Film Feature by Chris Olson Our Latest UK Film Magazine The newest UK Film Magazine on the block released its second edition on March 1st. The UK Film Review Magazine has seen a great response from readers so far, accumulating a few new subscribers along the way. As if any more incentive was needed, I wanted to just give anyone yet to pick up a copy a few reasons why they should part with a £1. Exclusive Filmmaker Interviews If you caught the sneak peek of the front cover we released on social media, you may have noticed one Jim Cummings at the bottom left. I had the enormous pleasure of interviewing the indie writer and director via Twitter. During our interview, we discussed his film, Thunder Road, and what the reaction has been like since it hit Netflix. He also chatted about his approach to filmmaking, funding, and his acting heroes. I also interviewed rising star Nicole Pott about her short film Powerless, which UK Film Review critic Darren Tilby reviewed (the movie review is also available in the UK Film Magazine). Pott was a wonderful interviewee, giving plenty of insight into her writing process, as well as the types of films she hopes to make in the future. BFI Film Events Our coverage of the latest BFI season on filmmaker Jessica Hausner also made an appearance in the March magazine. There was also a couple of adverts for two upcoming BFI events: The BFI Flare Film Festival, as well as a season on the legendary Tilda Swinton. Details of how you can attend those will be in the magazine, as well as in upcoming articles on the main UK Film Review website. March Cinema Releases + Movie Reviews Whilst you can find a ton of wonderful movie reviews on our website, in the March UK Film Review Magazine, we cherry pick a selection of the best ones you can see. These are movies due for UK release in March, and in this month’s edition we review And Then We Danced (which also made the front cover), The Photograph, Bacarau, and Radioactive. Check out the verdicts from our house critics to see which (if any) you want to check out in the cinemas this month. We also throw in a terrific selection of short film reviews. This month saw a few brilliant movies come our way and our writers were happy to share their thoughts with our magazine subscribers. Netflix Movie Reviews There are also a couple of film reviews for movies on Netflix. Our Netflix writer, Charlotte Little, provides readers with a couple of hand-picked titles which you can find on the popular streaming service. Which ones? Well, you will need to pick up a copy of the newest, shiniest, and most supporting-indie-filmiest UK Film Magazine out there. #ChrisOlson #UKFilmMagazine

★★ Directed by: #KaranDhar Written by: #KaranDhar Starring: #AmritaThakkar #SnigdhadeepChatterjee Short Film Review by: #ChrisBuick It is a common preconception that has been caricatured countless times across most volumes of media and especially on film. That men and women simply do not understand one another, and their attempts to do so can sometimes lead to more conflict than resolve, even in the most innocuous of situations. In Indian short film Munch On, Pointless Love from #filmmaker Karan Dhar, a young man and woman seated across from each other are attempting nothing more than to have a simple conversation. But what follows is an increasingly aggravating and confusing back and forth filled with sarcasm, aggression, misunderstandings and arrogance. Dhar’s approach in this film is certainly a unique take on portraying how members of the opposite sex often fail to empathize or communicate with each other. Instead of engaging in a regular discourse about one subject in particular as we might expect, the tête-à-tête between our two characters is instead presented as a series of random questions and counter-questions wrapped in pseudo-philosophical musings. But herein lies the glaring problem with the film in that by trying to deliver its premise in an interesting and refreshing way, it instead ends up coming across as way too pretentious for its own good. While it’s clear that the intention here is to emphasise the often contrasting male and female mindsets, it’s ends up going too far off the other end of the scale and needs to be reined in, which in fairness does begin to happen somewhat as the film draws to a close but by then it’s too late. The conversation itself is also randomly interjected by some jarring unrelated moments, such as our male lead (Chatterjee) ambling through some woods or Thakkar staring out of a window, scenes that seem more like a mere afterthought in an attempt to add a change of pace to the film, which is sorely needed but unfortunately not delivered. There are some aspects however that do elevate the film somewhat, for example in the performances, with the commitment from the two leads Thakkar and Chatterjee being one of the reasons the film works on some level. Visually as well, the film does shine. Shooting the film in black and white adds a nice touch, with the monochromatic tone working as an extra subconscious layer of the contradictions the film is aiming for, and even the aforementioned filler scenes are nice to look at if nothing else. Munch On, Pointless Love is certainly a different perspective on the old adage “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” and while you can sense something deeper at play, it’s simply way too subtle and not as clever as it wants to be. #ChrisBuick

Interview by Chris Olson At just 21 years old, French filmmaker Keyvan Sheikhalishahi has already made three short films. His newest Divertimento is one of the biggest shorts in film history, starring Hollywood actor Kellan Lutz (Twilight, Expendables) alongside Torrey DeVitto (Chicago Med), Ola Rapace (Skyfall), Götz Otto (Cloud Atlas), Christian Hillborg (Fleabag), Ellie Heydon (Harlots) and Brittany Gonzales. Both Kellan Lutz and Götz Otto, whose career began with Schindler's List, compared Keyvan with a young Steven Spielberg and declared they would love to work with him again. Keyvan just received the Remi Award at the 53rd Houston Festival for his previous short film Nox, an award that Spielberg himself, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, David Lynch and others received in their debuts. I caught up with him to talk about his filmmaking. How would you pitch your new short film, Divertimento, to a new audience? I would say it’s a very subjective experience in the mind of a chess player who has a tragic past and now needs to deal with it. How would he react? How far can his imagination take him? Why did you want to make this film and tell this story? Cinema is the most powerful art when you’re dealing with different layers and timelines. I’m trying with this movie to continue to explore new ways of storytelling. Also, I wanted to make an action or a thriller movie but to me, there’s something more with lots of nostalgia and different emotions throughout the film. Each character has an emotional journey in 30 minutes. How was the journey? What obstacles and challenges did you face? We shot the movie in a huge 18th-century castle, which was great but it’s very time-consuming. You need to light large rooms, you have lots of actors and extras, lots of props, different vehicles, different locations in the castle and 5 days for 30 minutes is very short, especially for this type of movie and when you don’t have rehearsals with the actors! Before the shooting, we decided to double or even triple the lighting and grip department than usual and we had 100 lightings. Everyone knew how he needed to work and what I expected. We found very rapidly a good rhythm. For this film, you wore many hats. Not just writer/director/producer but also costume designer, production designer and props. What was it like managing all these aspects and how big was the crew? I think a short film is an opportunity to experience new things and make more than what a director is intended to do. While I certainly wouldn’t do that for a feature, I think it can only add depth and knowledge for your own experience. From pre to post-production, around 150 people worked on the whole project, we handled it like a feature. How was working with Kellan Lutz and Götz Otto? Having previously worked with Götz on Vesper. It’s always awesome to work with actors you knew before and watched in movies. Both Kellan and Götz have a unique experience of big movies. They have two different methods though, or should I say one difference. The part of improvisation and feeling with the atmosphere and the set is much bigger with Götz. Even if I spend one hour with Götz and plan everything when I say ‘Action!’, I never really know what will be exactly happening and I love that with him, I'm impressed each time. With Kellan, everything is more calculated in advance, he's very thorough, he liked to see himself a few times in the monitor to be the most precise possible. What's next for you? More indie filmmaking or are you doing any studio work? While I love indie movies, I don’t want to become the kind of filmmaker who always wants to make indie movies. Divertimento already feels like a studio movie, actually. So I’m ready to work with studios with a good collaboration. There are the assets to make bigger scale movies and to work with big actors. My next dream is to work with my all-time favourite actor and it would be awesome to have a studio to make this possible. And also, I’d love to work with Pierce Brosnan, I’m a huge fan! What would your advice be for a new filmmaker? I think a new filmmaker has to tell a strong story and to make a movie which looks all his own. A story can be filmed in multiple ways, you can ask ten people to paint a very precise house or landscape, you’ll have always ten different paintings. It’s why it’s unthinkable for me to not direct my stories. You need to be sure how you want to tell them. That will make the difference. Why do you make movies? If the audience can forget their everyday lives and enjoy the movie during two hours, I’d be happy! What would you say if you were a dolphin? Protect my house! We do not live with tons of plastic in our home. Watch the Movie Trailer for Divertimento

★★★ Directed by #PhilipBrocklehurst Starring: #JonathanSkye-O’Brien #HollyWilliams Film review by Nathanial Eker Sometimes simplicity is key, particularly in the short film category. A grand three act structure riddled with clever plant and pay offs, plot twists, and an ensemble cast is often less passionate and effective than the gorgeous clarity of five minutes of pure vision. Such is the case with The Loner, a lovely short that captures a slice of everyday life, exemplifying the dangers of loneliness without uttering a single word. A lone man (Jonathan Skye-O’Brien) watches the world go by at the same spot every day, eating his same sandwich while peacefully observing the lives of each passer-by. His life is forever changed when a girl (Holly Williams) notices and joins him. It’d be a surprise if Director Philip Brocklehurst had never seen Paris J’Taime, a glorious collection of short films that focus on similar ‘slice of life’ based narratives. While The Loner’s storytelling is beautifully understated, its conclusion is confusingly jarring. The passionate kiss taken straight from a golden age Hollywood dénouement feels misplaced. The simple act of two companions walking off together could’ve hinted that life was heading in a more positive direction. Equally, the chemistry of the players, while undeniably visible, favours the sweet over the compelling. The subtleties of accurately portraying love at first sight is a hard thing to accomplish, and though Skye-O’Brien and Williams convey a warmth, their awkward encounter only makes that huge snog all the more head scratching. However, the good intentions of The Loner can’t be overstated. Though the performance of Skye-O’Brien doesn’t quite effectively hint at enough sorrow, we do get a sense of this man’s loneliness. The minimalistic nature of his encounter with the girl suggests that there is indeed companionship out there for everybody; an admirable sentiment. Had this moment been left in a state of ‘what if’, leaving the budding relationship more ambiguously, the film could’ve ended on a more successful note. Brocklehurst for the most part allows his sequence to play out with an organic soundscape; a wise move. Regrettably then, the non-diegetic music that seeps in as the two start to hit it off somewhat devolves the realist aesthetic into stereotypical rom-com territory. It doesn’t help that the inorganic instruments used sound more at place in an aquarium than as a soundtrack to the genesis of love at first sight. Even more shaky than the believability of the relationship is The Loner’s cinematography, which seems to have encountered problems, either on set or during the edit. A bizarre warping effect occurs in certain shots, which only further detracts from the realism of the piece, reminding us that we’re indeed watching a film, not a slice of real life. It’s a shame; had this error been ironed out, the film’s impressive verisimilitude would’ve been one of its strongest elements. The Loner remains a beautifully simple tale. One that we’ve undoubtedly seen before, yes, but a hopeful analysis of human nature regardless. Its comment on the damaging effect of isolation is effective, though it flies off the rails towards the end with an unnecessarily bombastic conclusion. A few tech mistakes and a pretty dreadful soundscape aside, The Loner has a clear authorial vision that makes the film enjoyable, in spite of its faults. Loneliness is a damaging, heart-breaking aspect of our society and this film knows it. Brocklehurst ultimately delivers an admirable message that’s worth remembering; look out for those most secluded. #NathanialEker

★★★★ Directed by #DanielRoher Written by #DanielRoher Starring #RobbieRobertson Film Review by George Wolf How big of a music geek are you if you can name all five members of The Band? They were the rare musical breed whose biggest personality was not the lead singer. Still, even charismatic guitarist Robbie Robertson remained largely anonymous next to the very rock stars his work was influencing. Writer/director Daniel Roher makes Robertson and his memoir the anchor of Once Were Brothers, and while that does limit the film's scope, Robertson is such an enthusiastic and engaging storyteller - and his access is so valuable - you come to understand the choice pretty quickly. Robertson met his future Band-mates while he was still a teenager, playing guitar and writing songs for Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. The Hawks' talent soon outgrew Hawkins rockabilly style, as Robertson and the boys moved on to a legendary Hawks collaboration with Bob Dylan, before cementing their legacy as The Band. Roher and executive producer Martin Scorsese surround Robertson (looking fantastic at age 76) with praise from of a succession of legendary fans (Eric Clapton exclaims "Big Pink changed my life,") and, of course, plenty of priceless archival footage. Music docs are always going to be most interesting to the subject's core following, but even casual Band fans will get bracing reminders of Robertson's guitar virtuosity and drummer Levon Helm's passionately soulful vocal power. Plus, getting a peek at Dylan telling folk fans "Don't boo me anymore!" and hearing Scorsese deconstruct his own filmmaking on the iconic concert film The Last Waltz fosters an engaging intimacy. At times, the reach extends beyond Robertson's music history to touch on the creative process itself. As a rock doc, Once Were Brothers blazes few trails, but the ones it travels are well worth revisiting. And though the lack of any counterpoint from surviving member Garth Hudson is noticeable, tour guide Robertson is the kind you're ready to tip when the day is done. Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Hudson, Helm and Robertson, by the way, but you knew that. Geek. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by #AndrewGoldberg Written by #AndrewGoldberg Film Review by Christie Robb “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In the documentary Viral, director Andrew Goldberg explores the recent rise of antisemitism in the United States and Europe. In a painterly black and white introductory sequence he gives the subject matter the feeling of a fairy tale. The film begins, “It started long ago with a lie about the Jew…” If only the rest of the film was fiction. Goldberg compares antisemitism to a virus (topical) which evolves and spreads, empowered by its ability to adapt to the people and circumstances in different locations. The virus began thousands of years ago. Now, one of the interview subjects suggests, we are nearing the “end of a Jewish golden age of feeling comfortable.” The virus is ending a period of dormancy and becoming active once again. In this film, we are introduced to four “mutations” of the antisemitism virus: the Far Right, USA; Blaming the Jew, Hungary; The Far Left, The United Kingdom; and Islamic Radicalism, France. Although tweaked in each mutation to suit the individual circumstances, the “virus” involves getting people to turn off their ability to think critically and giving them a embodied focus on which to place the blame for their fears or anxieties. (See Germany in the 1930s.) In the US it’s the Jew as orchestrator of the Civil Rights movement and subsequent supposed lessening of accustomed white privileges. In Hungary it’s a campaign to brand George Soros as a puppet master apparently forcing Muslim refugees into the nation to destabilize national culture. In the United Kingdom it’s Jewish colonial capitalists evidently conspiring against the working class. In France, it’s Muslim former-colonial subjects violently murdering random French Jews because they ostensibly back the Palestinians against the Israelis. Individual Jews are conflated with “the Jew,” which is associated with the threat, the change, the loss of power. Concepts that take years of study to unpack are simplified and reduced again and again until the result is a caricature of a hook-nosed grinning villain with a neon arrow pointing to it and letters spelling out, “B-A-D G-U-Y.” The whole simplification process is only made more efficient by the availability of the Internet. Once the conspiracy theory is tailored for a local audience it can be repurposed by anyone with a cell phone and/or social media account and replicated over and over. It’s a scary documentary Goldberg has put together. It’s scary because of the real-life examples of abuse, vandalism, and murder, and because the film itself can be a bit simplistic. This could easily be a miniseries or several individual films, rather than Viral's quick summaries of really complicated issues. (Just unpacking everything around the creation of the state of Israel could be its own series - or academic career.) Still, it’s useful to be aware of when, how, and where a virus is surging. Those of us who are willing to think must keep an eye on the present so we are not doomed to repeat the past. #RachelWillis

★★★ Directed by #YaronZilberman Written by #YaronZilberman #RonLeshem Starring #YehudaNahariHalevi Film Review by Rachel Willis Opening with real-life footage of Iraeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s speech on the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993, director Yaron Zilberman creates a disturbing portrait of a country in crisis with Incitement. Rather than focus on Rabin and the political decisions surrounding his peace accords with Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, the film instead focuses on Rabin’s assassin, Israeli law student Yigal Amir. After the signing of the Middle East Peace Agreement, Amir drives directly to a rally protesting the peace accord. After a near arrest, he drives to the campus of Bar-Ilan University and takes part in further demonstrations. A rabbi in support of the protests speaks to the students, encouraging their involvement in activities to undermine the government’s efforts for peace. The film does not spend inordinate time focusing on the violent Palenstinian-Israeli history. Instead, we’re thrown directly into Amir’s world. There are brutal acts by Jewish extremists that are fully supported by Amir. At the funeral of Baruch Goldstein (responsible for the massacre of 29 Muslim worshippers in a mosque), Amir listens to a rabbi praising Goldstein as a martyr and a hero for the Jewish people. When suicide bombings in Tel Aviv occur as a reaction to the massacre, Amir cannot see the cyclical nature of this type of extremist violence. From the beginning, there is little sympathy for Amir. We’re merely witness to his descent into religious extremism and right-wing nationalism. The film is also an indictment of the rabbis and political leaders who spoke about Rabin in harsh tones. At rallies for Benjamin Netanyahu, from which Zilberman incorporates real footage, protesters call Rabin a traitor and chant “Death to Rabin!” Throughout the film, Zilberman uses archival footage to great effect. It heightens the tension and shows the audience exactly how violent the rhetoric became surrounding the peace accords. While thousands came out in support of Rabin, seemingly just as many came out against him. However, it takes a while for Zilberman to make his point, and not enough focus is given to the factors that drove Yigal Amir. The film spends a lot of time following Amir around as he tries various ways of undermining Rabin’s attempts to create a peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine. As right-wing nationalism and extremism rises around the world, it’s worth examining how violent rhetoric from religious and political leaders can inflame an already angry populace. Would Amir have acted had he not felt he had the support of numerous rabbis and Jewish law? Zilberman has his opinion, and Incitement is the means in which he expresses it. #RachelWillis

★★★ Directed by #BenedictAndrews Written by #JoeShrapnel #AnnaWaterhouse Starring #KristenStewart #JackOConnell #AnthonyMackie Film Review by George Wolf Another film on the blonde 60s starlet who died far too young, and under mysterious circumstances? Yes, a starlet, but not Monroe. She may not have been the icon Marilyn was, but Jean Seberg's celebrity life and tragic death had its own "Candle in the Wind" comparisons, all embodied with beguiling grace by Kristen Stewart even when Seberg falls back on superficiality. Seberg's breakout in 1960's Breathless made her a darling of the French New Wave, but Jean was an Iowa native. As the winds of change in her homeland began raging, Seberg took an interest in the counter-culture that was strong enough to make her a target of the FBI. Director Benedict Andrews anchors the film in Seberg's involvement with the civil rights movement, and her relationship with activist Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie). Two FBI agents (Vince Vaughn and Jack O'Connell) report Seberg's status as a "sympathizer," and the increasing surveillance throws her life into turmoil. Andrews, a veteran stage director, seems most at ease recreating Seberg's glamorous life, enveloping the film in an effective old Hollywood gloss and Stewart in consistently loving framing. She responds with what may be her finest performance to date. We meet Seberg when she is already a star, and Stewart conveys a mix of restlessness, conviction, selfishness and naivete that is never less than compelling. In just over an hour and a half, Stewart takes Seberg from confident fame to paranoid breakdown, and the arc always feels true. O'Connell leads the strong supporting cast (also including Stephen Root, Margaret Qualley and Zazie Beets) with a nuanced performance as the young agent with a nagging conscience. But while the script from Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse (The Aftermath, Race) wants to draw comparisons with more recent government overreach, Andrews has trouble meshing the FBI thriller with the introspective biography. Too much of the spying agenda ("This comes from above!") seems paint by numbers, but it never sinks the film thanks to Stewart's command of character. Much like her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, Stewart has followed her blockbuster fame with a string of challenging projects and impressive performances. In case you've missed any, Seberg is a good place to start catching up. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by #MatthewPope Written by #MatthewPope #DonMThompson Starring #BethanyAnnLind #WillPatton Film Review by Hope Madden Good intentions are very mortal and perishable things. So are people. Leigh Tiller lets good intentions muck up what should have been an easy crime to get away with. No one would have known. No one would have suspected. Not that there wouldn’t be complications, but she’d deal with those later. While co-writer/director Matthew Pope doesn’t reinvent the wheel with his Rust Belt noir Blood on Her Name, it is actually the refreshing simplicity of the storytelling that compels you to pay attention. That and Bethany Anne Lind’s performance. As Tiller, Lind weaves a dotted line between upstanding and sketchy. Her compass doesn’t always point due North, or maybe it does, or at least maybe it could. Right? It could. It’s this struggle, most of it internal, that Lind characterizes with subtle anguish to give the film an aching, remorseful tenderness, a longing for what should be but what is always just out of reach. Pope populates his low rent neighborhoods with an intriguing mix of characters, none of whom are rendered with broad strokes. Dani Wilson is especially strong as a fading white trash hottie, while Will Patton finds dimension as an old man who believes he deserves a second chance but probably does not. Blood on Her Name is a film that should feel bleak but it rebels against its own grim fate. This is a film that knows Leigh Tiller deserved better choices, stronger options. It’s a film that doesn’t want to give up on small town, low rent, hard work. But it’s also a film that’s bracingly clear-eyed about the reality that balances that optimism. The result is a memorably quiet eulogy. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by #AlbertShin Written by #AlbertShin #JamesSchultz Starring #TuppenceMiddleton #HannahGross #DavidCronenberg Film Review by Hope Madden A seedy motel, a low-rent Sigfreid & Roy, the sketchy side of a tourist town during low season—Albert Shin’s Disappearance at Clifton Hill is a neo-noir told mainly in nostalgic colors, smoke and mirrors. The setting for the mystery is the Rainbow Inn Motel, a dump just off the Niagara River gorge that’s seen better days, though it’s tough to imagine when those days might have been. Abby (Tuppence Middleton – British much?) is home to complicate the fulfillment of her mother’s will, because that will involves selling the old Rainbow Inn to the town mogul who looks to raze Abby’s memories in favor of day-glo paint ball. What is it she remembers, exactly? A fishing trip down in that gorge. A one-eyed boy. A kidnapping. Shin mines all those wistful ideas about going home again as Abby begins sifting through sordid secrets, wealthy families, and the decay of the once wondrous world of her youth. Where will her sleuthing lead? Aah, the untapped resources of your local public library. Is that a microfiche machine?! Shin excels at nailing atmospherics. Tourist trap towns do feel seedier off-season, their sparsely populated amusements somehow sad. In Shin’s hands, the town, its near vacant fun house and caged tigers all conjure the notion of childhood perverted. Magician’s trickery. Sleight of hand. The delightfully dodgy Abby is the epitome of an unreliable narrator, although to Shin’s endless credit, we’re not asked to believe something she’s telling us. We are with her, step by step, as she convinces herself of something, which allows us—like Abby herself—to really hope she might actually be on to something. There’s a fluidity to the way Shin and co-writer James Schultz unveil Abby’s own sketchiness, beginning with a barroom conversation/seduction. This is also where he begins to introduce a delicious stew of supporting characters, each one a little quirkier than the last. Hannah Gross particularly impresses as Abby’s far more grounded sister Laure, but I was probably most excited about Walter. When you think of David Cronenberg—and I think of him often—you don’t always consider his acting. But he does add a little something something to films. Here he charms as Walter, area historian and podcaster: “Remember, rate and review.” Disappearance at Clifton Hill is not a flawless film, but it is deceptively competent. It’s fun and clever. Middleton’s clear eyed yet delusional Nancy Drew never ceases to be appealing. And just when you think Shin and company have tidied up a little too quickly…smoke and mirrors, my friend. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by #LeighWhannell Written by #LeighWhannell Starring #ElisabethMoss #AldisHodge #HarrietDyer Film Review by Hope Madden and George Wolf Leigh Whannell likes him some mad science. Two years ago the Saw and Insidious writer found his footing as a director with the unreasonably entertaining Upgrade. In what amounted to Knight Rider as imagined by David Cronenberg, the film gave the old yin/yang concept a robotics feel thanks to the work of an evil genius. The evil genius concept is back for Whannell’s reimagining of The Invisible Man. But the most interesting thing about this version of the old H.G. Wells tale is that the man—invisible or not—plays second fiddle. Instead of the existential ponderings that generally underscore cinematic Invisible Man retellings, Whannell uses this story to examine sexual politics, abuse, control and agency. It’s a laudable aim, but the reason it works is casting. How fucking great is Elisabeth Moss? Not just in this film—but make no mistake, she’s fantastic. Whether it’s her TV work, small bits in indies like The Square or The Kitchen, or leading film roles, she’s been brilliant in everything she’s ever done. (Last year’s Her Smell is making its cable TV rounds – watch it!) Whannell’s script is smart, with much needed upgrades to the invisibility formula as well as the havoc wrought. There are a handful of unrealistic moments, mostly in terms of character development, but a game cast (including Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer and Michael Dorman) consistently elevates the material. There is also an irritatingly convenient employment of security footage: there when it suits the film, but weirdly unmentioned when it would derail the plot. The fight choreography, on the other hand, is evenly fantastic, and these one-sided battles had to be hard to execute. But the success of The Invisible Man is almost entirely shouldered by Moss, who nails every moment of oppressed Cecilia Kass’s arc. And early on, Moss has to sell it - pardon the pun- sight unseen. We're only told Cecelia is abused, but Moss makes sure we never doubt that it is so. Cecelia's desperation, her fear, her logic, self-doubt as well as belief—all of it rings absolutely true. When you’re building a fantasy film in which one character is invisible and most actors are responding to an empty room, authenticity is key (and often very hard to come by). Moss makes it look easy. But beyond the sci-fi and horror elements, Whannell's success at weaving this tale through a #metoo lens comes from our total investment in Cecelia as a person first, personification of a systemic problem second. Without that, the gaslighting is less resonant and the eventual payoff less earned. The two-hour running time does come to feel a tad bloated, but this new monster vision boasts plenty of creepy atmospherics, controlled tension and - wonder of wonders - well developed jump scares. At its core, The Invisible Man is an entertaining B-movie horror propped up by contrivance. Whannell's aim is to give the story new relevance, and thanks to Moss, his aim is true. #HopeMadden #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by: #BrandonKeenan, #NickLaMantia Written by: #BrandonKeenan Starring: #BrandonKeenan, #NickLaMantia, #GenevieveWeiss, #DavePetti Film Review by: Darren Tilby Brandon Keenan and Nick LaMantia’s feature-length horror, Body Farm, is a film which regularly slips in and out of the “Video Nasties” sub-genre. With obvious influences from movies such as Hostel, you might be expecting full-on toe-curling, skin-shredding violence. While there are some graphic scenes of gore, the film never lingers too much as to make its viewer uncomfortable. But it’s this play-it-safe approach that ultimately causes the movie’s biggest singular problem: lack of originality. Keenan and LaMantia waste no time in introducing us to our first victim, Justyne (Genevieve Weiss), just as she’s having internal organs removed by a figure so sinister, you’d be forgiven for expecting cloven hooves and a pitchfork. A videographer in her uncle Mark’s (Brian Stowell) film company, Justyne was sent ahead to scope a possible story at a body farm where human decomposition is researched. While her fate comes as no surprise to us, her colleagues, particularly her boyfriend Erik (Brandon Keenan), are understandably concerned by her sudden disappearance. Concerns that are only heightened when a USB stick with disturbing footage and a mysterious text beckoning the crew to the research facility are received. It’s a by-the-numbers, lambs-to-the-slaughter kind of film. We know what’s going on, we know what to expect, we just don’t know why. Body Farm plays it safe throughout much of its runtime. Relying on (and falling into) many tried-and-tested horror-movie tropes, rather than making any meaningful attempt to carve out a unique place for itself. Far more effort has been spent on developing the movie’s twist ending – which, to be fair, is very well thought-out – and how certain pre-orchestrated events during the film have led up to that point. And while it does work quite well (the twist in particular), it still leaves the film feeling a little stale in places, as we’re escorted from A to B through the customary horror-film experience. Where the narrative writing is, generally, pretty good, the characters and dialogue feel underdeveloped and uninspired. Not bad, by any means. But they’re unremarkable, and the performances suffer a little as a consequence - with the villains, in particular, being overly dramatic and laughably obvious. It’s a similar story with the film’s sound design. Mikey Rukus’ score is pretty spot on and has plenty of atmospheric horror inflexions. But, at times, there are some really oddly utilised horror-movie music clichés. Weirdly placed jump scare crescendos are the main culprit here and dampen the effectiveness of the soundtrack overall. However, everything visual about the film is really, really good. The sets are well made and believable, Steven Croner’s cinematography dazzles in its dismality, the direction is superb, and the special effects, while not wholly realistic, are suitably grim. There are a few areas in which Body Farm doesn’t quite work as well as I’d hoped. I wish it had been more daring, and I wish the different elements worked together a little more coherently. However, there’s an enjoyable and well-made film to be found here, one made on an incredibly small budget of just $35,000. Both Keenan and LaMantia have proven, with this, their first feature film, that they’re directors to watch. And, with a bit more courage to separate itself from the crowd and focus a little more on character development, we could be looking at two very talented horror writer/directors.