Cat and mouse story

 

Tom & Jerry (2021)

Directed by Tom Story this film stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Michael Pena. A young woman gets a job at a posh hotel as they are planning an important wedding, only to have to deal with the problem of a familiar cat and mouse.

This film fails to ever cash in on the nostalgia that comes with a property like Tom and Jerry. The plot is simplistic and unfortunately rarely funny. I suppose the mix of animation and live action is fairly rare these days but again lacking in charm here.

2/5

Not that dreamy

 

Dreamland (2019)

Directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte this film stars Finn Cole, Margot Robbie and Travis Fimmel. During the dust bowl a seventeen year old boy discovers a woman on the run with a large bounty on her head.

Fusing together a lot of elements this film never really becomes more than the sum of its parts. As coming of age films go this one is pretty average. Margot Robbie is the highlight of the film but not enough to carry it.

3/5

A little of a dance

 

Little Egypt (1896)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see a woman dancing on stage.

There is not a huge amount to this short, a simple dance captured on stage. Like many early films this is an example of a contemporary stage act transferred to film. The image quality of the version I saw was not great, there may be others out there with better quality.

3/5

Like it was made in the 80s

 

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

Directed by Patty Jenkins this sequel stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal. During the 1980s Wonder Woman faces off against a con man trying to give people everything they want but for a price.

In attempting to critique the greed of the 80s this film becomes so rooted in the decade that it commits some of the same cinematic sins as films of that era. Compared to the previous Wonder Woman film this is a real let down, there are a lot of miss steps but I think the most worst is bringing back Chris Pine's character so we retreading too much ground. All in all there is way too much wrong with this film to enjoy it.

2/5

Not scary

 

Phobias (2021)

Directed by Camilla Belle, Maritte Go, Joe Sill, Jess Varley and Chris von Hoffmann this is an anthology horror film. We see the stories of several people locked up in facility where a doctor tries to harvest their fear.

As horror anthology films go this one is fine, nothing special. I suppose the strangest part is where Macy Gray appears as she is not really an actor. Probably not a film I would recommend.

2/5

So near yet so far

 

Mount Tamalpais R.R., No. 1 (1898)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see some trains and a railway line.

There is a surprising amount of camera movement for a film of this era, unfortunately that means there are portions of the film where there is nothing in shot. I assume this film was made by putting a camera on a train rather than having a camera that moves or zooms. Apart from the bits where nothing of interest is in shot this is a decent film.

2/5

Too familiar

 

Doors (2021)

Directed by Saman Kesh, Dugan O'Neal & Jeff Desom this anthology film stars Kathy Khanh, Lina Esco, Josh Peck and Kyp Malone. Strange portals suddenly appear about the Earth and those that go into them become unhinged.

Clearly this wants to be an cerebral science fiction film but the ultimately the different stories come across as knock offs of better films. There are occasions when the low budget shows as well. Probably not worth seeking out unfortunately.

2/5

The curse of the unconnected sequel

 

The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

Directed by Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise this sequel stars Ann Carter, Kent Smith and Jane Randolph. A young girl prone to flights of fantasy does not have any friends.

My main issue with this film is it is very lacking in cats or cat people, even not having seen the original this film comes off as a poor sequel. On its own this is not a bad film, it does a decent job of telling the story of a lonely child while exploring the ideas of fantasy and friendship. Had this been a stand alone with a different title I think it would work much better.

3/5

99 homes and lots of problems

 

99 Homes (2014)

Directed by Ramin Bahrani this film stars Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon and Laura Dern. A construction worker makes a deal with the foreclosure devil in an attempt to get his family home back.

This is a decent, if predictable look at the foreclosure crisis during the fall out from the 2008 recession. While I enjoyed the film I am not sure it is especially thought provoking or offers many answers. A decent watch with good performances from the cast.

3/5

No new ideas

 

Alone (2020)

Directed by Johnny Martin this film stars Tyler Posey, Summer Spiro and Donald Sutherland. A young man finds himself trapped and alone in a flat during a zombie apocalypse.

What could have been an interesting film about urban isolation ends up being just another average zombie film. In the second half the plot leans heavily on familiar genre elements. Sadly not what it could have been.

3/5

Just Run

 

Run Hide Fight (2020)

Written & directed by Kyle Rankin this film stars Isabel May, Thomas Jane, Eli Brown and Radha Mitchell. A seventeen year old girl finds herself caught up in a high school shooting.

School shootings have become so ubiquitous it is time Hollywood returned to the subject and found something to pick up the mantel of the excellent Bang Bang You're Dead (2002). Unfortunately this film gets less realistic the longer it goes on and we end up with Die Hard in a school. The characters are far too cliché to ever be a decent look at the subject matter on hand here.

2/5

A gentle trip

 

The Short History of the Long Road (2019)

Written & directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy this film stars Sabrina Carpenter, Steven Ogg, Danny Trejo and Maggie Siff. A teenage girl's life on the road with her father is disrupted by his sudden death.

As coming of age films go this one is pretty decent and mashes up with with the road film genre. The plot never has any big unexpected turns but chugs along decently. A good performance in a subtle film from Sabrina Carpenter.

3/5

Nearly there

 

Operation Avalanche (2016)

Directed by star Matt Johnson this film also features Owen Williams and Andy Appelle. Pretending to a documentary crew a group of young CIA agents help fake the moon landings.

I enjoyed the way this film captures the period setting but some of the faked shots are not quite correctly done and stand out. The plot is a fairly average rework of common conspiracy theories surrounding the moon landings. Despite the charm this film never quite lands.

2/5

To be a thirteen year old boy

 

The Tenant (2021)

Written & directed by Sushrut Jain this film stars Shamita Shetty and Rudhraksh Jaiswal. A thirteen year old boy in India befriends a single woman that moves into the apartment building he lives in with his parents.

I enjoyed this coming of age film that does a good job of capturing a lot of teenage male insecurity. There is nothing amazingly revelatory about the film but it does a good job of being a thoughtful genre film. Both the direction and performances are decently measured.

3/5

Hollywood loves to pat itself on the back

 

Green Book (2018)

Directed by Peter Farrelly this film inspired by real events stars Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini. An Italian-American hard man works as a driver for a black concert pianist touring the American South.

I can see why this film won the Academy Award, it is exactly the kind of self congratulatory film on racism that Hollywood loves. This is not the most subtle or deepest look at the topic of race relations in the US, some would go so far as to say it is pretty reductive. There are good performances from the two leads but otherwise this is not a film that will stick with you or is worth going back to.

3/5

Tripping

 

Synchronic (2019)

Directed by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead this film stars Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan. A paramedic tries to help find his partner's missing daughter with the aid of a time travel drug.

Fairly well made this non-linear story is decent at the surface level but never much deeper. Some of the details are a little convenient to force the story in certain directions. Not really that remarkable or likely to stick with you.

3/5

Self indulgent

 

Vice (2018)

Written & directed by Adam McKay this film based on real events stars Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Sam Rockwell and Steve Carell. We follow the career of Dick Cheney as he rises to the office of Vice President.

I was really disappointed with this film, by the end I did not understand Cheney any better or how he became the man he was. In the end the script is more interested in being a hatchet job than anything else and I say this as a person who does not like Cheney's politics at all. As expected Christian Bale gives a great performance but that is about all to enjoy in this film.

2/5

Surprisingly grown up

 

The Kid Detective (2020)

Written & directed by Evan Morgan this film stars Adam Brody and Sophie Nelisse. A former child detective is now a grown up failing detective.

I think there is a really great film in here somewhere even if this film falls just short of greatness despite being really good. I love the way the film mixes comedy with some really serious, heartbreaking moments towards the end. The way the film manages to balance tone is seriously impressive, well worth a watch.

4/5

Too much ego

 

Me, You, Madness (2021)

Written & directed by star Louise Linton this film also features Ed Westwick. A thief plans to rob a rich woman but it turns out she is a serial killer.

This film calls its self out as the feminist version of American Psycho (2000) but never gets anywhere close to being that good. The script is just terrible, it is difficult for me to find any redeeming features to this film. Through out the film Louise Linton's accent is all over the place which is also pretty distracting.

1/5

technicolour nostalgia

 

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Directed by Vincent Minnelli this musical based on the novel of the same name stars Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien and Lucille Bremer. We follow the lives of a family in St. Louis in the lead up to the World's Fair.

At this point this film is nostalgia for another generation's nostalgia. The plot exists in the same space as Little Women but over a shorter time period and with a bit less depth. What the film has going for it is the lush early use of colour in cinema and a mostly wholesome feel. There are one or two parts that have not aged so well for modern sensibilities but in general this is a fun film.

4/5

Not final enough

 

The Last Shift (2020)

Written & directed by Andrew Cohn this film stars Richard Jenkins and Shane Paul McGhie. An employee at a fast food drive through has to train his replacement ahead of his retirement.

There is plenty of potential to this film both played straight and as a parody but the script never capitalises on either. We never really get deep enough into the character of the protagonist for a proper character study. All in all despite this film not doing much wrong it does not do enough good to hold the attention.

2/5

Not a tough pill to swallow

 

Gringo (2018)

Directed by Nash Edgerton this film stars David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried, Thandiwe Newton and Sharlto Copley. Everyone wants control of a marijuana pill that an American company is making in Mexico.

Unfortunately the script for this film never lives up to the all star level of the cast. As farces go this is a decent effort but never Coen brothers level. As long as you not expecting too much this is a decent enough diversion.

3/5

A cut and shunt

 

Racer and the Jailbird (2017)

Directed by Michael R. Roskam this film stars Matthias Schoenaerts and Adele Exarchopoulos. A gangster that robs banks starts a relationship with a rich young woman that races cars.

This film is something of an odd marriage both in terms of the relationship of the central characters and the two halves of its story. The first half of the film is a very standard crime film but the second half turns surprisingly poignant. About the only criticism I have of the film is that we never see the male character have to consider the consequences his actions have on others.

3/5

Come fly away

 

Mosquinha (1890)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. We see a fly take off.

Running for less than ten seconds this is one of the shortest short films out there. No doubt a good first step in the study of the natural world on film this not the most interesting watch to modern eyes. Impressive for 1890 but that is about all.

2/5

Never go home

 

The Dry (2020)

Directed by Robert Connolly this film based on the novel of the same name stars Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly and Keir O'Donnell. A federal police officer returns to the small town he grew up in to look into the apparent murder/suicide of an old friend and his family.

I really enjoyed this film, both the location and the story combine to build a good mystery. The plot never takes the easy or convenient way out, keeping you guessing the whole way through. An effort well worth watching in an often lazy genre.

4/5

Better start than end

 

The Violent Heart (2020)

Written & directed by Kerem Sanga this film stars Jovan Adepo, Grace Van Patten, Mary J. Blige and Lukas Haas. Fifteen years after witnessing the murder of his older sister a young man starts a relationship with an eighteen year old girl.

I really enjoyed the first part of the film, seeing the protagonist struggle with the consequences of his life choices, the second part of the film is a bit of a let down. The revelations in the second half of the film are just too convenient and predictable, I would much rather the film stuck with the depressing ambiguity of the early part of the film. Not a bad watch over all, good performances from the lead actors.

3/5

Heady days

 

The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots (1895)

Directed by Alfred Clark this film stars Mrs. Robert L. Thomas. We see a depiction of the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.

Containing one of the first camera tricks in cinema unfortunately the cut is a little obvious when you watch this film. For the period no doubt this is impressive but to modern eyes it does not hold up too well. A good effort none the less.

3/5

An Irish pond

 

The Winter Lake (2020)

Directed by Phil Sheerin this film stars Anson Boon, Charlie Murphy, Emma Mackey and michael McElhatton. A young woman and her teenage son move in next door to a girl and her father who have a dark secret.

Slow and moody this film will not be for everyone. It takes a while to get to the inevitable conclusion, which is not very original but is still decently done. Good enough for a ninety minute diversion.

3/5

Not great at all

 

Great White (2021)

Directed by Martin Wilson this film stars Katrina Bowden, Aaron Jakubenko, Tim Kano, Kimie Tsukakoshi and Te Kohe Tuhaka. Five people find themselves in a life raft being hunted by a great white shark.

To call this the Australian Jaws (1975) would be grossly overselling this film. There is barely enough content to fill the 90 minute run time. Everything is pretty predictable here, not worth seeking out.

2/5

What a let down

 

Summerland (2020)

Written & directed by Jessica Swale this film stars Gemma Arterton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lucas Bond, Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay. During WW2 a boy is evacuated from London to live with a reclusive writer near Dover.

Despite not being overly original there was a lot I liked about the set up for this film and I was looking forward to seeing it explore the themes it raises in the first part, unfortunately the film lacks any subtlety or follow through. Things become just too easy to predict, focusing on the overly sentimental moments which feel unearned and frustratingly leaves some interesting threads dangling. I enjoyed Tom Courtenay in the film but that was about it.

2/5

What you had to settle for in 1897

 

First Avenue, Seattle, Washington, No. 8 (1897)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see a simple street scene from the city of Washington.

There is not much to this film, a few seconds of life on the streets. Without much of a narrative this is more of a historical record than a piece of entertainment. Decent image quality, not overly remarkable.

2/5