Not as sharp as some would have you believe

 

Knives Out (2019)

Written & directed by Rain Johnson this film stars Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig and Chris Evans. A famous mystery author commits suicide, or did he?

I am afraid this film suffers a bit from not being able to live up to all the hype surrounding it. By no means is this a bad film, it is a decent murder mystery with some hints at socio-political themes, but I do not think it is ever more than the sum of its parts as is required for greatness. Where the film is at its best is the way it subverts your expectations for a murder mystery film and I think that is the real strength of the piece. I enjoyed the large ensemble cast even if some of them are left without much to do.

4/5

Charm and disappointment

 

We Broke Up (2021)

Directed by Jeff Rosenberg this film stars Aya Cash, William Jackson Harper, Sarah Bolger and Tony Cavalero. A long term couple break up on the eve of going to the wedding of the woman's younger sister.

I found this to be a bit of a confused film, it never really lives up to the premise or goes all in on the comedy potential. What I did like about the film is the ending which is earnest and a refreshing change from the norm. Not a bad watch but with a little more effort could have been so much more.

3/5

Celestial path

 

Passage of Venus (1874)

Directed by P.J.C. Janssen this is a very early short film. We see the planet Venus as it starts to move across the sun.

More a collection of stills than an actual film this still must have been ground breaking in its day. The film is barely more than five seconds long but is just enough to give you an idea of the movement of the planet Venus. Impressive for the date it comes from.

2/5

Life as a mope

 

Mope (2019)

Directed by Lucas Heyne this film based on real events stars Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Kelly Sry. Two men trying to make it as porn stars become best friends.

I am not sure this film sticks entirely to the events as they happened but it does provide a good look into the life of low end work for male talent in the porn industry. You can not help but feel bad for how the characters are used and looked down on by everyone they encounter. There may be nothing surprising here but it is fairly well done.

3/5

Giving up

 

Body of Water (2020)

Written & directed by Lucy Brydon this film stars Sian Brooke, Amanda Burton, Fabienne Piolini-Castle and Nick Blood. A woman returns home after spending 7 months in an eating disorder treatment centre.

This is a look inside the mind of a person suffering from an eating disorder and their path to self destruction. As depressing as this film is I really enjoyed it. The film takes on a tough subject matter without ever shying away from reality.

4/5

Striking an accord

 

Oslo (2021)

Directed by Bartlett Sher this film based on the play of the same name stars Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Salim Daw and Itzik Cohen. Members of the Norwegian foreign ministry try to jump start the peace process between Israel and the PLO.

It is hard to tell how historically accurate this film is, it is fairly entertaining but does not get to the nuts and bolts of history as we may like. The script does focuses a bit more on the personal than the historical. As a piece of entertainment this is decent but as history I am not so sure.

3/5

Stock footage

 

Buffalo Stockyards (1897)

Directed by James H. White this is an early short film. A number of horses are paraded past the camera and back again.

Not a huge amount to this short film unless you are a big fan of horses. As a historical record I am sure this film has some use. Not the most entertaining early film you will see but there is something going at least.

3/5