He cometh

Iceman (2017)

Directed by Felix Randau this film stars Jurgen Vogel, Susanne Wuest, Andre Hennicke and Sabin Tambrea. A neolithic man returns home to find his family killed and their village burnt to the ground.

Presented without subtitles it is an interesting choice to keep the viewer at arms length to reflect the fact we can never really know the full story of a person from so long ago. The plot is a simple revenge piece and is pretty easy to follow despite not knowing what people are saying. There are some great landscape shots to look at as a backdrop for the film.

4/5

Returning to the source

Dark River (2017)

Written & directed by Clio Barnard this film stars Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley and Sean Bean. After 15 years away a woman returns home to the family farm after her father dies but is haunted by the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.

This is a really well told tale of rural life and abuse which is not easy to watch and will be upsetting to some. About the only part of the film I did not like was the ending which is a little too familiar and forced for my taste but otherwise this is a very good watch. Well made and well acted this film definitely captures the location it is made in.

4/5

Lazy all round

Lego DC Super Hero Girls: Super-Villain High (2018)

Directed by Elsa Garagarza this animated film has voices from Grey Griffin, Anais Fairweather, Ashlyn Selich and Tara Strong. Lex Luthor's sister has a plan to trick a bunch of super powered girls into working for her.

Both a step down in animation quality and writing quality compared to the films in the main Lego series it is no surprise to see this was a direct to video effort. It is really hard not to draw the conclusion that the minimum of effort has been put in here to churn out another entry in the franchise. I am not even sure that very young children would find the plot here entertaining.

2/5

Of Greeks and wooden horses

The Fall of Troy (1911)

Directed by Giovanni Pastrone and Luigi Romano Borgnetto this is a silent film based on the legend of the same name. After his wife is stolen a Greek king and his brother go siege Troy to get her back.

Plot wise this film very much as you would expect with little to remark upon. Where this silent film comes into its own is the really impressive sets for the period. The art direction manages to achieve a really good level of scale and grandeur.

4/5

The past in colour

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)

Directed by Peter Jackson this documentary features the voices of World War 1 veterans. We see footage from World War 1 that has been colourized and had sound added to it.

A fascinating experiment in film making brings to life the horrors of the trenches in WW1 in a way never seen or heard before by audiences. The actual content is not exactly all encompassing or exploring new ground but is certainly shocking. For breaking new ground in film making alone this film is well worth watching.

4/5

To come out or not to come out, that is the question

Love, Simon (2018)

Directed by Greg Berlanti this film based on the novel “Simon vs, the Homo Sapiens Agenda” stars Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford and Alexandra Shipp. A 17 year old high schooler struggles to come to terms with being gay and if he wants to come out or not.

Pretty much excellent from start to finish the only blemish on this film is that the ending gets a little self indulgent but otherwise this is a really good story about teenage insecurity and sexuality. There is plenty to enjoy here, especially second hand cringe at some of the character actions. Well made and well acted this is a good watch.

4/5

Not a stand up piece

Statues Also Die (1953)

Directed by a trio of Alain Resnais, Ghislain Cloquet and writer Chris Marker this is a short documentary. We see various pieces of African art and history.

Banned in France for it's criticism of colonialism to modern ideas there are some problematic elements to the way the film treats Africans. Very much a watch only for those that like very arty cinema this may be a bit boring to others. Certainly there is something going on here but the film has not aged very well.

3/5