Baby Done (2020)
Directed by Curtis Vowell this film stars Rose Matafeo and Matthew Lewis. A couple in New Zealand find out they are unexpectedly expecting.
Covering well trodden ground this is a funny comedy even if a little predictable. There is enough charm to carry the script. The performances and jokes are what is worth watching for.
3/5
Wildcat (2021)
Directed by Jonathan W. Stokes this film stars Georgina Campbell, Luke Beward and Mido Hamada. A report and a soldier are taken captive by terrorist in Iraq.
Not the deepest film out there but this is a fairly decent game of cat and mouse between the protagonist and her captor. The plot does not really have much of interest to say about the subject matter. The claustrophobic nature of the film hides what I assume is a small budget pretty well.
3/5
The Ride (2018)
Directed by Alex Ranarivelo this film inspired by real events stars Shane Graham, Ludacris and Sasha Alexander. A boy that was part of a neo nazi gang is adopted by a mixed race couple.
No doubt the story of the protagonist is fascinating but this is a really weak effort when translating it to the screen. Too much change is condensed down into far too short of a timeline for any of it to be believable or properly explored on screen. I also find the casting seriously suspect, Shane Graham is way too old to play the protagonist here.
2/5
Palace of Electricity (1900)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see a panoramic shot taken at the 1900 Paris Exposition.
Not the greatest in terms of image quality this is an okay watch but not much more. The scene taken in is fairly interesting and comes to life over the course of the shot. No doubt an interesting historical record.
2/5
Unhinged (2020)
Directed by Derrick Borte this film stars Russell Crowe, Caren Pistorius and Gabriel Bateman. A woman gets in a road rage incident with a man who is murderously insane.
I suppose the concept of this film is not too bad but the execution is weak in places, characters do things that make no sense to further the plot. It is kind of hard to watch this and not wish you were watching Falling Down (1993) instead. Towards the end the film drags a little as you wait for it to get to the inevitable conclusion.
2/5
To the Stars (2019)
Directed by Martha Stephens this film stars Kara Hayward, Liana Liberato and Adelaide Clemens. In rural 60s America an outcast at high school is befriended by the new girl.
Chock full of classic coming of age goodness this is a great example of a high quality genre film. The script is riddled with teenage anxiety in all the best kind of ways. A really good watch, well worth seeking out even if it might seem a little unoriginal on the surface.
4/5
Cupid and Psyche (1897)
Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. We see two people dance in front of a large audience.
This film falls into the early “home video” category of cinema. It is a bit hard to tell what is going on and you can not make out a lot about the figures dancing. Not one of the better early films.
2/5
