Star Rating: ★★ Directed By: #ShaneRyan Written by: #ShaneRyan Starring: #KatieMarsh, #DemiBaumann, #TeonaDolnikova, #AlexisDamiano, #KaliyaSkye, #JoesephMarsh, #SeanCain, #DomizianoArcangeli Film Review by: Thomas Jay Based on the actual horrific murder of a 9-year-old girl, Elizabeth Olten, My Name is ‘A‘ by Anonymous/Alyssa: Portrait of a Teen Killer is frankly a really shallow and horrifically exploitative, faux arthouse, morally bankrupt affair. Written, Directed and Edited by Shane Ryan who‘s latest film boasts all about his career in making a host of seedy movies throughout his filmmaking timeline, I should’ve, in hindsight done some research into his career to get an idea of some expectations. Boasting titles such as Grindsploitation and a mini-franchise named Amateur Porn Star Killer it was perhaps a bad idea to let such a creator loose on what’s an incredibly sensitive topic and needs to be handled in a very specific manner. When wandering into the territory of a serial killer film either fictional or fact you’ve got a number of parties to protect or, and at the very least - respect. Be that the young/vulnerable who might be at risk from the nature of the content, or when concerning reality - the victims and ‘proxy victims’ affected by the absolute horror that was committed. This film in my interpretation, almost tried to humanise and explain the actions of the killer but I can’t see it as something that’s justifiable. The only real merit I can find from this film is the production story - shot over 4 days on a micro, micro-budget on $300 USD, the crew did well to cover such an amount of footage but I think it is far too ambitious and while I’d usually waive that as a criticism, seen as it is a harsh critique but the film really opens itself up to such a claim. The amount of non-sensical, ill-fitting and shallow content that plagues this film is too much. I did like the naturalistic approach to cinematography, I’ve not got the ability to pin it down to a specific piece of technology but it worked - it made the character more ‘personal’ and was a neat way of visually realising the diary, the key piece of evidence that condemned the killer. Now aside from the outright horrific nature of the crime and why exactly it was such as bad idea to ‘adapt’, the form and structure is horrifically bad, bordering amateurish. Camerawork is passable given it is deliberately shot in a handheld fashion but many of the other elements were badly advised. Soundtrack for instance, whilst it is largely vacant there were some incredibly contrapuntal examples, one scene for instance had a ‘swashbuckling’ shanty that wouldn’t be amiss in a Pirates of the Caribbean film or Eggers’ Lighthouse, I can’t explain how much it really vexed me. Now what I didn’t really find serviceable were the abstract narrative subplots. The Performer (Teona Dolnikova) and The Angst (Alex Damiano), the former has these direct to camera post-modern pieces which were completely out fo left field and I believe in Polish or another European tongue, that was completely lacking in regards to context. As for The Angst I didn’t click with that sub-plot at all, it featured some really graphically detailed, depraved scenes that were gratuitous (a point for later) and harrowing which isn’t a way of building character, nothing of depth or substance and used more in line of a ‘crutch’, nothing sincere. Gratuity plagues the film as well, they don’t offer anything and frankly if anybody tries to use it as a motive you’re lying to yourself - truly horrific scenes of self harm literally every ten minutes or so, unflinching scenes of eating disorders and a weird obsession with the immediate follow up of those actions, leering over the byproducts. I can handle the gore but the intentions behind it really rang through - there was no purpose here and it’s offensive to suggest otherwise, they’re used as crutches at best and frankly it just brings me back to my major gripe with the title, you can’t justify the actions of Bustamante and her vile obsession with murder. In all I found the premise was reprehensible and the execution of it was really amateurish and wouldn’t recommend it to be frank - if you want to learn of Olten’s untimely fate then watch a documentary, this my friends is not the way to learn.

★★★ Directed by: #Mohan Singh Gaharwar Written by: #Mohan Singh Gaharwar Starring: #Chirag Mandawaria #Reshmi Rajoriya #Ratan Singh #Deepak Jayalwal Film Review by: Joshua Calladine There is a lot to be said about the continuing power of surrealism in cinema. Filmmakers famous and obscure are still drawn to it. Directed and written by Mohan Singh Gawahar, Mother (A Story of Perception and Persona) comes close to saying something about this attraction, and in doing so, succeeds in being truly bizarre. There are moments of the inexplicable and moments of the plain weird. And overall the effect is somewhere between comedic and disturbing. Part of the reason for this effect is the slightly amateurish quality of the film as a whole. Not that this is a huge detractor. But many of the seams are showing throughout the roughly ten-minute run-time, the only notably annoying one being the problems with sound-design. The shift from non-diegetic soundtrack to dialogue has a sudden fall in volume. A surreal effect, but not necessarily a desirable one. The performances, however, are so strangely sincere to make up for this jarring fault. Although the dialogue is not exactly groundbreaking, the delivery is so straight-faced that the effect is like listening to a joke where the punchline never comes. The only response can be nervous and confused laughter. It is not clear if this is always the directorial intent, but the result is entertaining and enjoyable. Chirag Mandiwaria and Reshmi Rajoriya as the young couple meeting for a first date are oddly watchable, mainly for their difficult-to-place on-screen chemistry and sometimes humorously flat delivery. When the protagonist's mother (played by Ratan Singh) is introduced later in the film, the effect is similar. She only speaks through hand gestures, and in a move of dream-logic, reveals a woman tied up at the dinner-table, gagged and mock-force-fed with bread. In most scenes the framing is formulaic and even rigid (an admittedly surreal quality, but probably not by design). The writer-director's idea is clear, but the film may have benefited from another eye for cinematography, and at the very least, an independent audio-editor. Overall, the film moves through territory that is fairly predictable, not breaking too much new ground in the world of the surreal. Repeated scenes, slow-motion edits, seemingly random actions, portrayals of emotional personas, all make an appearance. But what marks it out as something interesting is its peculiar charm, a charm granted by the very amateurism that underpins the film. It feels largely sincere.

★★★★ Written & Directed by: #NicholasJackDavies Starring: #LeePerry, #TootsHibbert, #PaulineBlack, #DerrickMorgan, #DonLetts, #DandyLivingstone Documentary Review by Taryll Baker Selected for the 'We Are One' Global Film Festival During the late ’60s and early ’70s, a multicultural revolution took place on the dance floors in Britain—and it couldn’t have happened without Trojan Records. The iconic London-based label had its finger on the pulse of the country’s new wave of Jamaican immigrants, and as quickly as they signed top acts like the Upsetters and Jimmy Cliff, they made their mark on the British youth culture by kicking off a new craze for reggae, dub, rocksteady, and ska. Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records begins in Jamaica in 1956, where we get our first short look at the culture at the time, and the high spirits of the locals sharing in moments of joy through the power of song. Following this, the introduction of ska music, rudeboys, immigration in London and, finally, the birth of Trojan Records. The remaining hour of Rudeboy delves into the history of the record label, the challenges the artists faced due to race, huge shifts in culture (including skinheads), and the eventual collapse of Trojan in 1975. Docudramas are hard to tackle — you don’t want the fictionalised footage to feel cheap or distract from the facts being presented in the archival footage. Rudeboy alternates between the two effortlessly, essentially making a seamless viewing experience. Divided into several chapters, the film deep-dives into the heart of Jamaican music, the impact it had on music going forward, showing the strong roots that were grown, but never destroyed with the downfall of Trojan. By the end of the film, we see footage of a country embracing the music of Jamaica. What seems like two far different worlds, coming together as one. Of course, Rudeboy does a good job of showing the clash of cultures. The racism is discussed, perhaps not enough, but it’s certainly brought into the picture when vital. However, what this docudrama succeeds in, is showing people express themselves, regardless of skin colour. When the music is playing, everyone is there in that special moment. It’s an absolutely crucial part of life. Without music, creative expression would dissipate, moods would dampen, and certain social activities would die out. As a composer and lover of many genres of music, Rudeboy: The Story of Trojan Records struck a chord (excusing the pun). Without these legends, the music we hear today would be very different. Some of your favourites bear the marks from the impact that Jamaica had on musical culture. Trace the history and you’ll see just how important this period of time was. Embrace it, respect it, and enjoy it. #TaryllBaker

★★★★ Directed by: Max Barbakow Written by: Andy Siara Starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti and JK Simmons Film Review by Robert Stayte Whilst I have never been a huge follower of Andy Samberg, it is impressive to see how he has gone from your standard comedic actor to be a producer of music, TV and movies that have a genuine stamp of quality. Palm Springs is the fourth major film that his Lonely Island comedy group have produced but not directed, with the previous being the surprisingly sombre drama Brigsby Bear. This is more of a comedy but it is no less surprising. Palm Springs is a big success. Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Milioti) both encounter each other at a mutual friend’s wedding, with their meeting causing a situation that results in Sarah becoming stuck in a time loop that forces the same day to constantly repeat itself. She finds out that Nyles has been stuck in it for some time as well. Sarah attempts to leave whilst she slowly falls in love with Nyles and Nyles wonders whether he wants to spend the rest of his life within the loop. Whilst Palm Springs may look like a simple rom-com take on the Groundhog Day formula, it turns out to actually be a complex and unpredictable sci-fi movie that asks interesting questions about relationships, life and what a person does with both, especially when they are stuck in a never ending loop. The screenplay tells the story efficiently and goes in a lot of different directions, managing to balance multiple genres and story elements coherently. The humour is well handled, with witty dialogue and some outrageous moments really landing. The lead actors also bring a lot to their roles, with Samberg and Milioti not only having great chemistry with each other but also being great on their own. Both play rather flawed characters, but they manage to make them genuinely likeable, with Samberg being effortlessly charming and Milioti proving herself rather capable of being a comic lead. Though the supporting cast are not as well utilised as they could have been, they also do well, with JK Simmons as Roy, an enemy of Nyles, being a standout like he often is. If there is a flaw then it is that the film sometimes falls into rom-com clichés, especially towards the end. The script does also rely too heavily on exposition sometimes, but these flaws can be forgiven. For a first-time feature, the film is also surprisingly well directed, as whilst the low budget is apparent in the general look, the editing and direction manages to be both sharp and effective, keeping the 90 minute runtime brisk. The synth soundtrack is also a real plus. Overall, Palm Springs is not only the perfect feel good and thematically relevant movie to view during (hopefully the end of) your isolation period, but it is also one of the better films I have seen in 2020. It is available on Hulu now, so get an account and stream it ASAP. Stay through the credits as well.

★★★ Directed by: #ImmanuelDube Written by: #SophieSmart Starring: #MichelleDarkinPrice #DarrenDaly #BrendanChristopher Short Film Review by #ChrisBuick Based on the real-life story of a couple known to the film's writer Sophie Smart, #shortfilm Broken tells the heart-breaking tale of David and Amanda, a couple trying desperately to hold on to whatever is left of their relationship while they continue to struggle in their efforts to conceive a child. Having undergone three rounds of in vitro fertilisation already and now facing the daunting expense of a fourth, they are desperate for something or someone to give them even a chance of hope. But when their doctor informs them that their chance at a happy ending is highly unlikely at their age, the devastation of that news leads to a downward spiral that could pull them apart for good. Smart and Dube had worked on a project together previously (Smart was art director on 2018 short film Virtual Brutality with Dube taking on boom operator duties for the same film), but Broken marks their first true collaboration as filmmakers in their own right, with Broken being their debut outing as writer and director respectively. And while both do show great promise in their roles, there are a few bolts that could do with tightening here and there. First and foremost, there isn’t actually any aspect of Broken that is...well...broken. The camerawork, the editing, the performances, they all undoubtedly achieve their purpose, but it’s all very, very functional, almost clinical, with nary a bell or whistle in sight. The sound mixing is perhaps the weakest link here, as scratchy static becomes an obvious and unwelcome nuisance, most notably in the beginning but does persist throughout when not masked by the films subtle score. However, Smart and Dube shouldn’t worry as it's clear that with time, practice and determination, their obvious potential will come to fruition. What’s important is that they have made sure that the aspect of the film that does stand out is the part that matters most; the story. This extremely delicate (and frankly under-represented) topic is handled with an applaudable sense of grace and sensitivity and while one could argue that it maybe could have dug a little bit deeper, the writing combined with a pair of decent performances from both Price and Daly it still manages strike the right chord. Broken manages to do everything it sets out to do with a decent amount of efficiency, but never really threatens to set the world on fire at any point. That being said, it manages to handle its import subject matter with a commendable amount of respect and compassion. For first time filmmakers, both Smart and Dube have shown that they might have a knack for storytelling and with persistence the rest should naturally fall into place. #ChrisBuick

★★★★ Directed by: Emma Eckton Written by: Phil Pearson Starring: Emma Eckton Film Review by: Jason Knight The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many industries worldwide, including the film industry and The Past Keeps on Coming is a result of that, as it was filmed during the lockdown. The film focuses on a middle-aged woman who tells the audience about a terrible act of hers that destroyed her life. As mentioned above this project was made during the coronavirus lockdown and therefore the actress Emma Eckton, who plays Rosa, the only person in the film and scriptwriter Phil Pearson never met. Instead he sent her the script and she filmed herself. The camera is constantly stationary throughout the film and Eckton gets herself in frame either from the chest or shoulders upwards. She is in every shot and is always indoors, apparently in the same room, however there are no clues in her surroundings to give the viewer an idea regarding where exactly she is. She verbally reveals that later on. The film fades out when she has finished narrating a particular section of her story and fades back in when she is about to start another one. The screenplay is very well structured. The woman's first words are ''You'll hate me by the time this is finished''. By hearing these words, the viewer becomes aware that she did something unforgivable and desires to find out more about her. Pearson does a great job in creating a dramatic monologue that reveals the character's happy past life, how her fateful deed has affected her life and how she feels about herself so many years after having been locked up. Near the end Rosa reveals that she murdered her toddler son Jack for no apparent reasons, giving the impression that she is mentally ill. Eckton delivers a remarkable performance. She manages to give emotion and meaning to every word she utters. Thoughout the film, she has trauma, sadness and regret written all over her face. Her eyes fill with tears when she gets truly emotional and she makes effective use of her hands in order to express her feelings. She is capable of making the audience believe that her story actually happened. Pearson also composed the music and he put together a dramatic score that effectively accompanies Rosa's emotions. Particular praise should be given when she describes the moment she killed her son. She says: ''It was me! Somewhere in me I was capable and I did it! I did it''. While she says these words, the music becomes intense and with Eckton's terrific acting this is arguably the film's most dramatic moment. The Past Keeps on Coming is a very emotional ride and worthy of a great deal of attention. It is a piece of work that had a lot of passion put into it. #JasonKnight

★★ Directed by #SpencerMcCall Written by #GeordieAitken #FarouzGipson #WylieHerman #SpencerMcCall Starring #GeordieAitken #TracyPfai #AnnaSeregina Film Review by Seth Troyer A startup takes on a mysterious name: The Latitude Society. They have decided to use their money to give people an “experience” by making art installations sprinkled with cultish undertones. Eventually, when they begin asking for money to fund these happenings, the public says,“that was fun, but, no thank you.” In the aftermath, Latitude decides to use money that they apparently had all along to film a documentary about themselves. Rather than making a truthful 20-minute documentary, Latitude created a documentary that attempts to fuse the stories and rumors they perpetuate with their apparently true experiences. It’s essentially a game where the audience’s goal is to discern fact from fiction, and this detective work is enjoyable for the first thirty minutes. However, once you get the hang of separating their truths from their very obvious lies, it all becomes increasingly uninteresting. For the remainder of the runtime I waited for a twist, for it to maybe turn humorous like This Is Spinal Tap, or perhaps horrific like The Blair Witch Project. I won’t give too much away, but unfortunately, it continues to play the same games from start to finish. We are given reenactments and interviews with folks involved, speaking of “you just had to be there” moments that may or may not have occurred. Even if they did happen, the stories are soon lost in the shuffle, getting mixed in with so much fiction that they become rather meaningless. It’s sweet of these hippies to want to give us something memorable, but just because they continually tell us we’re having “an experience” doesn’t mean it’s an enjoyable one. The real value here comes from seeing it all as a test: how long does it take to spot trickery, to smell time, money and energy being wasted? How long does it take you to leave the room? If this was filmmaker Spencer McCall’s intent, then he has indeed made something in the spirit of actual anti-establishment, psychonauts like Robert Anton Wilson (whose quote at the beginning of this film adds a half star to this review). Sadly, this does not seem to be the case. Maybe McCall could have spent more time actually reading Wilson’s books and less time on these enlightenment role playing games. #SethTroyer

Grimmfest 2020 will offer a roster of feature film premieres and shorts programmes across a new online platform. This year has seen every film festival struggling to find ways to present new films to their audience safely, without risk of infection, in the midst of a global pandemic. And after long and serious discussion, Grimmfest will be going ahead in a new format for 2020. Grimmfest's live event at the Odeon Great Northern, Manchester, will be postponed until spring 2021. But fear not, a new online alternative “virtual festival” will run from 7 - 11 October 2020 and will feature an exciting array of feature film premieres, shorts programmes, Q&As, talks and much more. The online event will present over 19 features, two short film showcases, and an exclusive Q&A with the Master of Horror himself, Mick Garris (MASTERS OF HORROR, STEPHEN KING’S THE STAND), who will also be receiving a Lifetime achievement award. And what’s more, Grimmfest have released info on the first tranche of exciting premieres that will screen as part of the new venture. A focus on iconic female horror stars will feature Adrienne Barbeau (THE FOG) confronting a Faustian pact with a fracking company in the UK Premiere of UNEARTH. Grimmfest favourite Pollyanna MacIntosh (THE WALKING DEAD) revs up for the European premiere of girl-gang biker revenge flick REVENGE RIDE and, 34 years after TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, Caroline Williams returns to Stretch's midnight DJ slot for the European Premiere of vampire flick for the #MeToo era, TEN MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT. There's more female-centred horror in the UK premiere of Jose Luis Montesinos’ ROPES in which a wheelchair-bound woman finds herself trapped in an isolated house with a loyal service dog turned rabid. Grimmfest continues to champion independent voices in horror, with a selection of soon-to-be cult classics. There's the UK premiere of South African psychedelic drug-trip alien possession movie, FRIED BARRY. FATAL ATTRACTION meets THE BLOB as Misogynous sexual mores encounter old school EC Comic style poetic justice in the UK premiere of B. Harrison Smith’s THE SPECIAL. Body jacking parasites disrupt a polite dinner party with gory consequences in the European premiere of outrageous black comedy AN IDEAL HOST. THE BIG CHILL meets BATTLE ROYALE as a college camping trip turns into a fight for survival in the northern premiere of TRIGGERED. And an African American family on the run collides with cannibal Klansmen in the world premiere of DEATH RANCH, Charlie Steeds' delirious tribute to Seventies grindhouse and blaxploitation cinema, which suddenly feels all-too-uncomfortably topical. Seventies cult cinema is evoked, too, in the UK premiere of URUBU, Alejandro Ibáñez Nauta's homage to his own father, Spanish genre legend Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, whose most famous work, WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? is ruthlessly reimagined for a new generation. Grimmfest will also host an exclusive panel on Iconic women in horror, featuring some of the stars of this year's selected films, talking about their careers. Steve Balshaw, chief programmer, said: "We are selecting some fantastic genre movie premieres that people can enjoy from the safety of their own home. With so many titles already confirmed, this is shaping up to be a fine alternative.” Simeon Halligan, festival director said: “We are indebted to the ODEON, who have worked with us to offer alternative ways to present the festival and are pulling out all the stops to help us make sure Grimmfest 2020/21 is a success. We are also pleased that our key Sponsor ‘Horror Channel’ are able to continue their support throughout 2020, enabling us to put on an amazing post lockdown celebration of genre cinema”. Grimmfest 2020 full festival ‘Online’ passes are available now, from www.grimmfest.com

★★ Directed by: Ran Slavin Written by: Ran Slavin Cast: Mami Shimazaki, Yehezkel Lazarov and Yuval Robicheck Film Review by: Robert Stayte Movies that place visual and ambiguous storytelling over telling a regular narrative are popular among the indie circuit, as they can be a good and interesting showcase for ambition and thematic material that an unchecked and eager director can provide. They can also be a poor showcase for ineptitude and pretension with the feel being that of someone who desperately wants to come across as artistic. Director Ran Slavin’s Call For Dreams falls somewhere in the middle. It is hard to describe the story of this film, but the best that can be summarised is that a woman in Tokyo named Eko (Mami Shimazaki) services people whilst an Israeli detective named Ruven (Yehezkel Lazaraov) investigates a situation. Instead the narrative is more of an excuse for random visuals. With that comes Call For Dreams’s greatest strength, but also it’s greatest weakness. As a visual experience, it succeeds because there is a lot of atmosphere and the imagery on display can be creative and entrancing. Certain scenes also deal with the nature of performance vs reality and these moments are very well handled, but they are also the only scenes that feel like they draw you in enough to analyse them. In general, all these visuals and interesting ideas are in favour of a non-existent at worst and bland at best story. There is no major developed protagonist or even character to latch on to and no narrative hook beyond just wondering what the story is supposed to be about thematically. As a result of this, the film is rather aimless and even uninvesting. It is never fully boring because of it’s random nature and aforementioned atmosphere, but it does fail at having a compelling narrative, with only the finale being genuinely interesting. The low budget also does not get in the way, as the cinematography and general look is decent, but there is one sequence in the middle that utilises awful visual effects. This sequence sticks out like a sore thumb and it is surprising that it was left in despite looking terrible. The sound design is also a plus, adding to the atmosphere by having a strong and alluring presence. It is hard to say much about Call For Dreams because it is more of an experience than a movie. It does succeed at being an intriguing slice of weirdness, but it is hard to recommend because there is not much to it beyond that. It might have you talking about it afterwards, but it cannot guarantee it will be a worthwhile experience on it’s own.

★★★★ Directed by: #JanSørup Written by: #JanSørup Starring: #MariaSørup, #JanSørup, #JanEkenberg Film Review by: Darren Tilby Vector is the scarily relevant, post-apocalyptic tale of one woman’s journey across a dystopian wasteland, as she uncovers the events leading up to a devastating apocalypse and her role in it. This is a well-constructed short-film debut from Director Jan Sørup (albeit one with its fair share of issues), which provides a chilling window into current affairs. The Covid-19 viral pandemic, the conspiracy theories surrounding it, and the troubles associated with the recent BLM protests are all observable here, even if not intentional. Conspiracies, and riots, and a virus! Oh, my! Starring Sørup’s real-life girlfriend (Maria Sørup - does fantastic work in a role which demands a lot of lone physical acting) as Maria Vakhrushev, a hacker – seemingly suffering from amnesia – and sole survivor of a catastrophic viral outbreak that has wiped out humanity. The dialogue-free narrative plays things pretty close to the chest throughout much of its 14-minute runtime, revealing its secrets steadily, and purposefully, through the use of newspaper stories, TV news reports and flashbacks. It’s an effective storytelling method, one that works on so many levels here. However, it does make it difficult for the viewer to connect emotionally with Maria: more should have been done to bring us into her world; to build empathy to her plight. The film has a generally subpar visual fidelity (the film was shot using a Panasonic GH5), but, while a little too noticeable in places, it births an Omega Man like quality to the movie, and, with Michael Manky’s retrofitted, Romero era soundtrack, evoking the director’s early works, there’s a distinctly old-school ambience here that I really enjoyed. Sørup has paced and visually realised Maria’s trek across the barren Northern European wastelands extremely well - other than one noir-like scene and Bladerunner 2049 homage scene, which, while stunning to look at (and they are), do feel a little tagged on. It’s certainly atmospheric. The plot itself is up for contemplation: I couldn’t tell if I just couldn’t get my head around everything or if it was a little discursive in places. Either way, it definitely flutters around a bit, and what you’re able to get out of it will depend heavily from viewer to viewer. Overall, I enjoyed my time exploring Sørup’s weirdly familiar, dystopian world. It has plenty of imperfections, for sure, but there’s also plenty to like here, particularly if, like me, you’re a fan of the post-apocalyptic films of the 60s and 70s. And while I couldn’t tell you exactly what had happened by the end, that uncertainty can, itself, be quite endearing: it makes us think; it makes us ponder, and really, that’s what all good sci-fi films should do. Watch the official Movie Trailer below You can read more about the creation and watch some behind-the-scenes stuff here.

★★★★ Directed by: #Dan Gitsham #Sophie Mair Written by: #Dan Gitsham #Sophie Mair Starring: #Roxanna Vilk #Chris Bianchi #Hugo Stanbury Film Review by: Joshua Calladine Most good horror films have a simple concept. They may vary everything around this, but the central part stays the same. Exorcism. Necromancy. Communication beyond the grave. These are the tokens that BILL deals in, and when the proverbial chips are down the game is fairly straightforward in its play. The reason why BILL excels at what it does is because it knows exactly what it wants to do and how it wants to do it. With simple shot-reverse-shots conveying almost all of the needed information, editors Dan Gitsham & James Taggart have clearly understood why the Kuleshov effect has seen no challenge for more or less a hundred years. Cutting between a single monochrome photograph in its frame, each time the man in the picture adopting a different posture, is an obvious but intelligent device, one that articulates so much of the silent suspense that at least half of the dramatic effect is handled in this way. Few filmmakers appreciate the scary living-dead quality of photographs, but here the effect is exploited well. In a bold if seemingly misguided decision, the monster itself, the eponymous Bill, is revealed at the end of the film. But this too, is executed with impressive skill. The reason again: editing. A cut between the feet of the VFX monster and the widow (Roxanna Vilk) slowly looking up in horror at the creature's height. And a cut between their two alternately screaming faces. This comparison back to the live action from the animation holds the entire scene together, making it believable. That Matt Harris-Freeth & Neil Giles handled the VFX for the creature so well is a huge benefit for this crucial point in the film: the big reveal. But by avoiding any ostentatious visual frills, instead opting for a plausibly undead grey monster, lanky and gaunt, the horror is carried off without deflating itself. This plausible approach is carried out also in Sophie Mair's art direction and costume design, that remains believably contemporary without being too gritty, and visibly gothic without being hammy or overtly-referential. It seems difficult to imagine that a short clocking in at some three minutes could be so effective in what it does, but it never tries to do more than just this, and succeeds without fault. It has scare tactics and sees them well developed. The only lingering sadness is that elusive feeling of wanting more.

★★★ Directed by: Thais DeMelo Written by: Thais DeMelo Starring: Natalia Garcez, Caio Graco Film Review by: Jason Knight AMPM is an experimental short film written, directed, edited and produced by Thais DeMelo. It stars Natalia Garcez and Caio Graco. The main concept involves a young couple, Sharon (Garcez) and Thom (Graco) who are inside a room, smoking and drinking alcohol while sitting in front of an old fashioned television and appear to be affected in various ways by what they view on the screen. For instance at first the television shows old, black and white footage of ballet dancers performing, and Sharon proceeds to dance around the room, while Thom seems to be uninterested. Later the TV shows a variety of things, such as sections of advertisements, cartoons, news reports of people protesting, a missile launching into space and reality star Kim Kardashian giving an interview. While the couple are viewing these, they appear to be laughing and enjoying themselves. The film has interesting uses of lighting techniques and the editing is quite skilful. Particular praise should be given in the section where the footage of the dancers is shown on the television. Several shots superimpose with one another, while classical music plays throughout and Sharon dances. The combined elements create a beautiful and interesting scene. This is a motion picture that is open to interpretations. What the messages that the film is trying to present really depends on the viewer. Actor Graco makes a statement in a behind-the-scenes interview at the end that is worth taking under consideration. He mentions singer and actor Frank Sinatra and refers to him as a Mafia boss and President of the United States because he allegedly was connected to organised crime and he was passionately involved in politics. Graco then states: 'When you are an artist you can exceed all limits, ain't no barriers'. This could imply that although Sinatra was a performer, he got himself into other significant activities as well. Graco seems to mean that he could identify with him, in the sense that he is an artist too and can create whatever he chooses to without restrictions. And that is what he does in AMPM. He performs in a film that appears to let the audience decide what it is that they have just witnessed. Although the camerawork sometimes appears a bit clumsy, generally AMPM clearly had a lot of passion put into it. Graco and Garcez both deliver believable and amusing performances and DeMelo brings a great deal of talent to the project. All these features accompanied with an entertaining soundtrack provide the audience with a pleasant and thoughtful experience. #JasonKnight