A familiar cause

Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013)

Directed by Mikkel Norgaard this film stars Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Fares Fares and Sonja Richter. After being involved in the same incident where two other police officers are shot a detective is sent to work on cold case files.

Dumping out plenty of genre cliches this is still a fairly decent watch. There is not much of a mystery as the plot telegraphs the antagonist fairly early on. Decently made but there is little worth remarking about this film and I am slightly surprised it spawned two sequels.

3/5

All the reshoots in the world

All the Money in the World (2017)

Directed by Ridley Scott this film based on real events stars Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg and Charlie Plummer. The richest man in the world is a complete miser and refuses to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson.

There appears to be a fair amount of bending of history here and ultimately I am not sure that this film has a huge amount to say that is revolutionary. Inevitably this film is going to be most famous for Kevin Spacey being released and there are scenes where it is more obvious than others. Fairly well made in general this is a big of a disappointment for a Ridley Scott film.

2/5

Grown ups as kids day

Mother's Day (1948)

Directed by poet and playwright James Broughton this is an experimental short film. We see a bunch of adults acting like children.

Certainly on the surreal scale this is a fairly fun short film that is at least entertaining. Maybe a little on the long side this short does get a bit repetitive but not overly so. Well made but without a deeper meaning in my opinion.

3/5

Not a complete joy

Pork Pie (2017)

Directed by Matt Murphy this remake of “Goodbye Pork Pie” also known as “Joyride” stars Dean O'Gorman, James Rolleston and Ashleigh Cummings. Three strangers end up together on a road trip through New Zealand that becomes a viral news story.

Having it's funny moments this is not a laugh a minute comedy. The plot relies on the tropes of large romantic gestures that are bordering on harassment but otherwise is not too bad. Decently made my only complaint was a few of the dialogue lines are a little on the quiet side.

3/5

Not cricket

The Cricket on the Hearth (1909)

Directed by D. W. Griffith this film based on the novella of the same name stars Owen Moore, Violet Mersereau and Linda Arvidson. A man returns home to find his sweetheart engaged to an older man.

Not the greatest adaptation you will ever see you can at least follow the plot of this film without prior knowledge of the story which is not always the case in these early films. Very much a cut down version this is a fairly decent film. No great shakes for the period this is an average effort.

3/5

What happened?

Romance of a Jewess (1908)

Written & directed by D. W. Griffith this film stars Florence Lawrence, George Gebhardt and Gladys Egan. We see a Jewish family in a melodrama.

To be honest it is pretty hard to figure out what is going on in this film, the image quality is not great and there are few inter titles. Not really being able to decipher the plot beyond the basics means this is not one of the best short films out there. There are much better silent films and much better Griffith films to watch.

2/5

Up in da 1955 club

Momma Don't Allow (1955)

Directed by Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson this is a short documentary. We see one night in the life of a London jazz club.

Somewhat interesting as a historical record but otherwise I did not find this an overly remarkable documentary. Very much just showing a slice of life without seeming to have a deeper point I thought this documentary was a little on the long side. There are some nice visuals but again nothing overly impressive.

3/5

A life time of sins

Hostiles (2017)

Written & directed by Scott Cooper this film stars Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike and Wes Studi. In 1892 a US cavalry officer is given the job of escorting a terminally ill Cheyenne war chief back to his trial lands in Montana.

Going over the dangerous grounds of US-Native American relations this is a pretty good look into a shameful part of history. The message of the film is not revolutionary but the plot does hold your attention. Well acted and directed this is a visually excellent western.

4/5

Wish I had been left home alone

Daddy's Home 2 (2017)

Directed by Sean Anders this film stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, John Lithgow and Mel Gibson. The arrival of grandfathers at Christmas time complicates matters for the co-dad protagonists.

Shovelling a limp sequel dripping with seasonal over sentimentality is enough to turn off most viewers and that is exactly what we have here. I think there are probably better places this script could have gone if a sequel was absolutely necessary, like exploring the co-mothering relationship. There are some jokes but largely this film is too obvious and lacking in subtlety.

2/5

Loses

Fuses (1967)

Directed by star Carolee Schneemann this film also features James Tenney. Two people have sex, in graphic detail.

I am sure there are artistic intentions behind this short film but to me this is just someone's largely out of focus home sex tape. Say what you will in favour of this film but I found it to be disjointed and a bit too long. No doubt this may appeal to some but it was not for me.

2/5

Carefully considered moves

The Chess Players (1977)

Directed by Satyajit Ray this film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey and Richard Attenborough. In 1856 two men obsess over chess while the British East India Company plots to take over their country.

This is a fascinating look at the British takeover of India from the Indian point of view and the two stories work well as foils for each other. Some may find the plot a little slow going but this is certainly an interesting watch. Maybe not my favourite Ray film that I have seen but a good one none the less.

4/5

Devil's weak script

Devil's Gate (2017)

Directed by Clay Staub this film stars Amanda Schull, Shawn Ashmore, Milo Ventimiglia and Bridget Regan. An FBI agent is sent to look into the disappearance of a child, then it turns out it's aliens.

Essentially this is a cast off X-Files script without the insight of Mulder and Scully. I suppose this is a watchable film but there is far too much telling and not enough showing. Not too badly made for what was probably a low budget film but the script needed more work.

2/5

Sounds of the solo

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Directed by Ron Howard this film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover and Paul Bettany. Escaping from life on the streets our hero becomes involved with space criminals.

In no regard is this film ever a great film or one with any depth but it is also not a bad film either. As a stand alone action adventure this is a decent effort, as an origin story for Han Solo it is maybe not what any of us hoped for but it is still watchable in my opinion. Casting Ehrenreich in the lead is not a great fit but like most things in this film you can live with it.

3/5

Not the best

Faust (1910)

Directed by Henri Andreani and David Barnett this film is based on the Goethe play of the same name. Tempted by the devil our protagonist sets off to seduce a girl pretending to be someone else.

Not the full version of Faust and not as good as other versions this is a bit of a weak effort. There are some nice sets and costumes but this is very much an early experiment in film making. Watchable but there are much better versions of Faust out there.

3/5

How to fly

Ankhon Dekhi (2014)

Written & directed by Rajat Kapoor this film stars Sanjay Mishra, Rajat Kapoor and Seema Pahwa. An Indian man in his 50s re-evaluates life and decides to only believe in what he can see with his own eyes.

Slightly whimsical this film does not dive deeply into exploration of philosophy and religion but is a fun watch. The plot is slightly meandering but fairly entertaining. Both direction and performances are not overly remarkable.

3/5

Following familiar tracks

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh this adaptation of the novel of the same name has a large all star cast lead by Branagh. Famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot ends up on a train where a passenger is killed.

Lavishly staged and beautifully shot this adaptation does not actually bring much new to the table. I have the same problems with this version that I have with others, the protagonist spoon feeds us information out of nowhere leading up to a gimmick conclusion. As for attempting this is some sort of justice it seems very much like rich people issues to me.

3/5

Super duper

Deadpool 2 (2018)

Directed by David Leitch this comic book sequel stars Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Moerna Baccarin, Julian Dennison and Zazie Beetz. Just when everything seemed to be going well for Deadpool his girlfriend dies and our hero has to save a kid.

Keeping the tone and style of the original film this sequel manages to ramp up the action and scale but does wobble a little under all the moving parts. Incorporating more of the themes of a traditional X-Men film this is still a fun outing for the most unique comic book character in cinema at the moment. Highly enjoyable but does need you to have seen the previous film first.

4/5

A burning desire

Masaan (2015)

Directed by Neeraj Ghaywan this film stars Richa Chadda, Vicky Kaushal and Sanjay Mishra. We see two stories of death, love and caste in the holy city of Varanasi.

I really enjoyed this low key look at the way the young people of India are clashing with the traditional values of the country. The story is never overly melodramatic and is well measured in it's use of emotion. Well made and acted this is definitely worth a watch.

4/5

That Tropic Thunder Quote

The Ballad of Lefty Brown (2017)

Written & directed by Jared Moshe this film stars Bill Pullman, Kathy Baker, Diego Josef, Tommy Flanagan, Jim Caviezel and Peter Fonda. A bumbling ranch hand is the only witness to the murder of his friend and soon finds the murder pinned on him.

As a genre piece this is a fairly middle of the road effort that has little new to say. At times the protagonist is a little bit on the slow side and Bill Pullman's performance strays into eye brow raising territory but otherwise there is nothing to complain about. This is a decent diversion but nothing to grip your attention.

3/5

The case for the prosecution

Death Mills (1945)

Directed by Billy Wilder and Hanus Burger this is a short documentary originally for German audiences later translated into English. We see the evidence of the Holocaust that the allies discovered as WW2 came to a close.

With unsettling footage through out this film does a really good job of documenting the horrible crimes of the concentration camps. Only scratching the surface of the evil that happened there this is still an important historical record. Well made and retaining a detached attitude this is a strong watch.

4/5

No score

Final Score (2019)

Directed by Scott Mann this film stars Dave Bautista, Lara Peake, Ray Stevenson and Pierce Brosnan. An American former soldier has to save a football stadium full of people from terrorists.

You can basically sum this film up as a weak Die Hard (1988) rip off, right down to the suspect accents of the bad guys. The plot is fairly silly an the action gets unbelievable fairly fast. Let's face it, action films are not exactly the forte of us British.

2/5

Singularly bad

Singularity (2017)

Directed by Robert Kouba this film stars Julian Schaffner, Jeannine Wacker, John Cusack and Carmen Argenziano. AI has all but wiped out humanity on Earth and sends an infiltrator to find the fabled last human settlement.

It seems like half the premise for this film is a rip off of The Matrix twisted into the worst possible nonsense. The script makes no sense and it seems additional scenes added four years after the original production only muddy the waters further. For being made on such a low budget this film does not look too bad but that does nothing to compensate for a plot that makes no sense at all.

1/5

A Nice watch

A Propos de Nice (1930)

Written & directed by Jean Vigo this is a short documentary. We see the city and people of Nice with the odd surrealist shot stuck in here and there.

Fitting in with the genre of city films this is a decent but not amazing genre piece. Nothing stands out massively but the film does a good job of showing a full spectrum of the city. An enjoyable watch but not amazing.

3/5

Having nun of this

The Little Hours (2017)

Directed by Jeff Baena this film stars Alison Brie, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, Dave Franco and John C. Reilly. In medieval Italy a young man on the run from his lord goes to work at a nunnery and pretends to be a deaf-mute while the nuns harass him.

One hundred percent anachronistic this is a pretty fun little comedy with an unusual setting. While this may not be a laugh a minute piece it is certainly different enough to hold your attention. I really liked the locations and some of the scenery used as a back drop to the film.

3/5

A pale rider comes

Hotel Salvation (2016)

Directed by Shubhashish Bhutiani this film stars Lalit Behl, Adil Hussain, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Palomi Ghosh. Convinced he is in his final days an old man asks his son to take him to the holy city of Varanasi so he can pass there.

Not so much a story of death but more of family relationships this is a slow but interesting film. Never melodramatic it is fascinating to see the relationship between father and son change over the course of their experience together. Well made and well acted this is certainly a decent watch.

4/5

A dream of a dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1909)

Directed by Charles Kent & Stuart Blackton this film based on the play of the same name stars Maurice Costello and Walter Ackerman. The path of true love gets confused as various people head out into the woods.

Condensing down the entirety of a Shakespeare play into a single reel is impossible but this film does capture a few scenes from the play well. The main thing to enjoy here is the costumes and natural setting of the film. Not the greatest adaptation you will ever see but there is some charm to the piece.

3/5

A tale of many cuts

A Tale of Two Cities (1911)

Directed by William J. Humphrey this film based on the novel of the same name stars Maurice Costello and Florence Turner. We see the lead up to the French revolution as told by Charles Dickens.

Not having read the book before seeing this film made it pretty hard to follow and I imagine large portions of material had to be cut to make the story fit the run time. Some of the sets and costumes are pretty nice but otherwise this is a fairly messy film. Not really worth recommending as a piece of entertainment but maybe as a slice of film history.

2/5

Brazenly action orientated

Braven (2018)

Directed by Lin Oeding this film stars Jason Momoa, Garret Dillahunt, Stephen Lang and Jill Wagner. A man staying at a mountain cabin in the winter must defend his family from a gang of drug dealers intent on killing them.

There is not a whole lot to the script of this film, it starts off with a character problem which never really gets resolved. The action is decent enough even if the ending is a little unrealistic for my tasted. Generally well made this is a pretty middle of the road genre piece.

3/5

Just say no.

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)

Directed by Trish Sie this film stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and Anna Camp. Now graduated from college the singing group sign up to help support the military-industrial complex.

What started out as a fairly fun franchise has turned into a forced cringefest that really makes you wonder who thought this was a good idea. I can only assume the studio had the cast locked down to air tight contracts because I can not see any other reason to want to be in this film. Ultimately this film just exists to shift copies of the soundtrack I suppose, it's hard to find any redeeming feature in such a cynical cash in.

2/5