Going to the beach and other adventures

The Elephant and the Butterfly (2017)

Directed by Amelie van Elmbt this film stars Thomas Blanchard, Lina Doillon and Judith Chemla. A woman is forced to leave her 5 year old daughter with the girl's estranged father for the weekend.

Taking a very simple plot this is a heart warming tale of a man and child getting to know each other. Never sappy this film gently builds to an emotional climax with great skill. Well made this film is definitely worth a watch.

4/5

A burden on the viewer?

Beast of Burden (2018)

Directed by Jesper Ganslandt this film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Grace Gummer, Pablo Schreiber and Robert Wisdom. A pilot flies drugs into the US with pressure on him from both the drug dealers and law enforcement.

Essentially this is a sexed up but worse version of Locke (2013) with out any concrete. For all the action and criminal stakes we never really connect with the characters which negates using such a limited, closed in setting for most of the film. The majority of the film is a poorly lit cockpit so this is not a great film to look at either but its not the worst 90 minutes you will ever spend either.

3/5

Spoiler alert, she kills him and herself

The Leisure Seeker (2017)

Directed by Paolo Virzi this film based on the novel of the same name stars Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren. A woman with terminal cancer and her husband with dementia go on one last road trip in their Winnebago.

Predictable but still with some rings of truth in it this is a fairly decent watch that runs to an expected conclusion. Maybe not the most brutal depiction of its subject matter this is still a decent look at old age and mortality. Clearly the main draw here is the acting talent, they do a good job but do not have a huge amount to draw from.

3/5

John Ford on STIs

Sex Hygiene (1942)

Directed by Otto Brower and John Ford this is a world war 2 training film. A bunch of soldiers watch a film about sexually transmitted diseases.

Many years later this film is still enough to put you in fear for your sexual health. Not exactly riveting stuff from a plot point of view this film still does a decent job of getting the information across to the viewer. The images are explicit and a little gross at times so you have been warned.

3/5

Not enough to send you to sleep

Before I Go to Sleep (2014)

Directed by Rowan Joffe this film based on the novel of the same name stars Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth and Mark Stong. A woman with anterograde amnesia is secretly treated by a doctor while unsure if she can trust her husband who cares for her.

No great shakes as a thriller this is a decent but not overly remarkable genre piece. There are a few too many coincidences required for the plot to play out as it does for my taste although the script does hold together for the most part. Nicole Kidman is decent in the lead role, otherwise the film is pretty average.

3/5

Not as big of a sound as some would have you believe

A Quiet Place (2018)

Directed by star John Krasinski this film also features Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. A family tries to survive in a post apocalyptic world where unstoppable monsters hunt by sound.

Holding the viewers attention as a decent thriller through it's sound based gimmick this is a tense film but I do not think it is a very deep one. The events end up being fairly generic and I have to question the actions of the characters. Certainly well made but I am not sure this film has anything to say.

4/5

From small acorns

The Man Who Planted Trees (1987)

Directed by Frederic Back this animation is based on the short story of the same name. Running out of water a traveller meets a man who plants trees.

As always the animation of Back's style is beautiful to see and it fits well with Giono's gentle story. The story has a real heart to it and covers a large scope of time in it's 20 minutes run time. Enjoyable and leaving the viewer wondering about the deeper meaning this is well worth a watch.

4/5