Teller of tales

 

The Traitor (2019)

Directed by Marco Bellocchio this film based on real events stars Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Candido and Fausto Russo Alesi. We follow Tommaso Buscetta as he turns states evidence against the Cosa Nostra.

If like me you are not familiar with the real life events behind this film it can be a little hard to keep track of all the characters involved. The script does a good job of covering the surface level of events but I am not sure it ever digs too deeply into the people involved. In the end a bit lacking in heart in my opinion.

3/5

Minor success

 

Minor Premise (2020)

Directed by Eric Schultz this film stars Sathya Sridharan, Paton Ashbrook and Dana Ashbrook. Trying to surpass his father's accomplishments a scientist fractures his own psyche.

At times I found this film a little slow and not fully living up to its premise. This is not a bad science fiction film but clearly a cheap one. Definitely not one for the mass market audience.

3/5

Things we don't like to talk about

 

Come as You Are (2019)

Directed by Richard Wong this remake of Hasta la Vista (2011) stars Grant Rosenmeyer, Hayden Szeto, Ravi Patel an Gabourey Sidibe. Three disabled men travel to Canada to lose their virginities at a brothel that specialises in disabled clients.

I have not seen the original this film is based on but this film does a great job of dealing with the subject matter with both sensitivity and humour. The script takes a mature approach that never judges the characters for their desires or actions. After seeing this I am really interested to catch the original at some point.

4/5

1983 by way of 1883

 

A Violent Separation (2019)

Directed by Kevin & Michael Goetz this film stars Brenton Thwaites, Alycia Debnam-Carey and Ben Robson. Sometimes your older brother accidentally kills his girlfriend and you have to help him cover it up.

Fairly pedestrian for a neo-western about guilt and murder. There is not much original here but as genre pieces go it is not terrible. In more skilled hands this could have been a better film, as is it is a bit forgettable.

3/5

The first Sky original that isn't terrible?

 

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Written & directed by Emerald Fennell this film stars Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Bried and Laverne Cox. A young woman seeks revenge on those involved in the rape and suicide of her best friend.

I really enjoyed a lot of this dark comedy, it tackles the feminist themes in a really blunt way that challenge the viewer. There are just a couple of moments that are too predictable or where I wish we had had a bit more time to explore some of the characters, give a little more depth to their actions. It is really nit picking but there are also a couple of moments where the film looks a little cheaply made which is a real shame as this film deserves to have had all the budget thrown at it.

4/5

Should have been more

 

Looks That Kill (2020)

Written & directed by Kellen Moore this film stars Brandon Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles and Ki Hong Lee. Teenage boy meets girl, his face kills people and she has a terminal disease.

In the premise of this film there are a lot of really interesting elements with the potential for a lot of drama however I do not think the film ever really reaches its full potential. While I enjoyed the dark comedy elements of the film I could not help be disappointed by some of the missed opportunities. If you take it on its own merits this is a fun little film.

3/5

Out for a spin

 

Arabian Gun Twirler (1899)

Directed by James H. White this is a short film featuring Hadji Cheriff. We see a man perform a number of tricks with a rifle.

Sadly the image quality of this short is not the greatest. The performer's act clearly involves plenty of skill but is not that easy to see due to the quality of the image. Similar to a number of other shorts of the period.

2/5