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HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Red Africa Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Nov 1, 2023 Directed by: Alexander Markov Written by: Alexander Markov Starring: Alexander Markov Travel back to a truly jarring and bizarre period in history in Alexander Markov’s documentary Red Africa – a fascinating examination of post-colonial Africa and the burgeoning, uneasy and uneven relationships many newly-independent states struck up with the Soviet Union. Using a treasure-trove of incredible historic footage, this 60-minute documentary presents a look at 30 years between a series of newly independent African nations emerging in the 60s to the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 90s, and the infringe of Soviet business and culture into Africa in the intervening time. Presented nakedly and without voiceover or contribution, the footage is allowed to speak for itself, as the Soviets work to burrow into the heart of Africa under the guise of friendship – but with sinister aims of resource extraction and reliance construction in order to expand the Soviet sphere of influence across the continent. With similarities to Adam Curtis’ masterful documentary series Traumazone (which interestingly also focused on the collapse of the Soviet Union), Red Africa is striking and outstanding because of its minimalist approach to documenting its subject. The editing of the eye-opening historical footage is where the film lives and dies, and Alexander Markov has a committed vision for the history he is bringing back to life. Constructing a cohesive narrative over a 30-year timespan and multiple nations is not easy, but audiences will come away from the film with an understanding and conception of the Soviet’s aims in Africa, the appeal for Africans of turning towards the iron curtain, and the inevitable betrayals that came with what was ultimately a politer form of colonialism. The footage is impressively presented in excellent quality, allowing viewers to immerse themselves in the time period. The unbroken spell that comes as a result of the pure footage approach works wonderfully, as old colonial masters in immaculate British military regalia are humiliatingly ejected from a new Kenya in footage that doesn’t look out of place when brought to the screen using 2023 technology. An otherworldliness is present once African traditions are interpreted by Russian dancers in front of bemused leaders invited to Moscow. Crisp and vibrant imagery allows for full engagement with this truly odd time. The stylistic approach does limit the film. As with the aforementioned Traumazone, the events of the film fix in place its content and limit the level of analysis the film itself provides. Unlike Curtis’ series however, the film doesn’t quite leave with the same impact or connection to contemporary events. Traumazone concluded with the emergence of Putin from the rubble of the new Russia – a chilling and relevant finale for a series that was released following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Red Africa concludes with the USSR’s fall – a pivotal event of course – but fails to quite land the significance of this to either Africa or Russia today. Given that China are currently aggressively pursuing a similar strategy today with their ‘belt and road’ initiative, it feels like a missed opportunity to link the events of the film, as well as their causes and their consequences, to today. As a snapshot of a fascinating and unexplored time however, Red Africa is an immersive and engrossing hour that is filled with footage of the scarcely believable. A honed knowledge and passion for Cold War history is required to really appreciate the unconventional documentation, but for those looking for a new angle of the 20th century, it is a revelatory piece of filmmaking. Watch the official film trailer for Red Africa here . About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Documentary, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Moment of Truth Film Review average rating is 5 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Dec 27, 2021 Directed by: Lea Pfandler Written by: Pavel Shatu, Lea Pfandler Starring: Masha King, Pavel Shatu, John Fuentes A film noir crime film about a woman who is looking to get even with the people who murdered her sister. The plot centres around a young woman (King) who had a young sister whose husband (Fuentes) got involved with a dangerous cult that ended up having her sister killed. Seeking justice for her loss and knowing that she herself is in danger, she goes to a private detective (Shatu) for help and comes up with a very risky plan that will involve putting her life on the line in order to catch the villains. This is a dark murder-revenge story that pays homage to the film noir genre. With terrific cinematography by Kevin Barber, the majority of the viewing takes place in black-and-white and has scenes that are in colour. The film begins in black-and-white and while this lasts, the atmosphere feels dark and menacing and the use of colour takes place after a crucial plot point happens, therefore the arrival of colour could mean that things are going to be better from now on. There a numerous elements here that belong to the film noir. A protagonist whose life is in danger, murderous individuals, murder, revenge, treachery. There is drama, grief, the constant threat of death and the longing for justice. The mise-en-scene includes locations with limited lighting, a cemetery and interesting clothing. The main topic is one vulnerable person going up against people who could destroy her at any time and there is a message that suggests that it is the smartest one who wins. The story is told through the heroine's pespective and there are no spoken words, apart from King's voice-over that is heard throughout and effectively describes the events in the narrative, her situation and feelings and helps the audience understand how much she is suffering from the loss of her sister, how frightened she is and how much she wants justice and safety. Since none of the characters actually speak, the protagonists rely on their facial expressions and body language in order to communicate their emotions and they do so very well. King in particular is quite emotional as a woman who has found herself in a life-threatening situation. The score is a very strong quality and it includes Jazz music that significantly sets the mood and provides a film noir feeling. The editing is creative and includes match cut and dissolve techniques. Credit also goes to the stylized letters during the opening and closing credits. This short will almost certainly appeal to fans of film noir. With strong acting, an intriguing plot, wonderful score and splendid cinematography, it takes the audience on quite a journey. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Who Done It: The Clue Documentary Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Sep 26, 2022 Directed by: Jeff C. Smith Written by: Jeff C. Smith Starring: Jeff Smith, Jonathan Lynn, Colleen Camp, Michael McKean, Lesley Ann Warren So, in 1985 there was Clue , a farcical comedy film based on the popular detective board game of the same name (or Cluedo as it is originally called here in the UK) – except that it wasn't really all that popular. Sure, everybody probably had a copy of the game in the bottom of their sideboard somewhere, but it was never anybody's first choice to play and was always an also ran to Monopoly, Mouse Trap, Battleships or Operation. Play was always slow and muted, people were never really sure of all the rules, there was always one cheater who took sly looks at the cards and someone always guessed far too early how the murder happened, getting it wrong but ending the game in the only way it could be done in any sensible length of time. So obviously they made a film of it. Clue , the film, tried to riff off the vibe of the game with its campy, Agatha Christie murder mystery shenanigans and a bunch of strangers with strange names meeting in an old mansion where someone gets bumped off and they try to find out whodunnit. Throw in a bunch of slapstick comedy, manic dialogue, over-zealous performances and an inordinate amount of running from one room to another and apparently you have the basis of a cult classic – depending on who you ask. Jeff Smith is one such person who views the film with dewy-eyed nostalgia and he tells the story of how he was one day sick with Covid and bored with nothing to do, so he decided to create a fan-made documentary about his favourite movie and now, five years later, we have Who Done It: The Clue Documentary . Jeff tells the story from his car for some reason, violating multiple traffic laws as he does so, and he fills in the gaps between his interview segments with his own personal take on how the film – his film took shape. He narrates the story of Clue as he narrates his own story, too and we begin to see how personal this journey has become for him over the five years he has put into it. Jeff does a good job of pulling together most of the surviving cast to talk to, as well as writer/director Jonathan Lynn, and there are plenty of nice anecdotes about pre-production and filming to keep even the most ardent fan amused. Unfortunately the interviews are a fairly amateur affair with not much attention given to lighting or sound and everything has a sort of home-movie feel to its quality. Half of the whole documentary is given over to cast profiling and it's about an hour before we get into looking at Clue proper. Even then the questioning seems fairly surface level and no real secrets are revealed, bringing into question the validity and need for such an investigation. What becomes clear as Who Done It: The Clue Documentary progresses is just how much of this piece has been Jeff's own journey – and when at one point he asks himself who this film is really for – it's easy to see what the answer actually is. Still, there are plenty of other people out there who love Clue just as much as Jeff does and they will most likely be delighted at this retrospective look, as well as getting to revisit with their favourite cast members, even if it is only in the form of convention footage in the case of Tim Curry. For a fan-made documentary, Jeff Smith has done very well to bring so many of the notable people together to revisit this cult classic. However, in the days of The Movies That Made Us and Voir, high production retrospectives with access all areas are becoming increasingly easy to get your hands on, and in that sea of one-hour TV docs this low budget production just doesn't cut the mustard. About the Film Critic William Hemingway Documentary < 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.