Let there be a plot please

 

Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Directed by Andy Serkis this film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrleson. Eddie Brock and Venom face off against a serial killer with a symbiote.

To be honest there is not really much of a plot here, it seems like a few required beats with not much to string them together. This film is definitely skippable, there is real character arc for the protagonist. I find it hard to believe how much money this film made at the box office.

2/5

Dude where's my plot?

 

Paul Dood's Deadly Lunch Break (2021)

Directed by Nick Gillespie this film stars Tom Meeten, Katherine Parkinson and Johnny Vegas. A charity shop worker dreams of making it on a tv talent show but events conspire against him.

This is a cheaply made and weakly written comedy. I wish there was some saving grace here as there is a pretty good cast on show, unfortunately there is not. It is very hard to find anything to recommend this one on.

1/5

Not so secret

 

Official Secrets (2019)

Directed by Gavin Hood this film based on real events stars Keira Knightley, Matt Smith and Ralph Fiennes. In the lead up to the invasion of Iraq a GCHQ analyst leaks a memo on a joint operation to spy on UN diplomats.

As spy/investigative journalist films go this is a fairly grounded one that is decently made. The film is a little too clear cut in its bias but is a decent watch none the less. A good look at why Tony Blair is a war criminal.

3/5

Hall or nothing

 

Jimmy's Hall (2014)

Directed by Ken Loach this film based on real events stars Barry Ward, Simone Kirby, Jim Norton and Denise Gough. An activist returns to Ireland and re-opens a hall for the local community.

In this film Ken Loach returns to some of his favourite subjects, communism and the conflict in Ireland following independence. To be honest there is not a huge amount of drama here, the film is entertaining enough but never really surprises or challenges the viewer. I think the main problem is the lack of flaws in the protagonist making this too much like hero worship.

3/5

False start

 

False Positive (2021)

Directed by John Lee this film stars Ilana Glazer, Justin Theroux and Pierce Brosnan. A couple need help conceiving and turn to a leading fertility doctor.

Essentially this is Rosemary's Baby for the IVF generation. In the end I found this film never really reaches its potential, there is a lot of scope here to really tackle the mental health issues that affect some women during pregnancy but the film never commits to that. All in all this is sadly a let down.

2/5

Too scared to put Mars in the title

 

Moonshot (2022)

Directed by Chris Winterbauer this film stars Cole Sprouse, Lana Condor, Mason Gooding and Emily Rudd. In 2049 a barista sneaks aboard a space ship to Mars and falls in love with a passenger.

You do not get many sci-fi rom-coms so this is something slightly different even if it does stick heavily to the rom-com formula. The plot itself is not actually that interesting in the end, neither are the characters despite the potential here. In the end the script is a bit over written in places and does not make sense in others.

2/5

A tough pill to swallow

 

Pili (2017)

Directed by Leanne Welham this film stars Bello Rashid, Nkwabi Elias Ng'angasamala and Sesilia Florian Kilimila. A single mother with HIV living in poverty dreams of a better life for her and her two children.

You have seen this plot before, a protagonist struggling to realise their dream and risking it all to do so, but likely never in the setting of rural Tanzania. The location and social class of the protagonist brings a fresh spin to the familiar story. Even if you know where things are going this film provides a different point of view.

4/5

Still waters run deep?

 

Stillwater (2021)

Directed by Tom McCarthy this film stars Matt Damon, Camille Cottin and Abigail Breslin. An American oil worker travels to Marseille to try to prove his daughter is innocent of the murder she was convicted of.

The echoes of the real world case this film is inspired by do make this slightly uncomfortable watching, there is a part of me that thinks the film is profiting off terrible events just like it claims journalists did. Taken on it's own this is a fairly decent film that is thoughtful but lacks a real blow out resolution in my opinion. I enjoyed the twists even if I did see them coming.

3/5

On the road to freedom

 

Thunder Road (2018)

Written & directed by star Jim Cummings this film also features Kendal Farr and Nican Robinson. A man struggles with the collapse of his life while trying to support his daughter.

Less a comedy and more a touching drama I really enjoyed this film. I am always a little worried when a policeman is the protagonist we are going to be getting copaganda but this film is definitely not that. There is a lot to enjoy and a few laughs along the way.

4/5

round and round we go

 

Tourists Going Round Yellowstone Park (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A bunch of horse drawn wagons go past the camera.

There is not a lot to see here, this could really be any rural spot that the film is shot. We do not get to see a huge amount of action, the set up is reminiscent of some other White shorts. Not remarkable for the period.

3/5

To be a fly on the wall

 

Mandibles (2020)

Directed by Quentin Dupieux this film stars Gregoire Ludig, David Marsais and Adele Exarchopoulos. Two idiots find a giant fly and attempt to train it to steal things for them.

Mostly this film is off beat in an enjoyable manner, it is not really a comedy more a film that builds to two or three really hilarious moments. I enjoyed the film even if it lacks a little depth. Nothing like seeing some idiots bumbling around to brighten up your day.

3/5

A Shadow that is afraid of the dark

 

Shadow (2018)

Directed by Zhang Yimou this film stars Deng Chao, Sun Li, Hu Jun and Zheng Kai. A man serves as the double for the commander of the armies of his kingdom.

There is some crossover here with Kagemusha (1980) and Alexander Nevsky (1938) which I really enjoyed and I have really loved some of the films of Zhang Yimou in the past however this film falls a bit flat. I can understand the artistic choice of making the film so black and white visually but it makes the film a lot less beautiful than Yimou's past films which have had amazing use of colour. In the end this is a pretty standard wuxia film that takes a little while to get going.

3/5

Killer

 

I Blame Society (2020)

Written & directed by star Gillian Wallace Horvat this is a fake documentary film. An aspiring film maker records her journey into becoming a serial killer.

There is a tone of dark comedy here which if you do not enjoy then this is probably not the film for you. The film does a great job of mixing comedy, gore and commentary on the state of the film industry. A very fun low budget effort.

4/5

Not advanced

 

Advance of Kansas Volunteers at Caloocan (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see American soldiers advance against the enemy line and drive it off.

Obviously this is a recreation and a slightly shoddy one at that. The action is not great or convincing. These early battle films clearly must have been popular if they all look rather poorly made to modern eyes.

2/5

Electric Heaven

 

Dune (2021)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve this film based on the novel of the same name stars Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac. In the far future House Atreides is given control of the mysterious desert planet of Arrakis.

Visually this film is both vast and stunning yet the plot only works as a prologue so this film will live or die on what, if anything, follows it. Dune the book has some stuff that has not aged well which it would be pretty hard to exercise so they are present in this adaptation too. Whatever you think of the story, or lack there of, it is impossible not to be astounded by the scope of this film.

4/5

A real mess

 

American Night (2021)

Written & directed by Alessio Della Valle this film stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emile Hirsch and Jeremy Piven. A bunch of people fight over an Andy Warhol picture.

Unfortunately this film is over written and impossible to get into. There are too many characters, none of which ever hook you in and the plot makes practically no sense at all. Clearly this film wants to be Pulp Fiction but never gets close.

1/5

Not the horn

 

Antlers (2021)

Directed by Scott Cooper this film stars Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons and Jeremy T. Thomas. A school teacher in a small town in Oregon becomes concerned about a withdrawn boy in her class.

I had high hopes for this film given them involvement of Guillermo del Toro behind the scenes, unfortunately the film falls short of his work. The plot never really gives us the depth it hints at, leaving us with a surface level horror film that is a bit bland. There are too many elements of what could have been here.

2/5

Into darkness... and out again

 

Going Through the Tunnel (1898)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A train goes into a tunnel and comes out the other side.

Of course there is not a huge amount to this short film given the simple subject matter and short run time. There is at least a nice little bit of action on show here. The version I watched was not the highest image quality ever, pretty decent for the era though.

3/5

Crying at Wimbeldon

 

Amanda (2018)

Directed by Mikhael Hers this film stars Vincent Lacoste, Stacy Martin and Isaure Multrier. A young man suddenly finds himself as guardian for his seven year old niece.

There are plenty of times this film could have been sentimental or melodramatic but it handles the material very well. I really enjoy this film, especially the performance of young Isaure Multrier in the title role. Never does the film resort to preaching and is heart breaking in places.

4/5

More night than day

 

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Directed by Steafno Sollima this sequel stars Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin and Isabela Moner. US agents attempt to start a war between cartel members in Mexico.

There is plenty of style and hard men making hard decisions here without too much depth. I feel like the script cheated us out of an actual hard hitting ending which is a disappointment. In the end this film is lacking a bit.

3/5

Tricks

Year 13 (2017)

Written & directed by star Jim Greco this is something of a one man film. To celebrate the 13^th year of his sobriety a man goes skateboarding.

This is very much an art house film rather than your traditional skateboarding compilation tape. There are some nice tricks and such with the board but the film is just as focused on tricks with image and sound. You will have to really have a taste in art films to love this one.

3/5

twenty minutes, not a day

 

Video Days (1991)

Directed by Spike Jonze this film stars Mark Gonzales, Rudy Johnson, Jason Lee, Guy Mariano and Jordan Richter. A group of pro skateboarders show off their skills.

I am not a skateboarder so no doubt a lot of this film went over my head. The tricks are entertaining but got a tad repetitive for a non enthusiast like me. Certainly a slice of history and a nice look into the early career of Spike Jonze.

3/5

Before the Downfall memes

 

Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)

Directed by Ennio De Concini this film based on real events stars Alec Guinness and Simon Ward. We follow the last ten days of Hitler's rule over Germany.

This film is very interested in sticking to history, somewhat at the detriment of drama. Alec Guinness does a fantastic job in the lead role, otherwise the film is a bit bland. There are a few decent moments but really the film is more of a number of scenes strung together than a clear arc.

3/5

A bit bummed out

 

The Beach Bum (2019)

Written & directed by Harmony Korine this film stars Matthew McConaughey, Snoop Dogg and Isla Fisher. A stoner is forced to write a book to inherit his dead wife's money.

Much like its protagonist the plot of this film never really goes anywhere, instead drifting around. No doubt the film is funny and entertaining, it just never threatens any depth. A little bit of a disappointment given how much I loved Spring Breakers (2012).

3/5

Trying to T2

 

Don't Breathe 2 (2021)

Directed by Rodo Sayagues this film stars Stephen Lang, Madelyn Grace and Brendan Sexton III. A blind man and his adoptive daughter are harassed by a gang.

Essentially this film tries to Terminator 2 the franchise. I can not really remember much from the first film and that does not appear to be necessary to watch this one. The plot is pretty thin and at times feels like a chore to get through.

2/5

Not at the gate

 

Barbarians (2021)

Written & directed by Charles Dorfman this film stars Tom Cullen. Ines Spiridonov, Iwan Rheon and Catalina Sandino Moreno. Two couples have a diner party and get held hostage.

It takes far too long for this film to get going and when it does it was not really worth the wait anyway. The climactic sequence is too dark in places to tell what is going on. Never adds up to the sum of its parts.

2/5

When it all goes South

 

Amundsen (2019)

Directed by Espen Sandberg this film based on real events stars Pal Sverre Hagen, Katherine Waterston and Christian Rubeck. We follow the career of explorer Roald Amunsen.

This is certainly a warts and all depiction of the famous explorer, showing the negative traits that help drive a person to do such things. I really enjoyed some of the shots of the polar landscapes, they really show how alien that part of the world is. Over all this is a decent if not ground breaking biopic.

4/5

To be heard

 

Ear for Eye (2021)

Written & directed by debbie tucker green this film has a large ensemble cast. Various perspectives on being black in the US and UK are voiced by the characters.

It is impossible not to love the fantastic use of language in debbie tucker green's writing, it really is amazing. The script covers the issue of race in a really hard hitting and entertaining way. The only criticism I would have are that it is pretty obvious this was conceived as a play rather than a film, that is a common issue with play adaptations though.

4/5

Only sinners

 

The Many Saints of Newark (2021)

Directed by Alan Taylor this film stars Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Vera Farminga and Jon Bernthal. We follow Tony Soprano's uncle during the late 1960s.

As someone that has never watched The Sopranos I found this film to be a bit hard to follow and connect with. To me this was a slightly below average mob film and nothing more. It felt like a lot of the film went over my head as someone that has not seen the show.

2/5

People do something

 

People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan (2021)

Directed by Jack Clough this film stars Allan Mustafa, Hugo Chegwin, Asim Chaudhry and Steve Stamp. A defunct UK garage act that never had any success finds that one of their two songs has become popular on a game show in Japan.

I have never seen the sitcom this film is a follow up to but it was easy enough to follow. The plot is very familiar, if you have seen any film about sudden “success” you can predict what happens here. There are a few funny moments although again a lot of the humour is predictable.

3/5