Another disappointing reboot

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

Written & directed by star Kevin Smith this film also features Jason Mewes and Harley Quinn Smith. Eighteen years after trying to stop a movie being made about their comic book alter egos our heroes find themselves facing the same plight again.

I really loved Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) but some how this film lacks a little bit of the charm and energy of that film. It is clear to see what this film is trying to do in sending up reboot culture but it just seems a tiny bit tired in places. While I really wanted to love this film I came out of it just a bit disappointed.

2/5

A disappointing visit

Downton Abbey (2019)

Directed by Michael Engler this film based on the television show of the same name stars Hugh Bon Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Maggie Smith. The family and staff at a country house prepare for a visit of the king and queen.

Having never seen the television series I was able to follow the plot of this film fine I just did not care at all about what was happening. The film rushes through a seasons worth of plot relying on telling rather than showing to progress the various narratives. Some of the dialogue is actually down right terrible.

2/5

Not really that political

Une discussion politique (1901)

Directed by Fredinand Zecca this is an early short film. Two men reading newspapers get into an argument.

A very simple short film that is supposed to be a satire of political discussion of the period. To be honest there is not much to this and you have to really reach to read anything into it. As films of the period go there is not much to this one.

3/5

Life and death in under 90 minutes

Driveways (2019)

Directed by Andrew Ahn this film stars Hong Chau, Lucas Jaye and Brian Dennehy. A boy about to turn eight years old befriends an old man living in the house next door to the one his mother is clearing out following the death of his aunt.

It is amazing how much this film does with so little as well as how it manages to be both depressing and uplifting at the same time. To get so much of the human experience into just 83 minutes is truly remarkable. This is a beautiful film, one I highly recommend.

4/5

A fantastic film

A Fantastic Woman (2017)

Directed by Sebastian Lelio this film stars Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes and Luis Gnecco. Following the accidental death of her boyfriend a transgender woman is treated horribly by both authorities and the man's family.

Despite covering one of the worst periods of a person's life this film is littered with the type of transphobia that transfolk suffer on a daily basis. The subject matter is treated carefully and without being melodramatic. There are a few really cinematic sequences that really elevate the film as well.

4/5

Not a full dance

Dance of the Sylphs (1902)

Directed by Ferdinand Zecca this is an early short film. We see a number of women dance on a stage.

Very simple in content, a single static shot of some basic dancing. There is some nice colour tinting and a decently painted background. Neither the best or the worst of early cinema.

3/5

Beyond hope

Beyond the Law (2019)

Directed by James Cullen Bressack this film stars Johnny Messner, Steven Seagal and DMX. A former policeman tries to hunt down his son's killer.

Pretty much everything in this film is terrible. From the plot to the performances I could find little to enjoy here. About the best part of this film was when it was over.

1/5

Sunk rather than swum

Coyote Lake (2019)

Written & directed by Sara Seligman this film stars Camila Mendes, Adriana Barraza and Neil Sandilands. A young woman and her mother drug and kill guests that rent rooms from them to make money.

I found it hard to connect with this film, it has echoes of The Beguiled from a different point of view but is not close to being that good. There always seems to be something flat about the scenes in this film, even the ones that should be emotionally charged. At the end I am not sure that the film ever arrives to making a point.

2/5

Not alias Smith

Mr Jones (2019)

Directed by Agnieska Holland this film based on real events stars James Norton, Vanessa Kirby and Peter Sarsgaard. In 1933 off the back of interviewing Hitler a welsh journalist heads to the Soviet Union to uncover the truth behind the Soviet economic expansion.

There is a lot to enjoy about this film and the Holodomor is a subject deserving of more attention but I think unfortunately this film is a bit economical with the truth. Ultimately this film left me wanting a bit more of a historical treatment of the subject matter. Decently made if a little bit of a let down.

3/5

Fairy familiar

The Fairy of Spring (1902)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon and Ferdinand Zecca this is an early short film. During winter a couple invite a woman to eat with them and she turns out to be fairy.

Made with some lovely images this film has the artistic flair you expect from the directors. The plot is something I have seen repeated in several short films of the period. A magical little short but not a lot too it.

3/5

Too late

Gemini Man (2019)

Directed by Ang Lee this film stars Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong. A government hitman tries to retire but finds himself being hunted down.

If this film had been made 25 years ago it would have been a massive hit, now it is a real oddity. I suppose the biggest question is what a director like Ang Lee is doing being connected with a film this weak. There is some potential in the set up to this film but it never really capitalises on the high concept and the action sequences are disappointing as well.

2/5

Like if not love

First Love (2019)

Directed by Takashi Miike this film stars Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani and Sahkurako Konishi. A young boxer without a family meets a woman on the run and becomes involved with a drug war.

Essentially this is a farce with black comedy elements. I definitely enjoyed this film but I do not think it is one that will stick with me beyond the superficial level. The plot does not have much depth to it beyond motivating the action and humour.

3/5

Anything but

Conventional (2015)

Written & directed by star Karen Gillan this is a short film. A horror film actress attends a convention to find her stardom waning.

Not exactly ground breaking but this is a fun little short film. Probably not a short I would recommend seeking out but if it got Karen Gillan started on the path to directing then it was worth it. I feel like there was a bit more scope here but you can see genesis of some of the themes explored in The Party's Just Beginning (2018).

3/5

A party of pain

The Party's Just Beginning (2018)

Written & directed by star Karen Gillan this film also features Lee Pace, Matthew Beard, Paul Higgins and Siobhan Redmond. A 24 year old woman living in Inverness is haunted by the suicide of her best friend.

I can not wait to see more films from the mind of Karen Gillan, this is a fascinating look at a young woman in deep pain. Few films tackle subject matter as dark as this and few tackle it this well. About the only criticism is that some of the dialogue seemed a little quiet to me.

4/5

Bad all round

Badland (2019)

Written & directed by Justin Lee this film stars Kevin Makely, Mira Sorvino and Bruce Dern. A man hunts down Confederate war criminals.

This film is fill of over written dialogue and a boring plot. For a film that runs just about 2 hours it was not good that I wanted it to be done nearly as soon as it starts. I really could not find anything to enjoy here.

1/5

Not fully cooked

The Kitchen (2019)

Written & directed by Andrea Berloff this film based on the comic series of the same name stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss. In the late 1970s three wives of Irish mobsters take over crime in Hell's Kitchen after their husbands go to jail.

The problem I can not get past with this film is that it seems like you could take away the impression that protection rackets are a good thing with no negative effect on the people being squeezed for money. Having such a large moral flaw at the centre of this film really undermines the rest of the content. Female empowerment good, using crime to exploit people bad.

2/5

Not so marvellous

Marvellous Reversing (1905)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film staring Ferdinand Zecca. We see a man magically create objects.

Basically this is just a reverse playing of a man destroying objects. The set is nice but there is not really any trick to this trick film. I suppose if you have never seen a film played in reverse before this is interesting otherwise it is pretty forgettable.

2/5

A stolen story

Sweetness in the Belly (2019)

Directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari this film based on the novel of the same name stars Dakota Fanning, Wunmi Mosaku, Kunal Nayyar and Yahya Abdyl-Mateen II. In the 1980s refugees from Ethiopia make it to England.

There is a fascinating story to be told here unfortunately hanging it all round a white woman really leaves a sour taste in the mouth. I have no idea why we have to force in a white woman as an immigrant to tell their story. Overall I was pretty disappointed in this one.

2/5

No surprises

The Dark Red (2018)

Directed by Dan Bush this film stars April Billingsley, Kelsey Scott and Conal Byrne. A woman in a psychiatric hospital believes she can read minds and someone stole her baby.

There is nothing revolutionary about this thriller that does the usual questionable thing of mixing mental illness and special powers. Clearly this is a lower budget film without any famous cast so it is hard to expect too much of it. Maybe if you are a genre fan this is worth a look but there are a lot of better films on the same subject out there.

3/5

Lost to time

Magie Moderne (1908)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see various magic tricks done by a woman.

Unfortunately what survives of this short appears to be highly damaged. There are only a few moments here and there where you really get a glimpse of the magic on offer. I am sure this was a good film but what remains is not worth seeking out.

2/5

Weaving a great performance

Hearts and Bones (2019)

Directed by Ben Lawrence this film stars Hugo Weaving, Andrew Luri, Hayley McElhinney and Boldue Watson. An Australian war photographer returns home and is befriended by an immigrant from an African village that he photographed.

I really enjoyed the way this film packs so much into just under two hours. The plot never gets melodramatic and manages to take a great look at heavy topics, shining a light on the lens through which we view other people's trauma. As always Hugo Weaving is excellent in the lead role, creating a massively vulnerable character.

4/5

Off tune

Songbirds (2018)

Written & directed by Jamie Adams this film stars Cobie Smulders, Richard Elis and Jessica Hynes. A former britpop star decides to go to university on a whim.

I found the protagonist of this film really annoying and the plot poorly thought out. As I am a fan of Cobie Smulders I wish I could find something positive to say about this film but I am coming up with nothing. If I was being generous I would say seeing so many faces from British comedy pop up in small parts is probably the best thing on offer here.

2/5

The point never comes

The Dead Don't Die (2019)

Directed by Jim Jarmusch this film has a large cast including Billy Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny and Tilda Swinton. A small town in the US finds itself in the grips of a zombie uprising.

Deliciously off beat this film is funny but never seems to go anywhere. I kept waiting for the penny to drop while watching this film but it never did. If you just want to watch something a bit weird without much depth to it then this is a good film to pick.

3/5

Hats and hats

Reception de sa majeste Alphonse XI a Barcelone (1904)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see footage of a military parade in Barcelona.

Unusually for the director this is a historical document rather than one of his fictional pieces. There is not much to this other than watching people march down a street so I suppose it has historical value but no narrative. Not one I would suggest seeking out.

2/5

Mistress of piffle

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)

Directed by Joachim Ronning this sequel stars Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Harris Dickinson and Michelle Pfeiffer. When the prince and princess decide to marry the prince's mother hatches an evil plan to kill all the Fey.

What his film lacks entirely is character arcs, there is plenty of plot but no human connection to the film. There are two hours of action and special effects but rarely any real emotion. As sequels go this is a pretty big disappointment.

2/5

Get the bad bits out

The Black String (2018)

Directed by Brian Hanson this films tars Frankie Muniz, Blake Webb, Chelsea Edmundson and Richard Handley. After having a one night stand a young man is convinced witches are out to get him.

I am conflicted on this film, it is a really great example of a young man starting to experience schizophrenia but muddies the waters by trying to hint a the supernatural side of the story being real. If the film makers had just not included the last scene I think this would have been a really good film about the terror of mental illness. In the end this is close to being really good but just falls short.

3/5

Not so magic

The Magic Table (1908)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. Sitting down to eat a family is pranked by a magic table.

Simple and potentially a copy of an early film there is not a huge amount to this short. You may well get a chuckle out of the simple practical effects but not much more. Probably better examples of this sort of film out there.

3/5

Not Great Posture

Good Posture (2019)

Written & directed by Dolly Wells this film stars Grace Van Patten, Emily Mortimer and Timm Sharp. A young woman with no direction in her life goes to stay with an author friend of her father.

Having seen more than enough films with slacker male protagonists it is a nice change to see one with a female slacker protagonist. There is a lot that resonates in this coming of age tale but I wanted a bit more of an emotional blow out from the transformation scene. Enjoyable and I am slightly surprised to find out there is not a young adult novel behind this film.

3/5

Not weak at all

The Weaker Sex (1948)

Directed by Roy Ward Baker this film based on a play stars Ursula Jeans, Cecil Parker and Joan Hopkins. We follow a middle aged woman from the final year of World War 2 to three years after it has ended.

Focused on “The war at home” this film shows life for the housewives that kept the country running, or at least the middle class ones who could hire part time domestic help. This may not be cutting edge feminism but there are at least hints of topics that would be familiar to many modern progressives. Due to the short run time this is not the deepest film you will find on the subject.

3/5

A fantasy of the past

Driven (2018)

Directed by Nick Hamm this film inspired by real events stars Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace, Judy Geer and Corey Stoll. An FBI informant befriends his neighbour John DeLorean then helps entrap him in a drug deal.

No doubt there is a fascinating story behind the down fall of John DeLorean but I am not sure that this is exactly the whole truth of the matter. What we get here is a fun film with some heart to it that leans a little too much into sentimental cheese at times. A fun watch even if it does raise questions about the truthfulness of what you are seeing.

3/5