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FILM REVIEWS UK UK Film Review is a film reviews website based in London, UK. We promote films and movie trailers from around the world and support indie films that would usually find it hard to find the spotlight against the bigger films of cinema. From the latest blockbusters, to small indie cinema, we tackle as many films as we can. Reviewing them from all aspects, not just how many digital landscapes they blow up using CGI. We also review short films in the UK and internationally, helping filmmakers to promote their movies and raise their profile. If you would like to have a short or indie film reviewed by us, please submit all info using the button below. Take a look around, enjoy the spoils of filmmaking, film festivals and artistic expression. Our merry band of film critics are constantly hard at work, writing film reviews, or watching movie trailers for some of the most exciting movies coming out in UK cinemas. So to keep their morale up, please be nice...or at least funny if you choose to troll. Because, in the immortal words of Rick Moranis in the movie Spaceballs, "Keep firing A**holes!". By the way, on this film reviews website, you may see several references to Spaceballs. If you have not seen that classic Mel Brooks film, you MUST seek it out and tell us what you think. SUBMIT YOUR FILM Are You a Film Podcast Fan? Film critics Chris Olson and Brian Penn host a monthly podcast for all types of film fans! Whether you like the latest blockbuster releases, or streaming is your thing - we have you covered. We even review short and independent films on the podcast. Our final review is usually for a "Nostalgia" pick - something from the past worth revisiting. Previous picks for this have included Jaws, The Fly, and Good Will Hunting. Search UK Film Review Podcast wherever you like to listen and join our global community of film lovers. Film Reviews from UK film critics LATEST REVIEWS I'll Be Frank Get Away The Last Ranger Y2K Peace Process Bull Street That Christmas Perform Lots Love Walnuts Til Your Last Breath Maria Load More

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS I'll Be Frank Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Dec 4, 2024 Directed by: Carleton Rodgers Written by: Carleton Rodgers Starring: Jake Doyle, Helena Bereen, Bernadette Brown, James Devlin, Eimear Bailie A short comedy drama from Northern Ireland written and directed by Carleton Rodgers and starring Jake Doyle, Helena Bereen and Bernadette Brown. Teenager Danny (Doyle) lives in Northern Ireland and is a massive fan of American singer and actor Frank Sinatra, having decorated his bedroom with photographs and newpaper articles about the celebrity and listening to and singing his hits. However, he keeps his admiration a secret from others, especially his friends. Then, the boiler in his home needs to be replaced and his family cannot afford a new one. When his grandmother (Bereen) informs him that his school is organising a talent show that offers prize money to the winner, a reluctant Danny must decide whether he can overcome his personal issues and perform and win so that they can buy a new boiler. A feel-good story with a likeable protagonist and supporting characters. Since the plot involves Sinatra, it should come as no surprise that the soundtrack includes some of the singer's hits such as It All Depends on You , It Had to Be You and Someone to Watch Over Me , making the audible experience quite pleasant and even more pleasant thanks to the contributions from composer James Everett and The Belfast Jazz Swing Orchestra. As good as the audio is, the screenplay is also to be commended as it is intriguing and inspiring, focusing on a youth who has a big passion, yet is does not seem to have the courage to share it with the world because he thinks low of himself. The overall atmopshere is uplifting, with humour, heart-warming moments and plenty of singing. Although the film has a good script, perhaps the characters of Danny' mother (Brown) and Hannah (Bailie), Danny's love interest, could had been explored in more depth with the intention of adding more quality to these two characters. Doyle delivers a sympathetic performance as Danny, a nice, well-meaning guy who adores Sinatra and sadly lacks the self-esteem to reveal it to others as he is worried about what other people will think of him. Bereen stands out as Danny's grandmother, an optimistic and cheerful elderly woman who also likes Sinatra. She believes in her grandson and encourages him to share his passion with the world. Unfortunately, his mother thinks otherwise. The group of boys that serve as Danny's friends are different than him, as they are loud and a bit unruly and are led by Ciaran (Devlin), who is wild but a good guy. Through Danny's character the film explores low self-esteem, having an idol and a passion. His grandmother represents the significance of support and the idea that one should not be afraid to be who they really are and that by doing so, good things happen. Furthermore, the story explores financial difficulties, that money does not matter and that great joy is to be found when a person reveals their passion. And of course, the happiness that can be found in singing is present and the film pays homage to Frank Sinatra. What is there to gain by viewing this short? Experiencing an uplifting and moving story about sharing one's passion with others. Fans of Sinatra will most likely enjoy it and so will people who appreciate a story about being oneself and pursuing what makes them happy. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Short Film Reviews Welcome to the UK Film Review page for short film reviews . Here you will find some of the best and brightest sparks in a sea of cinema. Filmmakers from across the globe submit their short films to us to be reviewed, and our Contributors lovingly dissect them. If you would like one of our team to write a film review of your short film, please use the form on our Submit Your Film page Our short film reviews are written by passionate film critics across the UK and aim to highlight and promote terrific filmmaking when we find it. We are always honest with our reviews, so if you are looking to submit your short film for review, please do so knowing that we will not alter what we have said because you don't like it. There is a wealth of amazing talent in the short film industry, and we hope by writing film reviews about this underexposed creativity we can get your movies to a new audience...but we need your help. Please join in the chatter on our social media channels so that we can grow our community and share the joy. Use the buttons in the footer to Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and Subscribe to us on YouTube #supportindiefilm. The selection of short film reviews you see below are mostly for films submitted to us. In this instance, the filmmaker has requested us to watch and provide a short film review. Get Your Short Film Reviewed The Curious Clever and Collectively Convoluted Case of Detective Ebeneezer Maisonette   Short Film Review Hardwicke Circus: The Prison Gig Short Film Review Through the Stew Short Film Review Filmmaker Interview with Zehua Yang Isabella Short Film Review Finger Food Short Film Review Warrior: Predator Short Film Review A Hell of a Trip to Delicias Short Film Review No Tell! Short Film Review Last Rendezvous Short Film Review In The Moonlight Short Film Review Bridge Short Film Review Bird Drone Short Film Review Ain’t my Vibe Short Music Video Review Surprise Short Film Review A Happy Ending Short Film Review Shear Disturbance Short Film Review Watch What I Do Short Film Review After Hours Short Movie Review Cinerama (Music Video) Short Film Review More Film Reviews I'll Be Frank Jason Knight The Last Ranger William Hemingway Peace Process James Learoyd Perform Jason Knight Lots Love Patrick Foley Til Your Last Breath Chris Buick Farewell James Learoyd Lovesick William Hemingway The Other Birthday Jason Knight Molina Chris Buick Mouse James Learoyd Moeder William Hemingway Happy Pals Jason Knight To Hell With You Joe Beck Buscando Alma James Learoyd Kruste Chris Olson Flirting with Darkness Jason Knight A Place to Fall Down Chris Olson My Week with Maisy Joe Beck From Above Chris Olson Meal Ticket James Learoyd Neither Donkey Nor Horse Chris Olson Picture Day James Learoyd Seven Jewish Children Brian Penn Tomorrow William Hemingway Load More Reviews What is a short film review? A short film review is often written by a movie critic and it's their opinion on a film that is less than sixty minutes long. Short film reviews still explore every aspect of a movie. How do I write a short film review? Writing a short film review needs to cover multiple aspects of the movie. Including the script, the characters, performances, cinematography, score & sound design, editing and so on. Sometimes we consider the piece only as a short film; whether it works in that format, other times we may think of it as a "proof of concept" for something longer, or perhaps a piece of a web series/TV show. These can be important to consider when writing a short film review. How long should a film review be? A film review should be as long as the house style. Some publications provide lengthier reviews than others. A general minimum word count would be 500. This may be also for SEO reasons, as short film reviews that are longer may be more likely to rank higher on Google. The important thing to remember is that the review should be well-structured, not full of bloated points to fill up the word count. How much money do film critics make? Film critic salaries depend massively on their publication. Many film critics are freelancers, meaning they get paid per review and sometimes this is based on word count. Making money through film reviews can be challenging. Video Short Film Reviews Below you will find a selection of short film reviews in video form! This is where one of the UK Film Review Critics records their review and we upload it to our YouTube channel (as well as TikTok and Meta Reels in some cases). A Place to Fall Down Short Film Review by Chris Olson A short film about coping with loss and grief, film critic Chris Olson gave A Place to Fall Down 4 stars. Watch his video short film review here to here from the man himself about his thoughts and feelings. OK/NOTOK Short Film Review by Patrick Foley In this short film review from Patrick Foley, he gives us his opinion of the brilliant movie OK/NOTOK. Set in a futuristic world where AI robots are available as companions (as long as you can afford the subscription), it's a riveting piece. Betrayed Short Film Review by Chris Buick Film critic Chris Buick offers up a fantastic video short film review for Betrayed. A movie about a girl with special powers who, with the help of her protective father, must elude those who would use her for nefarious means.

★★★★ Starring: #JacobRenouf, #EvanEmanuel, #RachelScott, #JamieMarsh, #MattDavis Directed by: #JamieMarsh Short Film Review by: Alexandra James A short film following eccentric detective Ebeneezer Maisonette and his associate Percival Farley. A new case has fallen on their lap and its up to them to recover a stolen ruby and save the day. Unfortunately, they are not your typical detectives and some of their ways can be considered a little unusual to say the least. As the case progresses, things are not all as they seem and with twists and turns thrown into the mix, it made our genius detective question everything. Ebeneezer Maisonette is not your conventional detective, he has no filter and a fascinating style, from the crazy moustache to the magnified glasses, however, despite his unusual presence, he has a passion for solving crime and a keen eye for detail. This is a similar attribute to this short film, the details included from the costumes to the locations. It can be difficult with a small budget to be able find a location suitable, especially when filming a period film. This is set around the early 1900’s, so it can be tough to scout spaces and areas that are able to reflect this timeframe, considering this is a low budget film, it was great to see how they worked around this barrier and made it work, using areas with cobbled streets or cathedrals and old churches to set the scene. Each character is witty, interesting and adds a certain flare to the story. Although the central story is around a crime, the story itself is funny and light-hearted. Director Jamie Marsh has created a good balance between comedic scenes but also clever and humorous dialogue. A way to improve this further would be the editing, there were some scenes that did not have a smooth transition compared to others, however, a majority was good quality and included some great artistic techniques and Marsh was able to add his own stamp and style to this film. An incredibly entertaining short film with great comical characters, it would be great to see other episodes of this and discover new adventures for Ebeneezer Maisonette and his associate to go on, as well to really explore the characters and establish a Marsh’s style of filmmaking.

★★★★ Starring: #InmatesofStanfordHillHMP and #HardwickeCircus Directed by: #BenArcher Short Film Review by: Alexandra James This short documentary follows a small band from the north of England, on a mission to spread music and passion to prisoners across the UK. Director Ben Archer focuses on the bands message that all of us deserve to have access to the arts world. Music can enlighten and allow people the opportunity to express themselves in an artistic way, it can be difficult to share your inner deepest thoughts and fears, but with music there is a platform that allows people to have a voice and turn it into something positive where others can connect as well as take solace in the fact that they are not alone. Lead singer of Hardwicke Circus, Jonny Foster, creates a music workshop at Stanford Hill HMP, a men’s prison on the Isle of Sheppey. Ben Archer captures the band interacting with the inmates and the uplifting jam session that inspire and encourage many. This was a very moving film that highlights the importance of giving back to the community, and the necessity of art. People may debate as to whether prisoners should be deserving of live bands performing for them or being able to play and share their talents to others. However, there are so many benefits to this and with this documentary, it shows how powerful music can be and allows the inmates to express themselves, channel their emotions and look to the future. The documentary shows singer Jonny Foster share his thoughts over the whole concept, he states that inmates have discussed with him how to get into the music industry and about life on the road. It shows that there is something else to focus on and strive towards. Hardwicke Circus: The Prison Gig  showed great moments of the band playing and bringing on inmates on stage to showcase their talent. Many of the inmates were able to just forget where they were for a moment and just be a part of something bigger and enjoy a break from the mundane routine. Ben Archer uses the ‘gonzo’ style of filmmaking which is in some of his other pieces of work. It’s a type of fly-on-the-wall documentary. It makes for a very raw film and shows the audience the connection and positivity between the band and inmates. Ben Archer has been able to feature the good work Hardwicke Circus have been able to achieve by spreading their love of music to others who may not have envisioned this as an option outside of prison.

★★★ Starring: #WillowBarrett, #SydWalsh and #ChuckBones Directed by: #BenArcher and #SalRedpath Short   Film Review by: Alexandra James Directed by Ben Archer and Sal Redpath, Through the Stew,  follows Anton a young punk whose attitude is subdued, and who clearly has no strong desires in life. Anton moves aimlessly through the streets of New York city knowing that this is his last day alive in the chaos. With just a packet of cigarettes and an old radio, Anton attempts to settle some of his affairs before he departs forever. This film uses super 8 footage and is black and white throughout, this can be seen as an extremely difficult and challenging way to capture a story. However, it also created a gritty edge to this film and provided the audience with a new perspective on the city of New York as well as the character Anton himself. Through the Stew  shows Anton as extremely detached from the world, completely ignoring his surroundings and the electricity emanating from the city. He was very much aloof and the only way in which the audience could connect or get a sense of his emotions was through this 50’s style radio that he carried around with him that seemed to be sending out messages occasionally. Through the Stew  is a dark and mysterious film and draws a lot of inspiration from No wave cinema and guerilla filmmaking.  However, Archer and Redpath have shaped this type of cinematography into their own by weaving the theme of punk rock through the characters and their fashion choices. There appears to be an ageless feel as well, it’s one that cannot be placed in a specific timeframe, with the combination of super 8 footage, a 50s radio with noir recordings as well as elements of punk rock style, this makes it captivating as the piece is layered with a mix of a variety of eras and is perfectly unique in its own right. Ben Archer and Sal Redpath’s , Through the Stew, is an intense and edgy film that draws in aspects that connect with the punk rock era. The punk rock ethos being freedom, non-conforming and anti-establishment. A lot of the aesthetics are reflected in this film, with its underground and minimalist style and the promotion of individual freedom. An incredibly intriguing film with an original spin on No wave cinema and the backdrop of a hectic New York city as a distant, lonely man leaves it all behind.