Mike and Dave are not nice people

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016)

Directed by Jake Szymanski this film stars Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine and Aubrey Plaza. Two immature brothers are told they must bring dates to their sisters wedding to curtail their stupid behaviour.

Claiming to be based on a true story I can only hope that is a very loose claim as the plot of this film features a bunch of terrible people that learn very little. I found the story mind numbing and the characters unlikeable. The film lurches from one set piece to the next with little stringing it together and not much humour.

2/5

Not Dredd remake material

The Raid 2 (2014)

Written & directed by Gareth Evans this film stars Iko Uwais, Cok Simbara, Arifin Putra and Tio Pakusadewo. Our hero is sent to jail to infiltrate a crime family and bring down the corrupt system protecting them.

I found this film to be a bit of a let down compared to it's predecessor as the plot proves to be cumbersome where the previous one was so slick. At times the script gets bogged down in a fairly derivative story and the action set pieces feel forced at times. The action sequences are still the highlight but at 150 odd minutes I found the film dragging.

3/5

Swirly wirly

Tusalava (1929)

Directed by Len Lye this is a short experimental film. We see various swirling shapes of an abstract nature.

No doubt there is something to this film but what exactly is a bit a of a head scratcher. The content was just a bit too out there for me but it was some what interesting to watch at least. I found the animation style to be nothing special for the era.

3/5

Over cooked

An Over-Incubated Baby (1901)

directed by Walter R. Booth this is a short silent film. A woman puts her baby in a machine that should age it by one year but the machine goes haywire.

Taking a simple plot this one minute film is not the deepest film you will ever see but manages to fill out it's run time. There is basically one gag but enough action to hold your attention. Unlike a lot of the early films there is not a lot of trick photography.

3/5

Lost in Belfast

'71 (2014)

Directed by Yann Demange this film stars Jack O'Connell, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Paul Anderson and Charlie Murphy. In Belfast in 1971 a British soldier becomes separated from his unit in a Catholic controlled region of the city.

While this film is pushing an agenda it does a really good job of balancing realism and tension to provide a good thriller. The action sequences never get over the top and the plot embraces the complicated, confused nature of Belfast in the time period. While this is not The Battle of Algiers (1966) it is not fair behind in terms of quality.

4/5

The most famous of races

The Tortoise and the Hare (1935)

Directed by Wilfred Jackson this cartoon is based on Aesop's fable of the same name. Facing off in a big race it's a battle between the slow and steady versus the fast, show off.

Taking a familiar story this cartoon adds on some decent jokes and fills out a decent cartoon. The classic moral stays intact and works well with Disney's humour. While the animation is not a big stand out it is one of the early uses of cell animation and works well.

4/5

A simple winged trick

The Pigeon Fairy (1906)

Directed by Segundo de Chomon and Gaston Velle this is an early short film with hand tinted colour. We see a young woman do some tricks with pigeons.

Using a simple reverse play back to create the visual trick this is a fairly decent short. There is not a lot to it but the combination of trick and colour is enough to hold the viewers attention. This fits in well with Chomon's other fantastical early films.

3/5