Dead of Winter film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca directed by Brian Kirk. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Dead of Winter Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Sep 23, 2025 Directed by: Brian Kirk Written by: Nicholas Jacobson-Larson, Dalton Leeb Starring: Emma Thompson, Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca Emma Thompson and Judy Greer go head-to-head in a kidnaping thriller set in a forsaken Northern Minnesota snowstorm? Dude, I am so in! With Dead of Winter, Brian Kirk relies on nuanced character work, gorgeously isolating cinematography, and the desperation of human nature to keep you guessing. Thompson, who executive produces, is Barb. Barb with that Minnesota “r”. She’s hearty for a mature gal. And despite the weather forecast, she puts on the ol’ snowsuit, warms up the even older pick up, and heads to faraway Lake Hilda to do some ice fishing. And maybe something else. But she gets a little turned around and hears chopping in the distance, so she goes to ask directions. Nobody else for miles around, what else is she to do? Barb finds a bearded man in camo (Marc Menchaca, excellent), who—very startled by the sight of her—directs her to the lake. But blood on the snow has Barb a little troubled, and soon enough, she sniffs out a kidnapping. Is she hearty enough to save that poor girl in the wood chopper’s basement? In some ways, Dead of Winter —written by first time screenwriters Nicholas Jacobson-Larson and Dalton Leeb—feels like little more than a welcome update to a well-worn plot. A handful of flashbacks to Barb’s youth, which flesh out the film’s B-story and deepen Barb’s character, are just this side of Hallmark Channel. But Thompson, from her first determined sigh, is so utterly convincing that you’re hooked. And that’s all before the glorious Greer makes her entrance. It’s hard to justify saying that the most versatile and employable character actor of a generation is playing against type, since Greer has played every imaginable type of character. But the blind desperation behind her unnamed (she and Barb never really get on chummy terms) character’s cruelty is so precisely wielded by this actor that you would believe this film no matter how farfetched it became. There’s a simplicity to the storytelling that matches Kirk’s determined avoidance of cynicism. Like Barb, this movie marches on, not necessarily seeing the worst in this world even when it wouldn’t be too hard. Hard with that Minnesota “r”. But he never loses track of his chosen genre. Dead of Winter sidesteps cliché, delivers thrills, and finds new ways to showcase two tremendous talents. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Two's A Crowd film review by UK film critic Amber Jackson. Starring Hugo Speer, Angus Castle-Doughty, Shaparak Khorsandi directed by Andy Burse, Angus Castle-Doughty. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Two's A Crowd Film Review average rating is 5 out of 5 Critic: Amber Jackson | Posted on: Mar 6, 2023 Directed by: Andy Burse, Angus Castle-Doughty Written by: Angus Castle-Doughty Starring: Hugo Speer, Angus Castle-Doughty, Shaparak Khorsandi Two’s A Crowd is a comedic short film that explores a day in the life of two struggling actors whose paths unexpectedly cross one day in London. They are the polar opposite of each other in terms of personality, and yet when their days collide at a terrible audition, their skills are tested like never before. With the action of the short taking place in London, these two characters portray the bleak and bitter reality of struggling actors tackling the audition process, but with plenty of hilarious twists. This is a really well constructed and filmed short created and acted by Andy Burse and Angus Castle-Doughty that captures the hard-hitting, yet often hilarious, realities of actors hoping for their next job opportunity. The camera follows the action very well throughout the film and conveys a very real sense of the streets of London. Already praised online for its accuracy, it is not hard to see why with plenty of laugh out loud moments filling the screen. Although some scenes feel as though they have been created for comedic effect, they also seem very true to life at the same time, which make for fun viewing. Andy Burse and Angus Castle-Doughty ultimately have fantastic and compelling chemistry as they work exceptionally well together to portray two actors who are characteristically polar opposites. Their ability to show a real life situation for actors auditioning for jobs is brilliant, as they portray how gruelling the process can be. These actors are tired and tortured, but their experience of this unexpected union leads to interesting - if not strange - consequences for the both of them. Uncomfortable moments that feel as though they are drawn from real life extend onto the screen and capture the true idiocy that actors could hypothetically experience during this process. As both men struggle to contend with the expectations of producers and directors they meet, they also convey relationships between other actors and the challenges that this presents, as both characters display how both their personal and industry judgements inform their relationships. These moments transcend across this twenty-minute short film and do very well to convey how difficult it can be to feel motivated and work in a job that handles plenty of rejection. Every actor in this film gives an excellently eccentric performance, with plenty of excellent timing and quick-witted dialogue moments filling the script. Additionally, there is a fun voice over from a phone call from an agent which sounds awfully like a Pam Ferris cameo and she is in fact in the credits as casting agent ‘Sherry’. That is just one of many bizarre and wonderful ongoing things that viewers can expect to enjoy during this short film. With lines such as “you must be the only actor in the world to get sacked from the panto!” feeling incredibly off-the-cuff and based in truth, this is a film that is worth watching for a hearty laugh. Two’s A Crowd is fed up and bitter about a challenging industry, but in a way it is also a love letter to it. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Amber Jackson Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Visualization film review by UK film critic Swati Verma . Starring Raman Irman, Mojo Mona directed by Raman Irman. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Visualization Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Swati Verma | Posted on: Dec 19, 2022 Directed by: Raman Irman Written by: Raman Irman Starring: Raman Irman, Mojo Mona Visualization refers to a technique for creating images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message. The writer-director Raman Irman attempts to build up an intriguing narrative with two leading actors Abdolrahaman Sarraei and Mojo Mona. He works in the genre of psychological fiction and adds elements of mystery and thrill to make the content more engaging for the audience. The plot of the short film revolves around a medical clinic and what transpires in it needs to unfold soon for the better future of people involved with the same. The camera pans into the corridor along with eerie background music to elevate a sense of fear, isolation, and boredom amidst the viewers establishing the subject matter of the movie. The white greyish brown colour tone of the dramatic piece helps the audience understand the emotional uncertainty and coldness experienced by the characters in the movie. The close-up and extreme close-up shots are effectively utilised by the filmmaker to address the social issues it deals with. The set design, lighting, blood, costume, hair, and makeup complement and intensify the mysterious vibe, therefore making the viewers more involved with Visualization. The name of the short film-Visualization appears in white font in the middle of the black screen and has the connotation of a ray of hope and innocence. In terms of performance, Raman Irman plays Tom who is one of many inmates living in the medical clinic. Sarraei efficiently executes his vision beautifully through his acting skills, evoking the desired emotions from the viewers thus increasing the degree of relatability with his character. Raman Irman’s body language, facial expressions, and eyes communicate the tragedy and pain he has to go through while staying in a hospital setup. Mojo Mona plays the role of both Psychiatrist and performer. The actress depicts very different shades of the two multi-layered characters creating and maintaining the right balance in the gestures, and expressions so that the viewers can differentiate between them while watching it. Visualization talks about the significance of emotions as well as logic (mind), and the need to express gives the power to stand for the betterment of society as a whole. The cinematic piece reiterates that respect, love, freedom of thought, and the right to make choices in life are the basic requirement of all humans belonging to this earth. The science fiction film spreads awareness about tackling issues like loneliness, pain and emotional trauma with the utmost courage one gathers from loved ones. The psychological thriller teaches us that people should have unique personalities and learn to self-repair the flaws As an ardent viewer of the short film, I want to appreciate Raman Irman to make a film with a lot of philosophical and motivational lessons about humanity and also inspire the audience to incorporate these learnings to become a superior version of themselves. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Swati Verma Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Practical Magic 2 film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Joey King directed by Susanne Bier. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Practical Magic 2 Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Sep 10, 2026 Directed by: Susanne Bier Written by: Alice Hoffman, Akiva Goldsman, Georgia Pritchett Starring: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Joey King What made 1998’s Practical Magic so compelling? It was a beautifully filmed tale of a sad woman traumatized into dimming her light, a sister who shone, trauma be damned, and Aidan Quinn at his most swoon worthy. Nearly 30 years later, somehow Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) is just now having to deal with daughters and their boyfriends. Practical Magic 2 reunites Bullock and Nicole Kidman (she who shone) as witchy sisters who have to navigate the next generation of the Owens curse. (When Owens women fall in love, their lovers are doomed to die horribly.) Sally’s been hiding her witchiness again, for so long that her daughters have forgotten all about the family power. But now Kylie (Joey King) is in loooooove. And her boy Gideon (Blue Beetle ’ s Xolo Maridueña) is in danger, so she’s off to England with a black magic book and the goal to break the curse. Bullock and Kidman, who’s here almost exclusively for comic relief this go-round, make for a fun Odd Couple. Bullock’s low-key comic timing is always sharp, though Kidman seems less sure footed in the comedic role. There are also moments when the pair’s humor feels out of place. They are in search of Sally’s missing and presumed in-peril daughter, after all. Directed this time by Birdbox’s Susanne Bier, PM2 embraces the beautiful clutter, perfectly mussed long hair, and 90s fashion sensibilities of the original. It’s still a movie meant to showcase Bullock’s beauty, and it does. The international intrigue feels rushed and telegraphed, and at no point are you unsure of the film’s outcome. And while the first film was split between each sister’s storyline, that made narrative sense because they were the two beloveds who were meant to come together. (Quinn was mainly delightful eye candy.) The narrative has lost its balance with the two sisters together, one daughter/niece in peril, some aunts back at home. Plus, dudes as witches? Ew. Great to see Diane Weist and Stockard Channing return, as dear as ever playing the aunties. And though there’s not a scene that stands up to the charm of the original, Practical Magic 2 is fine. It reminds you that sisters are awesome, long hair is too, Cool Whip is delicious, and there’s rarely a bad time for a margarita. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Picking up roughly seventeen years after the seismic events of Part Two, the trailer immediately signals a shift in tone. While the first film was an act of world-building and the second a visceral war epic, Dune: Part Three—an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah—looks to be a far more claustrophobic and tense affair. . Brand new film trailers. Dune: Part Three The spice must flow one last time. After months of feverish speculation and a wait that felt as long as a trek across the deep desert, Warner Bros. has finally released the official teaser trailer for Dune: Part Three . For those of us who found Denis Villeneuve’s first two entries to be nothing short of transcendental, this first glimpse into the conclusion of the trilogy is a momentous occasion for cinema. Picking up roughly seventeen years after the seismic events of Part Two , the trailer immediately signals a shift in tone. While the first film was an act of world-building and the second a visceral war epic, Dune: Part Three —an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah —looks to be a far more claustrophobic and tense affair. We find Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides not as a young hero, but as a weary Padishah Emperor, burdened by the weight of a holy war that has claimed billions of lives. The teaser opens with a surprisingly tender, nostalgic flashback between Paul and Chani, played by Zendaya. They discuss the names of future children—Leto and Ghanima—a moment that feels achingly human against the backdrop of the impending tragedy. It is clear that despite their fractured relationship at the end of the previous film, the bond between these two remains the emotional heartbeat of the story. However, the "Holy War" is in full swing, and the visual scale remains staggering. We see glimpses of new planets and a much older, scarred Paul Atreides who looks remarkably different from the fresh-faced youth we met in 2021. The most electrifying addition to the cast is undoubtedly Robert Pattinson as the villainous Scytale. Sporting a bleached-blonde buzzcut and a chillingly calm demeanour, Pattinson appears to be the perfect foil for Chalamet’s brooding Emperor. The trailer also gives us our first proper look at Anya Taylor-Joy as an adult Alia Atreides. Her casting was one of the most inspired surprises of the second film, and here she looks every bit the "Abomination" described in the books—a character possessing the wisdom and memories of generations. There is also the "impossible" return of Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho—or rather, a Tleilaxu ghola named Hayt—which is sure to send shockwaves through the fan base. Technically, the film looks as impeccable as its predecessors. While Linus Sandgren has taken over cinematography duties from Greig Fraser, the "broodier palette" mentioned in early reports is on full display. The shots of Arrakis feel more dangerous, and the political conspiracies lurking in the shadows of the palace are palpable. As Paul asks his mother, Lady Jessica, "How did Father do it?", her response—"Your father never started a war"—perfectly encapsulates the darker, more introspective journey we are about to embark upon. Villeneuve has promised an "action-packed and tense" thriller that serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of messianic figures. Dune: Part Three is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on 18 December 2026. If this teaser is anything to go by, it will be the definitive cinematic event of the decade. I, for one, am ready to return to the sands. Words by Chris Olson for UK Film Review. Paper Tiger The Paper Tiger trailer suggests a searing, deeply moving examination of ambition, guilt, and the toxic pursuit of the American Dream. Ink The newly dropped trailer for Ink confirms those expectations, delivering a relentless, kinetic glimpse into Fleet Street's most disruptive era. The Social Reckoning Seeing the first teaser trailer drop for its spiritual companion piece, The Social Reckoning, sent an absolute chill down my spine. Focker-in-Law If the film can sustain the frantic, competitive energy displayed in this preview, Focker-In-Law might just be the rarest of cinematic beasts: a comedy sequel that actually manages to justify its own existence. We are officially on high alert. Heart of the Beast Heart of the Beast looks like a gripping, tear-jerking cinematic triumph that will resonate with action fans and animal lovers alike. We will definitely be front and centre with our popcorn when this one hits the big screen! Klara and the Sun Klara and the Sun looks like a heart-wrenching, beautifully acted triumph that will linger in the mind long after the curtains close. Power Ballad What has us incredibly excited about Power Ballad is the dynamic friction between its two leads. Paul Rudd seems perfectly cast as the rugged, everyday musician who just wanted a shot at the big time, acknowledging with a heavy heart that having his name on a song of that magnitude would have completely changed his life. The Debut UK Film Review hasn't yet seen the final curtain rise on this one, but if the film matches the sheer dramatic potency of its trailer, The Debut is set to be a staggering, must-see cinematic triumph. One Night Only One Night Only looks to be a sharp, subversively funny, and emotionally resonant look at how we connect when time is running out. It takes a wild, satirical premise and uses it to explore a timeless question: Who would you choose if you only had one night? Supergirl As we look toward the 2026 release, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow stands as a testament to the new direction of DC Studios. Masters of the Universe With the arrival of the first trailer for the 2026 reboot of Masters of the Universe, the cinematic landscape prepares for a collision of sword, sorcery, and surprisingly, suburban Earth. Wild Foxes Dune: Part Three Picking up roughly seventeen years after the seismic events of Part Two, the trailer immediately signals a shift in tone. While the first film was an act of world-building and the second a visceral war epic, Dune: Part Three—an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah—looks to be a far more claustrophobic and tense affair. In The Grey Scary Movie 6 The horror-comedy world is officially being turned upside down as the first trailer for Scary Movie 6 has finally arrived, marking a monumental return for the franchise that defined a generation of parody cinema. Empire of Lies Empire of Lies arrives in UK cinemas and on digital platforms on 27th March. Undertone Undertone is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on Friday, March 13th, 2025. If the trailer is anything to go by, we suggest you keep the lights on and perhaps think twice before pressing play on your next favourite podcast. The Moment The Land of Sometimes Twins Alfie and Elise find a magical Wish Watch on Christmas Eve and are swept by the Wish Collector into the musical Land of Sometimes, where they learn that wishes have consequences. Avengers: Doomsday Fans are elated at the release of the first teaser trailer for Avengers: Doomsday. Set for a theatrical release on 18th December 2026, find out more here.

Scratched Nail film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring James Learoyd directed by James Learoyd. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Scratched Nail Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Mar 9, 2025 Directed by: James Learoyd Written by: James Learoyd Starring: James Learoyd A man tries to deal with the mess he has created for himself in his life but only ends up making things worse. In writer/director, James Learoyd’s new short film, Scratched Nail , we follow the goings on of a lonely, paranoid man as he busies himself about the house. Something has happened not so long before we get there, but we are never party to what that is. Instead we watch the aftermath, as the man (Learoyd himself) peeks out from behind the blinds to see if anyone is onto him. As he’s fingering the metal blinds, he catches a nail on the sharp edge of one of the slats and it begins to bleed, offering us our thematic linchpin of the blood that stains, as well as the basis for the title of the movie. Learoyd’s film is told to us in black-and-white, alongside some prominent and essential sound design, but with no dialogue, which gives the seven-and-a-half minutes of Scratched Nail the definite feel of an arthouse movie. As the man goes about his business, cleaning his hands, cleaning the glass on the windows, and cleaning the floor of a lot more blood than could possibly have come from one finger, we get introduced to some imagery which supports the backstory of what might have happened before we got there. This is interspersed with some outdoor shots of local flora, but even that takes on a slightly sinister nature, especially as the black-and-white camerawork encourages us to look deep into the shadows between the leaves and the stalks of grass. Everything is up-close and in your face in Scratched Nail , with the sound of everything echoing in the foreground as the narrative takes shape. The washing machine ramps up the tension, the running tap never seems to stop, and the rustling of the paper towels being used to mop up the blood constantly rankles in your ear. All this, along with the sparse but well-placed score, serves to unnerve the viewer and put us on edge as we continue to watch and try to understand just what has happened to this person. Eventually, we get to a scene down by the beach which seems to solidify what the imagery has been suggesting to us up until now. The paranoia this man feels may well be thoroughly justifiable, but from this point on it looks as if it’s going to be something that he will never escape from. The feelings engendered by Learoyd’s camerawork, imagery, and soundscape, are palpable and the paranoia leaks out from the screen and the speakers in every frame. For what is a short film with no colour, no dialogue, and no real story, Learoyd has managed to tie everything together through his imagery and sound design. The themes are extremely clear and everything fits into place as it should to create the atmosphere desired by the filmmaker. There are shades of Persona (1966) and Eraserhead (1977) in Scratched Nail and Learoyd has shown that he understands the language of film well enough to tell his story without the need to rely on the spoken word. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Think of England film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Jack Bandeira, Natalie Quarry, John McCrea, Ronni Ancona, Ben Bella Bohm, Ollie Madigan directed by Richard Hawkins. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Think of England Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Feb 22, 2026 Directed by: Richard Hawkins Written by: Richard Hawkins Starring: Jack Bandeira, Natalie Quarry, John McCrea, Ronni Ancona, Ben Bella Bohm, Ollie Madigan A World War II drama thriller written and directed by Richard Hawkins and starring Jack Bandeira, Natalie Quarry, John McCrea, Ronni Ancona, Ben Bella Bohm and Ollie Madigan. The Scecond World War is taking place, the Allies' Invasion of France is near and the British Government is sending six people to the Orkney Islands to make three short pornographic films, one for the Army, one for the Navy and one for the Air Force. The plan is to boost the soldiers' spirit. These six people are Captain Clune (McCrea), who works for the Ministry of information, specialising in film propaganda, Holly (Quarry), an aspiring actress, Max (Bohm), a German film director, Agnes (Ancona), in charge of the makeup and the clothing, Clifford (Maddigan), the sound apprentice and Corporal Evans (Bandeira), an unstable soldier. As they attempt to complete the project under a tight deadline, they find themselves dealing with a lot of drama and complications. This feature concentrates primarily on character exploration rather than the narrative. Some of the story's challenges are the crew's personal issues that they have with making this kind of film, particularly the erotic scenes. As they work (or at least try to) work together, with Holly and Corporal Evans being the actors, the crew build rapport with one another, a significant one being the relationship that develops between Max and Holly, with him acting as her acting mentor. A significant part of the narrative involves Corporal Evans, whose outrageous behaviour creates a lot of tension and he secretely captures a German soldier and holds him captive. The creative mise-en-scene effectively brings to life a Second World War environment, with Nadia Dunn-Hill doing a great job on the costumes and the hairstyles looking good and the soundtrack consisting of music that is very appropriate for that era. Director of photography Sarah Cunningham expertly mixes black-and-white cinematography with colour. The viewing is quite dramatic and it is also a psychological thriller, mostly because of Corporal Evans's actions. Some viewers will most likely find the sex scenes hard to watch and there is graphic nudity. These observations are not ment to be nagative, but rather to point out that they highlight what the team is there to do and they also contribute in character development. It would be fair to state that Bandeira's character is the one who steals the show. A war veteran, one moment he can be utterly quiet and motionless and the other he bursts into a fit of rage, shouting obscenities, making it evident that he is a damaged man. Quarry is quite emotional as the one who has to film intimate scenes that she is uncomfortable with, especially with a man who terrifies her. Captain Clune is the one in charge of the project, a serious and determined man who is also dealing with family issues. This is a World Ward II story and a commentary about the challenges of filmmaking and acting. Additionally, it is a story about trauma, mental health, self-esteem and self-reflection. Moreover, it also explores the limits of acceptable behaviour. This is not a comfortable viewing, however, the strong acting, the intriguing plot and the heavy drama make this a skilfully crafted film. UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival-March 2026. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Burt film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Oliver Cooper, Burt Berger, Steven Levy, Catlin Adams directed by Joe Burke. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Burt Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Jan 9, 2026 Directed by: Joe Burke Written by: Joe Burke and Oliver Cooper Starring: Oliver Cooper, Burt Berger, Steven Levy, Catlin Adams An aging guitarist and songwriter meets his long lost son over a couple of days in California, inviting him into his life and sharing everything of his soul to the relationship he never thought he’d have, the same soul that he puts into his songs. Burt Berger is a Californian. He’s 69, lives in rented accommodation with his crazed landlord Steve, has a great tan and a great outlook on life, and likes to write songs about the life he sees on the streets of the city every day as he walks to wherever he’s going, usually with guitar in hand. When his surprise son turns up one day to hear him sing, he’s propelled into a missed relationship where he finally gets to be the father he never was. Sammy (Cooper) has come all the way from New York to meet his Dad, and he wants the relationship he never had just as much as Burt does, but Steve (Levy) has some suspicions about just what the motives are for this sudden new arrival. Steve is also 69 or thereabouts, he’s wild as hell and won’t take no shit off of nobody. He’s the landlord and you bloody well know about it. If he’s not telling you exactly which bathroom is yours and which one is definitely not, he’s taking you out to his non-existent vegetable patch to tell you just how much work the worms are doing for him under the ground. He knows there’s something fishy about Sammy right from the start, and sure enough, not very far into the film, Sammy turns out to be a rat. He’s been put up to a grift by his Aunt Sylvia from the bagel shop, and has been strongarmed into trying to con Burt out of half of his $300,000 inheritance. There’s subterfuge abound and Burt has to wrestle with his emotions through it all as deep feelings surface and bad choices are faced. Thankfully, Burt has the emotional capacity and range to deal with all of this as it comes. He is played by himself, as Burt Berger, a fictionalised version of the man he really is, and radiates warmth and compassion to the son he thought he’d never have. He tells his history though his songs, while also wanting to know more about Sammy’s life, and shows an open honesty in every line that he delivers. The film is punctuated by Burt’s songs, and every interlude we take from the moving of the narrative brings us right into California, giving us sweet visuals of the roads and the coastline and the palm trees as we process the big emotions he’s dealing with. Shot in black and white, and in seven days for $7000, there’s a Clerks -esque (1994) feel to Burt’s story, somewhere through Linklater and Jarmusch, and maybe with a dash of Aronosfsky, too. Director, co-writer, and co-producer, Joe Burke saw the film he wanted to make, and the man he wanted to make the film with, and put together a well-built story with his co-writer, co-producer, and star, Oliver Cooper that would encompass everything they wanted to communicate. Most of the plot is basic, but well designed, and the best use is made of the real-life scenarios presented in Burt and Steve’s real lives, with Steve also being credited for basically playing himself. There’s an inevitability about Burt and what he goes through, but it’s entirely fun along the way and everything is expertly delivered. Burke’s direction and editing keeps the film pacy, and we’re never short on fun, or drama, or laughs because of the script. Burt is extremely likeable on screen, and the film benefits from the way that all the characters are played, with their amateur backgrounds making the ambience all the more authentic. As a character and a performance, Burt is a gem, and the film is made for him, but Steve steals the show as the comedy relief, and Catlin Adams knocks it out the park as she delivers the most vicious villain in all of modern cinema. For a small film on a small budget you can feel there’s a heart at work, making use of the story that is right in front of them, sharing some global truths that when taken seriously, hit where it hurts. Burt manages to be a great film the whole way through, all 1 hour 17 minutes of it, because even the credits are good too, thanks to composer Tim Rutili’s free-wheelin’ score. If there’s some time to be taken out, sitting with Burt and listening to him talk and sing, it’s worth taking, because there’s plenty of message to be taken from his story and the music’s pretty damn great, too. Burt will screen at the Palm Springs Film Festival 2026 3, 4, 8, & 9 of January. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film, Film Festival < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Strangers: Chapter 1 film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutieerrez directed by Reny Harlin. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Strangers: Chapter 1 Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: May 17, 2024 Directed by: Reny Harlin Written by: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland Starring: Madelaine Petsch, Froy Gutieerrez Reny Harlin’s best film is The Long Kiss Goodnight , though some would argue Die Hard 2 . Niether one of these is great. Good, yes. Definitely. Not great. He’s made 42 other features—42!—not one of which is good. A couple are decent. A lot of people think he disappeared, talk about his work with The Strangers origin story trilogy as some kind of grand reemergence, but he’s never gone away. It’s just that the movies he’s made for the last thirtyish years have been entirely forgettable. So anyway, The Strangers: Chapter 1. Chapter 1 is actually the third installment in the tale of masked marauders randomly hunting anybody who’s home when they come calling. Bryan Bertino’s 2008 original is among the scariest horror films of the new millennium. It took ten years for somebody to decide it needed a sequel . It didn’t. But that’s the problem with a franchise, isn’t it? You can’t replicate the genuine terror of a truly original horror film, you can only hope to replicate it. This is what Harlin, with writing partners Alan R. Coen and Alan Freedland—both comedy writers known for King of the Hill and other sitcoms—attempts. Chapter 1 hits all the same beats—all of them—as Bertino’s original. The only real difference is that he abandons every move that made the original original. Gone is the complicated relationship, emotional gut punches, chilling lines and good music. The vinyl collection in this backwoods Airbnb is terrible. Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) stop at an off-the-grid diner on their road trip from NYC to Portland, Oregon. Unexpected car trouble lands them in a rustic cabin overnight, which seems ideal until someone comes knocking looking for Tamara. There’s a Richard Brake sighting, which is never a bad thing, but blink and you’ll miss him. Gutierrez and Petsch are fine. They’re asked more to pose and look nice than anything, but they do emit a lovable chemistry that makes you sorry for what you know is in store. And though you certainly know where things are heading (partly because Harlin mimics Bertino’s original so early and often), individual set pieces ratchet up a certain amount of tension. It looks nice. Is it the gorgeous vintage horror aesthetic of Bertino’s original? It is not. But it’s a good looking movie. So, if you have not seen the 2008 treasure that grounds this franchise, then Harlin’s Chapter 1 is sure to please. It’s an extremely conventional, competent horror movie. As if that’s enough. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Read the film podcast transcript from the episode titled 28 Years Later - Ballerina - The Phoenician Scheme - UK Film Club Episode 28 on UK Film Club part of the UK Film Review Podcast. < Back 28 Years Later - Ballerina - The Phoenician Scheme - UK Film Club Episode 28 Listen to This Episode UK Film Club 00:00:00.44 Brian Penn I know, I thought I might make an early start, you know, show a bit willy. 00:00:04.27 Chris Olson You have to, don't you, these days? know 00:00:05.68 Brian Penn Oh, of course do, yeah. You're a little bit faint, Chris. I don't know if that's me or your end. 00:00:11.62 Chris Olson Let me and me change that for you. How's that? Better? 00:00:16.98 Brian Penn a little bit, a little bit. like my 00:00:19.18 Chris Olson Hold and 00:00:20.39 Brian Penn Maybe it's me. I can hear you, but you're a... 00:00:22.36 Chris Olson on. No, you're right. I can see my sound wave is really really low. Hold on. Let me just have a little play around. 00:00:27.57 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:00:31.28 Chris Olson This is the trouble with the technology. You have to deal with it all the time. 00:00:33.64 Brian Penn Oh, yeah, I know. Tell me about it. 00:00:35.68 Chris Olson you it is I think it's whenever I um take out my microphone, it then resets everything and goes, oh, you don't want to use that again. iss like well ah 00:00:43.96 Brian Penn Oh, I see. Yeah, yeah. 00:00:45.31 Chris Olson i I clearly do. i clearly want to use it again. 00:00:47.72 Brian Penn know. Yeah, machines getting too clever now, aren't they, really? 00:00:49.73 Chris Olson oh right this tell me it this hold on let me put it down on here first i'm going back up again hold on right how's that yeah it literally had dropped me down to like 50 for some reason is is that too loud now 00:00:57.49 Brian Penn Oh, that's better. 00:01:01.99 Brian Penn ah ah Just down just a touch. That'll be perfect. 00:01:06.09 Chris Olson but down on a touch uh about there perfect well yeah because oh now i can see my sound wave is very big there we go probably a little bit too big yeah 00:01:08.09 Brian Penn Yep. Yeah, that's perfect. That's really good. Yeah. 00:01:15.64 Brian Penn Yeah, exactly. Stop showing off. Stop showing off. The sound wave is big and all that, you know. 00:01:21.31 Chris Olson My big sound wave. That's what we are so everyone's here for, Brian. 00:01:22.38 Brian Penn Yeah, I know. 00:01:24.19 Chris Olson My big sound wave. 00:01:24.35 Brian Penn Well, that's why people listen, I'm sure. um Do you know what? It's amazing where cinema screens pop up now. I was out on Saturday night in Covent Garden. And they've got a big screen. 00:01:35.53 Brian Penn Well, not a so big screen, but a fair-sized screen set up with deck chairs that people can buy and sit down and watch a film, which I think is great in this weather. 00:01:43.10 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:01:43.70 Brian Penn It's lovely. I don't suppose they'll be showing anything on general release. It'll be like a classic movie, I reckon. But all good stuff, though. You know? 00:01:52.88 Chris Olson Yeah, think we talked before about outdoor screenings. 00:01:55.13 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:01:55.20 Chris Olson I think the the film has to lend itself to that experience, doesn't it? 00:01:58.11 Brian Penn Oh, yeah. 00:01:58.36 Chris Olson Like ah I saw one where it was like Jaws and they were doing it like in a pool, right? You could sit in a rubber ring and watch Jaws and I thought, yeah, that's really great. 00:02:02.99 Brian Penn All right, yeah. Yeah. 00:02:06.06 Chris Olson Or you can watch, you know, like Shawshank Redemption and it actually like, 00:02:08.44 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:02:09.69 Chris Olson they've got this um rundown prison and they were putting the screening on it. 00:02:12.16 Brian Penn Yeah. know. 00:02:13.47 Chris Olson and But I think with outdoor screenings, if you're just watching a general film, I guess you need something that they say is not going to be something new. And also is going to, I suppose it depends on the time of day as well. 00:02:20.53 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:02:24.91 Chris Olson Like if you're watching something in the day, I saw one, they've got an inflatable screen. 00:02:27.12 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:02:28.75 Chris Olson They literally inflate the screen and they take it wherever they want. 00:02:29.84 Brian Penn Oh yeah. Yeah, I've heard about her. 00:02:32.58 Chris Olson That's pretty cool. 00:02:32.59 Brian Penn Yeah, I know. Yeah, i think it's I think it's great. I mean, anything that helps to popularise cinema and make people want to come out, and so that's all good, you know. um Yeah, I think it's great. 00:02:43.80 Brian Penn But i mean, really, when youre so when you talk about watching Jaws in a pool, it gives an immersive feel to a film, doesn't it, as well? 00:02:49.41 Chris Olson o 00:02:50.64 Brian Penn Which I think is unusual. something you don't normally get. so it's ah it's all good. you know, it's popularised in the genre, isn't it? Which is what we want. 00:02:58.51 Chris Olson it's also interesting that yeah obviously there's a lot of talk all the time really about the impact of technology on arts and you know cinema being quite a forerunner with that in terms of people sitting at home streaming xyz and i think what was quite 00:03:06.42 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:03:09.18 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:03:13.32 Chris Olson um obvious was that a lot of audiences still crave that communal experience. They still want, because when we had lockdown and everyone was watching films at home, it just wasn't the same. 00:03:19.24 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:03:23.21 Brian Penn yeah 00:03:23.87 Chris Olson And we we felt it with a film festival, like we did an online film festival, but everyone was just gagging to get back into the real world and do it. 00:03:26.42 Brian Penn yeah 00:03:30.79 Chris Olson So these like immersive experiences, these pop-up screens, they often do really, really well because people just love sharing cinema outside. 00:03:30.86 Brian Penn yeah yeah yeah 00:03:37.29 Chris Olson I mean, I wish I could do more of it, but often I'm sitting at home these days watching films, which is what I've done largely for this podcast. 00:03:41.73 Brian Penn Well, yeah, I know. but you see, that's the thing. But I think we all fall into that trap, don't we, and certain in some ways. And it's it's not what it's about. It's about getting out and having that communal spirit, like you say. 00:03:55.59 Brian Penn And also getting feedback from the people that you're watching, even people you don't know. you know Even when is you know and there's a funny scene ah and there's it causes a big laugh there. 00:04:06.28 Brian Penn You get some form of atmosphere there because you're hearing the feedback from the audience and the people watching. So there's that as well. 00:04:12.26 Chris Olson We sadly don't get that when we're doing this podcast. So we've no idea if people... 00:04:14.99 Brian Penn No. 00:04:16.22 Chris Olson The only only indication I get is when I look at the stats and it shows that people have clicked off. They've normally clicked off by this point because they're in the wrong place. They kind of go, oh, right, it's two guys chatting about film. 00:04:24.95 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:04:26.11 Chris Olson Right, I'm off. 00:04:27.16 Brian Penn know. 00:04:27.22 Chris Olson um I'm not quite sure what they were expecting from UK Film Club, but ah hey... 00:04:27.34 Brian Penn I know. Closing the title, isn't it, really? Yeah. 00:04:33.43 Chris Olson clues in the title but if this is your first time and you're wondering if you should stick around the answer is yes and this is uk film club where me and brian review loads of films all the films basically every film no not really we review some from the cinema uh we review a streaming pic so that's something on ah on a streaming platform 00:04:38.37 Brian Penn Mm-hmm. 00:04:50.87 Chris Olson We review indie films that have been sent to us and we review a nostalgia pick, something from the past, something that you might see on a pop-up screen, something that might appear. 00:04:50.93 Brian Penn Mm-hmm. 00:04:58.13 Brian Penn Mm-hmm. 00:04:58.70 Chris Olson And today's one could actually lend itself very keenly to a you an immersive setting, couldn't it? 00:04:58.84 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:05:04.79 Chris Olson um you The Beach. I'm just giving it away from the top of the show. 00:05:07.42 Brian Penn Oh. Yeah, yeah. 00:05:09.61 Chris Olson That's the ah nostalgia pick. um yeah You could easily watch that on a nice beach. 00:05:11.32 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:05:14.17 Chris Olson yeah That would be particularly nice. 00:05:14.72 Brian Penn Yeah. and 00:05:15.95 Chris Olson Just make sure you um keep an eye on the tide. 00:05:16.27 Brian Penn Perfect. 00:05:18.35 Chris Olson That's all I'd say if you are going to do that. 00:05:18.88 Brian Penn Yeah. and 00:05:20.43 Chris Olson We don't want anyone getting swept away and say, oh, Brian and Chris told us to watch it on the beach. 00:05:21.73 Brian Penn No, don't get too close. I know. 00:05:24.64 Chris Olson No, no, no. 00:05:25.37 Brian Penn Yeah, know. You see this. like and Words carry such weight, don't they, as well? and know You never know what people might do. 00:05:31.16 Chris Olson Absolutely. Now, in in a in a rare um situation, 00:05:31.97 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:05:36.10 Chris Olson Brian's going to review the cinema films and I'm going to ask him to pronounce the first film because I do not feel confident to pronounce it. 00:05:40.97 Brian Penn Oh, I know what you're going to say. know what you're to 00:05:45.23 Chris Olson ah ah Because it's a Wes Anderson film, I would give you that much. 00:05:45.27 Brian Penn And I haven't rehearsed it. I'll tell you that, I haven't. 00:05:50.45 Chris Olson But Brian, this is it at cinemas right now. What's it called and what's it about? 00:05:53.71 Brian Penn yeah It is called the Phoenician Scheme. 00:05:58.21 Chris Olson I would have absolutely butchered that, just to say. 00:06:01.28 Brian Penn Really? um well Well, maybe I did better with it than I thought, actually. 00:06:02.24 Chris Olson Yeah. I was going to go the Finnegan scheme and as that was nowhere near. 00:06:07.20 Brian Penn No, no, I think I'm closer to it than you, to be fair. 00:06:07.23 Chris Olson The Phoenician. Is that... The Phoenician. Is that right? 00:06:11.19 Brian Penn Phoenician Scheme, yeah. um So, written and directed by Wes Anderson, as you just mentioned. Starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Thrupleson, Scarlett Johansson, and a host of cameos. Well, it is a Wes Anderson film, after all. um So, Zaza Korda is a millionaire industrialist and arms dealer. 00:06:31.47 Brian Penn Unsurprisingly, he has made enemies along the way. When he survives the latest attempt on his life, Korda resolves to change his ways. He appoints his daughter Liesl as sole heir to his estate. 00:06:44.55 Brian Penn She happens to be a nun and still resents her father, sending her away to a convent as a five-year-old. Corda starts a new venture and invests Finicia, where he employs slave labour. 00:06:56.20 Brian Penn However, he becomes a target for unscrupulous business partners, terrorists and even more determined assassins. this is ah It's a typical Wes Anderson film. 00:07:05.73 Chris Olson I was going to say, even without... i mean, you could have not told me it was Wes Anderson, and then you read that out, and I've right? It's a Wes Anderson film, right? 00:07:11.87 Brian Penn Yeah. yeah you you know We know what we're what we're looking at. it's It's a typical Wes Anderson film. It's very easy on the eye, beautifully shot, full of quirky and unusual characters, some great cameos to spot along the way. That's always always good fun. 00:07:27.21 Brian Penn But you get the feeling that Anderson's not exactly stretching himself. This is you know ah huge comfort zone for him. and you know I'd like to see him do something a bit different. 00:07:38.04 Brian Penn But It's beautifully made. you You can't really complain about the ah the artistic integrity of the film, but you sense that he's done it all before and he's on automatic pilot, but it's a lovely film to look at, always. It's always a delight to watch a Wes Anderson film. 00:07:55.30 Chris Olson You've got to say as well, Anderson's films, they always lend themselves to the big screen experience. 00:07:55.41 Brian Penn but 00:07:59.93 Chris Olson Like we were talking earlier about going to the cinema, like, you know, you know, you're going to get bang for buck with these movies. 00:08:00.15 Brian Penn Oh yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. yeah and No question, yeah is's it's well done. it's the The amount of care he takes over each frame, right? 00:08:11.85 Brian Penn you can You can see the the the attention to detail and the um need to get every sort of frame right. It's almost a bit like an old-fashioned animator working for Walt Disney who's tracing out every single scene. 00:08:26.84 Brian Penn And you see it. it's It's a trademark for Wesley Anderson, but not one of his best, I would venture. But it's it's a film worth worth seeing on the big screen because It has that cinematic quality. It always does. 00:08:41.11 Brian Penn The colour, the lights, the lighting, everything is just beautifully put together. But no not one of his best, I'd wager. Yeah. 00:08:50.19 Chris Olson I mean, this might just be me that can't pronounce it, but it might affect the film's box office if people try and go and you get tickets and they just don't know how to say the title. 00:08:56.36 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:08:57.78 Chris Olson You know, they kind of go, I want to see that that film. 00:08:58.29 Brian Penn Yeah, 00:09:01.00 Chris Olson the Oh, do you know what? I'll go see 28 years later. 00:09:03.50 Brian Penn yeah I know. you see you You could be right there, though, Chris. I mean, the the title of the film, is very important to the way you market it. 00:09:11.22 Chris Olson you can't even spell it as well. 00:09:11.29 Brian Penn And but yeah, I know. 00:09:12.35 Chris Olson Hmm. 00:09:13.43 Brian Penn But you see, the thing is, it's not like a Hotel Budapest, for example, or Asteroid City. It's short, it's snappy. But, you know, you too you do wonder what whether that's really harming the film. 00:09:25.68 Brian Penn ah I don't suppose it is, but it doesn't it does look good on a poster. Let's put it that way. 00:09:29.82 Chris Olson I think it probably gives it a sense of intrigue. People might think, oh, you know, not heard that word before. And there you go and look it up. 00:09:35.14 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:09:35.94 Chris Olson But then I think that, like it says, it's about marketing and and that side of things. But one thing is, if you're going to attach Wes Anderson to a film, you're going to know that there's a built-in audience there of cinephiles that are going to want to go and watch it. 00:09:40.56 Brian Penn Right. 00:09:50.06 Chris Olson But it doesn't sound as if it's going to be one of the ones that is going to stand out amongst his very large filmography of other films. Is that fair to say? 00:10:02.23 Chris Olson Lost you, Brian. You've gone on mute. ve You've disappeared. is it because I keep slandering the film's title? 00:10:08.55 Brian Penn right po For some reason, the um the mute button came on. I never touched it, Gough, be honest. 00:10:14.05 Chris Olson you mean mute You didn't touch the mute button, Gov. 00:10:16.28 Brian Penn I didn't touch it. um but Do you want to leave a bit of a gap? Oh, 00:10:19.80 Chris Olson yeah I think the listeners at this point are quite happening. But i I'll see. I'll make the note. you know If I want to cut it out, I will. 00:10:23.46 Brian Penn okay. 00:10:24.24 Chris Olson If I don't, then we'll carry on. 00:10:24.46 Brian Penn um Yeah, okay. Yeah, apparently, though, Phoenicia is actually part of the Lebanon now, by the way. 00:10:31.71 Chris Olson Oh. 00:10:31.70 Brian Penn um 00:10:32.94 Chris Olson You heard it here first. 00:10:33.01 Brian Penn Did you know that? 00:10:33.99 Chris Olson Yeah, I did. 00:10:34.08 Brian Penn Yeah. I didn't know that. I didn't know that until I looked it up. But, you know. 00:10:37.68 Chris Olson i've I've never learned so much from the first 10 minutes of our our own podcast as I have tonight. 00:10:40.80 Brian Penn yeah 00:10:42.12 Chris Olson This has been enlightening. 00:10:42.65 Brian Penn ah every book yeah Every podcast is ah is a training podcast, isn't it? really 00:10:48.50 Chris Olson It is, and you're only as good as your last one. So we are, you know, absolutely smashing it, and unless by which you've already switched off. 00:10:50.80 Brian Penn Oh yeah, tell me about it 00:10:55.00 Chris Olson So sorry about that. 00:10:56.17 Brian Penn it. One further for the point about the film. um us Mia Threeporten, who's the daughter of Kate Winslet, very, very good in in the role. 00:11:09.28 Brian Penn plays it just just right and has real potential. 00:11:09.33 Chris Olson good 00:11:12.47 Brian Penn And it's it's obviously obviously in the genes. 00:11:16.09 Chris Olson There you go. Fabulous. Well, I mentioned another film at the cinema. We're going to go quickly to a different film next, which is part of the John Wick universe. 00:11:26.99 Brian Penn i 00:11:27.15 Chris Olson um Len Wiseman's Ballerina. Go for it, Brian. 00:11:30.53 Brian Penn Yeah. OK, Ballerina. Starring Anna De Amis, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane. Gabriel Byrne and Angelica Houston. So this is basically a John Wick spinoff. 00:11:42.88 Brian Penn He also makes a cameo appearance. Just to put it in context, this story is set between the third and fourth John Wick films. It all seems incidental, really. 00:11:53.93 Brian Penn The film title is prefixed from the world of John Wick to give it that vital or boost in case anyone's not sure where we're going here. um So the storyline, very briefly, 00:12:05.54 Brian Penn ah Eve Macaro is a ballerina turned assassin who takes on an army of killers as she seeks revenge against those responsible for the death of her father. That is pretty much all you need to know. 00:12:17.37 Brian Penn It doesn't bother you with much of a plot, really. But then again, John Wick films never do. But I don't think it really matters. That's not the essential thing. But you can enjoy the action of which there is plenty. so It's non-stop. 00:12:28.98 Brian Penn It really is. The the combat sequence is breathtaking. It's incredibly well put together. very efficient, very slick. it's a very It's a film that's very alive. You know you you don't have but have a chance to sit back and and sink into a lull because it's keeping you occupied visually with with what what they're doing. 00:12:49.82 Brian Penn um Very good film. Very well done. I was impressed with it. 00:12:53.87 Chris Olson Are you generally a fan of the John Wick films? 00:12:57.07 Brian Penn I am, but I think they're very similar. I think when you've seen one, you've seen them all. you know And this could easily have been a John Wick really. Really. I mean, the thing is, I think he maybe had 10 minutes in the film. 00:13:08.89 Brian Penn um And it does vaguely tie in with the third and fourth installments. But you wouldn't notice necessarily. You know, I don't think the storyline it is especially strong or complex. But that's not always what you want with a film. 00:13:21.64 Brian Penn You don't necessarily want a film to give you a headache because you're trying to work out what the plot is, you know. But this kind of presents an action movie ah franchise that's going strong and will continue to go strong, I'm sure. 00:13:36.40 Brian Penn But this is just another strand of drunk John Wick. I mean, it works well. There's no denying it works. But ah it's slightly predictable. I think that's the only drawback with it. 00:13:47.05 Chris Olson Yeah, I think the whole genre was called Gun Fu, right? Where they've got this sort of like ba handheld martial arts sort stuff. 00:13:51.45 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:13:54.57 Chris Olson And then you've got, um i mean, a great example of it was The Raid. ah The Raid was a really good precursor to John Wick. 00:13:59.27 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:14:00.80 Chris Olson And I think you're right. the John Wick films are very similar. I think it's one of those things where they've got their... you their method and they know it works so they kind of kept kept on just vamping it up and yeah just making the set pieces more and more choreographed to the point where it's kind of like wow and' think there's anything wrong with that I think it's good fun I've not seen Ballerina but I've seen the other John Wick films and i've I've not had a bad time with one I've never come away going oh i regret watching that but I don't think like you say you don't come away going oh I've been challenged you in terms of any storyline or character work 00:14:15.15 Brian Penn Yeah. well yeah ah No. 00:14:31.64 Brian Penn No, not at all. I mean, look, i you know I like all kinds of of movies, but I often gravitate towards a film that's more cerebral, that makes you think a bit more. 00:14:42.64 Brian Penn But I do enjoy action movies that don't require anything of your intellect at all. You know, you know what you're getting. does what it says on the tin. But, you know, surely we will get to a point where we think, isn't isnt this enough now? 00:14:57.92 Brian Penn Let's do something different. 00:14:59.39 Chris Olson Well, that begs the question why they've done this spinoff. and yeah Obviously, Keanu Reeves is getting on yeah He's probably going to be to the point where he can't do these sort of films forever. 00:15:02.98 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:15:08.55 Brian Penn Yeah, well... 00:15:09.10 Chris Olson So is it kind of that, oh, let's try and set up a strand that could then carry on the franchise? 00:15:12.13 Brian Penn yeah Yeah, I think you could be right. and and And John Wick can become a bit like Ian McShane's character, like a kind of a father figure, you know, a wise owl, a guiding light, you know. 00:15:25.98 Brian Penn But I think you're right, though. I i think Keanu Reeves has got to be realistic. I mean, he's 60 now. And how much longer can you carry on in that kind of role? I mean, it's interesting because you, I don't know whether you heard that interview that Liam Neeson did. 00:15:41.03 Brian Penn ah They asked him, you know, how do you carry on doing all these action movies? And you're like 68 or whatever it is. And he always says, motion is the lotion. Stay on the move and you'll be all right. 00:15:52.22 Chris Olson just 00:15:52.48 Brian Penn You know? So if Liam, if it's good enough for Liam Neeson, it should be good enough for everyone. Shouldn't it really? 00:15:57.47 Chris Olson yep yep that is the motto when it comes to action movies and so let us know if you've seen ballerina and enjoyed it or not enjoyed it it either is fine we don't judge um we just share that's all we do going to share well brian is anyway a review now of danny boyle's latest film 28 later 00:15:58.75 Brian Penn No? 00:16:07.78 Brian Penn No? No? That's all? Yeah. 00:16:18.29 Brian Penn Yeah, right. Okay, then. 00:16:20.09 Chris Olson Oh, that was an interesting year. 00:16:22.29 Brian Penn Well, yeah, and I'm... 00:16:22.69 Chris Olson Let's see where this goes. 00:16:24.11 Brian Penn Yeah, maybe I'm throwing you a bit of a curveball here. We'll soon see, won't i um So, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Alfie Williams. 00:16:34.90 Brian Penn So, this is the third instalment of the trilogy. It's 28 years since the outbreak of the Rage virus. A quarantine is strictly enforced. but some survivors have established small settlements. 00:16:45.95 Brian Penn One such group live on an island separated from the mainland by a heavily guarded causeway. Jamie, one of the island scavengers, aims to teach his son Spike how to survive in this new world. 00:16:57.61 Brian Penn Armed with bow and arrow, they cross the causeway onto the mainland. They find infected creatures who have mutated into a different species. Meanwhile, Spike's mother, Isla, is laid low by a mystery condition back on the island. 00:17:11.01 Brian Penn This film will divide opinion. It's certainly the best of the three films that have been made so far. 00:17:16.12 Chris Olson wow 00:17:16.40 Brian Penn um Danny Boyle seems to be treading a fine line between drama and parody. The early part the film features clips from Henry The fifth the analogy seems obvious. Society has reverted to a medieval lifestyle, such as the impacts of the virus. 00:17:31.62 Brian Penn But amid the block blood and gore, there were some laugh-out-loud moments, so you're never quite sure how to take it. Reasonably entertaining, but not quite the blockbuster I expected. Oh, and sequel alert. 00:17:43.89 Brian Penn There's got to be another one. I'm almost sure there's got be another one. 00:17:46.81 Chris Olson i think I've got a feeling it's been announced already, i think. 00:17:46.89 Brian Penn But... 00:17:49.39 Brian Penn Oh, I see. I see. I'm... 00:17:50.94 Chris Olson ah might be wrong, but yeah. 00:17:50.94 Brian Penn Yeah. but not Behind the curve a little bit. Yeah, I'm sure you're right. 00:17:55.66 Chris Olson 29 years later, they're going to call it. 00:17:56.55 Brian Penn Yeah, I know. 00:17:57.18 Chris Olson No, I don't know what they'll call it, but... 00:17:58.95 Brian Penn That, you could be right. Who knows? I mean, um but it seems obvious. I mean, when you see the film, you'll see... You know when they just lay these little little bombs in the plot that, you know, right, they're going to go off later on in a new film, innit? 00:18:08.81 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:18:12.47 Brian Penn They've laid those sort of hints in in the in the storyline, which is inevitable, really. It's the name of a game, isn't it? But I just don't know. Well, actually, I do have an idea where they might take the story. 00:18:23.38 Brian Penn um But we shall see. But reasonably entertaining, as I say, but not um not a blockbuster. Not what the will we come to expect from a summer. 00:18:31.36 Chris Olson Not a brother, sir. 00:18:36.15 Chris Olson Oh, you're going on mute again, bro. Nope. 00:18:40.10 Brian Penn I don't why that's happening. 00:18:40.31 Chris Olson Ooh, let me just check what do I do. 00:18:42.41 Brian Penn you want leave a cat? 00:18:43.37 Chris Olson Yeah, it might do. 18 minutes. Hold on. you were saying from the son of... 00:18:51.91 Chris Olson Okay. Go. 00:18:54.42 Brian Penn Okay, so yeah, I mean, it it will it will make money. It will do very well. And as I say, it's the best of the three films made so far, but it's it's not exactly the summer blockbuster I was hoping for. 00:19:08.62 Chris Olson Hmm, well, divided opinion. I don't know if we... No, we didn't have any reviews of that, far as I'm aware. um But, yeah, I mean, i I like the premise of it. I've seen the other ones, and I enjoyed them as far as you do enjoy sort any kind of zombie film. 00:19:25.70 Chris Olson um I think if you've seen one zombie film, you tend to have seen most of them, to be honest. But he's he's always a strong filmmaker in terms of he's got, like, yeah he knows how to connect things together. 00:19:30.38 Brian Penn yeah yeah yeah yeah 00:19:35.04 Chris Olson But it's been interesting, the feedback from 28 years later. There's been some really good reviews. There's also been some quite middling reviews, quite like yours, where it's always like, yeah, it's good. It's just not really doing anything transcendental. 00:19:44.02 Brian Penn yeah yeah there's a comma there's a but there for me um but you know like I say look Danny Ball is a good director he knows what he's doing um but yeah you know this it just makes you go yeah you know 00:19:47.93 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:19:59.36 Brian Penn And I'm not sure what it's trying to be, whether it's trying to be a a serious exposition of a post-apocalyptic event, or whether it's just sending itself up, because in sections it does. 00:20:11.38 Brian Penn um And they're quite funny when they come. They kind of break the tension a little bit. But, you know, some people might say, right, it's got to be one or the other. You know, but, I mean, going back to 28 Days Later, that is probably one of the best films of its type, you know, where there's an outbreak of a virus, and it portrays how people survive from that point onwards. 00:20:37.18 Brian Penn But watching the watching the film, though, The Walking Dead is just a straight lift, isn't it, from what... 00:20:42.76 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:20:43.80 Brian Penn I i mean, people disagree with me there, um but I think it's just the same thing. They're they they're just killing zombies or something similar to a zombie before they they kill them or infect them. 00:20:56.78 Brian Penn But that that's like the subgenre, isn't it, really? I suppose we've got it. 00:21:01.91 Chris Olson Yeah, I think also it depends because like they're based on graphic novels, I think, um The Walking Dead. 00:21:05.86 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:21:06.63 Chris Olson So i don't know what came first. But in terms of, yeah, if you i've actually I think once you've got the premise, there there are good versions of zombie films out there and there are sort of not so good ones. 00:21:14.48 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:21:15.78 Chris Olson remember seeing one at the time he was called Ellen Page. um It was set in Ireland. It was a really low-key zombie film. 00:21:23.02 Brian Penn All right. 00:21:23.58 Chris Olson um And that was really good. But where you get these kind of more big blockbuster things, I think they sort of... um they they They do feel quite similar. um Something else that feels quite similar is the film that I went to see at the cinema, Brian. 00:21:36.42 Brian Penn Oh, yeah, you've been out, haven't you? 00:21:37.97 Chris Olson I've been out. 00:21:38.12 Brian Penn Been yeah. 00:21:38.49 Chris Olson They've let me out. They let me out. They let me go to the mainland, you know, and survive a walk amongst the infected. 00:21:43.50 Brian Penn Nice. 00:21:46.14 Chris Olson And it was to see the new How to Train the Dragon live action film. Now, I have to call this really a remake because it is almost scene for scene a remake of the original animated film, which is also based on set of books by Cressida Cowell. 00:21:58.90 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:22:02.49 Chris Olson Now, I was very, very lucky because they invited me to go with my daughter, who's a big fan of the animated films. 00:22:08.89 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:22:09.13 Chris Olson And it was great. You we went to see the film, but it is shot for shot almost exactly the same. That is my only real criticism of the film. 00:22:14.29 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:22:17.39 Chris Olson But if you haven't seen of Trained Dragon, it's basically set um on an island called Berk where... these Vikings live live and they're plagued by dragons. Dragons come and steal their stuff and set fire to their houses. 00:22:28.80 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:22:30.17 Chris Olson um And the Vikings try and fight back. And amongst them is a Viking called Hiccup, who's a bit useless. He's not your typical Viking. 00:22:37.59 Brian Penn Oh. 00:22:38.40 Chris Olson He's not very strong. 00:22:38.85 Brian Penn Oh. 00:22:39.40 Chris Olson He's a little bit... um but struggling to you come of age as a Viking. And he does get a chance to kill a dragon, but he doesn't take it. 00:22:50.41 Chris Olson He can't quite bring himself to do it. And instead he befriends this dragon, 00:22:52.34 Brian Penn and 00:22:54.94 Chris Olson Oh, it's lovely. And calls it um toothless. 00:22:55.68 Brian Penn ah 00:22:57.82 Chris Olson And the the pair need to navigate the sort of ah world they're in in order to stay safe. Whilst Hiccup learns as much as he can about dragons in order to not just, you know survive with them, but actually thrive. And his his methodology becomes sort of legendary. 00:23:17.28 Chris Olson um As said, if you've seen the first film, you've already seen this film. But there's a few really good things about this and it brings me on to a bit more of a wider discussion about live action remakes where we get this situation because they are sort of damned if they do, damned if they don't. 00:23:29.05 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:23:33.30 Chris Olson you If they change it all then everyone gets upset because they've changed it and if they don't change it then they get people like me come moan that they've not done anything different. 00:23:40.95 Brian Penn yeah 00:23:40.97 Chris Olson So there is a little bit of that going on. And what would say with this is there are certain elements that do elevate it above the animated one, and just in the sense of something different, which is you've got the actors actually bringing to the table that interaction, which you don't get with an animated film. 00:23:56.59 Chris Olson Obviously, you get their voices. 00:23:56.80 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:23:57.60 Chris Olson But when you see actors, yeah this is the power of their craft. 00:23:58.64 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:24:01.18 Chris Olson yeah You see that they can bring that to them. 00:24:01.60 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:24:03.42 Chris Olson One person in particular is ah Nick Frost. He's in the film. He plays one of the side characters. 00:24:06.28 Brian Penn All right. 00:24:07.22 Chris Olson He's great. He's having a lot of fun. um 00:24:08.96 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:24:10.22 Chris Olson But in general, with live action films and these remakes that we're getting, especially you with Disney movies that they were doing, they just lost all their soul. There was no soul in some of these. 00:24:19.35 Brian Penn Well, yeah. 00:24:19.45 Chris Olson It was like, Hmm. 00:24:21.22 Brian Penn Yeah, you so you see, the thing is, when I'm faced with the choice between an animated original and a live action remake, I would always fall back on the animated original because there's something more, much more poetic about it where you're just, where you you can imagine animators creating something from scratch, frame by frame. 00:24:43.91 Brian Penn And I would generally, my default default position would always be to say that the animated film is always going to be better. But the clips I've seen of How to Train Your Dragon look really good to me. 00:24:55.50 Brian Penn You know, it's, But it's surprise I'm surprised that they've gone for a frame-for-frame remake. you know Because with the technology you have available now, and there are so many things you could do. 00:25:05.80 Brian Penn But like you say, it's you're down whatever you do, aren't you, really? Because you're not going to please everyone. But you think that would have been an opportunity to try something different. But it is a classic story, or that we would see it as a classic story. 00:25:19.31 Brian Penn And you would perhaps say you don't mess with a classic story. You yeah you want to sort of appreciate the essence of that story. And that's based on what, what they did originally. 00:25:30.37 Brian Penn So that kind of makes sense as well. 00:25:30.69 Chris Olson Yeah. I think sometimes it's like, you know, they've got a blueprint that works. They know this film was successful, so they go, okay, well, let's not veer too far away, because yeah that's a gamble, right? 00:25:42.31 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:25:42.45 Chris Olson But with... It begs the question, why are you doing it? like Why you remaking this film? which yeah this film The animated one is only about 10, 15 years old. 00:25:52.64 Chris Olson It's not that old. 00:25:53.00 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:25:53.90 Chris Olson that you know 00:25:53.96 Brian Penn you 00:25:54.63 Chris Olson well People still like that film. you that's fine 00:25:56.54 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:25:56.89 Chris Olson One thing is that this film has done very well at the box office. It's absolutely seen off loads of other movies. I think it's done very good business. 00:26:02.82 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:26:04.62 Chris Olson that I know they're clearly going to make another one. And i think they the idea being that they will start to vary it a little bit and start to bring it, because also they've got the original book to draw from. 00:26:13.14 Brian Penn yeah 00:26:16.29 Chris Olson So actually they don't need to necessarily keep so much to the films. They've got a different structure they can follow. 00:26:19.61 Brian Penn yeah yeah 00:26:21.55 Chris Olson and they've now got yeah people in place. they So the two sort of main characters played by Mason Thames and Nico Parker, there's a great chemistry between them and they're quite young actors. So they've got plenty of you mileage in terms of more films. 00:26:35.24 Brian Penn They can grow yeah i con gra up with the franchise, can't they? 00:26:35.29 Chris Olson You've got... Yeah, yeah. Yeah, which was absolutely fine. You've got Gerald Butler, he comes back because he actually did a voice in the original film and he plays that character now in person. 00:26:42.48 Brian Penn Mm-hmm. 00:26:45.17 Chris Olson So that's a great way of you connecting the dots. 00:26:45.18 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:26:47.24 Chris Olson But it'd be interesting to see with this because it's not a Disney film. It's ah it's a DreamWorks, a universal sort situation. So it'd be interesting to see If they do go, do you know what? We're going to do something a bit more risky. We're going to roll the dice on this next one. 00:27:00.91 Chris Olson But um I can I enjoyed it. you can um If anyone wants to, you can read my review on UK Film Review website. um I gave it four stars because I thought it was really really, good. um But Brian, you didn't see that. So I'm going to just ask you, what's your film of the month for the cinema so this month? 00:27:15.58 Chris Olson I've lost you again, Brian. 27 minutes, my goodness. my goodness 00:27:23.05 Brian Penn Chris, I honestly don't know what's happening there. ah ah don't I don't go anywhere near the mute button. ah like Unless I want to cough or or something, you know. 00:27:29.82 Chris Olson Yeah, yeah I think sometimes it might just be a glitchy thing. It's just maybe something that's been pressed. 00:27:35.51 Brian Penn Yeah, okay. you want to leave a bit of a bit of a gap there? 00:27:38.80 Chris Olson Yeah, so hold on. It's hard to ask you. So, Brian, what's your film of the month? 00:27:42.82 Brian Penn Film of the month, I would have to go with Ballerina. You know, it's I mentioned earlier on, it it's it's a film that's more constantly alive and it's keeping you with 00:27:46.17 Chris Olson Hmm. 00:27:51.14 Brian Penn It's keeping you engaged. and And as good as the other two films are, 28 years later and The Phoenician Scheme, Ballerina holds your attention for a different reason, because it's all action. 00:28:05.09 Brian Penn It's back-to-back action. And that kind of tipped the scales in its favor a bit more for me. So Ballerina this month. 00:28:14.21 Chris Olson ballerina you heard it here first and you can twirl your way to a screening near you it's currently in cinemas uh and well depending on when you're listening to this if you're listening to this in the future say 28 years later on then it might not be it probably won't be um but yeah 00:28:15.73 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:28:29.88 Brian Penn Well, it's probably there might have been a sequel made by then. You never and know. 00:28:34.06 Chris Olson imagine Imagine how many John Wick films. Actually, do not. Just in the the rare opportunity, of this podcast is still going in 28 years' time. Let's make a bet. How many John Wick films are there by then? I'm going to 17. 00:28:44.12 Brian Penn Right, well, ah I'd say 12. 00:28:46.12 Chris Olson 12. 00:28:48.24 Brian Penn Say around dozen. 00:28:48.48 Chris Olson well Hmm. 00:28:50.02 Brian Penn How many for the ballerina, though? Because if we say 12 for John Wick, there's going to be at least four for the ballerina, aren't there? 00:28:56.61 Chris Olson Whoa, I suppose yeah time will tell, won't it? Do you think this is popular enough to get another film? 00:28:58.81 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:29:02.41 Brian Penn ah I would have thought so, for sure. Yeah. 00:29:04.94 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:29:05.24 Brian Penn um 00:29:07.55 Brian Penn Chris, sorry, can can we stop for a moment? My bell's just gone. 00:29:11.13 Chris Olson I thought I could hear that in the background. 00:29:11.99 Brian Penn my Can we just stop for a moment? Sorry. 00:29:13.93 Chris Olson Yeah, and I always was pausing. 00:29:14.60 Brian Penn Yeah, 00:29:15.87 Chris Olson So, yeah, do you think Ballerina will be popular enough to have more films? 00:29:19.54 Brian Penn yeah I think it will. I think it will. it I mean, it's it's like a um it's like ah an additional strain of John Wick. It's very similar, but it's kind of partly different. So I think it will be. I think it will catch on because of the John Wick connection. So if you've got John Wick fans, they're goingnna they going to be a fan of this film as well, you know, because it's it's a similar setup. 00:29:41.27 Brian Penn But I think I can imagine John Wick becoming like the the mentor to the to the ballerina. 00:29:47.82 Chris Olson Also, you've given it Film of the Month, so that's probably got it another yeah three films at least. 00:29:50.97 Brian Penn Well, I hope so. I hope so. hope so. 00:29:53.92 Chris Olson you know The power of Brian's Film of the Month stamp of approval. 00:29:56.67 Brian Penn Well, yeah. 00:29:57.52 Chris Olson you know That's That's huge for a lot of films. 00:29:58.50 Brian Penn Yeah. I know. Yeah. Yeah. 00:30:01.35 Chris Olson um But that's yeah that's your cinema films listeners. We're moving on now to the streaming pick of the month. Again, a Netflix film. We do a lot of Netflix films here. um And this one is Tyler Perry's latest film called Straw. 00:30:14.41 Chris Olson And yeah, it's about a single mother. And she is having what can only be described as the worst day of anyone's life I've ever seen. It is honestly just goes from bad to worse. 00:30:23.37 Brian Penn a yeah 00:30:25.29 Chris Olson um yeah she lives in sort of rundown apartment we first meet her in this absolutely boiling environment um she's got the fans on it doesn't seem to make any difference she is there with her daughter um who needs to get to school and yeah it's um obviously a tough living they live in this sort of cramped apartment seems to be broken all the time but uh our lead um jenny she can't make rent and yeah she's being hounded for that 00:30:34.83 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:30:53.15 Chris Olson She's also being hounded from the school for lunch money for a child. And we see her at work and the boss is hounding her, know, being of particularly nasty to her. And yeah, she's just struggling to survive this short single mother situation that she's in. 00:31:05.18 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:31:08.52 Chris Olson um And she wants to go back to the school because she's getting paid today in order to pay for her daughter's lunch so that she's not going to get bullied. 00:31:14.47 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:31:16.25 Chris Olson And... and 00:31:17.01 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:31:18.60 Chris Olson Basically what happens is... I'm going to just say spoiler warning straight away because there might be things that just come up in this film. We're going to try not to give away too much, but there is certain we've got to talk about. 00:31:23.86 Brian Penn yeah oh 00:31:26.68 Chris Olson So basically she ends up killing someone early on when they come in to rob the store that she works in and she's gone to get her money and it's... 00:31:26.67 Brian Penn yeah 00:31:31.32 Brian Penn yeah 00:31:35.09 Chris Olson From there... She's still trying to... She's not quite sure what's going on. um She goes to the bank to try and get her money. 00:31:41.21 Brian Penn yeah 00:31:42.57 Chris Olson She's still in this sort of haze of confusion as to what's happened. 00:31:45.31 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:31:46.02 Chris Olson She ends up holding up the bank ah with this gun that she's taken from this would-be robber. 00:31:50.37 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:31:51.81 Chris Olson Then... the Because she's got her daughter's science experiment with her in the bag, they think she's got a bomb. 00:31:57.80 Brian Penn Yeah. Right. 00:31:59.71 Chris Olson And they then stand right back from everything and try to yeah ah negotiate a peaceful release. 00:31:59.97 Brian Penn Right. Yeah. 00:32:07.35 Chris Olson But there's lots of other things at play here. Not least of all that she had a run in with a police officer early the day who showed quite violent intent towards her, who is now outside the bank. 00:32:12.50 Brian Penn and 00:32:15.34 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:32:16.88 Chris Olson um There's a lot going on there. 00:32:19.17 Brian Penn Yeah, hell of a lot. 00:32:19.29 Chris Olson And i honestly was i was very thrilled with that like that opening third of the film. There was so much going on. 00:32:25.69 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:32:27.14 Chris Olson What do you think of Straw, Brian? 00:32:30.07 Brian Penn ah like so I did like it. i have to say that the the way they they they carried the action forward, you know there was no opportunity to be distracted by it. I like the way the action just sex escalates and spirals to an impressive climax. It's all very well well made. 00:32:45.98 Brian Penn I mean, obviously, Janiya is having the day from hell. I mean, you you couldn't write it any better or worse than that. um The only thing that nagged at me a little bit is that there was still ah a sense of her being portrayed as a victim. 00:33:01.47 Brian Penn And up to ah a certain extent, she is a victim, in a circumstance, a victim of the social environment in which she lives. But the things that she goes on to do, in my mind, makes her less of a victim, kind of, sort of, if you see what i'm getting at. 00:33:14.43 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:33:15.66 Brian Penn But aside from that, I really liked it. I think it's so well done. It's so well executed that you can't help but be riveted by what happens to it. You think, right, what's going go wrong next? 00:33:30.26 Brian Penn What's going to go wrong? yeah Really, that can't possibly happen. And it does, you know. i just love that spiralling effect in the script, and that's what Tyler Perry's done very well here. is that he gradually winds why is the script up to a climax. And the final frames of the film were very well well shot and very well done. 00:33:49.51 Brian Penn But it's just that, as I say, it's that sense that she's still held up as a victim, but I don't think she is quite so much of a victim as you might think. 00:34:00.44 Chris Olson Yeah, I mean, I get what you mean. And I think that early on in the film, they are portraying her very much as this sort of passive character of like, those characters being overtly horrible to her. 00:34:12.53 Brian Penn Yeah, there are. 00:34:12.84 Chris Olson And she's not giving any kickback. There's not much where she's kind of going, oh, actually, you know, I'm an adult. You wouldn't talk to me like that. Like, that's just not not okay. 00:34:19.61 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:34:21.17 Chris Olson But I think they are... Okay, don't want to spoil the end of the film, but something that maybe sort of explains that in terms of how this scene is coming across. 00:34:27.76 Brian Penn yeah Yeah. 00:34:29.05 Chris Olson That being said, it felt like a bit of a mash-up of a film like Falling Down and Inside Man. 00:34:35.98 Brian Penn Yeah, it's a bit. Yeah. 00:34:37.35 Chris Olson It reminded me of this, like, yeah, because yeah Falling Down is a great film. If you've never seen Falling Down, go see It's amazing. 00:34:40.86 Brian Penn oh lot like Michael Douglas. 00:34:43.82 Chris Olson Michael Douglas, where he literally has a breakdown over the course of a day. 00:34:44.66 Brian Penn Brilliant film. I love that film. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. 00:34:48.17 Chris Olson And that's what this sort of reminded me of. And then you had the whole bank job kind of side to it as well. But she's like unwittingly doing this. She doesn't quite understand why. But she knows if she leaves, she's going to either get arrested or get killed. 00:35:01.11 Chris Olson um 00:35:01.26 Brian Penn and 00:35:01.77 Chris Olson So there a lot of tension there. There lot of really great cinematic moments. 00:35:05.90 Brian Penn yeah 00:35:07.42 Chris Olson I felt it lagged very much in the middle because there was a lot of this... sitting around revealing emotional dialogue between different sort characters that are still in the bank. 00:35:14.73 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:35:16.83 Chris Olson And it felt that was fine. 00:35:17.23 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:35:18.81 Chris Olson I didn't mean, didn't mind a bit of grounding. I didn't mind a bit of that, but it kind of went on for quite a while. I think they absolutely outpaced itself in the beginning that it sort ran out of steam and suddenly was like, Oh, we've got all this other stuff. 00:35:23.97 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:35:29.35 Chris Olson This other is other a dialogue we've got to get through. But yeah, 00:35:31.42 Brian Penn yeah 00:35:32.42 Chris Olson but yeah I think it holds up really well because not only does it have these elements of cinema, like you've got bank job, you've got robberies, you've got all this sort but you've got loads of heavy themes as well there, like the fact that she is a single parent, the fact that the cost of medical care in the US is insane um you know even when it comes to a child not being able to get the right meds. 00:35:50.15 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:35:53.88 Chris Olson and you've got 00:35:54.06 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:35:55.24 Chris Olson They're touching slightly on the idea about yeah cops being racist and or or at least you're being overtly aggressive. 00:36:01.88 Brian Penn very good. 00:36:02.05 Chris Olson um So I think yeah Tyler Perry does well to balance a lot of that stuff. um And it does rely heavily on that central performance from Taraji P. Henson. 00:36:14.49 Brian Penn she's very good She's really Yeah. 00:36:15.36 Chris Olson Oh my gosh, I thought she was brilliant. She absolutely carried the film. 00:36:17.47 Brian Penn Excellent. Yeah. Yeah. 00:36:19.87 Chris Olson And... I honestly would strongly recommend this. I've actually have gone out way to recommend this to a few people but to say, look, get through it because there's, yeah, you need see it to the end. 00:36:25.42 Brian Penn yeah 00:36:29.82 Chris Olson I don't want to say anything else because it's going to give something away, but yeah, see it to the end. 00:36:30.46 Brian Penn yeah no ah yeah it's true yeah I think it's I think it's really good and it's well worth watching it really is and it doesn't it doesn't allow you to relax and snatch back in your chair you know in your armchair it makes you it makes you take notice it engages you and that's what you want to film to do yeah I mean the 00:36:33.82 Chris Olson It's really, really worth it. Straw is great. 00:36:54.00 Brian Penn We always discuss the weak spots in the in the storyline and the characters, but the standard of acting is so high, and the pace of action I really liked. um And it does make some valid points about ah American society and the way it's going. ah so So it packs a lot in. 00:37:12.56 Brian Penn But, yeah, very impressed overall. 00:37:16.15 Chris Olson There you go. And it's available on Netflix, so do go watch it if you can. um Moving on now to the indie film section of our show, which is where we review a selection of movies have been sent to us ah by filmmakers from around the world. 00:37:28.86 Chris Olson And all of these have been reviewed on the website. I myself have actually reviewed one of these. 00:37:33.33 Brian Penn What's 00:37:34.13 Chris Olson And um we're going to start with a short film called Whispers of Freedom, which Chris Buick reviewed recently. 00:37:39.63 Brian Penn up? 00:37:41.97 Chris Olson i don't have a clip, sadly, for this and film, and but you can watch Chris's review on our TikTok and YouTube channels if you want to go there. 00:37:53.24 Chris Olson But... The film is written and directed by Brandon Ashplant, and it's set in East Germany during the Cold War, set in the 1980s. 00:38:03.34 Chris Olson And it's all about, it's based on a true story about a young man who is desperate to get over to the West Side because he has dreams of becoming an actor and and not yeah know living in this Russian-led society, doesn't want to be drafted into the army, wants to escape all that stuff. 00:38:05.84 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:38:22.98 Chris Olson and But at the moment, it's yeah probably one of the most dangerous things that you could do. And that is where the story is. i don't know whether it's worth sort of spoiling it because it's based on a real character, but I'm going to try not to spoil it. 00:38:35.22 Brian Penn yeah 00:38:36.80 Chris Olson um What do you think of Whispers of Freedom, Brian? 00:38:39.60 Brian Penn on 00:38:39.83 Chris Olson It was great, wasn't it? 00:38:40.22 Brian Penn Chris I loved it I thought it was brilliant the first thing that occurred to me though is why wasn't it a feature length film yeah 00:38:42.09 Chris Olson It was so good. 00:38:48.98 Chris Olson Honestly, I thought that too. It's always nice when you get short. be honest. We kind oh, we like a short. We do like short films on this show. 00:38:55.56 Brian Penn yeah yeah look you see the thing is um it's it's a true story as we said and it's a fitting tribute 00:38:55.90 Chris Olson but But you know when you're watching your one, you nope, need more of this. I want more of this. 00:39:06.93 Brian Penn to those who died trying to get over the Berlin Wall. You know, the at least 140 people have died trying to get to the West Side. And it's a tribute to all the people that died in the attempt, right? 00:39:19.97 Brian Penn Obviously, it's based on a real person, Chris Griffroy. not sure pronouncing that right. But um it's a brilliant piece of filmmaking. But, God, we could have done with more. 00:39:31.20 Brian Penn ah Because it's dealing with such an important subject as well. And right I struggled so so give me atra struggled to work out where Christopher Eccleston was. Because see he played the ah radio announcer, didn't he? 00:39:44.94 Chris Olson I didn't actually realise until you were just talking about it. like, oh yeah. 00:39:48.63 Brian Penn ah I thought, hang on minute, where is he? you you know you think Have I missed something somewhere? And watched it again because wanted to. I thought, ah, right, okay. And Paul Freeman played, I think he played Eric Honecker, didn't he? the Again, it was it was a radio broadcast, wasn't it? 00:40:05.58 Brian Penn But I loved it. I loved the way it was put together. I loved the styling of it. um And mean it just portrays a very simple message, you know. I love the title of the film as well, Whispers of Freedom. 00:40:18.19 Brian Penn Because it starts on on the premise that um Chris is convinced that the shoot kill policy has been lifted. 00:40:27.45 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:40:27.61 Brian Penn Because, was it a Swedish dignitary or Swedish politician was visiting? And on that basis, he he He does a runner and it takes takes his friend with him, Christian. 00:40:40.80 Brian Penn So, you know, it's a very human story that I think needs to be seen, needs to be told, but I think it needs more space to stretch out. There's so much more you can do here. 00:40:53.06 Chris Olson ah It's interesting if like that stories of the Cold War 40 years ago and coming to the end of the Cold War ah now ah these are historic documents and historic pieces of yeah film that were being provided in a narrative and 00:40:57.51 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:41:03.30 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:41:09.02 Chris Olson This is one of those really strong ones that does go and out of its way to tell the story in a very authentic way. It feels, know, they've got the the tone of the film brilliant. It's quite somber, as you might imagine. 00:41:20.70 Chris Olson um But that's getting reinforced with the filmmaking. It's not just the storytelling. You've got the lighting, the colouring, even the like sound design has been really crafted here to make sure that you feel immersed in that time period. 00:41:28.38 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:41:33.31 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:41:35.01 Chris Olson And that's crucial. If you're going to tell a story about yeah someone's actual yeah life and situation, then you need to do justice to and absolutely get that right here. um 00:41:44.55 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:41:45.64 Chris Olson But the tension is just, especially in the latter part of the film, um you've got 00:41:48.08 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:41:52.28 Chris Olson his mother you in sort anguish in the beginning of the film. There's lots and lots of signposts there to to give you those emotional notes to go, you know what, we're going to bring you into this really, really quickly. 00:41:59.58 Brian Penn I'll 00:42:04.95 Brian Penn happy. 00:42:05.44 Chris Olson Like you say, I think that's possibly why you leave the film feeling but you want more is because they've just done such a good job of bringing you into it all. 00:42:09.88 Brian Penn Yeah. yeah ah the hand 00:42:13.42 Chris Olson Yeah, it was just, and yeah, I really love the way that they got attention to detail. That's what I like because 00:42:17.95 Brian Penn um 00:42:19.61 Chris Olson in in different hands, they could have absolutely fumbled this. and And it would have been pretty tragic to have done that. 00:42:25.90 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:42:26.22 Chris Olson But what they've done here is is excellent. 00:42:28.76 Brian Penn Yeah. There's real skill in handling a ah story like this because it's still ingrained in our consciousness, isn't That, you know, the the Cold War, the the Iron Curtain, we we think that's consigned to the past, but it's more recent than and you think. 00:42:44.55 Brian Penn And, you know, it's like the old cliche, you know, Yesterday is the birthplace of today. And the things that we're were dealing with today in terms of geopolitics has its origins back then. 00:42:55.50 Brian Penn and So it still seems like a relevant story to tell. ah One final point there, though. um What I think is really choking about the story is that the Berlin Wall came down a year after these events were portrayed. 00:43:06.64 Chris Olson Yeah, not long after, yeah. 00:43:08.53 Brian Penn And that that is absolutely heartbreaking, isn't it, really? And it it kind of dawns on you when you see the closing titles and and the the captions come up. to tell you what happened. And you think, oh, that's just unbelievably sad, unbearably sad. 00:43:24.41 Chris Olson Yeah, it's... ah Honestly... but I always feel very privileged to see any of the indie films that get sent to us, but there's certain ones that really, really stand out. 00:43:29.05 Brian Penn definitely. 00:43:32.11 Chris Olson And this was definitely one of them. um Yeah. So the film is from golden goat films and you can follow them on Instagram at golden goat films. We've tagged them in a few things. so it should be fairly easy to, 00:43:46.03 Chris Olson to find them as i said go to the website or go to our tiktok youtube channels to watch chris's review chris buick he does a really great review of the film he also really enjoyed it just spoilers we're we're all pretty much in agreement here um yeah absolutely excellent definitely going to stand up as one of those films to to watch out for i don't believe it's out yet we weren't given a public link so yeah stay that's why i say follow them uh on instagram if you can because they'll let you know when you can see it 00:43:58.39 Brian Penn Yeah, absolutely. 00:44:11.40 Brian Penn Wow. 00:44:13.81 Chris Olson Moving on now to a short film I did review for the website. um And I believe that i do if I did do a video review of this as well. So you can watch me on TikTok if you'd like. 00:44:22.69 Brian Penn know 00:44:23.80 Chris Olson You don't have to but what else you going to do? 00:44:25.37 Brian Penn Bit added value there though, isn't there? 00:44:26.94 Chris Olson What else are you going to do? 00:44:27.07 Brian Penn You know. 00:44:27.98 Chris Olson You know, i just say. 00:44:28.55 Brian Penn Yeah, why not? Yeah. 00:44:30.10 Chris Olson and and also for this one, I do have a little clip. 00:44:30.88 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:44:32.63 Chris Olson So this is for short film Starborn. 00:44:32.95 Brian Penn Ooh, lovely. 00:45:08.85 Chris Olson So written and directed by Starry Venus, possibly the shortest film we've seen year. 00:45:14.60 Brian Penn Yeah, I know, I think it is. 00:45:16.14 Chris Olson That clip is almost half the length of the film, by the way. 00:45:16.27 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:45:18.67 Brian Penn Yeah, I know. was going to say, you could have shown the whole lot, couldn't you? 00:45:22.05 Chris Olson Yeah, is a it's a 90-second film. 00:45:22.41 Brian Penn played the whole lot. 00:45:24.70 Chris Olson And as said, I reviewed this on the website, and so i do recommend going and reading my review. But it stars Andrea Wright as this goddess who has come back to Earth and she's wandering the desert. 00:45:41.20 Chris Olson And it seems that everything's sort of bereft of life and hope um and... it seems the perfect setting to have this cosmic ah fallout from whatever's happened to her. 00:45:51.87 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 00:45:53.89 Chris Olson But it also becomes clear that There is a connection to be made. There are other people out there that she's not alone. And there are others that she could connect to. 00:46:00.02 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:46:03.11 Chris Olson It's a very ethereal type film. 00:46:05.81 Brian Penn you 00:46:06.04 Chris Olson it's it's ah It's more of an art piece than it is a narrative piece. 00:46:09.67 Brian Penn yeah 00:46:09.88 Chris Olson And I think what well you can absolutely watch this a dozen times if you want to. And you probably get different things each time you watch it. 00:46:14.29 Brian Penn yeah yeah 00:46:16.94 Chris Olson ah But it's very immersive. And it's very... um touching on multiple senses at one time. I think that's one thing that came across from this piece was that it's been made with a lot of imagination and care. 00:46:24.13 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:46:31.57 Chris Olson And I really respected that. It's nice sometimes when you see a film like this, you know, actually they've done something very different here. They are challenging you to bring your own um interpretation as to what's going on. 00:46:42.67 Chris Olson they They also have, you know, they've given signposts in terms of what they want people to think from it. And I picked up on some of those. 00:46:49.20 Brian Penn you know 00:46:49.42 Chris Olson i'm But it's triggering the audience. You know, there's doing things about, um I think there's a they mentioned about grief and being pulled back from the brink. So I think this is one of those really great examples of an art film where you're going watch it and go, depending on how you feel and depending on what emotional baggage you bring to the table, it's going to impact how you experience that film. How did you experience Starborn, Brian? 00:47:11.72 Brian Penn Wow, it's amazing what you can do in 90 seconds, isn't it? You know, 00:47:14.79 Chris Olson It is. I've always said that. 00:47:17.86 Brian Penn very good. Yeah, I set that one up for you, didn't I really? um like It's beautiful to watch. Heavily interpretational, as you mentioned just now, and as you also mentioned in your review. 00:47:29.17 Brian Penn um I get a sense of protection from it. 00:47:33.34 Chris Olson Okay. 00:47:33.35 Brian Penn You know, there is this spiritual being that offers protection and solace to others, offers comfort. You know, it touches on grief and pulling someone back from the brink. You know, are they a guardian angel of of some description that their their purpose is to protect others? 00:47:52.74 Brian Penn Whether it's because, someone who's physically standing on the edge or someone who's depressed and down or or grieving for a loss, that someone is there to help them through that period of loss or grief or uncertainty, you know, where someone is so dispirited, they might be considering, you know, jumping, for example. 00:48:15.00 Brian Penn Um, so to me, there's a sense of the guardian angel, uh, protecting all of us. Um, But it's what you what you see in it yourself, isn't it? Now, I mean, someone else might get something totally different from it. 00:48:27.68 Brian Penn But I think that's the idea, isn't it? That you take from it what you think, what you get from it is is important. So that's the way and I see it. But it it's good. It makes you think. And to do that in 90 seconds, it's quite, it's a hell of an achievement, really, I think. 00:48:42.06 Chris Olson It's so much stark imagery in it as well. When I was watching it, I was really impressed by the way that 00:48:45.14 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:48:48.50 Chris Olson you could have had something more linear, but it wasn't. It was like, okay, well, actually, you're being offered quite a lot of stimulus here. And one of the things I did, i again, I picked up on my review, but going to go for it here, was more the there's this setting in the background of the desert. 00:48:55.14 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:49:02.52 Chris Olson And that was so crucial because the desert has this sort of double meaning. in the one yeah On the one hand, depending, of yeah maybe this is a kind of glass half full view. How do you view the world? 00:49:12.13 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:49:13.07 Chris Olson Because the desert could be lifeless, right It could be lifeless. It could be this big void expanse where, nothing can survive and you can't be there but on the other hand the desert has often been the the frontier it's been where people have been pushing societies where maybe you've gone to experience something away from your norms and and existed on a different plane and i think that again is crucial they've clearly gone look what is going to trigger the best reactions in our audience and what's going to 00:49:20.12 Brian Penn yeah 00:49:25.33 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:49:30.08 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:49:40.42 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:49:40.89 Chris Olson what is going to help us cement this piece in a way that is going to have a big yeah feeling come out from it. 00:49:44.35 Brian Penn yeah 00:49:46.98 Chris Olson And that I really take it on with. I think as with any art kind of film going to get like this, and it is an art project, you can't, yeah you can't see it any other way. 00:49:55.73 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:49:57.61 Chris Olson It's got no cinematic kind of mainstream appeal. 00:49:59.45 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:50:00.43 Chris Olson I think it is going to be, yeah it's going to have a limited audience. So I think you it's one of those movies you're probably lucky to come across it at like a film festival in their like short film showcase. 00:50:07.90 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:50:09.87 Chris Olson And I feel that that's one of those ones you will remember because even though it is very short, it makes you feel something quite profound and because it's making it's making you get quite introspective. 00:50:16.84 Brian Penn a 00:50:19.72 Chris Olson It's going to bring out things about how you feel about the world. 00:50:19.98 Brian Penn yeah 00:50:21.86 Chris Olson And that I think is is very powerful. 00:50:22.21 Brian Penn yeah 00:50:24.64 Brian Penn and It's asking a lot of questions. You know, they focus on the desert. I mean, that could signify isolation, loneliness, but it could also signify freedom as well, or the start of something new. 00:50:37.05 Chris Olson Yeah. Yeah. 00:50:38.95 Brian Penn So, yeah you know, yeah we all get something different, but but it's it's very cleverly done. And you don't necessarily, um mean, there's not going to be much opportunity for scripts in a film that short, but the images serve the you know serve its purpose really well. 00:50:54.54 Brian Penn Because it's leaving it's leaving the conclusions in your own head. And what what you... It tells you something about yourself, doesn't it? 00:51:03.85 Chris Olson Absolutely. 00:51:04.04 Brian Penn So very cleverly done, you know. 00:51:06.96 Chris Olson So the film, as I said, it's called Starborn. and I think it's doing the sort of festival runs at the moment. I might be wrong. um But I definitely think it will end up on streaming and places like that. 00:51:19.85 Chris Olson Like probably like, I think they might already be on Vimeo. and 00:51:22.92 Brian Penn yeah 00:51:23.39 Chris Olson The filmmaker is called Starry Venus. That's S-T-A-R-R-Y Venus as in the planet. um And they have an Instagram as well. Let me pull that up for you because it changed whilst they submitted the film. 00:51:36.76 Chris Olson I believe it's at starryvenus.world on Instagram. Again, we've probably tagged them in some stuff. So if you can't find it, just go through our posts and you'll get to them quite quickly. 00:51:43.64 Brian Penn Yeah, it 00:51:46.81 Chris Olson Also head to the website because there's a clip on that. i think it it might actually be the whole film on the clip. So if you want to watch it, you can do that and you can watch more. 00:51:52.03 Brian Penn probably is. It's a trailer, isn't it? It's a trailer. 00:51:57.02 Chris Olson it's So i think you you'll get a really good sense of that film. um 00:52:00.73 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:52:01.47 Chris Olson And also it's a filmmaker that I'm really intrigued to just see what else they do. because 00:52:06.02 Brian Penn Hmm. 00:52:07.36 Chris Olson when you get these films that are a bit more artistic, yeah going for the more immersive experience and doing something quite sort of different, if they do try their hand at something more narrative based, more story based, more kind of linear, I guess, um they can often approach it in a really cool way. 00:52:24.23 Chris Olson So yeah, I've been intrigued to see what happens next there. 00:52:26.06 Brian Penn It shows great potential though, Chris, because really it's the length of a trailer or possibly a TV ad, isn't it? 00:52:32.42 Chris Olson Yeah. Yeah. 00:52:32.69 Brian Penn And that is where a lot of great filmmakers start their careers, isn't it? 00:52:36.86 Chris Olson Absolutely. 00:52:37.09 Brian Penn With a something of that length, like ah like a TV ad or a jingle of some sort. So, you know, it shows great potential and it will be interesting to see what what they do next. 00:52:46.84 Chris Olson And you've also got an opportunity to find out more about Starry Venus on the website, starryvenus.com, think, because there's also lots of links on there to music and playlists on Spotify and things. 00:52:55.62 Brian Penn All right. 00:52:55.92 Chris Olson So, yeah, loads of things to go and immerse yourself into. 00:52:56.70 Brian Penn Okay. 00:52:59.60 Chris Olson Once you've finished listening to this podcast, I must stress that. 00:53:02.24 Brian Penn Of course. 00:53:02.92 Chris Olson I've said this before. 00:53:03.34 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:53:03.60 Chris Olson Oh, you should go watch that. And they go and watch it. 00:53:04.83 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:53:05.36 Chris Olson no, no not right now. 00:53:05.65 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:53:06.44 Chris Olson what Like, come on. 00:53:06.83 Brian Penn Not right now. No. No. 00:53:07.99 Chris Olson This is... 00:53:08.08 Brian Penn Once we're finished, then you can go and watch it. 00:53:08.39 Chris Olson this This is our time. 00:53:11.12 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:53:11.46 Chris Olson um And we're moving on now to another film that we've been submitted, which is The Tale of Ksoe 2, which Patrick reviewed on the website, ah written and directed by Joshua Cowie, who also stars in the film. 00:53:11.49 Brian Penn That's right. 00:53:26.28 Chris Olson And um mean I've been doing a lot of synopsis today ah for the indie film. So Brian, why don't you take the the realms on this one? 00:53:32.08 Brian Penn Yeah, I do my best. So, ah ah is it Casey Wee? Casey Wee is a ninja arts specialist working in the new Ninja Arts Academy that aims to train the next generation of martial artists. 00:53:39.26 Chris Olson K-so-wee, I think K-so-wee. 00:53:48.55 Brian Penn He struggles with his feelings for my my man, which places him at odds with the Academy's rules. Worse still, he feels threatened by a new student, Duomant, who apparently has dark magic powers. 00:54:02.22 Brian Penn Now, whilst it's obviously a student film, it's ah it's a college production, a college project, which is all good, and they're operating on a shoestring. Taking all that into account, I really liked it. 00:54:13.96 Brian Penn thought it was really good fun. 00:54:14.10 Chris Olson I thought it was great. I really enjoyed it. yeah 00:54:17.46 Brian Penn You know, the there are some likeable performances there. They all have good timing. You know, they that potentially, it's a very good cast of actors. You think what they're doing works. They they know. They understand comic timing, a lot of them. 00:54:29.31 Brian Penn They really do. And they've got it already. And the fact that it's a sequel, ah they must have something. I've not seen the first one, but I think it was really good fun. And they they kept, they maintained the interest, right? 00:54:42.04 Brian Penn It's ah it's about an hour, isn't it? An seven-ish. 00:54:44.09 Chris Olson Yeah, hour 10, something like that. 00:54:45.75 Brian Penn Yeah. ah So, yeah, I thought it was great fun. ah I liked it more than i I thought I would, because often when when I see something like this, you think it's it's an art project. It's a thesis-type production. But it it was better than that. was better than I expected. So, yeah, I was i was really impressed with it. 00:55:04.07 Chris Olson Yeah, I agree. I know what you mean. like You get presented with a film that has an aesthetic that you go, okay, right, we know where you're at in terms of your filmmaking career. 00:55:13.23 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:55:13.75 Chris Olson And even obviously we get notes as well. And in the notes it said student film, and first time directing, and it's also slight musical. 00:55:16.29 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:55:21.71 Chris Olson So immediately alarm bells are ringing for me. I'm going i'm not a massive fan of of musicals and it's a student film. 00:55:24.33 Brian Penn but yeah 00:55:26.87 Brian Penn and 00:55:27.81 Chris Olson So... ah what I was really really pleased about was it had this sort of Scott Pilgrim kind of uh vibe where they had the cool animations like a comic book coming out uh or even like Heartstopper that tv show that was really good um that lent that self to it because that rawness of a student production it it fitted really well with this sort of 00:55:36.53 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. yeah 00:55:52.47 Chris Olson out of this world cosmic stuff that's coming in in part of like a comic book, like aesthetic that actually played it really well. 00:55:55.62 Brian Penn and 00:55:57.93 Brian Penn yeah 00:56:00.61 Chris Olson And as you said, they've got good comedy in the film. I don't think it all works. I'll be honest. There's scenes where you go, okay, yep. That's probably the best you could do. 00:56:09.52 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:56:10.45 Chris Olson Like moving on. Like that's absolutely fine. 00:56:11.60 Brian Penn It's timeless, isn't it, in places? 00:56:13.02 Chris Olson um Some of the musical numbers were pretty funny. um 00:56:15.57 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:56:17.47 Chris Olson What I think, like first off if you're making this sort of film is you know that you've got limitations you know that it's not going to work like on every level and they were having a lot of fun with that like there was like these punching sounds at one point where they did the old like from like the it was like uh i love it um it's got this kind of wacky appeal that i think is where you're going to find an audience for a film like this and often you do get these kind of 00:56:30.75 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah, yeah. 00:56:41.57 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:56:43.44 Chris Olson uh raw indie movies that have just got something about them got a charm i guess it's a charm that brings you to them i absolutely think it needs refining a lot of refining if you're going to try and present this in any shape or form to like like a netflix audience yeah this is never going to make it's going to make the cut but i think it's got the the grounds of something to go okay right 00:56:48.00 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. Oh, 00:56:58.55 Brian Penn he's got, yeah. 00:57:02.03 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:57:05.94 Chris Olson yeah where do we build from here? And there's lots of great things. One of it being the fact that it didn't try and stretch itself too much because you could easily, oh, they've gone on and on for like two hours thinking they're really funny. 00:57:16.04 Chris Olson said No, no, they kept it sure as short as they could. 00:57:16.64 Brian Penn Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. 00:57:18.98 Chris Olson im They've got those special effects that are really fun. they are They're bringing a level of imagination and creativity to the piece, which otherwise it could have been very stale just watching these guys in their school film something. 00:57:30.83 Chris Olson So they tried to make it kind of more cinematic with the tools that they've clearly got. um one thing I think is you need a more clearly defined story. The story was quite like, okay, um is is that what we're doing? 00:57:44.21 Chris Olson like Is that it? Okay, fine. It didn't feel like it was a big story that needed to be told. 00:57:46.65 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:57:48.73 Chris Olson It felt like something that maybe they were having fun with. 00:57:48.88 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:57:51.77 Chris Olson It also felt like... they were paying homage to things that they liked. yeah Maybe they liked that sort of background story because it's set in like a ninja academy. 00:57:59.21 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:58:00.74 Chris Olson um And as the yeah the sort title suggests, it's got that yeah ah martial arts, maybe background and things like that. But i don't I didn't find the story all that compelling. 00:58:07.68 Brian Penn yeah 00:58:11.71 Chris Olson But what I did love was the characters. I thought they were cheeky. They were comedic. They had this great on-screen appeal. And I would have really happily seen them in another type of high school scenario where it's going to be really funny as opposed to this kind of fantasy-based story, which for me, i i think they needed a lot more to bring that to life. 00:58:24.17 Brian Penn yeah 00:58:32.07 Brian Penn yeah yeah I think so look what they've got there is raw material haven't they really that has potential they can go somewhere with it and I think they've got a talented class there as well and when and they was obviously having a ball weren't they really 00:58:36.90 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:58:46.52 Brian Penn And when you see ah film like that, and you can tell they're enjoying it they're having fun with it, you kind of enjoy it as well. 00:58:46.67 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:58:52.83 Brian Penn You get swept along with it because so it's very easy for people involved in a production like that just to go through the motions where they're literally just dragging people in from a classroom, you know, do you want to be in a film kind of thing, you know. 00:59:07.47 Brian Penn um 00:59:07.65 Chris Olson Yeah. 00:59:08.58 Brian Penn But you didn't get that vibe because like they were all up for it. They were all enthusiastic. They were enjoying the experience. And for a school project, for a college project, then it it works really well. 00:59:22.46 Brian Penn They've got something to work with, which is which is the aim, isn't it? It's to hone their skills, to cut their teeth. 00:59:30.51 Chris Olson Yeah, and the filmmaker, even when they submitted it, they were very clear. They want to get honest feedback and yeah hopefully we're not being too cruel. I don't think we are, but i was I'm always surprised. 00:59:37.50 Brian Penn not No. 00:59:38.86 Chris Olson We've had a few issues in the past where we've said things and upset people. And and i don't mean to do that at all. 00:59:43.00 Brian Penn Well, yeah. 00:59:44.36 Chris Olson There were definitely strengths here. 00:59:44.58 Brian Penn No. No, that's 00:59:45.68 Chris Olson There were things that I did thoroughly enjoy, as you said, went in with a bit of this sort of foreboding feeling of... 00:59:50.88 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:59:51.50 Chris Olson okay, what are we in for? And actually, there were bits that made me chuckle. There are bits that I found visually really fun. 00:59:54.67 Brian Penn Yeah. 00:59:57.11 Chris Olson And I definitely think there's room for improvement. But I think it's one of those films where if you're on board for the chaos, if you like the vibe here, there's so much fun to have. 00:59:59.55 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:00:06.82 Chris Olson You just need to be in a bit of a forgiving mood, I think, about... 01:00:09.55 Brian Penn That's right. 01:00:10.23 Chris Olson you know the technical things know there's sound issues there are things like that and don't get me wrong these aren't you experienced actors that are going to be able to completely lift you away but it is actually ah lot of fun um it's on uh instagram again i i must i need to get shares in instagram i'm just promoting them all the time that's all i'm doing 01:00:12.57 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:00:16.19 Brian Penn No. No. 01:00:21.22 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:00:31.65 Chris Olson um 01:00:31.69 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:00:32.68 Chris Olson yeah at tale of kawoosi to movie all one word um again we've probably tagged them so go to our posts and you'll be able to find them probably a bit easier than what i said also go to the website and read patrick's review because he you he also enjoyed it but he had some critical feedback as well and absolutely hats off to them i wish them all the best i i feel really happy that i've seen it and 01:00:39.48 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:00:52.62 Brian Penn yeah Yeah. 01:00:57.06 Chris Olson Honestly, if they said, oh, we've got another one, would you want watch it? Yeah, bring it on. 01:00:59.64 Brian Penn Yeah. im sure yeah definitely um 01:01:00.11 Chris Olson Yeah. i But maybe just bring me a bit more story. That's what I want next to More story. 01:01:04.49 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:01:05.83 Chris Olson But bring the fun as well. 01:01:06.06 Brian Penn yeah 01:01:06.99 Chris Olson The fun and the chaos was great. 01:01:08.48 Brian Penn Just, just beef the story up a bit. That'll do us. 01:01:11.46 Chris Olson um Hey, Brian, put a sock in it. 01:01:13.10 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:01:14.19 Chris Olson Do you know where that phrase comes from? 01:01:16.62 Brian Penn Yeah. I, I know this. Where have I heard it? Um, 01:01:19.91 Chris Olson Well, in the next documentary that we're going to review. 01:01:22.18 Brian Penn Oh, that's where I've heard it Yeah. 01:01:22.55 Chris Olson Yeah. yeah um The Music We Call Country, and which is a documentary all about the um country scene in ah Bristol, but not Bristol in the UK, Bristol in the US. 01:01:36.82 Chris Olson And we have a clip from said documentary, which i'm going to play right now. 01:02:43.58 Chris Olson So a clip there from the music we call country and yeah, the put a sock in it thing just came up in this film and I'd never known what it came from, which is where they had, they used to have the big horns attached to like the gramophones and things like that. 01:02:44.48 Brian Penn um 01:02:50.29 Brian Penn Yeah, did. No, i never did. Yeah. 01:02:56.65 Chris Olson And people would put a sock into the horn to stop it being so loud because it just, you couldn't control the volume. And honestly, I feel so much better for knowing what that is about. Um, 01:03:06.89 Brian Penn ah Yeah. Yeah. 01:03:07.86 Chris Olson So it's great yeah when a documentary can really... 01:03:09.48 Brian Penn yeah 01:03:09.62 Chris Olson yeah But there's so much more to this documentary, written and directed by Greg Gross. 01:03:11.98 Brian Penn right yeah 01:03:14.34 Chris Olson And as you heard in that clip, and that is very much the tone and and vibe of this whole piece is very much like a giving you this exploration of country music origins and not just within ah Bristol in America. 01:03:25.09 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:03:32.18 Chris Olson It's actually yeah looking at America almost as a whole and how people yeah going back further and how music, musical instruments but were sort of being brought into the society there and culture. 01:03:37.98 Brian Penn Yeah. Mm. Mm. 01:03:43.97 Chris Olson um But then, yeah, then it does start to look much at the sort of bedrock of, recording artists and the technological advancements that came with that and how that tied in with the groups that were in this place that and there's still so much artistic communities going on in in this place what did you think of this bro 01:03:50.45 Brian Penn Mm. 01:03:53.87 Brian Penn on 01:04:04.43 Brian Penn I really liked it a lot I love music documentaries I love documentaries I love documentaries about Americana about 01:04:07.77 Chris Olson me too 01:04:14.76 Brian Penn you pop music in general I mean it's ah it tells me things that I vaguely knew but I wasn't really aware of you know insofar that the home of the country music is Bristol, Tennessee that was where Jimmy Rogers and the Carter family first recorded and it It makes a good point because um they said at the beginning, they said, look, jazz is New Orleans, blues is Memphis, Detroit is R&B, and Bristol, Tennessee is country music, not Nashville. 01:04:45.67 Brian Penn And I still fall into that trap of thinking that the home country music is Nashville, and it is. It's the recording capital of country music, but it all began in Bristol, Tennessee. And I love the way that brings it, makes it more obvious, I think, 01:04:59.96 Brian Penn Because you know when you know something vaguely in the back of your mind? um And you think, ah, right, it all makes sense. Even putting a sock in it with a gramophone, you think, right, I never knew that. So it teaches you something new. 01:05:13.45 Brian Penn And also, the the background that fills in about the Victor Talking Machine Company and the producer, Ralph Peer, and how influential ah the record company was in popularizing country music. 01:05:26.63 Brian Penn And ju are you a country music fan, Chris? 01:05:29.14 Chris Olson Yeah, it's definitely in my wheelhouse. 01:05:31.27 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:31.30 Chris Olson I'm a guitarist there myself anyway, and yeah you can't escape the importance of this, or a lot of these artists that were here. 01:05:33.11 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:39.48 Chris Olson um 01:05:39.73 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:05:40.55 Chris Olson They mention a few bigger ones, you know people like Elvis and things sort of briefly get mentioned, but not, I think this is going far more into a more 01:05:43.45 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:48.18 Chris Olson lesser known side of things. 01:05:49.19 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:05:49.66 Chris Olson And they talk a lot about the Bristol sessions and all the sort of famous music that came out of that. 01:05:52.42 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:05:55.47 Chris Olson And I found it absolutely thrilling. I, I, for me, as you I'm just like you, I love a music documentary and often, 01:05:58.16 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:06:01.61 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:04.37 Chris Olson yeah you you're drawn to ones of artists that you particularly like because you just want to have more in in their time. But actually, it's great watching something like this where you go which I wouldn't have necessarily chosen to watch this specific era, but I'm very happy to. 01:06:14.39 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:15.33 Chris Olson I'm so glad I did. 01:06:16.42 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:16.63 Chris Olson Because like you said, it was that mixture of what was happening at the time with these field recordings in that they needed more artists to sell their music machines and like how that then tied in with the artistic proliferation of these bands that came out of the era or groups. 01:06:26.92 Brian Penn yeah yeah 01:06:32.47 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:33.67 Chris Olson um and also how important that was because previously one of the things that they said was about lot of things were lost to time because these bands and these groups were just sort of in their areas and people in the area knew them, but that was it. 01:06:46.62 Chris Olson And actually something where they could be recorded meant that it could then expand out to everyone. 01:06:46.63 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:52.54 Chris Olson You know, they they're talking about sales of like half a million copies and things. 01:06:55.86 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:56.28 Chris Olson I was like, gosh, I wish I could sell that many copies. 01:06:56.89 Brian Penn I know. Yeah. 01:06:58.52 Chris Olson That'd be amazing. 01:06:59.69 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:06:59.92 Chris Olson but, But yeah, and and also was really endearing when you're talking about the way that they had to record. it Often it was like just like one microphone that was like probably the most state-of-the-art thing they had. 01:07:08.94 Brian Penn and Yeah, I know. 01:07:11.61 Chris Olson And you had to have the loudest musicians at the back recording because it would just pick up too much of noise. So there was this like famous thing about Louis Armstrong having to be in the hall because he's just so loud. 01:07:22.78 Brian Penn Yeah, I know. 01:07:23.29 Chris Olson um i think that's great. But yeah. 01:07:25.11 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:07:26.00 Chris Olson Yeah, I think it's one of those films that if you're a film... Sorry, if you're a music fan, you're going to love it. If you're a um ah documentary fan, you're going to love it. 01:07:35.04 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:07:35.22 Chris Olson It's brilliantly put together. Loads of great music. 01:07:36.79 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:07:37.66 Chris Olson I felt... One thing I did find about it, wanted more music. And I think because of the era that they're talking about, there's not as much visual ah footage from that era. 01:07:43.49 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:07:47.94 Brian Penn No, I got... 01:07:48.21 Chris Olson Obviously, they're talking very much about the audio, the birth of the audio recording. 01:07:49.08 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 01:07:52.17 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:07:52.91 Chris Olson um 01:07:53.11 Brian Penn Yeah, 01:07:53.52 Chris Olson That you're like, well... They obviously clearly don't have video footage from this time. and I think that is where the film as a piece does get let down slightly because ah we as an audience, we want to see the bands play as well as hear them. 01:07:57.71 Brian Penn course. 01:08:03.50 Brian Penn Yeah. Yeah. 01:08:06.09 Chris Olson We want to see the footage of them playing and they just don't have that. 01:08:07.10 Brian Penn Yeah. course yeah 01:08:09.26 Chris Olson A lot of it is talking heads. 01:08:09.89 Brian Penn and 01:08:10.86 Chris Olson It's obviously experts and things like that. 01:08:11.10 Brian Penn yeah yeah 01:08:13.01 Chris Olson And the music's there. But think that was one element that was lacking was that visual side of things. 01:08:16.44 Brian Penn Yeah. I think, yeah, you are limited because we're talking about the 1920s. So you've got less archive footage. But, you know, 10 years later, you would have had so much more you could draw on. 01:08:28.49 Brian Penn You know, if you wanted to tell equivalent story about jazz, you could do it much more easily because you would have footage of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and Count Basie and all these people, right? 01:08:41.49 Brian Penn But because it's the very origins of country music, the 1920s. It probably goes back earlier than that, but that's their starting point. And it is difficult because you can tell a story much better when you've got film, archive footage, when you you've got the recordings there, but you haven't got that additional visual to bring it away. 01:09:00.35 Brian Penn But one thing that really came through really clear to me was how influential country music is on other genres, that there is a crossover between blues and folk and r and b And all the influencers are there, aren't they, really? And you can see the impact that they had. 01:09:19.34 Brian Penn But it's not quite as obvious. But this documentary makes it more obvious. So it's it's very educational in that way. 01:09:27.76 Chris Olson Yeah, I definitely think that's the phrase. It's ah it's an educational piece and there's there's bits in it that are very um entertaining. 01:09:35.25 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:09:35.35 Chris Olson I think where they didn't... that it Because I think what they're trying to do is they bring a lot of attention to the this town that people hadn't really heard of. As you said, everyone associates Nashville with being the home. 01:09:44.31 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:09:47.89 Chris Olson And I think they wanted to sort of change that. So that's why this story encapsulates this period because it is so yeah and important. 01:09:56.20 Brian Penn yeah. 01:09:56.83 Chris Olson But I think a simple... won't say simple, but a different way to have approached it would have been, okay, yes, these songs from this era, and they're talking about how influential ah they are and how important they are. It's like, have someone modern play them. 01:10:09.57 Chris Olson yeah Maybe they're playing them on stage and modern on this. 01:10:11.29 Brian Penn but yeah 01:10:12.22 Chris Olson And that would have just given it that visual element of being able to tie the two together because otherwise it is often, it's like they've got photographs and they've got talking heads and they've got the music playing in the background. 01:10:14.38 Brian Penn yeah yeah 01:10:22.33 Chris Olson I just think it was just missing that rock because you do you see that a lot of bands, like they'll do like, 01:10:22.32 Brian Penn yeah that yeah yeah yeah I think that's a good point you can temporise it don't you if you if you have modern recording artists I mean 01:10:27.41 Chris Olson talking about the Beatles or something and they'll have someone who was in the recording studio yeah do the song so that they can kind of put just give it a little bit of life that's all I think yeah 01:10:44.59 Brian Penn if they got somebody like, I don't know, it would just say Bonnie Raitt or Shania Twain or someone, ah ah a modern ah country recording artist who's helping to interpret the songs. 01:10:59.36 Chris Olson Yeah. 01:11:00.47 Brian Penn um So somebody you know, you you give it more relevance, don't you? And then they can talk about how influential they were. 01:11:04.50 Chris Olson yeah 01:11:07.35 Brian Penn i mean, the Carters, a very influential family in country music because they were there at the beginning. And they I think Carleen Carter. In fact, they could have got someone like Carleen Carter, who was, I think, the third generation ah granddaughter, great-granddaughter, perhaps. i not sure. 01:11:24.79 Brian Penn But yeah, you're right. So they that would have been one way of doing it. But you know even so, it's still good good stuff. 01:11:32.95 Chris Olson I mean, there's also there's always going to be logistic issues with that. It could be rights issues. It could be loads of things so as to why they didn't do that. 01:11:36.88 Brian Penn Yeah, cool. Yeah, cool. 01:11:39.21 Chris Olson and I'm just saying it from a an audience perspective. There will be things about it. 01:11:42.52 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:11:43.91 Chris Olson That being said, I absolutely never felt bored once in this film. 01:11:48.12 Brian Penn ay 01:11:48.31 Chris Olson I was watching the whole thing. I watched it all in one go because I just was so like interested in it. 01:11:52.34 Brian Penn yeah um Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:11:52.82 Chris Olson was talking to my mum about it later on, on on the phone. um She's a big music fan. And I think that you've got so much there. And in um Patrick's review, he talks about this, the way that the film is so confident about what it's talking about. 01:12:06.41 Chris Olson It doesn't feel the need to draw on loads of like bigger names and and trying to sort of 01:12:06.60 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:12:10.71 Chris Olson give you more modern examples because it just actually says you know we're really proud of this this period and and what happened here and a lot of people won't know about this and that's what's so crucial they only sort of briefly mention people like Elvis and Bob Dylan and people like that and it's more about actually these artists that maybe you didn't know so much about especially us being in the UK like yeah we we certainly wouldn't be as exposed to these these these artists um the film itself is available on Prime Video so you can actually watch it and the Music We Call Country 01:12:11.02 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:12:14.94 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:12:22.21 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:12:28.31 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:12:31.02 Brian Penn No, not so. Yeah. 01:12:40.09 Chris Olson And if you go to our review of the film on our website, you can watch the trailer. So maybe you want to do that just to sort of see... 01:12:45.97 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:12:46.91 Chris Olson if it is sort of thing you want to watch. And if you do watch it, let us know. 01:12:48.82 Brian Penn Mm-hmm. 01:12:50.00 Chris Olson Let us know what you think, because it's always lovely to hear the feedback. 01:12:51.22 Brian Penn Mm. 01:12:54.61 Chris Olson Those are the indie films for this episode. We're going to move to our nostalgia pick now, which is where I should normally inject some harps or something. You know, when they go... little little little little um to go back in time. 01:13:03.89 Brian Penn Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 01:13:07.52 Chris Olson Because we're going back 25 years ah to a film by Danny Boyle called The Beach. 01:13:07.66 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:13:13.04 Chris Olson And if you've not... seen the beach. um You've probably seen it referenced in a lot of pop culture. 01:13:16.27 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:13:18.33 Chris Olson There are bits from this film that have become quite sort of popular and in the cinematic world. 01:13:20.75 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:13:23.87 Chris Olson um The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as this go jetting a traveler called Richard who is desperate for thrill in his otherwise mundane existence he goes traveling to Thailand and seems to be seeking thrills wherever he can find them whether that's drinking snake blood or living in a particularly roach infested place 01:13:37.80 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:13:46.27 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:13:48.95 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:13:50.47 Chris Olson um in which he comes across a character called Daffy, brilliantly played by Robert Carlyle, who tells him of this incredible beach, something off the beaten path. You can't find it really. It's very difficult to get to, but when you're there, it is absolute paradise. 01:14:05.21 Chris Olson And he's only left because he is sadly very, very ill. And 01:14:08.74 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:14:09.99 Chris Olson Along with a pair of French travellers, Francois and Etienne, Richard travels to the beach where they do find this paradise beach, and but there are lots of other things there. There's a community there growing, led by Sal, the always brilliant Tilda Swinton, ah who... 01:14:29.87 Chris Olson Leads this, well, I guess you call them like a commune, really. they kind of you They're living together, they're self-sustaining for the most part, um and they are trying to create this community on this island. 01:14:32.85 Brian Penn yeah 01:14:41.42 Chris Olson On the other side of the island is ah bunch of drug-dealing farmers. 01:14:46.13 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:14:46.30 Chris Olson ah who who walk around with their machine guns and there is this very uneasy balance between the two sides. 01:14:46.77 Brian Penn What? 01:14:53.48 Chris Olson But at the moment, everything's fine. But with Richard's arrival and with what happens, is he going to upset the apricot? You bet he does. 01:15:00.18 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:15:01.31 Chris Olson um 01:15:01.50 Brian Penn but 01:15:02.10 Chris Olson And how long can they keep this paradise intact? Now, we reviewed this because Danny Boyle released a new film and it's always good to go back. And I actually remember watching this a lot when i was younger. 01:15:12.51 Chris Olson Is this one of those films, Brian, where I've made you go back and watch something you hadn't really watched? Or have you seen this a few times? 01:15:16.40 Brian Penn Yeah. No, no, no. I've not seen this since since it came out. And ah I was probably more impressed now than I was back then. 01:15:21.56 Chris Olson Ah. Really? 01:15:27.55 Chris Olson Really? 01:15:27.72 Brian Penn ah It's the sort of film that's grown on me. Very stylish. Very beautifully shot. all right It'd be difficult to go wrong when you're shooting in somewhere like Thailand and the surrounding regions, right? 01:15:36.68 Chris Olson Yeah. 01:15:39.12 Brian Penn But even so, you still need a good eye so to capture these shots and get them looking the way they should. ah Very atmospheric, great soundtrack. 01:15:50.19 Brian Penn um And I think, I don't know, but it um we've we've all got standout scenes from this particular film that we can recall very quickly, but the standout scenes for me remind me of scenes from classic movies. Now, I don't whether I'm dreaming it, because when I was watching it, you know this scene um when they're at the top of the waterfall and ah Richard's there with Francois and who is it, Etienne, yeah, and they're sort of wondering whether they should jump or not. 01:16:21.18 Brian Penn That reminded me of Butch Cassidy in the Sundance Club when they're at the top of it ah cliff and they're kind of goading each other and saying, shall we jump, shall we not? And I don't know. 01:16:29.73 Chris Olson Yeah, could be right, actually. 01:16:31.25 Brian Penn I don't know whether I'm just drawing that comparison there. Whether that was deliberate on Danny Boyle's part or accidental, I don't know. It's a scene that might might have been made many times before. 01:16:42.74 Brian Penn And when Sal was... involved in that conversation with the um but drug farmer. And he hands her a gun with one bullet and he he spins the ah chamber. 01:16:54.28 Brian Penn And she points it at Richard. um That reminded me a little bit the deer hunt, so I don't know why. 01:16:58.75 Chris Olson ah like I knew you were to say deer hunt because that's classic, right? Yeah, that whole... 01:17:01.33 Brian Penn Yeah. ah I mean, um I might sort of over-imagining that, but it it just seems very similar. There's nothing wrong with borrowing scenes from classic movies. It's been done for ah hundred years. You know, they borrow ideas from each other, but It gives it more of an edge where they can, it's like a homage to another great film that we're putting it into a new set of circumstances. 01:17:22.84 Brian Penn But it reminds me that but it is a much better film than I thought it was to start with when I first saw it. Now, I don't know why it's done that. I don't know why I've not seen it since then because it is the sort of film that's very easy to watch. 01:17:37.88 Brian Penn um But not necessarily, its i mean, it's on, Disney, isn't it? But um it might not be easy to find for some people, but a really good film. Very, very good film. 01:17:50.69 Chris Olson Well, I put it out on our socials to see what people thought of. And we got some really nice comments back. 01:17:53.35 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:17:54.81 Chris Olson ah Lily on our TikTok channel, her handle is DiCaprioLover911. 01:17:58.46 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:18:02.61 Chris Olson So you can see how Lily may have found us. 01:18:03.04 Brian Penn Oh, okay. Yeah, fair enough, yeah. 01:18:05.40 Chris Olson um I love it so much. One of my favourite Danny Boyle movies. I think it's heavily underrated. 01:18:11.48 Brian Penn Yeah, it is. 01:18:11.56 Chris Olson um 01:18:12.32 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:18:12.87 Chris Olson Frank also commented on our TikTok, FrankB2012, underrated. Again, he uses the same phrase. um But really didn't like the video game bit. and We know which bit he's referring to. 01:18:23.49 Brian Penn Oh right, okay, yeah. 01:18:24.68 Chris Olson um i but This is, again, probably similar to what you said. When I watched it originally, I remember thinking, oh, that was a bit weird. 01:18:29.04 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:18:32.10 Chris Olson Where's that come from? 01:18:32.52 Brian Penn Hmm. 01:18:33.48 Chris Olson But when I watched it through a 2025 lens, I actually thought, that that fits in absolutely fine. i didn't I didn't feel the jerk that I did when I watched it originally because I think it's all to do with, obviously, his mental state and how he's yeah absolutely fallen to pieces. 01:18:38.19 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:18:40.93 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:18:44.99 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:18:47.25 Chris Olson um I didn't mind it as much. Yeah, I think it stood out at the time because it was a bit of ah a weird... 01:18:51.85 Brian Penn yeah 01:18:52.27 Chris Olson And if I'm right, i I might be wrong, but I think Danny Boyle has is suggested he he wasn't as happy with this film, um with everything. yeah when he When he got some distance away from it, i think things went wrong. 01:19:03.47 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:19:03.63 Chris Olson I think it was a particularly hard shoot or something. 01:19:05.83 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:19:05.97 Chris Olson But I think it actually stands up very well. I think it's a great thriller. 01:19:08.68 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:19:09.99 Chris Olson It's got a lot of... them yeah mixture of themes going on because it of starts as this adventure film then it turns into like a thriller but with romance elements because he's so he's he's falling for the the French lady but then if it turns into this sort psychological horror by the end yeah there's a lot of twisted things that sort of start to happen and as he sort of unravels and I think that blend is handled brilliantly I think the film does really well to bring those elements together 01:19:22.78 Brian Penn yeah yeah 01:19:28.88 Brian Penn yeah yeah 01:19:37.60 Brian Penn Yeah. 01:19:41.19 Brian Penn Yeah. No, I think it does. I mean, and it's not easy to do when you're trying to bring together the desperate elements of of approaches to making a film. 01:19:48.74 Chris Olson Hmm. Hmm. 01:19:51.56 Brian Penn And yeah, it has done that, done that really well. And I think, having seen it Previous Next

Balloon Animal film review by UK film critic Brandon Thomas. Starring Katherine Waddell, Ilia Volok directed by Em Johnson. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Balloon Animal Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Brandon Thomas | Posted on: Apr 6, 2023 Directed by: Em Johnson Written by: Em Johnson Starring: Katherine Waddell, Ilia Volok Movies set in or around circuses often have a darkness to them. If the animal cruelty doesn’t get to you then the limitless tales of alcoholism and depression will. Oh, and one of them has Pee-wee Herman running around. Thankfully Balloon Animal leaves the cruelty and boozing behind in favor of a thoughtful character piece about isolation and expectations. Poppy Valentine (Katherine Waddell) makes the balloon animals at Valentine’s Traveling Circus, owned by her overbearing father Dark Valentine (Ilia Volok). The once bustling circus now plays to sparse, apathetic crowds. Dark’s intense dependence on his daughter is fueled by his wife’s abandonment of him years before. After her father offers her a more significant role in the business, Poppy begins to question her place in the circus, her father’s life, and the world at large. At first glance, the premise of Balloon Animal reads like half of dozen indie dramas released since the mid-90s. That assessment isn’t completely untrue, to be fair. However, the difference is in the execution. Writer-director Em Johnson delivers an honest – but never quite brutal – drama that always feels real to its characters. Poppy’s trajectory through the film is natural and doesn’t end up where you think it will. Setting this story inside a traveling circus is a fascinating choice. Johnson shows little interest in digging into the mechanics of the circus or its day-to-day. The focus is on the people who live and work inside this nomadic community. For them, it’s just a job (for now). For Poppy, though, there’s a cost of isolation and monotony that she’s unable to ignore and eventually begins to reject. The performances are just as notable as the film’s tight storytelling. Waddell’s naturalistic charm makes her a great focal point. She delicately straddles Poppy’s creeping loneliness while allowing the character’s meek pragmatism to shine through. It’s not a showy role, but Waddell does so much with it. Likewise, Volok turns what could be a wholly unlikable character into someone with pathos. His ferocity is equaled only by his ability to elicit empathy from the audience. Balloon Animal doesn’t end with any definitive answers for its characters. What it does, though, is give them a stopping point for this particular story in their lives and a starting point for an entirely new one. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Brandon Thomas Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Art Thief film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Ronan Colfer, Alexandra Bigourdan, Youlim Nam directed by Rebeca Castilho, Tristan Allen. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Art Thief Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Oct 15, 2024 Directed by: Rebeca Castilho, Tristan Allen Written by: Rebeca Castilho Starring: Ronan Colfer, Alexandra Bigourdan, Youlim Nam A series of rather outrageous events are taking place inside an art gallery. This short dark comedy was inspired by the French New Wave from the 60s and 70s, especially by Louis Malle's Zazie dans le Metro . The plot of this entertaining film revolves around an encounter between two strangers at an art gallery that starts of as awkward and turns into a hand-to-hand fight. The two strangers are a man (Colfer) and a woman (Bigourdan) and although she is at the gallery to admire, he has other reasons for being there. He believes that the artist (who is his ex-partner) took his ideas and presented them as her own. Now, dressed in black and wearing a beanie, he intends to steal the valuable work of art that he claims belongs to him. As he and the woman stand in front of the special item, holding champagne flutes, they struck up a conversation (or maybe a minor argument) about the artist, before focusing on their romantic lives. Then, after an act of back-stabbing, the two of them proceed to fight each other. There are several elements that stand out and make this fun to watch. The first would be the over-the-top performances by Colfer and Bigourdan and by Nam who plays the receptionist. The acting and the screenplay makes the characters immature and almost cartoonish (all in a positive way) and from start to finish, the protagonists never fail to be amusing. Next there is the fighting, which covers a significant part of the film's 10-minute duration. The fight scenes are not brutal, instead they are rather childish due to Colfer and Bigourdan's acting and the way they were arranged by fight coordinator Ana Esposito. Then, there is the entertaining music throughout that maintains a light-hearted atmosphere and also some cool sound effects that were probably added for comical effect. Also, making things more interesting, the filmmakers utilise some awkward camera angles and on several occasions, characters break the fourth wall and look into the camera, addressing the viewer. People who watch this film will see two people starting a rapport between them, before turning against each other. The humorous screenplay, the amusing performances and the fight scenes make this short a fun watch. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >