The Blackout (2019)
Directed by Egor Baranov this film stars Elena Lyadova, Svetlana Ivanova, Pyotr Fyodorov and Konstantin Lavronenko. Apart from a small circle round Moscow the entire population of the world disappears.
As alien invasion films go this one is not too bad even if it lacks some depth. My main bone of contention with the film is we never get to understand the motivation of the alien that helps the humans. You will find worse sci-fi action films to watch for sure.
3/5
Zeroville (2019)
Directed by star James Franco this film based on the novel of the same name also features Megan Fox and Seth Rogan. A young man heads to Hollywood becoming a set builder then an editor.
Unfortunately this film falls under the category of self indulgent Hollywood masturbation. Whatever is going on here is lost to madness and seems to stray from its source material. Not one I would recommend even for big fans of Hollywood.
2/5
Eternal Beauty (2019)
Written & directed by Craig Roberts this film stars Sally Hawkins, David Thewlis, Billie Piper and Alice Lowe. A woman with paranoid schizophrenia struggles with life.
If any further evidence was needed that Sally Hawkins is one of the best actors of her generation this film provides it. I really enjoyed the dark comedy of the film even if the plot is a little meandering. The performances are the best part of this film, Alice Lowe is great support to the outstanding Hawkins.
4/5
The First Sleight-Ride (1897)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. Following snow in New York two people go for a sleigh ride.
It takes a little too long for the subject to actually show up in this short film. Even though the film is less than a minute long we spend too long waiting and get too little actual sleigh action. The image quality of this film is not great either.
2/5
Antebellum (2020)
Directed by Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz this film stars Janelle Monae, Eric Lange and Jena Malone. Mixing the present and the past we delve into the story of a woman trapped on a slave plantation.
Most disappointing is that this film has a great premise and touches on some really important topics but it never manages to equal the sum of its parts let alone be more than them. With some revisions I think this could have been a really great film. There are some good performances and a fantastic opening shot however none of these are enough to carry the script.
3/5
The Nice Guys (2016)
Directed by Shane Black this film stars Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling and Angourie Rice. A private eye and an enforcer team up to look for a missing woman in 1970s Los Angeles.
Clearly the main draw here is seeing Crowe and Gosling work together in a buddy comedy film, which just about carries the piece. Maybe a little more humour or charisma is needed to carry this film to another level given the generic plot but there is still plenty to enjoy here. Fun even if it will not stick with you too long.
4/5
Mounted Police Charge (1896)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film from the Edison catalogue. We see police on horse back ride towards the camera and stop in front of it.
The fact that the charge ends in front of the camera takes some of the impact out of this short film. It would have been much more dramatic to see the police thundering past. Fairly decent image quality for a film of this age.
2/5
