The preach gets in the way of the fun

 

Molly's Game (2017)

Directed by Aaron Sorkin this film based on real events stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba and Kevin Costner. After a major ski accident instead of going to law school a young woman moves to LA and starts running poker games for famous people.

When Molly's own voice comes through this is a really enjoyable film, unfortunately Sorkin's finger prints stand out too often taking me out of the film. There are just too many familiar Sorkin-isms here for my taste and I say that as someone that has enjoyed a lot of his work in the past. Still a fun film I just wish the writer-director had shown a bit more restraint.

4/5

Only one year really

 

Another Year (2010)

Directed by Mike Leigh this film stars Lesley Manville, Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen. We see the life of a family and their friend over a year.

I really enjoyed the way this film captures some of the awkward moments of life such as the whole funeral sequence. This is not the most intense of dramas but it is very touching. Down to earth and very natural, a good watch.

4/5

Shite light

 

Blacklight (2022)

Directed by Mark Williams this film stars Liam Neeson, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Aidan Quinn. An off the books FBI fixer finds himself caught up in a government conspiracy.

Both the plot of this film and Liam Neeson look very tired through out. Turn your brain off and try to enjoy some unnecessary action sequences is my advice. The film even does not do a good job of addressing mental health despite using it as a major plot point.

1/5

Before the man from Del Monte

 

Hotel Del Monte (1897)

Directed by James H. White this is one of the earliest hashtag sponsored films in existence. A bunch of carriages go past the front of a hotel.

There is a fair amount of action in the frame to keep the viewer entertained in this one. We do not get a huge amount of content given the shortness of the film but it is still a decent watch for the era. Just goes to show sponsored content has always existed.

3/5

I dug it

 

Digging (2022)

Directed by Elliot Barnes-Worrell this short film stars Badley Banton, Doreene Blackstock, Afsaneh Dehrouyeh and Sope Dirisu. Four friends share an orange and compare memories.

This is a nice little short on the subjective nature of memory. I found the film to be enjoyable if not earth shattering in terms of content. Nicely made with a bit of variety through the different styles of the character's memories.

3/5

Not that good

 

Twice As Good (2022)

Directed by Jeremy Ngatho Cole this film stars Joan Lyoila, Kobna Hodbrook-Smith and Nathanael Emiola. On the night before her son's seventh birthday a woman is visited by her son from the future.

Dipping into familiar ideas about the expectations for Black Britains this is a decent enough short. There is plenty familiar here, some in a comforting way, some in a way suggesting the short is not overly original. Still a decent watch.

3/5

Coming up short

 

Ten Tall Men (1951)

Directed by Willis Goldbeck this film stars Burt Lancaster and Jody Lawrance. During the Rif War soldiers of the French Foreign Legion kidnap a woman to stop two tribes allying.

This film is filled with the sort of suspect views of the Arab world that you expect from colonialist films. The plot is not up to a huge amount, it is an action/adventure film that goes through a number of expected beats. Even the budget seems to have been on the low side, it is very clear this is not filmed in North Africa.

2/5

You can say that again

 

The Future Isn't What It Used To Be (2021)

Directed by Adeyemi Michael this short film stars Donna Banya, Anna-Maria Nabirye and Anton Cross. Following an ecological disaster a lone figure wanders the land scavanging.

It is a little hard to make out what is going on here as there is minimal dialogue, with a bit of imagination though you can fill in some of the blanks even if not all of them. Certainly this paints a bleak picture of the future, a real snap shot of disaster. Possibly not for everyone however I did find it enjoyable.

3/5

Minted

 

The Million Pound Note (1954)

Directed by Ronald Neame this film based on the short story “The Million Pound Bank Note” stars Gregory Peck and Jane Griffiths. A man without a penny to his name is given a million pounds that he is unable to spend.

There is not much subtlety to this film, it pretty much hammers home its moral so it is impossible to miss. I found the film to be enjoyable even if it lacks a soft touch. No real surprises show up and there is at least one or two sequences where they are clearly trying to pad out the run time.

3/5

Not ladies yet

 

Our Ladies (2019)

Directed by Michael Caton-Jones this film based on the novel “The Sopranos” stars Tallulah Greive, Abigail Lawrie and Rona Morison. In the mid 90s a group of horny Catholic school girls spend an afternoon in Edinburgh.

If you can look past the fact that it does not make sense that a bunch of people are out partying on a mid week afternoon this is not too bad of a coming of age film. There are familiar elements and a decent variety in the characters. The film captures small town Scottish life fairly well in my opinion.

3/5

Chaos that is anything but that

 

Climax (2018)

Written & directed by Gaspar Noe this film has a large cast including Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic and Souheila Yacoub. A group of dancers staying at a remote location unintentionally trip balls.

If you enjoy films that are style and execution over substance then this film is for you, otherwise you might find it a bit rough going in places. I really enjoyed the transitions between fantastic choreography and and choreographed chaos as it provides an interesting juxtaposition for the events of the film which we know are staged even if they are supposed to see like they are completely the opposite of that. There are some great long takes that really show off the skill of the dances in the film.

4/5

Too a moon

 

X US (2021)

Directed by Akinola Davis this short film stars Farouk Agoro and Lorna Anders. Two brothers travelling without adults wait at a transport hub.

This short does a good job of putting the modern migration experience in a futuristic context. The main story is fairly average, the implied story of the adverts in the transport hub is super creepy. An interesting short that looks like it stretched the budget to the maximum.

3/5

Best forgotten

 

Reminiscence (2021)

Written & directed by Lisa Joy this film stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton. A man who helps people relive their memories becomes infatuated with a client.

Mixing together elements of Chinatown, Blade Runner, Inception and others the real problem with this film is you have seen everything it does done better elsewhere. Sadly this sci-fi noir just comes across as over written. For a great cast and a film maker like Lisa Joy that I am excited about this one is a real disappointment, ultimately a bit of a chore to get through.

2/5

The short future

 

They Heard Him Shout Allahu Akbar (2022)

Directed by Nadia Latif this short film stars Scott Karim and Emma D'Arcy. A man is released from prison for an unspecified crime.

Essentially this is a Clockwork Orange (1971) for the war on terror generation with a hint of the V chip from the South Park movie. I'll be honest the film was a lacking in enough details for it to really work for me. We need just a bit more clarity to inform our opinions, as is the content is too nebulous.

2/5

No puppets in sight

 

Captain Scarlett (1953)

Directed by Thomas Carr this film stars Richard Greene, Leonora Amar and Nedrick Young. A Frenchman returns home from the Napoleonic wars to find his lands taken from him.

Essentially this is a Robin Hood knock off set in 1800s France without much more thought put into it. Mexico doubles for France in a slightly dubious manner which does not help matters. All in all a rather weak attempt at a swashbuckler film.

2/5

No good signs

 

The Ritual (2017)

Directed by David Brucker this film based on the novel of the same name stars Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier and Sam Troughton. Four friends go hiking in Sweden and get lost in the woods.

It appears there are a few changes between this film and the book it is based on but the majority of the content is similar. The plot is your basic lost in the woods horror that does not go any where particularly unusual. I was slightly disappointed to find out the film is shot in Romania rather than Sweden where it is supposed to take part.

3/5

Both old and new

 

Happy as Lazzaro (2018)

Written & directed by Alice Rohrwacher this film stars Adriano Tardiolo, Nicoletta Braschi and Alba Rohrwacher. Sharecroppers on a tobacco farm in Italy are illegally expoilted.

If this film is not the grand child of Italian Neo Realism I do not know what is. The film does a great job of marrying an innocent outlook with the crushing disappointment of reality. By the end of the film you are very definitely supposed to wonder if things are better or just different.

4/5

Your average skater

 

North Hollywood (2021)

Written & directed by Mikey Alfred this film stars Ryder McLaughlin, Vince Vaughn and Miranda Cosgrove. After graduating high school a teenager wants to become a pro skater.

As coming of age films go this one does a good job of capturing teenage anxiety although the resolution of the plot is a little too positive in my opinion. I found plenty to enjoy despite the weaknesses of the film. There are a couple of really nice scene transitions that are worth looking out for.

3/5

Unloading coaches

 

Coaches Arriving at Mammoth Hot Springs (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is an early film from the Edison catalogue. People get out of parked coaches.

To be pedantic the coaches in this film have already arrived so there is not as much action as I was expecting. For the period the film is decent enough although no very remarkable. Today this would not even pass for home video clips really.

2/5

F's in chat for the franchise

 

F9 (2021)

Directed by Justin Lin this film stars the familiar Fast & Furious cast along with John Cena and Charlize Theron. The gang set off to find out what happened to Agent Nobody after he sends them a distress signal.

Even for a film in this franchise all thoughts of realism and logic are out the window, we even get a decent helping of suspect retcons. I found the film to be rather forced, the script just stumbling through a check list of silly action sequences. In the past I have had good times with this franchise but I think the shark has definitely been jumped now.

2/5

Bordering on offensive

 

Border River (1954)

Directed by George Sherman this film stars Joel McCrea, Yvonne De Carlo and Pedro Armendariz. In the dying days of the US Civil War a Confederate officer goes south of the border to buy supplies with stolen gold.

I found it to be rather distasteful to have the protagonist be a Confederate officer who never has to face any moral scrutiny. Parts of the plot do not make much sense and are a bit offensive really. One of the less interesting b-movie westerns I have seen.

1/5

No smacking with fish

 

Fishing Smacks (1897)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. Men on a fishing boat go about their work.

Because of the low image quality and distance of the camera from the subject it is really hard to tell what is actually going on here. There is just a little too much visual noise for the quality of the image. Poor preservation means this one is kind of lost to time.

2/5

On the nose

 

Ninjababy (2021)

Directed by Yngvild Sve Flikke this film based on the graphic novel Fallteknikk stars Kristine Throp, Arthur Berning and Nader Khademi. An aspiring comic book artist discovers she is six months pregnant.

I really love the way this film mixes comedy, drama and animation. There is a ton of charm to this film and it never takes a preachy or easy way out as some films on this subject might. If you can find it this film is well worth a watch, very enjoyable.

4/5

Not rapid

 

The Man from Colorado (1948)

Directed by Henry Levin this film stars Glenn Ford, William Holden and Ellen Drew. Two Union Cavalry officers return from the civil war and find their friendship tested.

We have to work through a fair number of moving parts before this film reaches its inevitable conclusion which is pretty obvious from the first twenty minutes. The plot is does its job but is never going to be memorable. All in all a standard B movie western.

3/5

A year on the farm

 

The World to Come (2020)

Directed by Mona Fastvold this film stars Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Christopher Abbot and Casey Affleck. In rural 1850s American two married women fall in love with each other.

This is a gentle, historic love story that fits in well with the art house style. There is nothing revolutionary here but plenty that is enjoyable if you like this sort of slow burn film. Well made with some really nice use of language.

4/5

Rumble at Edison studios

 

Poker at Dawson City (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film from the Edison catalogue. A bunch of prospectors have a fight over a game of poker.

There is not much of a game of poker here, just a bunch of drunks acting rowdy for the camera. The image quality of this one is pretty poor so I found it hard to make out exactly what was going on. Another on the weaker side of the Edison catalogue.

2/5

Not bold

 

Old (2021)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan this film based on the book Sandcastles stars Gael Garcia Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff and Thomasin McKenzie. A family win a holiday to a tropical island and find themselves trapped on a beach.

This is one of those films where the characters lag far behind the audience on working out what is going on. When the full plot is finally revealed I am not sure it makes sense and has a least one very awkward sexual encounter with some questionable implications. All in all this one did not work for me.

2/5

Skater girl

 

Skate Kitchen (2018)

Directed by Crystal Moselle this film stars Rachelle Vinberg, Dede Lovelace, Elizabeth Rodriguez and Jaden Smith. A teenage girl befriends a group of girl skateboarders.

A lot of this film is familiar coming of age stuff wrapped up in the New York skateboarding scene. There are no great surprises here just a comfortably familiar set up. I only found a few hints of most of the cast not being professional actors showing through, otherwise well made.

3/5

Not just the riders are rough

 

Skirmish of Rough Riders (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A company of men mill about then fire their weapons and move off.

Like other combat recreations of the Edison catalogue it is a bit hard to work out what is going on here due to the poor image quality. Exactly what the deal is with the dudes in the foreground I have no idea. Another one to skip really.

1/5

Not beneath us

 

In the Earth (2021)

Written & directed by Ben Wheatley this film stars Joel Fry, Ellora Torchia, Hayley Squires and Reece Shearsmith. A scientist and a park ranger head into the woods to make contact with another scientist doing experiments at a remote location.

If you have seen some of Ben Wheatley's previous films this one returns to familiar themes and styles. As a weird, horror film with some darkly comedic moments this film works well, keeping you on edge and off balance through out. I do not think there is a huge amount of depth here but it is definitely unsettling!

3/5

Not a champion

 

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (2021)

Directed by Adam Robitel this film stars Taylor Russell and Logan Miller. Once again our heroes find themselves working through another deadly set of escape rooms.

Evidently I watched the extended/alternate cut of this film which completely removes Deborah Ann Woll from the film. I found the ending of the extended cut to be rather abrupt and unsatisfying, there are some fun elements here although the film does not reach the level of the original. A slightly disappointing return in the end.

2/5