up being a great celebration of the plays. I really enjoyed the animation style and the lack of dialogue from the protagonist works well.

4/5

Danes nearly deliver

The Hour of the Lynx (2013)

Directed by Soren Kragh-Jacobsen this film adapted from a play stars Sofie Grabol, Frederik Christian Johansen, Signe Egholm Olsen and Soren Malling. In Denmark a female priest is sought out by a psychiatrist to help a suicidal inmate.

The plot of this film starts off fairly interesting but the slow burn never really gets anywhere. While it is an interesting character study I did want a bit more from the plot. There are good performances from the cast and the direction captures some nice Nordic landscapes.

3/5

Trial by dire

Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (2015)

Directed by Wes Ball this sequel stars Dylan O'Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Giancarlo Esposito. It turns out that our heroes have not been saved by the good guys after all and head off on the run in a post apocalyptic landscape.

It seems that the plot of this film differs vastly from it's source material leaving us with a story where not much happens and smells a lot like middle entry syndrome. The story adds some familiar genre tropes without much character or plot advancement. There are some nice landscapes and it does not rely as much on people being mysterious just for the sake of it but that is about all that I found positive in the film.

2/5

Not entertaining, just racist

Negro Street Dancers (1896)

Directed by Charles Moisson this is a short film featuring five black and white minstrels. Playing instruments and dancing on a London street five black and white minstrels entertain a crowd.

Black face is not big, funny or clever so it's hard to find much worth praising here. Even the performance it self is not that impressive. Running at less than a minute long this is barely a snap shot of a racist tradition.

1/5

Frankly strange

Frank (2014)

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson this film stars Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Fassbender. An aspiring songwriter joins a band lead by a man who never takes off a large head which completely covers his own.

Strolling into a bizarre world the plot of this film is not overly impressive but it does have funny, odd moments through out. The best part of the film is Fassbender's performance both in and out of his mask which really holds together the film. While I enjoyed the film I'm not sure it has much depth or re-watch value.

4/5