Not the king

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Directed by Michael Dougherty this film stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Mille Boby Brown and Charles Dance. Godzilla has to fight a three headed dragon because people are idiots.

The plot of this film is best not thought to much about, neither is the fact that all the African American actors are relegated to subservient physical roles. Some of the effects are decent but there is just too much hogwash going on here in a film that drags out too long. The only part worth much here is the monster fights really.

2/5

A brisk 2 hours

The Realm (2018)

Directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen this film also known as “The Candidate” stars Antonio de la Torre, Monica Lopez and Josep Maria Pou. A corrupt politician who thought he was next in line to the throne finds himself being scapegoated by his co-conspirators.

I am not sure if this was because this is a foreign language film or because of the pace of the plot but at times I found it really hard to keep up with things. It takes a long time to build but we do finally get to a point where the protagonist has to do some self reflection even if the conclusion is stolen from us. Not the best political thriller I have seen but watchable.

3/5

Not that unusual

Unusual Cooking (1908)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see a chef throw rags on the floor that magically take human form.

Filled with trick photography and dancing there is not much rhyme or reason to this short film. What we have here is essentially just an excuse for the director to show off all his tricks. The short may lack a plot but is still pretty entertaining as well as containing plenty of nice visuals.

3/5

Not so much with the bees

Tell it to the Bees (2019)

Directed by Annabel Jenkins this film based on the novel of the same name stars Anna Paquin, Holiday Grainger, Gregor Selkrik and Lauren Lyle. Abandoned by her husband a single mother in 1950s Scotland starts a relationship with a female doctor.

Unfortunately the plot of this film is filled with cliches and excessively reaching for its bee metaphor. The story is well intentioned but ultimately a disappointment. Anna Paquin goes all in for a Scottish accent and manages to do it without making a mess of it which is nice to see.

2/5

Blowing cold

Hot Air (2018)

Directed by Frank Coraci this film stars Steve Coogan, Neve Cambell and Taylor Russell. Like takes a turn for a right-wing radio talk show host when the 16 old niece he has never met before appears.

Starting with an interesting premise unfortunately the film quickly turns the central character into a straw man that does not really a true character. The plot gets very predictable very fast which is a real let down. There is something that could have been a good film here but this is not it.

2/5

Not trash at all

American Woman (2018)

Directed by Jake Scott this film stars Sienna Miller, Aaron Paul and Christina Hendricks. A single mother is left to raise her grandson after her daughter goes missing.

Told over the period of 11 years this is a fascinating story of a woman essentially coming of age. The plot is both touching and heart breaking in equal measures. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, Sienna Miller gives an amazing performance in the lead role which the film is worth watching for alone.

4/5

Not so awful

An Awful Symphony (1909)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see a band made up of clowns going about town.

Using a number of trick photography shots this is a classic early film. Compared to some of Chomon's other films this may lack the charm of the sets and costumes he is known for. A fun little watch with some skill for the special effects of the era.

3/5

A Southern story

In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Directed by Norman Jewison this film based on the novel of the same name stars Sidney Pitier and Rod Steiger. An African American police officer travelling through the South on personal business gets caught up in a small town murder investigation.

Considered ground breaking in the way it showed race relations in the South of the US this is a fascinating watch dripping with prejudice. The murder mystery itself may not be that interesting but the setting and characters certainly are. Well made and containing some great performances.

4/5

Trapped in a low budget

I Trapped the Devil (2019)

Written & directed by Josh Lobo this film stars A. J. Bowen, Scott Poythress and Susan Theresa Burke. A married couple drop in on the husband's brother who claims to have the devil locked up downstairs.

I think this film is one for only those with a taste in the slower moving films, despite the short run time of this film it has a very slow pace. Nothing is really ground breaking about the content of the film but it does build a decent amount of tension round the premise. I would have liked a slightly more clear ending, still not a terrible watch in the end.

3/5

Not that magic

The Magician from Arabia (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. A sorcerer allegedly from Arabia does some “magic” tricks.

Based around familiar camera tricks and the usual Chomon mise en scene this is not a terrible short film. The tricks do not exactly pack a lot of punch and then you have the questionable fact that there are probably not real Arabs anywhere near this production. Probably not one to seek out for the best example of Chomon's work.

2/5

An oddity of Americana

We Have Always Lived in the Castle (2018)

Directed by Stacie Passon this film, based on the novel of the same name, stars Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover and Sebastian Stan. Two young woman and their uncle live in a “castle” afraid to mix with the townsfolk.

Nailing an odd tone through out this film never really rises to a fulfilling climax but is a decent watch none the less. I still got some enjoyment out of the film even if the “twist” revelation at the film was fairly obvious. Maybe not one I would recommend to anyone to seek out.

3/5

Not really a father

The Padre (2018)

Directed by Jonathan Sobol this film stars Tim Roth, Valeria Henriquez, Nick Nolte and Luis Guzman. An American conman on the run in Colombia gets stuck with a teenager also on the run.

Nothing much stands out here, there are a lot of familiar elements to this simple buddy crime story. A decent little diversion as long as you are not expecting anything deep. My only real complaint is that the ending is a little trite.

2/5

In search of faster

The Hummingbird Project (2018)

Written & directed by Kim Nguyen this film stars Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgard and Salma Hayek. Two cousins strike out on their own in the arms race for low latency stock market trading.

This is a classic story of small man hubris against powerful corporations. Nothing here is especially original but it is a really well told story about drive and personal sacrifice. There is a lot to enjoy here, well worth a watch.

4/5

Missing the sound

Music, Forward! (1907)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film stars Julienne Mathieu. A woman commands musicians for our entertainment.

This is a rare silent film that you think is really missing some sound to accompany it. The images are of the standard you would expect from this director as are the camera tricks. A fun little watch but not much more than that.

3/5

They did it again.

Toy Story 4 (2019)

Directed by Josh Cooley this animated film has voices from Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts and Tony Hale. Woody struggles to adapt to not being the favourite toy of his new child.

Despite this being the 4^th film in the series Pixar manage to come up with another touching story. I really liked the way the plot builds to an emotional end that may well fit as an end to the series. Never count Pixar out, they are the masters.

4/5

Not so magic really

Magic Bricks (1908)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early trick photography film. A magician and his assistant use a box to make various things appear and disappear.

To get the obvious out of the way the use of yellow face in this film really takes the shine off what would otherwise be a quaint early film. Fitting in well with many similar films of the area this film has the usual Chomon level of production value. Probably still just a rip off of a Melies film but well done none the less.

2/5

No chocolate

Easter Eggs (1907)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this film stars Julienne Mathieu. We see a woman with a collection of eggs open them up to reveal dancers.

Similar to a number of other trick photography films from this director this film has the expected beautiful sets and costumes matched with good use of special effects. There is not a huge amount to the plot but it is certainly a good spectacle if nothing else. Does not stand out from other films of the period too greatly not that that is necessarily a bad thing.

3/5

Is a smell?

Isabelle (2018)

Directed by Rob Heydon this film stars Amanda Crew, Adam Brody and Zoe Belkin. A woman has a miscarriage and becomes paranoid that her disabled neighbour is an evil spirit.

Pretty standard horror fare here with little to set it apart from the multitude of other films in the genre. As with many genre films the disabled get othered and blamed for creepy stuff. Not really worth seeking out even for genre fans.

2/5

Film full of shit

Head Full of Honey (2018)

Directed by Til Schweiger this film based on the German film of the same name stars Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon, Emily Mortimer and Sophia Lane. A widower with Alzhimers moves to the UK to live with his son and his family.

Honestly this may be the worst film I have ever seen, the editing makes this film completely unwatchable within the first 15 minutes and from then on the rest of the film just drags. The script is equally terrible taking forever to get to the point while treating both the audience and the characters as idiots. I have not seen the German film this is based on but surely it can not be as bad as this.

1/5

Beyond tense

The Wedding Guest (2018)

Written & directed by Michael Winterbottom this film stars Dev Patel, Radhika Apte and Jim Sarbh. A British man heads to a wedding in Pakistan where he kidnaps the bride to be.

Dripping with subtle tension through out this film really kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved that the film managed to reach a satisfying emotional conclusion without going for a predictable cliché. There are some great shots of India and after seeing Dev Patel in this film I think he could take on any role.

4/5

Flower dance

Chrysanthemums (1907)

Written & directed by Segundo de Chomon this early film stars Julienne Mathieu. Vases, dancing women and flowers are all on show.

There is not really much of a narrative to this one but like many early films it makes somewhat decent use of trick photography. The sets and costumes are decent, providing something to look at at least. Not a bad watch but does not really stand out from the films of the era.

3/5

Things that shouldn't be brought back

Pet Sematary (2019)

Directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer this film based on the novel of the same name stars Jason Clarke, Amy Simetz and John Lithgow. A doctor and his family move to a rural area and discover they have a pet cemetery on their land.

Going into this blind I do not know what I expected from this film but it was a lot darker than I thought I was going to get, which should not really have been a surprise given this is a Stephen King adaptation. Nothing about the plot is really out there once you see events start to unfold, they draw to a natural but creepy conclusion. It seems there are some differences to the novel but overall this is an enjoyable adaptation.

3/5

Not in the stars

Gemini (2017)

Written & directed by Aaron Katz this film stars Lola Kirke, Zoe Kravitz, John Cho and Greta Lee. The assistant to a Hollywood actress lends her boss her gun then finds her boss shot dead the next day.

While there are visuals you can enjoy I found this film to be ultimately undermined by the weak script. It takes the plot a little too long to get going then wraps up all too quickly. There are some decent performances but not enough to carry the film.

2/5

Remakes starting early

A Dreadful Night (1905)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is essentially a remake of an earlier Melies film. A man tries to sleep but his bed is having none of it.

Using simple trick photography this short film strings together a number of physical gags. Funny but familiar this is very much middle of the road for the period. Probably not worth seeking out even if this is not a bad watch.

3/5

Flash of promise quickly lost

Radioflash (2019)

Written & directed by Ben McPherson this film stars Brighton Sharbino, Dominic Monaghan and Will Patton. Following a massive loss of power to the entire Western half of the USA a teenage girl and her father go to stay with her survivalist grandfather.

Starting off with a decent amount of promise when it comes to looking at the break down of society unfortunately the back half of this film needs a major rewrite. Descending into silly stereotypes about people that live in rural locations the film also portrays death as a “Magical Negro” cliché as well. It also grinds my gears that despite setting up a competent protagonist the film takes every occasion to rob her of agency or drive in the second half of the film.

1/5

A voyage into the bizarre

In Fabric (2018)

Written & directed by Peter Strickland this film stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Leo Bill, Hayley Squires and Gwendoline Christie. A divorced woman buys a new dress for a date but comes to believe her new dress is cursed.

Dripping with homage to the giallo films this horror comedy might not be to the taste of all viewers to to a slightly slow pace and odd ball nature. Chances are if you like this film you will really like it, the mix of genre and just off beat comedy is something pretty unique. You certainly will not see anything else like this for a while.

4/5

Old reworked

Never Grow Old (2019)

Directed by Ivan Kavanagh this film stars Emile Hirsch, Deborah Francois and John Cusack. An undertaker sees an up tick in business when lawless thugs take over the town.

Somewhere between McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) and Shane (1953) this Western does not have much that is original on offer. The plot is decently constructed but heads to an inevitable conclusion that is telegraphed from the start. Overall a decent watch even if there is room for improvements.

3/5

Missing in action

The Pit and the Pendulum (1913)

Directed by Alice Guy-Blache this film based on the story of the same name stars Darwin Karr, Fraunie Fraunholz and Blanche Cornwall. Two men fall out over a woman and one uses his position in the church to frame the other for a crime.

Existing only as a fragment what survives does not really cover the iconic parts of the famous Poe story. It is hard to fairly rate a film of which only a portion survives, I suppose what we have is decent for the era but let down by what is missing. I would not suggest seeking this one out to watch.

2/5

An odd triangle

The Favourite (2018)

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos this film stars Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. Two women vie for the patronage of Queen Anne and there by control of the country.

Not overly concerned with historical accuracy this is still an entertaining black comedy. The main draw here is Coleman's fantastic portrayal of such a complex character. Not my favourite of Lanthimos's films but certainly fitting in with his bizarre collection of works.

4/5