Indian rap?

 Gully Boy (2019)

Directed by Zoya Akhtar this film stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and Siddhant Chaturvedi. A young Muslim from a slum area of India dreams of being a rapper.

When you are translating rap from one language to another unfortunately something is always going to get lost along the way so some of the magic of this film may be missing to those of us that do not speak Hindi. This is a fairly enjoyable film that apart from the rap element covers a lot of familiar elements from Indian cinema. Not something that I would rewatch or will stick with me unfortunately.

3/5

Not one that grabs you

 Don't Let Go (2019)

Written & directed by Jacob Aaron Estes this film stars David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Byron Mann and Mykelit Williamson. Following the murder of his brother and his family a police detective starts getting phones from his daughter living in the past.

Taking something of an interesting set up this film does not really do much beyond the surface level with it. There are parts of the film where the timeline could be kept a little clearer but otherwise this is a decently constructed film. Ultimately a bit too familiar to really recommend.

3/5

Not enough grime

 Ford v Ferrari (2019)

Directed by James Mangold this film based on real events stars Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal and Caitriona Balfe. In the 1960s Ford decide to go head to head with Ferrari in the car racing business.

As with many Hollywood films this film does not let facts get in the way of a formulaic story. Unfortunately you can see the finger prints of screen writing formula on this script far too often to enjoy it as a historical piece. Entertaining but ultimately losing impact due to the Hollywood polish.

3/5

A creepy notebook

 

Remember Me (2019)

Directed by Martin Rosete this film stars Bruce Dern, Caroline Silhol and Brian Cox. An old man pretends to have Alzheimer's to stay in the same old people's home as an old flame.

Essentially this is the more creepy version of The Notebook (2004), where an old man tries to get a married woman with Alzheimers to remember their affair. Unfortunately the whole plot seems a bit uncomfortable. I would give this one a miss and if you really have to watch something like this crack open The Notebook.

2/5

A hundred years before ice cube

 

The Barbershop (1894)

Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. We see a barber and two customers.

Capturing a simple scene of daily life this is a quaint little short. No doubt the scene is not authentic but still well framed. A fun little glimpse into history.

3/5

Behold revisions needed

 Behold My Heart (2018)

Directed by Joshua Leonard this film stars Marisa Tomei, Charlie Plummer and Timothy Olyphant. After a teenagers father is murdered his mother turns to alcohol for comfort.

As grief/coming of age films go this film is no great shakes. Really for the story to work we need to spend longer with the characters, we never get enough time with them going through the process for them to really earn their ending. Taken as it stands this film is not really worth seeking out.

3/5

All bull, no shit

 Jallikattu (2019)

Directed by Lijo Jose Pellisee this film stars Anthony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose and Sabumond Abdusamand. As an escaped buffalo runs amok an entire village descends into madness.

I am not sure what I was expecting from this film but it works really well as a reminder that our societies are never far from a return to anarchy. It is hard to pin down what genre this film exists in at times, there are moments that are comedic, tragic and horrific all mixed in together. Certainly this is not the usual fare.

4/5