Cheaters never win

 

The Constant Gardener (2005)

Directed by Fernando Meirelles this film based on the novel of the same name stars Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz. A British diplomat in Kenya investigates the murder of his activist wife.

Well done with a thoroughly depressing mood through out. Having seen a lot of le Carre adaptations I could do without the writer's obsession with testing his characters on infidelity but otherwise a great look at the abuse of drug trials and the life of two people. Really good performances from the cast, as always Pete Postlethwaite moves mountains in a tiny part.

4/5

Running Raoul

 

Course en Flexion (Oscar de Raoul) (1895)

Directed by Felix Regnault, Charles Comte and Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. A man runs through the shot.

Unusual for a film to have three credited directors, makes you wonder what they all did when it is only a second long. Decent image quality and framing. Survives surprisingly well for the age of the film.

3/5

Bloody

 

Deplacement des globules de sang dans un vaisseau capillaire (1892)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. We see the flow of blood inside the body.

Without having read what the image is supposed to be I would not have been able to tell. Very short and not the greatest quality to figure out what is going on. No doubt revolutionary at the time.

2/5

The strut

 

Marche Ordinaire (1895)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. A clip of a man walking.

Very simple in concept and content, just a man walking side on. Image quality is pretty good for the age of the film. Not a huge amount to this one.

3/5

Wings

 

Insects (1891)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. A clip of some insects.

Unfortunately this clip is way too short to really make out what is happening or the details. The image quality is okay but the content too brief. Wish it was even a second longer.

2/5

Another drop

 

Chat En Chute Libre (1894)

Directed by Ettiene-Jules Marey this is an early short film. Another short of a chat being dropped and landing on its feet.

How many dropped cat films does one man need to make? Image quality was not a the greatest, a bit fuzzy. Repetitive content.

2/5

A horse of course

 

Cheval (Bixio). Pas Monte (1890)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey and Georges Demeny this is an early short film. A horse and rider pass through the frame.

A very short clip of a horse in motion. Surprisingly good image quality for the period of the film. Nice and clear as to what is going on.

3/5

Take the bypass

 

Thieves Highway (2025)

Directed by Jesse V Johnson this film stars Aaron Eckhart, Lucy Martin and Devon Sawa. A cattle inspector attempts to stop cow thieves in Oklahoma.

Essentially this is a classic western set in modern times. Does not work great and the writing is paper thin at best. Not worth seeking out for even the most ardent Aaron Eckhart fan.

2/5

scrimming

 

Escrime (1890)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. Two men fence.

A nice little short that captures some action. The image quality is surprisingly good, if not perfect on this one, given the age. Better than his other fencing short.

3/5

Rabbit rabbit rabbit

 

Rabbits (1893)

Directed by Etienne- Jules Marey this is an early short film. A rabbit is dropped.

We never see the animal land as far as I can tell which rather cuts this one short. Not as good as the cat one in my opinion. Fairly decent image quality.

2/5

Swords drawn

 

Two Fencers (1891)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. Two fencers face off.

Barely two seconds long there is not enough to this one to really get any sword fighting action. The image quality is just about on the side of being able to see the details. Not the greatest.

2/5

Shakey

 

The Wave (1891)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey. Waves crash against rocks in the bay of Naples.

Not the greatest for image quality. It takes your eyes a bit to adjust to the image and you can not make out all the details. Fairly rudimentary.

2/5

The first cat video

 

Falling Cat (1894)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this is an early short film. A cat falls from the top of the frame and lands on its feet.

Very simple, does what it says on the tin. A nice little clip of how cats fall and land. Pretty decent for what it is.

3/5

Below the cut

 

The Cut (2024)

Directed by Sean Ellis this films tars Orlando Bloom, Caitriona Balfe and John Turturro. A boxer comes out of retirement and has to drop a lot of weight in a short amount of time.

Just a bit too heavy handed thematically and unbelievable in events. Disappointing given some of Ellis's other films have been good. Not one worth seeking out in my opinion.

2/5

The first animation?

 

L'Homme Machine (1885)

Directed by Etienne-Jules Marey this may be the first animated film. A stick man walks across the frame.

Not exactly the most exciting animation you will see. Leaves a little bit to the imagination but just about works. On a level with a short flip book.

3/5

The first nude scene in history?

 

The Kiss (1882)

Directed by Eadweard Muybridge this is an early short film. Two naked women walk towards each other and kiss.

It did not take cinema long to get to the nudity did it? Fine for what it is, a rudimentary moving picture. Not the greatest work of art or erotica in history.

3/5

Jumps out

 

Jumper (2025)

Directed by Mikhail Parkhomenko this short film stars Mikki. A man is able to teleport short spaces.

A decent little action short film. Nothing that you have not seen before but done well on what must have been a small budget. No depth beyond the action.

3/5

To meme or not to meme

 

There is No Antimemetics Division (2025)

Directed by Adria Lang this short film stars Jasika Nicole, Neil Napier and Mateus Ward. A government agent tries to convince her boss that she exists.

A pretty fun little look at the idea of antimemes that brings the SCP universe to the screen. Maybe a little wordy it still holds together. Nicely done for a short film.

3/5

One of the first

 

Salle Gardner at a Gallop (1878)

Directed by Eadweard Muybridge this is an experiment on the path to film. Images of a horse in motion.

Survives in far better quality than a lot of the shorts that follow it. Crisp images of a horse and rider. Pretty impressive really.

3/5

No glory

 

Old Glory and the Cuban Flag (1898)

Directed by William Heise this is an early short film. Two flags flutter in the wind.

The image quality on the version of this I saw was pretty terrible, nearly impossible to make out the details. Might not be too bad if it exists at better quality. Skip otherwise.

1/5

Naked cash grab

 

The Naked Gun (2025)

Directed by Akiva Schaffer this reboot stars Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser. Frank Drebin's son is on the case of a murder.

This film could have been a trailer. Not as bad as I worried it would be but by no means is it any good. Wish they had left this one alone.

2/5