A Mix-Up in the Gallery (1906)
Directed by Georges Melies. A clumsy photographer's assistant causes chaos.
Plenty of slapstick comedy here once things actually get going. A bit of fun, nothing deepering. Some nice sets to go with the silliness.
3/5
Superman: Red Son (2020)
Directed by Sam Liu this animated film has voices from Jason Isaacs, Amy Acker and Diedrichj Bader. What would happen if Superman was brought up in the Soviet Union instead of the United States?
It has been many years since I read the comic this film is based on and unfortunately I think it lacks some of the detail and nuance of the comic. Fairly entertaining for what it is, a longer run time would have helped tell the story properly. Never gets to fully dig into the differences between the Soviet and Western systems.
3/5
Outland (1981)
Directed by Peter Hyams this film stars Sean Connery, Peter Boyle and Frances Sternhagen. A new Marshal arrives at a mining colony on one of Jupiter's moons to find the company representative is up to no good.
A simple rework of High Noon (1952) in space. Unfortunately the budget and the writing are not there to pull this one off. Connery does his best but this one needs a lot of polish to get it up to standard.
2/5
A Mesmerian Experiment (1905)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A magician makes women appear.
Pretty standard Melies stuff, nothing that surprising or new here. The colour tinting adds a nice bit of charm to the film. Not a huge amount to recommend this one on.
3/5
The Hilarious Posters (1906)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. The people in a poster come to life.
Melies does not quite manage to fully marry up the live actors to the people in the poster but this is a fairly decent effort given when it was made. Devolves into standard slapstick stuff. Not really that memorable.
3/5
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)
Directed by Michael Sarnoski this film stars Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou and Alex Wolff. A young woman with a terminal disease is in the city when aliens invade Earth.
The most impressive thing about this whole film is that the cat sits still for most of it otherwise it is pretty much as expected. I am not sure this entry really brings anything new to the franchise, just more of the same. Decent performances are not enough to make this memorable.
3/5
Christmas Eve in Miller's Point (2024)
Directed by Tyler Thomas Taormina this film has a large ensamble cast. An extended family meets together to celebrate on Christmas Eve.
I am really glad that Christmas is just the setting for this film rather than it being another ham fisted message effort. The film does a fantastic job of handling the large cast of characters as well as fitting in an avalanche of human moments. A really enjoyable look at how families clash and come together.
4/5
Lizard (2020)
Directed by Akinola Davies this short film stars Naomi Akalanze and Lala Akindoju. An 8 year old girl kicked out of Sunday school wanders the mega church seeing the seedy side of it.
A lot of familiar elements in this short even if all of the imagery is not understandable to me. Well made and acted. Certainly something different.
3/5
I.S.S (2023)
Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite this film stars Ariana DeBose, Chris Messina, John Gallagher Jr., Masha Mashkova, Costa Ronin and Pilous Asbaek. As nuclear war breaks out on Earth astronauts on the international space station divide into factions.
I love the set up for this film, the script just never delivers on the potential here. The characters are a bit too thin and the plot goes straight to the action rather than letting the tension simmer. Fine for what it is, could have been so much more, give me the Alistair MacLean version of this film.
3/5
Prey (2022)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg this prequel stars Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro and Michelle Thrush. A young Comanche woman wishes to be a hunter and believes there is something strange in the woods.
As much as I enjoyed this film I do not think it ever rises above being more than a solid genre entry. For the franchise it is something of a breath of fresh air, a grounded film in a series that can be a bit silly at times. Very much taking a leaf out of The Revenant without being quite as epic.
4/5
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Directed by Adam Wingard this sequel stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens and Kaylee Hottle. Kong searches for friends in his new world.
Hollow Earth nonsense intensifies in this sequel. There is barely enough plot to string together the inevitable monster fights and little in the way of characters or character arcs. Flashy but entirely forgettable.
2/5
Misfortune Never Comes Alone (1903)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Pranksters catch a guard sleeping on duty.
Maybe a little too much chaos ensues here, it is a little hard to follow the action and the sets become a bit obvious. I am not sure the facades here can stand up to the level of action they are put under. A fun little short for what it is.
3/5
In the Barber Shop (1908)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A short scene in a barber shop.
Unfortunately this one shows the uncomfortable views of the period. Black face and race based jokes are what we find here. Not one I could ever recommend to anyone.
1/5
Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Directed by Shawn Levy this film stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. Our hero must save our reality by finding it a new Wolverine.
I found this film to be fun but not overly memorable. Relying on so much content from a television show kind of cheapens the cinematic experience. Some good gags and nice to see some old faces back, just not as good as the previous Deadpool films.
3/5
The Witch's Revenge (1903)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. An old man is about to be condemned but is given a reprieve by the king.
I am not sure this is the witch's revenge so much as the king's folly, no good deed goes unpunished! A little bit hard to follow the plot and it does take a while to get to the actual magic parts. Nothing special for a Melies short.
3/5
Coup! (2023)
Directed by Austin Stark & Joseph Schuman this film stars Peter Sarsgaard and Billy Magnussen. During the Spanish flu outbreak a man infiltrates the staff of a supposedly progressive journalist.
Claiming to have something to say about class warfare I am not sure this film is as smart or as interesting as it thinks it is. Entertaining enough ultimately I think this is rather forgettable. Sarsgaard does his best to carry the film but it lacks a bit of energy in my opinion.
2/5
Abigail (2024)
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett this film stars Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton and Alisha Weir. A group of criminals kidnap a young girl only to find out she is a vampire who plans to kill them all.
Mixing up a number of different genres this film is just paper thin beyond that. The characters are cliches picked out of a catalogue and the ending of the film is an unearned character change for the title character. Just a lazy effort in my opinion.
2/5
The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland (2024)
Directed by Peter Baynton this animated film has voices from Gerard Butler and Emilia Clarke. Santa heads to wonderland only to find the Queen of Hearts has banned Christmas.
If you ever thought you needed a singing Gerard Butler as Santa then this film is for you, for the rest of us not so much. A weird fan fiction mash up aimed at very young children. Lacking in anything resembling subtlety.
2/5
The Firefall (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. The devil shows up and causes chaos.
A little difficult to follow when it comes to the plot, it is not entirely clear why things are happening in this one. Decent sets and effects but it is all a bit disjointed. Not my favourite.
2/5
Ten Ladies in an Umbrella (1903)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A magician makes ten different ladies appear from his umbrella.
Mixing together a couple of camera tricks the edits in this one are fairly obvious. Not the best of Melies magic, still fairly decent. Does not hold up that well to modern viewing.
2/5
The Wandering Jew (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A Jew is punished for mocking Jesus.
A really evocative short film with some impressive atmosphere. There is not much to the plot but the stark storms really carry this one. A great example of early film making.
4/5
A Moonlight Serenade (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A clown tries to serenade his love only to get chased off.
I like both the plot and staging of this short. This really is a visual feast, an excellent example of the best of Melies. Well worth seeking out.
4/5
Sweethearts (2024)
Directed by Jordan Weiss this film stars Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga and Christine Taylor. Two best friends return home from their first year of college for thanksgiving to break up with their high school sweethearts.
As teen sex comedies go this one starts out raunchy and eases off pretty fast, the rest of the film is a pretty average teen comedy. To be honest the B plot with the third wheel friend coming to terms with being gay in small town Ohio is more interesting than the main plot. Fine for what it is, nothing remarkable for the genre.
3/5
The Enchanted Sedan Chair (1905)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A magician makes a sedan chair appear.
It takes a while for the titular chair to turn up in this one so you might need some patience. As Melies magic films go this one is fine, not that special. I would not recommend this one over other Melies films of the period.
2/5
Wonka (2023)
Directed by Paul King this prequel stars Timothee Chalamet, Calah Lane and Paterson Joseph. A young man heads to Paris with dreams of making it as a chocolate maker.
I suppose as fan fiction goes this is fine, it does not really add much to the Wonka-mythos. The whole thing is a bit Dahl-lite and does not really have much of a subtext. Fine for a kids movie.
3/5
Jupiter's Thunderballs (1903)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. Greek gods clash.
It is a bit hard to make out the actual plot of this short, I am not overly familiar with Greek mythology so maybe that does not help matters. The action is fairly entertaining even if it does not make much sense to me. Decent special effects for the period.
2/5
The Report (2019)
Directed by Scott Z. Burns this film based on real events stars Adam Driver, Annette Bening and Jon Hamm. The Senate intelligence committee orders an investigation into the CIA torture program.
As important as the subject matter of this film is the execution is fairly dry. Adam Driver does his best in the lead but there is not really enough drama in the film. Fine for what it is but never going to be up there with the greats of the genre like All the Presidents Men.
3/5
She (Snake) (2023)
Directed by Renee Zhan this short film stars Xiaonan Wang and Alina Lew. A 16 year old student finds the expectations on her to be too much when a new girl moves to the school.
A fantastic look at teenage pressures. I really enjoyed the stop motion animation monsters, they are a real blast from the past. Well made and very resonant.
4/5
Tchin-Chao, the Chinese Conjurer (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A Chinese magician does some tricks.
Probably not aged well with the way it is based on stereotypes. The staging and backdrop are good and the tricks are mostly up to the usual Melies level. Not my favourite of the director's films.
2/5
Monkey Man (2024)
Directed by star Dev Patel this film also features Pitobash, Sikandar Kher and Sobhita Dhulupala. A young man seeks revenge on the corrupt policeman who murdered his mother.
As action revenge film goes there is nothing really new here. The film is decently made and the action sequences are pretty good. There are so many films like this one it is hard for it to stand out from the crowd, especially when it name checks John Wick.
3/5
Absolution (2024)
Directed by Hans Petter Moland this film stars Liam Neeson, Frankie Shaw and Daniel Diemer. A mob enforcer with CTE comes to terms with his declining state.
Much like the protagonist of the film the plot is pretty tired and going through the motions. There is nothing new or original here, we lurch from one scene to the next towards an inevitable conclusion. It is hard to find anything to recommend this one on.
2/5
