Rip's Toast (1896)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film staring Joseph Jefferson. A man makes a toast.
It is a bit hard to tell the context of what his happening here but at least you can see what is going on. As a stand alone there is not a huge amount to this short. Obviously other films of the same era did not have much to them either.
2/5
Saltburn (2023)
Written & directed by Emerald Fennell this film stars Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant. In 2006 a scholarship pupil at Oxford worms his way into the life of a popular upper class student.
A lot of similar films exist and I am not really sure what this one adds to the genre. By no means does this film do anything wrong I am just not sure it does anything exceptional or new. Enjoyable regardless of how familiar it is.
3/5
Gladiator II (2024)
Directed by Ridley Scott this sequel stars Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington. Sixteen years after the events of the first film another man is brought to Rome as a gladiator.
A poor facsimile of the original there are just too many reminders you are watching a worse version of a film that already exists. There are too many contrivances in plot that is overly complicated and lacking in clear emotional arcs. Even Denzel can not save this one, the cast just falls short.
2/5
Rip Leaving Sleepy Hollow (1896)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. Rip Van Winkle leaves Sleepy Hollow.
If you can pick out what is happening from the action on screen as it relates to any story then you are doing better than me. This is another film in the series where it is too hard to tell what is going on. As a stand alone this is pretty useless.
2/5
Exit of Rip and the Dwarf (1896)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. Part of a series of scenes from the story of Rip Van Winkle.
Without knowing the story of Rip Van Winkle it is hard to tell what is going on here. This snap shot is so short as to even make it hard to work out who is who. Does not work as a stand alone.
2/5
Clerks III (2022)
Directed by Kevin Smith this film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson and Trevor Fehrman. After suffering a heart attack Randal decides to make a film about his life as a clerk.
Highly self referential this film is likely not for everyone. Even as a fan of Smith's work in the past I found this one skirting the edge of cheese towards the end and lacking a bit in humour. Not bad for a third visit to the well.
3/5
Crissie Sheridan (1897)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. Crissie Sheridan does a dance in a flowing white dress.
Similar to other dance films of the period. Nothing much to make this one stand out. Not much to remark on if you have seen any of the other films of this type.
3/5
'Salem's Lot (2024)
Directed by Gary Dauberman this film based on the novel of the same name stars Lewis Pullman, Makenzie Leigh and Jordan Preston Carter. A writer visits the small town he grew up in and finds it is falling under the control of a vampire.
You can see what this one is going for in an exploration of the death of small town America however if the novel nails it then it was lost in the adaptation. As a genre movie this is fine but it is definitely not as memorable as other Stephen King adaptations, even ones from this same director. Might have needed a longer run time to play things out properly.
3/5
New Blacksmith Shop (1895)
Directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. A blacksmith at work.
Simple in content and action. Fine for what it is, nothing that will linger in the memory. Pretty standard film for the period.
3/5
Joker: Folie a Deux (2024)
Directed by Todd Phillips this sequel stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. While in prison waiting trial Arthur falls in love with a young woman.
I really do not understand all the hate this sequel got, sure it point blank refuses to be what people who missed the point of the original wanted but who cares about them? Some really good choices as we dip further into the mind of Arthur Fleck. More great performances and fully entertaining.
4/5
Billy Edwards and the Unknown (1895)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. A short clip from a boxing match.
As boxing matches go the action here is pretty tame. Maybe one for boxing historians, not that impressive otherwise. Not much to this one.
2/5
Cock Fight, No. 2 (1894)
Directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. Two cocks fight it out.
Thankfully short as I do not really like seeing this kind of thing. While it may be a popular pass time in large parts of the world it is still rather cruel. Not for me.
2/5
The Hornbacker-Murphy Fight (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. Two men have a boxing match.
A small snippet of a fight. Compared to modern boxing this is a lot more pushing round than actual fighting. Not that special but I suppose a fine historical record.
3/5
Pope Leo XIII Being Seated Bestowing Blessings (1900)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. The first time a Pope is caught on film.
Existing mostly as a historical record I am sure this is important to some. As a piece of entertainment there is not a huge amount to this one. Still fairly interesting.
3/5
Home Delivery (2024)
Directed by Thom Harp this film stars Melanie Field, Lindsay Sloane, Donald Faison and Jimmi Simpson. A plus size model invites her family to the birth of her child.
I kind of which we had the full serious version of this film as it is pretty touching when it goes all in on the drama. There are some decent laughs so maybe the comedy parts are not without merit. Great cast, especially in the supporting roles.
3/5
The Luckiest Man in America (2024)
Directed by Samir Oliveros this film based on real events stars Paul Walter Hauser, Walton Goggins and David Strathairn. A man gets on to a game show knowing he can beat the system.
The script of this film takes a large number of liberties to condense things down so all the action takes place over one day and I am not sure it is the better for it. We do not really get to know enough of the protagonist and I am not a fan of some of the changes to events. If nothing else highlights a fascinating piece of tv gameshow history.
3/5
Anora (2024)
Directed by Sean Baker this film stars Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn and Yura Borisov. A New York stripper has a Las Vegas wedding to the son of a Russian oligarch that she has only known for two weeks.
Hollywood loves the tale of a hooker with a heart of gold and this is another entry into that pantheon. Compared to Baker's other films I found this one all a bit to safe and a little over indulgent, the first section of the film could have been trimmed down a bit. I did enjoy the film even if it was nothing new.
3/5
Annabelle Sun Dance (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this short film stars Annabelle Moore. A woman does a dance.
I am not entirely sure how this is different from the other dances Moore has done on film, still it is fairly entertaining. The hand tinted section is nice, no idea if that is original or not. Fine for a short of the period.
3/5
Glenroy Bros., No. 2 (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. Two men perform part of a boxing act.
A bit like WWE before WWE. Not really enough to be enjoyable. Need to see more of the act to really get it.
3/5
Exhibiting Forgiveness (2024)
Written & directed by Titus Kaphar this film stars Andre Holland, Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and John Earl Jelks. An artist's mother tries to get him to forgive his drug addict father.
For my taste this is too much unchallenged Christianity in this film, I would really have liked if the protagonist pushed back more against the characters hiding behind their faith. That being said this is a pretty good look at addiction, abuse and the need to forgive to be able to move on with your own life. Some great performances from the cast.
4/5
Monkeyshines, No. 3 (1890)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. A camera test from the Edison company film labs.
Not much too this one and it is a bit hard to make out what is going on. Image quality is understandably not the best. Not worth seeking out.
2/5
Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. Two men meet in an exhibition boxing match.
A short snippet of a fight rather than the full Raging Bull of the period. Fine for what it is I suppose. Image quality is not exactly fantastic.
3/5
Your Monster (2024)
Written & directed by Caroline Lindy this film stars Melissa Barrera, Tommy Dewey, Edmund Donovan, Kayla Foster and Meghann Fahy. A young woman scorned finds her voice again thanks to the monster living in her closet.
Nothing you would not expect here but the film is pretty well done. There is some charm to the script and performances. Enjoyable even if it is not that deep.
3/5
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Directed by Kelly Marcel this sequel stars Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple and Rhys Ifans. On the run from the law our hero also finds himself on the run from aliens hunting Venom.
The plot for this film is convoluted and really needed a major re-write. I struggle to find anything to enjoy about this one, the characters get pretty much no development. In the end this is a load of elements thrown at the wall without thinking things through.
2/5
Sioux Ghost Dance (1894)
Directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. A traditional Sioux dance captured on film.
Unfortunately the image quality of this one is pretty bad. I found it very hard to make out what is going on. Not the best either for entertainment or as a historical record.
2/5
Launch of the “Oceanic” (1899)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early short film. We the launch of a large ship.
A nice little short, pretty impressive action. No doubt a nice historical record. Also includes lens flare from a time before J. J. Abrams.
3/5
McKinley at Home, Canton Ohio (1896)
Directed by William K. L Dickson and Billy Bitzer this is an early short film. Two men walk towards the camera.
Not great in terms of image quality or content. The men never really get close enough to the camera to pick out their features well. I would not be able to tell you which is McKinley.
2/5
Me and My Two Friends (1898)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson this is an early sort film. A young girl with her two pets.
This is barely a film, only a handful of seconds long. What does survive has really good image quality, much better than a lot of pre-1900 films. Fairly cute.
3/5
A Nice Indian boy (2024)
Directed by Roshan Sethi this film based on the play of the same name stars Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff and Sunita Mani. A gay Indian brings home his first boyfriend to meet his family.
This film could easily have gone for some very obvious conflict, lacking in subtly instead it goes for a much better, softer take on the conflict. I really like the way this film is put together, no cheese and some real charm. I would not have guessed it was based on a play, it does a good job of moving the scenes around locations.
4/5
The Front Room (2024)
Directed by the Eggers Brothers this film stars Brandy, Kathryn Hunter and Andrew Burnap. A couple expecting a baby have the husband's abusive elderly step mother move in with them.
It is obvious from the get go where this one is going and it is a case of sitting through waiting for it to happen. Based on a short story I am not sure there was enough content to fill out the film. I lost interest while waiting for the inevitable to happen.
2/5