The Oracle of Delphi (1903)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man steals from a temple, it does not turn out well for him.
A nice little snippet of a scene, sure there is not a huge amount to the plot but it is entertaining. Both the set and the special effects are well done. A solid effort.
3/5
Kamli (2022)
Directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat this film stars Saba Qamar, Sania Saeed and Nimra Bucha. A woman living with her blind sister in law has been waiting for her husband to return for eight years.
I found this film to be a little overly melodramatic for my taste. As romances go I suppose this one is fine but it was not for me. Might be better if you are more familiar with the tradition of poetry which features in the early part of the film.
2/5
Bhagwan Bharose (2023)
Directed by Shiladitya Bora this film stars Satendra Soni, Sparsh Suman and Vinay Pathak. As their world starts to expand beyond their village two young boys faith comes into conflict with reality.
I found this to be an enjoyable coming of age film from the point of view of rural India. The ending might be a little bit cliché but otherwise nothing to complain about. Well made and worth looking out for.
3/5
Extraordinary Illusions (1903)
Directed bye Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man performs a number of illusions.
As with most Melies shorts this is a number of camera tricks stitched together. I am never a fan of the dummy to human transitions, otherwise the film works well. A fun little short.
3/5
I Used to Be Funny (2023)
Written & directed by Ally Pankiw this film stars Rachel Sennott, Olga Petsa and Jason Jones. A comedian with PTSD struggles with the disappearance of a girl she used to nanny for.
I really enjoy a lot of this film, the performances and more what it is trying to be than what it actually is. There are just a few moments where I think the film falls a little short on selling the protagonists PTSD, most of the really heavy scenes are well handled though. A mixed bag that is probably not for everyone.
3/5
Paint (2023)
Written & directed by Brit McAdams this film stars Owen Wilson, Michaela Watkins, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ciara Renee. A man famous for hosting a painting show on free local television gets some competition.
Nothing earth shattering here in this fun, light comedy about painting and love. We all know this is a character inspired by Bob Ross and it works well as a concept for the film. Definitely an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes.
3/5
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
Directed by James Wan this sequel stars Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson and Black Manta. Our hero must stop someone trying to pollute the world.
Just when I thought this film was about to end there was another hour of it to go which is not a good sign. The writing is simplistic, lurching from one action sequence to the next while bludgeoning you over the head with what passes for character arcs. Even the action sequences are nothing to write home about, just the usual CGI fests.
2/5
Apparitions (1903)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man is haunted by ghostly figures.
Familiar stuff from Melies. Pretty well done but nothing that new from the director, the usual slap stick and camera tricks. Decently made for the period.
3/5
The Rajah's Dream or The Bewitched Wood (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A Sultan goes to sleep and has some crazy dreams.
A mixture of early camera tricks make up this short film, some working better than others. The backdrop is fairly good and the action decently entertaining if a bit familiar to anyone that has seen a few Melies films. Pretty fun for what it is.
3/5
Joram (2023)
Written & directed by Devashish Makhija this film stars Manoj Bajpayee. A man goes on the run with his baby daughter.
It may be a little slow pace wise but this film does a good job of looking at the fate of the really rural communities of India as “progress” pushes in on them. I found the plot a little confusing, for the most part it works. Decently made and on an interesting subject which is no doubt applicable to other parts of the world too.
4/5
The Terrible Turkish Executioner (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Four prisoners are sent for execution.
Pretty fun slapstick comedy, about the only beheading video I would actually recommend. A familiar Melies joke in a different setting. Well made for the period.
3/5
Head Count (2023)
Directed by Ben & Jacob Burghart this film stars Aaron Jakubenko and Melanie Zanetti. A man held with a gun to his head tries to remember how many bullets were left in it.
This film is trying to be a crime comedy and falls way short. There is little funny or tense about this film. Forgettable is the best thing you can say about this film.
2/5
Moving On (2022)
Written & directed by Paul Weitz this film stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Malcolm McDowll and Richard Roundtree. A woman goes to her friends funeral then plans to murder the widower for raping her many years previously.
Unfortunately I do not think this film does a good job of either being funny or dealing with the serious subject matter at the heart of the plot. The dialogue in particular is a bit lacking. Nice to see Richard Roundtree in one of his final roles if nothing else.
2/5
The Three Musketeers: Milady (2023)
Directed by Martain Bourboulon this sequel stars Fancois Civil, Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmai, Romain Duris and Eva Green. We finally get to the bottom of the conspiracy against the King of France.
Picking up where the previous film left off this is pretty much more of the same. I found all the back and forth of the plot a bit much, there ends up not really being much in the way of character arcs. We get the same action direction too which was not to my taste in the first film either.
2/5
The Prolific Magical Egg (1902)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. An egg grows and transforms into a head.
We start off with some nice slight of hand stuff but Melies over shoots with the egg turning into the head which is just not even remotely believable. The technology was not good enough for what Melies wanted to achieve here. A bit of a let down.
2/5
The Brahmin and the Butterfly (1901)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man transforms a wiggly worm into a butterfly.
Pretty simple in terms of plot and content. The sets and costumes are of the standard you expect of Melies and his theatricality. A fun little short.
3/5
Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
Directed by Roseanne Liang this film stars Chloe Grace Moretz. A young woman takes secret cargo onboard a B-17 bomber.
Bringing the gremlin myth to life this film is fine as far as the action goes. A lot of the plot and characters are a unbelievable which hampers the film. I am also really not sure about using an 80s style synthwave soundtrack on a film set in the 1940s, it does not fit very well.
2/5
The Magic Book (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Characters from a giant book spring from the page and come to life.
A simple camera trick repeated and then reversed. Pretty fun for what it is, a bit of silliness. A decent example of cinema of the period.
3/5
Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2023)
Written and directed by Teresa Sutherland this film stars Georgina Campbell. A woman starts her first summer working as a park ranger alone in the backcountry.
As low budget horror films go this is a decent one with a fairly unique plot, a nice change from attractive young people getting slashed up. I am not entirely sure about the ending but otherwise it holds up well. I look forward to seeing what Teresa Sutherland follows this up with.
3/5
He Went That Way (2023)
Directed by Jeffery Darling this film inspired by real events stars Jacob Elordi andZachary Quinto. An animal training transporting a famous chimp picks up a hitchhiker who turns out to be a serial killer.
I assume this film strays a bit from real events as the character names have been changed from their real life counter parts. As a very odd ball piece I found this film pretty entertaining but I think a version that ratcheted up the tension might have been more gripping. Decent performances from the stars help carry the uneven film.
3/5
