You're going to re-Greta that

Greta (2018)

Directed by Neil Jordan this film stars Isabelle Huppert, Chloe Grace Moretz and Maika Monroe. After finding a bag on the subway a young woman befriends a lonely older woman who turns out to be a stalker.

As a stalker film this is a fairly standard one with nothing much new to it. At times the plot does lurch forward rather suddenly when it could have done with a bit more of a slow build in my opinion. What this film does have going for it are the two stars who are well worth watching in anything.

3/5

What I want is a better script

What Men Want (2019)

Directed by Adam Shankman this remake stars Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge and Tracy Morgan. A woman working as a sports agent feels she is closed out by the men at her employer.

There is a lot to be said for looking at the difference between men and women from the point of view of a woman but this film never even gets close to doing that in any serious way. As a romantic comedy this is a very familiar effort that hits all the expected beats. In the end I can not help but feel this was a missed opportunity to add a bit of heart to an otherwise cynical genre.

2/5

All down hill

The Rolling Bed (1907)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. A man is kicked out of his lodgings with only his bed on wheels, which soon rolls into danger with him in it.

Simple physical comedy here that is not as chaotic as some similar films of the period. Decent enough as a short comedy but not one that stands out. There are a couple of funny moments but this is not an action stuffed film.

3/5

A right royal let down

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

Directed by Joe Cornish this film stars Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Dean Chuamoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Doris and Angus Imrie. In modern day Britain a 12 year old boy pulls Excalibur from a stone.

I have been impressed with Joe Cornish's work so far but this film for children fell fairly flat for me. More like a CBBC television series than a full on film this was just a little too simplistic. Angus Imrie pretty much steals the entire film and is the one promising talent here.

2/5

All fun, no thought

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Directed by Rob Marshall this sequel stars Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranada, Ben Wishaw and Emily Mortimer. Twenty-five years after the events of the first film Mary Poppins returns to help the second generation of Banks children save the family home.

I must have seen the original film at some point but it has long slipped from memory, still this sequel was easy enough to follow despite coming over 50 years later. The plot does not have a lot to it when you actually look at it and comes from a questionable era when the working class just exist to support the fantasy of the upper middle class. I do like the way the film fits in with the visual style of it's predecessor but beyond the visuals there is not a huge amount to this film.

3/5

Not a saga

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

Written & directed by Simon Kinberg this film stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult and Sophie Turner. After a rescue mission to space Jean Grey is imbued with the power of the phoenix force.

Retreading ground we have already seen on the big screen this is a pretty middle of the road adaptation of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Lacking character and a real focus on what makes the X-Men unique, minority rights issues, this is not as bad as some would have you believe but still fairly forgettable. About the biggest surprise here was seeing Jessica Chastain appear as the token bad guy.

3/5

Back to the building blocks

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)

Directed by Mike Mitchell this film has voices from Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett and Tiffany Haddish. Five years after the events of the first film everything is not awesome as the lego people must learn to play with aliens from a sister galaxy.

Fitting in well with the tone of it's predecessor this film has a decent heart to it but some how just falls short of the original Lego film. There is a lot to enjoy but maybe a little less surprise factor to carry things through. While I enjoyed this film I am not sure how memorable it is.

3/5

Not queen of accuracy

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Directed by Josie Rourke this film based on real events stars Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. During the reign of Elizabeth I both England and Scotland face succession crisis surrounding the Scottish queen Mary.

Taking a fascinating historical period this is a pretty interesting film but gets a little caught up at times in imposing modern views on sex on the story. Despite historical inaccuracies this is still a good look at two women trying to hold onto power in an era completely dominated by men. Worth watching but be prepared to take elements with a pinch of salt.

3/5

The end of the beginning?

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo this film stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson. After Thanos wins our heroes must find a way to come together and fix things.

What this film does well is not lose the focus on characters despite all the large events and action sequences. It would have been really easy to lose the human connections here but this manages to be a surprisingly emotional film despite the cast of thousands. Pulling together a fitting end to the MCU, or at least this chapter of the MCU, this is a great send off for all that Marvel Studios has built so far.

4/5

The pied piano

The Irresistible Piano (1907)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. People find themselves compelled to dance when they hear a piano play.

Not a huge amount to this short but a bunch of people dancing. Essentially this is just one joke spread over four minutes and not terribly funny. Nothing bad about this film but little to make it stand out.

3/5

Yellow bug

Bumblebee (2018)

Directed by Travis Knight this prequel stars Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and the voice of Dylan O'Brien. Bumblebee is sent to Earth to protect it before the Autobots arrive and is adopted by an 18 year old girl.

Prequels always have the problem of a lack of stakes as you know Bumblebee has to survive. At times the plot is a little on the thin side, going over a lot of the same ground as other Transformer films. As a stand alone this is not too bad but there is not a lot to recommend it on in my opinion.

2/5

Own goal

The Keeper (2018)

Directed by Marcus H. Rosenmuller this film based on real events stars David Kross, John Henshaw and Freya Mavor. A German POW in WW2 starts to play for a local team in England as a goal keeper.

Unfortunately the interesting story of Bert Trautmann has the finger prints of screen writing cliches all over it in this film. Too many scenes are too obviously constructed leaving parts of the real story behind. I would love to see a good film on this subject but this one falls well short.

2/5

Links

The Race for the Sausage (1907)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. After a dog steals sausages from a butchers havoc ensues.

This is a classic slapstick comedy filled with chaos. There is plenty to laugh at here with set up after set up. A definitive example of an early comedy.

4/5

Not much to say

Charlie Says (2018)

Directed by Mary Harron this film based on real events stars Matt Smith, Hannah Murray, Sosie Bacon. Marianne Rendon and Merritt Wever. A graduate student tries to connect with three women convicted as part of the Manson family murders.

No doubt this film takes a different look at the subject matter but unfortunately quickly falls back into familiar detail of the crimes. I would like to have seen a lot more of the attempts to de-program the girls rather than their crimes. Not badly made but a squandered chance to be something different.

3/5

Children and cabbages

Midwife to the Upper Class (1902)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this film stars Germaine Serand and Yvonne Serand. A wealthy couple are assisted in picking out their new baby from the cabbage patch.

The star of this film is the sets and costumes, giving us a wonderful world to look upon. When it comes to the plot there is not much to it, especially for the four minute run time. A fun little watch but more to look at than to think about.

3/5

Love all at the end

Borg vs McEnroe (2017)

Directed by Janux Metz Pedersen this film based on real events stars Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgard and Tuva Novotny. After winning four straight championships in a row at Wimbledon the Swedish player Bjorn Borg faces a new challenge in John McEnroe.

Looking more at Borg than McEnroe this film is some what refreshing in the way it shows nerves and doubt in a top level sports person. The plot is a little predictable but I enjoyed the more human characters. Well made but I would have liked the script to be a little more even handed.

4/5

Cravings in command

Madame's Cravings (1907)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is a short comedy film. A pregnant woman is unable to control her cravings.

Simple in concept and execution this is short film will raise the odd chuckle or two. Not exactly high concept but there is enough here to make this film funny. Nothing much stands out about the direction, we are still just using static shots.

3/5

Shattered

Glass (2019)

Written & directed by M. Night Shyamalan this film stars James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and Sarah Paulson. Three people that believe they are super heroes are put in the same psychiatric hospital.

Bringing to conclusion the director's trilogy of superhero films this film is steeped in the world of comic books but has little of interest to say about them. There is a message to the ending of the film but honestly the ending is a bit of a dramatic dud. Once again there are some eyebrow raising moments about the way mental health is used in this film.

2/5

Measure for Measure Pakistan style

Rahm (2016)

Directed by Ahmed Jamal this film based on “Measure for Measure” stars Sanam Saeed, Rohail Peerzada and Sajid Hasan. The governor of Lahore pretends to go on holiday and leaves a strict disciplinarian in charge.

Measure for Measure is not a Shakespeare play I am familiar with but I know enough of this playwrights work to quickly twig where this adaptation was going. Sticking fairly well to the source material this film does a good job of moving the plot to modern day Pakistan. Maybe not ground breaking but a decent adaptation none the less.

3/5

Magic charity

The Magician's Alms (1905)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. A magician uses magic to help a homeless man.

A very simple story which wraps up into a nice little moral. The special effects are not ground breaking but well done. All in all this is a decent short.

3/5

Not exactly cryptic

Crypto (2019)

Directed by John Stalberg Jr. this film stars Beau Knapp, Alexis Bledel, Jeremie Harris and Kurt Russell. An anti fraud investigator at a large bank is sent to his small home town branch as punishment.

Explaining crypto currency on the big screen is never going to be easy and this financial thriller falls well short. The plot is fairly predictable while offering no real insight into the future of banking. Some of the dialogue, especially from the protagonist, was actually fairly hard to hear which does not say much for the sound mix.

2/5

Doggos

Miss Dundee and Her Performing Dogs (1902)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. We see a popular act involving a woman and her trained dogs.

Pretty simple in terms of concept this is a few set pieces cut together. Entertaining but not with much depth this is an easy watch. Fairly typical of similar films of the period.

3/5

Don't mention the syndrome

Bel Canto (2018)

Directed by Paul Weitz this film based on the novel of the same name stars Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe, Sebastian Koch and Christopher Lambert. In the late 1990s dignitaries from various countries are held hostage in South America.

I found this to be somewhat of a disappointment, a film dripping with Stockholm syndrome that never tackles the subject matter. For all the on screen talent I really expected something more from the script. The direction and acting are fine but can not carry a bland script.

2/5

Playing dumbo with history

Trumbo (2015)

Directed by Jay Roach this film based on real events stars Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Hellen Mirren and Louis C. K. Following WW2 a communist writer in Hollywood finds himself on the blacklist.

It seems that the makers of this film did not let a little thing like historical accuracy get the way of the story which is a real shame. As always Hollywood is more interested in being self congratulatory rather than focusing on the darker sides of it's own history. There are some fun parts to this film but in the face of real events it is hard to praise this one.

2/5

A man troubled

Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018)

Directed by Margarethe von Trotta this documentary features the director as presenter. We see a number of people interviewed about famed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman.

Bergman's films are famous for their look into the human condition and this documentary does a pretty good job of looking at the condition of the human behind so many praised films. Giving shades of a warts and all approach this is a pretty good documentary that does not completely give itself over to hero worship. There is a good balanced tone to the film but probably only one for cinephiles to watch.

3/5

Known by many names

Dirty Cops (2018)

Directed by Cedric Anger this film stars Guillaume Canet, Gilles Lellouche and Camille Razat. In the 1980s two French detectives go undercover in the French porn industry.

Nothing much stands out as surprising here, our protagonists end up finding the people involved in the porn industry are not that bad after all. Maybe a little less voyeurism and a bit more looking at the darker side of the industry would have helped balance out this film. Not a bad watch but not one worth seeking out either really.

3/5

A sticky situation

The Glue (1907)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. A boy causes mayhem all over town by spreading glue in unexpected places.

Simple in concept and execution this is a decent little comedy shot. The gags are obvious but still raise a chuckle. There is not a ton to the film making, a solid effort, not much more.

3/5

Below expectations

Above the Shadows (2019)

Written & directed by Claudia Myers this film stars Olivia Thirlby, Alan Richson and Megan Fox. After years of living in the world with no one able to see her a young woman is surprised when one man can see her.

Within the premise of this film is a really great set up for a story but I do not think this script nails it. The plot never really hits on what could have been the core themes of isolation in the modern world. In the end we have a fairly predictable plot that has little memorable about it.

2/5

A turd for a turd

The Poison Rose (2019)

Directed by George Gallo & Francesco Cinquemani this film also known as “Eye for an eye” stars John Travolta, Morgan Freeman and Famke Janssen. In the 1970s an LA private eye returns home to Texas to look for a missing person but gets caught up in his past.

If this was a parody or satire of a neo-noir it might work better but as is this movie is flat out terrible. The script does far too much telling instead of showing, is highly predictable and with badly thought out character actions. How this film got so much on screen talent involved with it I shall never know.

1/5

A lot better than expected

Dumbo (2019)

Directed by Tim Burton this film stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Eva Green. In 1919 two children discover that a baby elephant can fly.

I was actually really surprised to find that Tim Burton directed this film, there is an emotional and touching core to this film I just would not expect from Burton. This film has a real heart to it, way more so than any of Disney's live action adaptations so far. There are some nice visuals and Burton's usual mastery of design.

4/5

Anatomy of an early lip sync

Polin Performs “The Anatomy of a Draftee” (1905)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film staring Polin. A man lip syncs to a song.

There is a nice back drop to this song and a decent level of energy from the performance. Otherwise there is not a huge amount to say about this one other than it is a competent early use of lip syncing. The whole shot is just a single static shot.

3/5