Luke warm

Hot Summer Nights (2017)

Written & directed by Elijah Bynum this film stars Timothee Chalamet, Maika Monroe and Alex Roe. In 1991 a teenage boy is sent to Cape Cod for the summer by his mother and becomes involved in dealing drugs there.

Not a huge amount stands out about this coming of age drama. Plenty of the plot is familiar and not really uniquely handled. There are decent performances from the cast but again nothing overly impressive.

3/5

Getting attached

A Sticky Woman (1906)

Written & directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. A woman takes her maid to the post office to lick stamps for her, much to the interest of one of the male customers.

A little bit silly but well acted and building to a funny climax. I enjoyed how this simple situation is milked to the full comedy potential. Just a single static shot but still a fun watch.

3/5

Terror in opulence

Hotel Mumbai (2018)

Directed by Anthony Maras this film stars Dev Patel, Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi and Jason Isaacs. We the terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai in 2008 from the point of view of guests trapped in the hotel.

Well made this film does a good job of showing the terror of being caught up in horrible events but relies on fictional characters which I was a bit disappointed by. I would have rather seen a more factual version and some more focus on the reaction from authorities. Worth a watch and well acted but maybe not as touching as it could have been.

3/5

You rip-a des?

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos this film stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan. A heart surgeon befriends the son of a patient who died on his operating table only for the boy to demand the surgeon kill one of his own family or they will all die.

Loosely inspired by the Greek tragedy “Iphigenia at Aulis” this film certainly has the director's trademark bizarre feel to it and odd characters. Maybe this time the weird behaviour of the characters slightly undercuts the tension of the film. Certainly there is something worth watching here but it is a little oblique at times.

4/5

Dancing in colour

Pierrette's Escapades (1900)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film that has been hand coloured. A woman resists one man's courting in favour of another.

Very simple in terms of content but it is nice to see a film from Guy-Blache embracing a narrative. The colours and action make this a charming watch. Very much a quaint early film.

4/5

Not all laughs

All About Nina (2018)

Written & directed by Eva Vives this film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Common and Kate del Castillo. A comedian who has casual sex rather than date traditionally moves to LA and starts dating a man.

With a great performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead this film is a little bit too familiar in places to be a great film but certainly has enough to keep you entertained. Definitely raw and frank this might not be something that everyone is comfortable to watch. With a little less predictability this could have been a really great film.

3/5

Maybe we didn't need the self referential time machine

Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Directed by Robert Zemeckis this film based on real events stars Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger and Merritt Wever. A man suffering with PTSD after almost being beaten to death for wearing women's shoes disappears into his own imagination.

Very on the nose and unsubtle this is still a deeply touching film with a human story that really connects with the viewer. Zemeckis may be heavy handed and probably stray from the truth a bit at times but he knows how to tell an emotional story. Steve Carell gives a really good performance in the lead role.

4/5

Riding through the glen

Robin Hood (1973)

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman this animated film has voices from Brian Bedford, Monica Evans, Phil Harris and Peter Ustinov. In the animal kingdom Robin Hood and Little John rob from the rich to give to the poor.

Considered a cult classic I found this one a bit bland when finally getting round to watch it. The animation is nothing eye catching for Disney and the script is not filled with humour either. A fairly decent adaptation of the Robin Hood myth but it does get a bit Americanized in places.

3/5

Different but the same

Serpentine Dance by Mme. Bob Walter (1899)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this short film stars Mme. Bob Walter. We see a woman in a flowing dress perform a dance.

Pretty simple in content this single shot film captures a short portion of a stage performance. The dance is entertaining enough but that is all there is to the film really. Similar to a number of films from the period and director.

3/5

Gay man joins band, they become world stars

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Directed by Bryan Singer this film based on real events stars Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joe Mazzello. We follow the life of Freddie Mercury from his joining Queen to their performance at Live Aid.

Essentially this is the cinematic equivalent of a greatest hits album and it gets a bit wanky towards the end. There is stuff to enjoy here but this is not an in depth of very serious look at the history of either Mercury or Queen, events are simplified, moved around or fabricated at times. What is worth watching for is the transformative performance from Rami Malek and the excellent casting of the rest of the band.

3/5

When you wish you were Eisenstein

Furious (2017)

Directed by Dzhanik Fayziev & Ivan Shurkhovetskiy this film based on historical events stars Ilya Malakov, Polina Chernyshova and Aleksei Serebryakov. Following the fall of Ryazan to the Mongols a Russian knight seeks revenge with his small band of warriors.

Over the top and not letting history get in the way of action sequences this is no a realist film and certainly not Aleksander Nevskey (1938), which this film even goes on to reference at the climax. Not really one I would recommend for anyone looking for a good historical film. I suppose this is fine if you just want some mindless entertainment.

2/5

Literally a cake walk

Cake-walk negre (1905)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin.

There is not a huge amount to this film, a single shot of people dancing. The backdrop is fairly nice, as our the costumes but that is about all you can say. Probably not one for the ages.

2/5

Follow the twin called rabbit

Rabbit (2017)

Written & directed by Luke Shanahan this film stars Adelaide Clemens, Alex Russell and Veerle Baetens. A woman has dark dreams about her missing twin and is convinced her visions are real.

To be honest this film is a little confusing and at times seems to use that confusion just for the sake of keeping the audience at arms length. While I enjoyed elements of the weirdness of this film and it certainly creeped me out at times but it also left me frustrated, I am not sure what the plot was driving at. I also found the audio levels to be a little out of balance when comparing dialogue to music.

2/5

Into hell on Earth

Behemoth (2015)

Directed by Zhao Liang this is a documentary film made in China but banned there. We see the affects of the coal industry on the people and landscape of Inner Mongolia.

If you do not like slow, artsy documentaries then this is not a film for you. More a 90 minute visual poem than anything else this is a fascinating collection of images which have been beautifully shot. While not offering solutions to the problems at hand this film does a great job of shining a light on them.

4/5

Just more zipper problems

The Front Runner (2018)

Directed by Jason Reitman this film based on real events stars Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga and J. K. Simmons. In 1988 Senator Gary Hart is the front runner to win the presidency but gets caught up in a sex scandal.

Covering familiar issues with politicians that have “a zipper problem” this film never really goes deeply into the issues at hand. We have seen plenty of films on the topic before and sadly this film offers nothing new on the matter. Well made for what it is but this is a bit of a wasted opportunity.

3/5

That other papillon film

Danse de papillon (1900)

Directed by Alive Guy-Blache this is an early short film. We see a woman do a dance with a large skirt to mimic the behaviour of a butterfly.

Essentially just a minute worth of film of a stage act there is not a lot to this short. The dance is skillful and of some entertainment value. Just a single shot, there is not a lot to go on here.

2/5

Not the next step

The Predator (2018)

Directed by Shane Black this film stars Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes and Olivia Munn. An alien crashes to Earth and the usual combat starts off.

This film would not be too bad if it did not use autism/asspergers as a plot device. Otherwise the film does not take itself too seriously and is not too bad as a mindless action film. It is just a shame about the slightly bad taste one part of the film leaves in your mouth.

2/5

A bit heavy on the Zimmerman

Humor Me (2017)

Written & directed by Sam Hoffman this film stars Jermaine Clement, Elliott Gould and Ingrid Michaelson. A struggling playwright has to move in with his widower father after his wife leaves him.

Predictable and fairly gentle this is not a surprising or heavy watch. What we get here is a pretty decent film that is not going to challenge the viewer. Some of the humour is more like to make you roll your eyes than laugh but over all this is not a bad watch.

3/5

Up in the sky

The Dirigible “Homeland” (1906)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. We see a dirigible leave home and take flight.

Pretty simple in content this is much more of a documentary style film than a lot of the director's other work. Several different shots are cut together and while this film lacks much narrative it is a fairly decent watch. Maybe more of a historical record than anything else.

3/5

Faceless people

Deceit (2017)

Directed by Andrew Dosunmu this film also known as “Where is Kyra?” stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Kiefer Sutherland. Following the death of her elderly mother a woman keeps collecting her pension to make ends meet.

Some will love the art house look of this film, others will deeply wish that the cinematographer had turned on a light. If you can get past the fact you rarely see an actor's face this is a pretty decent film about being alone in a world that does not care. Such as you can see them there are decent performances from the cast.

3/5

By disappointment or stupidity

Killer Weekend (2018)

Directed by Ben Kent this film also known as FUBAR stars Sean Verey, Mark Heap and Danny Kirrane. A group of men go on a stag do which involves a weekend of paintballing being chased by pretend zombies.

Very little is clever or funny about this film. Stumbling through predictable stag do cliches this film never really does anything original. Not worth seeking this one out.

2/5

A different kind of bull

Hands of Stone (2016)

Written & directed by Jonathan Jakubowicz this film based on real events stars Edgar Ramirez, Robert De Niro, Ana de Armas and Usher. A young man growing up in Panama becomes a boxer and a national hero.

Unfortunately this is no Raging Bull (1980) but instead an overly sentimental trip through the highlights of Duran's career. I am not sure the film makers let facts get in the way of the story they wanted to tell either. Over all this is a fairly disappointing biopoic.

2/5

Keeping it up

Clown, Dog and Balloon (1905)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. We see a clown and a dog play keep ups with a large balloon.

A scene you will see played out in many a park across the land the real impressive skill comes from the four legged star of the piece. This is just a single shot of a vaudeville act and it is getting a little late for such simple direction. Entertaining on a superficial level but lacking in narative.

2/5

Just say no to this film

Holmes & Watson (2018)

Written & directed by Etan Cohen this film stars Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Hall and Rob Brydon. The famous duo investigate a threat against the life of the Queen of England.

Oh boy. Taking hamming it up to previously unseen levels this is neither smart or funny. About the best thing I can say about this film is that while it may not be as bad as some of the press has made it out to be it is still a seriously weak effort.

2/5

Sins of a mother

Darkness Visible (2018)

Directed by Neil Biswas this film stars Jaz Deol, Sayani Gupta, Neil Bhoopalam and Salome R. Gunnarsdottir. A London raised man of Indian decent goes to India when his mother is mysteriously knocked down by a car there.

As horror films go this one is not especially gory or scary but has the odd jump scare here and there. The plot is no great shakes and to be honest the script could have done with a bit of tweaking as it lurches from scene to scene at times. Probably not worth seeking out but not the worst film you will see either.

2/5

No ending

An Untimely Intrusion (1902)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. A couple having an argument are interrupted by a third party.

There is not a huge amount to the plot here and no real conclusion to the “story”. I did not find the film especially funny so I am not sure it works as a comedy. Nothing really stands out here so it is hard to find much to say about this short.

2/5

More disappointment than trouble

Trouble (2017)

Written & directed by Theresa Rebeck this film stars Anjelica Huston, Bill Pullman, David Morse and Julia Stiles. Two siblings argue over the land their father owned.

I found this film nearly impossible to get into despite it having an impressive cast. Nearly every element of this film is a disappointment from the script to performances. None of the characters are worth trying to connect with and the whole plot feels forced.

2/5

More a question mark than an Asterix

Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (2018)

Directed by Alexandre Astier and Louis Clichy this is an animated film based on the popular Asterix and Obelix comics. Our heroes search all of Gaul for a student druid worthy of being a successor to Getafix.

There are so many excellent Asterix stories I have no idea why the film makers decided to go with something original here. What we get is a pretty weak plot that while captures some of the tone of the comics never lives up to their standard. The animation style and voice acting are fine but can not save this film.

2/5

An imagined explanation

The Vanishing (2018)

Directed by Kristoffer Nyholm this film inspired by real events stars Gerard Butler, Connor Swindells and Peter Mullan. Three lighthouse keepers living on an isolated island find the body of a man washed up on the shore.

Imagining a fantastical solution for the 1900 disappearance of three lighthouse keepers this is a decent psychological thriller. The plot mostly stays realistic even if there is no evidence to support the theories it puts forward. I really enjoyed this look into isolation, greed and guilt.

3/5

More than meets the eye

How Monsieur Takes His Bath (1903)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is a nearly short film staring Ferdinand Zecca. When he tries to get undressed for a bath a man finds he is wearing an ever increasing amount of clothes.

On the surface this seems like a fairly simple camera trick film and is pretty entertaining. When put in a historical context this is intended as a reversal of the number of layers women of the period were expected to wear. A decent short with something to say.

3/5