Old Guy (2024)
Directed by Simon West this film stars Christoph Waltz, Lucy Lui, Cooper Hoffman and Desmond Eastwood. An ageing hitman is paired with a new hitman.
You can see what this film is trying to do it is just not very good. I would guess the whole budget went on Waltz and Lui because I can not see any other reason for them to be in this film. A weak script means this never really gets off the ground.
2/5
Visit to Pompeii (1901)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. A collection of scenes from a visit to Pompeii.
Pretty cool in the variety of scenes that are stitched together, something a bit unusual for the period. What it lacks for in action it does make up for in the variety. A nice little watch.
3/5
Retreat (2011)
Directed by Carl Tibbetts this film stars Cillian Murphy, Thandiwe Newton and Jamie Bell. A couple staying on a remote Scottish island are joined by a man claiming a virus is sweeping the world.
I suppose the set up for this film is fine, remote location with people trapped there but it does not really go anywhere. Any potential is squandered by the script not really knowing where it wants to go. Given the cast some of the performances are even a bit weak.
2/5
A Visit to the Seaside (1908)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. Clips of people at the sea side.
Colour adds something unique to this film which makes it an important milestone in film making even if the content is not that special. Not that special in and of itself. Solid film for the period.
3/5
Grand Display of Brock's Fireworks at Crystal Palace (1904)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. We see clips from a firework display.
While the hand colouring adds some charm to this short film it does also cause a small amount of loss of detail. I did not find this one as awe inspiring as some seem to. A fun little short, nothing more.
3/5
Escape from the 21st Century (2024)
Directed by Li Yang this film stars Zhang Ruoyun, Elane Zhong, Song Yang and Wu Xiaoliang. In 1999 three 18 year olds find they can travel 20 years into the future and back by sneezing.
To be honest I am not sure this one works, it sets up rules for times travel then breaks them anyway. There is plenty of action which sort of makes up for the plot holes. Fun till it starts to drag towards the end.
2/5
A Different Man (2024)
Written & directed by Aaron Schimberg this film stars Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve and Adam Pearson. After a radical change of appearance a man starts to lose all sense of identity.
A good mix of dark comedy and thought provoking events. I was a bit worried this film would fall back on simplistic cheese, thankfully it avoids that. Good performances, well worth checking out.
4/5
Coming 2 America (2021)
Directed by Craig Brewer this sequel stars Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Nomzamo Mbatha and Kiki Layne. Upon becoming king our hero finds he has a long lost bastard son.
I have not seen the original this film is a sequel to but I managed to follow this film fine. The plot is incredibly predictable and takes forever to get to the inevitable conclusions. Not enough humour to sustain this tiresome sequel.
2/5
Old London Street Scenes (1903)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. We see a collection of street scenes from London.
A nice little short that captures life of the day. Busy streets show us how people lived their normal lives. More of a historical record than peak entertainment.
3/5
Mary Jane's Mishap (1903)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film staring Laura Bayley. A young woman has a mishap with shoe polish and then another with paraffin.
There is an impressive amount of acting in this short, something unseen in a lot of films of the period. I really liked the personality captured here. A fun short with an explosive ending!
3/5
Giraffe (2023)
Directed by Caleb Femi this is a short film. Two young men live in a world where youth culture is repressed.
While it might not go anywhere this is something of a decent set up and good metaphor. Does at least provoke some thought on the way we treat culture and coming of age. Needed to really play up the horror element a bit more in my opinion.
3/5
The Boys in the Boat (2023)
Directed by George Clooney this film based on real events stars Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner. Working class students take on the elite in their own country then internationally at rowing.
To be honest there are far too many cliché and forced elements in this film to take it too seriously. This is a familiar slice of sports Ameri-wank. Fine for what it is but very forgettable.
3/5
Poison (2024)
Directed by Desiree Nosbusch this film based on the play of the same name stars Tim Roth and Trine Dyrholm. Ten years after the death of their son a couple reconnect.
Like many plays adapted to film this film suffers a little from the lack of variety in action and location, the stage roots are very obvious. That being said this is a solid exploration of grief and how to live with it, ignoring the melodramatic or preachy routes films often go down. Handles the subject matter well and has decent performances.
4/5
Bettlejuice Bettlejuice (2024)
Directed by Tim Burton this sequel stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara and Jenna Ortega. Following the death of her father Lydia returns home and her daughter accidentally agrees to swap places with a ghost.
Mostly this is a fun romp without too much depth to it. There is just enough charisma from Keaton to carry the whole thing. While I have seen the original I do not remember much about it and managed to get through this without feeling like I was missing out on anything.
3/5
Black Dog (2024)
Directed by Guan Hu this film stars Eddie Peng and Tong Liya. A man released from prison returns home to a remote Chinese town with a stray dog problem.
Moving at a slower pace than many films you will need a bit of patience to shit through this film. I really like the way this film looks at the fate of outsiders as the march of progress casts them aside. Moody and thought provoking, a great watch.
4/5
Fording the River (1910)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. Various horse drawn vehicles ford a river.
A nice early use of colour in a pastoral scene. Really captures a slice of life as people cross a river. Wish I knew the location this was shot at!
3/5
Comic Shaving (1897)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. A man shaves.
The image quality of this one is not the best so it is a bit hard to tell what is going on. Why this one is funny does not really seem to have transcended time, it went over my head. Not the best.
2/5
Buidheagain (2018)
Directed by Tony Kearney this short film stars Daibhidh Walker and Catriona Lexy Chaimbeul. A young traveller girl raises chickens.
I found this film to be overly simplistic and clearly aimed at audiences still in the single digits age wise. It is hard to find much to like about this one really as an older viewer. Notable only for being in Gaelic.
2/5
Animated Doll and Toy Town Circus (1912)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. Toys act out circus scenes.
A great mix of stop motion animation and colour photography. Sure there is not much to it but it has a level of charm and entertainment. A lot of fun and impressive for the period.
4/5
Tartans of Scottish Clans (1906)
Directed by George Albert Smith this is an early short film. We see a collection of tartans and the clans they belong to.
Not a lot to this one in terms of entertainment value. I am sure it serves as a nice record but to watch it is very dry. Needs something more to it to be memorable.
2/5
Mob Cops (2025)
Directed by Danny A Abeckaser this film stars David Arquette and Jeremy Luke. Two corrupt cops work for the mob in New York.
This film suffers from both terrible lighting and terrible writing. If there is a character arc here at all I applaud you for being able to find it. Nothing to recommend this one on at all.
1/5
Speak No Evil (2024)
Directed by James Watkins this remake stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy. An American couple and their daughter living in London go to the countryside visit a family they met on holiday.
Fine for what it is this is a bit of a predictable psychological thriller. Maybe things drag a little in the middle once you know what is going to happen and you are waiting for the inevitable. It seems the ending is changed from the original which I have not seen so I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing.
3/5
Our New Errand Boy (1905)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. A shop gets a new errand boy who is more interested in causing trouble than doing his job.
A fun little short that maybe drags on just a smidge too long. Has a good collection of slapstick gags although none are especially original. Fine for what it is, nothing special.
3/5
The Village Fire Brigade (1907)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. The village fire brigade tackle a fire at a cottage.
Pretty simple in content, takes a while to get to the main event. Eventually the near by town fire brigade shows up to put the locals in their place which I guess is supposed to be the gag here. Pretty impressive fire anyway.
3/5
The Little Match Seller (1902)
Directed by James Williamson this short film is based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen. In the cold of winter a little girl selling matches is ignored by everyone.
An enjoyable little tragedy. There is a good use of special effects to pull this one together. Pretty impressive for the period.
4/5
The Damned (2024)
Directed by Thordur Palsson this film stars Odessa Young, Joe Cole and Rory McCann. Fishermen at a remote arctic fishing bay do nothing to help save men on a sinking ship then become haunted by them.
Mostly I just love the location the film was shot it, stark and cold it is really striking. The folk horror narrative is nothing special and I could have done without the ending reveal. Lacks a little something in the execution.
3/5
Omni Loop (2024)
Written & directed by Bernardo Britto this film stars Mary-Louise Parker and Ayo Edebiri. A 54 year old woman with only a week to live keeps travelling back in time one week trying to stave off the inevitable.
It is pretty clear early on what the film is going for and once you realise that it does drag a little in the middle. Otherwise the film is pretty smart, fairly fun and has the occasional moment of off beat humour. Well made for what it is even if it is not a revolutionary effort.
4/5
Cleaner (2025)
Directed by Martin Campbell this film stars Daisy Ridley, Taz Skylar and Clive Owen. Eco-terrorists take over a high rise building and only a window cleaner can stop them.
I am down for a Daisy Ridley lead action film but the script here was a pure after thought. When you are evoking a genre classic like Die Hard you better come prepared for the comparisons, this film is not even in the same league. Another massive disappointment under the Sky Originals banner which is not a surprise.
2/5
Flying the Foam and Some Fancy Diving (1906)
Directed by James Williamson this film stars “Professor” Reddish. A man rides a bike off a pier.
Basically Jackass for the 1900s crew. Pretty fun and the multiple camera set up captures the action well. Surprisingly well shot.
3/5
Gymnasts on Parallel Bars (1898)
Directed by James Williamson this is an early short film. Men do gymnastics on parallel bars.
Not a huge amount to this one, it lacks any sort of narrative. It is about what you would expect, guys showing off doing gymnastics. The image quality is surprisingly good.
3/5
