Washing the Sweep (1898)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. Two washerwomen get revenge on a chimney sweep for carelessly brushing up against clean washing.
A fun little short, you can see the enjoyment on the face of one of the actresses. Not a huge amount to this one but it is entertaining. A solid effort for the period.
3/5
The Polite Lunatic (1905)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. A misunderstanding about the return of a putty knife.
A simple gag that works fairly well. The image quality of the version I saw is not the best, not sure if all surviving copies are that low quality. Fine for what it is.
3/5
A Mistake (2024)
Written & directed by Christine Jeffs this film stars Elizabeth Banks, Simon McBurney and Richard Crouchley. A mistake in surgery has effect that ripple through the life of a surgeon.
A fairly interesting film about medical care and transparency. Thought provoking at least even if events do stretch credibility a little bit. Banks's New Zealand accent is best not focused on too much as it does come and go a bit.
3/5
Between the Temples (2024)
Directed by Nathan Silver this film stars Jason Schwartzman, Carol Kane and Madeline Weinstein. A Jewish widower in his 40s befriends an older widow.
I found this one to be a little off beat and slow for my taste however it is not necessarily bad because of that. There is a bit of the Harold and Mauds about this one. Pretty decent if not for everyone.
3/5
Trap (2024)
Written & directed by M. Night Shyamalan this film stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue and Saleka Night Shyamalan. A serial killer takes his daughter to a concert only to find out the police have the whole place surrounded trying to catch him.
The premise sets up a tense scenario that quickly gets unrealistic and the film stays too long once the initial scenario is broken. There is something here it just fails to come together. Nice to at least see an attempt at something different even if it does not work.
2/5
Devil's Dyke Fun Fair (1896)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. A number of scenes at the fun fair.
As a historical document this is no doubt an important record. Fascinating to see how many attractions we have in common with fun fairs of the past. Interesting little watch.
3/5
The Puzzled Bather and His Animated Clothes (1901)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. A man attempts to bathe in the river.
Similar to other films of the period this short involves a man whose clothes keep reappearing on him. Uses simple camera tricks which are common to the era. Fun little short.
3/5
Blood Rites (2022)
Directed by Helena Coan this film stars Mirren Mack, Ella-Rae Smith and Ellis George. Three young women hunt men for blood.
I will be honest, I am not sure where this one was supposed to be going. Good set up but it peters out in my opinion. Bit of a shame as there is potential here.
2/5
Two Naughty Boys Teasing the Cobbler (1898)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. Two schoolboys annoy a cobbler who accidentally takes out his frustration on a woman.
A simple set up with a familiar pay off gag. The image quality on this one is really good give the age of the film. Good early use of narrative to set up the joke.
3/5
Smile 2 (2024)
Written & directed by Parker Finn this film stars Naomi Scott, Rosemarie DeWitt and Miles Gutierrez-Riley. A pop star on a come back after a substance abuse scandal is infected by the smile demon.
Given we know how the demon works as this is a sequel I thought this film rather dragged things out, you could knock half an hour off the run time pretty easily. Naomi Scott gives a decent performance but there is not a lot to write home about otherwise. Does not really add anything to the franchise.
2/5
The Parenting (2025)
Directed by Craig Johnson this film stars Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn, Parker Posey and Brian Cox. A gay couple rent a house for a weekend trip to meet each other's parents.
Pretty funny for a horror comedy film even if nothing that special. The supporting cast really helps carry the film, there are some big names as the parents. Not something that will linger in the memory.
3/5
Twisters (2024)
Directed by Lee Isaac Chung this stand alone sequel stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell and Anthony Ramos. After having gotten three of her friends killed storm chasing a young woman is tempted back years later.
While no one would accuse the original of being a master piece it at least had some charm and scientific basis to back it up. This sequel has more action, destruction and reckless behaviour from its characters. Barely a sequel, an unremarkable disaster film.
2/5
Magic Extinguisher (1901)
Directed by James Williamson this short film stars Sam Dalton. A man makes various animals disappear.
Pretty simple camera tricks and you can see the edits in places. Similar to a lot of other stuff of the period, especially from Melies. Fine for what it is.
3/5
Perfect Sense (2011)
Directed by David Mackenzie this film stars Eva Green and Ewan McGregor. A couple fall in love as people round the world lose their senses one by one.
Really this film is only interesting in that it was made in 2011 but does a good job of predicting some of the events of 2020. The love plot is nothing special. Where the film falls down is the heavy handed narration which feels the need to beat us over the head with a rather reductive message.
2/5
Are You There? (1901)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. A man gets caught by the husband having a telephone conversation with a married woman.
Because the man is talking when there is no one on the other end of the phone it rather breaks the illusion of this one. A nice attempt even if it does not work. Interesting to see such an early attempt to get a phone conversation on film.
2/5
Lady Cyclists (1899)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. A large number of women cycle past the camera.
Like many films of the period this is just a single static shot. There is plenty of action and the film does capture a slice of history. Does not seem as distant of a past thanks to this film.
3/5
Touch (2024)
Directed by Baltasar Kormakur this film based on the novel of the same name stars Egill Olafsson and Koki. An Icelandic man studying in London in the 1960s falls in love with a Japanese woman then tries to find her again as the world shuts down for covid.
As a romantic film this is fine, it is a bit on the predictable side. Could have done with trimming a bit in the middle, gets a little slow there. Has a nice selection of locations if nothing else.
3/5
Greedy People (2024)
Directed by Posty Pinciroli this film stars Himesh Patel, Lily James and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Two cops try to cover up an accidental death and find themselves trapped in a web of crime.
Essentially a Coen brothers knock off with a script that needs the comedy punching up a bit. Fine for what it is but not one that will stick with you. I did enjoy seeing Joey Lauren Adams pop up in a small role and Joseph Gordon-Levitt getting to play something a bit different.
3/5
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Written & directed by Aaron Sorkin this film inspired by real events stars Eddie Redmayne, Scaha Baron Cohen, Alex Sharp, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Mark Rylance. A group of men are put on trial for allegedly starting a riot.
Unfortunately there are just far too many familiar Sorkin-isms littered through out this film to be able to take it seriously as a reflection of real events. Another case of Sorkin getting overly preachy in my opinion. A real shame that it does not dig into the motivations of some of the key protagonists such as the judge.
2/5
Whimsical Illusions (1909)
Directed by Georges Melies this is an early short film. A magician does a number of magic tricks.
A collection of familiar Melies tricks strung together to fill out five minutes. The back drop and colour tinting add a nice level of artistry to the film. Sadly a bit same-y if you have seen other Melies stuff.
3/5
Grandma Threading Her Needle (1900)
Directed by Geroge Albert Smith this is an early short film. An old woman attempts to thread a needle.
An early example of drag on screen. Nothing that special in terms of the action. The film is pretty well preserved.
3/5
Two Old Sports (1900)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. Two men read a magazine and check out a picture of a lady.
Not a huge amount to this one and it lacks a little of the character that other similar films have. Fine for what it is I suppose. Image quality is decent on the BFI version.
3/5
Policeman and Burglar (1902)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. A policeman catches a burglar in the act and delivers a beat down.
Good image quality and decent sets. The action is fine for what it is, nothing special. Pretty average film for the period.
3/5
My Penguin Friend (2024)
Directed by David Schurmann this film inspired by real events stars Jean Reno and Adriana Barraza. A retired fisherman in Brazil helps a penguin, the penguin returns to visit him every year.
A bit cheesy and sappy there is not a lot to this film. Essentially this is a piece of viral news stretched out to fill 90 minutes or so. Does not really go anywhere and tries to manufacture some drama in the second half.
2/5
Cuckoo (2024)
Written & directed by Tilman Singer this film stars Hunger Schafer, Dan Stevens and Jan Bluthardt. An older teenager moves with her family to a resort in the German alps.
Given the title the film goes pretty much where you expect. As a horror film it is pretty decent, some sufficiently creepy moments here and there, also nice to see the protagonist actually get a character arc for once. Well made for what it is.
3/5
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)
Directed by Jason Woliner this film stars Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova. A Kazakh journalist travels to the USA in an attempt to give a gift to Mike Pence.
Some how four years later this feels very flat. There are some funny moments however the satire is all a bit too easy and not as biting as you would hope. As we face another four years of Trump maybe that is part of what makes this less funny now.
3/5
Scandal Over the Teacups (1900)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. Two old women gossip over tea.
Captures a familiar scene although we do not get the details of what is being talked about. A fun little short even if there is not much depth. Could have been made today as the same behaviour still exists.
3/5
Weary Willie (1897)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. A tramp scares away all the people sitting on a bench.
Not as suspect as the name might suggest. A simple short with a gag that is not too bad. Really good image quality on the surviving version.
3/5
Hanging Out the Clothes (1897)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. A married man is caught smooching with the maid.
Simple, fun, works well as a short. Nice to see some narrative in such an early film. Well made and survives in surprisingly good quality.
3/5
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Directed by Taika Waititi this sequel stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson and Christian Bale. Thor faces off against a god killer.
A bit on the simplistic side this film is still pretty good for what it is. The plot remains fun with some humour through out although it does border on self parody occasionally. Seeing Russell Crowe rock up as Zeus is pretty great.
3/5
