Smoke stacks making fat stacks

Industrial Britain (1931)

Directed by Robert J. Flaherty and Edgar Anstey this is a short documentary film. We see the level of industry in Great Britain.

Essentially this is a marketing or propaganda piece that is pretty upfront about it's agenda. As a historical record I'm sure there is merit to this film but it's not the greatest piece of entertainment ever. Not a terrible watch but this does not stand out from similar documentaries of the period.

3/5

Muffled in translation

Lost in Paris (2016)

Written & directed by stars Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel this film also features Emmanuelle Riva. A Canadian woman heads to Paris to find her aunt but instead meets a homeless man.

Offbeat to say the least this is an entertaining film but a little lacking in humour for my taste. Certainly this film will not appeal to everyone but there is an audience out there for it's odd nature. Decently made but a little light on material in my opinion.

3/5

Not soup

The Bachelors (2017)

Written & directed by Kurt Voelker this film stars J. K. Simmons, Josh Wiggins, Julie Delpy, Odeya Rush and Harold Perrineau. A teacher who is a recent widower moves with his teenage son to California and enrols his son at the private school he takes a job at.

I would have preferred this film focused more on the father dealing with depression rather mixing in a generic coming of age plot as well but this is a fairly decent watch. Up until the ending which is a bit cheap this is a decent look at grief and depression. The cast is solid and gives good performances but with a few more script revisions I think this could have been an excellent film.

3/5

All bets lost

The House (2017)

Directed by Andrew J. Cohen this film stars Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler and Jason Mantzoukas. Coming up short for their daughter's college tuition a married couple are convinced by a friend to start an illegal casino.

Coming with a decent concept unfortunately this film forgets to add in the humour which is surprising given the cast. It also does not help that the characters learn literally nothing from their experience. It is easy to see why this film was not much of a success.

2/5

A confusing Ray

The Starfish (1928)

Directed by Man Ray this film stars Kiki of Montparnasse, Andre de la Riviere and Robert Desnos. A man, a woman, distorting glass and a starfish are some how connected.

Certainly not a traditional narrative film this is a pretty out there experimental film. I have no idea what went on in this film but it was still an interesting watch. Maybe there is some skill in keeping you entertained while completely confused.

3/5

All for a dollar

Mountains May Depart (2015)

Written & directed Jia Zhangke this film stars Zhao Tao, Zhang Yi, Liang Jingdon and Dong Zijian. We the future of China as it opens up to capitalism through the lives of three friends.

I really liked the way the scope of this film as it looks at the recent past, present and future of China. Possibly a little bit slow and lacking in action for some but I thought this was a great meditation on a country unsure of it's identity and future. Well directed and with some excellent performances this is worth a watch.

4/5

What game is this?

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)

Directed by Jake Kasdan this film stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. Four high school find themselves trapped in a video game version of Jumanji as the characters they selected.

Without a doubt this is a pretty fun action adventure film but it is not really very deep. Always skirting the line of being cheesy and a bit obvious the script manages not to take things too far. There are some decent comedic performances from the adult cast and the special effects are of the standard you would expect these days.

3/5

Not alone

Churchill's Island (1941)

Directed by Stuart Legg this is an Oscar winning short documentary. We see the military and civilian defences of Britain in action as the island worries about invasion.

As a historical record or piece of propaganda no doubt this is an important film but as a piece of entertainment viewing maybe less so. A little on the long side for my taste never the less this is well made piece that makes good use of newsreel footage. Probably one more for history students than those of us looking for entertainment though.

3/5

Good, if you lie about it

The Truth About Lies (2015)

Written & directed by Phil Allocco this film stars Fran Kranz, Odette Annable, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Colleen Camp. Fired by his employer, dumped by his girlfriend and made homeless by a fire a man is forced to re-evaluate his life.

Filmed in 2012 and not making it to the UK until 2018 did not bode well for this romantic comedy and unsurprisingly this is a weak effort. The plot and characters are uninteresting and some of the jokes are potentially distasteful. Nothing really strikes me as a redeeming feature for this film.

2/5

No fun and games

The Jurassic Games (2018)

Directed by Ryan Bellgardt this film stars Ryan Merriman, Perrey Reeves, Adam Hampton and Katie Burgess. In the future 10 death row inmates fight to the death while chased by dinosaurs in a computer simulation with the survivor offered freedom.

Something like The Matrix meets The Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park this low budget mash up has too many ideas and not enough execution. The script comes up on the thin side and the action fails to make up for that. It is hard to recommend a film that is so lazy it can not even be bothered to give a name to one of it's major characters.

2/5

Killer P

Patti Cake$ (2017)

Written & directed by Geremy Jasper this film stars Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Siddharth Dhanajay and Mamoudou Athie. A young, overweight, white woman from New Jersey aspires to be a rapper but is held by her alcoholic mother.

There is a lot to enjoy about this film that skirts being cheesy at times but over all manages to stay on the right side most of the time. An enjoyable ride if not overly deep I would say the highlight is Danielle Macdonald's performance, especially when required to rap. If the plot of this film had had a few less generic story beats then this could have been a real winner but sadly it's a little too predictable at times.

3/5

No crocodiles, some thrills

Street of Crocodiles (1986)

Directed by the Brothers Quay this is an animated short film based on a story by Bruno Schulz. A puppet freed of his strings explores the dark world he lives in.

A little light on actual crocodiles this is still a fascinating animated short that explores a visually and metaphorically rich world. Certainly this film gives the viewer something to think about. Well made and conceived it is easy to see why this film gets so much praise.

5/5

Pooh?

Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017)

Directed by Simon Curtis this film based on real events stars Domhall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, Kelly Macdonald and Will Tilston. Struggling to deal with his experiences from the First World War a British writer is inspired by his son's playing with toys to write a children's book.

Maybe not entirely historically accurate this is a semi interesting look into the genesis of Winnie the Pooh. On the surface level this is a decent film but it never fully explores with the reasons behind the British reserve or some of the behaviour of some of the characters in the plot. Made with plenty of polish I am sure this film did the Sussex tourist board no harm.

3/5

It's cold out side

Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

Directed by Charles Frend this film based on real events stars Sir John Mills, James Robertson Justice, Derek Bond and Kenneth More. We follow Captain Scott's final ill fated attempted to be the first man to the South Pole.

Largely sticking to historical events this is a fairly faithful recreation of events with a clear focus on British stiff upper lip. Making early use of Technicolor, especially for British cinema, the film sadly does not really capitalise much on being in colour. Well made for the budget and technical restrictions this is not an overly remarkable film sadly.

3/5

First days of cinema

The Last Days of Pompeii (1908)

Directed by Arturo Ambrosio and Luigi Maggi this film is loosely based on the novel of the same name. True love struggles to run it's course and then a city gets engulfed in ash.

The plot of this film is not overly interesting and very much a whistle stop tour of it's source material. I was also disappointed that the destruction of the city seemed to be a bit of an after thought for the film makers. Well made for the period but not overly remarkable.

3/5

Not good, not good at all

Trafficked (2017)

Directed by Will Wallice this film stars Kelly Washington, Alpa Banker, Jessica Obilom and Sean Patrick Flanery. Three young women from different parts of the world find themselves forced to work as prostitutes in the same Texas brothel.

Undoubtedly there is an important film to be made on this subject unfortunately this is not the film to do it. With a suspect script this is not the deep study of sex trafficking that you might be hoping for. Some of the performances are not great either.

2/5

Kaput

Canaries (2017)

Directed by Peter Stray this film stars Craig Russell, Sheena Bhattessa, Robert Pugh and Richard Mylan. On New Year's eve time travelling aliens decide to invade a Welsh valley.

If you are making a film that clearly has no budget you can get away with it either by good direction or a decent script, sadly this film has neither. Allegedly there are supposed to be comedy elements to this film but someone forgot to put the jokes in. All in all it's hard to see how this film got made.

2/5

No glam

Amanda & Jack Go Glamping (2017)

Written & directed by Brandon Dickerson this film stars David Arquette, Amy Acker and Adan Canto. A failing writer goes on vacation with his wife to try to save their marriage.

It seems to me the entire plot of this film is about saying a guy should just stop being depressed and accept the gender role forced on him by society or his wife is excused to run off with the first bit of eye candy that shows any interest in her. Lacking a decent plot and any real laughs it's hard to recommend this film on anything. Maybe I am being hard on this film but I found it boring and problematic.

1/5

Classic Charlie

The Immigrant (1917)

Directed by star Charlie Chaplin this film also features Edna Purviance and Eric Campbell. While travelling on a ship to the USA the Tramp meets a young woman and her mother.

Mixing the usual excellent physical comedy with a touch of heart this is good example of Chaplin's style. Funny through out this is a good watch that ages well. Considering how much of the film appears to have been made on the fly this is an impressive effort.

4/5

A lack of aid

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Directed by Jean-Marc Vallee this film based on real events stars Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner and Jared Leto. Diagnosed with AIDs in the 1980s a man from Texas is unable to find decent treatment through legal means so starts importing unapproved drugs.

It is hard to say how close to real events this film sticks, especially as it seems to play rather fast and loose with the medical science here in a way that is a bit irresponsible. What is interesting about this film is it does capture an important point in history where laws and medicine failed a number of society's most vulnerable. There are some really impressive performances that carry the film but otherwise it is a little bit of a disappointment given all the praise it had.

4/5

Not golden

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Directed by Matthew Vaugh this sequel stars Taron Egerton, Julianne Moore, Colin Firth and Mark Strong. With the entire of Kingsman wiped out our hero heads state side to join up with the service's American cousins to stop a drug lord.

Missing some of the freshness and charm of the original this is a pretty pedestrian sequel that often seems to be going through the motions. A fun enough ride unfortunately this film is always going to look a little shabby compared to it's predecessor. Some of the action sequences, especially the opening one, are a little too long for my taste as well which bogs things down.

3/5

Missing bull

The Cowboy's Flute (1963)

Directed by Te Wei this is a Chinese animated short film. A young cow herd plays his flute then falls asleep and dreams he has lost his faithful water buffalo.

Fairly simplistic and with no dialogue this is a fun if not deep watch. The animation is what really holds the attention with a unique and beautiful style. I think this is the first Chinese animation that I have seen and it certainly makes me interested to see more.

4/5

Finding Nino

Ali and Nino (2016)

Directed by Asif Kapadia this film based on the novel the same name stars Adam Bakri, Maria Valverde, Riccardo Scamarcio and Homayoun Ershadi. In 1914 a muslim from Baku seeks to marry a Christian girl from Georgia.

Against a beautiful back drop of scenery this film is a fairly pedestrian romance with a culture clash. I would have really liked to have seen more of the cultural and historical back drop to this story as the romance element is not overly interesting. Well made and acted in general this is a decent watch.

3/5

Not doing the characters justice

Justice League (2017)

Directed by Zack Snyder this film stars Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher and Henry Cavill. Bruce Wayne puts together a team of heroes to fight a potentially world ending threat.

Inevitably this film is going to live in the shadow of The Avengers (2012) and it falls short of that film in most ways. This is a pretty average super hero film that never really excels in any department but rather seems to just go through the motions. Even the action sequences get too chaotic for my taste.

3/5

Choo choo and brains

Train to Busan (2016)

Directed by Yeon Sang-ho this film stars Gong Yoo, Kim Su-an, Jung Yu-mi and Ma Dong-seok. A hedge fund manager takes his daughter on a train journey to visit her mother when a zombie apocalypse breaks out.

Restricting all the action to being on a moving train is a nice little twist on the usual zombie movie but otherwise there is not a lot of originality here. Generally the film is pretty made but it goes over a lot of familiar territory. The performances are decent but given the hype around this film I was expecting a little bit more.

3/5

The double switch

The Violin Maker of Cremona (1909)

Directed by D. W. Griffith this film stars Herbert Prior, Mary Pickford and Owen Moore. A violin making contest is held for the hand in marriage of a young woman, two of the competitors cheat for contrasting motives.

Not as bad as I was expecting this is a fairly decent early film even if it could do with a few more inter titles. The plot does not go down the obvious route which is some what of a refreshing change. Decently made but not overly remarkable for an early Griffith film.

3/5

Not the renegade master

The Hessian Renegades (1909)

Directed by D. W. Griffith this film stars Owen Moore, James Kirkwood and Mary Pickford. A rebel attempting to bring news of a British attack is killed and his family held hostage by soldiers.

This is a pretty simple story that builds to a familiar Griffith conclusion with people rushing to save the day. Probably not the best or the worst example of Griffith's early films this is a fine middle of the road piece. Decently enough made if not overly remarkable.

3/5

Doesn't stack up

The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)

Directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan this film has voices from Dave Franco, Olivia Munn, Justin Theroux and Jackie Chan. The son of an evil man that wants to take over the city secretly leads the fight back with a team of ninjas.

Unlike previous Lego films this effort is lacking some charm and falls short in the comedy. The plot is fairly generic and is a little questionable in it's mixing of Asian aesthetics with more Western elements. I found the casting to be pretty uninteresting too, other than Jackie Chan there was not much to get excited about.

3/5

Dreaming a dream

The Dream of a Ridiculous Man (1992)

Directed by Aleksandr Petrov this animation is based on the short story of the same name by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Feeling the world has nothing of value left a chance encounter with a young girl makes a man re-examine life.

Typically Russian in it's content and themes this broody short is well worth watching. Some may find the plot a little out there but the animation style really holds your attention. No doubt this is both an interesting and unusual piece.

4/5

Simple story

Edgar Allen Poe (1909)

Directed by D. W. Griffith this film stars Barry O'Moore and Linda Arvidson. With his wife sick and in need of cash the famous writer is inspired by a raven.

There is not a huge amount to the plot here but this film is easy enough to follow despite it's inter titles having been lost. The film might lack much drama or an exciting climax but it is not the worst watch you will ever see. Surprisingly the image quality of the surviving version I saw was pretty high.

3/5

A bit poo

Tabu (2012)

Directed by Miguel Gomes this film stars Teresa Madruga, Laura Soveral, Isabel Munoz and Ana Moreira. A middle aged woman in Portugal lives next to an elderly woman and her carer.

It seems this film got a lot of praise but was far too slow for me and the plot never seemed to culminate in anything. The second half relies heavily on narration which is also a bit of a sin in my mind. Those with an acquired taste might enjoy this film but it is not one I would be recommending.

2/5