Not the horn

 

Antlers (2021)

Directed by Scott Cooper this film stars Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons and Jeremy T. Thomas. A school teacher in a small town in Oregon becomes concerned about a withdrawn boy in her class.

I had high hopes for this film given them involvement of Guillermo del Toro behind the scenes, unfortunately the film falls short of his work. The plot never really gives us the depth it hints at, leaving us with a surface level horror film that is a bit bland. There are too many elements of what could have been here.

2/5

Into darkness... and out again

 

Going Through the Tunnel (1898)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A train goes into a tunnel and comes out the other side.

Of course there is not a huge amount to this short film given the simple subject matter and short run time. There is at least a nice little bit of action on show here. The version I watched was not the highest image quality ever, pretty decent for the era though.

3/5

Crying at Wimbeldon

 

Amanda (2018)

Directed by Mikhael Hers this film stars Vincent Lacoste, Stacy Martin and Isaure Multrier. A young man suddenly finds himself as guardian for his seven year old niece.

There are plenty of times this film could have been sentimental or melodramatic but it handles the material very well. I really enjoy this film, especially the performance of young Isaure Multrier in the title role. Never does the film resort to preaching and is heart breaking in places.

4/5

More night than day

 

Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)

Directed by Steafno Sollima this sequel stars Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin and Isabela Moner. US agents attempt to start a war between cartel members in Mexico.

There is plenty of style and hard men making hard decisions here without too much depth. I feel like the script cheated us out of an actual hard hitting ending which is a disappointment. In the end this film is lacking a bit.

3/5

Tricks

Year 13 (2017)

Written & directed by star Jim Greco this is something of a one man film. To celebrate the 13^th year of his sobriety a man goes skateboarding.

This is very much an art house film rather than your traditional skateboarding compilation tape. There are some nice tricks and such with the board but the film is just as focused on tricks with image and sound. You will have to really have a taste in art films to love this one.

3/5

twenty minutes, not a day

 

Video Days (1991)

Directed by Spike Jonze this film stars Mark Gonzales, Rudy Johnson, Jason Lee, Guy Mariano and Jordan Richter. A group of pro skateboarders show off their skills.

I am not a skateboarder so no doubt a lot of this film went over my head. The tricks are entertaining but got a tad repetitive for a non enthusiast like me. Certainly a slice of history and a nice look into the early career of Spike Jonze.

3/5

Before the Downfall memes

 

Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973)

Directed by Ennio De Concini this film based on real events stars Alec Guinness and Simon Ward. We follow the last ten days of Hitler's rule over Germany.

This film is very interested in sticking to history, somewhat at the detriment of drama. Alec Guinness does a fantastic job in the lead role, otherwise the film is a bit bland. There are a few decent moments but really the film is more of a number of scenes strung together than a clear arc.

3/5