Black monkey business

Delhi-6 (2009)

Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra this film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor and Waheeda Rahman. An Indian-American travels back to India with his terminally ill grandmother so she can live out the rest of her life in her home country.

Taking a fairly superficial look at things this film explores some of the ideas of religion and the divisions in Indian communities. While the plot is fairly simple and does rather hammer home it's message it is still a good watch that does provoke some though. The performances and direction are decent but neither stand out.

3/5

Crossing the crossing guards

The Jaywalker (1956)

Directed by Robert Cannon this is an animated short film. We take a look into the dark world of those addicted to jaywalking.

This is a pretty light hearted film about a man who has become addicted to jaywalking and while it illicit a few chuckles is not overly funny. The plot does not really make much comment on addiction and is nothing more beyond the obvious joke. I suppose the animation is decent enough but it is nothing remarkable.

3/5

About a book about a director

Hitchcock/Truffaut (2015)

Directed by Kent Jones this documentary has contributions from a number of famous directors. We look into the famous 8 day interview of Hitchcock by Truffaut as well as Hitchcock's films.

While this is a really good look into the career of Hitchcock and the famous interview at times this is a bit of a fluff piece. The film discussion is excellent and really dips into the craft of Hitchcock. I enjoyed the film and it does make me want to read Truffaut's book but I do wonder if it could have been more than a 90 minute advert for a book.

4/5

Revenge cult that is uncomfortable in the wrong way

Julia (2014)

Written & directed by Matthew A. Brown this film stars Ashley C. Williams, Tahyna Tozzi and Jack Noseworthy. After being gang raped a woman begins a unique kind of therapy that turns out to be a revenge cult.

At times this film has some really stylish moments and unsettling material but I'm not sure it ever stitches together all it's content coherently. The final reveal left me uncomfortable as it was far too familiarly used stereotype of a marginalised group in the genre. While this film does have it's moments it left me disappointed.

2/5

Rendered useless

A Most Wanted Man (2014)

Directed by Anton Corbijn this film based on the novel of the same name stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Grigoriy Dobrygin and Nina Hoss. The head of a covert German intelligence agency works in Hamburg on the case of a Chechen refugee.

As with any work adapted from a John le Carre book this is a great look inside the world of espionage and provides a pointed look at the clashes between different motives and doctrines in the war on terror. Our protagonist is a classic le Carre lead with more than a hint of George Smiley about him but the plot unfolds with the realism and detail you would expect. I really enjoyed the performances and there is a great supporting cast.

4/5

Christmas in the forest

The Insects' Christmas (1913)

Directed by Wladyslaw Starewicz this is an animated short film. Climbing down off a tree Father Christmas prepares a Christmas celebration for the insects in the woods.

Using stop motion animation techniques this provides a nice, if slightly creepy, Christmas tale. The plot is not very complicated or deep but is watchable. I enjoyed the film but there is not a huge amount to it.

3/5

Tiger not in a tank

Ek Tha Tiger (2012)

Directed by Kabir Khan this film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif and Ranvir Shorey. Sent to Ireland on a mission an Indian spy falls in love with a Pakistani spy.

While this film has an interesting subtext, that peace can exist between India and Pakistan, it never explores the idea in any depth. As long as you do not have high expectations this is not a bad watch but the tone of the film is all over the place. I found the action sequences to be too long and they rarely advance the plot.

2/5