Timid tiger

Tiger Raid (2016)

Directed by Simon Dixon this film stars Brian Gleeson, Damien Molony and Sofia Boutella. Two soldiers working as mercenaries are sent to kidnap a woman but their mission begins to unravel as they find out more about each other.

Adapted from the play “Radio Luxembourg” this film does a good job of not seeming like a play even if it does rely heavily on dialogue over action. The plot does meander a bit but at least has some meat to it. Mostly the film is well made although the accents of the two main characters can be a bit of a struggle to deal with at times.

3/5

The wrong place to cross

Desierto (2015)

Directed by Jonas Cuaron this film stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Alondra Hidalgo. Mexican migrant workers illegally crossing the border into Texas find themselves being hunted by a man and his dog.

Stripped right down this is a bare bones thriller that while fairly entertaining on the surface level does not have much to say. There is little in the way of character development either which makes it hard to recommend this film as more than a passing distraction. Largely the action sequences are well done but not remarkably so.

3/5

Staying on track

Paul Tomkowicz: Street-railway Switchman (1953)

Directed by Roman Kroitor this is a documentary about a man living in Winnipeg. Having grown up in Poland a man in his 60s now lives in Canada and works stopping the points from freezing on the city railway.

This is a simple look at the life of an immigrant and while interesting it's protagonist is a little too stereotypical in terms of being a “simple hard working immigrant”. It raises my suspicions that this might be a little too much of a government agenda piece but it is still a cool watch. The city is well captured as is the melancholy attitude of it's protagonist.

3/5

Butting heads

Rams (2015)

Written & directed by Grimur Hakonarson this film stars Sigurour Sigurjonsson and Theodor Julisson. Two brothers living in Iceland have not spoken for 40 years but raise sheep on the same piece of land.

This is a slow moving and simple story but a fairly interesting watch. Iceland provides a great backdrop with some nice shots of the landscape. I could have done with a bit more from the plot but it is entertaining enough for 90 minutes.

3/5

Not really fabulous

Absolutely Fabulous (2016)

Directed by Mandie Fletcher this film based on the television show of the same name stars writer Jennifer Saunders as well as Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha and Jane Horrocks. Ageing PR guru Edina and her best friend magazine editor Patsy may have accidentally killed Kate Moss.

Twenty years is a long time to pick up after the television series but this film does a fairly good job of capturing the feel of the show. Unfortunately the plot relies a little too much on celebrity cameos and transphobic humour to get by. Joanna Lumley is the best thing in the film but not enough to carry it.

2/5

Time is relative

Onesime, Clockmaker (1912)

Directed by Jean Durand this film stars Ernest Bourbon, Raymond Aimos, Berthe Dagmar and Alphonse Foucher. A man who has to wait years for his inheritance hatches a cunning plan to speed up time.

Essentially this film is constructed to show off the speeding up of time via film and is fairly funny but somewhat of a one note joke. The silly action certainly is a good example of early comedy slapstick but not quite up there with the better known names. Largely the film is well made for the era but a little long and the speed up sequences do not contain the main character which somewhat detracts from it being one clear narrative.

3/5

Lost on the farm

Chicken (2015)

Directed by Joe Stephenson this film based on a play by Freddie Machin stars Scott Chambers, Morgan Watkins and Yasmin Paige. A 15 year old with learning difficulties lives in a caravan in a rural setting with his older brother who is struggling to make a life for the two of them.

Taking a simple coming of age setting this turns into a heart breaking tale of the neglected struggling in a world that they do not fully understand. I was really impressed with how this film tackled a sensitive subject without getting melodramatic. The cast give excellent performances in difficult roles.

4/5

Inevitable destination

Lost in the Sun (2015)

Written & directed by Trey Nelson this film stars Josh Duhamel, Josh Wiggins, Lynn Collins and Emma Fuhrmann. Following the death of his mother a 14 year old boy heads off across country with a stranger to go live with his grandparents.

Nothing much surprises or is original about this film and it lumbers a long towards an inevitable conclusion that you see coming a long way off. I thought there was maybe 5 or 10 minutes too long on the end of the story but otherwise it is a fairly well told genre piece. The cast are decent but largely unremarkable like the script.

3/5

Part of parts

Metempsycose (1907)

Directed by Seugundo de Chomon and Ferdinand Zecca this is an early short film. Existing only in fragments we see a woman with wings a baby by a cabbage go through changes.

Using some cool tinting this is a pretty interesting early short film to watch. While there is not a plot as such in the fragments I saw this is still not a bad distraction. Fitting in nicely with the fantastical creations of it's two directors I found this an enjoyable effort.

3/5

Book of shite

The Book of Love (2016)

Directed by Bill Purple this film stars Jason Sudeikis, Maisie Williams, Jessica Biel and Mary Steenburgen. After his pregnant wife dies in a car crash an architect befriends a 16 year old girl who is trying to build a raft.

Taking an overly simplistic look at grief this film hammers home it's reductive message with a sledgehammer. It's hard to find a lot to enjoy here and some of the dialogue is pretty toe curling as well. I suppose the performances are not too bad but whoever decided making this film was a good idea did not give the cast much to work with.

2/5

Confidentially crap

Avengers Confidential: Black Widow & Punisher (2014)

Directed by Kenichi Shimizu this anime has English voices from Jennifer Carpenter, Brian Bloom, Grant George and John Eric Bentley. Forced to work with SHIELD the Punisher heads off with Black Widow to hunt down the Leviathan organisation.

Setting up an interesting title pairing unfortunately the story never goes anywhere interesting. The plot does not really work as character motivations, especially for the villain, are very poorly thought out. Seeing a different animation style applied to the Marvel universe is pretty cool but that is about all this film has going for it.

2/5

Not an Australian soap

The Neighbour (2016)

Written & directed by Marcus Dunstan this film stars Josh Stewart, Bill Engvall and Alex Essoe. A couple working as part of a drug trafficking ring fall foul of their neighbour who is up to some nasty business himself.

While this film fails to do anything interesting with it's morally ambiguous set up it does at least provide a solid thriller. There is nothing special to write home about in the story but it does provide the required 80 odd minutes of entertainment. Something more to fill out the story would have helped but there are worse films you can watch.

3/5

Not especially tempting

The Temptation of Saint Anthony (1898)

Directed by Georges Melies this is a short film based on tales of Anthony the Great. A monk attempting to pray in a cave is beset by temptations.

Running at just over a minute in length there is not time for a great amount of detail to this film. The plot is simplistic and does not really have any depth. Using his trademark panache for special effects Melies adds a few nice touches but the jump cuts are pretty obvious.

3/5

The path to hell is paved with horny intentions

Reckless (2015)

Directed by Mora Stephens this film also known as Zipper stars Patrick Wilson, Lena Headey, Ray Winston and Richard Dreyfuss. A state prosecutor with political ambitions gets an addiction to high class call girls.

Pretty much your standard story of a man on the path to self ruin based loosely on a real scandal. While the story is well told it is not really revolutionary or making much of a greater point. The cast is good but the material average.

3/5

Italy, insanity and images

Nostalghia (1983)

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky this film stars Oleg Yankovsky, Domiziana Giordano and Erland Josephson. A Russian writer in Italy researching the life of Pavel Sosnovsky becomes intrigued by a local man who seems to be mentally ill.

Beautifully shot and with some lovely locations this film is a feast for the eyes. Unfortunately I found the plot to be incredibly slow and somewhat impenetrable. While I could enjoy the look of the film the content eluded me.

4/5

The magic of jump

The Magician (1898)

Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A magician begins his act by making a box appear on a table.

This is a pretty simple exploration of the jump cut and the effect works well here allowing for a crazy sequence of events. May be the film could do with a clearer plot but it is entertaining. Relying on just one camera trick repeatedly does not make this an overly remarkable film but it is still very watchable.

3/5  

Every journey has a beginning

Playing Cards (1896)

Direcred by George Melies this is a short film which stars Georges himself and a few members of his family. Three men sit at a table in a garden playing cards.

There is not really any plot to this film and it comes across more as a camera test than anything else. Apparently this is a remake of an earlier Lumiere film showing that cinema has never been one for originality. Lacking Melies's flair for special effects this was the director's first film so maybe we can let him off for that.

2/5

Not exactly Lyudmila's story

Battle for Sveastopol (2015)

Directed by Serhiy Mokrytskyi this film based on the life of Lyudmila Pvalichenko stars Yulia Pereslid, Joan Blackham and Yevgeny Tsyganov. A young woman studying history at university joins the Red army and becomes a sniper during WW2.

I am not sure this is a historically accurate film or especially realistic. It does not have a very mature attitude either and is more of the Micahel Bay school of film making. There are enjoyable moments but a true story such as this deserves a bit better.

2/5

Nearer detergent than resurgent

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Directed by Roland Emmerich this film stars Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldbulm, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe and Jesse T. Usher. Twenty years after Earth fought off an alien invasion it's time for round two.

While you would never accuse this film's predecessor of being smart this film jumps from one action sequence to another with little to string them together. There is no heart or character this film and no one learns anything or gets punished for their mistake. I found the action sequences to be a garbled mess of excess as well, there is no real attempt to have the scenes be cohesive or tell a clear story.

2/5

One of many

The Haunted Castle (1897)

Directed by George Melies this is a short film and his first that was hand-coloured at the lab run by Elisabeth Thuilllier. A man is shown into a room in a castle and when left alone is menaced by spirits.

Running for less than a minute this is a very simple short that just goes through a few camera tricks. There is not really a plot but the hand-colouring and the special effects at least hold your attention. Clearly this is Melies still getting the hang of the medium but it's fairly entertaining.

3/5

Distorted reflections

The Mirror (1975)

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky this semi autobiographical film stars Margarita Trekehova, Filipp Yankovsky, Ignat Daniltsev and Larisa Tarkovskaya. We follow various memories from the life of a man.

This film is certainly not for everyone and it's loose, non-linear narrative was not to my taste. I found it too hard to make connection between the various scenes to pull together anything cohesive. While there are some nice shots, especially in the colour sequences, I'm afraid that Tarkovsky lots me on this one.

3/5  

Early dreams

A Nightmare (1896)

Directed by George Melies this is an early short film. A man trying to sleep has some vivid nightmares.

This is a very simple early film which is barely longer than a minute. The plot is simple and just an excuse to try out some camera tricks. For the most part the camera tricks work but they are not as polished as some of Melies's other efforts.

3/5

Not a blue, German mutant

Nightcrawler (2014)

Written & directed by Dan Gilroy this film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed and Bill Paxton. A sociopath with no direction in life falls into selling crime scene video to a news station.

Exploring the ugly side of the news this film does a good job at looking into those without scruples and the lengths they will go to for money. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat fairly well as you look on in horror at the actions of the protagonist. This is a well made film that largely lets it's content speak for itself rather than trying to be flashy.

4/5

Silence is golden

What is Seen Through a Key Hole (1901)

Directed by Ferdinand Zecca this is an early short film. A worker at a hotel decides to spy on guests by peeping through the key hole.

As you would expect this is a pretty simple short without much plot to it but the protagonist does end up getting the thrashing he deserves. The film is build around an interesting little idea but there is not a huge amount to it. This is fairly standard for an early film.

3/5

The Infernal Cauldron (1903)

Directed by star Georges Melies this is an early short film. A demon runs about and burns three people in his magic cauldron.

As with any Melies film this is a special effects feast and the hand tinted film adds to the charm. The plot is simplistic but the action keeps you entertained. Using a variety of camera tricks there is just enough to fill out the film even if the story lacks a solid conclusion.

4/5

Bourne snore

Jason Bourne (2016)

Directed by Paul Greengrass this 5^th film in the franchise stars Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Julia Stiles. Old ally Nicky Parsons reconnects with Jason Bourne after finding out something about his father while hacking the CIA.

It seems like the series in scrapping the bottom of the barrel in terms of trying to find revelations about it's central character and staying relevant to the modern world with a shoe horned in side plot about mass surveillance. Everything about this film feels phoned in, even the action sequences seem lacklustre. Ultimately I have the same feelings about this franchise as the CIA has about Bourne, put it out of it's misery.

3/5

What's old is made new

The Old Mill (1937)

Directed by Wilfred Jackson this animated short has music by Leigh Harline. A group of animals move into an abandoned mill and suffer through a storm.

This is a very simple story but entertaining if not deep. Most notable is that this cartoon was a step forward in animation techniques which may not be that interesting to the casual viewer but is worth mentioning. I found this to be an enjoyable watch but not one that stuck with me.

3/5

Christmas with Carol

Carol (2015)

Directed by Todd Haynes this film based on the novel “The Price of Salt” stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. In 1950s New York a rich married woman and a younger woman that works in a department store fall in love at first sight.

Ground breaking at the time of it's publication this love story came across as less so in a modern context and wrapped in a lot of privilege. While the story is well told and somewhat refreshing in it's tone I am not sure it has as much impact as some would have you believe. I enjoyed the performances and the film is well made.

3/5  

Classic Catholic Irish introspection

Calvary (2014)

Written & directed by John Michael McDonagh this film stars Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd and Kelly Reilly. During confession a Catholic priest is told by a parishioner that was the victim of sexual abuse by the clergy that he will murder the priest in a weeks time.

This is a different spin on Catholic child sex abuse scandals and does a good job of looking at the issue from a different angle. Mixing serious issues and drama with dark humour the script manages an excellent balancing act that never get the tone wrong. There are some nice shots of the Irish countryside and some good performances too.

5/5

More than it seems at first glance

Sausage Party (2016)

Directed by Conrad Vernon & Greg Tiernan this animated film has voices from Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Michael Cera and Nick Kroll. Food in a supermarket looks forward to the day when it is taken to the great beyond by the gods but starts to find out the terrible truth.

Some how this film is a mix of innocence, adult humour and some smart ideas snuck in on the side. While there is a some unnecessary reliance on national and racial stereotypes this is a pretty funny film. Honestly this is a pretty surprising effort and well worth a watch.

4/5

Kodak moments from Kokoda

Kokoda Front Line! (1942)

Directed by Ken G. Hall this news real has an introduction and war footage from Admien Parer. We see Australian troops and the conditions they are fighting under in the battle of Kokoda.

Clearly this is a propaganda film and it does showcase some racist attitudes from the period. As a historical record of the period but the fact that some of the footage is clearly staged makes it less interesting to the viewer than some of the later ww2 documentaries. I enjoyed this insight into the past but it is not exactly a thrilling watch otherwise.

2/5