The Christmas Dream (1900)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Children go to bed on Christmas Eve and have some wild dreams.
It is not entirely clear to my eyes how these scenes connect together or if they would really be what children dream of. The scenes themselves are well done and have some nice pageantry to them. A fun short with some impressive film making for the period.
3/5
The Black Imp (1905)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A black imp plays tricks on a man staying in a room.
Containing a lot of material similar to several other Melies films the only difference here is that is slightly longer. There is nothing that special or wrong with this one, very middle of the road. If you have seen one of these you have pretty much seen them all.
3/5
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)
Directed by Soi Cheang this film stars Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, Sammo Hung and Richie Jen. When an immigrant arrives in Hong Kong and finds himself in the walled city old wounds are reopened.
As far as action films go this one is pretty fun, the fight sequences are largely impressive. The plot is familiar, relying on stock elements you have seen plenty of times before. I do enjoy the setting of the film, the antagonist having spiritual powers is kind of out of place for the rest of the film though.
3/5
The Mermaid (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man does some magic tricks culminating in the appearance of a mermaid.
It takes a while for this one to get to the title character so have some patience. A good mix of Melies tricks and artistry. Solid film for the period it was made in.
3/5
Mosquito Squadron (1969)
Directed by Boris Sagal this film stars David McCallum and Suzanne Neve. A squadron leader is given the mission of destroying a secret Nazi base in France.
Ropey dialogue, a plot that does not make that much sense and a bunch of stock footage for action sequences, there is not really anything to recommend this one on. I should think the budget for this film must have been tiny and it shows. Definitely a lazy effort.
1/5
Slingshot (2024)
Directed by Mikael Hafstrom this film stars Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham and Tomer Kapon. An astronaut on a voyage to Titan struggles with the side effects of hibernation drugs.
With so much talent involved this film is a real disappointment, it just does not work. The main twist is far, far too obvious and without that there is nothing much to the film. Not even that believable really.
2/5
Get Away (2024)
Directed by Steffan Haars this film stars Nick Frost, Aisling Bea, Sebastian Croft and Maisie Ayres. Not all is as it seems when an English family goes on holiday to a remote Swedish island with a history of cannibalism.
Taking the expectations of folk horror, especially those coming from Midsommer, this film does a decent job of inverting the usual genre details. Beyond the premise there is not too much to the film, it is fairly fun with the odd chuckle here and there. Fine for what it is just do not expect anything riotously funny.
3/5
