Drift (2023)
Directed by Anthony Chen this film based on the novel “A Marker to Measure Drift” stars Cynthia Erivo and Alia Shawkat. A young refugee struggles to survive on a Greek island.
I love the slow, personal nature of this film. The script does a great job of capturing a person barely surviving but too proud and scared to seek help. A fascinating watch that is well made.
4/5
A Sacrifice (2024)
Directed by Jordan Scott this film based on the novel “Tokyo” stars Eric Bana, Sadie Sink and Sylvia Hoeks. A psychology professor and his sixteen year old daughter get caught up in an eco-suicide cult.
I suspect this film strays pretty far from the novel it is based on, not just in moving the action to Berlin from Tokyo. The plot does not make a huge amount of sense or get to grips with issues at hand. Real disappointment for the on screen talent involved.
1/5
The Attempt Against the Life of Maitre Labori (1899)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man out for a stroll with friends is shot in the back by an assassin.
Part of the series on the Dreyfus affair this one does not have much context for those of us unfamiliar with the details of the scandal. The protagonist sure takes his time writhing around on the floor after being shot. A bit silly really.
2/5
The Human Pyramid (1899)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A group of noblemen sit on raised seating.
There is not much to this one and it is only really saved by a camera trick at the end to transform the subjects. Nice sets and costumes I suppose. Not my favourite Melies, lacks a bit of charm.
3/5
Pygmalion and Galatea (1898)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man finishes a statue and it comes to life.
Classic Melies camera tricks are added to a familiar Greek tale. The camera tricks do make the story a bit more slap stick than the Greeks might have intended. Fairly fun for what it is.
3/5
How He Missed His Train (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man tries to get dressed while his clothes keep transforming into other types on him.
A simple camera trick film, they type which Melies is well known for. The backdrop is decent and the film itself is fairly funny. In the end nothing that special.
3/5
The Shamrock Spitfire (2024)
Directed by Dominic & Ian Higgins this film based on real events stars Shane O'Regan. An Irishman joins the RAF and serves during the Battle of Britain.
Unfortunately this film has neither the budget nor the talent to do justice to the man whose life the film is based on. Much of the action sequences are re-used footage from earlier films and it is pretty obvious. The script is overly sentimental and never gets to grips with the subject matter.
1/5
Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023)
Directed by Rachel Lambert this film stars Daisy Ridley and Dave Merheje. A young woman struggles to find her place socially.
I really love the way this film captures the outsider held back by anxiety who wants to be an insider. This is a very human, mundane story told in a slow manner. The film might not be to everyone's taste but the low key style is perfect.
4/5
Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)
Directed by Emma Tammi this film stars Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail and Matthew Lillard. A young man trying to raise his sister get a job working at a closed down pizzeria.
The big struggle this film faces is we already had the off brand version and it stared Nicholas Cage, something this film could not compete with. I found the plot to be a mess, the first half or so is fine but once we get into trying to explain what is happening thing rapidly fall apart. Just watch the other version instead.
2/5
Suicide of Colonel Henry (1899)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man in a prison cuts his own throat.
Without knowledge of the Dreyfus affair the scene here is a bit without context for some of us. As a scene the film is decently made, the set is very nice. The surviving image is of good quality too.
3/5
Conjuring (1896)
Directed by George Melies this is an early short film. A magician performs a simple trick.
Unfortunately the surviving film stock of this short does not appear to be very good. The contents of the magic trick is not that unique. Not the best of magic Melies.
2/5
Off to Bedlam (1901)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Four black minstrels turn into white clowns.
Of all the Melies films this one has not aged well, black face never does. Distasteful to the modern eye the content is not that entertaining either. One to skip.
1/5
The Triple Conjurer and the Living Head (1900)
Directed by star Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man and two duplicates do magic tricks.
Simple in terms of content this is Melies once again showing off his combination of stage magic and camera trickery. Yes the modern eye can tell how the trick is done but the film is still decent for the period. Pretty fun.
3/5
Ruthless (2023)
Directed by Art Camacho this film stars Dermot Mulroney, Melissa Diaz and Jeff Fahey. A high school wrestling coach attempts to save a girl from human trafficking.
If you ever wanted to see a cheap knock off of Taken with a wrestling coach as the protagonist then this is the film for you. Mostly this film is just not very believable at all. About the level of most of the Saban Films.
2/5
American Star (2024)
Directed by Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego this film stars Ian McShane, Nora Arnezeder and Adam Nagaitis. An older hitman travels to the Canary islands and has to wait around for his target to show up.
As thrillers go this is a pretty slow moving one so you have to be okay with slow paced films to enjoy this one. For some people there will just not be enough going on here. I found the film fairly enjoyable, mainly for the landscape shots of the island.
3/5
The Great Escaper (2023)
Directed by Oliver Parker this film based on real events stars Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson. An old man goes AWOL from this care home to attend the 70th anniversary of D-Day in France.
Compared to The Last Rifleman (2023) I found this film to be a lot more grounded and less overly sentimental. The film does a good job of looking at how society deals with old age as well as telling the story. Good performances from the leads who are in the twilight of their careers.
4/5
Up-to-Date Spiritualism (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man is trolled by a possessed hat.
A simple comedy that works pretty well. There is not a huge amount to this, it is a comedy sketch with a little bit of trick photography. Fun if nothing else.
3/5
The Little Drummer Girl (2018)
Directed by Park Chan-wook this mini series adaptation of the novel of the same name stars Michael Shannone, Alexander Skarsgard and Florence Pugh. Israeli intelligence attempt to infiltrate a Palestinian terror cell using an English actress.
I love John le Carre's stuff and even though I have not read the book of this one this appears to be a really good adaptation. The plot is tense and though provoking. It might not offer a lot new on the subject matter but it explores a lot of points that are as relevant as ever even 40 years later.
4/5
The Cook's Revenge (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A cook gets decapitated and has his revenge.
A silly little short involving slapstick comedy. There is not a huge amount to this one but it is fairly funny and decently uses camera tricks to achieve its effects. The only thing that is not entirely clear is what starts the whole thing off.
3/5
Addition and Subtraction (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man performs some magic tricks making things appear and disappear.
The French title of this short seems a lot more interesting than the English one! As for the content simple camera tricks allow for a number of “magic” tricks to be performed. Pretty standard, unfortunately the image quality of the surviving print does not seem to be that good.
3/5
Am I OK? (2022)
Directed by Tig Notaro & Stephanie Allynee this film stars Dakota Johnson, Sonoya Mizuno and Kiersey Clemons. A woman in her early 30s is unsure about her sexuality.
As coming out films go this one is not the deepest or most hard hitting, we are light rom-com territory for most of the film. I can not help but feel this is just a light weight effort which is a bit of a shame. Not really much to recommend this one on.
2/5
The Royal Hotel (2023)
Directed by Kitty Green this film stars Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Toby Wallace and Hugo Weaving. Two young backpackers take a job working at a bar in rural Australia.
I love the way this film simmers with anxiety, always threatening to break out into something horrific but never quite getting there. The low key, grounded nature of the film keeps an impressive level of realism about the story. While this film may fall a little short of the last Green/Garner collab it is still a really fantastic watch.
4/5
Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
Directed by Ben Wheatley this sequel stars Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Cliff Curtis and Melissanthi Mahut. Our hero ends up on the ocean floor with his friends needing a way to get back to the surface alive.
There is not a single character arc in the whole two hours of this film. The action part of the film is fine if rushed, there are other film that do the various sequences better than this film. Very surprised to see that Ben Wheatley directed this one.
2/5
Naval Combat in Greece (1897)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A scene of sailors on a modern navy ship firing the gun.
For the period this is a pretty impressive short. The special effects work well and give a good impression of the scene. Sure this is not a full naval battle extravaganza but what are you expecting from 1897?
3/5
The Dwarf and the Giant (1901)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film which stars two copies of its director. A man both grows and shrinks himself.
A simple camera trick to show the same man at two different sizes. There is some Melies showmanship here but not quite enough to carry the simple idea. A bit basic for Melies in my opinion.
3/5
A Fantastic Meal (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man and two women try to have a meal.
Mixing slapstick comedy and special effects this is a fairly funny short. Most of the camera tricks are clear to the modern eye yet still fun. Pretty entertaining.
3/5
On the Roof (1897)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Two robbers throw a woman off the roof then get chased by an officer of the law.
I thought I had already seen this one, it must have been a knock off or a film that this one is a knock off of that I had seen before. The slapstick comedy is fine, nothing special. Comedy is not my favourite genre for Melies to tackle.
3/5
Ride on (2023)
Written & directed by Larry Yang this film stars Jackie Chan, Liu Haocun and Guo Qilin. An aging stunt man reconnects with his daughter in an attempt to save his horse.
Some how this film stretches out to two hours what could have been got through in maybe ninety minutes at most. The plot is predictable but does manage to be fairly touching at least in places even if it is heavy handed when it does so. Not Chan's best work really.
2/5
Bonus Track (2023)
Directed by Julia Jackman this film stars Joe Anders, Samuel Small, Jack Davenport and Alison Sudol. A 16 year old boy doing poorly at school and with no friends is only interested in music.
As coming of age films go there is not really anything special here, in fact this one is a bit twee and predictable for my taste. There is definitely something which could have been interesting to explore in the relationship between the father and son but that is not really the core of the piece here. About the only thing I was left wondering about was why they cast an American as the mother.
2/5
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
Directed by David Gordon Green this sequel stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett and Ann Dowd. Two girls go missing only to re-appear three days later with no memory of where they have been.
The major problem with this film is that it offers nothing new and lacks the shock factor of the original. I found the resolution of the plot poorly thought out, clearly an ending was picked and then the path to it fudged. Not the best or most thoughtful entry in the series.
2/5
