The Jesus Rolls (2019)
Written & directed by star John Turturro this film also features Bobby Cannavale and Audrey Tautou. Two former cons and a hairdresser go on a sex and crime spree.
This film is a very odd mix of spin-off from The Big Lebowski (1998) and remake of a French film Going Places (1974). To be honest this bastard child of a film never seems to coalesce into anything coherent. For all the on screen talent this is a real headscratcher.
2/5
Sweetheart (2019)
Directed by J. D. Dillard this film stars Kiersey Clemons, Emory Cohen and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence. A young woman washes up on a desert island where she finds there is a monster living.
As a low budget horror/survival film this is pretty decent on the surface level. My criticism of the film would be that if never builds to be more the sum of its parts, there is no depth here. Decently made for a low budget effort if nothing else.
3/5
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Directed by star Ed Norton this film based on the novel of the same name also features Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe. A private investigator with Tourette's syndrome looks into the murder of his mentor.
It seems this film differs wildly from its source material both in period and plot. As a noir film this is a fairly enjoyable effort but never really connects on a human level. For all the on screen talent this film ends up being unremarkable.
3/5
Glenroy Brothers (Comic Boxing) (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this short film stars the Glenroy brothers. Two men try and box with supposedly comedic effect.
Silent film generally does slapstick rather well but this effort is rudimentary at best. Not even a minute long there is not much time for jokes here. I hope the brother's full act was better than this because this snippet leaves a lot to be desired.
2/5
Judy (2019)
Directed by Rupert Goold this biopic stars Renee Zellweger, Jessie Buckland and Finn Wittrock. In the final year of her life Judy Garland performs in London.
There is little new information about the life of Judy Garland in this film. Somehow the script seems unable to avoid a wanky Hollywood ending despite the protagonists deep suffering. Renee Zellweger does her best to carry the film but there is not really enough going on here.
3/5
The Lift Boy (2019)
Written & directed by Jonathan Augustin this film stars Moin Khan, Nyla Masood, Saagar Kale and Aneesha Shah. A lazy student has to fill in for his father operating a lift after his father has a heart attack.
I can see what this film is going for as a coming of age film but I can not agree with the message which seems to be “give up on your dreams and live your life for what everyone else wants from you”. There may well be a culture difference that stopped me fully enjoying the film. I found the writing a bit simplistic, taking away what potential the film had.
2/5
Fire Rescue Scene (1894)
Directed by William K. L. Dickson and William Heise this is an early short film. We see firemen rescue someone from a burning building.
Despite running for less than a minute this film has a fair amount of action in it. For the period this must have been a very thrilling scene. To modern eyes not the greatest but a clear evolution in the film making of the Edison company.
3/5
