★ ★ ★ Written and Directed by: #RobHurtt Starring: #EricColvin, #LaurenCornelius, #EdBassett, #SaraDee, #NamourLeBlanc Film Review by: Chris Rose The Lock Keeper, written and directed by Rob Hurtt, is an intriguing and suspenseful short film; one which highlights the potential of Hurtt’s future work. A film that relies on intimate closeups and dialogue, Hurtt masterfully ties together themes of family and conflict whilst leaving the viewer unsettled and hungry for more. Yet despite such promise, the film collapses in its finale, turning any sense of enjoyment and artistry into a lingering feeling of disappointment. The film begins with shots of an idyllic British countryside before introducing us to Spencer (Eric Colvin) and his family; celebrating a traditional family Christmas in their countryside home. But as more is revealed about the family and the history of its patriarch, not all is as it seems… Though lasting only 10 minutes, Hurtt seemingly manages to create two films in one; it is perhaps worth reviewing it as such. The “first film”, being the first seven minutes of The Lock Keeper, succeeds in building intrigue and suspense. The use of close-up shots, both as Colvin delivers his monologue and as the rest of the cast sit in silence, effectively conveys a sense of unease and uncertainty that reels the audience in. Likewise, Hurtt utilises panoramic shots of the idyllic countryside and scenery, used sparingly to break up the family scene. This simultaneously portrays the idyllic life that Spencer (Eric Colvin) has worked to create, and the façade that builds suspense for what is to come. A score that balances Christmas songs with suspenseful music compounds this sense of unease. By the end of this apparent first film, Hurtt has succeeded in reeling the audience in; cultivating intrigue and highlighting the potential of his directing to entertain and engage. We then come to the “second film” where, much like with many a family Christmas, The Lock Keeper collapses. At the moment the Woman (Sara Dee) delivers her only line – delivered off-screen for a reason still unknown – the entire tone and substance of the film falls apart. An unconvincing fight scene, set to an unsuitable song and filmed using what appears to be a Snapchat filter, takes any intrigue and suspense Hurtt worked to build and throws it out the window. His decision to have Spencer directly address the camera, in what appears to be an attempt at dark humour, almost ruins what would have otherwise been a complex character. Hurtt closes the film with a seeming attempt to portray the insanity of its protagonist, rapidly switching between frames and set to screams and quotes from the film, in what appears to be nothing more than a half-hearted attempt to induce anxiety in the audience. What was once a promising short film falls short, leaving the audience with only disappointment and one question; what changed in the mind of Hurtt halfway through filming? There is one saving grace that remains consistent throughout the film. Eric Colvin’s portrayal of Spencer, despite the apparent attempts of the direction to weaken his performance, is both endearing and convincing. Whilst the rest of the cast perform admirably (with special mention to Namour le Blanc’s cameo), Colvin’s strong performance helps to salvage what would otherwise be a notable example of a director’s vision leading to a film’s implosion. It is truly a shame that The Lock Keeper descends into such disappointment. Almost all the film highlights the potential of Hurtt’s directing, that can effectively build intrigue and suspense from a small budget and simple concept. With refinement, Hurtt’s direction can only go upwards; but such promise does little to recover the nonsensical and confusing end to an otherwise strong short film. #ChrisRose

Film Name: When the Music Stops Playing Star Rating out of 5: ★★★★ Directed by: #FrankDonnangelo Written by: #BradyMorell Starring: #AndrewAquino & #EvaMarieFredric Review by: Jasmine Holly Bullock When the Music Stops Playing is an under-four-minute short, written by Brady Morell and directed by Frank Donnangelo, which follows a man trying to come to terms with loneliness and the recent death of his wife. The premise of the film is clearly a sad one... but that is overshadowed by how highly disturbing the idea of this film is. To see the sheer desperation of the man and his longing for his wife is not pleasant. When the Music Stops Playing was produced by Carlo Mendoza and his work with the cinematography was nicely thought out and simple, in a good way. I liked the almost dull filter that seemed to be over the film, it really gave the sense that there was no liveliness in this man’s life anymore. Andrew Aquino plays the unnamed man, and his acting was great, especially when you take into account the fact that there was no dialogue. Aquino was able to portray grieving and being lost in a not-over-the-top way, which is always appreciated. The wife is played by Eva-Marie Fredric; she does a great job too, although she doesn’t get to do much. It is nice to see the occasional film that doesn’t need dialogue to tell a story, thanks to the actors, directors and other important aspects that allow the story to be told. For example, the setting was great because it was varied and fitting for each moment, and certain settings actually helped to clarify what was going on in the film. Because of this, the settings and props within them were useful and served purpose rather than being used purely for aesthetic reasons. The film is rather quiet except for the eventual playing of one song, which also happens to be one of my favourite songs, When I Fall in Love by the legendary Nat King Cole. This is a beautiful song and is also really well suited to the film. The lyrics and sweet instrumentals almost make you forget the reality of the story and you start to really understand how the loss of a loved one has impacted the man. However, the unnerving distortion of the music as it comes to an end is a really nice touch and reminds you of how creepy the film actually is, despite its tender moments. When the Music Stops Playing is a production that has clearly been done with consideration and skill by all those involved. For a film that is so short, the fact that it can effectively show a relationship between two people and the immediate story of one without the other is impressive. Brady Morell has written a piece that really gives viewers an insight into mourning and how a fraught person might try to deal with it, how letting go of the past is one of the hardest parts. Some would do anything to have it all back, even for a moment. #JasmineHollyBullock

★★★ Directed by: #CodyVibbart Written by: #CodyVibbart Starring: #TomHaney, #AlexisDanner, #WarrenHalderman, #KaylaVibbart, #DillonVibbart, #KeithTodd Film Review by: Darren Tilby The Exigency is an odd sort of film, one that’s fundamentally poor in so many ways. The CGI is dire, in almost every way (a problem for an animated movie), and the dialogue stinks of cheese. It’s impossible to pretend that these aspects of the film aren’t terribly bothersome—because they are. And yet, I can’t bring myself to hate it. In fact, I don’t particularly dislike it, even. Because, when viewed in a certain way, there’s something quite charming and endearing about it all. Let me explain… Writer/Director Cody Vibbart began work on Exigency in 2006. An amateur filmmaker and animator, working alone and learning both trades as he went along, it would be another 12-years before this particular piece of work was finished. It’s a labour of love then, one Vibbart himself knows has plenty of faults – “The graphics are outdated and amateurish, but that’s okay. I’m more interested in telling a story that is fun rather than getting everything to be perfect...with literally no budget, this is the only medium I could tell this story through.” It’s hard not to have respect for someone who’s this honest and candid; one who owns the failings of his work and the mistakes he’s made. The story in question is a fairly straightforward affair: Kyle (Tom Haney), an alien General from the planet Gallesha, has fled to Earth to escape his past. Having lived on Earth for some time, Kyle hs settled well and is now married with two children. But, seemingly out of the blue, he’s attacked by spaceships from another planet (Anumbis, who are at war with Gallesha) in an attempt on his life. Not long after, a Galleshian ship arrives and rescues Kyle and his family; taking them to Gallesha, where the useless and bumbling King Sargon (Dillon Vibbart) wants him to lead the Galleshian army once again. So the story isn’t very original, nor is it terribly exciting. It’s typical Hollywood action movie nonsense, much like the film’s script and dialogue delivery. But, in all fairness, it’s well-told and flows quite well. Although, the film could happily lose 20-minutes off its runtime with a little tidying up. The voice acting is...fine. Nothing more, nothing less. And, as I’ve already mentioned, the CGI is pretty awful (something Vibbart addresses on his blog, which is well worth a read), with the characters looking…well, horrifying. However, it’s not all bad. There are some amusing moments in the film – some intentional, some not – and the Leslie Nielsen like deadpan humour works well here. Also, and in spite of the outdated CGI, the landscapes and vistas around the characters themselves are acceptable, and Vibbart’s knack for world-building is actually really impressive. As soon as we’re introduced to the planet of Gallesha, I found myself genuinely enjoying my time there and wanted to know more about it. This is where Vibbart’s real strength lays; he’s a visionary...albeit without a budget. I like to think of this film as a satirical take on the big-budget Hollywood action movie; a lambasting of decades worth of tropes. And, with its unashamed use of action movie clichés, dialogue, and over-the-top nature, this may well be the case. But ultimately, that’s for you to decide. In the end, The Exigency never takes itself too seriously, so you shouldn’t either. And, with a sequel in the works, I’m interested to see if Vibbart does indeed learn from his past experiences. Because, as he himself says “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.”

Film Name: Eerie Tales Star Rating out of 5: ★★★ Directed by: #RichardOswald Starring: #AnitaBerber, #ConradVeidt, #ReinholdSchünzel Review by: Jasmine Holly Bullock Eerie Tales, or Unheimliche Geschichten in German, is a ‘horror’ film that takes the format of an anthology, directed by Richard Oswald. The film contains five tales within an overarching tale. We see the Devil, Death and a Harlot have some fun by reading through scary stories. Eerie Tales is a black and white silent film, which some may not be open to, but nevertheless this didn’t bother me at all. In fact, dialogue is unnecessary because the plots are obvious and the characters are well established via things like the settings they’re in, their clothing, and their relationships. The three main actors: Anita Berber, Conrad Veidt and Reinhold Schünzel , are included in every story and there is always a love triangle included between them. Some of the stories I was not familiar and others I was; my favourite was The Hand, although the rendition of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Black Cat was also pretty good. The BFI held a screening of Eerie tales, celebrating its centennial anniversary. For a film that was produced in 1919 it’s no wonder that some aspects don’t fit with today’s perception of what makes a good film. For example, the performances are very much over the top and unrealistic, which makes sense when considering that this was the popular acting style in early 1900s Germany. In fact, all the actors involved, especially Conrad Veidt, were extremely well liked and famous at the time. It’s fair to say that the film is actually more so of a farce, it is not seriously intended to be scary but still: the actual storylines were doing the bare minimum. Things like timeframes and the chronology of events were definitely overlooked and therefore not consistent, which made a lot of moments quite disconcerting and it sometimes seemed a bit lacklustre. Yet, there were some things that I found impressive when considering that this film is literally 100 years old. The cinematography and special effects used where surprisingly efficient and effective, such as successfully producing the illusion of disappearing phantoms... it was done better than I thought it would be. The absolute highlight of the screening for me was that it was accompanied by live music, by Stephen Horne, which included the piano and the accordion amongst other instruments. I’ve never seen a show with live music being played in such close proximity to my seat, which was the case due to the small intimate NFT2 room at the BFI. I must say it was a great experience, the acoustics of the room were brilliant and Horne is a remarkable musician. Prior to the screening, a brief speech was given by Miranda Gower-Qian who is the programme and learning director of the Phoenix Cinema. Gower-Qian explained how Oswald’s production paved the way for many films in the horror genre and the use of anthology formats in film. Whilst Eerie Tales is not necessarily the most entertaining watch, there is no denying that the cultural and historical importance of this film means that it is a film that should be watched by any film lover, it does provide an interesting insight into the early makings of the horror genre in the film industry. Plus, there are a few chuckle-worthy moments, so why not? Jasmine Holly Bullock

★★★ Directed by #JonAvnet Written by #EricNazarian #JonAvnet Starring #RichardGere #PeterDinklage #WaltonGoggins #BradleyWhitford Film Review by Hope Madden “Three grown men who believe they are Jesus Christ—it’s almost comical,” reads Bradley Whitford’s Clyde, a Ypsilanti mental patient who happens to be one of those three men. There is something bittersweet and meta about his reading that particular line from Dr. Stone’s (Richard Gere) report on the experimental procedure the doctor is undertaking with his three chosen patients. On its surface, Three Christs itself seems almost comical. Whitford, Walton Goggins and Peter Dinklage play real life patients institutionalized in Michigan in the 1960s, each of whom believed they were Jesus. Just below the surface is a sad, lonesome story of a medical system ill-equipped and unwilling to treat the individual, and of the peculiar, touching struggles of three souls lost within that system. Director Jon Avnet, writing with Eric Nazarian, adapts social psychologist Milton Rokeach’s nonfiction book on his own study, “The Three Christs of Ypsilanti.” Whitford’s performance is fine, but he’s somewhat out of his league when compared to Dinklage and Goggins. Dinklage is the film’s heartbeat and he conveys something simultaneously vulnerable and superior in his behavior. He’s wonderful as always, but it’s Goggins who steals this film. Walton Goggins continues to be an undervalued and under-recognized talent. He can play anything from comic relief to sadistic villainy to nuanced dramatic lead (check out his turn in Them That Follow for proof of the latter). Here the rage that roils barely beneath the surface speaks to the loneliness and pain of constantly misunderstanding and being misunderstood that has marked his character’s entire life. Gere is the weakest spot in the film. He charms, and his rare scenes with Juliana Margulies, playing Stone’s wife Ruth, are vibrant and enjoyable. But in his responses to his patients and in his struggles against the system (mainly embodied by Stephen Root and Kevin Pollak), he falls back on headshakes, sighs and bitter chuckles. Aside from two of the three Christs’ performances, Avent’s film looks good but lacks in focus, failing to hold together especially well. The point of the extraordinary treatment method is never very clear, nor is its progress. Stone’s arc is also weak, which again muddies the point of the film. Three Christs misses more opportunities than it grabs, which is unfortunate because both Dinklage and especially Goggins deliver performances worth seeing. #HopeMadden

★★ Directed by #MiguelArteta Written by #SamPitman #AdamColeKelly Starring #TiffanyHaddish #RoseByrne #SalmaHayak Film Review by George Wolf For years now, we've seen Rose Byrne and Tiffany Haddish each be plenty funny. Three years ago, Salma Hayek and director Miguel Arteta teamed up for the delightful Beatriz at Dinner. All four now come together for Like A Boss, and what sounds promising quickly becomes a painful 83-minute exercise in tired contrivance and weak sauce girl power struggling mightily to earn its label as a "comedy." Haddish and Byrne are Mia and Mel, lifelong friends trying to keep their cosmetic company afloat when they're tossed a million-dollar lifeline by makeup tycoon Claire Luna (Hayek). Luna's true aim is to break up the besties and steal their company (whaaat?), so our heroines must learn some sappy lessons about friendship before they can hatch their plan to turn the tables and show Luna who's really in charge. The debut screenplay from Sam Pittman and Adam Cole-Kelly is barely ready for prime time, much less the big screen. What little laughter there is comes courtesy of the supporting cast (Billy Porter, Jennifer Coolidge) while the leads are put through a string of hot-pepper-eating, song-and-dance-routine nonsense. Entirely forced and sadly wasteful of the talent at hand, this film is less like a boss and more like a mess the CEO tells someone else to clean up. #GeorgeWolf

★★ Directed by #WilliamEubank Written by #BrianDuffield #AdamCozad Starring #KristenStewart #VincentCassel #TJMiller Film Review by Hope Madden Kristin Stewart has been stretching. Yes, she will probably forever be first known as that girl from Twilight, unfortunately. But, in the same way her ex-vampire lover Robert Pattinson has relentlessly carved a stronger impression via challenging independent film roles, Stewart has been honing her craft and developing a reputation as a solid talent via varying roles in small budget films. The few dozen or so of us who saw her versatility over the last few years in Personal Shopper, JT LeRoy, Lizzie, Certain Women, Still Alice and Clouds of Sils Maria no longer think first of Twilight’s Bella Swan. But Ellen Ripley? William Eubank’s deep sea horror Underwater sees Stewart as Nora, a no-nonsense, quick thinking, fast acting survivor—the kind who just might keep the remaining crew alive as they try to make their way from an irreversibly damaged deep sea drill rig to a nearby vessel that might have pods to float them to safety. But what caused the damage in the first place and what is making that noise? Eubank has assembled a surprisingly solid cast for his “Alien Under the Sea” flick. Joining Stewart as the rig’s humbly heroic captain is the always excellent Vincent Cassel, while John Gallagher Jr. plays the latest in his long line of effortlessly likable good guys, Smith. Chubby comic relief is delivered by T.J. Miller. If that sounds like your basic set of recognizable stereotypes assembled to be picked off one by one, you’ve detected the first major problem with Eubank’s film: a breathtaking lack of originality. The script, penned by Brian Duffield (The Babysitter) and Adam Cozad (The Legend of Tarzan), offers nothing in the way of novelty and much of the dialog is stilted, and Nora’s third act reveal of the emotional damage she must overcome is false and forced. Luckily, Eubanks somehow convinced a bunch of genuinely talented actors to deliver these lines, so they mainly come off fine. And while the director frustratingly and consistently undercuts the claustrophobic tension he’s begun building, his monsters are pretty cool looking. Stewart gets to try on the action hero role, and she’s not too bad. For a 95 minute sea monster movie, neither is Underwater. It’s not too good, either, but at least there are no sparkly vampires. #HopeMadden

★ Directed by: #MattRafferty #CarlosHaney Written by: #MattRafferty Starring: #ArtDuarte #BlueMcDonnell #GaryHead Indie Film Review by #ChrisBuick Johnny (Art Duarte) is out for justice against the mobsters that have raped his sister (Blue McDonnell), storming his way into their strongholds and shooting down anyone that stands in his way, while also seeking revenge against head honcho (Gary Head) for the murder of his father who was killed right in front of him at a young age. Well where to start? On paper, it all sounds like a simple yet promising premise, but it is one that One Bad Mice struggles to hold onto and really doesn’t to be honest. Of its ninety-plus minute runtime, arguably about fifteen or twenty of those is actually dedicated to moving the story forward, with the rest of the film being stuffed with completely nonsensical throwaway scenes including a monologue about the similarities of women to cheese, a theory about how men can't be blamed for infidelity when drunk, and best of all, a woman dancing with a wrench while a fight takes place around her. All this makes that hour and a half seem like days. Any action to get excited about seems to have been lifted from a Three Stooges sketch or an episode of Scooby Doo, as Johnny monotonously moves from location to location thwarting the horrendously stupid villains that follow him by literally pulling rugs from under them, running around trees and leaving notes for the bad guys to find (seriously, where does he keep getting all the paper?) The films overall aesthetic which despite being shot in 2009, looks like a Hallmark Channel movie from the 90s but while that can be forgiven, unfortunately, there are a multitude of sins here which cannot be. Poor editing randomly cuts away to a wall or trouser leg during dialogue, which itself is cringeworthy and almost always accompanied by a single-track soundtrack being relentlessly overused throughout. It's hard to pick out an MVP in a cast that offers so little. Johnny's sister seems completely relaxed with having just recently been sexually assaulted, rather seeming more interested in Johnny finding himself a good woman, in fact all the women in the film seem solely obsessed with how much sex they are having or which man they may want to have said sex with. Johnny himself is such a typical non-descript tough guy, mob boss Eddie can't speak without moving his hands and no one else makes any sort of impact so in the end the star might actually be the parrot with the dubbed lines. Or the cheese monologue guy. Infuriatingly awful, not even managing to be bad in any funny or charming way, nor with its tongue firmly in its cheek. One Bad Mice, besides being a severe grammatical error, is like something straight from the Tommy Wiseau school of filmmaking and a dreadful attempt at a slick revenge film, instead just a horrible, sludgy mess. #ChrisBuick

★ Directed by #AntonIagounov Starring #AntonIagounov Film review by Nathanial Eker With a title as bombastic as that, you know you’re in for a bumpy ride. Troll-A-Long offers an intriguing premise, blending reality and fiction into a mockumentary that initially appears to comment on pressing social issues, before droning into tangents about the perks of being a ‘badass’, with little narrative rhyme or reason. The film’s stylistics are equally obtuse, culminating in a messy 90 minutes that limps along on the perks of its personality alone. Francis Beacon (played by Writer / Director Anton Iagounov) is an undercover cop. We follow him as he patrols the streets of Reno, uncovering a criminal conspiracy. Everything we know about Beacon is implicitly told through endless monologues, creating two film-breaking issues; 1) we meet no other characters with which to relate to, empathise with, or observe: even a documentary must offer narrative basics like antagonists, deuterogamists, and players with whom we can invest in, lest it devolve into a game of playground hearsay. 2) It gives us no sense of Beacon as a person. He can say describe his many qualities all he likes, but as all we witness are low-level confrontations with squatters, it comes off as overblown fluff. The film at least provides an excellent example of why screenwriting rule number one, ‘show don’t tell’, remains so vital. The sound design is equally incomprehensible. During conflict with the aforementioned squatters (allegedly taken from real patrols), Iagounov bafflingly includes inane pieces of music and pop culture sound effects for … some reason. Yes, in one dreadfully long tangent analysing the state of the world, Beacon refers to chasing criminals as a game of Pac-Man but this doesn’t provide licence to include random non-diegetic sounds that destroy any semblance of seriousness, realism, or tension. Finally, the decision to present the entire film, stock footage and all, with a bizarre, high contrast filter is painfully misguided. Protecting the identity of those involved is one thing, but as a supposedly semi-real crime drama, would a simple blurred face not do the job? Alongside the poor dialogue and monotonous pace, this strange choice does nothing to align the audience to our main character, leaving us uninvested in anything that happens. Which isn’t much. Is there any merit within Troll-A-Long, besides its boast of perhaps the longest film title in history? If you navigate through the waffle, there is at its core, an interesting tale of corruption and a fascinating insight into a criminal underworld. Had it been stripped of its flab, cut down to forty minutes, and given us a true protagonist, this could’ve been an intriguing look at the niche topic of small-town crime. Unfortunately, as is, it fails to hit almost any positive beats in terms of narrative or stylistics. Our advice is to avoid renting this cop, and instead rent a different film. #NathanialEker

★★ Directed by: #DarrenKing Written by: #DonnaTaylor, #SusanCummins Starring: #DeanKilbey, #DonnaTaylor, #MichelleOrpe Film Review by: JJ Donoghue The Edge, directed by Darren King, grapples with the sensitive subject matter of domestic violence with some success. The film often feels as raw and real as the wounds inflicted on upon Steph by her abusive partner, Dan. It is an unapologetically grim watch, with the camera’s intimate closeness to the violence that Dan bears down upon his partner forcing you to feel nauseatingly connected to this brutality. The Edge makes an honest and genuine attempt to depict the psychology of such a relationship in all of its horrible truth. Dan’s insistence, after the first assault, that he loves Steph and will never hurt her again, is a sadly recurrent theme in abusive relationships. Though Dean Kilbey’s performance as Dan lacks true ferocity in some of the key scenes, particularly in the climactic car scene, the character itself is well written. Meanwhile, the devastating and disturbing reaction of Steph’s child to the violence which forms a part of his everyday life, a reaction which seems to act as this film’s central message, demonstrates a refusal to shy away from the complexities of the psychology of abusers. This moral lesson is cleverly conveyed by the way that the film cuts between the child and his sadistic role model. However, though it depicts this fairly and accurately, it feels like familiar cinematic territory. Though The Edge deserves credit for presenting domestic violence in a way which is genuinely unsettling, it does not contribute anything original to the discourse around this issue. Steph’s story feels familiar to the point that it is relatively easy to see where it is going once it starts. Though this echoes the fact that abusive men will rarely change, and thus the predictable nature of the story contributes to its emotional value, it unfortunately makes The Edge less engaging than it could be. This shortfall in this short film’s ability to compel you to keep watching is compounded by some of the film’s technical issues. It is often hard to hear the dialogue that passes between characters, a defect which instantly makes it more than difficult than necessary to be drawn in by the events on screen. Furthermore, the sloppy use of editing around the final piece of music takes away from the impact of what is supposed to be The Edge’s emotional climax, as the music comes in far too quickly to allow this moment to resonate emotionally. Instead, the conclusion ends up conveying a sense of overt melodrama. Ultimately, The Edge is a necessary story, but not an original or truly remarkable one.

★★ Directed by: #MichaelBay Written by: #PaulWernick, #RhettReese Starring: #RyanReynolds, #MélanieLaurent, #CoreyHawkins, #ManuelGarciaRulfo, #AdriaArjona, #PaymanMaadi, #BenHardy, #DaveFranco Netflix Film Review by: Charlotte Little 6 Underground is a 2019 American action spectacular directed by Michael Bay and stars Deadpool's Ryan Reynolds. After witnessing the terrors of a cruel regime in the Middle Eastern state of Turgistan, an unnamed and enigmatic American billionaire feigns his death to establish an underground vigilante team. Referred to as "One", he recruits five other individuals to join his cause as "ghosts". Their mission? To take down dictators and terrorists that other governments won't touch. With a supposed budget of $150 million, 6 Underground can be compared to that of Netflix's tentpole Bright. The latter managed to crash through the devastating reviews and become an instant smash hit. The streaming giant hoped to pull off a similar but expensive gamble with 6 Underground. Critical acclaim isn't necessary for action films to succeed, especially in the age of streaming services. It's not hard to distinguish 6 Underground as a Michael Bay movie. His unique visual style goes hand in hand with disconnected editing, female objectivation and intense violence. The chaotic car-chase opening scene and distracting flashbacks didn't make for a good first impression, the insanity of the whole ordeal being enough to render speechlessness. It was hard to focus while watching innocent civilians being mowed down as the 'good guys' escaped from the baddies. 6 Underground masquerades itself as somewhat anti-war but ultimately feels like a justification for interventionism. It's vaguely implied that to liberate the oppressed, more suffering has to be endured. "One" offers yet another unique anti-hero role for Reynolds, following the success of the Marvel vehicle Deadpool. Although Reynolds is fun to watch; we don't learn much about his character as the film develops. The rest of the squad offer generic and loose stories, making it easy to forget about them. You may as well call them 'Parkour Dude' or 'Spy Lady'. The Bay Method is to rush the audience into yet another excessively violent action sequence rather than to develop his characters as the movie progresses. The lacking characterisation and flat dialogue are made up for through goofiness, a sense of humour and nonsensical excitement. Featuring swearing nuns, Trump jokes, and Spice Girls' 'Wannabe', 6 Underground can be summarised as Bayhem and Fast & Furious on steroids. If you enjoy being battered by endless explosions, gore and fast cars, then this is the film for you. #CharlotteLittle

★★ Directed by: #RobHurtt Starring: #DanielTaylor, #JoySanders, #VanessaAmberRenforth, #PaulOShea, #PeteOShea Film Review by: Chris Rose Wave, directed by Rob Hurtt, is a film that leaves you confused and unsettled as to what you have just witnessed. In the course of 8 minutes, the film offers little in the way of substance, script or sense – yet leaves you with a shred of charm in an otherwise nonsensical piece. Wave follows the “story” (a word used somewhat liberally) of the Pringle family, who live a quiet life by the ocean. As night falls, the family is visited by a creature called “Slimy” (Paul O’Shea), who they welcome into their home. Hurtt, having both written and directed the film, has seemingly made one fatal mistake; his inability to grasp that anyone, except him, could have absolutely no idea what they are watching. The directing reflects this, most notably in the removal of dialogue from the film. Throughout the world of cinema, there are almost countless examples of how the removal of dialogue can not only make a film make sense, but deepen the appeal and enjoyment of the film. Wave sits at the other end of the spectrum to this. A series of almost laughable and slapstick grunts and noises, with the one piece of dialogue almost forced in, not only increases the absurdity of the piece, but completely undermines any semblance of integrity or meaning the film may have held. Such weak direction and delivery naturally transfer into the acting; though it would be harsh to criticise the performance of any actor in such a film. The family patriarch (Daniel Taylor) delivers his role in an exaggerated and farcical way that inspires both laughter and pity. Joy Sanders, tasked with playing a concerned and protective mother, is bound by the direction into little more than grunts and harsh stares. It’s almost a miracle that Paul O’Shea (Slimy) doesn’t burst into fits of laughter during the film, let alone the rest of the cast. The score does little to relieve this. The constant slow crashing of the waves, or ticking of a clock as the cast sit in silence, seems designed to convey the slow and relaxed pace of the Pringle life. All this artistic decision achieves is to remind you of every second you watch the film, and makes 8 minutes stretch to a lifetime. That being said, Wave delivers an almost indefinable charm that stays with you, long after the longest 8 minutes of your life. The filming style, using a series of close ups and filmed in a small frame, gives Wave a certain character as if plucked straight from the 1970’s. The slapstick delivery, excellent usage of sets and the fortunate soothing of the waves in the background endears you to the film; in the same way one would be charmed by the calamity of a Tommy Wiseau film. For a film that offers charm while failing to deliver anything else, look no further than Wave. For a film that delivers a coherent script, a clear message or an idea of what it is you are actually watching, look anywhere else. #ChrisRose