Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson What can you tell us about your acting career so far? I have been acting since I was little but mostly in Theatre, as I grew I fell head over heels for filmmaking and so now all my money and time go on filming. I have recently wrapped on a very exciting Feature Film but my contract says I have to keep stum! I am currently working on my own writing and productions, so it is terrifying and exciting leaking them into the world right now! What made you want to make Wrecking Ball? Alex [Joseph] had previously approached me about a separate project and was kind enough to consider me for Wrecking Ball also. I just found the script totally refreshing in the year of 2018! I feel that the suitable themes in the script are ones that are not often explored. Plus the other girls on the project were some of the nicest people I have ever met. You were also in Faded Roses. What was the experience like there? I have loved every minute of Faded Roses so far. Everyone involved is beyond passionate, enthusiastic and dedicated to bringing Alex's characters to light. Alex is an awesome director who gives you the freedom to explore your character without restriction; he gives you the time and the opportunity to argue the character's side of the story. I have loved having this level of input on a project and cannot wait to get Pippa in front of the camera! What have the challenges been for you as an actor in 2020? I can honestly say that I have been one of the lucky ones in 2020. I am fortunate enough to have another job that has seen me through the lack of projects and funding in 2020 and I can't begin to imagine how tough some people must have had it. I have had a few projects to see me through and where I haven't been able to travel, I have been able to work with my partner filming our own writing. I don't currently have representation and for me, this is something I really worry about gaining after 2020. What interest do you have in moving into directing? It would be an understatement to say that Directing was on my bucket list (it's on there in capital bubble letters with lots of stars around it). Having grown up with my second home being the Theatre, I have studied the directors around me in awe. I think it is one of the most challenging areas of filmmaking and production. Who are your filmmaking heroes and why? Ryan Coogler, Tim Burton, Taika Waititi are just three of the main names I follow currently. They have all had astonishing careers where they have all grown from making their own original pieces, their styles are both consistent but evolving. Ryan Murphy is also someone who never fails to keep my eyes glued to the telly - to go from Glee to Ratched is some serious versatility. What advice would you give to new filmmakers? Just try! Even if you think it's going to turn out rubbish. It's not even going to exist if you don't try. Everything you do gets you one step closer. Even if what you do is a mistake; you're constantly learning the do's and don'ts and what works for you. So whatever you want to do, don't let the fear of failing hold you back and accept that those first few attempts may be rubbish - and that's ok! What would you say if you were a dolphin? If I was a dolphin I'd probably say 'The Revolution is coming' #ChrisOlson

★★★★ Directed by: #HarveyKadijk Written by: #HarveyKadijk and #JolijnvanDulken Starring: #MelisaAlkanlar, #RomyBlom, #AbelSanders Film Review by Lucy Clarke Dion is a lonely figure. Her long face and dark hair are permanently shrouded in a grey hoodie, and waves of misery roll off her. She is a teenaged grim reaper, quiet and morose. She doesn’t pay attention in class, and her teacher reminds her that this is her last chance. She’s freaked out by men, and she never seems completely content in her solitude. This is a girl trapped in her past trauma. She’s unable to escape, the events of the past are pressed on constant replay in her mind. Kadijk’s intelligent direction is reminiscent of this year’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always, a film which follows a teenage girl’s pilgrimage to get an abortion. There’s the same sense of unease here in the film that almost every woman has experienced. It’s that unease you get when you’re walking home late at night, and the streetlights aren’t quite bright enough. You can see a man looming, and you grasp your keys tighter. Kadijk has perfectly tapped into that specific fear; and coupled with Dion’s trauma and guilt, excellently portrayed by Melisa Alkanlar, this is a film which quietly confronts violence towards women and sexual assault head-on. The cinematography is excellent. Dion dominates the screen, and we are forced to be in her presence and understand why she carts her sorrow around. Her black hair cascades down like a veil, and although she is mostly silent, the audience is invited into her soul. The film is essentially spliced into three parts. The present is dominated by silence and a palette of blues and greys. Dion’s black and white past interrupts the present in waves. Although it is somewhat stereotypical to put a scene in the past in black and white, here it works to great effect. The black and white scenes allow the audience to focus not only on younger Dion’s solitude but her naivety too. This girl has no idea what will happen that will traumatise her future self. The third part is cast in hot pink. This is Dion’s safe space, where she can explain her assault without having to explain herself. DION is a remarkable short film. Although the subject matter is traumatic, the film only invites compassion towards the victim. Dion may be quiet, but in this short film, her character reclaims her narrative and allows herself to access the help she sorely needs. This film is a bold act of compassion and a highly important watch.

★★★★ Directed by: #MohammedElmzaghi Written by: #MohammedElmzaghi Starring: #RonanColfer, #PauloCartier #AnnaKaliuzhnaia Film Review by: Oliver Smither Outside the Lighthouse follows the story of a troubled journalist, Steven, played by Ronan Colfer, who has lost his way as an artist, and grapples with the fact that the powers that be prevent any individual expression and limit his creative range as a writer. Directed by Mohammed Elmzaghi, Outside the Lighthouse is an intimate portrayal of a man dissatisfied with the path he is on, highlighting the damage that comes from not pursuing one’s true passions. Throughout the film, there is very little exploration outside the life of our troubled protagonist, making it completely character driven. Therefore, the success of this drama relies heavily on the performance of Colfer and the direction of Elmzaghi. Due to their joint commitment to this picture, what we as the audience witness is a man in quiet turmoil, on the brink of implosion. This is juxtaposed with the far more vocal Javier, played by Paulo Cartier, the evidently fed-up colleague who recognises that he is no longer writing out of passion but rather assignment. Colfer approaches the role of Steven with an immutable melancholy. Words are not necessary to show us how he feels as in every movement or action he makes, there is a clarity of expression making Steven’s internal struggle perpetually evident. Colfer delivers an immense lack of enthusiasm to the character which demonstrates the emptiness within Steven quite emphatically. This is not a dialogue heavy film, and the script when employed doesn’t really serve any purpose as, fortunately, the onus is on the acting and the direction. However, the score proves to be an effective tool in highlighting the despondency of the journalist. It keeps him silent, even in rage, echoing the way in which the establishment is silencing his passion, his creative thoughts. Elmzaghi has focussed on the use of slow panoramic shots which tend to be centred around emptiness. The restaurant being so bare mirrors the void felt by Steven. The entire editing process appears to be geared towards minimalism. Every frame, every shot has as little going on as possible, all a subtle parallel to the life of the journalist. The entire film is predicated on the fact that there is an emptiness in Steven with every aspect of the film seeking to emphasise this. This theme that pervades throughout the film can be put down to decisive editing and a dynamic score. Steven’s life may be monotonous but thankfully the film doesn’t suffer from that same tedium. If there is something to be learnt from Outside the Lighthouse it is not to succumb to the pitfalls of comfort and security, but to seek out your true passion regardless of any obstacles that may stand in your way.

★★★ Directed by: #AlishahAhmad and #AmberWright Written by: #BenArcher and #OscarRobinson Starring: #AlexTuohy, #OliviaFreeman, #NualaWalsh, #SafiaOakleyGreen, #AmeeraLayla and #LauraAlexander Film review by: Brian Penn It’s difficult to know exactly where to start with Last Rites; a glorious hybrid of styles and influences. A single hand held camera initially puts it into reality TV territory. Intrepid documentary maker Simon Oiseau (Alex Tuohy) is filming the latest episode of his ‘Tough Women, Dirty Jobs’ series. He hooks up with Sara (Olivia Freeman) whom he innocently assumed to be a contract cleaner. Collecting various operatives en route to their next job Oiseau realises he’s stumbled into a twilight world of criminal gangs, assassins and ultra-competitive PIs and police officers. Suddenly, the master tapes of his show become hot property as he inadvertently records evidence of a crime scene. He feels marginally safer when local gang boss Grandmother (Nuala Walsh) warms to the idea of a fly on the wall documentary. He slowly freaks out as the girls go about their grisly business and think nothing of putting the ‘rubbish’ out. As filming nears completion, Oiseau must decide what to do with the film. What will be the least worst outcome and how does the film maker ensure he emerges with all limbs intact? The film pitches as a cross between the Godfather and the Office. It also tags John Wick as a thread in the narrative. However, that’s not the whole story. It nails the eccentricity of a crime boss for sure; and replicates the mundanity of the Office with a distinct relish. But it really comes into its own with an unashamed homage to 90s filmmaking. The cleaners fondly recall characters made famous by Harvey Keitel and their ability to solve problems. The inevitable Quentin Tarantino reference point is also present and correct. A gang of assassins in the narrative bears more than a glancing nod to the styling of Kill Bill. None of which is a bad thing as appreciation clearly rules over appropriation. A strong and enthusiastic cast really go for it and thoroughly enjoy the experience. However, it tends to fall back on some tired visual gags; Grandmother stroking a stuffed cat is particularly dated and gives it an undeserved awkwardness. But it proves the mockumentary is alive and well with much more to say. And there is enough going on here to satisfy even the most discerning of viewers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCBOp9xVbwA

★★★★ Directed by: Jeremy Stewart Written by; Jeremy Stewart Starring: Brittany Lynn Blanchard, Josh Wingate Film Review by: Jason Knight People often spend a lot of time with their televisions. They use them to watch the news, watch films, relax or play videogames. These devices have become part of their lives and it would be hard to imagine the world without them. This science fiction thriller follows Hannah (Blanchard), a young woman who possesses a very unique ability: she can hypnotize other individuals and make them do what she wants! There is a man (Wingate), who has the same power as Hannah and appears to be her master and mentor. He stays in a place where there are a bunch of static televisions, which have some sort of supernatural ability to communicate with him. It is Hannah's responsibility to bring a human there, so they can be brainwashed by the televisions and join them. However, she keeps failing, as every person she brings to him dies in the process! The plot of the story is rather intriguing: two people being capable of hypnosis and their attempts to make others join them through the static of certain old televisions, that are constantly on static and give the impression that they, the televisions, are the ones in charge of the situation! This concept is truly interesting and amusing and does a great job in getting the viewer's attention! The special effects deserve a lot of praise. When Hannah utilizes her hypnosis skills, her eyes (and the victim's) turn static, exactly like a TV screen! The effect looks really cool and scary! The performances also add value. Blanchard is believable as she tries to serve her master's purpose and Wingate also does a great job and is menacing and serious in his role. Alex Parrish provides a very interesting and amusing score that perfectly fits the tone of the film! And the stylized closing credits look outstanding! As this film contains a plot that involves static televisions taking control of individuals, one could argue that this represents what televisions do in real life: they ''capture'' people, taking up their spare time, making them sit in front of them and observe them, like nothing else matters. As the title suggests, everything they learn comes from the television! Stewart has created a piece of work that deserves recognition. The story is very appealing, the characters are engrossing and the music helps create great atmosphere! #JasonKnight

★★★ Directed by #JacobChase Written by #JacobChase Starring #GillianJacobs #JohnGallagherJr #AzhyRobertson Film Review by George Wolf In a vacuum, Come Play is a fairly smart and mildly jump-scary slice of PG-13 horror for your Halloween weekend. It even finds an unexpected and satisfying way out of the monstrous concept that it fosters. But the feature debut for writer/director Jacob Chase has trouble escaping the shadow of two other films. One is Larry, Chase’s own short from 2017, and the other is the modern horror classic that clearly inspired him. Larry is the star of Misunderstood Monsters, a story app that Oliver, a non-verbal autistic boy (Azhy Robertson from Marriage Story), has stumbled onto. Larry says he just wants a friend, but he’s too scary, and Oliver resists. But Larry just won’t be denied. And it isn’t long before Oliver’s estranged parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher, Jr.) have to admit they really are being terrorized by an entity let in through the screens on their many devices. A monster from a troubled child’s story manifests itself in a home unsettled by emotional turmoil. Though the metaphors in Come Play are geared more toward multiplex than art house, the blueprint is plenty familiar. Chase does prove himself to be an able technician, exhibiting some nifty camerawork and a fine sense of visual creepiness. But the road to his effective finale drags from a lack of solid scares and the feeling of filler that can plague a short film stepping up in class. There are some valid ideas at work here. They’re not terribly urgent or original, but Come Play isn’t pretending they are. It’s a film with little interest in overthinking, for horror fans not interested in films that do. #GeorgeWolf

★★★★★ Directed by: #HarryMacqueen Written by: #HarryMacqueen Starring: #ColinFirth, #StanleyTucci Film Review by: Andrew Young If you are going into Harry Macqueen’s ‘dementia drama’ Supernova expecting it to be a gruelling experience then you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find. What Macqueen has done here is near-extraordinary in crafting a film that is devastatingly sad, yet never bleak. The sense of oppressive hopelessness that can so easily engulf a film like this is replaced instead with a delicacy, a softness. This is in many ways a very light, warm film, but utterly heartbreaking nevertheless. It is a comforting hug that you never want to end. Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play Sam and Tusker, a couple who have been together for an unspecified ‘long time’, and thus have fallen into familiar, loving bickering. Both creative types, Sam a pianist and Tusker a novelist, they each resemble different models of the middle-aged artist. Sam is the surlier of the two, out of love with his field and hurtling towards a premature retirement. Softly spoken yet irascible, this is a scruffier Colin Firth than you’re used to. Tusker, meanwhile, is the bon vivant of the pair. Funny and mischievous, you get the sense it is he who has been welcoming guests and giving toasts for the two decades or so that they have been together. Tucci is a perfect fit for the role of the raconteur, with his distinctive timbre that could make the yellow pages captivating. Together, they mesh well, feeling quietly authentic as a couple long settled into each other’s rhythms. Tusker’s light is a bright one, but as we meet him it is being dimmed increasingly rapidly by young-onset dementia. Reality for him, Sam, and their life together is changing every day and becoming increasingly difficult for all involved. Writer-director Macqueen explores this dynamic and the myriad issues surrounding Tusker’s condition by way of a road trip the pair take through the English countryside. With few visual flourishes but great use of its locations, the film frequently proves gorgeous to look at as the couple embark on their journey. It may seem an odd thing to say, but as Supernova progresses it becomes clearer that it is not concerned with dementia so much, as the effect that dementia has on the love between two people. This is very much a two-hander, but if anything we get more time with Sam than Tusker, and the film takes place on his home turf. Tusker’s story is a devastatingly sad one, slowly becoming unrecognisable to himself, but so is Sam’s. He does not know what to do, what is best for Tusker, what is the kindest course of action, and he feels that so much of the pressure is on him. Tusker knows that, of course, and does his best to avoid being a burden. Where the film hits its dramatic peak is in the conflict between the two men. It is a conflict born solely out of love and selflessness. The script does a great job of teasing out the intricacies of a relationship built on dependence, and has great sympathy for both parties. One of the film’s most affecting moments is Sam all alone, clear-eyed and calm, confronting the enormity of his situation. Despite this enormity, Supernova does not take a fatalistic, overblown approach to Tusker’s illness. We spend far more time with him behaving ‘normally’ than we do watching him forgetting things. Macqueen is smart enough to know that we only need a few key glimpses of Tusker stumbling over his words or looking lost to understand his pain. What needs properly investing in is who Tusker was and who he is desperately trying to still be. Supernova makes that investment and is a stronger film for it. We fall into the specific rhythms of Sam and Tusker’s relationship, with great humour peppered in throughout. There is a lovely scene in which Sam and Tusker comically attempt to sleep in Sam’s childhood single bed. This is a case in point of how the film makes sure we understand their dynamic and therefore how the dementia is affecting it. Macqueen focusses his attentions on Sam and Tusker’s love more than their pain. The pain comes from witnessing the love, fearing it will end. Everything about Supernova is delicate, simple and tender. The performances are natural and understated but packed with such emotion that you could watch them all day. Macqueen gives the actors time to do this, making his his filmmaking style seem effortless. It is as if he is not making a film but simply observing life with his camera; to achieve that effect requires great skill from Macqueen, Tucci and Firth. What they have crafted together here is a film that doesn’t reach for a well-crafted emotional crescendo, but that earns its tears with a gentle, loving approach. Supernova is capable of moving you to tears at almost any moment.

★★★★★ Directed by: #BenSharrock Written by: #BenSharrock Starring: #AmirEl-Masry, #VikashBhai, #KwabenaAnsah, #OlaOrebiyi, #SidseBabbett Film Review by: Andrew Young Limbo, the second film from writer-director Ben Sharrock after the well-received Pikadero, is about refugees and the migrant crisis. It tells the story of a group of refugees from a combination of countries who are left in the middle of nowhere on a fictional Scottish island. Left here as they wait to have their asylum granted, they battle boredom, prejudice and the bitter cold with only each other for company. With that description in mind, I would happily bet at least £50 that you cannot predict what this film’s opening scene is. You certainly would not expect the aforementioned story to have produced one of the funniest films of this year. Yet that is what you will find in Limbo. With his deadly serious topic, Sharrock has made a film that is undeniably moving, speaking to the humanity and pain of his characters, but that finds a deadpan wit and poetry in their situation. The refugees live in bare, grey shared accommodation on the island, and ‘room’ together in small groups. Limbo’s focus is on one of those small groups. The principal character is Omar (Amir El- Masry), a Syrian refugee who has fled conflict with little belongings other than his oud, a Middle- Eastern string instrument of which he is a master. Despite his skill, Omar continually avoids playing again, clearly attaching some great pain to the memory of his own music. He is joined by Nigerian brothers Abedi (Kwabena Ansah) and Wasef (Ola Orebiyi), who has the touchingly earnest dream of playing football for Chelsea. Whether he really deeply believes this can happen is not clear, but he sure hangs on hard to the dream. Rounding out the group is Farhard (Vikash Bhai), a remarkably jolly Freddie Mercury fan from Afghanistan who brings much of the film’s humour in the early stages, but will later provide great pathos too. All of them are presented as real, human characters, reduced not just to the role of refugee. Typically, to emphasise the scale of the refugee crisis, we will see great swathes of people in refugee camps on screen, but Sharrock takes an alternative route. Almost entirely showing just our four main characters, he avoids the trap of presenting refugees as one homogenous mass, something enforced by the mix of nationalities in the group. The four men have differing backgrounds and varied reasons for their migration. There is wonderful depth to this notion of not being identified by your refugee status, too. As the characters live longer and longer away from home, and their lives become more restricted by their endless waiting, they cannot help but feel defined by their refugee status. In Omar in particular, we see his awareness of his past personality being eroded by his new life. And in Farhad, we see yet another layer as the only character who appears to long for home less often, settled into his new routine. Yet the film always explores all this with a light touch, either being quietly devastating or genuinely funny. By consistently finding the humour in their lives, Sharrock further portrays the humanity in his characters. For some of the film it is just like watching four roommates laugh and bicker. We grow to care about them as people, leading to us ultimately investing in their individual stories. The end result is a film that is properly moving, rather than an ‘isn’t this terrible?’ platitude. The refugees, at times, face awful prejudice in the face of the local islanders, who are portrayed mostly as inept caricatures. Some are more aggressive, some are well-meaning but just plain clueless about how to talk to the new arrivals. The second camp are led by Boris (Kenneth Collard) and Helga (Borgen’s Sidse Babett Knudsen with an odd Scandi-Scottish hybrid of an accent), who run ‘cultural education’ classes for the refugees at a local centre. Their teachings are hilariously tone-deaf, but there is still a sweetness in the enthusiasm they show for helping the refugees. Even in the more sinister side of the local residents, Sharrock finds a deadpan levity that cleverly mocks the prejudice whilst attempting to understand it. Case in point: a group of loud-mouthed local youths openly discuss the possibility that Omar is a terrorist or a rapist (because “that’s like a hobby for them”) in front of him, but then proceed to offer him a lift home because it’s cold outside. What Sharrock does with this set-up is focus on the most grounded, mundane events, and then give them a heightened tone in both the writing and the direction. The approach is sustained throughout, allowing the film’s offbeat humour and poetic observations to land without feeling unnatural. A funny argument about Friends or the idiotic theft of a chicken can turn at a moment’s notice into profound moments of wisdom. “It’s a good thing they make dreams free” muses Farhad, with all the deep sadness and complexity that evokes, not long after a trivial joke. It all flows remarkably well in the world Sharrock has created. This fictional island has its own distinctive feel that makes it almost dream-like to view. It is a carefully calibrated idea of limbo, where the refugees are not under direct threat but are left with oceans of time just to think about where they have been and where they will go. All around them is vast, empty space, a windswept landscape that simultaneously appears frighteningly bleak and starkly beautiful. It is a place so distinctive and remote that it feels like the refugees now exist in a manufactured bubble between two worlds. As we progress, there is a tonal shift between the first and second halves of the film, where the comedy gives way to sheer horror, sadness and a dose of introspection. The carefully-calibrated score and cinematography, from Hutch Demouilpied and Nick Cooke respectively, give the second half a sinister, gripping energy too, which feels like a world away from the opening scene. It is a transition that Sharrock manages to keep just the right side of jarring, though, by the crucial decision to maintain a central focus on Omar throughout. At times the characters around Omar seem more interesting, and certainly more entertaining, than he does. It is his backstory, though, the symbolic oud he carries around with him wherever he goes, and Omar’s permanently melancholic countenance that allow the film to transition between tones so well. His character is one capable of sliding between comedy and tragedy well, because his quiet sadness keeps the humour remains grounded in pain. So when we shift gear to darker territory it is not unexpected or unwelcome. As Omar, El-Masry, who has had supporting roles in The Night Manager and Jack Ryan before this, is magnificent. It is a performance that allows the film’s distinctive humour to flourish around him, but that keeps a deep well of sadness just about visible throughout. As Omar reckons with his decision to leave Syria, and his guilt and angst-ridden relationship with his brother (who elected to stay in Syria and fight), El-Masry is incredibly moving is a man who’s stoicism is beginning to crumble under the weight of his internal conflict. Omar is the emotional heart of the film, making regular calls to his parents and appearing always on the edge of emotional catharsis. He is what the film needs to remind the audience of the life or death importance of its subject. Limbo never belittles its characters, but loves them and treats them with all the laughter and tears we find in all facets of life. Throughout, Limbo is one the year’s most audacious, surprising films, and it is also one of its best.

★★ Directed by #MarkTonderai Written by #KurtWimmer Starring #OmariHardwick #LorettaDevine Film Review by Hope Madden Spell is here to let you know that fear of backwoods folk is not for white people only. Omari Hardwick is Marquis, an enormously successful corporate lawyer who is not above defending clients against class action lawsuits that would primarily benefit people of color like himself. Why does he do it? Because that’s his job, he’s good at his job, he makes a lot of money, and he worked very hard to get where he is. How do we know that last bit? Well, nightmares about abuse wake him in the morning, plus he knows how to pick a lock when his wife somehow locks herself in her own bedroom. Marquis came from somewhere he’s not proud of, and now he has to pilot his own airplane with his wife and two teens back to Appalachia to go to his father’s funeral. Spell is a by-the-numbers backwoods thriller. Our hero has forgotten where he comes from. This film plans to scare him into remembering. Marquis wakes up all James Caan style in the bedroom of some helpful but controlling woman who wants him just to rest. He does not not want to rest, though. Quite reasonably, he wants to know where his family is, what happened to him, and why Miss Eloise (Loretta Devine) keeps the door to his room locked. Deep in Appalachia, it seems, you will always find a creepy granny type who conjures a bit, an amiable grampa type who’s not as nice as he seems, and an extra-large, extra quiet Jethro kind of guy in bib overalls. Screenwriter Kurt Wimmer doesn’t drum up too many surprises there. His screenplay borrows heavily from about a dozen films from Misery to The Skeleton Key to Green Inferno, not to mention every flick where a group stops off at a creepy gas station only to realize they’ve gone too far off the map for their own safety. Wimmer is white, though, which makes this particular story an unusual one for him. Director Mark Tonderai does not get a screenwriting credit, so I guess we assume that this vernacular sprung from the head of Wimmer. I really hope not. It would be problematic enough coming from a Black writer. Marquis’s foot, though. For gore hounds and the squeamish looking for a nasty thrill, that foot alone is almost worth it. Until the third act. I am not one to suggest that ambiguity equals plot holes. I like movies that leave questions unanswered. Unless those questions are: Where did the entire cast of villains go off to, leaving the hero all the time in the world to travel wherever he needs to go in these woods? And why isn’t he even limping? #HopeMadden

★★ Directed by: #CharlesLuetje Written by: #CharlesLuetje Starring: #OliveBasso #IsaacDean #CharlesLuetje Film Review by: Patrick Foley “Are fandubs films?” I asked myself as I watched The Official Kobruh Fandub – the eccentric adventure from the mind of Charles Luetje. A fandub is a loosely defined term for an audio-focused story usually (but not exclusively) dubbed over pre-existing footage. In this instance the entire story is told through audio recording, with the only visuals being the text of the script, memes and emojis, and stock footage inserted to humorous, but ultimately frivolous effect. On first reaction, it seemed only right to judge this as you would an audiobook. Yet there is no way the same story could be told without the visuals – however minimal they may be. Therefore – it is a film. And it should be reviewed as one. Kobruh is a genocidal maniac who has managed to take over the world with a giant robot and an army of snakes. With the power to turn people into more snakes, and brainwash anyone who stands in his way, all hope seems lost. But 6 companions set out on a mission to stop him. They are Isaac, Olive, Trollface, Sol, Deborah and Poggers Guy. Together, they embark on an epic quest to uncover Kobruh’s source of power, and free the world from tyranny. Just a recapping the plot of The Official Kobruh Fandub should give a sense of how bizarre this story is. The vast majority of viewers will likely find it very hard to get on board with. Along with a plot that reads like a bad acid trip, the comedy and characters of the film rely heavily on references to internet culture that even the nerdiest of viewers might find hard to keep up with. Imagine that Abed from Community had full license to make his own movie, and you’ll picture something like this. It’s hard not to conclude that the target audience for this film is extremely narrow – to the point that it may have been made purely for the director’s own circle of friends. Therefore, recommending it to a wide array of viewers is difficult. And yet, the imagination and passion put into this project is infectious and should be respected by anyone who cares about film. Without creative minds such as Charles Luetje, the cinematic landscape would be barren indeed. Despite a highly unconventional format and mindboggling script, viewers who dive into the project and embrace the insanity will be won over. Small target audience it may be, it will surely please those within it. A more visual retelling of the story of Kobruh would be a wild ride to embark on – at the very least it would be ‘so bad it’s great’ territory. Special mention should be made to an impressive voicecast – Luetje included, who add life to the characters they portray. Each of the six friends, and their various adversaries and allies, feel unique and full in their own way – even Poggers Guy (Tushar Kotamraju) who is able only to say his own name in a Groot-like fashion. The story is proof that heart and emotion will always add more to a character than visual effects of CGI ever could – and you don’t even need a camera for the former. The Official Kobruh Fandub is hard to recommend to most viewers. It is difficult to follow, highly targeted towards a niche audience and overly long. But the passion involved in making it is clear to see, with some genuinely innovative and funny moments throughout. Fandubs are unlikely to take over the world, but they deserve their seat at the table when it comes to storytelling.

Directed by #JonathanHughes, #KeithScholey, #AlastairFothergill Starring #DavidAttenborough Film Review by Amber Jackson An environmental catastrophe and its impact across the globe is the centrepiece of David Attenborough’s latest documentary on Netflix, acting as a timeline for a swelling human population. Within just eighty-minutes, each chapter shows the diminishment and destruction of natural land, whilst appealing to the loss of biodiversity and how it is a continuing event like any other. The message? Earth has changed so rapidly in his lifetime, that we and future generations must seek to put man-made mistakes right. This is David Attenborough’s witness statement. Framing the narrative are panning shots of a crumbling Chernobyl, with Soviet imagery and decaying buildings pointing to a world lost. From the wreckage emerges Sir David himself, exploring a city lost to the mechanical destruction of human error. He explores how nature has reclaimed the space of what has been left behind and it is this framework that seeks to inform us that the world will continue without us regardless of our actions. Historical depictions of the earth featured reflect a slow and steady evolutionary change before a catastrophic change provokes mass extinction, causing the earth to rebuild and create a new dominant species. We, the current dominant species, are creating change faster than the earth typically anticipates. Archival footage of Attenborough’s passionate journey across the globe emphasises just how much change has happened in his lifetime alone and how rapidly humans have carved into the earth. This footage of Sir David and other environmentalists in the 60s and 70s places this documentary within a context of ‘naïve fascination’ – due to evolving understandings of the planet and its environment/s. It was awe-inspiring to see such change, particularly seeing earth from space for the first time. However, this meta understanding of humanity and, as Attenborough puts it, “watching ourselves watch the world go by,” ultimately led to humanity speeding up the process of discovery and destruction. Amongst this informative backdrop, the cinematography of this piece is sensational. It reveals to us intimate captures of animals that are continuously threatened by human destruction. Their home is shown to be a beautiful colour-wheel of grass, leaves, buildings, snow and water. Classical music exists to exemplify this beauty. Our home is breath-taking and it is emotional to watch. Swooping shots portray a seemingly never-ending landscape in all its colourful glory, but also its tragedy. The camera simultaneously acts as the destroyer and the destroyed as the natural world is fading before our eyes and we, the spectator, feel powerless to stop it. David Attenborough as always is the perfect narrator in that he appeals to our emotions through education, whilst urgently instructing us to pay attention. He reminds us of the cold reality that humanity is vulnerable and entirely dependent upon its natural surroundings. Within this film, we really do become witnesses through his eyes. Sound is almost tactile, as we the viewer are surrounded by noises of nature so that we are up close and personal with every species. We are given breath-taking footage of the animals that humans kill and how these animals became personalities because of film and recording. This impact of film confirmed that they need protecting and so awareness continues to spread. Despite this greater knowledge, we still see wonderland become wasteland, the impact of human activity converting beautiful land and sea to skeletal graveyards. These types of intimate sceneries are a common feature of Attenborough documentaries – except there is more of an urgency from him this time. His manner is frank and leaks desperation. His emotions appeal to our emotions. The sharing of scientific knowledge amongst this footage stresses the importance of a world and its ecosystems negatively changing beyond recognition. “We must re-wild the world” In the final thirty minutes of his appeal, Attenborough offers potential solutions to the problems that humanity has caused. He provides examples that appeal to socio-political issues that we may think extend beyond climate change – but they are all connected. David Attenborough calls for us to work with nature rather than against it, resulting in us saving ourselves. A Life on Our Planet is arguably David Attenborough’s best documentary yet. It is a brutal introspective of what our world could become very soon. The scientific predictions of the coming decades are harrowing. Yet, there is an offering of hope. Attenborough attests that he will not be around to stop this change, but we and the coming generations may be able to inflict measures that alter the course of climate change as we recognise it. I would recommend this Netflix documentary for everyone to watch – not least to gain a greater understanding of the planet we call home. Watch the trailer here: #AmberJackson

★★★ Directed by: Jeff Corpening Written by: Jeff Corpening Starring: Winston Gantt, Laura Mae Stacey, Anna Lynn Holleman Film Review by: Jason Knight There are times when couples experience difficulties between them and it is up to one of them, or both of them, to do something about it. This surreal drama explores the relationship between a man (Gantt) and a woman (Stacey). The starring, unnamed couple do have a rather unusual relationship. The man enjoys going out, looking at nature and visiting art museums, while the woman appears to not want much out of life and stays at home. She also constantly wears a mask that covers her eyes and does not have eyeholes! The two of them seem to care about each other and like drinking tea. However they do not see many things eye to eye and the man decides to take action in order to stay with her. This film resembles a David Lynch film. The protagonists are uncommon and have awkward conversations between them. The mask the woman wears does not seem to block her eyesight, as she is shown reading a book! The mask appears to be symbolic. It appears to represent the fact that she is only wants to do what she is used to doing and is 'blind' to the rest of the world. Gantt and Stacey deliver convincing performances as a couple who are in love and are having differences. As mentioned this is a surreal story and the unconventional ways they talk and interact with each other is executed very well by the two leads. Most of the story takes place inside the house the couple live in. The mise-en-scene in the house indicates that they are tidy people and have fine furniture. There are plenty of shots of paintings and closeups of cups and teacups. The filmmakers make effective use of jump cuts, a match cut and slow motion. Music is played almost throughout the entire film and it is rather amusing. It sounds like a combination of jazz and electronica. There is also a scene depicting eye injury. It is worth mentioning that the scene is quite upsetting, due to the special effects and the acting, which make it look realistic. Another Relationship is an interesting piece of work. Well shot, well edited and well acted, it provides the viewer with a thoughtful experience. Watch the Movie Trailer #JasonKnight