The Jesus Rolls (2019)
Written & directed by star John Turturro this film also features Bobby Cannavale and Audrey Tautou. Two former cons and a hairdresser go on a sex and crime spree.
This film is a very odd mix of spin-off from The Big Lebowski (1998) and remake of a French film Going Places (1974). To be honest this bastard child of a film never seems to coalesce into anything coherent. For all the on screen talent this is a real headscratcher.
2/5
Sweetheart (2019)
Directed by J. D. Dillard this film stars Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence. A young woman washes up on a desert island where she finds there is a monster living.
As a low budget horror/survival film this is pretty decent on the surface level. My criticism of the film would be that if never builds to be more the sum of its parts, there is no depth here. Decently made for a low budget effort if nothing else.
3/5
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Directed by star Ed Norton this film based on the novel of the same name also features Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe. A private investigator with Tourette's syndrome looks into the murder of his mentor.
It seems this film differs wildly from its source material both in period and plot. As a noir film this is a fairly enjoyable effort but never really connects on a human level. For all the on screen talent this film ends up being unremarkable.
3/5
Glenroy Brothers (Comic Boxing) (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this short film stars the Glenroy brothers. Two men try and box with supposedly comedic effect.
Silent film generally does slapstick rather well but this effort is rudimentary at best. Not even a minute long there is not much time for jokes here. I hope the brother's full act was better than this because this snippet leaves a lot to be desired.
2/5
Judy (2019)
Directed by Rupert Goold this biopic stars Renee Zellweger, Jessie Buckland and Finn Wittrock. In the final year of her life Judy Garland performs in London.
There is little new information about the life of Judy Garland in this film. Somehow the script seems unable to avoid a wanky Hollywood ending despite the protagonists deep suffering. Renee Zellweger does her best to carry the film but there is not really enough going on here.
3/5
The Lift Boy (2019)
Written & directed by Jonathan Augustin this film stars Moin Khan, Nyla Masood, Saagar Kale and Aneesha Shah. A lazy student has to fill in for his father operating a lift after his father has a heart attack.
I can see what this film is going for as a coming of age film but I can not agree with the message which seems to be “give up on your dreams and live your life for what everyone else wants from you”. There may well be a culture difference that stopped me fully enjoying the film. I found the writing a bit simplistic, taking away what potential the film had.
2/5
Fire Rescue Scene (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. We see firemen rescue someone from a burning building.
Despite running for less than a minute this film has a fair amount of action in it. For the period this must have been a very thrilling scene. To modern eyes not the greatest but a clear evolution in the film making of the Edison company.
3/5
The Public (2018)
Written & directed by star Emilio Estevez this film also features Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Jena Malone and Michael K. Williams. During a cold winter homeless people in Cincinnati with nowhere to go occupy the public library.
Rarely do you see any talk about the link between public libraries and homelessness so this is a refreshing subject to see on the big screen. Where the plot falls down is in the lack of real solutions offered at the end but it is still a decent watch. If nothing else hopefully this film will serve to soften the views of some on the homeless.
3/5
Assignment in Brittany (1943)
Directed by Jack Conway this film based on the novel of the same name stars Jean-Pierre Aurmont, Susan Peters and Signe Hasso. An office in the Free French army assumes the identity of another man to find a hidden submarine base.
As wartime spy films go this is a pretty decent one even if it is not exactly nuanced. The big action sequence at the end of the film was a nice little surprise that is well done. By modern standards the script is no great shakes but this is still a fun watch.
3/5
Playing with Fire (2019)
Directed by Andy Fickman this film stars John Cena, John Leguizamo, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianna Hildebrand and Judy Greer. A group of smokejumpers spend the weekend babysitting runaways.
I am not sure what age is the target audience for this film but even five year olds would likely find this film a bit stupid. There is not enough comedy to carry this lightweight effort and John Cena is not really suited to comedy as a lead actor. Keegan-Micahel Key does his best but is unable to save this film.
1/5
Buffalo Dance (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. We see members of the Sioux tribe perform a “Buffalo Dance”.
Early cinema does a better job of showing native Americans on camera than most films of the next century did. This small snippet of film catches a moment of lost history. An interesting historical record if nothing else.
3/5
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Directed by Tim Miller this film stars Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Linda Hamilton, Gabriel Lina and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Picking up where Terminator 2 left off this film sees a different AI sending back terminators to end potential threats.
On the surface this is okay for a big budget action films despite a few plot holes and not making the most of the character drama available. Ignoring some of the worst sequels of the franchise this film is better than some of its predecessors but has so many unfortunate consequences from ill thought out moments. This is one of this films I really think could be fixed with a few more re-writes.
2/5
Catamaran (2019)
Written & directed by Swarnavel Eswaran this film stars Preeti Karan, Anusha Prabhu and Mysskin. In a fishing village still recovering from the devastation of the an uncle tries to find a husband for his niece.
There are moments this film verges on being really great but unfortunately it falls a little short. A little melodramatic in places and not clear in others it is sadly hard to recommend this film despite some of the moving moments it has. A bold effort despite its flaws.
3/5
The Cock Fight (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. We see two cockerels go at each other in a fight.
I am not really a fan of watching people fight and even less so when it comes to animals so this is not really my favourite subject matter. Thankfully things do not get gory but still not something I would be dying to rewatch. Even for fight fans there is not a lot to this film.
2/5
Corporate Animals (2019)
Directed by Patrick Brice this film stars Jessica Williams, Karan Soni and Demi Moore. Workers for an overbearing employer go on a team building exercise and get trapped in an underground cave.
Despite having a fairly decent premise this film is a damp squid, there is a serious lack of actual jokes in the script. With a punched up script this could have been a decent film but I only really laughed a couple of times. More Ed Helms might have helped carry this lacklustre effort.
2/5
Gully Boy (2019)
Directed by Zoya Akhtar this film stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Siddhant Chaturvedi. A young Muslim from a slum area of India dreams of being a rapper.
When you are translating rap from one language to another unfortunately something is always going to get lost along the way so some of the magic of this film may be missing to those of us that do not speak Hindi. This is a fairly enjoyable film that apart from the rap element covers a lot of familiar elements from Indian cinema. Not something that I would rewatch or will stick with me unfortunately.
3/5
Don't Let Go (2019)
Written & directed by Jacob Aaron Estes this film stars David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Byron Mann and Mykelit Williamson. Following the murder of his brother and his family a police detective starts getting phones from his daughter living in the past.
Taking something of an interesting set up this film does not really do much beyond the surface level with it. There are parts of the film where the timeline could be kept a little clearer but otherwise this is a decently constructed film. Ultimately a bit too familiar to really recommend.
3/5
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Directed by James Mangold this film based on real events stars Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal and Caitriona Balfe. In the 1960s Ford decide to go head to head with Ferrari in the car racing business.
As with many Hollywood films this film does not let facts get in the way of a formulaic story. Unfortunately you can see the finger prints of screen writing formula on this script far too often to enjoy it as a historical piece. Entertaining but ultimately losing impact due to the Hollywood polish.
3/5
Remember Me (2019)
Directed by Martin Rosete this film stars Bruce Dern, Caroline Silhol and Brian Cox. An old man pretends to have Alzheimer's to stay in the same old people's home as an old flame.
Essentially this is the more creepy version of The Notebook (2004), where an old man tries to get a married woman with Alzheimers to remember their affair. Unfortunately the whole plot seems a bit uncomfortable. I would give this one a miss and if you really have to watch something like this crack open The Notebook.
2/5
The Barbershop (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. We see a barber and two customers.
Capturing a simple scene of daily life this is a quaint little short. No doubt the scene is not authentic but still well framed. A fun little glimpse into history.
3/5
Behold My Heart (2018)
Directed by Joshua Leonard this film stars Marisa Tomei, Charlie Plummer and Timothy Olyphant. After a teenagers father is murdered his mother turns to alcohol for comfort.
As grief/coming of age films go this film is no great shakes. Really for the story to work we need to spend longer with the characters, we never get enough time with them going through the process for them to really earn their ending. Taken as it stands this film is not really worth seeking out.
3/5
Jallikattu (2019)
Directed by Lijo Jose Pellisee this film stars Anthony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose and Sabumond Abdusamand. As an escaped buffalo runs amok an entire village descends into madness.
I am not sure what I was expecting from this film but it works really well as a reminder that our societies are never far from a return to anarchy. It is hard to pin down what genre this film exists in at times, there are moments that are comedic, tragic and horrific all mixed in together. Certainly this is not the usual fare.
4/5
Black and Blue (2019)
directed by Deon Taylor this film stars Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson and Frank Grillo. A rookie cop witnesses police executing criminals and goes on the run.
Now more than ever there are many important things to be said about race and policing but this film uses them as a back drop rather than diving deep into those topics. As a thriller this is a decent enough theme but the subject matter has the potential for so much more. Naomie Harries really carries the film.
3/5
Men Boxing (1891)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. Two men face off in the boxing ring.
What we see here is two man not actually boxing at all just in a pose as if they were about to fight. In some ways you could say this is the first big disappointment in cinema. No doubt a useful experiment for the film makers but not up to much for the rest of us.
2/5
The Good Liar (2019)
Directed by Bill Condon this film based on the novel of the same name stars Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren and Russell Tovey. An ageing con artist selects another wealthy widow as his next target.
Despite all the acting talent which gamely tries to carry this film the script is a bit of a let down. The twist such as it is is obvious and undercut by a motive that is not previously foreshadowed at all. As much as I enjoy the early parts of the film the lack of pay off is a real disappointment and I'm unsure how I feel about the mean spirited ending.
3/5
The Battle of Jangsari (2019)
Directed by Kwak Kyung-taek & Kim Tae-hoon this film stars Kim Myung-min, Megan Fox and Choi Min-ho. A group of under prepared Korean student soldiers are send as a diversionary attack with no back up or plans for rescue.
Nothing is subtle about this film as it goes for melodrama and hammering home its point through direct dialogue. At every turn the plot of this film feels heavily contrived which does not help matters. About the only real point of interest here is the curiosity of seeing Megan Fox in a Korean film but that is no where near enough to carry this film.
2/5
Dickson Greeting (1891)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. A man waves to the audience.
This is a blink and you'll miss it film being barely three seconds long but a huge improvement in image quality over the Monkeyshine films. The image is clear and crisp. While there might not be a lot to this short it is still a major milestone in American cinema.
3/5
The Dustwalker (2019)
Written & directed by Sandra Sciberras this film stars Kolene Anderson, Stef Dawson and Talina Naviede. A small town in the Australian outback has to deal with an alien parasite taking over the local population.
Following well worn subject matter this film does not have much to offer in terms of originality or depth. There is not even that much that is unique thanks to the setting either. All in all this is a fairly bland horror film with nothing memorable about it.
2/5
Blue Story (2019)
Written & directed by Rapman this film stars Stephen Odubola, Michael Ward, Khali Best and Karla-Simone Spence. Two friends from different areas in London find themselves caught up on opposing sides of gang warfare.
I really appreciate where this film is coming from but I think the script needs some work to be really good. The musical interludes seemed redundant and I think there should have been less guns in favour of more knives to keep things realistic. Whatever the qualities of this film it did not deserve to get caught in controversy and banned from cinemas as it is clearly anti gang violence rather than promoting it.
2/5
