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HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Silhouettes Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Aug 15, 2021 Directed by: Matt Hartley Written by: Matt Hartley Starring: Helen Day, Dick Terhune An unforgettable journey. A journey that explores the magic of space and the wonders of planet Earth. This highly captivating feature is a sci-fi story, which focuses primarily on presenting the narrative through images of space and the nature and civilization that exists on Earth, rather than dialogue. While on a mission in space, an astronaut named Katherine is contacted by an otherwordly entity that can travel through galaxies with ease. No one can hear this being but her. The apparition speaks with a male voice and takes Katherine on a journey through the universe, showing her stars, colourful tunnels, spaceships, and life on Earth. She is also taken to the dimension from which the entity is from. This movie is basically an hour-long montage, consisting of fantastic images and was made entirely by utilizing SFX, CGI and stock footage. It begins with the astronaut narrating her life's story, from childhood all the way to ending up where she is now. There are pictures of her as she grows up, showing her experiences and achievements and eventually showing her as an astronaut. From there, the environment is mostly space-related and focuses on the rapport that develops between the heroine and the manifestation. The unknown entity shows Katherine the greatness of her planet and at her request, it takes her to the edges of the universe. There are many images depicting stars, space tunnels and spaceships and when Earth becomes the subject, a series of short scenes is included that shows the evolution of life, from dinosaurs, all the way to skyscrapers. Besides the photos, the woman is never seen. An astronaut suit is occassionally seen throughout, indicating that is her, traveling through space with the assistance of the entity. The entity never reveals itself and its presence is only through its voice. The conversations they have between them work as a voice-over. The soundtrack consists of outstanding classical music that accompanies the visuals perfectly. The score is beautiful and at times becomes dynamic or peaceful and listening to it while watching the mesmerizing content is quite an experience. Shiv Rajagopal was responsible for the editing and did a great job. Praise also goes to Matt Morello for the special effects. This feature offers a captivating experience and might make one think of 2001: A Space Odyssey . From start to finish it engages the viewer with its stunning visuals and audio and the narrative which involves an astronaut travelling through space with the aid of an extraordinary being, is certainly interesting. It is worth mentioning that there is a surprising revelation regarding Katherine. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Indie Feature Film, Animation < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Memory Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jan 11, 2024 Directed by: Michel Franco Written by: Michel Franco Starring: Jessica Chastain, Peter Sarsgaard, Brooke Timber “I remember…” These are the first words uttered in Michel Franco’s deceptively spare drama, Memory. Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is celebrating 13 years of sobriety at an AA meeting. She’s brought her daughter, and those around her are remembering her impact on them. For the next 140 minutes, Franco examines what’s true and what’s faulty in the human memory, and what he finds is sometimes harsh and unpleasant, but just often, profoundly tender. Chastain’s performance is brittle but with complexity and depth. Sylvia’s life, and her hard-edged wall, are built from the years of being denied her truth. She knows who she is and she’s doing what she can with that. Saul (Peter Sarsgaard, astonishing) does not always know who he is, but when he does the film shimmers with life and humanity. Saul follows Sylvia home from a high school reunion of sorts. The catalyst is provocative in that it makes Sylvie reconsider her own memory, which allows those around her to reignite their assault on its veracity. A razor-sharp ensemble lends remarkable support to Chastain and Sarsgaard. Jessica Harper, in particular, is picture perfect, her sly and cheery manipulation leading to an emotional climax blistered by authenticity. Memory is a bit of a departure for Franco, who’s films often keep audiences at arm’s length from the emotional turmoil beneath a character’s enigmatic surface. Not so here. Chastain’s slowly melting wall of ice creates real intimacy, and what she reveals beneath is raw. She and Sarsgaard are veteran talents reveling in an opportunity to discard artifice and create something untidy. Their work, particularly in scenes together, testifies again to each actor’s remarkable skill. Franco’s films rarely answer all the questions they ask, and can feel almost shapeless and often hopeless. Memory is a departure here as well. Though it’s far less rigidly structured than many Hollywood films, there’s a comforting structure to it and, more comforting, an undeniable spark of hope. About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Rashomon Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Mar 31, 2022 Directed by: Mohan Singh Gaharwar Written by: Mohan Singh Gaharwar Starring: Chirag Mandawaria, Priyesh Shrimal, Mukul Joshi When Akira Kurosawa wrote and directed one of his many masterpieces ‘Rashomon’, I doubt even he, the visionary director that he was, could have predicted the endless swarm of adaptations and interpretations which it was spawned. Films which feature the ‘Rashomon effect’, are numerous, with the likes of ‘Gone Girl’ and ‘The Usual Suspects’ most notable. Just last year Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel’ used the ‘Rashomon effect’ to great praise from critics. This adaptation of the Kurosawa’s historic tale has the same name but lacks any of the class which made the original great. Whilst the original told the tale of the rape of a bride and the murder of her samurai husband from the perspectives of a bandit, the bride, the samurai’s ghost and a woodcutter; this iteration, which was written and directed Mohan Singh Gaharwar, shows the many sides to the story of the death of two friends in the same apartment. Just how many sides to the story is unclear - the story is told in nine parts which would suggest nine different perspectives, but instead much of the story is blurred, with most of the ideas coming from the four police officers trying to solve the murders. This doesn’t really fit with the overall gist of the Rashomon effect, which aims to show that two or more people can view the same event quite differently. This is just the same event viewed in the same way by a select few people from the same background. Even then, a firm point would be expected, however, instead there’s just a blank vagueness to the story. This vagueness sums up the general mood of the film, as no information is really absorbed because it’s all coming so thick and fast. That’s the problem when you try to fit a ninety minute film into forty-five, too much important information is given at such a velocity that none of it gets any time to settle and digest. This isn’t exactly helped by the very thin lines between the views of all the police officers, who each seem to share similar beliefs aside from one grossly misogynistic member of the quadrant that believe that all girls are evil, and thus blames Rudra’s (who was murdered) ex-girlfriend Suhara for the deaths. This is despite the fact that in another fittingly vague scene, Rudra is violently assaulting, and possibly even raping, the poor woman. As with many other scenes in the film, this scene does not sit right - its already been established in many other parts that Suhara was not to blame, so what is the purpose of this abhorrent scene. Quite frankly, there’s too many different parts, all with equally long names and similar ambiguous storytelling. It all becomes a bit of a soulless mist after the first couple of parts, as the realisation that there’s still plenty to come begins to set in. This is amplified by the transitions between the parts, with what appears to be powerpoint slide shows popping up to inform us of the title of the part and reveal a hidden message. Its not all bad, however, with some surprisingly charismatic performances from Chirag Mandawaria as Rudra, Priyesh Shrimal as Senior and Mukul Joshi as Aryan. They all inhibit the characters their performing and help to add a level of quality to the film. The cinematography is also fairly good from Shashank Vishwakarma, who creates a good understanding of the setting. Furthermore, Gaharwar’s direction shines in moments, particularly when depicting drug use, but then is undone by his own frantic editing. The continuously jumpy and fast-paced editing is jarring, and makes the film even more tiresome and only amplifies its greyness. In moments it shows signs of life, but this version of ‘Rashomon’ is not one that Akira Kurosawa would be proud of. The film lacks any punch, with a score just as bland as the story its trying to tell. The mindless exposition dump combined with some frustrating editing choices makes ‘Rashomon’ a dramatic misfire, from all perspectives About the Film Critic Joe Beck World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

★★★★ Directed by: #ChristopherDeakin Starring: #GemmaWhiteley, #AdamMercuryBrown, #JoyceBranagh, #AshleyGregory, #EleanorJessicaRoberts Short Film Review by: Alexandra James A Happy Ending is a spoof reality television show that pokes fun at some of the court room dramas we see today. The show focuses on a young married couple and displays their inner conflicts with one another. For wife Lizzie, she is prepared to divorce her husband for not ever being able to satisfy her in all areas…but specifically in the bedroom! This dark comedy is a combination of Judge Judy, Love Island dramas and absurdity all wrapped up in a show called ‘Out of Order.’  For main character Lizzie, regrettably, this was unforgiveable, and she was ready to take her life into her own hands, her husband’s money and then leave him! However, as the drama progresses, certain secrets come to light and the audience discover that Lizzie is not as squeaky clean as she presents herself to be. As like many of these shows, the audience feed off this scandal and the juicier the scandals become, the better! The short film begins in a court room, its all lights, camera action as the jury take their seats and listen to Ms Who’s tales of woes and the lack of satisfaction she has had to endure for a good few years. Their marriage is in turmoil and there’s no coming back from this, especially when we find out husband David Ducksoup has been going to certain places alone to get his kicks elsewhere…For our Judge this appeared to be a clear-cut case, however, certain witnesses began to shed light on the couple’s marriage which left the judge having to make some tough decisions. A Happy Ending is a witty and outrageous film that keeps you hooked until the very end. It was great to see some of those ‘behind the scenes’ moments where the director instructs some of the reality stars to add more tears at this point or show your angry side when you say this line. Many people believe each scene is authentic and completely unfabricated. However, nothing we see on TV is ever how it truly is, which made for a hilarious premise and managed to break down that wall between fact and fiction and showed us exactly what was behind the curtain. The characters themselves were very funny and combined with the comical storyline and dialogue, it makes for an entertaining show that I would certainly be investing in if it came into fruition!

★★★ Starring: #DevonGrevious, #NateReynolds, #TylerMcCray Directed by: #NateReynolds Short Film Review by: Alexandra James Shear Disturbance focuses on the theme of anxiety and how much it can affect day to day activities such as the simple act of getting a haircut. For protagonist Tyronne, this typical action becomes far more than that and is such a trigger that he becomes completely consumed by even the thought of it. This can be a very real experience for many people that suffer with anxiety, it can become debilitating and stop you from going about your daily life. Director Nate Reynolds portrays these struggles and highlights the importance of patience and understanding when interacting with a person struggling to keep their anxiety under control. The narrative itself is very simple and I think although this is a short film, it would have been great to truly expose the pain within the anxiety. It would have helped the storyline further to pull back the covers of Tyronne’s mind and provide the audience a sense of what it feels like to have this fear. The physical signs were apparent with the trembling and shyness when speaking to the barbers. However, a cutaway of Tyronne’s mental state would convey the severity and seriousness of his condition. It was interesting to see the negativity towards Tyronne as well, the barber seemed to have little to no patience and believed that Tyronne was wasting his time and essentially fooling around. Nate was able to suggest that we need to be more perceptive and recognise the signs of anxiety to help that person and bring them into a calmer and more relaxed environment to support and keep their anxiety under control. Unfortunately, for Tyronne, the experience became all too much, and he was unable to control his emotions and left the shop disappointed in himself. However, another barber came out after him and reassures him that he is not alone. In fact, he has also experienced these feelings and encourages Tyronne to speak with someone to overcome his struggles. Shear Disturbance has a message within, and director Nate Reynolds uses this short film to tear down the stigma and shame of living with anxiety and instead, Reynolds concentrates on the importance of speaking about this subject and sharing these struggles as this will ultimately educate others to understand more about the experience as well as learn how to help and manage them.

★★★★★ Starring: #IsidoraFairhurst, #MiaMckennaBruge, #RitaBernardShaw, #DaniDyer, #MalachiPullarLatchman Directed by: #TeddyNygh Short Film Review by: Alexandra James Watch What I Do is an all-female cast and short drama. It focuses on 3 teenage girls in secondary school attempting to navigate their way through friendship, social status, and their love for basketball. Being a teenager today can be a difficult transition, emotions and arguments become heightened and at this point in life. Conflicts at this age are all consuming and it becomes difficult to break away and see the light, as well as ignore the negativity. This becomes the case for protagonist Layla, as she struggles to become friends with the new girl joining the group. Layla often feels excluded and is unable to connect with Nikki, who chooses to disregard or shame Layla as a form of one-upmanship making her appear to be the ‘popular’ friend out of the group. Layla must find a way to channel her anger and focus on what is most important to her, true friendship, and her passion for sport. Layla’s skills in basketball become clear when she walks past a court and jumps at the chance to make a shot, she is encouraged by the other players to join and be a part of the team. However, through fear of ridicule she shy’s away from this opportunity and ignores their praise. Instead, she is left feeling embarrassed and even more of an outcast by showing an interest in the sport. It became evident that Layla has some form of anger issues which she needs to work on. Layla often represses these thoughts of violence and aggression; the viewer is given snippets of Layla’s frustrated mind with use of cutaway shots. Her anger becomes fuelled when faced with conflict, and unfortunately for Layla she becomes tested to her limit as Nikki starts to put a wedge between her and her friendship with Kezia. Layla has managed to control this anger for a long period of time, however, like a bubbling pot, it does not take long for this anger to spill. The characters are extremely relatable, especially to teenagers growing up and learning to adapt and change throughout their school years and rise above the hate. Director Teddy Nygh breaks down some of the barriers that stop kids from being their true selves. Nygh highlights that for Layla, basketball gives her the chance to channel her energy, focus and discover some new friends who follow a similar passion. This was a great story, and the characters were able to really convey that emotion of betrayal, fear, hurt but also happiness and the importance of friendship. It was an enjoyable watch and the interactions between each character were engaging throughout, you really feel for Layla’s character and want her to overcome her fears and see the true bond between her and Kezia.