Seized (2020)
Directed by Isaac Florentine this film stars Scott Adkins and Mario Van Peebles. A former special agent has his son kidnapped by a Mexican cartel and is forced to do their bidding.
Essentially this is a mindless action film without much to it. Both the plot and the characters are on the thin side. We only get one female character and she barely utters a word through out the whole thing.
2/5
The Racer (2020)
Directed by Kieron J. Walsh this film stars Louis Talpe, Iain Glen, Tara Lee and Matteo Simoni. During the 1998 Tour de France an ageing rider worries about his future and suffers health problems from doping.
I enjoyed about three quarters of this film, which while not revolutionary is pretty decent. Unfortunately I have major problems with the ending of the film which go against any character growth at all for the protagonist. With a few tweaks this could have been a really good film.
2/5
The Furnace (2020)
Written & directed by Roderick MacKay this film stars Ahmed Malek, Jay Ryan and David Wenham. During the Australian gold rush a Muslim cameleer discovers a man injured during a gold robbery.
This film mixes classic coming of age and western themes in a story about the abuses of Australia's past. The plot covers the corrupting nature of gold and the original sin of Australia's birth. I really enjoyed this film, especially the way it includes forgotten people from history.
4/5
American Falls from Above, American Side (1896)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see the American Falls in a single short shot.
Neither the most exciting title nor the most interesting travel film. I suppose there is little “wrong” with this film but there is not a lot to draw you in. Not one of the early films I would recommend.
2/5
Six Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Directed by Andy Goddard this film stars Eddie Izzard, Judi Dench, Carla Juri and James D'Arcy. On the eve of WW2 a British spy goes to work as a teacher at a German school for girls in England.
There are a lot of familiar genre elements packaged together here without much depth to them. What potential the set up has is squandered on a rather bland plot and shallow characters. I am a big fan of Eddie Izzard's acting career but I am not sure this was the right role for him.
2/5
Save Yourselves! (2020)
Directed by Alex Huston Fischer & Eleanor Wilson this film stars Sunita Mani and John Paul Reynolds. A couple disconnect from the world to spend a week at a cabin in the woods, also aliens invade unbeknownst to them.
I really like the premise of the film and the gentle, off beat nature of the comedy here. While the film is humorous the plot never really goes anywhere too deep. A fun little diversion if nothing else.
3/5
The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (2019)
Directed by Swati Bhise this film stars Devika Bhise, Rupert Everett, Ben Lamb and Nathaniel Parker. The Rani of Jhansi rebels against the British East India Company.
Despite having a fascinating historical story at its heart this film is a disappointing anachronism with far too many sympathetic British characters. I would much rather have had this film be just from the perspective of the protagonist rather than include the awkward British appeasing sections. The subject matter deserved much better than this heavy handed treatment.
2/5
Endless (2020)
Directed by Scott Speer this film stars Alexandra Shipp and Nicholas Hamilton. A rich teenage girl is in a car accident that kills her poor boyfriend, she then reconnects with his ghost.
Without the wanky spiritual element this film had the potential for some real human drama alas this is ditched in favour of self indulgent romance. Essentially this is a Ghost (1990) knock off for teenagers. Sadly this is nothing to recommend this film on.
2/5
Dreambuilders (2020)
Directed by Tonni Zinck & Kim Hagen Jensen this animated film has voices from Emilie Koppel, Caroline Vedel Larsen and Rasmus Botoft. A young girl finds how to control dreams and uses the knowledge to try to change her new step sister.
Obviously this is not Pixar levels but who is else is on that level anyway? There is a decent concept which is fairly well executed. I enjoyed the animation and the story which has some nice elements to it and a good message at the end.
3/5
The Tax Collector (2020)
Written & directed by David Ayer this film stars Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, George Lopez and Shia LaBeouf. A rival crime lord threatens the set up of two men who collect protection money in LA.
Underneath the pseudo religious rubbish that is pasted on top of this film is a predictable crime piece. The plot has very little to say and is pretty disappointing. Shia LaBeouf is the main draw here but he actually has very little to do in the film in the end.
2/5
Return of Lifeboat (1897)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A life boat comes into shore near San Francisco.
Coming in at less than a minute long there is not a huge amount to this film. The boat approaches but never reaches the shore line. To start with it is a little hard to make out what is going on however the image quality does improve a little.
3/5
The Way Back (2020)
Directed by Gavin O'Connor this film stars Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Michaela Watkins and Janina Gavankar. An alcoholic who has lost everything becomes the basket ball coach for a high school team.
There is not a huge amount that is original about this high school sports film but it still tells its story really well. I liked the focus on the coach over the team and his battle with depression/alcoholism. At times I wish the film had gone into a little more depth however it still manages to be moving and not overly sentimental thanks to Affleck's performance.
4/5
Finding Steve McQueen (2019)
Directed by Mark Steven Johnson this film stars Travis Fimmel, Rachael Taylor and Forest Whitaker. A group of thieves rob a bank in California after hearing President Nixon has dirty money stored there.
Tipping its hat to the style of films of the period this is not the most engaging heist film you will ever see. The plot jumps around the time line a lot just for the sake of it and in the end is not overly interesting. My largest misgiving is that Travis Fimmel does not really make a very compelling leading man, he fails to carry the film.
2/5
Lone Fisherman (1896)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A man sits down to go fishing and when startled falls into the water.
A very simple gag film this is fun even if not the height of comedy. The image quality is not bad for the era even if not remarkable. Over all a fun little watch.
3/5
Concrete Plans (2020)
Directed by Will Jewell this film stars Goran Bogdan, Amber Rose Revah, Steve Speirs and Kevin Guthrie. Builders working on a farm house in remote Wales find their employer has no plans to pay them.
This is a decent little thriller, even if not that surprising the plot still unfolds well. Everything goes pretty much as expected apart from a small twist at the end that is fairly well sign posted. Certainly not a bad watch.
3/5
Poms (2019)
Directed by Zara Hayes this film stars Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier and Rhea Perlman. A woman with terminal cancer moves to a retirement community and starts a cheerleading club.
Essentially this is an old age version of Bring It On (2000) but much worse. The characters are not even one dimensional and the plot thinner than the paper it was printed on. It is a real shame that the excellent cast has pretty much nothing to do here.
2/5
Welcome to Sudden Death (2020)
Directed by Dallas Jackson this film stars Michael Jai White, Stephanie Sy, Anthony Grant and Michael Eklund. Criminals hold a basketball area and the people in it hostage.
A cheap Die Hard rip off that makes the mistake of having the characters name check the film they are ripping off. Some of the dialogue is pretty bad as is the plot. Even the performances are not good in this hammy effort.
1/5
Shooting the Chutes (1896)
Directed by William Heise and James H. White this is an early short film. We see one of the rides at Coney Island.
There is not a huge amount to this film, it is shorter than a minute long and is in blink and you will miss it territory. Probably not the best of early cinema but there is at least something going on there. Nice to see life has not changed that much, people always liked to go fast.
2/5
SAS: Red Notice (2021)
Directed by Magnus Martens this film based on the novel of the same name stars Sam Heughan, Hannah John-Kamen, Ruby Rose, Andy Serkis and Noel Clarke. Mercenaries wanted for crimes against humanity hold a train hostage in the channel tunnel.
I am not sure how faithful of an adaptation this is but if the novel it is based on has any subtlety at all it is lost in the script for this film. Our protagonist is a jaw line with no personality or charisma stumbling through a weak Die Hard rip off. Even the action sequences leave a lot to be desired, often hard to follow.
1/5
Target Number One (2020)
Directed by Daniel Roby this film inspired by real events stars Antoine Olivier Pilon, Josh Hartnett and Jim Gaffigan. A low level drug addict is entrapped by the Canadian police into doing a drug deal in Thailand.
A decent addition to the genre of journalistic exposure films even if not the deepest film on the subject. To be honest I would rather the film had just focused on the victim and his journey, showing more of his time in prison would have been really interesting. A good film none the less, even a good performance from Josh Hartnett which is not the usual.
3/5
Gutterbug (2019)
Directed by Andrew Gibson this film stars Andrew Yackel, Justin Pietropaolo, Hannah Mosqueda, Paul Kandarian and Mary Hronicek. Finding out it is his 21st birthday a homeless drug addict decides to return home to visit his parents.
Focusing on a part of the population we rarely see this is an interesting exploration of homelessness. The plot is a little contrived in places but over all is a good watch. There are good performances and the events never milked for sentimentality.
3/5
The Glorias (2020)
Directed by Julia Taymor this film based on real events stars Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander and Lulu Wilson. We see American feminist Gloria Steinem at various points in her life.
Essentially this film is the history of American feminism 101, broadly charting the feminist movement rather than being a more personal story. At times I think the film lacks from looking deeper at its subject in favour of a more general highlights reel approach. As biopics go this is decent but not very layered.
3/5
The Burning Stable (1896)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see fireman save horses from a burning stable.
There is not much to this one minute long film but it certainly provides some action. I would be interested to know if this is completely staged or not. Whatever the case certainly more exciting than some of the other short films of the Edison catalogue.
3/5
Human Capital (2019)
Directed by Marc Meyers this film based on the novel of the same name stars Liev Schreiber, Marisa Tomei, Maya Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard and Alex Wolff. We see the fall out of the same event from three different, connected points of view.
The non linear nature of the story here obfuscates what is going on but in such a way that by the time you have seen the film once you do not really have a desire to watch it again like with some puzzle films. In my opinion the plot never really goes anywhere insightful despite all the build up. Worth watching for the cast alone.
3/5
The Witches (2020)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis this film based on the novel of the same name stars Jahzir Kadeen Bruno, Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci. A boy and his grandmother are menaced by witches that hate children.
I suppose this is a decent adaptation as things go, it is not as out there as some Roald Dahl but has plenty of the familiar themes. The film is decent enough and the change of the story to being set in Alabama opens up some interesting possibilities for racial commentary that are not completely capitalised on. All in all a decent film that never quite hits the heights it could.
3/5
Sister of the Groom (2020)
Written & directed by Amy Miller Gross this film stars Alicia Silverstone, Tom Everett Scott, Jake Hoffman and Mathilde Ollivier. On the weekend of her fortieth birthday a woman and her husband attend her younger brother's wedding.
I really enjoyed the human insecurities of the protagonist, it is really rare you see such a protagonist in cinema. What I did not enjoy about the film is the way the protagonist acts out so much but never really has to suffer any consequences for her fairly nasty actions. With a bit more nuance this could have been a really great film.
2/5
Three Christs (2017)
Directed by Jon Avnet this film inspired by real events stars Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins, Bradley Whitford and Charlotte Hope. A psychiatrist puts together three patients that all believe they are Jesus Christ to see what happens.
Clearly this is a fictional tale that strays pretty far from its source material, which is a little bit disappointing. There is a great cast, some of whom are left without much to do. Over all a weak effort which could have been much more.
3/5
A Morning Alarm (1896)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. Several fire engines head off to deal with a call.
This is literally just a static shot of several crews going past on the road. There is not a huge amount to this short, about the most dramatic part is occasionally people step out into the road slightly to see if anything else is coming. Not the most exciting of early films.
3/5
The Rising Hawk (2019)
Directed by Akhtem Seitablayev & John Wynn this film also known as “A Kingdom Falls” stars Robert Patrick, Tommy Flanagan, Alison Doody, Poppy Drayton and Rocky Myers. During the 13th century peasants living in the Carpathian Mountains face off against Mongol invaders.
Essentially the plot of this film is a load of junk and I suspect there are plenty of historical inaccuracies in it. As mindless action films go it is not too bad although the lower budget does show occasionally. Fun if you can turn your brain off, otherwise all too predictable.
2/5
The Silencing (2020)
Directed by Robin Pront this film stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Annabelle Wallis. A man whose teenage daughter went missing over five years ago faces off against a serial killer in the woods.
For most of this film this is a decent but not overly original serial killer film. Where the film lets itself down is in the final third, the twists and revelations are on the weaker side. I would much rather have seen the female protagonist have to live with some harder consequences of her actions.
2/5
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021)
Directed by Lee Daniels this film inspired by real events stars Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes and Tyler James Williams. We follow the career of jazz singer Billie Holiday as she is targeted by the FBI.
Unfortunately despite having an excellent subject matter this is a pretty poor film. The script involves far too much telling and not enough showing, there is more than enough material for a really amazing script but sadly we do not get that here. There are also what appears to be some historical inaccuracies that do not help matters.
2/5
