To be unable to leave

Cold War (2018)

Directed by Pawel Pawliowski this film stars Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot. In post World War 2 Poland a couple fall in love but struggle to be together due to the political landscape of the country.

Much like The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978) this film uses the love life of its characters to explore the experience of a country, you could run the two films as an excellent double feature. The film looks beautiful and really captures both the era the story is set in but also the cinema of that era feeling very much like a period film. It is impressive how the film does so much with so little, a remarkable achievement.

5/5

The first beer advert?

Blacksmith Scene (1893)

Directed by William K. L. Dickson this short film stars Charles Kayeser and John Ott. Three men work at a blacksmiths then take a beer break.

Very simple this is possibly the earliest staged film. There is not a lot to this short but there is a version that was colourised much later that is fascinating to see. Certainly there is some skill to the hammering on show.

3/5

Not that kind really

The Kindness of Strangers (2019)

Written & directed by Lone Scherfig this film stars Zoe Kazan, Andrea Riseborough, Tahar Rahim and Bill Nighy. A group of strangers in New York help each other as their lives cross paths.

I suppose if you are being generous you would say there is not really anything this film does wrong but it ends up feeling very empty. The characters all move along to inevitable conclusions that are fairly obvious from the start. For having a two hour run time I suppose the film's biggest failing is never really making a point or finding any meaning.

2/5

Farhadi delivers again

The Salesman (2016)

Written & directed by Ashgar Farhadi this film stars Taraneh Alidoosti and Shahab Hosseini. A married couple have to move and the wife is assaulted in their new flat.

As always Farhadi creates a fascinating moral problem for his characters to have to worth through. It is easy to see why this film won so many plaudits and is well worth watching. The performances are decent but there is nothing flashy about the execution of the film that gets in the way of telling a grounded story.

4/5

All at sea

Sea Fever (2019)

Written & directed by Neasa Hardiman this film stars Hermione Corfield, Dougary Scott and Connie Nielsen. The crew of a fishing boat encounter unusual sea life and become infected with a parasite.

Despite the claustrophobic setting of this film the plot never builds much tension. As a genre piece this is fine but not really remarkable. There are a lot better versions of this film out there even if this execution is fairly timely given the current COVID situation.

3/5

Monsters in us all

The Beast (2019)

Directed by Lee Jung-ho this film based on the French film “36 Quai des Orfevres” (2004) stars Lee Sung-Ming and Yoo Jay-Myung. Two detectives compete to solve the disappearance of a teenage girl to secure promotion.

Decent for a crime thriller this is not necessarily ground breaking but does hold your attention. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Ultimately the film does not really build to a larger point unfortunately.

3/5

A real first lady

Jackie (2016)

Directed by Pablo Larrain this film based on real events stars Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig and Billy Crudup. We follow Jackie Kennedy in the days following her husband's assassination.

Some how this film manages to tell both a deeply personal story and be the definitive film on the Kennedy assassination at the same time. There may be few historical inaccuracies but this is still a touching and breath taking film. Natalie Portman rightly gets a lot of plaudits for her performance in the lead role.

4/5

Who are you?

Luce (2019)

Directed by Julius Onah this film based on the play of the same name stars Kelvein Harrison Jr., Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts and Tim Roth. A former child soldier from Eritrea is now 18 living in the US with his upper middle class parents and struggling with his identity.

I really like the way this film looks at the issue of immigration and race, especially with how it pertains to life in the US. The plot treads the line between the audience being unsure of the characters and them being incredibly vulnerable. Well worth a watch, a film that is thought provoking in all kinds of good ways.

4/5

First

Dickson Experimental Sound Film (1894)

Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. We hear a man play the violin!

The earliest sound in film is not overly impressive apart from being a landmark achievement. Clearly this film was ahead of its time as sound did not get used much in film till decades later. As a proof of concept interesting, as entertainment not so much.

3/5

Not so free

Freedom Radio (1941)

Directed by Anthony Asquith this film stars Clive Brook, Diana Wynyard, Raymond Huntley and Derek Farr. An Austrian doctor working for Hitler becomes disillusioned with the Nazis in the build up to World War 2 and decides to take action against them.

This is pretty clearly a propaganda film but fairly impressively points to a number of the Nazi's evils. The plot is simple and just a tad melodramatic at times. Not the best of the films of the era but a decent watch none the less.

3/5

Not all sunshine

Palm Beach (2019)

Directed by Rachel Ward this film stars Bryan Brown, Richard E. Grant, Sam Neill and Greta Scacchi. A group of old friends get together with their families to celebrate a birthday.

Not exactly unpredictable this film plods along to an expected conclusion with a few chuckles along the way. This film definitely takes a light touch to its subject matter which is a little bit of a shame as there could have been some real heavy drama here. The cast is very likeable and that is the main thing that carries the film.

3/5

Bad writing

Bad Therapy (2020)

Directed by William Teitler this film based on the novel “Judy Small” stars Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry and Michaela Watkins. A married couple go to see a therapist to improve the state of their marriage but the therapist is a crazy woman who tries to destroy the marriage.

The biggest problem this film has is that character actions seem to serve plot requirements over what makes sense. Despite claiming to love his wife the husband basically cheats on her twice yet we are supposed to be sympathetic to him. Honestly this film is a bit of a car crash that needs some serious re-writes.

2/5

The first of many

Annabelle Serpentine Dance (1895)

Directed by William K. L, Dickson and William Heise this film stars Annabelle Moore. A woman performs the serpentine dance.

Like many similar shorts from early cinema this is just a simple recording of a woman doing the serpentine dance. Where this film may cut itself apart from the many similar is being the first and having some lovely hand painted colour tinting. The way the woman's dress changes colour is pretty cool.

3/5

Riding on the coat tails of giants

Ad Astra (2019)

Directed by James Gray this film stars Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler and Donald Sutherland. In the near future Earth is under attack from mysterious power surges.

Like many of its peers this film uses the exploration of space to dive deep into the human psyche. Slightly lacking on the specular set pieces of a sci-fi film this will be a bit of a slow watch for some but well worth the investment of your time. If nothing else you should come away from this film with plenty to think about.

4/5

Not exactly a party in the park

Barclone et son parc (1911)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see various shots of Citadel Park in Barcelona.

Other than a few nice tracking shots there is not a huge amount to take not of here. There scenery of the part is nice enough but not overly remarkable. Ultimately a bit bland in contrast to the director's more fantastical work.

3/5

Holy Toledo

L'Antique Tolede (1912)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see various short clips of the city of Toledo.

There is not a huge amount to this film, no plot or over arching theme really. What we do see is some nice shots of buildings, some very old. As travel films go this isn't ground breaking but a decent historical record.

3/5

Not all is lost

The Parts You Lose (2019)

Directed by Christopher Cantwell this film stars Aaron Paul, Danny Murphy, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Scoot McNairy. A ten year old deaf boy finds a wounded man in the snow.

Not a huge amount is original here but this is still a pretty decent coming of age film. There are some touching moments but there is scope for this film to have made more of its set up. Good performances are the real backbone of this film and what it is really worth watching for.

3/5

The wrong ending

The Runaways (2018)

Written & directed by Richard Heap this film stars Molly Windsor, Mark Addy, Lee Boardman and Tarra Fitzgerald. Following the death of their father three children go on the run from their uncle in the hopes of finding their estranged mother.

I really enjoyed the performances of the young cast in this film which is the highlight of the piece by a good margin. The plot of the film has a lot of promise but never capitalises on the premise. I found the ending to be the films biggest disappointment and pretty irresponsible really.

2/5

Bad accounting

Bad Education (2019)

Directed by Cory Finley this film based on real events stars Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney and Geraldine Viswanathan. In 2004 a high school student investigates her own school principle for embezzlement.

While it seems this film is not entirely sticking to the truth it still provides a fascinating look into American culture. I love the way the film tries to create fully rounded characters rather than fully evil villains without any humanity. With some good performances this film is well worth seeking out.

4/5

In fair Girona?

Gerone, la Venise espagnole (1912)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. We see a number of shots of the Spanish city of Girona.

Unfortunately the image quality of this film does not appear to be that good. What we do see is simple shots of a city which I suppose are nice in a historical context but not that impressive. Not a film I would seek out or recommend.

2/5

One chapter was enough

It Chapter Two (2019)

Directed by Andy Muchietti this sequel stars Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader, Isaiah Mustafa and Bill Skarsgard. Twenty Seven years after the events of the first film our heroes return home to stop the killings happening again.

Moving the story from childhood to adulthood loses some of the charm and chemistry of the first film. There are a few moments that shine through but mostly this film was too long and too repetitive. I would have been happy to stick with just he first part I think.

3/5

Not of the century

The Heist of the Century (2020)

Directed by Ariel Winograd this film based on real events stars Guillermo Francella, Diego Peretti, Luis Luque and Pablo Rago. A group of men decide to rob a bank in Argentina.

Clearly inspired by a lot of classic heist films this one falls a little short. I have no idea how close it sticks to real evens but it is not very original or particularly tense. Some of the dialogue sounds like it has been recorded in a very echoey room which is odd.

2/5

False advertising

A Hundred Tricks (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon this is an early short film. A magician does a number of tricks on camera.

Coming in at far less than a hundred tricks this still a pretty entertaining little short. The magic all relies on camera tricks but is still decent. Not exactly a stand out film for the era.

3/5

A real life horror story

Custody (2017)

Written & directed by Xavier Legrand this film stars Lea Drucker, Denis Menochet and Thomas Gioria. Following the divorce of his parents a young boy finds himself used as a pawn by his father who is still obsessed with his mother.

I really enjoyed the grounded nature of this film, the terror here is mundane and builds gradually over the course of the film. The direction really roots you in a real world story rather than offer up a clearly evil from the start antagonist. No doubt this story will be familiar to many people.

4/5

Lacks wings

Buffaloed (2019)

Directed by Tanya Wexler this film stars Zoey Deutch, Judy Greer, Jermaine Fowler and Jai Courtney. A young woman wants to get rich but her schemes are not exactly legal.

Plenty of fun can be had here but the plot of this film is just entirely too predictable. Right from the start everything is clearly signposted in the script. There are some laughs and a few decent ideas here even if the film lacks a little originality.

3/5

Not quite finch-ished

The Goldfinch (2019)

Directed by John Crowley this film based on the novel of the same name stars Ansel Elgort, Oakes Fegley, Jeffery Wright and Nicole Kidman. Following the death of his mother in a terrorist attack a teenage boy clings to the painting he stole from an art gallery.

There really is something in the pieces of this film but I am not sure the plot ever truly connects them all together. By the end the story relies far too much on coincidence for my taste. I really think with a revision or two this could be a great story but as it is it falls somewhat short.

3/5

Dreaming a dream

History of a Crime (1901)

Directed by Ferdinand Zecca this is an early short film. Arrested for a crime a man dreams of his past before his execution.

This is a really sophisticated narrative for the time it was made in. Featuring both a plot and flash backs this was a big surprise for 1901. Well worth a look out for fans of early cinema.

4/5

More like an hour and a half

The Wolf Hour (2019)

Written & directed by Alistair Banks Griffin stars Naomi Watts, Emory Cohen, Jennifer Ehle and Kevin Harrison Jr. During the 1977 heatwave in New York an agoraphobic writer is bothered by her intercom.

This is one of those films that is so constrained by location it could easily have been a play. While there is a lot of talent involved in this film I found the plot a little boring, there is not much tension or development really. I am sure there is an audience for this film but it probably does not include me.

3/5

Too easy

Beyond the River (2017)

Directed by Craig Freimond this film inspired by real events stars Lemogang Tsipa, Grant Swanby and Emily Child. A poor South African living in a township partners with a white South African to race in a canoe marathon.

Unfortunately this film is just too obviously constructed to give much faith it sticks close to any sort of true story. While there are some interesting elements to the film there are just too many familiar sports movie cliches. At least you can watch this one with your kids unlike Deliverance (1972).

2/5

Not that ingenious

Ingenious Soubrette (1903)

Directed by Ferdinand Zecca this is an early short film. Rather than wait for a butler to bring a ladder a maid climbs the walls.

Simple in concept an execution there is not a lot to this film. It is pretty obvious how the “special effect” is done and it is not overly impressive. Not the height of early cinema really.

3/5

Stumbling along

Standing up, Falling Down (2019)

Directed by Matt Ratner this film stars Ben Schwartz, Billy Crystal and Grace Gummer. After failing to make it as a stand up a man in his thirties returns home and befriends an alcoholic dermatologist.

A lot of things about this film feel very familiar but it has a decent hard despite lack of originality. The plot stumbles through a number of expected beats to a predictable conclusion. A few decent performances from a good cast help carry the film.

3/5