Sparkly

 

Barbie (2023)

Directed by Greta Gerwig this film based on the dolls of the same name stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and America Ferrera. A disturbance in her mental well being leads Barbie to leave Barbieland and find the girl who is playing with her.

Enjoyable, weird, pointed, smart and funny there is a ton to enjoy in this film which is not surprising when it has Greta Gerwig behind it. I suppose the main criticism from some will be is this is too progressive and not enough of a children's film while for the rest of us maybe it is not progressive enough, I also thought there was a bit too much Ken for a Barbie film. In time I do not think this will hold up as the titan of feminism some are making it out to be, it is a massive step in the right direction and a lot of fun with some real heart too.

4/5

Tombed

 

XII. La mise au tombeau (1898)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. Another part in the director's adaptation of the Passion play.

Unfortunately a fair amount of the action in this one is just below the frame. Not the best shot entry in the series. What you can see of the costumes seems alright.

2/5

Not all bad after all

Cosmic Disaster (2021)

Directed by stars Nika Nurnett and Pauline Chalamet this is a short film. Two cousins live together with a settled routine.

I found this short to be a lot of fun, it is well constructed and comes with an enjoyable amount of oddity. The short really leans into the style and it is impressive to see it was shot in one day. Well worth seeking out in my opinion.

3/5

A bit of a dock up

 

Liverpool, entree dans Clarence Dock (1897)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see a dock in Liverpool.

Unfortunately this is an incomplete short that has a very stuttery effect to it. What survive is fine, nothing much special. Probably not worth seeking out given the incomplete form.

2/5

Bites

 

Ike Interviews God (2014)

Directed by Eli Shapiro this is a short film. An average man is selected to interview god but only on the topic of food.

For what it is this is a fairly decent little dark comedy. There may not be a huge amount to this one, it is at least thought provoking. The performance of the main actor is pretty good.

3/5

Is it though?

 

It's a Dog (2022)

Directed by Eli Shapiro this film stars David Rosenberg, Molly Carden and Daniel Jenkins. A man refuses to accept his impending baldness.

I am not sure I really agree that the man is bald, otherwise the film does a decent job of exploring he issue at hand. Pretty fun if not massively deep. A decent little short.

3/5

Carpenter poorly framed

 

XIII. La resurrection

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see the resurrection scene in a passion play.

Unfortunately what should be the final dramatic moment of this series is ruined by most of the action happening out of frame. Pretty hard to tell what is going on here. Big blunder really.

1/5

Not even close to what happened

 

Gran Turismo (2023)

Directed by Neill Blomkamp this film based loosely on a true story stars Archie Madekwe, David Harbour and Orlando Bloom. A teenage video game player enters a contest for the chance to become a real racing driver.

Unfortunately both video game adaptations and racing films produce some pretty bad films, this is another in long line for both. The script is pretty terrible from over relying on repeated plot elements to dialogue that needs a major rewrite. Probably worst of all in this film is the way it cheaply uses a real life tragedy, actually gross.

1/5

Vibrancy & Villain

 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023)

Directed by Jeff Rowe this film has voices from Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri and Jackie Chan. Four teenage mutant ninja turtles seek to be accepted in the human world.

What stands out most about this film is the vibrant animation style which is somewhat unique and fits well with the characters. The plot is no great shakes, it does a job. Ice Cube is definitely the stand out as the villain super fly.

3/5

Passing by

 

Paris: general Saussier et son etat-major (1896)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. Dragons take part in a military parade.

Clearly this is only a snippet of a larger parade. I suppose what we see go past the camera is fairly interesting even if it is a bit same-y. Not really worth seeking out.

2/5

On yer 'ead

 

Fort-de-France: femmes portant des corbeilles (1902)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. Women carry stuff in baskets on their head.

Not a huge amount to this one either in foreground or background. A simple day to day scene which lacks something special about it. Unremarkable in the end.

2/5

Christ on the cross

 

XI. Le calvaire (1898)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this short is part of the director's passion play series. Christ on the cross.

Well staged and fairly dramatic visual. There is not really a lot of action to this one but you do at least get some emotion from it. A decent film for the period.

3/5

Part two not good

 

II. La fuite en Egypte

Directed by Alexandre Promio & Georges Hatot this is an early short film. We see a scene with a back drop against a recreation of the sphynx.

I assume this is part of Promio's passion play series however it is definitely one of the weaker parts. It is hard to tell what is going on or how exactly this fits in with the story. Not the best or most recognisable part of the passion play.

2/5

Heavy is the head

 

Golda (2023)

Directed by Guy Nattiv this film based on real events stars Helen Mirren. We see the Yom Kippur War through the eyes of Israeli prime minister Golda Meir.

Obviously this is a pretty one sided look at events, the film never touches on Meir's reject of talks with Egypt in the months leading up to the war for example. I did enjoy the film and thought it provided a unique look into the burden of leadership in war through one of the few female war leaders of the modern era. The film does leave you with some questions over historical accuracy though.

3/5

Space man

 

Jules (2023)

Directed by Marc Turtletaub this film stars Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris and Jane Curtain. A 79 year old man finds a UFO in his background and meets an alien.

I found this to be a fun and enjoyable film, you need to be able to enjoy a slower pace to be able to watch the gentle plotting in this one. There are a couple of really hilarious moments even if the film is not chock full of jokes. Captures something of the experience of old age and how we abandon our elderly.

3/5

Running on near empty

 

The Flash (2023)

Directed by Andy Muschietti this film stars Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle and Michael Keaton. Barry Allen finds he can travel back in time and prevent his mother's murder causing unforeseen consequences.

Despite what you might here this is actually not a terrible film in my opinion, it does a decent job of being an origin story without being an origin story. The time travel stuff is handled fairly well and having Michael Keaton back as Batman is awesome. Some of the humour is a bit out of place and you do kind of have to be a fan to enjoy all the references.

3/5

Dragons

 

Paris: dragons de l'escorte (1896)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. Soldiers on horse back take part in a parade.

Pretty much what it says on the tin. There is not a huge amount to this one and the parade could be happening anywhere really. Average short.

2/5

Market day

 

Arab Market (1896)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see a bustling Arab market.

Foreground action is plentiful in this short film. What is lacking compared to some films of the genre is an iconic or recognisable back drop to place this somewhere in the world. Fairly average street film all things considered.

2/5

Some people just want to go home

Good Night (2021)

Directed by David Vincent Smith this short stars Caroline Brazier and Clarence John Ryan. A sound engineer wants to go home for the day but is held up by one last client.

Covering a familiar “foot in mouth” situation there is not a huge amount to this short. The plot is fairly predictable, nothing special comes of the set up. Needs a bit more punch to it really.

2/5

The message mistake

Seasick (2021)

Directed by Lindsey Ryan this film stars Pauline Chalamet, Jimmy Brewer and Alexandria Benford. A young woman accidentally outs herself by mistakenly sending a message about her crush to her crush.

Sending a message to the wrong person is something we are likely all familiar with so it is pretty easy to identify with the protagonist of this short. If anything I think a bit more over the top version of this film might have worked a bit better, there is not quite enough comedy as is. Could have been better in my opinion.

2/5

Broken

 

Breaking (2022)

Directed by Abi Damaris Corbin this film based on real events stars John Boyega, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva and Michael Kenneth Williams. A former US Marine threatens to blow up a bank if the VA does not pay him the money he is owed.

Sadly this is an all to familiar tale of the lack of care countries have for their veteran population. I have no idea how closely the film sticks to true events but the action on screen is certainly believable given the number of similar news stories. Well made and respectful enough to not be overly melodramatic.

4/5

Thorny

 

IX: The Crown of Thorns (1898)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. Part nine in the director's adaptation of the passion play.

Compared to some of the other scenes in this series not a lot happens in this one. Sure the staging is decent but it needs some action. Not much on its own.

2/5

Bee better

 

The Beekeeper (2024)

Directed by David Ayer this film stars Jason Statham, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Josh Hutcherson. A former secret agent goes on a killing spree after an elderly friend falls victim to fraud and kills herself.

There is not a huge amount to the plot of this film, it follows a similar pattern we are all familiar with by this point. The whole thing is just a bit basic and silly really, I expected more from a film directed by the guy who wrote Training Day. Even the action sequences are not good enough to carry the film.

2/5

Budget mortality

 

Everybody Die... Sometimes (2023)

Directed by Charlotte Hamblin this is a short comedy. A young woman believes everyone she get close to dies.

As dark comedies about mortality go this is fine I suppose, nothing amazing or overly original. Not a huge amount stands out. The acting is fine, nothing special.

3/5

Fronting

 

Bruxelles, la bourse (1897)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. People pass in front of a neo-classical building.

The building providing the backdrop to this film could be in any one of a number of European cities, it is not that unique. Foreground action is fine, nothing special. An average street film of the period.

3/5

Inevitable escape

 

Time Lock (1957)

Directed by Gerald Thomas this film based on the play of the same name stars Robert Beatty, Lee Patterson and Betty McDowall. A six year old gets locked in a bank vault, can they get him out before the air runs out?

There is not a lot to this one, you know they will never let the kid die so it is just a case of waiting for the expert to turn up to save the day. I would actually be pretty interested to see how this one is supposed to be staged as a play given all the industrial machinery used in it. Really the only reasons for watching this is to see Sean Connery in an early bit part and that the writer of the original play went on to write Airport.

2/5

Life without love

 

L'immensita (2022)

Directed by Emanuele Crialese this film stars Penelope Cruz, Luana Giuliani and Vincenzo Amato. A loveless marriage in 1970s Italy seen through the eyes of a 12 year old with gender dysphoria.

A good look at a broken family. There may not be a huge amount to this one but it definitely captures a snapshot of the human experience. Well made and executed.

4/5

Just don't

 

Don't Look Up (2021)

Directed by Adam McKay this film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett and Merly Streep. An asteroid is coming to destroy the planet.

Initially about the climate crisis this film does get a little muddied with the influence of the covid-19 pandemic but is still a biting satire. We can all see how close to home this film hits after the events of the last few years. Not a laugh out loud comedy, definitely thought provoking.

4/5

Adam Drive goes Italian Part 2

 

Ferrari (2023)

Directed by Micahel Mann this film based on real events stars Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Gabriel Leone. In 1957 the Ferrari company finds itself in need of a win at the Mille Miglia road race.

Not an entire biography of Enzo Ferrari this film does a good job of exploring the nature of the man through a small period of his life. The film seems to be fairly factual which is not always a given with Hollywood. An enthralling look at the passion and tragedy of the era in motor racing.

4/5

Whipped

 

VIII: The Flagellation (1898)

Directed by Alexandre Promio this is an early short film. We see part eight of a passion play.

There is decent staging to this short but not much in the way of action really. Of the shorts I have seen in this series it is not one of the more exciting ones. Probably only worth seeing as part of the whole piece.

2/5