Book of bullshit

The Scorpion King: Book of Souls (2018)

Directed by Don Michael Paul this 5^th film in the spin off franchise stars Zach McGowan, Pearl Thusi and Katy Louise Saunders. Now living as a blacksmith the former Scorpion King has to defeat some guy out for revenge against him.

I had no idea there were so many films in this series and to be honest this film is well worth not knowing about. The plot of this film is like a bad version of someone else's dungeons and dragons campaign. It is hard to find anything to recommend about this film, especially the parts that rely heavily on narration.

1/5

Chuff chuff

Train (1980)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a simple stop motion animation film. We see a train run on some track.

Pretty simplistic and not with any great depth this is not the strongest of Jarnow's work. There is a very short run time and not a lot to go on here. Probably just one for completionists.

2/5

Broken

Unbroken: Path to Redemption (2018)

Directed by Harold Cronk this film based on real events stars Samuel Hunt, Merritt Patterson and Vincenzo Amato. After returning home from a Japanese POW camp our protagonist struggles with PTSD and alcoholism.

I found this it be a weak follow up to Angelina Jolie's film on the same protagonist. The script is not great and suggests that just a couple of church sessions will fix all your problems. To be honest this is one to skip.

2/5

Forgettable fun

Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)

Directed by Barry Levinson this film stars Nicholas Rowe, Alan Cox and Sophie Ward. At boarding school teenage Holmes and Watson become friends before embarking on their first case together.

A fun little romp through Victorian London this film is entertaining but no great shakes. The plot is pretty predictable which seems like the opposite you want from a Holmes mystery. Decently made but probably not a film that would get many second viewings.

3/5

A question of peace or war, life or death

The Fortress (2017)

Written & directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk this film based on real events stars Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yoon-seok and Park Hae-il. In 1636 the kingdom of Korea finds itself caught up in the war between Qing and Ming dynasties in China.

Maybe not completely historical this film still does a good job of framing the question as to the role of rulers when their country is under threat. The plot is of course relevant to the situation Korea finds itself in even today, caught between China and the USA. Well made and with some decent action sequences it is no wonder this film has spread beyond South Korea.

4/5

Building blocks

Architecture (1980)

Directed by Al Jarnow this is a stop motion animation film. Various coloured shapes come together to show the evolution of architecture.

I really like the way this film translates the complicated changes in architecture into something simple for the viewer to understand. While this is only ever an introduction to the subject it takes some pretty big leaps in the small run time. Well made and well thought out, worth a watch.

3/5

Too much fall out

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Written & directed by Christopher McQuarrie this film stars Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson. Our heroes try to stop a team of terrorists who want to set off nuclear bombs.

Creaking a little under the complex plot which relies too heavily on events of previous films the script for this film could be easier to follow. There are the suitable action sequences but the film is not much more than that. Maybe I am a little jaded when it comes to action sequences but I am not sure they are enough to carry this film.

3/5