Swallow (2019)
Written & directed by Carlo Mirabella-Davis this film stars Haley Bennett and Austin Stowell. After becoming pregnant a young woman starts to swallow inedible objects.
I really enjoyed this look at a woman struggling for control in her life. The film is very difficult to watch in places yet still riveting. A fascinating look at a tough subject.
4/5
Mr. Malcolm's List (2022)
Directed by Emma Holly Jones this film stars Freida Pinto, Zawe Ashton and Sope Dirisu. In Regency Britain a rich young man has a list of qualifications he expects from a potential bride.
A Jane Austin knock off that falls short of what it is copying the main draw here is the diverse casting. Unfortunately the casting does not really work as the cast are a bit too old to be in their early twenties. I am also not sure about the mixed messages of using diverse casting to pretend racism did not exist in the period while having the characters be deeply classist, it comes across as a bit odd.
2/5
Via Marina (1897)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see a simple street scene.
Traffic passes a single static shot. There is enough going on to make this an interesting street scene although not anything to make it unique. A solid genre piece, nothing more.
3/5
Una (2016)
Directed by Benedict Andrews this film stars Rooney Mara, Ben Mandelsohn, Riz Ahmed and Ruby Stokes. A young woman confronts the man who abused her as a 13 year old.
This is an uncomfortable watch and not always in the ways you expect. I will be honest I am not sure how I feel about the way the story deals with the subject matter, to my mind it tries too hard to humanize the antagonist at times. In the end I am just not sure I can get my head around the way the characters are protrayed.
2/5
The Toll (2021)
Directed by Ryan Andrew Hooper this film stars Michael Smiley, Annes Elwy, Iwan Rheon and Paul Kaye. In a small Welsh village a bizarre amount of serious crime happens.
Definitely an odd ball film there is a fun quality to this one. You can see the low budget a lot of the time but if you can look past that this is decent. I certainly enjoyed the film for what it is.
3/5
Prestidigitateur, I (1897)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. A magician performs a few tricks.
Very simple in content this is a single state shot. The magician's tricks are fairly familiar stuff if you have ever seen any magic. Nothing special really.
3/5
The Black Phone (2021)
Directed by Scott Derrickson this film based on the short story of the same names stars Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw. In 1970s Denver a man is abducting children.
Clearly this film is heavily influenced by the work of Stephen King although it does fall short of his best work. A little more depth would really help the film, we never learn much about the antagonist or the family of the protagonist. Decently made just seems like it could have been more.
3/5
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955)
Directed by Otto Preminger this film based on real events stars Gary Cooper, Charles Bickford, Ralph Bellamy, Rod Steiger and Elizabeth Montgomery. An officer trying to prove the worth of the Air Service is demoted then court-martialed for insubordination.
Taking real events this film goes full wank on making the protagonist a paragon of virtue. It is a bit disappointing to find out that the film has left out the warts from this biopic. A more adult take on the topic would have been better.
3/5
Dragoon Wells Massacre (1957)
Directed by Harold D. Schuster this film stars Barry Sullivan, Dennis O'Keefe and Mona Freeman. A group of strangers band together to try and escape hostile Native Americans.
With a very familiar set up there are not many surprises in this film, there is at least a nod to the idea that the Native Americans are in the right for all the white man has done to them. What the film does well is throw together an interesting selection of characters and lets them change over the course of the film. For a B-movie western it is pretty good.
3/5
The Long Ships (1964)
Directed by Jack Cardriff this film stars Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Russ Tamblyn and Rossan Schiaffino. Vikings hunt for a golden bell.
Ditching both the source material and historical accuracy this is not a good film. The film drags and wastes the on screen talent of Sidney Poitier. Not one worth seeking out, seems pretty cheap in places too.
1/5
Cheval de haute ecole, II (1897)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this early short film stars Napoleon Rancy. A man on a horse trots around for the camera.
This is a single static shot that mostly manages to the keep the subject in frame. The horse trotting round is fairly entertaining and does end with a decent flourish. A nice little short for the period.
3/5
Call Jane (2022)
Directed by Phyllis Nagy this film stars Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver and Chris Messina. In the 1960s US an upper middle class woman needs a life saving abortion but is unable to get on legally.
I really enjoyed the first third of this film, it is uncomfortable and very grounded. By the time the protagonist joins the underground network everything is just a bit too easy and unchallenged, we never get to see what happens when anything goes really wrong. A little bit more realism would have gone a long way in the rest of the film.
3/5
Paris, mi-careme: char de la reine des reines (1897)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see a street scene from Paris.
As street scenes go this is a decent one, we get to see a carriage go past the camera. The shot is a single static one so there is not a huge amount to this film. Solid example of the genre.
3/5
Marlowe (2022)
Directed by Neil Jordan this film based on the novel “The Black-Eyed Blonde” stars Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and Jessica Lange. Philip Marlowe investigates the death of a man for a rich woman who was his lover.
As noir films go this one is nothing special, plenty of familiar elements with little new. The plot does drag out a bit and seems a little unnecessarily complicated towards the end. Nothing really sparkles here, not even Liam Neeson in the lead role.
3/5
The Fog (1980)
Directed by John Carpenter this film stars Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Janet Leigh and Hal Holbrook. On the eve of its 100th anniversary a small town in California is haunted by its dark past.
For a film with a cult following I expected more. As a supernatural horror film this is fine but nothing special. Compared to other John Carpenter films this one lacks a striking score. The idea of exploring America's dark past is hinted at just never explored properly in this film in my opinion.
3/5
Nimes, sortie de l'eglise (1896)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see people leaving a church in Nimes.
Very simple in terms of set up, this is a single, static shot of people walking out of a building. As street scenes of the period go it is fine, nothing special. Lacks a little something to make it stand out or a bit of distance from the subject to show more of the building.
3/5
The Hanging Tree (1959)
Directed by Delmer Daves this film based on the novelette of the same name stars Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, Karl Malden and Ben Piazza. During the Montana gold rush a new doctor sets up in town.
This is a pretty average western, the characters have a little depth to them which is nice. Everything goes pretty much as you would expect, no surprises here. Slightly disappointing is that George C. Scott in his first film role is relegated to such a small part.
3/5
Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)
Directed by Halina Reijn this film stars Amandla Stengerg, Maria Bakalova, Myha'la Herrold and Chase Sui Wonders. A group of young people are a hurricane party find themselves playing a real life game of werewolf/mafia.
There is some smarts behind this black comedy that digs into the idea of paranoia and modern values. While the film make not be quite as smart as it could be it is a decent watch. Pretty enjoyable fare really.
3/5
To Leslie (2022)
Directed by Michael Morris this film stars Andrea Riseborough, Marc Maron, Allison Janney and Andre Royo. An alcoholic single mother who squandered her lottery winnings hits rock bottom.
Addiction films are a well trodden path and there is nothing wrong with this one however it is not that special either. Andrea Riseborough gives a really good performance in the lead role I am just not sure there is a lot to recommend this one over so many others in such a crowded genre. A little on the long side at 2 hours as well.
3/5
13 Going on 20 (2004)
Directed by Gary Winick this film stars Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Judy Greer and Andy Serkis. A thirteen year old girl wishes she was grown up and wakes up to find herself thirty years old.
As cheesy and predictable as this film is it is still pretty fun. The Christmas Carol style warning works well on the protagonist wanting to grow up too fast. For me the highlight of this film was the surprise of finding Mark Ruffalo and Andy Serkis in it in supporting roles, something I did not expect at all.
3/5
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)
Directed by Olivia Newman this film based on the novel of the same name stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson and David Strathairn. A young woman living along in the mash is accused of murder.
Setting up to be a John Grisham type story this film takes a hard turn into Nicholas Sparks territory for the majority of the film. Unfortunately the writing is both too predictable and not good enough to pull off the inevitable twist ending. There is definitely something here it is just a bland and disappointing execution.
2/5
Proxima (2019)
Directed by Alice Winocour this film stars Eva Green, Matt Dillon and Lars Eidinger. A single mother prepares to leave her daughter with her ex-husband and spend a year in space.
Very enjoyable, this film looks at the mundane, human cost of spending time away from family. The script does a good job of highlighting the female point of view on the subject. Well made and without melodrama.
4/5
The Warriors (1979)
Directed by Walter Hill this film based on the novel of the same name stars Michael Beck, James Remar and Deborah Van Valkenburgh. Members of a gang try to get home while being hunted on all sides.
If you want any sort of realism forget it, this film borders on fantastical possibly due to its roots in Greek legend. This film is considered a cult classic, it did not hit for me however, too much of the dark side of the gang is shaved off from the film version. Does not make me want to come out to play.
3/5
The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957)
Directed by George Marshall this film stars Audie Murphy, Kathryn Grant, Hope Emerson and Jeff Donnell. During the US civil war a Union officer helps women from his native Texas defend themselves against an Indian attack.
As with many westerns there are some unsavoury elements behind the plot that are never really questioned. The plot itself is nothing special, neither is the writing or the acting. Even the action is fairly pedestrian.
3/5
The Voyagers (2022)
Directed by Ludovico Di Martino this film stars Matteo Schiavone, Fabio Bizzarro, Andrea Gaia Wlderk and Francesca Alice Antonini. Three teenagers accidentally travel back in time to 1939 and try to find one of the brother's who is missing.
Aimed at younger viewers this film is not the best. Obviously the budget is not great and a couple of plot points are not something you should focus on thinking about for too long or they fall apart. Kind of fun but drags a little at the end.
2/5
Summit Fever (2022)
Directed by Julian Gilbey this film stars Freddie Thorp, Michel Biel, Mathilde Warnier, Theo Christine and Ryan Phllippe. A young man leaves an internship to spend the summer climbing the major peaks of Europe with a friend.
Something about mountain disaster films really hits my fear bone and this film does a decent job of that. The plot is pretty average,I am not sure it ever really gets to grips with why climbers take such risks. Decent for what it is but not much more than a genre film.
3/5
Maximilianeun (1896)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see a simple street scene from Munich.
As street scenes go this one is fine, people pass the camera making it fairly entertaining. What is missing is really a big central piece of action or unusual passer by to really make this one. A standard genre film in the end.
3/5
Elvis (2022)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann this film based on real events stars Austin Butler, Tom Hanks and Olivia DeJonge. We follow the career of Elvis through the eyes of Colonel Tom Parker.
Not the rock and roll fantasy piece that the Elton John film was and not a serious biopic either really this film sits somewhere in between the two. The film does little to ever really get to grips with its subject matter in my opinion, staying a surface level piece of entertainment. There are some top level performances which carry the film.
3/5
Danse des Ciociari (1897)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see the traditional dance of the Ciociari from Rome.
To be honest it is hard to tell what makes this traditional dance different from any other. The camera is a bit far away and the image quality not amazing. Does not do a great job of preserving something unique.
2/5
Lyon: sauvetage de lapins (1896)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. Men save rabbits from flooding.
The image quality of the version I saw of this film is so bad that it was impossible to make out what was actually going on. Having the camera so far away from the action does not help matters either. Maybe if you can find a really good version this is worth watching, otherwise it is not.
2/5
Crack in the World (1965)
Directed by Andrew Marton this film stars Dana Andrews, Janette Scott and Kieron Moore. Scientists trying to find a new source of power make a crack in the world.
Not good in any shape or form this is a b-movie disaster film. The plot takes too long to get going and when it finally does is unbelievable. Not what anyone wants to see really.
1/5
