Never rings true

 

The Call (2020)

Directed by Timothy Woodward Jr. this film stars Chester Rushing, Erin Sanders and Lin Shaye. After killing herself an old woman seeks revenge from beyond the grave on teenagers who harassed her.

The major issue with this film is that the protagonists have no redeeming features so we care very little about what happens to them. A major overhaul is needed with the script to get this premise to work, at times it makes little sense. As usual the film pretty obviously casts thirty year olds as teenagers which does not help matters either.

2/5

Like Friday night at kicking out time

 

Cripple Creek Bar-Room Scene (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. Men in a saloon get drunk and rowdy, a tale as old as alcohol.

There is not a huge amount to the plot of this film and the image quality on the version I saw was not great either. If you have ever seen drunken idiots get thrown out of somewhere then you know what to expect here. Not the most interesting example of early cinema.

2/5

Unexpectedly expecting.

 

Baby Done (2020)

Directed by Curtis Vowell this film stars Rose Matafeo and Matthew Lewis. A couple in New Zealand find out they are unexpectedly expecting.

Covering well trodden ground this is a funny comedy even if a little predictable. There is enough charm to carry the script. The performances and jokes are what is worth watching for.

3/5

Not that wild

 

Wildcat (2021)

Directed by Jonathan W. Stokes this film stars Georgina Campbell, Luke Beward and Mido Hamada. A report and a soldier are taken captive by terrorist in Iraq.

Not the deepest film out there but this is a fairly decent game of cat and mouse between the protagonist and her captor. The plot does not really have much of interest to say about the subject matter. The claustrophobic nature of the film hides what I assume is a small budget pretty well.

3/5

Not given the care required

 

The Ride (2018)

Directed by Alex Ranarivelo this film inspired by real events stars Shane Graham, Ludacris and Sasha Alexander. A boy that was part of a neo nazi gang is adopted by a mixed race couple.

No doubt the story of the protagonist is fascinating but this is a really weak effort when translating it to the screen. Too much change is condensed down into far too short of a timeline for any of it to be believable or properly explored on screen. I also find the casting seriously suspect, Shane Graham is way too old to play the protagonist here.

2/5

Doesn't spark

 

Palace of Electricity (1900)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see a panoramic shot taken at the 1900 Paris Exposition.

Not the greatest in terms of image quality this is an okay watch but not much more. The scene taken in is fairly interesting and comes to life over the course of the shot. No doubt an interesting historical record.

2/5

Needs some work

 

Unhinged (2020)

Directed by Derrick Borte this film stars Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius and Gabriel Bateman. A woman gets in a road rage incident with a man who is murderously insane.

I suppose the concept of this film is not too bad but the execution is weak in places, characters do things that make no sense to further the plot. It is kind of hard to watch this and not wish you were watching Falling Down (1993) instead. Towards the end the film drags a little as you wait for it to get to the inevitable conclusion.

2/5

Growing up

 

To the Stars (2019)

Directed by Martha Stephens this film stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato and Adelaide Clemens. In rural 60s America an outcast at high school is befriended by the new girl.

Chock full of classic coming of age goodness this is a great example of a high quality genre film. The script is riddled with teenage anxiety in all the best kind of ways. A really good watch, well worth seeking out even if it might seem a little unoriginal on the surface.

4/5

Is there even dancing?

 

Cupid and Psyche (1897)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see two people dance in front of a large audience.

This film falls into the early “home video” category of cinema. It is a bit hard to tell what is going on and you can not make out a lot about the figures dancing. Not one of the better early films.

2/5

Teller of tales

 

The Traitor (2019)

Directed by Marco Bellocchio this film based on real events stars Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Candido and Fausto Russo Alesi. We follow Tommaso Buscetta as he turns states evidence against the Cosa Nostra.

If like me you are not familiar with the real life events behind this film it can be a little hard to keep track of all the characters involved. The script does a good job of covering the surface level of events but I am not sure it ever digs too deeply into the people involved. In the end a bit lacking in heart in my opinion.

3/5

Minor success

 

Minor Premise (2020)

Directed by Eric Schultz this film stars Sathya Sridharan, Paton Ashbrook and Dana Ashbrook. Trying to surpass his father's accomplishments a scientist fractures his own psyche.

At times I found this film a little slow and not fully living up to its premise. This is not a bad science fiction film but clearly a cheap one. Definitely not one for the mass market audience.

3/5

Things we don't like to talk about

 

Come as You Are (2019)

Directed by Richard Wong this remake of Hasta la Vista (2011) stars Grant Rosenmeyer, Hayden Szeto, Ravi Patel an Gabourey Sidibe. Three disabled men travel to Canada to lose their virginities at a brothel that specialises in disabled clients.

I have not seen the original this film is based on but this film does a great job of dealing with the subject matter with both sensitivity and humour. The script takes a mature approach that never judges the characters for their desires or actions. After seeing this I am really interested to catch the original at some point.

4/5

1983 by way of 1883

 

A Violent Separation (2019)

Directed by Kevin & Michael Goetz this film stars Brenton Thwaites, Alycia Debnam-Carey and Ben Robson. Sometimes your older brother accidentally kills his girlfriend and you have to help him cover it up.

Fairly pedestrian for a neo-western about guilt and murder. There is not much original here but as genre pieces go it is not terrible. In more skilled hands this could have been a better film, as is it is a bit forgettable.

3/5

The first Sky original that isn't terrible?

 

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Written & directed by Emerald Fennell this film stars Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Bried and Laverne Cox. A young woman seeks revenge on those involved in the rape and suicide of her best friend.

I really enjoyed a lot of this dark comedy, it tackles the feminist themes in a really blunt way that challenge the viewer. There are just a couple of moments that are too predictable or where I wish we had had a bit more time to explore some of the characters, give a little more depth to their actions. It is really nit picking but there are also a couple of moments where the film looks a little cheaply made which is a real shame as this film deserves to have had all the budget thrown at it.

4/5

Should have been more

 

Looks That Kill (2020)

Written & directed by Kellen Moore this film stars Brandon Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles and Ki Hong Lee. Teenage boy meets girl, his face kills people and she has a terminal disease.

In the premise of this film there are a lot of really interesting elements with the potential for a lot of drama however I do not think the film ever really reaches its full potential. While I enjoyed the dark comedy elements of the film I could not help be disappointed by some of the missed opportunities. If you take it on its own merits this is a fun little film.

3/5

Out for a spin

 

Arabian Gun Twirler (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is a short film featuring Hadji Cheriff. We see a man perform a number of tricks with a rifle.

Sadly the image quality of this short is not the greatest. The performer's act clearly involves plenty of skill but is not that easy to see due to the quality of the image. Similar to a number of other shorts of the period.

2/5

To live is to suffer

 

When Jeff Tried to Save the World (2018)

Directed by Kendall Goldberg this film stars Jon Heder, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle. A man with depression tries to save the bowling alley he manages while being visited by his sister and her best friend.

I really enjoyed this film, it is rare you see a protagonist like this who is dealing with depression. There were a couple of moments that did not ring true for me but over all this is a good look at a mundane life. While the plot is a little predictable it is still a fun watch.

3/5

Not Nicholas Cage bad

 

Death of Me (2020)

Directed by Darren Lynn Bousmann this film stars Maggie Q, Luke Hemsworth and Alex Essoe. A couple staying on a Thai island wake up with no memory of the night before.

Honestly I found this to be a better remake of The Wicker Man than the Nicholas Cage version, not that that is saying much. What made me uncomfortable was not the horror elements but the concern that the film was a bit racist when you get down to it. In the end not a film I would recommend.

2/5

Enemy of the premise

Archenemy (2020)

Directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer this film stars Skylan Brooks, Zolee Griggs and Joe Manganiello. A teenage boy meets a homeless man who believes he is a super hero from another dimension.

There are some really interesting ideas in the concept of the film but the last third really squanders any potential the film has. With some reworking I think this could have been a great film, as is it removes any dramatic weight. The animated sequences are a nice addition to an otherwise cheap looking film.

2/5

The rare view out

 

Scene from the Elevator Ascending Eiffel Tower (1900)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. Rather than looking at the Eiffel Tower for a change we look out from it.

At times the camera's view is obstructed by the metal work of the tower but for the most part this film provides a rare look out over Paris of the period. Maybe not the most clear of films however it is still worth a watch. No doubt an interesting historical record.

3/5

Standards have fallen

 

Angel Has Fallen (2019)

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh this third film in the series stars Gerard Butler, Danny Huston, Morgan Freeman and Jada Pinkett Smith. Our hero is framed for an assassination attempt on the president.

Covering a lot of familiar story elements there is really nothing original here, in fact I saw the estranged dad in a cabin part in another film only a month or two ago. The action sequences are not that impressive and on one or two occasions go on a little too long. I suppose the benefit this film has over the original in the series is that it is not as riddled with nationalism.

2/5

Yellow

 

The Sunlit Night (2019)

Directed by David Wnendt this film based on the novel of the same name stars Jenny Slate, Fridtjov Saheim and Alex Sharp. An American artist goes to Norway to work as an assistant to a Norwegian artist in the hopes of jump starting both her career and life.

I found this film entertaining mainly thanks to the performance of Jenny Slate. At times the script suffers a little in the way many novel to screen adaptations do but is generally decent. A fun little diversion if not much more than that.

3/5

Not that messy

 

Mess Call (1896)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A group of soldiers get lunch from the mess hall.

There is really not a huge amount to this short, a bunch of soldiers mostly milling about with food. One of the figures makes the most of being on camera while others ignore it. I doubt this film has a lot of historical value but the image quality is pretty decent on it.

3/5

Russia stands alone against alien invasion

 

The Blackout (2019)

Directed by Egor Baranov this film stars Elena Lyadova, Svetlana Ivanova, Pyotr Fyodorov and Konstantin Lavronenko. Apart from a small circle round Moscow the entire population of the world disappears.

As alien invasion films go this one is not too bad even if it lacks some depth. My main bone of contention with the film is we never get to understand the motivation of the alien that helps the humans. You will find worse sci-fi action films to watch for sure.

3/5

Zero reason to watch

 

Zeroville (2019)

Directed by star James Franco this film based on the novel of the same name also features Megan Fox and Seth Rogan. A young man heads to Hollywood becoming a set builder then an editor.

Unfortunately this film falls under the category of self indulgent Hollywood masturbation. Whatever is going on here is lost to madness and seems to stray from its source material. Not one I would recommend even for big fans of Hollywood.

2/5

A different point of view on life

 

Eternal Beauty (2019)

Written & directed by Craig Roberts this film stars Sally Hawkins, David Thewlis, Billie Piper and Alice Lowe. A woman with paranoid schizophrenia struggles with life.

If any further evidence was needed that Sally Hawkins is one of the best actors of her generation this film provides it. I really enjoyed the dark comedy of the film even if the plot is a little meandering. The performances are the best part of this film, Alice Lowe is great support to the outstanding Hawkins.

4/5

Cut to the action

 

The First Sleight-Ride (1897)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. Following snow in New York two people go for a sleigh ride.

It takes a little too long for the subject to actually show up in this short film. Even though the film is less than a minute long we spend too long waiting and get too little actual sleigh action. The image quality of this film is not great either.

2/5

Squandered potential

 

Antebellum (2020)

Directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz this film stars Janelle Monae, Eric Lange and Jena Malone. Mixing the present and the past we delve into the story of a woman trapped on a slave plantation.

Most disappointing is that this film has a great premise and touches on some really important topics but it never manages to equal the sum of its parts let alone be more than them. With some revisions I think this could have been a really great film. There are some good performances and a fantastic opening shot however none of these are enough to carry the script.

3/5

Nice is about all

 

The Nice Guys (2016)

Directed by Shane Black this film stars Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice. A private eye and an enforcer team up to look for a missing woman in 1970s Los Angeles.

Clearly the main draw here is seeing Crowe and Gosling work together in a buddy comedy film, which just about carries the piece. Maybe a little more humour or charisma is needed to carry this film to another level given the generic plot but there is still plenty to enjoy here. Fun even if it will not stick with you too long.

4/5

Fades out

 

Mounted Police Charge (1896)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film from the Edison catalogue. We see police on horse back ride towards the camera and stop in front of it.

The fact that the charge ends in front of the camera takes some of the impact out of this short film. It would have been much more dramatic to see the police thundering past. Fairly decent image quality for a film of this age.

2/5