The Best Man (2023)
Directed by Shane Dax Taylor this film stars Luke Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Brendan Fehr and Nicky Whelan. At a remote luxury hotel the guests are held hostage during a wedding.
It takes too long to get to the action in this Die Hard knock off and even when things finally do get going it was not really worth the effort. A mindless action film made on a cheap budget. It is pretty disappointing that this is what Luke Wilson's career has come to.
2/5
The Silent Twins (2022)
Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska this film based on real events stars Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrence. Two twins refused to talk to other, only speaking to each other when alone.
Certainly this is an oddity of a real story to delve into, the script never really gets to the core of the subject matter sadly. The performances are decent but it looks like there is just too much missing from the story. Sadly a miss on an interesting subject.
2/5
Neron essayant des poisons sur des esclaves (1898)
Directed by Alexandre Promio and Georges Hatot this is an early short film. Emperor Nero orders slaves to drink poison.
The image quality is not the best on this one and I am not familiar enough with Roman history to know if this is a famous scene. It is a little hard to get what is going on here. Not one of the early Lumiere catalogue I would recommend seeking out.
2/5
Caught in Time (2020)
Directed by Lau Ho-Leung this film inspired by real events stars Wang Qianyuan, Daniel Wu and Jessie Li. In 1990s China police hunt a gang of armed robbers.
How closely this film sticks to real events is clearly up for debate. As an action film it is okay, nothing special. At times it is a bit hard to keep up with the details and there are not really any character arcs to speak of.
2/5
Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
Directed by Bruce Beresford this film based on the play of the same name stars Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Dan Akyrod. An old Jewish woman is no longer safe to drive so her son hires her a black chauffeur.
To modern eyes this is a fairly patronising look at race relations. At the time this film one all the awards but it has not aged at all well in my opinion. Even the Hans Zimmer soundtrack comes off as dated.
2/5
House Party (2023)
Directed by Calmatic this reboot stars Tosin Cole and Jacob Latimore. Two men throw a party at Lebron James's house while he is out of town.
I am only aware of the original film through reputation, it seems this film has taken something relatable and turned it into something rather boring. I found the whole thing to be a bit tiresome and lacking in humour. Comes across as a Lebron James vanity project rather than a loving reboot of a cult classic.
2/5
High Heat (2022)
Directed by Zach Golden this film stars Olga Kurylenko and Don Johnson. On the opening night of a new restaurant a woman finds her husband owes a lot of money to the mob.
Predictable and made on a budget there is little to recommend this film on. The script is not nearly as clever or funny as it wishes it was meaning the cast do not have much to work with. I would advise just skipping this one.
2/5
Cortege au mariage de la princesse Maud (1896)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see part of a royal wedding procession.
Certainly there is some pomp and state to this short film. The image quality is not the best so it is hard to pick out all the details. A nice little historical record, not much more.
3/5
Babylon (2022)
Written & directed by Damien Chazelle this film stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li. A young man gets his start in 1920s Hollywood.
Another voyage into Hollywood on Hollywood that ends up being masturbatory. The run time is too long, the plot meandering and scatter shot. You can see what the film is trying to do, it touches on a number of familiar elements, and it does have some nice sequences but it just never becomes a cohesive whole for me despite the good performances.
3/5
Career Girls (1997)
Written & directed by Mike Leigh this film stars Katrin Cartlidge and Lynda Steadman. Two university flatmates reunite after six years apart.
There is a lot to enjoy about this film, it has a ton of very human moments. I love seeing the difference between the teenage insecurity shown in flashbacks and the women the protagonists have become. A great little film about female friendship and growing up.
4/5
Is Paris Burning? (1966)
Directed by Rene Clement this film based on real events has a large cast including Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon and Orson Wells. Resistance fighters in Paris rise up in the hope of spurring the Allies into liberating the city.
Slightly on the long end this is a fairly enjoyable film that mixes news real footage into acted scenes. For the most part the film is historical and does a decent job of showing what happened, a bit more depth on the political side would have helped. Some of the image quality is not the best and the dubbing of French and German actors will not be for everyone.
3/5
Rentree a l'etable (1896)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. An alpine scene where animals are herded past a house.
As picturesque scenes go this is fine, could have done with a little more landscape in my opinion. There is a decent level of variety in the people and animals passing the screen. A solid film of the period which is a bit different to the usual city shots.
3/5
The Locksmith (2023)
Directed by Nicolas Havard this film stars Ryan Phillippe and Kate Bosworth. A man just out of prison trying to reconnect with his family is drawn back into crime.
Pretty much nothing is original here, this is a bunch of familiar genre elements rehashed. Nothing sparkles here, this is a very limp effort. This is one of those films you are just waiting for it to be over because you know every beat it will hit along the way.
2/5
Armageddon Time (2022)
Written & directed by James Gray this film stars Banks Repeta, Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong and Anthony Hopkins. A Jewish boy comes of age in 1980s New York.
As coming of age movies go this one is fine, it covers a lot of familiar ground with a Jewish cultural flavouring. Nothing stands out too much about this one really. The main draw is the adult cast who mostly exist in on the periphery.
3/5
Breaking Point (2023)
Directed by Max Giwa & Dania Pasquini this film stars Karan Singh, Kelvin Clarke and Jilou. Two brothers both compete for Great Britain in a break dancing contest.
Filled with cliches this film is based on a pretty terrible script. The whole plot is paper thin, it is so bad I am not even sure young children will swallow it. I suppose the dancing sequence are fine, they are not me speciality. My biggest question is what is Alice Eve doing having a small part in a film this bad?
1/5
Happening (2021)
Directed by Audrey Diwan this film based on the novel of the same name stars Anamaria Vartolomei. In 1960s France a young woman tries to get an abortion so she can continue her studies.
Covering the type of plot you can find in a few other films this story is still depressingly relevent in parts of the world. The film does a good job covering the subject matter even if it is not entirely original. There is at least one incredibly human and incredibly uncomfortable moment towards the end of the film.
4/5
Birds of Passage (2018)
Directed by Cristina Gallego & Ciro Guerra this stars Natalia Reyes and Jose Acosta. In the late 1960s in North Colombia a Wayuu man starts selling weed to Americans.
A very familiar crime story in a very unfamiliar setting. While the plot might be predictable the setting and flavour of the film are more than unique enough to make this an enjoyable watch. Well worth seeking out for an art house take on the rise and fall of a drug lord.
4/5
Panorama des rives du Nil, [I] (1897)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see the banks of the Nile from a boat travelling along the river.
My issue with this film is there is very little in shot to actually tell you where you are. This could really be a river scene from any north African country, nothing is very specifically Egyptian here. Not my favourite of the Lumiere travel films.
2/5
Broker (2022)
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda this film stars Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona and Lee Ji-eun. A young woman abandons a baby at a baby box under surveillance by the police for human trafficking.
Following up from Shoplifters (2018) the director Kore-eda continues his study of unusual found families. This deep dive into what happens to unwanted children is touching without being overly melodramatic. Both thought provoking and a good watch.
4/5
Seriously Red (2022)
Directed by Gracie Otto this film stars writer Krew Boylan, Daniel Webber, Thomas Campbell, Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne. A woman gets fired from her job and becomes a Dolly Parton impersonator.
There is certainly some potential depth to this film however it goes with simplistic route for the most part. The film is enjoyable with some funny moments it just could have explored the ideas of identity a bit more in my opinion. Definitely the performances are the highlight here.
3/5
Alger: rue Bab-Azoun (1896)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is a short film from the Lumiere catalogue. We see a street scene from Alger.
As street scenes go this is a pretty decent one, there is a good variety of stuff passing the camera. There is enough to keep you interested for the short run time of the film. The location might not be the most impressive but it is very slice of life.
3/5
Black Adam (2022)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra this film stars Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi and Pierce Brosnan. After thousands of years a sleep an ancient power is awoken.
There is actually potential in this film, conflicted characters that could have real arcs. Unfortunately the script needs major reworking to get anywhere decent, this is just too much of a mess to enjoy as is. Another disappointment from the DCU, what a surprise.
2/5
Anais in Love (2021)
Written & directed by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet this film stars Anais Demoustier, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Denis Podalydes. A young woman looks for love, first with an older man and then with his wife.
It is hard to imagine anything more French than the plot of this film. Thankfully the film does not descend in to parody, it manages to be a pretty entertaining little comedy about love. Sure this is not a riotously funny film but it is enjoyable none the less.
3/5
Constantinople, panorama de la corne d'or (1897)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see Constantinople from the back of a moving vessel.
My question for the day is, is it really a panorama if it is not the camera moving but what the camera is on that is moving? This is a nice enough view of the part of Constantinople however all the boats in the foreground rather get in the way. The whole thing looks a bit cluttered really.
3/5
Death of Marat (1897)
Directed by Alexandre Promio and Georges Hatot this is an early short film. A woman murders a man.
Filmed as a single static shot it is a bit hard to tell what is going on here due to the image quality and the distance of the camera from the action. Without much familiarity with French history it is difficult to figure out who the people involved are. Not the best of the early Lumiere catalogue.
2/5
Dead Reckoning (1947)
Directed by John Cromwell this film stars Humphrey Bogard, Lizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky and William Prince. A paratrooper investigates the disappearance and death of one of his comrades.
As film noir go this is a very middle of the road one that does nothing new or particularly interesting. The plot just about fills the 90 minute run time without outstaying its welcome. What the film really needs is Lauren Becall instead of her knock off, Lizabeth Scott.
3/5
It Is In Us All (2022)
Written & directed by Antonia Campbell-Hughes this film stars Cosmo Jarvis and Rhys Mannion. A Londoner who has inherited his aunt's house in Donegal is involved in a fatal car accident.
There are some nice shots of the Irish scenery in this film which I really enjoyed. Overall this is one of those independent films that I had a hard time connecting with, I even struggled a bit with some of the dialogue. Certainly I want to see more from Antonia Campbell-Hughes even if this one missed the mark for me.
3/5
The Integrity of Joseph Chambers (2022)
Written & directed by Robert Machoian this film stars Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster, Michael Raymond-James and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. An insurance agent goes hunting on his own in the woods.
This is a one of those low key independent films without a lot of action. I did enjoy the film if not as much as the previous Machoian/Crawford collaboration. A thought provoking moral dilemma.
3/5
The Woman King (2022)
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood this film stars Viola David, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch and John Boyega. Elite women warriors defend the kingdom of Dahomey from its rivals.
When Hollywood and history combine you are never getting the real deal, this film mixes a very large dose of fiction in with history. If anything this is the Marvel version of history and would serve well as a Black Panther prequel, too much of the unpalatable side of history is omitted in favour of a more super hero approach. Some good performances and a nice bit of representation I just would have preferred something a bit more historical.
2/5
