2003 (2021)
Directed by Harris Dickinson this film stars Patrick Gibson and Andrew Tiernan. In 2003 a young soldier is about to leave for war.
This is a fairly decent short film about the awkwardness between a father and son on the eve of the son leaving for war. The short is well done without being melodramatic. Just a little too short to have a lot of depth but it does capture a human moment.
3/5
Woodcutters (1896)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. Some blokes cut wood on the street.
There is not much more to this one than the title. I suppose it does at least deliver on what it promises which is more than most films these days. Fairly average film lacking a bit of something to make it special.
3/5
Aani Maani (2019)
Directed by Fahim Irshad this film stars Farrukh Seyer and Priyanka Verma. When the Hindu government bans the sale of beef a Muslim man's ability to support his family selling kebabs is under threat.
I found this film to be too slow moving and meandering even for its 90 minute run time. At times the focus is more on the domestic rather than the world problem. Maybe more enjoyable if you are more familiar with the issues facing contemporary India.
2/5
Pearl (2022)
Directed by Ti West this film stars Mia Goth, David Corenswet and Tandi Wright. A young woman wants to escape her family and life on the farm.
Going in I did not realise this film was a prequel and not having seen the other film in the series was not a problem. It was really nice to see a film from the point of view of someone who would usually be the antagonist. Very creepy and evocative through out.
4/5
Coolies a Saigon (1897)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. Two lines of workers pulling a steam roller pass the camera.
There is not a huge amount to this film although it is probably one of the few films on Vietnam of the period. Foreground action is fine and the backdrop is not terrible. Not overly remarkable to the casual viewer.
3/5
Violent Night (2022)
Directed by Tommy Wirkola this film stars David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Alex Hassell and Beverly D'Angelo. Santa goes John McClane on a Christmas Eve hostage situation.
I was really surprised at how well this film managed to balance Christmas sentimentality with a bit of the old ultra violence. There is a decent premise but this film is still better than it has any real right to be. A rare film I would actually like to see a sequel to if it goes deeper into the viking warrior santa lore.
4/5
Emuthi Puthi (2022)
Directed by Kulanandini Mahanta this film stars Neetali Das and Kenny Basumatary. A young woman helps her fish obsessed grandmother run away.
As road movies go this one is fine, it eventually gets to a heartfelt conclusion. It is obvious at times that the film was made fairly cheaply. Not bad but not that memorable either.
3/5
Little Dixie (2023)
Directed by John Swab this film stars Frank Grillo, Eric Dane, Annabeth Gish and Beau Knapp. A deal between an American politician and Mexican drug deals is reneged on.
All the characters in this film are so morally bankrupt it is impossible to really care about any of them. You can see what the film makers are going for this one just falls short of many similar genre entries. Not worth a watch in my opinion.
2/5
Chutes du Rhin vues de loin (1896)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. A small boat approaches a waterfall.
There is not a huge amount to this one, the run time is very short not allowing for much action. No doubt the falls are impressive and the people in the boat do give a sense of scale. Would be nice to have some sound with this one.
3/5
Ladies Only (2021)
Directed by Rebana Liz John this is a documentary film. Women on a ladies train carriage are interviewed.
This documentary does a fairly good job at surveying the different views of women on how life has changed and could change for them. I really enjoyed the mix of views from the interviewees. The film is a little bit slow in places which will not be for everyone.
3/5
Section Eight (2022)
Directed by Christian Sesma this film stars Ryan Kwanten, Dolph Lundgren, Dermot Mulroney and Mickey Rourke. A soldier goes to prison for a revenge murder then gets recruited to a secret government agency.
Pretty much everything about this film is terrible. Little of the plot makes any sense and there are so many forced twists your head will spin. Well worth avoiding this one, it was not through through at all.
1/5
iTales (2022)
A collection of short films from directors Rajshri Deshpande, Savita Singh, Kutti Revathi, Pooja Shyam Prabhat and Madhumitha Venugopal. Five different shorts on unconnected subjects.
There is not really any through line to this collection of shorts which is a bit of a shame. About the only one that really interested me was the short documentary on dancers. Too many weak entries for me.
2/5
Renfield (2023)
Directed by Chris McKay this film stars Nicholas Hoult, Awkwafina and Nicolas Cage. Dracula's assistant seeks to escape his toxic relationship with his master.
Taking a premise with potential and pairing it with a really good cast unfortunately this film never really hits the heights it could have. Everything is just a bit lazy or too easy, more effort required to really make this script sing. In the end a bit of a waste of Nic Cage as Dracula despite being an average film.
3/5
Cherbourg: entree des souverains russes et du president de la Republic sous le hall (1896)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. The king and queen of Russia along with the President of France walk past.
Unfortunately the camera is a little far away to really make out the dignitaries in this short film. The film does not really live up to its overly long title. Bit of a disappointment really.
2/5
Shankar's Fairies (2021)
Directed by Irfana Majumdar this film stars Jaihind Kumar, Shreeja Mishra and Gaurav Saini. In 1962 a government official's daughter is mostly raised by a mild mannered house servant.
This is very much a slow, gentle film without much overt drama. I think the film does a good job of recreating a child's point of view where they are shielded from the realities of life. For some this will be a bit too uneventful.
3/5
Japanese Actors: Wig Exercise (1900)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. A Japanese theatre actor practices performing in a long wig.
I am not cultured enough to be able to work out what is going on here. This short excerpt of early head banging does have a little charm to it. Would be better with some context.
3/5
She Came to Me (2023)
Written & directed by Rebecca Miller this film stars Peter Dinklage, Anne Hathaway and Marisa Tomei. A composer with writers block cheats on his therapist wife with a tug boat captain.
It is nice to see someone making a romantic comedy that does not rely on “the big misunderstanding” for a change. While the plot and comedy are no great shakes they are at least something a bit original. There is a bit of charm even if I am not sure about the teen marriage subplot.
3/5
Palm Trees and Power Lines (2022)
Directed by Jamie Dack this film stars Lily McInerny and Jonathan Tucker. A seventeen year old girl starts a relationship with a man twice her age.
I thought this was a really good look at the subtle nature of grooming, some might find the plot a bit slow but I thought it worked really well. The direction is excellent especially in the pivotal which is incredibly heart breaking. A fantastic performance from Lily McInerny really holds the piece together.
4/5
Lutteurs japonais (1898)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. Two fighters showcase some kendo.
I like that the camera is well placed to capture the action and movements of both men. There could be a little more action, this is not exactly a frenetic demonstration. Decent short with a good backdrop.
3/5
Big George Foreman (2023)
Directed by George Tillman this film baed on real events stars Khris Davis, Forest Whitaker and Jasmine Matthews. We follow the unorthodox career of a boxer turned preacher turned boxer again.
George Foreman's story is fascinating, this rendition of it is not. In nearly all regards this is a lightweight not a heavyweight. I think the film probably tries to cover too much in too short of a run time to do any part of the story justice.
2/5
Dostojee (2021)
Written & directed by Prasun Chatterjee this film stars Arif Shaikh and Asik Shaikh. Two boys that live next to each other in a rural Indian village are best friends.
As coming of age films go this one is decent, the setting is different to the usual but the plot fairly familiar. While I enjoyed the film it lacked something to take it to the next level and dragged a little in places. A decent effort despite the flaws.
3/5
The Road to Kuthriyar (2021)
Directed by Bharat Mirle this film stars Dhruv Athreye and Chinna Dorai. An unlikely friendship forms between two men as they survey the mammals in a forest.
There are elements of this film that are almost documentary, I am not sure how much of this film is even fictional at times. The film does a decent job of shining a light on the lift of tribal people that used to live in the forest but have been forced out by the government. Maybe a little slow in the middle but a decent watch.
4/5
Une rue a Tokyo (1897)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. We see a busy street from Tokyo.
Like many of the early street scene films there is not a huge amount to this one. There is hustle and bustle but not a lot more. Fairly average genre film.
3/5
Khamosh Pani (2003)
Directed by Sabiha Sumar this film stars Kirron Kher, Shilpa Shukla and Aamir Ali Malki. In 1979 a woman and her son living in a small village have their life changed as Pakistan becomes more Islamic under the rule of General Zia.
A good look at the consequences of partition, particularly on some of the subjects people do not like to talk about. Tragic and thought provoking. Well made without ever being melodramatic.
4/5
The Last Rifleman (2023)
Directed by Kevin Fitzpatrick this film stars Pierce Brosnana, Clemence Poesy and Jrugen Prochnow. On the 7th anniversary of D-Day a vertern in his 90s escapes his care home to go to the memorial in Normandy.
This fictional story is just a bit too conveniently constructed. Even the part where the protagonist confronts a former SS member does not have enough bite to it. Given there is a true story that inspired this I do not see why we need a fictional take.
2/5
Master Cheng (2019)
Directed by Mika Kaurismaki this film stars Chu Pak-Hong and Anna-Maija Tuokko. A Chinese man and his son travel to a small village in Finland in search of an old friend.
Pretty predictable this is your usual clash of cultures type film. There is a smidge of patronising orientalism but for the most part the film is not too bad. Could do with a little fat trimming, there are places where the film runs a little long for being so predictable.
3/5
Missing (2023)
directed by Will Merrick & Nick Johnson this film stars Storm Reid, Joaquin de Almeida, Ken Leung and Nia Long. An 18 year old girl searches for her mother after she does not return from a trip to Colombia.
As mystery thrillers go this one is fine, just when you think it has something interesting to say on the true crime genre it unfortunately goes nowhere. There is one glaring plot element that it annoyed me that the characters overlooked, otherwise I do not have much to complain about. A decent sequel to Searching (2018) that does not feel constrained by the screenlife gimmick.
3/5
Escrime au sabre japonais (1897)
Directed by Constant Girel this is an early short film. We see people practising Kendo.
I really like the energy captured in this film, there is plenty of frenetic action. Both the fore and background have plenty to catch the eye. A very good example of early cinema.
4/5
Escrime au sabre (1898)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. Sailors on the deck of a ship practice sword drills.
A big measured and slow to be fully exciting. There is at least decent foreground action in this short, the background is mostly the sea. Decent but not remarkable.
3/5
Le Caire, un enterrement (1897)
Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. A funeral parade in Cairo.
It is a little hard to make out what is going on here. The subject of the short takes a little too long to become clear and even then you do not see much of it. Basically just a shot of a busy street.
2/5
