The Roads Not Taken (2020)
Written & directed by Sally Potter this film stars Javier Bardem, Ellie Fanning, Salma Hayek and Laura Linney. We see inside the mind of a man suffering from dementia.
I really like the concept of this film but the execution was just too slow and meandering for my taste. The film never really seems to connect all its different parts together convincingly. It is a real shame given all the star talent on show here that this film ends up being a disappointment.
2/5
Herald Square (1896)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see life at a busy street junction in New York.
This is a very simple, single shot film of daily life. There is not a huge amount to the film but it does seem to survive in a decent level of image quality. Not overly remarkable.
3/5
Thappad (2020)
Directed by Anubhav Sinha this film stars Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati and Dia Mirza. A woman gets slapped by her husband at a party.
I really enjoyed this look at domestic violence and the way one incident goes on to affect the lives of so many different people. The film does a good job of fairly exploring the issues at hand without getting melodramatic. Thought provoking for sure.
4/5
Charulata (1964)
Directed by Satyajit Ray this film based on the novella “Nastanrih” stars Madhabi Mukherjee, Soumitra Chatterjee and Shailen Mkherjee. The wife of a newspaper owner lives a lonely life until they are visited by her husband's cousin.
This is one of those tales of unrequited love in a conservative era where you have to be willing to look for the subtle clues of what is happening rather than expect things to be explicitly spelled out for you. A little slow at times but if you can handle the pace this is a fascinating tale. Yet another fantastic film from Ray with a couple of really great moments of direction.
4/5
Leander Sisters (1897)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see two women do a dance in front of a group of on lookers.
For the period this is a fairly entertaining dance but unfortunately part of it takes place out of shot. With a bit better framing this would have been a decent little short. As is this shows the amateur nature of early film.
2/5
Mahanagar (1963)
Directed by Satyajit Ray this film stars Hadhabi Mitra, Anil Chatterjee and Haradhan Bannerjee. When the family struggles with finances a housewife gets a job.
No one hands either the social problem film or Indian independent cinema like Satyajit Ray and this is another example of his excellent work. The film does a good job of arguing for progress while showing the social pressures on the characters. Thought provoking and real at the same time.
4/5
Echo Boomers (2020)
Directed by Seth Savoy this film stars Patrick Schwarzenegger, Alex Pettyfer, Hayley Law and Michael Shannon. An art history graduate is invited to come work with his cousin on what turns out to be a group stealing from rich people.
Slick in the execution unfortunately this film is more style than substance. We never really look at the issues facing millennials, there is far too much telling over showing. Not the worst film but does not leave you with anything to think about.
3/5
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)
Directed by Mike Newell this film based on the novel of the same name stars Lily James, Michiel Huisman and Glen Powell. Following WW2 an author travels to the island of Guernsey to learn about life under occupation there.
Touching on a rarely covered piece of British history this film hints at some really important themes but sadly is more interested in a predictable love story. If we could just got rid of the protagonist this could have been a really great film. Not a bad watch overall but something of a squandered opportunity.
3/5
Statue of Liberty (1898)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see the State of Liberty from a boat on the water.
A very simple single shot of the State of Liberty and the island it is on from some distance away. Due to the distance and image quality you can not make out a lot of detail on the statue but you do get some impression of the size. A decent little early film which captures a moment that would have been familiar to many immigrants.
3/5
Rambo: Last Blood (2019)
Directed by Adrian Grunberg this film stars Sylvester Stallone, Yvette Monreal, Paz Vega and Adriana Barraza. Rambo's niece travels to Mexico and gets kidnapped by human traffickers.
Essentially this is a weak rip off of Taken (2008) set in Mexico. Even for a series I have low expectations of this film managed to disappoint in nearly every regard. There is no character depth and the action sequences are unimpressive, you can even argue there is xenophobia going on here too.
1/5
The Sinners (2020)
Directed by Courtney Paige this film stars Kaitlyn Bernard, Brenna Llewellyn and Brenna Coates. In a conservative community a clique of high school girls form a “cult” where each one of them embodies a different deadly sin.
Despite a decent concept the script of this film never really goes anywhere. There is a pretty standard teen murder story in the end. I can not help but think there should have been more to this film than pretty girls getting murdered.
2/5
Giant Coal Dumper (1897)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see a large industrial device that loads coal.
To be honest the version of this short that I saw was pretty poor image quality. It was very hard to see what was actually going on with the machine in question. Not one I would recommend from the early film catalogue.
2/5
The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020)
Written & directed by Natalie Krinsky this film stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Dacre Montgomery and Utarsh Ambudkar. A young woman opens an art gallery for objects saved from failed relationships.
As romantic comedies go this is a fairly decent one although the “misunderstanding” portion of the plot does feel a little forced. For the most part there is enough charm and humour to carry the film. Geraldine Wiswanathan does a good job in the lead role, clearly the best actor in the film.
3/5
Let It Snow (2020)
Directed by Stanislav Kapralov this film stars Ivanna Saknho, Alex Hafner and Tinatin Dalakishvili. An American couple go on a snow boarding holiday in the country of Georgia and find themselves hunted by a murderer.
Unfortunately this film never manages to be even the sum of its parts. The film is never really scary or that interesting. A case of not capitalising on a decent premise.
2/5
Under the Stadium Lights (2020)
Directed by Todd Randall this film inspired by real events stars Laurence Fishburne, Milo Gibson, Carter Redwood and Acorye White. We follow high school football team from Abilene in Texas during the 2009 season.
This film is a big piece of cheese with a side order of ramming Jesus down your through. I mainly watched this film because Laurence Fishburne is in it but is was relegated to a small side part. There are a vast number of high school sports films that are both better written and better made than this one, just avoid this one.
1/5
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910)
Directed by Otis Turner and starting Bebe Daniels this is an early adaptation of the novel of the same name. A young girl is transported to a magical land.
As adaptations go this one does not stick overly closely to its source material and really only shows a few highlight scenes rather than having a clear plot. What the film does have going for it is some nice sets and a few moments of dance that hint at the possibilities to come in the 1939 version. The 1939 version will likely always be the definitive adaptation but this version has some charm to it despite its problems.
2/5
The Secrets We Keep (2020)
Directed by Yuval Adler this film stars Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman and Chris Messina. Rebuilding her life in 1960s America a Romanian woman recognises an SS officer who took part in the abuse she suffered during the War.
Unfortunately this film does not do anything interesting with the set up. The plot is not really that suspenseful or deep hitting, it just goes through the expected motions. Not a bad watch but not one you will remember or revisit. I would actually rather have seen this story in a more modern setting rather than pretend this sort of thing only happens in the mythical past of WW2.
3/5
Rent-A-Pal (2020)
Written & directed by Jon Stevenson this film stars Brian Landis Folkins, Wil Wheaton, Kathleen Brady and Amy Rutledge. In 1990 a lonely middle aged man caring for his mother who has dementia struggles to find companionship until he gets a “rent-a-pal” video.
I really enjoyed a lot of this film, it is creepy and captures what loneliness can be. My only real criticism of the film is I am not sure it foreshadows the ending well enough and could have been a great film with a little more effort. The performances here are the highlight, especially Wil Wheaton's.
4/5
Arrest in Chinatown, San Francisco, Cal. (1897)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see a Chinese immigrant taken away by the police for an unknown crime.
Despite the wordy title there is not a huge amount to this short film. The first shot carries on far too long after the subjects exit frame and we never find out why the man is arrested. Not the best early film but probably one of the first to be made up of more than one shot.
2/5
Capernaum (2018)
Directed by Nadine Labaki this film stars Zain Al Rafeea and Yordanos Shiferaw. A boy from the slums of Beruit sues his parents for neglect.
In the grand tradition of The Bicycle Thieves (1948) this is a social realist film looking at the intersection of childhood and poverty. I was expecting more of a court room drama but found the predominantly flashback nature of the film to work better. Depressingly good, well worth seeking out.
4/5
The Brand New Testament (2015)
Written & directed by Jaco Van Dormael this film stars Pili Groyne, Benoit Poelvoorde and Catherine Deneuve. God's ten year old daughter gets annoyed with him being an angry old man and decides to change things.
I enjoyed the comedy elements of this film but I am not sure it ever makes the most of its set up. There is plenty to entertain even if the film never really gets too deep into religious matters. Well worth a watch, Pili Groyne does an impressive job carrying the film given her age.
3/5
Buddy Games (2019)
Directed by star Josh Duhamel this film also features Dan Bakkedahl and Olivia Munn. A group of friends meets every summer to compete against each other in a good of silly drinking games.
For my money this film is mean spirited and not at all funny. There is some potential to the premise of the film but it is squandered in favour of guys being idiots. The script offers no character arcs or real growth and totally misses the camaraderie of the set up.
1/5
A Wringing Good Joke (1899)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. While a woman wrings out her washing and her husband sleeps someone plays a prank on them.
Very simplistic but a decent little visual gag. A hint of what is to come from the early years of cinema in terms of comedy. Survives in decent image quality.
3/5
Dead Water (2018)
Directed by Chris Helton this film stars Griff Furst, Brianne Davis, Casper Van Dien and Judd Nelson. A retired US Marine and his wife take a yacht trip with his brother's best friend.
For a thriller this film is severely lacking in tension. The script is incredibly flat and predictable, the performances do little to save this dud. All in all a really weak effort.
2/5
Son of the South (2020)
Directed by Barry Alexander Brown this film inspired by real events stars Lucas Till, Lucy Hale and Lex Scott Davis. A white college student from Alabama becomes involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Certainly this is a story worth telling however I get the feeling that the script leans a little too much on the fictional side. A decent watch but in the end does not live up to the weight of the subject matter. A little more of a gentle hand would have gone a long way with this film.
2/5
Ella Lola, a la Trilby (1898)
Directed by James H. White this short film stars Ella Lola. We see Ella Lola perform a dance in front of the camera.
There is not a huge amount to this film but it is a decent dance captured on film. The image quality is pretty good. Still in what we would consider the “home video” era of early cinema so not a huge amount to this one.
3/5
Happily (2021)
Written & directed by BenDavid Grabinski this film stars Joel McHale and Kerry Bishe. After murdering a man a couple start to wonder if their friends had something to do with his visit.
Starting off with a good premise the back half of this film fails to do anything good with the set up. We really need more time with the friend group and they need a better tie into the mysterious man to make the whole film work. Problems aside this is a fairly fun black comedy regardless.
3/5
Cosmic Sin (2021)
Directed by Edward Drake this film stars Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo and Perrey Reeves. After making first contact with a parasitic species rogue elements of the military take it on themselves to wipe out the aliens.
If you ever wondered which is the worst film that Bruce Willis has been in then wonder no more, this is it. The script is littered with terrible dialogue and scenes that make no sense. Whatever small budget this film was made on must have mostly gone to the stars because everything else looks incredibly cheap.
1/5
Pinocchio (2019)
Directed by Matteo Garrone this film based on the book “The Adventures of Pinocchio” stars Federico Ielapi, Roberto Benigni and Marine Vacth. A man makes a wooden puppet boy who comes to life.
The real star of this film is the lush visuals which are by far and away the best we have seen in an adaptation of this story. Sticking closely to the source material the plot is fantastical and dark, maybe a little too dark for some younger viewers. A real joy to watch.
4/5
Edison Drawn by “World” Artist (1896)
Directed by James H. White this short film features J. Stuart Blackton. A man sketches Edison in front of the camera.
Unfortunately the image quality is such it is pretty difficult to see what the artist is drawing. Not a lot to go on here really. Kind of a disappointment really.
2/5
An American Pickle (2020)
Directed by Brandon Trost this film stars Seth Rogen in two roles. After falling into a pickle barrel 100 years ago a Jewish immigrant spends time with his great-grandson.
Taking a kind of reverse Back to the Future look at the American experience the concept of this film is a little more interesting than the execution. As a comedy the film is fine but I would have liked something a little more positive spirited. Decently made in the parts where Rogen has to interact with himself.
3/5
