A window into a window

Angles of Incidence (1973)

Directed by William Raban this is an experimental short film. We see two points of view through a window in the city.

Maybe not for those looking for a more narrative experience this is a pretty fun watch for others. There is certainly something going on here and like many of Raban's films it is more on the technical side. Worth a watch and a ponder for sure.

3/5

Back to class

Night School (2018)

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee this film stars Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish and Taran Killam. A high school drop out has to return to school to graduate after accidentally burning down his place of employment.

Despite having a decent set up this film never really goes anywhere, once the story actually gets to night school the script sags a lot. Not enough jokes and just too predictable where there are some for this film to really be funny. Unfortunately even Kevin Hart's energy can not carry this film.

2/5

But not tomorrow

Here and Now (2018)

Directed by Fabien Constant this film stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Simon Baker and Common. We see the twenty four hours following a famous jazz singer finding out she has brain cancer.

Despite some annoying camera work this is an interesting little film on someone having an abrupt meeting with their own mortality. It seems the film did not get good reviews but I found it to be fairly enjoyable. Not falling into the trap of melodrama this film deals with the issues at the heart of the story well.

3/5

Trees in the breeze

Colours of this Time (1972)

Directed by William Raban this is a short time-lapse film. We see the trees in a park over the course of a day.

Soothing to watch this may not be the most exciting film you will ever see but it does capture something of nature. What we see here is often what we are too busy to slow down and check out. Not a bad watch all things considered.

3/5

Youth in Asia

Euphoria (2017)

Written & directed by Lisa Langseth this film stars Alicia Vikander, Eva Green and Charlotte Rampling. A woman with a terminal illness takes her sister on a surprise trip to a luxury assisted suicide facility.

Taking on a tough subject this film does a fairly decent job of tackling the issues at hand. Maybe there could be a bit more depth to the ideological side but this is very much a story rooted in the personal. I really enjoyed this one and think it is well worth a watch.

4/5

A big mistake

You, Me and Him (2017)

Directed by Daisy Aitkens this film stars Lucy Punch, Faye Marsay and David Tennant. A lawyer in her 40s decides she is ready to have a baby but her girlfriend is not.

I suppose this would be a fairly average rom-com if for the fact that at no point does it ever address the rape in the plot. It pretty much shocked me how none of the main characters ever recognise what happened. One pretty big misstep here undermines the whole thing.

2/5

Honest Abe

Facial Recognition (1978)

Directed by Al Jarnow this short film features a bunch of kids. We see the concept of image resolution demonstrated using a bunch of dots and the face of honest Abe.

I think when Jarnow is at his best he is demonstrating complicated concepts through simple short films and this is a good example of that. Maybe the film works best on American audiences but I think it still holds up around the world. Certainly not a bad watch.

3/5

From all around the world

Academy Leader Variations (1987)

Containing contributions from animators all over the world this is a collaborative short film. We see a number of variations on the countdown you get at the start of a film.

As a show case of a variety of styles this is a fun little watch. There may not be much depth to this film but it is certainly cool to see so many different but familiar elements. Not one to rewatch endlessly but still fun.

3/5

Nun of this is new

The Nun (2018)

Directed by Corin Hardy this spin off from The Conjuring franchise stars Demian Bichir, Taissa Farmiga and Jonas Bloquet. A catholic priest and nun go to Romania to investigate the suicide of a nun.

Filled with familiar genre elements this film has nothing special about it really. The best you can say is this is a fairly solid horror piece that plods through expected plot points to a predictable conclusion. There are a couple of occasions when the films lower budget shows but otherwise this is not too badly made of a film.

2/5

Folding

Paper Origami (1995)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is an animated short film. An exploration of things you can do with a piece of paper.

Not as much origami as you might hope for going into this film. Compared to some of Jarnow's other works this is not the highest concept piece you will find from the director. Probably not going to live on in the memory of the viewer.

2/5

Ch-ake it all about

Ake & Ch (1991)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a short animated film. We see a few words that end in ake or start with ch.

Simplistic and with no much to it this could easily be an excerpt from any number of children's shows. Not much to say about this one really due to the basic nature of the short.

2/5

Pinky's problems

Brighton Rock (1948)

Directed by John Boulting this film based on the novel of the same name stars Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley and Carol Marsh. A 17 year old gangster in Brighton kills a man then tries to cover it up with spiraling consequences.

Well made and in the tradition of noir films of the period this is a really good watch. The plot has some interesting characters that slowly crack under the pressure of the story. I really enjoyed some of the shots, this film is well worth it's reputation.

4/5

Kind of rubbish

Litter Rap (1990)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a short film. A quick musical film to teach kids to put rubbish in the bin rather than on the floor.

There is not much to this short to be honest, it is fairly simplistic. Both the music and visuals do their job but not much more. Not one to linger in the memory.

2/5

Without Honour

The Honor List (2018)

Directed by Elissa Down this film stars Meghan Rienks, Sasha Pieterse and Karrueche Tran. Three high school seniors that are walking cliches have to worth through a bucket list from the dead 4^th friend they drifted apart from.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh on this film but there is not much original about the plot and the characters are disappointingly familiar. I am sure some will enjoy the film but a number of the set pieces feel forced and do not totally make sense. Probably one to skip.

2/5

A disappointing turn

The Lone Hand (1953)

Directed by George Sherman this film stars Joel McCrea, Barbara Hale and Alex Nicol. A widower and his son move to a new town and buy a farm.

Setting up something of an unusual moral dilemma the plot of the film unfortunately takes the easy way out at the end. There could have been something a bit different here but the big reveal takes out all the drama from the piece. Not bad for a b-movie western but nothing more than that.

2/5

A big old mess

Venom (2018)

Directed by Ruben Fleischer this film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed. A down on his luck reporter has his body invaded by an alien parasite.

The version I saw of this film was cut down and missing a bunch of character moments required to make the story work. Unfortunately this is a pretty poor effort that does not do the character justice. Even the action sequences are not that impressive.

2/5

Nunspoiltation

St. Agatha (2018)

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman this film stars Sabrina Kern, Carolyn Hennesy and Courtney Halverson. In the 1950s a pregnant woman with no other options goes to a convent to have her child.

Essentially exploiting the crimes of the Catholic church while trying not to point the finger directly at them. As a horror film goes this is not too bad but leaves some elements never fully explored. Ultimately there is something here but the script could have done with some more work.

2/5

Not that deep

Ocean (1989)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a short animated film. A simple look at those vast bodies of water, the ocean.

Pretty simplistic in content this is still a nicely animated piece. There may not be a huge amount going on here but this is a decent short diversion. Not the best from Jarnow but not terrible either.

3/5

Is it all in the editing?

Genius (2016)

Directed by Michael Grandage this film based on real events stars Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman and Laura Linney. We see the relationship between editor Maxwell Perkins and writer Thomas Wolfe.

A bit on the self aggrandising side this is a fairly decent biographical film. While there is not a huge depth to the look at the life of an editor this is still a pretty interesting look at the friendship between two men. Capturing the period excellently I still think this film is a little on the bland side.

3/5

Drawing parallels

49^th Parallel (1941)

Directed by Micahel Powell this film stars Eric Portman, Laurence Olivier and Leslie Howard. During WW2 a group of German submariners become stranded in Canada and try to sneak into the still neutral United States.

Clearly a propaganda film and not hitting the heights of some of the other Powell/Pressburger collaborations this is still a decent watch. The film contrasts the Nazi ideology with the freedom of life in Canada well. Decently made and with a good “why we fight” theme this is not the worst propaganda film you will see even if it is not very subtle.

4/5

Sleep tight

Mara (2018)

Directed by Clive Tonge this film stars Olga Kurylenko, Lance E. Nichols, Craig Conway and Javier Botet. Are people suffering from sleep paralysis being visited by a demon or is one of them a murderer?

This is a pretty standard horror film built around the phenomenon of sleep paralysis. Nothing really gets under your skin or is very creepy about this film. The plot works but this is not a horror film that will keep you awake at night.

3/5

Not the greatest

Number Rap #17 (1988)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a short animated film. We hear a rap about the number 17 set to animation.

Honestly this feels like it could easily have been part of an episode of Sesame Street. Not what I would call experimental really or with any depth. A bit of a weak effort really.

2/5

Not completely crazy

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Directed by Jon M. Chu this film based on the novel of the same name stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh. A Chinese-American economics professor from a poor background finds out her boyfriend is super rich when she travels to Singapore with him for a family wedding.

Stories about weddings across social classes are nothing new but setting this one in Singapore does provide something a little different. There is plenty to enjoy here seeing the familiar but with slightly different cultural pressures applied to it. Not the greatest film by any means but there is a little depth to what could otherwise be a fairly bland film.

3/5

Lights in the sky

At First Light (2018)

Directed by Jason Stone this film stars Stefanie Scott, Theodore Pellerin and Said Tagmaoui. Teenage boy pines for a teenage girl who has a near death experience and gets powers from aliens.

To be honest there is a little too much mystery and not enough substance to this film but it is still a fairly decent watch. The plot rumbles along nicely but never really offers us much of a conclusion more just a number of familiar elements. There are some decent performances but there is nothing very remarkable about this film.

3/5

At the beach

Shell Life (1984)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is an animated short film. We see various shells dance about on the sand.

Simple in concept but a good example of stop motion animation. There are a couple of clever little bits but generally this is a fairly entertaining short. While there is no great depth to this piece it is still a fun watch.

3/5

Warped view of mental illness

Distorted (2018)

Directed by Robert W. King this film stars Christina Ricci, John Cusack and Brendan Fletcher. A couple move into a state of the art tower block but the wife who struggles with being bipolar believes the building owners are trying to brainwash her.

I really hate that this is one of those lazy films that implies the mentally ill should believe their delusions. The plot does not really make sense and does not have enough time to play itself out. To be honest the whole thing is a pretty weak effort.

1/5

Sounds familiar

The Music of Silence (2017)

Directed by Michael Radford this film based on the semi autobiographical novel of the same name stars Toby Sebastian, Luisa Ranieri, Jordi Molla and Antonio Banderas. An Italian boy finds out he will go blind but dreams of being an opera singer.

Fairly bland in plot this film is probably one just for fans of Bocelli. It is hard to say the story really ever hits any dramatic beats or has any climax of conflict. Some of the accents also raise eyebrows occasionally.

2/5

Relegation candidate

The Bromley Boys (2018)

Directed by Steve Kelly this film stars Brenock O'Connor, Martine McCutcheon and Alan Davies. Following the 1966 world cup a fifteen year old misfit decides to start supporting his local football club.

There is no doubt a really good film to be made about the charm of supporting part time football teams but sadly this film is not it. The plot here is just too contrived and heavy handed. It is hard to take any part of this film seriously, the script needed more work.

2/5

working together

Bench (1980)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a simple animated film. Two characters must learn to work together to build a bench they can both sit on.

Very simple in terms of concept and execution this is still a decent little short from Jarnow. Not the director's best work but still watchable. One for younger kids.

3/5

The most modern of mysteries

Searching (2018)

Directed by Aneesh Chaganty this film stars John Cho and Debra Messing. Through computer screens we see the events that follow a 16 year old girl going missing.

I really love the way this story is told, the film really cracks showing the inside of someone's life and the electronic world we live in today. About the only complaint I have with the film is the twist in the end which makes the film a little less believable. All in all this film does a great job of telling a familiar story in a very different, modern way.

4/5