Place du Pont (1897)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. We see a street scene from Lyon as a tram comes towards the camera.
There is not a huge amount going on in this short film, it captures a sedate moment of every day life without having any clear subject. Not likely to wow audiences either now or in the past. Does not do much as a piece of entertainment.
2/5
Joueurs de cartes arroses (1896)
Directed by Auguste & Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. Two men get into an argument over a game of cards.
It is pretty obvious to see where this one is going with the Chekov's gun of the gardener with the hose pipe in the background. As early shorts go this is a decent one with a bit of a plot to it. A simple bit of chaos.
3/5
The Lodge (2019)
Directed by Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala this film stars Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh and Richard Armitage. Two children gaslight their father's new girlfriend as they believe she is responsible for their mothers suicide.
I am not sure how I feel about this film because the real villain of the piece, the father, is barely in the film. Definitely there are some creepy moments although it is a bit obvious what is happening. More of a tragedy in the end than a horror film.
3/5
Loading a Boiler (1896)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. Men climb down a ladder from a boiler onto the deck of a ship.
I suspect the title of this film may be an early example of click bait as no boilers are actually loaded in this short. There is a little bit of action but most of the people on screen are moving round at a slow pace. Not the most thrilling Lumiere film I have seen.
2/5
Women Fighting (1896)
Directed by Louis Lumiere this is an early short film. Two women throw hands while a man tries to break it up.
It would be better if this short was less obviously staged. A bit of editing to snip off the last few seconds would have really helped in my opinion. At least this one survives in good image quality.
2/5
The Swordsman (2020)
Directed by Choi Jae-hoon this film stars Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyun-soo and Joe Taslim. A swordsman on the verge of completely losing his eye sight protects his adopted daughter.
As historical martial arts films go this one is fine, nothing special really. The plot is pretty generic and the action sequences do not stand out above the norm. Maybe this one would be more enjoyable to those with a better understanding of Korean history.
3/5
Studio 666 (2022)
Directed by BJ McDonnell this film stars the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters go to stay in a mansion to record a new album and find it to be demonically possessed.
I went into this film only knowing who Dave Grohl was and came out still not really knowing who anyone else in the band is. There is a plot to this film however it is paper thin. All in all this film seems like a vanity project, mostly for Grohl, there is some potential for fun here it is just all squandered.
2/5
