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
The Wonderful Rose Tree (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man grows a magical rose tree.
Mostly well made the only part that lets this short down is the bit where the actor kicks part of the set that is supposed to be a large rock and moves. Fun little short with a nice back drop. Not sure if it is supposed to be a reference to a particular myth or not.
3/5
An Improvised Fireworks Display (1905)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A drunk homeless person falls asleep on the street and is awoken by a fireworks display.
Essentially this is people bullying a homeless person, not really that funny if it was real. Nothing special in terms of concept or execution. A bit mean spirited really.
2/5
A Roadside Inn (1906)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. The staff of an inn make mischief at the expense of an old, drunk man.
Fine for a bit of slap stick humour. We never really know what the drunk did to deserve all of this which is a bit of a shame. Decent little comedy of the era.
3/5
The Luny Musician (1906)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A musician is trolled by various instruments.
A simple slap stick comedy. What this film lacks compared to similar films from Melies is a clue as to what is causing the supernatural pranks. Fine for what it is.
3/5
The 4:30 Movie (2024)
Directed by Kevin Smith this film stars Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup and Siena Agudong. During the summer of 1986 a teenager asks his crush to go see a movie with him.
Three things I enjoy are Kevin Smith films, nostalgia films and coming of age films so this one falling flat was a real disappointment. There is just not enough plot to fill out the run time and what there is feels a bit lazily written, I think the script needed a few more drafts. A real shame as I had high hopes for this one.
2/5
The Convert (2023)
Directed by Lee Tamahori this film stars Guy Pearce, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne and Te Kohe Tuhaka. A lay minster arrives in New Zealand and gets involved in the clash between Maori tribes.
Disappointingly the plot of this film is a bit too familiar despite having a fresh setting in 1830s New Zealand. Well made for what it is there is not too much to complain about here. Always good to see Guy Pearce getting more work as a leading man.
3/5
The Mischance of a Photographer (1908)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A family goes to have a group picture taken, a boy pulls a prank.
It takes a little long on the set up of this short to actually get to the business end of things. The prank itself is fine I guess, not sure it would actually work in reality. Not the best of early Melies.
2/5
The Bewitched Trunk (1904)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A man uses a trunk to do magic tricks.
Pretty familiar stuff for Melies. Camera tricks used here are obvious to the modern eye which does not help. Decent staging and costumes.
3/5
The Fall Guy (2024)
Directed by David Leitch this film stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Hannah Waddingham. A stunt man tries to win his ex-girlfriend back and find a missing film star.
I am pretty surprised this film got made, it is something of a throw back in terms of being a big action film without being part of an existing franchise. The plot is fun if very predictable. While I did enjoy the film it is entirely without real depth.
3/5
Problemista (2023)
Written & directed by star Julio Torres this film also features Tilda Swinton and RZA. A young immigrant needs to find a new sponsor after losing his job at a cryogentic company for artists.
There is a lot of fun to be had in this off beat comedy. The film manages to cover a surprising amount of areas in such a short run time. Great performance from Swinton as always.
4/5
