The Red Ball (2024)
Directed by George Morgan this is an animated short film. A family leave London for a new home after the death of one of their sons.
I found this to be a nice little short about grief. The plot is nothing new or special but is fairly touching. The animation and art style is a good reflection of the child's point of view the story comes from.
3/5
Merger (2022)
Directed by Daniel Negret this short film stars Jonas Tesifa and Nick David. A man working late at the office gradually becomes sucked into his keyboard and desk.
As short horror films go this one is fairly well done, taking a simple idea and running with it. Sure there is not really much of a plot here but the on screen terror of a man being consumed is enough to hold your attention. Solid for what it is.
3/5
The Cocoon (2023)
Directed by David Shen this is a short animated film. A man's attempts to clean a room are thwarted by his dirty feet.
I am not sure where this one was going to be honest. It is fairly entertaining and the animation is decent but I do not think there is more to it than that. Why doesn't he just clean his feet first?
2/5
The Last Cartridges (1897)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Soldiers fight in the Franco-Prussian war.
A simple short which does not appear to have been put online in great quality. The action is fairly decent an the set is a good back drop. Fine for what it is, an attempted recreation of a famous painting.
3/5
The Starling Girl (2023)
Directed by Laurel Parmet this film stars Eliza Scanlen, Lewis Pullman and Jimmi Simpson. A 17 year old girl living in a conservative Chrisitan community develops an attraction to her married youth pastor.
Very familiar yet still enjoyable this is a thoughtful look at the repression of female sexuality in conservative Christian communities. Nothing is melodramatic, the plot is handled with sensitivity. Highly enjoyable for those of us who are not fans of religious control.
4/5
The Lesson (2023)
Directed by Alice Troughton this film stars Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy and Daryl McCormack. A phd student goes to help a writer's son with his entrance exams for Oxford.
A lot of this film is fairly familiar and despite seeming smart is a bit predictable. That being said the film is still a lot of fun mainly due to the cast. Likely I would watch anything with Julie Delpy or Richard E. Grant in it.
3/5
Miranda's Victim (2023)
Directed by Michelle Danner this film inspired by real events stars Abigail Breslin, Luke Wilson and Sebastian Quinn. A sheltered 18 year old girl is kidnapped and raped on her way home from work.
This film tells the story of the young woman who had to testify twice against her attacker due to the Miranda rights ruling and while it does a good job of highlighting why Trish Weir is a hero it fails to tackle the issue of why Miranda's case was selected by the ACLU. I am sure there is a really good ethical discussion to be had around the events here but this film does not really tackle them. At time the film looks a bit cheap and the dialogue in need of a second pass, pretty sure all the budget went on a number of high profile actors in smaller roles.
3/5
