★★★★★ Directed by: Neil Linpow, Greg Francis Written by: Neil Linpow Starring: Neil Linpow, Ruseell Barnett Short Film Review by: Chris Olson Time Movie Review Ferociously performed and entirely immersive, short film Time from directors Neil Linpow and Greg Francis is a tour de force of short filmmaking. Linpow stars (as well as penning the piece) as Joyce, a prison inmate whom we meet in his cell during a vicious riot. Instead of joining in or even being excited about the prospect of getting out, a guard (Russell Barnett) hands him a phone so he can call his family. The bulk of the story shows Joyce relaying his life lessons to his son over the phone, encouraging him to be a man but also to avoid making bad choices. How our protagonist decided to use his precious moments of Time is very telling and even more tragic as the riot edges dangerously close to his prison cell. This is a really strong script and contains a formidable central performance by Linpow - who feels like an early Tom Hardy in Bronson (there are other, obvious comparisons to that film). There is an intensity held by the filmmakers throughout the piece which makes it feel like an incredible trailer. And funnily enough, the short film has been picked up to be made into a feature film - which is fantastic news. As a short film it completely works, though, with plenty of intrigue surrounding the central character, as well as copious amounts of believable dialogue and pathos. The filmmakers utilise intense, roving framing to reflect the trepidation of the events unfolding and the duality of Joyce’s need to impart wisdom to his son whilst preparing himself for a seemingly brutal and inevitable conflict. The prison drama genre is jam-packed with utter classics, from Shawshank to The Green Mile, and it is great to see Linpow and Francis contribute something fresh and original to the group. We see a complex narrative unfolding from a simple telephone call, one which reveals a ton of underlying subplots all of which grip us and keep us begging, somewhat ironically, for more Time! It will be interesting to see how these guys get on with a longer stretch of film (see what I did there?). Will the movie share a cell with the likes of Starred Up or American History X? Or will it bunk down with the Escape Plans and, well, any film where Steven Seagal ends up in the slammer. That remains to be seen, and I for one can’t wait, but what is certain is that Time is a powerful, knockout piece of filmmaking that could prove to be one of the best of the year. #ChrisOlson Watch the Movie Trailer

★★★★★ Written & Directed by: #MikeCuenca Starring: #JoeyHalter, #PaulElia, #BrittanySamson, #ZachBlock, #JuliePepin Indie Film Review by: Taryll Baker Shot on a shoe-string budget, Mike Cuenca’s first feature is an absurdist politically incorrect comedy chronicling vignettes based around Jerry Powell, a gas-huffing thief with memory distrust syndrome. On the brink of insanity, Powell finds himself chased by a pulpy gang of criminals as he attempts to deliver a mysterious briefcase for a money-launderer. Have I just travelled through a time machine? What I just experienced was akin to a cinema classic. Elements from three of my favourite filmmakers were present in Cuenca’s remarkably crazy Jerry Powell and the Delusions of Grandeur. The cinematic style of Martin Scorsese, the heightened dramatic nature of Quentin Tarantino and the comedic creativity of Kevin Smith, all blend together in what I’d call one of the strongest debuts from a writer/director in many, many years. An indie feature hasn’t kept me as engaged and, frankly, as entertained as this in a long while. Through every nonsensical turn this film took, I was there for the ride the entire time, due in part to the performances. The leading Joey Halter creates a shifty, bouncy persona that he completely loses himself in. The dialogue written for his character very quickly became my favourite part of the film. Penned by Cuenca, the screenplay ticks along at a delightful pace, which left me with little time to wonder what might happen next. The cast around Halter is fantastic, also. Paul Elia having many great scenes alongside him, and Azmyth Kaminski breathing life into one of the strangest characters I’ve ever seen. I found myself more than once chuckling at the quirkiness of this film, and it doesn’t end with the writing. The music choices for certain scenes feel inspired by some kind of good fever dream. In fact, the whole film feels much like that. The black and white cinematography by Amberlie Bankoff is as gritty as an early 90s starter flick, well-composed with swift camera swivels and pans. Each frame is oozing with style. To think that this was pulled off with roughly $1,000 could surprise a person. But we know Kevin Smith made Clerks at the store he worked at during closing hours, with some friends and some crazy ideas. I think that anyone who’s willing to pursue a project with a minuscule budget and threadbare equipment is worthy of being great in this field, especially when it turns out as enjoyable as this. Jerry Powell and the Delusions of Grandeur truly feels like the beginnings of a gifted filmmaker’s succesful journey.

★★★★ Directed By: #FionaCampbell #EllaExley Written By: #LucyHunt Starring: #TheoBurns #LucyHunt Short Film Review by: #ChrisBuick After a night of partying, Milo (Burns) and Jamie (Hunt), mere strangers to one another, return to the former’s apartment now fully engulfed in the throes of passion, with even the cacophonous backdrop of loud sirens in the distance doing little to deter them. At first glance, it looks like there might be some type of pacey thriller or sexual drama afoot. But 1NS’ opening is pure smoke and mirrors; what follows instead is something quite beautiful as these two temporary lovers find themselves forced to shelter together through a government lockdown, creating a spark of hope for a real connection. After a somewhat hot and heavy opening, the film then dispenses almost completely with showing us the night of, instead dropping us straight into the much more intriguing aftermath. It never becomes apparent to us the exact nature of their government-imposed lockdown other than a throwaway line about a “terror threat”, but while that of course might always be there lurking in the back of some over-analytical minds, watching this relationship blossom between Milo and Jamie soon becomes the only thing we care about. Which really speaks volumes about the impressive piece of writing Hunt has produced here. Having its characters confined to such close quarters acts as a small accelerant for their courtship and thus gives their relationship its chance to explore its full potential, which could so easily have been squandered otherwise. It is an elegantly simple method that manages to take you on the kind of journey that normally would play out over a feature length runtime in just under ten minutes. But it’s the performances of the films leading pair that really brings this unorthodox love story to life. From the awkward next morning back and forth complete with all the go-to small talk clichés whilst also struggling to remember names, to the joy of watching the fire between them start to burn brighter and brighter, right the way through to the very bittersweet goodbye, our two leads really manage to hit the ground running and don’t look back. The chemistry between Burns and Hunt seems effortless and authentic, a feeling that permeates throughout the piece and leaves us with the desire to cheer them on. What rounds all this off is the carefully executed close framing along with a beautiful warming visual tone which allows the film to feel all the more intimate without ever worrying about the claustrophobia of the shelter setting being an issue. 1NS is a unique, charming and well-crafted romantic tale that might end a little too quickly but definitely touches upon all the right notes along the way, not to mention your heart. #ChrisBuick

★★★ Directed by #HalinaDyrschka Film Review by Hope Madden Film pioneer Alice Guy Blache and contemporary art ground-breaker Yayoi Kusama were copied, hidden and disregarded by the predominantly male industry that determined not only financial success but historical acknowledgment. In 1906 – five years before Kandinsky painted Composition VII, long considered the genesis of abstract art—Sweden’s Hilma af Klimpt had already created a breathtaking series of abstracts. Not that you’ve heard of her. How could you? As Halina Dyrschka’s documentary Beyond the Visible – Hilma af Klint points out, she wasn’t accepted in her time. Not uncommon for a great artist. What Dyrschka and those she speaks with in the documentary find far more frustrating is that today, even when her genius is acknowledged (more than a million visitors have taken in the current exhibition of her work), art history shuns her. Leaving behind hundreds of paintings and thousands of pages of journal entries and sketches, af Klint offers an unusual story of a singular life. Inspired by science, nature and spirituality in ways that would seem wildly uncommon today and must have been outright bizarre in her time, she devoted herself to a vibrant artistic exploration. The filmmaker lingers lovingly on the work, devoting every inch of screen to the vivid color and fascinating images. She surrounds footage of the paintings with landscapes, architecture and even talking head footage framed for elegance. The material balances the energy of af Klint’s work with a calm that’s sometimes even quietly spiritual. Still, the underlying outrage at history’s reluctance to accept the truth gives the film an energy matched by the excitement of discovery, which is never lost on the filmmaker. As impatient as the film is with the unhurried acknowledgment of genius, it’s equally thrilled to be able to share this genius with an eager if unknowing audience. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by #PatrickBresnan #IveteLucas Film Review by George Wolf If you're the parent of a current high school senior, you'll find some extra poignancy in Pahokee, an observational doc that follows four small town Florida teens through their last year at the predominantly African-American Pahokee High School. B.J. is the football star on a team dreaming of a D1 State Championship. Jacobed is the Salutatorian who helps out at her parents taco stand. Junior already has a child at home. Na'kerria is running for "Miss PHS" and weighing community college vs. the full university experience. For their first documentary feature, directors Patrick Benson and Ivete Lucas take a hands off, leisurely approach that gives the events plenty of room to breath - sometimes a little too much room. Some obvious questions (where's the mother of Junior's child?) are ignored in favor of following strands that could have been trimmed in a tighter edit. But the film still finds its resonance in moments both large and small. From the face of the older white Harvard rep at the college fair, to Jacobed's emotional description of her parents' sacrifice, to the prom dress adorned with pictures of Trayvon Martin and other victims of excessive force, Pahokee serves plenty of subtle, evocative sequences that will make you care about these kids. The further you are away from high school, the easier it is to dismiss what the class of 2020 has lost this year. Pahokee's class of 2017 serves a tender and truthful reminder of a crossroads unlike any other. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by #BradMichaelElmore Written by #BradMichaelElmore Starring #NicoleMaines #DianaHopper Film Review by Hope Madden There is something appealing to the glam trainwreck that is Bit, Brad Michael Elmore’s anti-Twilight. An angsty adolescent fresh from high school graduation voice overs: “You know those teen vampire movies that feel like the horny soap opera fever dreams of an 8th grade diary? Here’s how mine began.” Like it. It’s self-aware, a little deadpan funny, a little whatever. Go on. Laurel (Nicole Maines), the recent grad, packs up her Oregon-plated car and takes off to spend the summer with her brother in LA. On her very first night in town, she’s hit on by the super hot girl Izzy (Zolee Griggs), brought to an after hours full of incredibly cool people, and immediately she feels as if she’s found acceptance, found home. Naturally, Izzy and her also-hot friends are lesbian vampires who see Laurel’s specialness and invite her to Bite Club. First rule of Bite Club: No. Fucking. Boys. Maines is a transgender actress, a fact that elevates Laurel’s angsty “oh, high school was kind of a horror show” schtick because it probably was. Maines does not show an enormous amount of range, unfortunately, and Elmore’s script offers her few opportunities to shine. She’s entirely convincing with her eyes at half mast, enduring the well-meaning but clueless affection of her family. But Elmore penned very few realistic reasons for Laurel’s behavior and Maines is left struggling to convince us, simply repeating the phrase “I’m fine” ad nauseam. Diana Hopper, on the other hand, cuts an impressive figure as Bit’s Tyler Durden. Hopper elevates Elmore’s sometimes weak dialog (there are times when it works) with wearied badassedness. The villain, though? Greg Hill plays Vlad, the reason for the gang’s #1 rule. If Jemaine Clement’s character in What We Do in the Shadows had an out of shape, uncharismatic cousin, Vlad could be him. It is fun and sometimes really witty the way Bit mocks boys, though, even if Elmore’s core theme is, “Some of us are OK!” Indeed, Bit undercuts its feminist intent as often as it offers genuine insight. But maybe its main thesis is that kids are stupid, because Laurel’s philosophy for the future of the human race is…well, it’s stupid. Still, there’s low-rent garbage fun to be had with this. Everything about it could have been better, but like most guilty pleasures, it appeals in a sugar high kind of way. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed By: #MarcZammit Written By: #LindsayBennettThompson Starring: #LindsayBennettThompson #HectorBatemanHarden #NickCornwall #KatieBeudert Short Film Review by: #ChrisBuick Laura (Bennett-Thompson) sits across from a keen podcast host (Beudert), looking to talk about her new book, a supposed tell-all story about her time as a member of a notorious cult known as The Disciples of Eden. Here she was not Laura, but instead referred to simply as Number 7, during which time she even birthed and raised a son, but was subjected to all kinds of horrific torture, sexual abuse and assault. It seems at first that perhaps all that is behind her. But when Laura hears that her former cult leader has died, it becomes evident that psychological scars that deep never truly heal and we soon see that Laura’s past may in fact never leave her. Puppy, in this form, is a proof of concept piece, perhaps even an elongated trailer for a bigger film where this story and these characters can (and should) be explored even further. As we continue to watch it becomes more and more obvious that there is a lot of potential here. Writer/actor Bennett-Thompson along award-winning filmmaker Marc Zammit, have managed to pique our interests just enough in little over a quarter of an hour that most watching this would want to see where this could go; this does seem like a collaboration with a bright future. The premise is solid (inspired by true events), the relationship between Laura and her son Reuben (Bateman-Harden) convincing and although it noticeably drags its feet in the middle, the tension does eventually reach the right levels at the right time, actually going hell for leather in the closing minutes. It is also a compelling performance from Bennett-Thompson herself, who has to wear so many faces throughout but always with an expression which manages to say just the right amount of what we need to know about Laura without given away anything we shouldn’t. That said, as a stand-alone short, Puppy is somewhat lacking in certain aspects. The use of the podcast interview as a plot mechanic is interesting and serves well in providing some intriguing morsels of backstory for us to jump on but it’s a very short sequence, one that perhaps was or might be part of a bigger piece, and sadly is never revisited and might have been an interesting way of letting the story unravel. Conversely the flashbacks scenes we see of cult leader Joseph Roth (Cornwall) preaching nonsense to his followers grabs a bigger share of the runtime, but doesn’t provide us with anything worth digesting, instead seeming more like a highlight reel of cult leader clichés. All the drama of his misdeeds is instead relayed to us via a somewhat uninspiring off-screen news report, leaving us with little real insight into the cult and also nothing to really feast our eyes on for a good while until the end. It is a decent writing debut for Bennett-Thompson, accompanied by some accomplished directing by Zammit that helps the film find its tone. It’s evident this is the starter for something bigger, better and bolder and for that it can be given the benefit of the doubt. One hopes that should the film indeed be expanded into a feature, certain aspects might be tightened and given room to breathe after which, these clearly talented filmmakers might be onto a winner. #ChrisBuick Watch the Movie Trailer https://vimeo.com/403296616

★★★★ Directed by #YinanDiao Written by #YinanDiao Starring #GeHu #LunMeiKwei Film Review by Brandon Thomas A vicious fight breaks out between rival gangs. Chairs fly. Knives are pulled. A spectator takes a bite of a pickle. A man has his prosthetic leg pulled from his body. And this is all within the first 10 minutes of The Wild Goose Lake. Small-time mobster Zhou Zenong (Hu Ge) finds himself in the spotlight after mistakenly killing a police officer during a turf dispute with another gang. With dozens of police searching for him, and rival gangs looking to collect the bounty on Zhou’s head, he’s forced to team up with a mysterious woman (Gwei Lun-mei) and go on the run. In the grand tradition of so many other neo-noir films, Wild Goose Lake walks a tightrope of mood and style. Many scenes play out long and with few cuts – drawing out the tension. The maze of buildings, streets and corridors are shot deep in shadows. The visual claustrophobia unsubtly mimics that of the main characters. And when the violence hits – it hits quickly and brutally. The depiction of violence is where the black humor comes out. There’s more Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson in the violence here than there is Francis Ford Coppola. A killing involving an umbrella had me hooting and clapping my hands in delight. Not to mention the inventive decapitation via forklift. Hu Ge makes for a stoic lead as Zhou. At the beginning of his story, Zhou is a perfect example of cool, calm, and collected. In the opening fight, he casually dispatches opponents in a flurry of fists and kicks. Sharp contrast to later in the film when Zhou more or less resembles a trapped animal. Gwei Lun-mei is equally impressive as the standard femme fatale, Liu Aiai. Like any good noir femme fatale, Liu’s motives remain murky at best. Like Zhou, Liu’s resolve begins to crumble as the weight of their situation bears down on her. Gwei does a terrific job of adding subtle layers to Liu. It’s hard to look at Wild Goose Lake and not be reminded of Fritz Lang’s noir masterpiece M. In M, Peter Lorre famously plays a serial killer hunted by both the police and the criminal underworld. The narrative themes and strong visual cues helped shape the noir genre as we know it today. By embracing what makes film noir so riveting, Wild Goose Lake manages to satisfy movie lover’s expectations, and sometimes soar above them. #BrandonThomas

★★★ Directed by #GeorgePopov Written by #GeorgePopov #JonathanRussell Starring #DanielOldroyd Film Review by Hope Madden It’s been almost exactly one year since Martin’s little sister Meg disappeared. The Droving festival is upon us again, and Martin’s come back to town to do his own investigating. In filmmaker George Popov’s sophomore effort, following his underseen 2017 gem Hex, the co-writer/director once again weaves elements of a psychological thriller with supernatural themes to create an effectively off- kilter sensibility. Martin (Daniel Oldroyd, also of Hex) isn’t exactly what he appears to be. His own arc, much of it grounded in slowly-revealed backstory, is what drives the film. Martin’s internal journey is more deceptively complicated than expected. It creates an underlying unease that nicely offsets Droving's almost poetic visuals. Though Oldroyd understated grace holds all the film's unusual elements together, he can’t quite convince when the moment comes to unveil Martin’s most dramatic levels of psychic damage. The clues Martin pieces together feel too easily sleuthed. The Droving would have benefitted from some narrative complications, some untidiness. Still, the mystery itself—built on a handful of tense set pieces that deliver menace and weirdness in equal measure—is a good one. Popov’s instinct for visual storytelling is again the most compelling argument for the film. Hex, made on next to nothing, delivered a spooky, medieval atmosphere thanks in large part to framing and cinematography. For Droving, Popov works again with cinematographer Harry Young, whose shots are often beautifully lit, giving them a painterly quality. From early, eerily quiet pre-festival shots of Martin walking the streets of town to the more frenetic, dizzying festival footage, Popov sets a creepy stage for his thriller. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed by #MarthaStephens Written by #ShannonBradleyColleary Starring #KaraHayward #LianaLiberato Film Review by Rachel Willis Small town Wakina, Oklahoma in the 1960’s is about as dreary as you might expect. Despite many lamenting the “good old days,” director Martha Stephen’s new film, To the Stars, reminds us that world was not the ideal many would have you believe. This is a world in which outsiders were run out of town, thrown to the wolves, or worse. Iris Deerborne (Kara Hayward) is one such outsider. She is derided by her classmates, teased by both girls and boys (the teasing of the boys has a sinister sexual nature), and tormented at home by her alcoholic mother, Francie (an effectively cruel Jordana Spiro). Her father is a passive protector, stepping in only after her mother has already thoroughly berated Iris for her differences. Into Iris’s life strides the outspoken Maggie (Liana Liberato), a girl from “the big city” who speaks her mind and isn’t afraid to hurl rocks at the “good-old-boys” who harass Iris. And while Maggie seems to have a handle on who she is and what she wants, we quickly learn that not all is what it seems with this enviable newcomer. What connects Iris and Maggie is their sadness. A large part of the movie is the exploration of female sadness, from the quiet despair of the woman who runs a beauty parlor from her home to Francie’s alcoholic outbursts. Even Maggie’s mother seems burdened with her own melancholy as she tries to make the best of her life in a new town. Each of these women feel their “otherness” in a town inhabited by women who know where they fit. As Iris and Maggie bond, first time screenwriter Shannon Bradley-Colleary can’t seem to help falling into familiar coming-of-age clichés. There’s the makeover montage as the two girls skip school (a haircut, a new sweater set, and the removal of glasses equals instant confidence). Maggie’s outspoken nature emboldens mousey Iris. The boy Iris likes is sensitive and mysterious, not at all like the other boys. You can mostly predict how the chips will fall as we watch the two become friends. Occasionally, the film finds ways to thwart overused tropes. Unfortunately, these glimpses of originality are too few. Often, the audience is left scratching its head over certain character choices. Maggie’s mysterious sadness is explored and explained too late in the film and never given the resolution it deserves. This is Iris’s story, and Maggie’s otherness only serves to help Iris become a confident woman. A few lovely moments of female solidarity help the movie become something a little more than a cliched look at two outsiders bonding, but those instants are mostly lost in a film that can’t seem to embrace its own otherness. #RachelWillis

★★★★ Directed by #JustinKurzel Written by #ShaunGrant Starring #GeorgeMacKay #BenCorbett #EssieDavis Film Review by George Wolf Planting its flag unapologetically at the corner of accuracy and myth, The True History of the Kelly Gang reintroduces a legendary 1870s folk hero through consistently bold and compelling strokes. His death imminent, Australian outlaw Ned Kelly (1917's George MacKay in another impressive turn) is writing a letter to the daughter he will most likely never see. With a promise to "burn if I speak false," Kelly wants his child to separate fact from fiction in the family history. It's an audacious, somewhat cheeky opening from director Justin Kurzel, considering that the film itself is based on a historical novel. Kurzel and screenwriter Shaun Grant - the duo behind the true crime shocker The Snowtown Murders nine years ago - go bigger this time, trading spare intimacy for a tableau of grand visual and narrative ideas. After a heroic act in childhood, Ned gets the chance at a proper education. That offer is spurned by his angry and defiant mother (Essie Davis, terrific), who instead passes Ned off to notorious Aussie bushranger Harry Power (Russel Crowe in a sterling cameo) for an intro into the outlaw life. With a direct nod to the moment when "the myth is more profitable than the man," Kurzel spins an irresistible yarn that manages to balance the worship of its hero with some condemnation for his sins. And as the road to Kelly's guns-blazing capture unfurls, the film incorporates elements of both a tense crime thriller and a Nightingale-esqe reminder of savage colonialism. Does the legend of Ned Kelly owe more to history or myth? Hero or murderer? True History.... aims higher than one word answers, with storytelling that often soars before landing. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by: #BrettChapman Written by: #JamesPhillips Starring: #RianaDuce, #JohnPoulter, #KatieEldred, #AngusImrie Film Review by: Darren Tilby The Good Book is the first production from the Leeds People’s Theatre Company, a new company created by Slung Low in Holbeck. The Leeds People’s Theatre Company is described as being “a dedicated division for large-scale professional arts projects with communities at the heart of them.” This film is indicative of that ethos and serves as a promising start for such a young, community-based venture. Sometime in the near future, a dystopian Britain is split between loyalists of its powerful ruler, Queen Bear, and the followers of Galahad, a radical terrorist cell. Avalon (Riana Duce), a young woman with no particular love of either group, finds herself caught bang in the middle of a burgeoning civil war as she hurries to save a priceless artefact from the past. The Good Book features a whole host of unique and colourful characters, in both the central and supporting roles. And while this is great to see, it’s also where we find our first issues with the movie. Put simply, there’s a considerable lack of context here. There’s no reasoning behind this escalating conflict, and so, no reasoning behind any of the characters’ political stances. This is quite an oversight. And, while time restraints can obviously impact on a filmmakers ability to do this sort of thing properly, I do feel that with more concise writing, this was possible. Having said that the performances were incredibly solid from across the board and were a delight to watch from beginning to end. The near-future dystopian look the filmmakers have opted for, and which was portrayed so brilliantly in Children of Men, works so well here. It’s relatively inexpensive to implement, which is great for a movie made on a tight budget. But it’s also a really effective way to impart upon a film a gritty and grounded atmosphere. This, paired with a superb score from Heather Fenoughty, results in an experience that feels all too close to home. Particularly in today’s political climate. While there are definite problems here (chief among them is a confusing finale and lack of context to the issues at hand), there’s a lot to admire in The Good Book. For instance, the filmmakers made sure to identify their limitations and have instead used them advantageously, making this a well-crafted piece of socio-political filmmaking. This takes a lot of nous, and for a first-time production, it’s a promising sign of things to come. It’s always lovely to see community projects like this come together so well. And from May 1st, when the film releases, you’ll be able to see it too.