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HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Left Behind Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Apr 24, 2022 Directed by: Matthew R. Ford Written by: Matthew R. Ford Starring: Savannah Gallo, Grace Farrell Two young women discuss the abuse they both suffered at the hands of the same man. Kat (Gallo) is being visited by her friend Melissa (Farrell) at her home. Both have gone through terrible times after having a relationship with a violent and controlling man. Initially, that man was Cat's partner and he then moved on to Melissa. Kat openly talks about the torturous moments she went through while being with that vile individual and Melissa accuses her of allowing him to do the same to her by not warning her about the kind of person that he was. This short is quite an emotional roller-coaster. The dramatic screenplay strikingly explores the nightmare both women went through and reveals that they are deeply traumatised by their experiences. The plot also focuses on themes regarding domestic abuse, guilt and forgiveness. The atmosphere is rather sad and distressing throughout and listening to the inhuman things that man did to the two of them is heartbreaking. Things become a bit brighter when one describes happy memories involving a cabin in the countryside, although that does not last long. Generally, this story explores the aftermath of an evil man's actions, which includes emotional wounds that will never heal. And the plot twist makes things even more devastating. Both Gallo and Farrell deliver very powerful and emotional performances. They are quite convincing as victims of domestic abuse who have been scarred by their ordeals and they vividly express their emotions. The entire story takes place inside Kat's living room, and it is a rather unappealing site. The window blinds are down, there is an empty alcohol bottle, picture frames are overturned and one frame is on the floor, smashed into pieces. The state of this room reflects the kind of negative emotions that she is going through. The music includes beautiful piano and the score also becomes tense and sinister. The film opens with the song Behind the Wall by Tracy Chapman, sung wonderfully by Farrell, which is about police not doing enough to prevent domestic violence and it was a great choice as it refers to the film's subjects and helps set up an appropriate atmosphere. As the director of photography, Daniel Alexander develops outstanding cinematography and Ford does a great job with the editing, making effective use of fast cutting techniques. There are some scenes that utilise very creative filmmaking methods, which involve a shot of a window with the blinds closed. During these shots, another shot of a flashback is superimposed over the window, in a way giving the viewers the impression that they are actually looking outside, through the window. This short is not a pleasant viewing, however it is a powerful one and raises awareness of domestic violence. It focuses on the physical and mental scars that this kind of action causes and how it ruins people's lives. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

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 Order 27 Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Dec 20, 2022 Directed by: Thomas Wheeler Written by: Thomas Wheeler Starring: Stan Morgan, Jack Waldouck In this tense story an error might lead to a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Inspired by the 1983 Soviet nuclear false alarm incident, the plot of this short takes place in 1983, inside a communications bunker on the coast of Siberia and follows two members of the Soviet Armed Forces as they try to prevent a nuclear conflict. The film begins with Officer Krovolov (Waldouck) and his subordinate Vlad (Morgan) as they transmit an order, order 27. which authorises the launch of missiles towards the U.S., as a Soviet radar identified missiles from the U.S. moving towards the Soviet Union. However, their superiors in Moscow contact the two men and inform them that it was a false alarm and that they must cancel the order. Unfortunately, it is too late, as the Soviet missiles have already been launched. Now Vlad and Krovolov have very little time to make the impossible possible in order to prevent a devastating conflict between the Soviet Union and the U.S. Although the narrative deals with an extremely serious and global life-threatening situation, this is actually a dark comedy and an amusing one too, thanks to a clever screenplay and the performances by Morgan and Waldouck. The audience watches the two protagonists as they desperately attempt to resolve the situation. They communicate by phone with their superiors in Moscow and with a high-ranking member of the U.S. Armed Forces in Washington, hoping to avert the disaster. As the dealine approaches, the tension rises and rises, yet the humour remains, making the atmosphere dramatic and comedic. Almost the entire story takes place inside the bunker and the mise-en-scene looks quite realistic, with a radar, computers and communication machinery. The uniforms also look great. As the only people in the story (who are visually present at least), Waldouck and Morgan do a terrific job in being entertaining and simultaneously convincing as members of the Soviet Armed Forces. A lot of praise goes to composer Mike Ellaway for the fantastic work on a score that creates a humorous atmosphere. The creative lighting techniques, along with Billy Kendall's cinematography, establish a realistic environment in the interior of a bunker. This short is a lot of things. It is a war film. It is a period piece. It is a dark comedy. It is a race-against-the-clock story. It is a satirical view on nuclear war and the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is funny, yet it is also frightening, as it shows how quickly a war can break out. About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < 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.