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La Belle Époque
Nicolas Bedos, 2019
Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
DVR - Film4


From IMDb:
A couple in crisis. He, disillusioned, sees his life upset the day an entrepreneur offers him to plunge back into the time of his choice.
French offering that may take a few minutes for the viewer to fully orient themselves but once that hurdle is cleared the first half is quite magical imo. Perhaps it helps that I love the Truman Show-esque style central idea, perhaps because I've been married for a while and can relate a little, perhaps it's because I'm of an age where nostalgia is becoming a little more prevalent but I found the depiction of that previous 'reality' quite delightful - it certainly doesn't hurt that it's pretty nicely scripted and well acted. Sadly at around the halfway point it opts to break that spell, and though it returns to that environment fairly swiftly it's not quite the same and much of the second half gradually erodes my feelings towards proceedings before the closing act at least repairs some of that damage (even if it is predictable).





The Invisible Man
Leigh Whannell, 2020
Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
DVD


From TMDb:
When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
Can't say I'm particularly enamoured with the way the tale is switched-up and I don't imagine it would stand close scrutiny very well at all (or even ranged scrutiny come to that) but despite that and Ms. Moss overplaying it in places it is still reasonably well done, creating some decent atmosphere, and a fairly enjoyable watch imo.





Grâce à Dieu - [By The Grace of God]
François Ozon, 2018
Drama
DVR - Film4


From IMDb:
Three men, abused by the same priest during their childhood, engage in a fight for justice that will expose their personal experiences and question their life with their wife, family, and colleagues.
Generally nicely enough made and acted offering based on the real-life efforts in the 2010s to bring members of the French Catholic church to task over the cover-up of a known paedophile member of the clergy in Lyon. I'm not much of a fan of the voiced-over correspondence in the opening stages but I do understand why it was done that way and thankfully it doesn't last too long as a lead-in to proceedings.





The Harvest
Andrea Paco Mariani, 2017
Documentary, Drama, Musical
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Gurwinder is a Punjabi man who works as a day labourer in a farm in Italy, but the gang-master and labour exploitation are tearing his life apart.
Somewhat odd Italian offering with a mix of docu-drama interspersed with the occasional choreographed dance or musical number that shines a worthwhile light on the sad plight of immigrant workers in the Italian agriculture industry and is competently enough made. Personally though I wasn't that keen on the musical interludes and think it would have been better if played as a straight docu-drama.





Beksinscy. Album Wideofoniczny - [The Beksińskis. A Sound And Picture Album]
Marcin Borchardt, 2017
Documentary
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
The story of an outstanding Polish painter, Zdzislaw Beksinski, and his complicated relationship with his son, Tomek, an extremely popular music journalist who suffered from depression and made numerous attempts to commit suicide.
Nicely put together documentary, mainly utilising still photographs, interviews and predominantly home made video footage and sound recordings, covering over 40 years from Sep 1957 - Dec 1999. Covering both of their chosen careers alongside the relationship between father/son it is a quite fascinating watch that for me never remotely became boring.


+



Adivina - [Fortune-Teller]
Gonzaga Manso, 2017
Comedy, Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Routine and red sausage have led Mauricio to lose things he took for granted. In an act of illogical desperation, he visits a carnival fortune-teller to try and tie up the lose ends he left along the way. With the help of her crystal ball, the fortune-teller shows him an alternate reality.
Spanish short (20 min) that has a nice sense of humour in places and works fairly well though for me would have been better shortening some of the fantasy sequences (especially the final one).


+



De Blauwe Maagd - [The Blue Virgin]
Tim Klok, 2018
Adventure, Drama, Thriller
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From Filmbox Arthouse:
The film follows Thomas, a refined and wealthy man who treats his beautiful young wife Nathalie to a trip to sunny France.
Dutch short (34 min) that sadly just didn't really do much for me. The premise might be easier to buy into if it were better presented but the whole felt pretty flat (not helped by the score imo) and lacking in any real drama, thrills or vitality.


+



Runners
Charles Sturridge, 1983
Drama
DVR - Film4


From TMDb:
When his young daughter disappears, her father refuses to accept that she is dead and sets out on a journey to find her.
Drama that wants to be 'gritty' but lacks believability in the opening and whilst it does improve somewhat once proceedings move to London and even becomes quite watchable for a while in the later stages it still tends to be rather hit and miss in that regard. With dialogue that too often sounds scripted, a score that is fairly atrocious in places and the odd caricature as a bit-part thrown in it's no great addition to British films of this ilk imo.





Brightburn
David Yarovesky, 2019
Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
DVR - Film4


From TMDb:
What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?
Fairly enjoyable alternate take on the superhero genre that could have had a little more originality (especially in the final act) and a little more meat to the tale but it did manage to build a little tension at times and I thought Jackson A. Dunn was pretty good as the kid.


+



Moonlighting
Jerzy Skolimowski, 1982
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From TMDb:
A Polish contractor, Nowak, leads a group of workmen to London so they can provide cheap labor for a government official based there.
Fairly slow-paced drama that utilises the early 1980s Polish political backdrop effectively enough and remains watchable, albeit not really very credible in places, primarily thanks to Jeremy Irons carrying proceedings even if he never really convinces as being Polish.





Man Of Steel
Zack Snyder, 2013
Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
DVR - TCM


From TMDb:
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
Not without moments of enjoyment but a somewhat messy and overlong affair that confuses excessive spectacle for entertainment imo.





Conte de fées à l'usage des moyennes personnes - [Fairy Tale For Average People]
Chloé Mazlo, 2015
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From Filmbox Arthouse:
Traumatised by a painfull breakup, Joseph decides on stepping out of his house, and finding some sugar in order to remove bitterness from his life.
Offbeat French short (14 min) which is a mix of live-action and animation all filmed in the style of stop-motion.





Annie Waits
Marnie Paxton, 2017
Comedy
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From TMDb:
Tells the story of lust and disappointment as a twenty-something waits for her adult life to begin.
Modest British short (9 mins) on the nature of relationships that's competently enough made but amounts to little more than an extended semi-amusing build-up to a punchline that sadly isn't very hard to anticipate.


+



Commando
Mark L. Lester, 1985
Action, Adventure, Thriller
DVR - Film4


From IMDb:
A retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.
More camp/cheesy than I remembered (Vernon Wells' outfit ) but still a fairly fun actioner which is nicely enough paced to maintain interest throughout, even if it is rather hard to take it seriously much of the time.





The Goonies
Richard Donner, 1985
Adventure, Comedy, Family
DVR - TCM


From IMDb:
A group of young misfits called The Goonies discover an ancient map and set out on an adventure to find a legendary pirate's long-lost treasure.
Teen-friendly romp that sets the tone right from the get-go and is fun in places with some nice set-pieces, though that fun is tempered by some irritating characters and it being far too juvenile at times for an aged curmudgeon such as me.


+



Angel Has Fallen
Ric Roman Waugh, 2019
Action, Thriller
DVR - Film4


From TMDb:
After a treacherous attack, Secret Service agent Mike Banning is charged with attempting to assassinate President Trumbull. Chased by his own colleagues and the FBI, Banning begins a race against the clock to clear his name.
Disappointing actioner that's quite poorly written imo. Whilst some of the action sequences are okay others are rather weak and considering the $40M budget the inclusion of substandard CGI is probably the closest proceedings come to incorporating a surprise.


+



Prisoner C33
Trevor Nunn, 2022
Drama
DVR - BBC Four


From IMDb:
Oscar Wilde is confined in Reading Gaol. His younger self appears, and the two men wrestle with the humiliation of Wilde's fall from celebrity to convict because he loved a man. The dialogue in the film draws heavily on Oscar Wildes own written word and famous quotations and as such the film can be viewed for much of it's running time as being in "his own words".
Nice enough piece, withToby Stephens playing both parts very well and the single location lending itself to the director's theatrical roots. Not for everyone I'd imagine but I found it engaging throughout.





Days Of The Bagnold Summer
Simon Bird, 2019
Comedy, Drama, Music
DVR - BBC Four


From TMDb:
Sue works in a library. Daniel eats crisps and listens to Metallica. This was the summer Daniel was due to spend with his father and his father's new wife in Florida. But when they cancel his trip at the last minute, Sue and Daniel suddenly face the prospect of six long weeks together.
Dryly comedic British offering but whilst I can often appreciate that style of humour (and do in places here) this is a little too sparse on that front for me leaving it rather flat and lifeless. Given the director's involvement in The Inbetweeners (which I similarly don't really care for) it's probably no surprise this also feels more like an extended episode of a television series.