Filmmaker Interview by: Jason Knight For those who have not seen it yet, what is I Am You about? I Am You is based on the true story of Afghan refugees, their will to survive, and the dramatic conditions they endure on their journeys. We follow Massoud, a young man, who embarks on a perilous migration from Afghanistan through the Middle East and Europe accompanied by a pregnant doctor and a wise elder. After witnessing his father's murder at the hands of ISIS, Massoud vows to honor his father's wish to secure a safe future for his family away from the tyranny of the Taliban and ISIS. The current refugee crisis is the largest since WWII; I Am You is an evocative depiction of the resilience of those forced to flee their countries and overcome trauma. What motivated you to do this film? There is massive confusion about the difference between migration and refugees. Immigrants leave their country for a better life. Refugees leave their country because they have no choice. They take a chance that they may survive. I myself am a refugee and came to this country at the age of fifteen. For this reason, my life is dedicated to speaking for the voiceless refugees. This is a film created from their perspective. The background to the film is that I received messages on Facebook from a young man recounting his story about his journey to freedom. It evoked so much emotion that I agreed to tell his story. What did you find most challenging about the experience and how would you describe the main cast? What was it like working with them? The main cast were a great group of super talented actors, very hard working and dedicated. I Am You was shot primarily in the Afghan language, Dari, with English subtitles.  The most challenging experience was actually the language barrier. The main cast was made up of both Afghan and Turkish actors. However, the Turkish actors did not speak English and I did not speak Turkish. It was incredibly challenging to direct and communicate my vision, even with the help of a translator. Moreover, I had to coach the Turkish actors on their Dari accents so that they sounded as native Afghans. What do you like most about filmmaking? I love telling stories, I am a storyteller. I believe the most powerful medium to communicate a mission to others is through film. My first film, The Breadwinner, was instrumental in getting the Stinger missile approved by showing the plight of Afghanistan to the Senate and Congress. As a filmmaker, I have been able to channel my passion to spread awareness about the injustices in my country through documentaries and film.  I can give a voice to the voiceless refugees. What are your plans for the future? I have already started working on a streaming series that would be perfect for either Netflix or HBO. Each episode is based on a different migrant story and the reason these individuals fled their country for America. I am also very excited about my first mainstream feature film which is a romantic comedy.  Not only because I am shooting it in New York which is much easier than in a war torn country! The story takes place during the start of the pandemic when two neighbors that strongly disliked each other pre-Covid fall in love when sheltering at home. It will be casted with top Hollywood lead actors. #JasonKnight

★★★ Directed by: Prabhakar 'Meena Bhaskar' Pant Written by: Prabhakar 'Meena Bhaskar' Pant Starring: Shruti Sharma Film review by: Joseph Rodgers The Silent Crime is a striking short film in which noir aesthetics are unexpectedly used to dramatize a wave of a certain criminal activity across India. Ironically, The Silent Crime begins with a scream. We are presented with a young woman, perhaps in her early 20s, tied with rope to a chair in a hollow black space, or as the young woman at one time calls it, a cave. She is panicked and helpless, before she sees the camera. Seeking to grab our attention, she stares straight down its lens towards us and begs for our help, explaining that she is soon to be murdered by a hardcore criminal on a contract. The depiction of this criminal, who has a history of murders, is disturbing. Unexpectedly, the young woman then reveals that this criminal is not whom we might have originally expected. Prabhakar ‘Meena Bhaskar’ Pant’s short film soon reveals itself to be a dramatization of a widespread problem within India, of pregnancies being terminated due to families wanting to have a boy and having no desire for a female child. Shruti Sharma gives a strong performance, adequately conveying her terror and giving a sense of urgency about the injustice soon to be done. Sharma is essentially playing a classic damsel in distress, a trope within the noir genre. The short film is therefore an unusual blend of style and theme: it’s a hardboiled suspense thriller with a social justice message. The visuals are stripped back, effectively black-and-white, while the music consists of a melodramatic piano which alternately jangles and growls, like something out of a 1940s picture. This mixture is intriguing, though perhaps not entirely successful: the blurred lines of morality and ethics within the noir genre don’t necessarily apply to such a blatantly horrific issue. There is some merit, though, in conceiving of the murderer before revealing their identity and purpose, in order to surprise the viewer and subvert any complacency. However, the twist does not lead anywhere interesting dramatically; the short film essentially transitions into a mere advert to raise awareness, rather than following its idea through and developing its characters and storyline into something more nuanced. The Silent Crime ultimately feels like more of an advert for social justice than a short film, as it does not fulfil the dramatic potential of its concept and genre style, though it does serve as a worthy attention-raiser about the horrors of a strictly patriarchal society.

★★★★ Directed by: Gareth Evans Written by: Gareth Evans Starring: Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, Kristine Froseth, Lucy Boynton and Bill Milner Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Apostle (2018) Netflix Film Review When I was given free rein to choose some Netflix horror flicks to review for the upcoming Halloween season for UK Film Review, firstly I thought…you fools! Never give me free rein, who knows where I will end up…Devon maybe? And secondly, an excuse to trawl through all the piles of garbage Netflix often present us with on the #horror front? I’m in. It’s no secret that the UK Netflix is lacking in the scares department, memes abound, begging them to give us what the U.S version has, but no, we are to live like peasants, eating the scraps thrown to us by our American overlords. They have Pet Cemetery and all the old Friday the 13th movies for god’s sake…what have we got? Twilights? Get in the bin? I was not hopeful, to say the least, but as I sat there aimlessly scrolling thought the sea of ‘’Netflix Originals’’ I came across a screenshot of little old Michael Sheen…with a beard. He looked sexy and hot dad like - grounds enough to watch the movie I thought, but I was not prepared, for I had begun a journey through time, and space, and trees and such, a journey into a world where you think it’s The Wicker Man (1973) but then someone drills a hole into a kid’s brain…I was watching Apostle. Apostle is the tale of Thomas, a young man who heads off to an island where he believes his sister is being held for ransom at the hands of an evil cult. He does not have the money, so we can only assume he is going to just go in guns blazing in his rescue attempt…just minus a gun. He poses as a convert for the cult, and it is not long before he realises all is not what it seems here, for his sister was held for ransom as the town are losing money and without that, they can’t buy animals to use for their blood sacrifices, the ones they believe keep the island fertile…are we keeping up? I hope so, let’s crack on. Is the island fertile? Do they use blood as some kind of Miracle-Gro on the crops? You fools, that would be almost too logical, the answer is simple; they have a strange witch lady in a cabin on the fringes of town that they feed blood into and she makes flowers and shiz appear, and a topless man soaked in blood who has a beehive for a face keeps guard, although he seems to not want to be there, but is there, but why? No one knows….it’s irrelevant at this point, just remember bee hive man…witch flower lady, blood and we can move on. The film descends into a power struggle between the town’s leaders, i.e the two blokes who captured the witch lady, whilst Thomas is still wandering around trying to find his sister…don’t forget that bit, that’s still a thing. He meets witch lady, they hang out and then a fire happens and a bunch of people run away, overall it’s a very stressful time for all the village folk it would seem. Watching Apostle felt like a weird fever dream, at first I thought it was just another Wicker Man rip off, then some people were doing it in a boat and the girl’s father finds out and drilled a hole in the boy’s head as punishment, and before I knew it there was a witch in a shed with a beehive-faced man, being fed blood to keep a town alive. And for all my cynical ramblings, I’m not mad at it. Apostle has a charming confidence, it bulldozes through points where logic is just absent, where you can’t make sense of what will happen next, but because of its consistency to the madness you kind of get on board…witch lady in shed…sure, makes sense, what’s next? And for that I take my hat off, if there were any kind of attempt to make things seem relatable or believable, the whole thing would have felt cheesy. So, are you bored with your real life? Want to be taken off to a mystical new land of brain drilling and blood sacrifices? Of course you do! So, snuggle up on your bean bag or pull out sofabed with your loved ones and strap in for what can only be described as a rollercoaster of madness in itchy fabrics…because Apostle is the period piece of horror you won’t ever forget. #RachelPullen

★★★★ Directed by #MartinKrejci Written by #OliviaDufault Starring #JaedenMartell #ChrisMessina Film Review by George Wolf Have many Young Adult films carry a theme of self-acceptance? Plenty, but that’s not a problem. It’s delivering that message via the same tired playbook that gets old, which is just one of the reasons The True Adventures of Wolfboy lands as a charming and completely captivating tale of a truly special teen. And director Martin Krejci makes sure it feels like a tale in so many magical ways, starting with the beautifully ornate title cards separating each chapter in the journey of a lonely and self-loathing boy on his thirteenth birthday. Paul (Jaeden Martell) suffers from hypertrichosis – an extremely rare affliction causing abnormal hair growth all over his face and body. He covers his face with a ski mask most of the time, but his father (Chris Messina) gently urges him to put the mask aside and accept the taunts of “dogboy!” with dignity. Paul’s mother has been gone since he was born, but when a strange birthday gift delivers a map and a promise of explanations, Paul runs away to answer the invitation and get some answers from Mom (Chloe Sevigny). Krejci crafts Paul’s journey from dog to wolf as an epic odyssey of self-discovery. From Pinnochio-like exploitation in a sideshow run by Mr. Silk (John Turturro, also a producer), to joining the eyepatch-wearing Rose (Eve Hewson) for a string of petty holdups, Paul’s world – and his world view – expands quickly. But it is the effervescent teen Aristiana (transgender actress Sophie Giannamore) that most triggers Paul’s awakening. She hates the short “boy” haircut her mother insists on, while Paul is ashamed of how much hair he has. Her mother calls her Kevin, his mother doesn’t call at all. Similarly, Martell delivers true tenderness and longing behind Mark Garbarino’s impressive makeup, while Giannamore is a heartwarming example of defiant positivity. Both actors and their characters bond quickly, and screenwriter Olivia Dufault (also transgender) finds a power that eludes so many YA dramas via the subtle genius of writing Aristiana as a secondary catalyst. We already feel for Paul, so Aristiana’s effect on his self image is something we feel without being told. The point is made organically, with wit and wisdom, and much more resonance. What Paul finds at the end of his journey is sweet, but just gravy. Wolfboy is the rare teen drama that speaks without condescension, and entertains without calculation. That’s welcome, special even. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by #SanghoYeon Written by #SanthoYeon #RyuYongjae Starring #DongWonGang #JunghyunLee Film Review by Hope Madden Back in 2016, filmmaker Sang-ho Yeon made the most thrilling zombie film since 28 Days Later. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, always exciting and at least once a heartbreaker, Train to Busan succeeded on every front. You can’t chalk it up to newness, either. Busan was actually a sequel to Yeon’s fascinating animated take on Korea’s zombie infestation, Seoul Station. So the guy was 2 for 2 in gripping zombie thrills. Can he make it a hat trick? Train to Busan: Peninsula begins on that same fateful day that South Korea falls to the zombipocalypse. Those fleeing Korea by ship are turned around for fear of global contamination, so all survivors descend upon Hong Kong. Four years later, the city’s overrun, survivors are living in poverty, and a rag tag bunch is so desperate, they’re willing to go back to the Korean peninsula to pull a job that will make them rich. But if Hong Kong looks bad, wait til they see what’s happened since they left the peninsula. Things feel much more borrowed this time around. Peninsula plays like a mash up of Friedkin’s 1977 adventure Sorcerer (or Clouzot’s 1953 Wages of Fear) and the 4th in George Romero’s line of zombie adventures, 2005’s Land of the Dead. There’s also a little Dawn of the Dead, plus one scene lifted wholesale from 28 Days Later. And you cannot miss a great deal of a great number of Mad Max flicks. Both the claustrophobia and the relentless forward momentum of the 2016 film are gone, replaced with tactical maneuvering around a fairly stagey looking city scape and military compound. And while you have to believe Yeon had a bigger budget to work with based on the success of his previous effort, Peninsula’s zombie effects are weaker here. That’s not to say the film is bad, just a letdown. Dong-Won Gang makes for a serviceable quietly haunted hero. Scrappy Re Lee and adorable Ye-Won Lee infuse the film with vibrance and fun, and both Gyo-hwan Koo and Min-Jae Kim create respectably reprehensible villains. (Although the high water mark in zombie villainy was reached with Train to Busan.) The story is tight, if highly borrowed, and the action scenes are plentiful. Compare it with nearly every other zombie film to come out in the last two decades and it’s a creepy way to spend a couple of hours. Compare it to Yeon’s last two movies, though, and it comes up lacking. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: #RamyRaphael Written by: #DrewCoster Starring: #ChadClark, #VeraClark, #AndrewGalligan Short Film Review by: Corey Bulloch Despite more accepting and empathetic attitudes in recent years, mental health stigmas are still a terrible obstruction for those seeking to discuss and understand depression. Whether it be social or self-stigma, those suffering from depression feel an obligation to hide it, I’ve hidden it myself over the years due to my own feelings of shame and fear but even now I find it difficult to accept issues with my mental health. The power to Tears of Oizys, named from the Greek god of misery is that Ramy Raphael shows the strength and struggle that comes with confronting depression and how it affects our loved ones. This film tells the tragic story of couple Issac and Nina told through a letter written by Issac as he solemnly explains the inexplicable anguish he lives with. As the letter unfolds, Raphael’s warm, inviting cinematography portrays these lovely little glimpses into Issac and Nina’s relationship, the love and life they share. It’s a meaningful juxtaposition that Raphael creates against Coster’s words, despite this beautiful life Issac has he still suffers in plain sight. Depression isn’t exclusive to those with impoverished and harmful lifestyles; it manifests itself in many ways; you can have everything you want and still feel this way. It’s an illness; it needs to be seen and handled in that way rather than be dismissed as a fleeting mood swing, “manning up” isn’t going to make it go away. Raphael’s film takes its material seriously but from this more personal approach, it doesn’t feel like a PSA on mental health, allowing audiences to connect directly to Issac and Nina’s experiences. The camerawork itself reflects the intimacy and the chemistry of Chad Clark and Vera Clark’s performances while also displaying the subtly in how Issac’s depression is creating a divide with Nina, moments of happiness against moments of Nina desperate to understand what’s happening. Issac’s letter narrated by Andrew Galligan conveys so many different emotions of regret, guilt, and love as it becomes clearer what the letter’s intention is, it never treads into maudlin territory. The dual performance of Issac by Clark and Galligan is seamless you wouldn’t know there was a difference in voice and body until the credits revealed it. Depression is something that many believe they are dealing with alone though Tears of Oizys shows that’s never the case. The film is Nina’s story as much as it is Issac’s as Vera Clark silently expresses the pain of how helpless one can feel watching their loved ones go through depression. Raphael’s direction displays serenity, struggle, and devotion in their life together making the conclusion more poignant and reflective on how these stigmas keep loved ones apart. #CoreyBulloch #shortfilm

Filmmaker Huse Monfaradi's short film Brothers, starring Jay Lycurgo and Michael Workeye will be free to watch from Friday November 6th 2020. There will be a Q&A with the trio hosted by the terrific Edith Bowman. STUDIOCANAL, HKX and CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) are proud to announce that acclaimed film director Huse Monfaradi’s short film BROTHERS - featuring rising stars Jay Lycurgo (I May Destroy You) and Michael Workeye (Sitting In Limbo), will be available to watch from Friday 6 November 2020, exclusively through www.brothersthefilm.com. The film will be followed with a pre-recorded Q&A with Monfaradi, Workeye and Lycurgo, hosted by renowned broadcaster Edith Bowman. It’s a sad paradox in that it is harder to know how to deal with the mental health issues of those closest to us; family, than someone perhaps one step away. BROTHERS is a story of friendship, betrayal and the fragility of mental health, inspired by the real-life experiences of Michael Workeye and his relationship with his older brother and his mental health issues. Monfaradi commented: Hearing Michael’s story and the struggles he has had with his older brother's mental health issues over the years was the inspiration for me to write Brothers. I felt compelled as a filmmaker to try and tell a version of this story in a dramatic, relatable and compassionate manner, so as to not only do Michael and his family some justice, but also shed light on the subject and hopefully open a discussion around it. Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM added: “Brothers is a raw and honest portrayal that tackles the complex relationships between family that is often unexplored. Talking to family about our mental health can be really difficult. It can be daunting to start a conversation about it, and even tougher to help them understand. But we also know that 68% of people with severe mental illness disclosed to at least one family member or mate can make a huge difference. Starting the conversation has loads of potential benefits. And when you’re going through a hard time, this extra support can prevent you from reaching crisis point.” Shot in one day over the summer, part improvised and part scripted, Monfaradi’s 15-minute passion project aims to create awareness and spark debate around the issue of mental illness within families. With a stunning original score by the legendary British singer/songwriter Ed Harcourt, and an incredible poster created by lauded graphic designer Pete Hanson, BROTHERS is the first dramatic short film directed and written by Huse Monfaradi (director of 2020 Mercury Award Winner Michael Kiwanuka’s music video Love&Hate) that tackles a hard-hitting subject in need of more attention and understanding. Monfaradi’s previous music video directing credits include Declan McKenna’s Be an Astronaut, Louis Tomlinson’s Two of Us, Paolo Nutini’s Iron Sky and Arctic Monkeys’ I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor and Brianstorm. If you’re struggling, CALM’s helpline and webchat are open from 5pm until midnight, 365 days a year. Call CALM on 0800 58 58 58 or chat to their trained helpline staff online. No matter who you are or what you're going through, it's free, anonymous and confidential. #PressRelease

★★★★ Written and Directed by: #JonJacobs Starring: #JonJacobs, #ChristinaFulton and #ShannahBettz Film review by: Brian Penn With Halloween fast approaching on 31st October, what better way to mark the event than this spicy tale of witches and wizards set in modern-day New Orleans? Our story begins on the eve of Beltane as Jason (Jon Jacobs), the present descendant of the great Druid Merlin must find a woman, pure and magical enough to conceive a child to carry on an ancient and powerful bloodline. Beltane is the Gaelic May Day festival celebrating the coming of summer and fertility. Merlin is the beardy guy of Arthurian legend (but you already knew that right?...ok just checking). Jason has returned to earth for the purpose of procreation, but his quest hits the rocks when he meets old flame Lucinda (Christina Fulton), a miscreant witch who has drifted into the sex trade. It also seems they have a son languishing in the local orphanage. With the right spell, Lucinda has Jason in her sights but faces competition from coven high priestess Beatrice (Shannah Bettz). With tongue planted firmly in cheek, Jon Jacobs weaves a delicious mix of Hammer Horror pastiche with a truly brilliant blues soundtrack. There's a parrot called Gideon who gives as good as he gets and a coven endlessly bickering about Lucinda's merit as a witch. Amongst the mirth and dark symbolism lurks a half-serious tale of a mother trying to win back custody of her son; but ultimately slipping back into bad habits. The director’s cut gives it the look of a B-movie but only adds to the overall appeal. From the 1960s styled opening titles to the mystical, shimmering finale it positively drips with style and attitude. There’s a vacant cult classic slot waiting for this film – great fun! #BrianPenn Watch the Movie Trailer

★ Directed by: #VeltonJLishke Written by: #VeltonJLishke #DavidJKeogh Starring: #RobLeach #VeltonJLishke Film review by: William Hemingway The thing about irreverent humour is that it has to be funny in a knowing and shared manner; the audience should be in on the joke. If you’re just making pale observations or throwing out littered expletives or insinuating crass comparisons then it just doesn’t work. So when Clouds opens with an idiotic quote from Mike Tyson then moves onto a voice-over where the lead character compares himself to a knob shaped cloud and then calls his sister a bitch, you know you’re going to be in for a rough ride. The film is apparently inspired by the life of Scott Latty, who you don’t know, but who a quick Google search reveals to be an ‘actor, extra and model’ who was diagnosed with ADHD late on in life. In Clouds, Scott is replaced by Stuart (Rob Leach), and we are invited into his mind as we follow him on his ‘adventures’ for a couple of days. Stuart has ADHD – that’s it, that’s the plot, or the premise, or the scenario, or the setup, or whatever else you would like to call it, because it seems that the writers (Lishke and Keogh) don’t have the foggiest idea what this horrible mess of a movie is either. It all starts with Stuart remembering and sharing the pale observation that one of his teachers used to have unruly nostril hair (is that funny?), then coming right up to date where he’s ignoring phone calls and misremembering his Mum’s birthday. Luckily, Uncle Charlie manages to get hold of him, and through a conversation that is broken up by some of the most horrific cutting and editing imaginable, is able to remind him to get on a train to come and join the party. Then Barry turns up. Barry (Velton J Lishke) is the worst kind of character creation possible; one that is shoehorned into the narrative so that the writer/director can get his mug in front of the camera to display his own zany brand of wacky humour. Except that it’s not even his own. Barry is an obvious low-rent rip-off of David Brent and for all of his obvious anxieties, incessant need to be liked, gurning facial expressions and over-ingratiating behaviour, not one of his ‘jokes’ lands properly and every aspect of the character falls flat. Still, this doesn’t stop Lishke forcing him into every scene possible and running around the narrative (such as it is) like a veritable lost puppy. None of this is funny, but instead rather sad, and hackneyed, and tasteless, and inadequately derivative. However, as bad as this is, Barry is not the only one-note character in the film. From the ‘bitch sister’ who can only communicate through violent swearing, to the ‘girlfriend’ whose sole purpose it is to forgive and understand Stuart no-matter what he says and does and no-matter that they’ve literally just met, to the mother who spends the whole movie just hugging people instead of having any sort of personality, to the sister’s lesbian girlfriend who only seems to be included so that there can be some crass scissoring jokes; nobody has a character arc, nobody goes on a journey and nobody learns anything from their experiences – that is until the final scene when everybody miraculously transforms into their best selves through no form of actual self-volition. With such obviously unidimensional characters, it is also no wonder that the dialogue between them comes off as so unrealistic and badly scripted. Not one conversation has a natural flow to it and the interactions are left hanging in the air like a bad smell, waiting for someone to move or react or say something that might plausibly be said between two actual living people. As such the scenes become torturous and diabolically long, where you find yourself hoping that each one will finish so that you don’t have to listen or put up with the characters any longer. Not to mention that there’s a lot of shouting going on and the sound recording and sound mixing are so off cue that voices sound grainy and crackly and jump in volume within scenes along with the camera angles. The one saving grace of the film comes from Dave Thorp whose cinematography is very accomplished and who should be commended, especially for his aerial shots. ADHD is a serious condition, one which deserves to have its own voice shared on the big screen where it can be treated fairly with a respectful script and a compelling story. Sadly, Clouds feels a lot more like a couple of teenagers who are discovering a bit of the old Mary Jane for the first time have jotted down all of the things they find hilariously funny about being faced with the disease and have forgotten to run things through quality control once they’ve come back down. There is no sense of understanding or of accomplishment within the entire film and therefore there is no sense in you watching it either.

★★ Directed by #TimoTjahjanto Written by #TimoTjahjanto Starring #ChelseaIslan Film Review by Hope Madden Alfie (Chelsea Islan) is a badass survivor. You can tell because she’s really mean to everyone and she and others repeatedly mention the ordeal she’s already survived. One problem: if you haven’t seen writer/director Timo Tjahjanto’s 2018 film May the Devil Take You—and you probably haven’t—you’ll need to take this film at its word. May the Devil Take You Too (also called May the Devil Take You: Chapter Two) revisits the hero of that little known Indonesian film two years after the incidents you likely don’t know about. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you totally know all about Alfie, young Nara (Hadijah Shahab) and some kind of demonic parenting issues. If you haven’t seen the original—and I haven’t, by the way—you should probably still be able to make heads or tails of this sequel’s story. More or less. Kind of. So here’s the skinny. Meanie-pants Alfie, badass survivor, and young Nara find themselves the involuntary guests of seven foster siblings. Like Alfie, the group has some diabolical paternal concerns. It’s never at all clear why they think Alfie could help them, why Nara had to come, or why the whole thing is staged as a kidnapping. The point is, best not to look closely at the details. The filmmaker has his own take on religious ritual, possession and afterlife horror, although he is unafraid to wear his American influences on his sleeve. Evil Dead references are a lot less fun when delivered so humorlessly, though. (You may also detect several Nightmare on Elm Street references, and just a touch of Constantine.) Chapter Two does a lot with a limited budget, relying mainly old fashioned practical effects and makeup for scares—with frequently decent outcomes. There is some grisly fun to be had in Tjahjanto’s nightmare funhouse. The filmmaker’s strength is certainly more in staging and effects than it is in writing, however. Contrived and often counter intuitive, the plot is little more than an opportunity to string together kills and the dialog is weak. Not one character makes natural decisions— mainly they stand around in a group looking shocked and screaming each other’s names while something happens. But once it gets going, Chapter Two is pretty relentless with the bloody action. That’s probably not reason enough to see it, unless you’re a huge fan of the original. Maybe that one was good. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed by: Ambz Negro Written by: Ambz Negro Starring: David Farrell, Paulie Kren Film Review by: Jason Knight Sometimes it can be difficult for people to deal with their inner struggles. A young man wakes up in the woods. He is by himself, wearing formal clothes and appears to be upset and confused. He is lost and attempts to find his way back. He comes across a backpack, which contains several belongings of his, such as a flashlight, his wallet and his mobile phone. He listens to a message on his phone, revealing that he had stormed out of his father's funeral and ended up in the forest. The film follows him as he tries to return back to where he came from, while at the same time deals with his emotions. This short drama could be described as a combination between Castaway (2000) and The Blair Witch Project (1999), but without the horror elements. A person is lost and by themselves in the forest. Apparently, his main purpose is to get to civilization and he goes through a great deal doing so. At one point, the hero gets badly injured and there is quite a lot of blood to be seen as a result. With these in mind, the film could be categorized as an adventure. The protagonist is the only person seen in the film and he delivers a strong performance. He convincingly brings his character to life, portraying a troubled young man who is grieving the loss of his father and does not seem to know how to come to terms with it. During the film, he also experiences physical pain, due to his injury and the anguish he goes through is quite realistic. The film has an interesting soundtrack. At some scenes the music is tense and dramatic, sounding like a violin been played vividly. At others, a hard rock song is heard. The editing techniques are well executed, making effective use of jump cuts during a head-shaving scene and fast cutting towards the end. There are also beautiful establishing shots of nature. Lost Between the Trees is an emotional story that explores themes off grief, isolation and emotional struggle. Although it is not quite clear what the main message is, it offers an experience worth pursuing. #JasonKnight

Reviewed by Rachel Pullen Do you like movies? I do. Do you like scary movies? I do. I watch them and then I have existential despair because I think all the aliens in the world are out to get me and I can’t stop them, so I watch Independence Day in order to calm the hell down. Although that’s not a scary movie I feel the fact that Will Smith has not aged since 1996 is a #horror movie within itself…so with that in mind let us delve into the world of horror picks from Netflix this Halloween, not that we need it because let’s face facts - 2020 has been the stuff of horror movies already. Creep [2014, directed by Patrick Kack Brice] Found footage has done the rounds right? We know the score; shaky camera movements, paranormal activity going down, ghost moving into unsuspecting Americans' homes without offering any rent…and even though that’s all good in the hood what about actual reality? (yeah ghosts are not real…fight me bro) Well, Creep tackles just that. A young man takes up an ad to film a gentleman on his life journey, but things take a dark turn when it seems all is not right in the brain with our host…a wolf in sheep’s clothing perhaps, chilling, thrilling and comedic to boot, Creep is a refreshing addition to the found footage world. Super Dark Times [2017, directed by Kevin Phillips] Hey, do you like the 90’s? Walkmans and flannel clothing, home phones and a massive lack of CCTV so that you’re able to murder your friends with a machete?…ah goodness, well if that’s you, then you're definitely going to love Super Dark Times. This is the tale of a group of teen boys who ‘’accidentally‘’ murder their friend in the park one day and scramble to keep their cool, but it’s not long before the tale takes a darker turn as it seems one of the boys enjoyed the murder a little too much. Visually stunning, professionally written and compelling, this horror is for the viewer looking for a bit of depth to their murder movies. Await further instructions [2018, directed by Johnny Kevorkian] Sci-fi horror and the UK do not often spring to mind, we haven’t really dominated the genre over the years, but hey let’s change that with this little doozy! Await Further Instructions. Our leading man takes his new lady home to meet the family over Christmas, and while that’s terrifying enough, it’s not long before they find themselves trapped in the family home, with only a Teletext screen on the TV handing out random instructions to the hostages. So, if you are looking for something completely different from what you normally see from the UK, then settle in with a mince pie for this festive weekend in hell…plus wires, there are lots of wires. Session 9 [2001, directed by Brad Anderson] This whole list has been a ruse so that I can talk about one of the greatest films of all time, Session 9. Yeah, I love this film, and I am so confident in my superb film choices that you will too, as we dive into the exciting world of asbestos removal in this haunting and bleak tale…asbestos is a bitch. Set in a real abandoned hospital (Danvers State Hospital) a team of asbestos removers, settle in to strip the place bear, but it’s not long before each of the cast starts to act out of the norm, find bewildering things left from the past patients or in general just lose the plot… But just as you think you have a grip on your senses and where the storyline is taking you, you will be flipped in all different directions, for Session 9 is never what it seems. One of the most beautifully shot films I have ever seen, I cannot encourage you enough just to watch it for the performances as well as the amazing locations on the screen, and yes you can still visit sections of the hospital which survived the hellish condo and flat renovation, and yes I have Googled that time and time again because I have problems… #RachelPullen Read more: Netflix Film Reviews