One of the many that fell foul

Snowpiercer (2013)

Directed by Bong Joon-ho this film based on the graphic novel “Le Transprceneige” stars Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho and Tilda Swinton. In the near future after the planet is in a new ice age the last humans live on a train that is constantly travelling the world.

I really liked how this film poses the question of “what standard of living are we willing to except if it relies on the exploitation of others?”. Not exactly a true adaptation this is still a really good watch that comes to a thought provoking conclusion. Well made apart from some of the CGI being a little creaky.

4/5

The shoe on the other foot

The Consequences of Feminism (1906)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is an early short film. We see a world where the behaviour of men and women has been flipped.

Working as a nice little mirror to the way society treated women in the period this is a decent watch. Guy-Blache ended up remaking this in America but unfortunately the remake is considered lost. A decent watch, one of the many socially conscious films from the director.

4/5

Fuck um and their law

Beats (2019)

Directed by Brian Welsh this film based on the play of the same name stars Cristian Ortega and Lorn Macdonald. Just as the government passes a law to ban them two Scottish best friends from different backgrounds decide to go to a rave.

I missed the rave scene by about 5 or 6 years but there is enough in this film that I am familiar with for it to really hit home. On the surface this is a familiar coming of age drama but really well executed. Well worth seeking out although some might need subtitles to deal with the Scottish accents and slang.

4/5

A little too clean

The Cleanse (2016)

Written & directed by Bobby Miller this film stars Johnny Galecki, Anna Friel, Oliver Platt and Anjellica Houston. A man feeling down on life heads off to a mysterious retreat for a cleanse.

Somewhere between a supposedly unsettling film and a comedy this script never really puts the envelope. More literally than it thinks it is the script does at least have something to say but it is a little on the obvious end. A decent cast not overly pushed.

3/5

Basically Boring Cinema

Billionaire Boys Club (2018)

Directed by James Cox this film stars Ansel Elgort, Taron Egerton, Emma Roberts and Kevin Spacey. In 1980s LA young men set up a Ponzi scheme aimed at the kids of rich parents.

Essentially in the same vein as The Wolf of Wallstreet (2013) this is a lower level knock off with the added problem of being Spacey's last film. I found it hard to connect with any of the characters of empathise with their decent into criminal behaviour. Fairly flashy but ultimately lacking in a bit of substance.

2/5

One to overcome

An Obstacle Course (1906)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is a short film. We see a bunch of people run a race over an obstacle course.

Not really as funny as some slapstick films of the period this film has the odd moment that will raise a chuckle. There are better comedies and even better comedies from this director out there. Not a bad watch but not one I would seek out either.

3/5

A familiar solution

Escape Room (2019)

Directed by Adam Robitel this film stars Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll and Jay Ellis. A group of people find themselves inside a deadly escape room.

Taking the location of an escape room and turning it into a familiar horror film there is not a lot that will surprise you about the execution of this film but it is fairly well made. The script hits all the expected beats right down to setting up the inevitable sequel. I liked the locations of the different rooms which manage to create a fair amount of tension.

3/5

More limping along than running

Better Start Running (2018)

Directed by Brett Simon this film stars Alex Sharp, Analeigh Tipton, Jeremy Irons and Edi Gathegi. Following killing a store manager in self defence two young people and an old man go on the run.

There are some funny moments to this film but for the most part it is a bit uneven. The script never really hits its stride or a consistent tone. For all the talent involved this is a bit of a disappointment.

2/5

Not a good look

The Truth Behind the Ape Man (1906)

Directed by Alice Guy Blache this is an early short film. Without knowing what it is a servant drinks his master's hair tonic.

Well to get the obvious out of the way some of the imagery is super racist and at best adjacent to black face. The joke the film is based around is not too bad but unfortunately the execution is not good to modern sensibilities. Probably one to give a miss.

2/5

Nothing to forgive

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Directed by Marielle Heller this film based on real events stars Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant. In 1991 a struggling biography writer starts forging correspondence by famous writers to sell for memorabilia.

It is nice to see a more dramatic performance from Melissa McCarthy to remind us that she has more range than her full comedies. The plot of this film is funny and in its own way touching. There is plenty to enjoy as well as little to take home from the struggles of the protagonist.

3/5

Not the best of adaptations

The Best of Enemies (2019)

Written & directed by Robin Bissell this film based on real evens stars Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell. A KKK leader and a Black rights activist are brought together to discuss integrating the local schools.

Certainly there is something interesting to explore in these events but this is the most paper thin treatment of the subject matter. The script hits all the expected Hollywood notes instead of offering some real character and nuance. In the end I was disappointed by this film despite it having good intentions.

2/5

Inside the death machine

Son of Saul (2015)

Directed by Laszlo Nemes this film stars Geza Rohrig, Levente Molnar and Urs Rechn. A man working as a Sonderkommando in a death camp in WW2 tries to organise a funeral for a boy.

Going into this film I wondered how cinema could have anything more to offer on a subject like the Holocaust that has been covered so often but this film is depressingly fresh. Both the camera work and the story take you inside the process of extermination in a way no film has before. The story is depressing, touching, human and totally bleak.

5/5

Movement in still life

The Statue (1905)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blanche this is an early short comedy. Two clowns are menaced by a living statue to comedic effect.

Pretty simple but well made this is a funny little short. There may really only be one joke here but it works well and does not over stay it's welcome. Does the job of raising a few chuckles even if it is not the most memorable comedy of the period.

3/5

A whole remade world

Aladdin (2019)

Directed by Guy Ritchie this live action remake stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott. An orphan living on the streets of a city falls in love with a princess and befriends a genie.

Guy Ritchie might not have been my first guess at the director of a live action Disney film but he provides a solid film here. There is plenty of colour and glitz but maybe not a huge amount of heart in this remake. Enjoyable for the two hours it runs without ever threatening to make you think deeper.

3/5

Out of ideas

Out of Blue (2018)

Directed by Carol Morley this film based on the novel “Night Train” stars Patricia Clarkson, Mamie Gummer and James Caan. A recovering alcoholic police detective investigates the murder of an astrophysicist.

The script of this film thinks it is something like True Detective with a slice of physics on the side but is so poor. It seems like the adaptation junks a lot of the novel in favour of some weird metaphysical twist plot that never, ever works. To be honest I found this whole film dragging and just wanted it to end already.

1/5

Not so clean

The Cleaning Man (1907)

Directed by Louis Feuillade this is an early short film. A man attempts to clean a woman's house with cataclysmic results.

Simple but funny this short takes the set pieces to the furthest conclusions. The effects for the slapstick moments are good for the era, on a larger scale than I have seen in other pieces. Pretty good for what it is.

3/5

Catching the big one

Pond Life (2018)

Directed by Bill Buckhirst this film based on the play of the same name stars Tom Varey, Esme Creed-Miles and Angus Imrie. In the mid 90s a group of young friends in Yorkshire spend the summer obsessed with fishing.

This is a really touching coming of age drama that captures both the period it is set in but also some great characters. About my only complaint is that I wished this film was longer. Despite being based on a play this is not one of those adaptations that seems constrained by a handful of locations. All of the young cast are great but Esme Creed-Miles in particular is awesome.

4/5

Not gold

Vault (2019)

Directed by Tom DeNucci this film based on real events stars Theo Rossi, Clive Standen and Samira Wiley. Two friends become involved with a member of organised crime who has them rob a mob bank.

Pretty average as a heist film the whole truth is not exactly something the script is concerned with. To be honest this is a largely forgettable film given the size of the robbery involved. I can not find much to recommend this one on.

2/5

I don't like scrabble

Sometimes Always Never (2018)

Directed by Carl Hunter this film stars Bill Nighy, Sam Riley, Alice Lowe and Jenny Agutter. A single father obsessed with scrabble and his adult son go to view a body that may be the missing second son.

At times this film is a little too gentle and play like but it builds to a satisfying conclusion if you stick with it. The plot is a good look at loss and awkward family relationships. Some of the direction involves unusual choices and I wonder how much of that is a consequence of budget over style choice.

3/5

The earliest female super hero?

A Four-Year-Old Heroine (1907)

Directed by Alive Guy Blache & Louis Feuillade this is an early short film. After her nanny falls asleep at the park a four year old girl saves a bunch of people from various situations.

Not exactly full of depth but this film has several set ups to entertain the viewer. There are a couple of quality issues with the surviving version of this film I saw but otherwise it was a good watch. Not really a stand out film of the era but it holds its own.

3/5

Us & them

Us (2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele this film stars Lupita Nyong'o, Winstone Duke and Elizabeth Moss. A family find themselves menaced by their duplicates as the world goes to hell.

This is a really creepy film with some real depth to it, an excellent follow up to Get Out (2017). I like the way the film explores class issues but I found the final twist a little predictable. Well made and gripping through out Jordan Peele is really standing himself out as one of the top film makers we have today.

4/5

I do not love this one

Berlin, I Love You (2019)

Coming as the latest instalment in the Cities of Love series this anthology film stars Helen Mirren, Keira Knightly, Mickey Rourke, Diego Luna, Jim Sturgess and many others. We see various people in Berlin falling in and out of different types of love.

To be honest I found this to be a very uneven film with some good parts and other parts that just did not fit at all. Possibly most creepy is Mickey Rourke's character and it seems unintentionally so. I have not seen the other films in this series but I would not recommend starting with this one.

2/5

A simple magic trick

The Magic Mirror (1908)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film stars Julienne Mathieu. A woman sits at a mirror and sees something strange in the reflection.

Based around a single camera trick this is not a short with a deepest of plot lines. The special effect is impressive enough for the period but the use of it does not really go anyway. Ultimately a simple curiosity of a film.

3/5

A fish out of water

Stratton (2017)

Directed by Simon West this film based on the novels of Duncan Falconer stars Dominic Cooper, Gemma Chan and Austin Stowell. An SBS soldier and MI6 hunt for a biological weapon stolen from Iran.

Various parts of the plot of this film made me want to smash my head into a wall. Lurching between action sequences and exposition the script of this film really needed a major rewrite. Even the editing was frustrating in places, if this had been made for television the lower level of quality might have been understandable.

2/5

Singing a song

The Troubadour (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film stars Gabrielle Robinne. The titular troubadour puts on a show for the audience.

Simple trick photography common of the era is the core of this film and for the most part it works well with a couple of little exceptions. There is not a ton of plot here but enough “magic” on screen to entertain. Very similar to any number of other films of the period.

3/5

Not funny haha, funny dark

The Sisters Brothers (2018)

Directed by Jacques Audiard this film based on the novel of the same name stars John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed. Two brothers working as gun men set off to find a man for their employer.

Balancing dark comedy with a real heart this is a fun little western, something which we do not get much of any more. As with many westerns greed is at the heart of this film, a topic it explores fairly well. Well made this is certainly worth a watch.

4/5

Not revolutionary

On the Barricade (1907)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this is a short film. During the French revolution a young man goes out to get milk for his mother but gets stopped by the military.

This is a pretty simple melodrama set to tug at the audiences heart strings. With a basic set up and plot this is a decently made film but nothing special. Probably not one to seek but not a bad watch.

3/5

Too much cheese, not enough meat

Instant Family (2018)

Directed by Sean Anders this film stars Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne and Isabela Moner. A couple decide to adopt and end up fostering three siblings.

To be honest I would rather have seen the more serious version of this film than the light comedy we get here. The script hints at some real serious drama but we never really get down to the heart breaking meat. Fine as light entertainment but could have been a lot more.

3/5

Not really magical

Shazam! (2019)

Directed by David F. Sandberg this comic book adaptation stars Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Mark Strong and Jack Dylan Grazer. A fourteen year old boy living in a foster home gets the magical power to turn into a superhero.

Clearly aimed at a younger audience than a lot of recent superhero films this is a decent but unremarkable film. The problem with the script is that it never connects on an emotional level despite having plenty of potential to do so. There are some decent laughs and plenty of action to keep younger viewers entertained.

3/5

A directorial mystery

The Fairy of Spring (1906)

Directed by Vincent Loraint-Heilbronn it seems this short film is often wrongly attributed to Alice Guy-Blache. A couple offer an old woman shelter in their home.

This is a pretty simple early film with some lovely sets and special effects. Very much of the school of the fantastic early films. Well worth a watch even if there is not a huge amount to the plot.

4/5

Familiar beyond what it should be

The Aftermath (2019)

Directed by Joe Shrapnel this film based on the novel of the same name stars Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgard and Jason Clarke. In 1945 a British woman heads to Hamburg to be with her husband who is an officer in the occupation forces.

Chock full of familiar elements this is yet another period drama where a man must repeatedly prostrate himself on the alter of sacrifice to prove he deserves his wife's love over some dude she has only known for a few weeks. Well made for what it is there is just not enough original about this film to recommend it. If you are looking for another period film to watch this is fine but it is not very memorable.

3/5