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jamiestrafford
Reviews
Lost for Words (2021)
Sensational
It is often the case that passions and emotions lead to absurdity. This sensational short brilliantly conveys this in a lockdown story that undoubtably many will relate to - that of breaking up and the problems of communication at a time when self-isolation inhibited many of us from physical contact or presence. The story is told through monologues in a spoken word/poetic style that is as dryly witty as it is absurd, with the protagonists going as far as to compare each other to the location's colourful creatures - the setting is a park with peacocks and koi fish to name but a few. In fact the film's location, characters and it's use of colour imbue a magical realist and whimsical vibe, that reminded me of Wes Anderson or even Jean-Pierre Jeunet. This coupled with the brilliant actors performances, impeccable cinematography, charming music and masterful direction, makes this short stand out bright as one of the best I've seen. There is a great future here for its writer director.
1917 (2019)
Ignore the fake praise, 1917 is mediocre
Stay away from this junk of a film and save your money and 2 hours. I have never seen such an implausible wannabe action-fantasy in my life pretending to be a war film. It can only be a war film for the video game and marvel generation. A poor person's WW1 film. Watch Kubrick's 'Paths of Glory' instead - a real masterpiece verses this pile of garbage from an overrated filmmaker.
Fauve (2018)
Overrated bourgeois nonsense
I saw this on free to view Vimeo. It seems the festival selections instruct audiences to think this is a worthy short film but really all it is in fact is a lazy, none story where the director shoots and interesting location with two kids, no substance, no plot and a prétention of high-art. A wasted opportunity.
Widow's Walk (2019)
Almost unwatchable
I sat through this film tonight. Halfway through I started twitching and my seat started to become uncomfortable, and then I started looking at my watch - the limits of boredom were being challenged. When making a film, the writer needs the viewer to connect with the characters in order to ensure that the quieter sections of the film still engage. This didn't have that. The pacing was mediocre.