Lyon, place Bellecour (1895)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see people and traffic go past on the streets of Lyon.
Very simple in terms of content this is a single static shot of a street in Lyon. The visuals are busy enough to entertain and be worth rewatching to focus on different parts of the street. A fun little short.
3/5
The Card Counter (2021)
Written & directed Paul Schrader this film stars Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish and Tye Sheridan. A gambler hiding hides his past as soldier convicted for torturing prisoners.
Like many I am waiting for the next great poker film, sadly this is not it, the poker in the film is not really good or believable. I found the rest of the film to be a bit stale, the characters never really spark and the conflict inside the protagonist is just too placid. The praise this film gets surprises me, it is no where near Schrader's best work.
2/5
Skin (2018)
Written & directed by Guy Nattiv this film stars Jamie Bell Danielle Macdonald, Vera Farmiga, Micke Colter and Bill Camp. A man taken in as a teenager and raised by a white nationalist group looks for a way out.
This is a pretty interesting look at how hard it is for someone to escape their mistakes. I am not sure how closely the film sticks to real events while claiming to be based on a true story but there are elements of the story which certainly ring true in terms of how the group grooms new members. Difficult to watch at times, it is worth sticking with.
3/5
Panorama de l'arrivee en gare de Perrache pris du train (1896)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. A train arrives at Perrache station.
The title of this film is nearly longer than the film itself. This is a fun little short from the point of view of a passenger on a train. There is not a huge amount to this film but what there is is enjoyable.
3/5
Valerie (1957)
Directed by Gerd Oswald this film stars Sterling Hayden, Anita Ekberg and Anthony Steel. A man is put on trial for murder and we hear evidence from three points of view.
Essentially this is a knock off of Rashomon (1950), sadly it is not even the knock off of this film in a western setting. You are better off watching The Outrage (1964) which has a much better cast. All in all a weak genre film that fails to elevate itself via plagiarism.
2/5
Flag Day (2021)
Directed by co-star Sean Penn this film also features Dylan Penn, Katheryn Winnick and Josh Brolin. The daughter of a con man grows up struggling with the consequences of her fathers actions.
Yet another example of the problem of adapting a book to screen with respect to internal conflict working in one medium but not so well in another. Spanning such a long period of time the film struggles with getting the actors to look age appropriate at times. In the end a bit of a mess in my opinion despite having a decent amount of heart.
2/5
Photograph (1895)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. A photographer tries to take a picture of a man who will not sit still.
A very simple comedy that shows an early use of slapstick in cinema. The film works well and is a good example of the sort of thing to come. Fun for what it is.
3/5
Raging Fire (2021)
Directed by Benny Chan this film stars Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse and Qin Lan. A cop that can not be corrupted goes up against a former colleague who fell foul of their superiors.
What this film really needs is John Woo as director, it clearly wants to be a on of Woos Hong Kong era films but is not even close. The plot is a bit confusing, the story could have been told in a much better sequence. Even the action sequences are a bit mediocre and Donnie Yen is unable to carry the film.
2/5
A Town Like Alice (1956)
Directed by Joseph Janni this film based on the novel of the same name stars Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch. During WW2 women and children are forced to march about the Malay peninsula by the occupying Japanese forces.
Claiming to be based on real events the film is rather stretching things a bit although it does capture some of the brutal treatment prisoners faced under Japanese occupation. The plot itself is nothing that special, it is part of a number of similar films that came out in the period. Even the romantic ending is rather predictable.
2/5
South of Heaven (2021)
Directed by Aharon Keshales this film stars Jason Sudeikis, Evangeline Lilly, Mike Colter and Shea Whigham. A man is let out of prison to spend a year with his dying girlfriend.
Some times mixing genres up works really well, for this film the tone just shifts too often and the film never really finds its footings. There are times when this film really wants to be a Coen brothers film but just never gets there. If it were up to me I would have cut the last 20 to 30 minutes off this film.
2/5
Bocal aux poissons-rouges (1897)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. Fish swim in a bowl.
I am sure there are some historic reasons why this is an important film but it is not that impressive to the casual, modern viewer. Fish swimming in a bowl is nice if not overly remarkable. A pretty average film of the period in my opinion.
3/5
County Lines (2019)
Written & directed by Henry Blake this film stars Conrad Khan, Ashley Madekwe, Tabitha Milne-Price and Harris Dickinson. A fourteen year old boy becomes a drug dealer to support his family.
Essentially this film is much as you would expect, covering some fairly familiar ground. The ending is a little simplistic for my taste, otherwise the film is well done. There are decent performances from the cast, especially Conrad Khan.
3/5
How to Deter a Robber (2020)
Written & directed by Maria Bissell this film stars Vanessa Marano, Benjamin Papac, Chris Mulkey and Gabrielle Carteris. A couple of drunk teenagers and the girl's uncle attempt to hold off two burglars.
There are some funny moments to this comedy but it is not a riotous affair. The plot does not have a huge amount of depth to it either. As a fun distraction this film is fine, it ends up being a bit forgettable though.
3/5
A Mouthful of Air (2021)
Written & directed by Amy Koppelman thi film stars Amanda Seyfried, Finn Wittrock and Paul Giamatti. A new mother struggles with depression, recovering from a suicide attempt and being pregnant for a second time.
I thought this film did a really good job of handling a very sensitive subject. Most of the film involves internal conflict which can be hard to translate to the screen but author Amy Koppelman does a good job in adapting her own work. This film made me anxious through out in the right way.
4/5
Laveuses sur la riviere (1897)
Directed by Auguste and Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. A group of women at the river do their washing.
This short survives in surprisingly good quality and is easy to find online. There is not a huge amount to the film but it does capture a nice moment of normal life in the period. A nice little short.
3/5
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Directed by Jon Watts this film stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jacob Batalon. With his identity now known to the world Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange for help to return things to normal.
Wrapping up 20 years of cinema in one enjoyable piece of fan service there is a lot of fun here in a film that takes more than a nod from Into the Spider-Verse. The film does lack a little bit of depth but has more than enough surface level enjoyment to carry things. Going into this film fairly unspoiled really helped and is something I recommend.
4/5
How to Please a Woman (2021)
Directed by Renee Webster this film stars Sally Phillips, Alexander England and Hayley McElhinnney. A middle aged woman finds a new lease of life running an all male sex worker/house cleaning business.
There is a funny moment here or there but this film never really makes much of its premise. The script never really makes the characters face the consequences of their actions and has a couple of uncomfortable moments which are not properly thought through. A bit of a disappointment really.
2/5
Arrivee d'un train a Perrache (1896)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. A train arrives at Perrache station, some people get off.
There is not a huge amount to this film, it is what it says on the tin. The shot captures a mundane moment in daily life. Similar to many films of the period.
3/5
The Furies (2019)
Directed by Tony D'Aquino this film stars Airlie Dodds, Linda Ngo, Taylor Ferguson and Ebony Vagulans. Young women find themselves kidnapped and hunted by men in masks.
There is really not much to this gory slasher film. The plot is nothing that original and seems more interested in setting up a franchise than having depth. One for genre fans only really.
2/5
Die in a Gunfight (2021)
Directed by Collin Schiffli this film stars Alexandra Daddario and Diego Boneta. Star crossed lovers are kept apart by their feuding families.
If you want to see a contemporary version of Romeo and Juliet just stick with the Baz Luhrmann version, this one is not worth the effort. Wanting to be a Tarantino style take on the subject matter this film does not come even close. There is far, far too much telling and not enough showing, especially in the early part of the film.
2/5
Cube (1997)
Directed by Vincenzo Natali this film stars Nicole de Boer, Nicky Guadagni, Maurice Dean Wint and David Hewlett. Strangers find themselves trapped in a deadly maze made up of cubes.
There is a decent amount to the premise here unfortunately the weak writing never capitalizes on the potential of the film. You can see how despite its flaws this film has influenced a number of recent films. Probably not worth seeking out as it has not aged very well.
2/5
Horse Trick Riders (1895)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. A man tries and fails to get on a horse despite having help.
This is a funny little early comedy. While there is not a huge amount to this one it is a decent little sketch. Failure is always funny.
3/5
Perfect Nanny (2019)
Directed by Lucie Borleteau this film stars Leila Bekhti, Karin Viard and Antoine Reinartz. When a mother returns to work she and her husband hire a nanny to look after their kids.
This film explores the familiar idea of parental guilt at having someone else help raise your children. There is nothing really ground breaking here and I am not sure the film really brings enough of the creep factor for how the story ends. Decent but unremarkable genre piece.
3/5
Lords of Chaos (2018)
Directed by Jonas Akerlund this film inspired by real events stars Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen and Jack Kilmer. In the late 1980s a group seek to change the face of death metal in Norway.
I have no idea how much of this film is true, the characters themselves appear to have been people open to invention. What I did like was how this film shows that if you play at being something for long enough eventually you will attract someone who takes you seriously. This is definitely a window into a bizarre and misunderstood sub culture.
3/5
Jumping the Blanket (1895)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. Four men hold a blanket while another attempts to jump over it.
I suppose this is the prototype for jumping the shark. Some what entertaining but not really that funny. Not exactly the early slapstick you might expect.
3/5
Sundown (2021)
Written & directed by Michel Franco this film stars Tim Roth, Charlotte Gainsbourgh and Iazua Larios. A man turns his back on his family rather than face his problems.
To be honest I found this film, much like the protagonist, a bit frustrating. Apparently I am the only one that found the complete lack of conflict here to be a problem. There are some nice beach shots but the film was a disappointment to me in the end.
2/5
Zola (2020)
Directed by Janicza Bravo this film inspired by true-ish events stars Taylour Paige, Riley Keough, Nicholas Braun and Colman Domingo. A stripper takes a trip to Florida with what turns out to be a prostitute, her pimp and her boyfriend.
Existing somewhere in the space between Spring Breakers, Fear and Loathing and the classic road trip film this is certainly something. I suppose you could call this the first true twitter film given that it is based on a twitter thread, which does make the film somewhat unique. I definitely enjoyed this voyage into debauchery.
3/5
Memory: The Origins of Alien (2019)
Written and directed by Alexandre O. Philippe this documentary has interviews with a number of people that worked on Alien (1979). We look into the origins of the horror sci-fi film that has spawned a franchise.
Often these types of documentaries can end up being an exercise in masturbation, thankfully this one shows some restraint. The film does a decent job of exploring not only the origins of Alien but also showing what it takes to elevate something from being a genre piece to being art. My only disappointment with the film is that it lacks any new interviews with the major players like Ridley Scott.
4/5
The Blacksmiths (1895)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see two blacksmiths at work.
Very simple in terms of content, this is a single static shot of two men at work. The scene is nice enough if not particularly exciting. A very standard film of the period.
3/5
King Richard (2021)
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green this film based on real events stars Will Smith, Saniyya Ellis, Demi Singleton and Aunjanue Ellis. A father bets his family's success on two daughter's tennis careers.
For my taste we get far too little of this story from the point of view of the Williams sisters and not enough of a critical look at their father. I found the film to be a bit of a one dimensional disappointment honestly. Decently made but in the end fairly hollow.
2/5
Lapsis (2020)
Written & directed by Noah Hutton this film stars Dean Imperial, Babe Howard and Madeline Wise. In the near future a man takes a job walking cables through the forest.
This is a satirical look at the gig economy or the practices of a company like Amazon. I enjoyed the film even if the quantum technology the story is based around is never really explained. Relevant and with some heart, a good watch.
4/5
