★ Directed by: #RichardHeene Written by: Richard Heene Starring: #DeanPskowski, #FalconHeene, #RyoHeene, #BradfordHeene, #JayLamar, #JohnnyVegaz, #MadelineSmyth, #JenniferPskowski, #GregGebauer, Indie Film Review by: Chris Olson American Chilly: It's Killing Me review An anarchic and cacophonous interactive-theatre-production-cum-heavy-metal-gig, indie film American Chilly from #filmmaker Richard Heene is unlike anything you have ever seen before. The audience/crowd play witness to a baffling storyline interspersed with live performances and advert skits, whilst a live countdown on their Facebook page gives attendees the chance to influence the outcome of the plot. Dean Pskowski plays Morgen, a father of three who inherits a cursed restaurant in the middle of America’s nowhere. He traipses across country with his musician sons (Falcon Heene, Bradford Heene, and Ryo Heene) in tow, hoping to make a go of it, only to find a huge array of insanely plotted challenges and colourful characters coming his way. Oh, and there’s enough poo references and gags to make a TV show like Bottom look like Downton Abbey. First, the positives. It’s energetic, free-flowing, and the kids can definitely play their instruments. Their songs (whilst crammed full of senseless references to the plot) are unique and powerfully performed, with the guitarists often going out into the crowd to rouse everyone up. Their sound is what you would imagine the love children of a threeway between Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Tenacious D would sound like. The fact that they are so young and can put on a rock orchestra for over two hours (and trust me, I know it was that long) is at the very least impressive. It’s a shame the intermingling of their rocking abilities was not combined with a more nuanced storyline and competent production. Sadly, the negatives could go on longer than the Metallica back catalogue. The production values are eye-wincing, with poorly placed cameras attempting in vain to keep up with the plethora of bizarre characters, songs, and plotlines. The choreography of America Chilly is nonexistent, with performers tripping over each other and seeming to have no reason to be on stage, yet - there they are! At one point, the audience is encouraged to throw toilet paper onto the stage (after yet another defecation scene) and the mess just keeps coming. The performers, whilst energetic, lack any theatrical skills and deliver lines like they just picked them up and read them off a napkin. The audience, amazingly, seem to be fully invested in the piece, guffawing at the numerous innuendos and poop jokes, making this viewer think they were likely friends and family of the band. It is also massively repetitive, with an endless stream of stopping for a song and watching Falcon (the bassist and lead singer) overdramatically sing his lines whilst the guitarist pops off to the side or into the audience to play an indulgent solo. Unique and ambitious to a fault, The Rocky Horror Picture Show or We Will Rock You this aint. Watch the Movie Trailer

★★★★ Directed by #CraigBrewer Written by #ScottAlexander #LarryKaraszewski Starring #EddieMurphy #WesleySnipes #KodiSmitMcPhee Film Review by #GeorgeWolf Can't you just hear Dolemite now? "I'm so m*&^@f#$@!^*' bad they got that m*&^@f#$@! Eddie Murphy to play me in a m*&^@f#$@!^' movie!" They did, and Murphy could very well ride it to an Oscar nomination in this brash, funny, and often wildly entertaining look at the birth of a cultural icon. "Dolemite" was the brainchild of Rudy Ray Moore, who created the character for his standup comedy act in the early 70s. Moore's raw material was much too adult for record companies at the time, but the success of his early underground comedy albums (sample title: "Eat Out More Often") finally gave Moore the cheering crowds he longed for - and the urge to take Dolemite to the big screen. Moore's string of so-bad-their-good blaxploitation classics not only became important influences in the expanding independent film market, but also for rappers and young comics like Murphy himself. Screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who penned the scripts for The People vs. Larry Flynt, Ed Wood and Man on the Moon among others, are certainly at home fleshing out the stories behind creative legends, and their script fills Dolemite Is My Name with heart, joy and raunchy laughs. Director Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan) keeps the pace quick and energetic, crafting a bustling salute to the creative process that never forgets how to be fun. Two pivotal and very funny scenes bookend the film's biggest strengths. Early on, Moore and his crew leave a movie theater dumbfounded by the white audience's love for a popular feature that had "no titties, no funny and no kung fu!" Then, during filming of the original Dolemite, Moore doesn't feel right about his big sex scene until his character's prowess is pushed to ridiculous levels. We're laughing, but there's no doubt we're laughing with Moore, not at him. And while we're laughing, we're learning how Moore took inspiration from the world he lived in, and why he wouldn't rest until his audience was served. At the Toronto International Film Festival last month, Murphy said he wanted this film to remind people why they liked him. Done. Leading a terrific ensemble that includes Craig Robinson, Keegan-Michael Key, Kodi Smit-McPhee and a priceless Wesley Snipes as the "real" actor among these amateurs, Murphy owns every frame. This film wouldn't work unless we see a separation between Moore and his character. Murphy toes this line with electric charisma, setting up the feels when Moore's dogged belief in himself is finally rewarded. Dolemite Is My Name tells a personal story, but it's one that's universal to dreamers everywhere. And it's also m*&^@f#$@!^* funny, suckas!

★★ Directed by #PatrickLussier Written by #PatrickLussier #ToddFarmer Starring #OmarEpps #KristinaReyes #EllenAdair #TomAtkins Film Review by #HopeMadden Always choose treat. That’s a great horror movie tagline. It’s also just good advice. Two for two before the credits even roll, Patrick Lussier. Onward! Lussier co-writes and directs Trick, a new horror show about an unstoppable, maybe even supernatural serial killer who comes back to Smalltown, America on Halloween to kill teens. Hang on, isn’t that the basic plot of the Halloween franchise? It is! But wait, there’s more! This loner wearing face paint appeals to the disenfranchised of the world, creating an online following that’s almost dangerous in its obsessive behavior. Who knows what his influence might make them do… Well, now that’s just Joker. Correct! But this guy has a cool knife that says TRICK on one side and TREAT on the other side. Yeah…that’s kind of cool…So if the knife comes up TRICK, he kills you, right? What if it comes up TREAT? He still kills you. There’s no additional purpose to the knife. But stay with me, here! A beautiful, studious young woman who’s devoted to her invalid dad survived the first attack and now "Trick" Weaver may be coming back to claim her for his next victim! Oh, come on! That’s every single slasher sequel. Ever! And this isn’t even a sequel—that’s just lazy. Does Trick bring anything new to the table? Offer anything provocative? Are the kills at least interesting? Did I tell you about his cool knife? Sigh. Lussier (Drive Angry, My Bloody Valentine) cobbles a movie together from pieces of at least four different Halloween films plus a Scream vibe (even poaching two franchise actors, Omar Epps and Jamie Kennedy). His film would feel desperate to be socially relevant if it were not so incredibly lazy in just every conceivable way. I was looking forward to a treat. Trick is like that time my babysitter said she was giving me a Tootsie Roll and it was really beef jerky. That totally happened, by the way. I’m still mad.

★★ Directed by #JoachimRonning Written by #MicahFitzermanBlue #NoahHarpster #LindaWoolverton Starring #AngelinaJolie #ElleFanning #MichellePfeiffer Film Review by #HopeMadden I’m not going to lie to you, I hated Maleficent. Not because it was a mediocre CGI mess, although it certainly was that. I hated that film because Disney turned one of its absolutely most magnificent villains—one of cinema’s most magnificent villains—into a heartbroken, misunderstood victim. Screw that. But five years after Maleficent’s (Angelina Jolie) maternal love saves Aurora (Elle Fanning) and several kingdoms in the process, humans are back to whispering evil stories about the guardian of the Moors. Meanwhile, Aurora and Prince Philip (Harris Dickinson) have decided to marry. That first family dinner doesn’t go super well. Stuffed to the antlers with sidetracks and subplots, characters and ideas, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil shows you everything and articulates nothing. Flashes of social commentary stand out. In the name of greed, evil leadership whips up fear amongst the population to justify racism, jingoism, colonialism and even genocide. Despite Maleficent’s fangs, the fact that the film clearly leans toward giving the colonizers one more chance as opposed to siding with indigenous rebellion renders the film biteless. But who could resist Chiwetel Ejiofor? He calls for peace and languishes in some kind of Disney side character purgatory as wizened and wearied Conall, one of the winged Fey who look to Maleficent to lead their kind. Dear Hollywood: please give Chiwetel Ejiofor better parts in better movies. Ejiofor is hardly the only talent wasted in this slog. Littered amid the carnage of so, so many side plots are Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple, again bothersome at best as three pixies. Sam Riley and Ed Skrein are allowed to smirk and grunt, respectively. Only Jenn Murray stands out, weirdly sadistic playing the queen’s very small enforcer. Even Fanning once again comes up lame, asked only to beam and blush, though Dickinson has it worse. Be quietly noble, his direction seems to insist. Noble, but never rude. The film should be Jolie’s show, but she does little more than pose. Robbed of her imposing wickedness by the end of the first movie, she now just seems bored and is more often than not upstaged by Michelle Pfeiffer’s Queen Ingrith. Ingrith is written with no more depth than any of the other few dozen speaking characters to grace the screen in this overpopulated mess, but it’s always fun to see Pfeiffer chew scenery up and spit it out. Director Joachim Ronning shows moments of visual inspiration, splashing color across the screen one moment, forbiddingly grim grey tones the next, but the little magical creatures rarely suggest the CGI budget was spent very wisely. What was the point again? Oh, right. Maleficent made $758 million.

★★★★ Directed by: #RianJohnson Written by: Rian Johnson Starring: #AnadeArmas, #ToniCollette, #ChrisEvans, #DanielCraig, #EdiPatterson, #JamieLeeCurtis, #KatheringLangford, #MichaelShannon, #ChristopherPlummer BFI London Film Festival Review by: Andrew Young Knives Out Movie Review In just a few films, Rian Johnson has come from interesting indie #filmmaker to the kind of director who’s name is put on the poster to sell tickets. From making the ultra low-budget Brick to being custodian of the cultural and financial behemoth that is Star Wars, Johnson has made himself one of the best-known directors in Hollywood. Hence the enormous anticipation for Knives Out, the American’s passion-project whodunnit featuring an all-star cast and a series of cool posters. Given Johnson’s track record of garnering critical acclaim implementing his personal visions whilst working within genre, it is no surprise that Knives Out is a delight. It is a hoot. A riot. It is possibly the most fun you will have at the movies this year. Johnson has produced a film that stays true to the spirit of an Agatha Christie murder-mystery whilst being self-aware enough to send up the genre’s clichés and pretensions. In a fun meta twist that is indicative of the film’s approach, the corpse at the centre of our mystery is world-renowned whodunnit novelist Harlan Thrombey - a constant source of amusement to a superfan cop assigned to the case. At the start of the film Thrombey is found with his throat cut on his 80th birthday. The patriarch leaves behind a family of largely pretty despicable people, squabbling amongst themselves and each eying a significant portion of the Thrombey family fortune. It is an almost knowingly familiar set-up, but this does nothing to detract from the fun Johnson and co. have with it. To spin his yarn, Johnson has assembled a group of actors so funny, so charismatic, that the film could never really have failed. Each one plays their role with utter conviction, revelling in the humour, nastiness and absurdity of the characters. In the youngest generation of the Thrombey dynasty we have Jaeden Martell as alt-right teen Jacob, firmly contrasted by Katherine Langford’s Meg, a college student studying what one character describes as an ‘SJW degree’. Then there is Ransom, played with wicked relish by Chris Evans. Captain America himself, the epitome of the do-gooder American, has a ball subverting his image here as an utter reprobate disliked by all. Things get even more colourful with the older family members. The often-terrifying Michael Shannon here plays the weaker of Harlan’s two children, hobbling around with his cane and sporting a barely-concealed temper. His hard-nosed older sister is given authority by Jamie Lee-Curtis, whose self-made woman act makes her one of the harder characters to read. She is joined by Don Johnson as her sleazy husband, in yet another wonderfully despicable turn. Then there is the superb Toni Collette as the widow of Harlan’s third child, an influencer-mom who will take all she can get from the Thrombey fund. The film’s heart, and the closest we get to a lead character, is Marta Cabrera, Harlan’s nurse. She is the person who seems most genuinely upset by the death, and is given a great warmth by Ana de Armas. Her wide, kind eyes make her instantly sympathetic, but there is enough of an edge to the performance to suggest that Marta may or may not be hiding something. Looming large over them all is Christopher Plummer, seen in flashback as Harlan Thrombey himself. Having seen Knives Out it is hard to think of a single actor better to play a rich, benevolent 80-year-old at the heart of a murder story. As for solving the case? Well, enter Daniel Craig as private investigator Benoit Blanc, a Poirot-like showman with a Southern drawl and only a faint sense of his own ridiculousness. Along with two cops played by Noah Segan and Lakeith Stanfield - an over-eager puppy and a more laconic, grounded character amongst the madness respectively - he sets out to crack the case. Craig is a joy as Blanc, stealing almost every scene he’s in as both a laughable caricature and a moral compass for the case as he digs deeper and deeper. Blanc is a perfect example of the tonal tightrope Johnson walks with this film. He gets big laughs from sending up detective clichés and highlighting the inherent buffoonery in the character, but always keeps an eye on solving the case. Johnson anticipates all the clichéd pitfalls he might fall into when making a straight-down-the-middle whodunnit and either subverts them or, more often, amps them up for comic effect. Yet crucially, this is not a parody. There is enough genuine malice in the crime, and moral decency in the victim and others to be continually compelled by the solving of the case. There is also a nice satirical streak running through the film that, whilst not amounting to much beyond ‘please be nicer to each other’, helps to add a fair amount of heart to the film and a deeper level of characterisation amongst the family. It feels tonally right, too, with a film that has no pretensions of being ‘serious’, groundbreaking cinema, but just delights in the myriad opportunities its genre presents. Every chance he gets, Johnson does something fresh and fun, crafting a film that is as playful and compelling visually as it is on the page. Sadly, the grand finale is something of a missed opportunity, with a key ‘twist’ rather too predictable. Nevertheless, it is a satisfying denouement with Craig at his finest. In short, Knives Out is a film worth looking forward to. Rian Johnson is in a cinematic playground here, working with an A-list cast and a straightforward whodunnit story to craft something that is outrageously entertaining and shows off his many talents as a filmmaker. It offers what the film industry may be missing right now: an original, filmmaker-driven movie that can please a mass audience without being tied to a world-building, multi-level, cinematic universe IP. #AndrewYoung #BFI #LFF #LondonFilmFestival

★★★ Directed by #RubenFleischer Written by #DaveCallaham #RhettReese #PaulWernick Starring #WoodyHarrelson #EmmaStone #JesseEisenberg #AbigailBreslin Film Review by #HopeMadden and #GeorgeWolf “It’s time to nut up or shut up.” “That line is so 2009.” We had our worries about the sequel to one of the all-time best zombie action flicks, Zombieland. Horror sequels so rarely work and Zombieland: Double Tap is slow going at the start, to be sure. But don’t give up on it. Everybody’s back. Director Ruben Fleischer - who's spent the last decade trying to live up to Z-land's promise - returns, as do writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, along with newbie Dave Callaham, who’s written a lot of really big, really bad movies. Still, it was enough to draw the most important elements—all four leads. Among Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin are seven Oscar nominations and one win. That’s a lot of credibility for a zombie movie. They reprise their roles, now ten years on as a heavily armed and somewhat dysfunctional family. Little Rock (Breslin), in particular, longs to leave the nest, get away from a smothering Tallahassee (Harrelson) and find people her own age. Wichita (Stone) may be feeling a little smothered in her relationship with Columbus (Eisenberg), though he remains blissfully unaware. Things pick up when the girls take off, the guys brood, a new survivor enters the picture (Zoey Deutch, scene-stealing hilarious), and a sudden road trip to Graceland seems like it might reunite the family. The filmmakers spend plenty of time simultaneously ribbing and basking in previous success. So there is plenty here to remind us why we loved the first Zombieland adventure so much (especially during the credits), although Double Tap doesn't come to life until it embraces some fresh meat. A run-in with near-doppelgangers (Luke Wilson, Thomas Middleditch) leads to an inspired action sequence inside the Elvis-themed motel run by Nevada (Rosario Dawson). A pacifist commune stands in for the amusement park from part one, letting everyone poke some blood-splattered fun at the culture clash between hippies, survivalists, and of course, the undead. An underused articulation of the way zombies have evolved over the decade could have offered the biggest update. Still, after a 10 year wait, this revival offers just enough fun to not only avoid a let down, but instantly become Fleischer's second best film.

★★★★ Directed by #HassanFazili Film Review by #HopeMadden "How do you say 'help' in English?" A harrowing first person account of one family's flight from a death sentence, Midnight Traveler frames the refugee debate with honest, heartbreaking intimacy. In 2015, the work of Afghan filmmaker Hassan Fazili earned him a call for death from the ruling Taliban. Fazili and his family sought asylum in neighboring Tajikistan, only to be denied after 14 months. Midnight Traveler joins Fazili, his wife Nargis and two young daughters the night before their scheduled deportation back to Afghanistan. Filmed only on three iPhones, the movie documents the family's years and thousands of miles-long journey in search of a safe place to call home. In last year's Oscar-winning doc Free Solo, the filmmakers expressed angst over the effect their cameras might have on the decisions of free climber Alex Honnold. As the dangers mount for Fazili and family, we begin to feel the same, worrying our intrusion might somehow cloud their judgement. As the Fazili family deals with smugglers, broken promises and spur of the moment evacuations, we also see smaller moments of daily life. The daughters manage to laugh and play, and there is tenderness between Hassan and Nargis, as they smile over past memories of a much simpler and safer time. Even with a verite nature that is often frantic and understandably desperate, Hassan's footage reveals an unmistakable eye for form and structure. This is a family literally crying for help in real time, and a human rights issue that can suffer from anonymous enormity transforms before our eyes, consistently adding strength to the touching impact of Midnight Traveler. Refugees are more than statistics and political footballs. They are human beings with families, dreams and dwindling options. Within the reams of names on a waiting list are urgent, personal stories of survival. This is one.

★★★★ Directed by: #AbeForsythe Written by: #AbeForsythe Starring: #LupitaNyongo, #JoshGad, #AlexanderEngland, #KatStewart, #DiesalLaTorraca Grimmfest Film Review by: Darren Tilby Since its release in 2004, Shaun of the Dead has had a significant influence on pop culture and the horror-comedy scene. What made the film so great was its numerous and informed classic zombie-movie references, its ability to weave comedy and horror effectively, and its unapologetically British nature. And while it’s been the inspiration for several similar films, the really successful ones have become so by playing to their own strengths. Ruben Fleischer achieved this with his 2009 movie, Zombieland, by turning a distinctly British idea into a distinctly American one. Which brings me nicely to Abe Forsythe’s distinctly Australian zom com Little Monsters; a film that started out life as a tribute to his son’s pre-school teacher. And it’s this which forms the core of this movie: the underpaid, overworked pre-school teacher’s dedication to protecting the innocence and, indeed, the very lives of her pupils. Miss Caroline is her name (played by the ever amazing Lupita Nyong’o), and she’s as fierce as she is caring. A point fully demonstrated when a class field trip to a farm descends into chaos after a zombie outbreak at the conveniently just next door American army base. But Miss Caroline isn’t alone. Failed musician/slacker type, Dave (Alexander England), the last person in the world who should be responsible for children – and who’s only there in the first place to be closer to his nephew’s (Diesel La Torraca) teacher – is on-hand to lend assistance. As is children’s TV personality, Teddy McGiggle (A wonderfully slimy performance from Josh Gad) – actually, this is the last person in the world who should be responsible for children – whose love of his job comes less from entertaining children and more from sleeping with their mums. Thanks to some excellent comedic writing and respect for the genre, Little Monsters succeeds where a lot of horror-comedies fail: that is in its balance of violence and humour. Many films are guilty of neglecting one over the other (usually toning down the violence) and end up feeling tonally disjointed. But Forsythe strikes a delicate balance here. While one could accuse Little Monsters of being ‘too safe’, it doesn’t shy away from being properly gory when it needs to be. To that end, a mixture of SFX and CGI permeate the movie and both, generally, are very good. Although there are moments where the CGI is a little too apparent, this never becomes a big issue. But there’s a surprising amount of warmth to be found here, as well as many genuinely laugh-out-loud moments of comedy. Indeed, Writer/Director Abe Forsythe weaves together threads of sublime Australian humour, good old fashioned zombie-film gore, and sincere sentiment almost faultlessly. Little Monsters, may well be the best horror-comedy film in years. And, for my money, it’s the best zombie movie we’ve had since 2017’s Anna and the Apocalypse. But more than that, Little Monsters is a heartfelt tribute to our often overworked and underpaid school teachers and a testament to the difference they make in the lives of our children.

★★★★★ Directed by: #AuroraFearnley Written by: Aurora Fearnley Starring: #SianHill, #JamieMelrose, #HishamKhan, #XiaolaiChan British Urban Film Festival Review by: Ieuan Walker Paparraza Movie Review “You know when you eat too many sweets and get diabetes? Paparazzi are the diabetes of materialistic culture”. Such a damning witticism from Shirley MacLaine demonstrates, rightly or wrongly, the near unanimous vitriol often aimed at celebrity photojournalists. Nevertheless, Aurora Fearnley fearlessly provides a compassionate perspective of the people behind the lens with her intellectually rich short Paparazza. Sian Hill stars as Camilla, the eponymous freelancer who is determined to enhance her reputation as a celebrity photographer: a profession that is ostensibly bolstered by the relentless pursuit of individual mental and physical insecurities. Simultaneously however, Camilla toils within this ethically murky field to finance her sister’s body-dysmorphia rehabilitation. Yet when the opportunity to break the news of a renowned popstar’s psychological breakdown arises, the limits of her morality receive their greatest test to date. As the 21st century draws closer to its second quarter, one can notice seismic changes in attitudes towards celebrity culture. Responses to the Me Too Movement and ‘Cancel Culture’ are particularly notable efforts by the public to restore the dignity of household names by exposing the exploitative practices within show-business. Accordingly, it has become increasingly arduous to defend those who perpetuate this ugly side of fame without hostile repercussions. Immediately, one must commend the bravery of Fearnley’s work as she attempts to humanise the ‘villains’ within the celebrity milieu throughout Paparazza and thereby open herself intense scrutiny. Nevertheless, the mere courageousness of a screenplay is not synonymous with a nuanced interpretation. For better or for worse, incapable filmmaking could have rendered Paparazza an offensively one-sided critique of this polarising issue. Yet throughout the film, Fearnley’s direction layers the film with complex ambiguity which permits the spectator to draw their own conclusion. Indeed, Camilla (portrayed flawlessly by Sian Hill) is neither a condemnation of photojournalism, nor is ever presented as completely guiltless. She is constantly torn by the fundamental necessity of hypocrisy in her career. Likewise, Camilla is at once fully aware of the damage she can cause, but gradually realises it is a necessity to thrive and support the very people affected by her work. The sheer naturalism of Hill’s performance subsequently affirms that this is the unreported dimensionality that convolutes their perception as emotionally vacant. It is not only this impeccable characterisation of Camilla in Fearnle’s screenplay that provides Paparazza with its philosophical density. As epitomized by the masterful final sequence between Hill and Xiaolai Chen as global superstar Pearl Chang, Fearnley conveys her affirmation in her image and her performers. The scene superbly convolutes the security of the truth within celebrity culture from both sides of the lens. Notwithstanding, Fearnley gives way to the talents of her stars within the silent two-shots to carry the emotional density instead of her dialogue. As a result, her delicate direction throughout permits Paparazza the spectator’s interpretation to transcend the frames thereby demonstrating herself as excessively astute in the art of #filmmaking. Ultimately, the real-world context surrounding Paparazza renders its choice to sympathise with exploitative photographers provocative. Yet Fearnley’s sensitive filmmaking and faultless script makes it somehow possible for even their most ardent opponents to consider life behind the camera lens. #IeuanWalker #BUFF #BritishUrbanFilmFestival

★★ Directed by: #KristianComer Written by: Kristian Comer Starring: #KevinVislocky, Kristian Comer, #EmmaKathryn and #JessicaJones Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen The Test movie review Kids terrify me, and it’s all cinema’s fault!!! The Exorcist, The Ring, The Omen, the list goes on...children are evil, but we can live safe in knowing that they suck at life skills and they don’t know as much stuff as adults. Because you know, time and education is a thing...but what if these children were already super intelligent.... dun dun duhhhhhhhh. They could file tax returns and understand the danger that comes with investing in pyramid schemes, they could start businesses and have excellent economic standings or if they fancied, be a threat to a dictatorship. So many possibilities. Short film The Test from #filmmaker Kristian Comer focuses around a school that takes young girls and well...tests their intelligence, seems chill right? Wrong, things are not what they seem, this school seems to be a bit dramatic in regards to security, considering the hench body guards with M16 guns...and no it’s not even set in America! This short is mainly a silent piece, driven by an orchestral score to highlight mood, as well as that, the actors use the ostentatious acting style that comes with this type of film; the long pauses to show sadness, the flailing hands to demonstrate anger, it’s all there to gaze upon. Despite the good efforts from the actors in regards to flailing their hands around, elements of the short are hard to follow. The first half of the film is slightly dull: kids going to school, a woman gets a letter but we don’t know what it is...etc, what’s going on? The lack of dialogue in this portion can leave the audience feeling a little confused, and then boom before you know it, there are massive security guards at school with guns...ok, guess I will just get on board. It’s not to say though that the storyline is not there, The Test has an interesting concept but it’s not until the very end of the movie that it comes to light. I do feel that a lot of the start could have been condensed, allowing for the expansion of the storyline in regards to the super intelligent children who pose a threat to the government. See what I mean? Why do they pose a threat? What do they know that we don’t? Are pyramid schemes something we should invest in??? Is the government a massive pyramid scheme? So many unanswered questions. The Test has potential, the acting, the direction, the style and the storyline is all there, and even though they feel infant within their development it undeniable that with a little nurturing something amazing could grow. #RachelPullen

★★★ Directed by: #VigneshKumar, #ShivaSundar Written by: #VigneshKumar, #ShivaSundar Starring: #SujaySS, #VigneshKumar, #ShivaSundar Short Film Review by: Shrubaboti Bose The Fall is based on a simple observation that people irrespective of their age, religion, amount of caution and level of self-confidence are bound to sometimes trip and fall during the monsoons. In a very spontaneous way, it shows us the cultural nuances in a typical Indian household, the effects of rains, how the ground turns slippery with moss and how friends usually tease and make fun of each other in good humour when they fall down. It’s significant to note that this film has no dialogues whatsoever, making it all the more difficult for the director to tell us the story. Within a span of 5 minutes, this short film which was scripted and shot in just a single day, is able to make us smile if not break into fits of laughter thanks to their acting skills. The over-exaggerated facial expressions in fact contribute to the comic effect without spoiling the realistic aspect of the film. However, what makes it really funny is the background music. It sets the appropriate mood for the overall film and gives emphasis to particular twists and turns in the plot, just like how repeating flashes of the same shot in different filters, captured when the first visiting friend falls down helps to establish the hilarity of the situation. While the accidental fall of the first friend makes us laugh, the conditions change in case of the second friend. He does not fall and yet we find the whole situation funny because the two friends had kept expecting him to slip and in surprising them, he surprises us too. This small element of unpredictability in the film gives it that necessary freshness and keeps the already engaged audience on their toes, waiting for the next accident to happen. The suspense is maintained by shifting our focus on their activities indoors. Just when everything seems to be fine and they are leaving the house, one of them slips but his friends pull him up and prevents his fall. It seems then, that the second visiting guy is the most capable at maintaining his balance on such slippery grounds. He looks proud of himself. He takes a bow. But at the final moment, even he can’t escape it. Right at the gates of the house, he loses his balance and falls. This scene is shown in slow motion, the camera rests on each of their faces to observe their reactions and the film suddenly goes monochrome, thus reinforcing the core message of the film that everyone is susceptible to falling down during the monsoon.

★★★★★ Directed by: #CélineSciamma Written by: Céline Sciamma Starring: #NoémieMerlant, #AdèleHaenel, #LuànaBajrami BFI London Film Festival Review by: Andrew Young Portrait of a Lady on Fire Movie Review Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a stealthily spellbinding film. It takes a pair of characters and has them inch ever closer until their love takes flight. Similarly, the film pulls in its audience with reserved yet compelling #filmmaking, only for it to catch alight and become an engrossing account of both the desire and longing involved in a love affair. The two characters in question are Héloïse and Marianne (Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant), two women living in 18th century Brittany. Héloïse is a wealthy young woman who is still mourning the death of her sister some years prior to the film. Marianne is a portrait artist enlisted by Héloïse’s mother to observe the daughter under the pretence of being a female companion, but in fact painting her in secret so that the portrait can then be used to find Héloïse a husband. This is all largely just the framework for the film’s central interplay between the two leads. Sciamma has the two of them face off, almost as if in a game of cat-and-mouse, but with the two roles continuously revolving between them. The fizzling romance and slight underlying distrust between Héloïse and Marianne forms the backbone of their artist-subject relationship. The film mines great drama from this dynamic, with their evolving relationship accelerated by their constant observations of each other in the portraiture scenes. In Héloïse and Marianne’s ongoing battles with both their own and the other’s desires Haenel and Merlant are exceptional. The latter has a constant, compelling energy, both entranced and intimidated by Héloïse’s enigmatic gaze. Haenel, meanwhile, gives a fascinating performance that is at times remarkably still. Sciamma frames her in a statuesque way, almost ghostlike as she lurks stealthily round corners. This ethereal quality in Héloïse is one of the film’s great fascinations, and one of its great strengths too. The majority of the narrative is a flashback, bookended by Marianne’s present-day perspective. Where a framing device can often feel superfluous, here it is crucial that we are watching the drama unfold in the form of Marianne’s memories. She is a real, vital presence in all scenes, while Héloïse’s ghostly detachment turns her into an often-elusive presence. She appears as much an idea, a haunting memory of the intense love her and Marianne once shared as a real person. The cold, detached Héloïse also serves to remind us of the deep sadness hanging over the film, particularly in its early stages. With her sister’s death, we sense, a part of Héloïse died too, condemning her to a half-lived life, somewhere between person and ghost. Marianne’s love unlocks something in Héloïse, turning her from a spectral enigma into a real, human presence of flesh and blood. In every frame throughout this journey, the costume and set design are superb, as is the work of cinematographer Claire Mathon. All these elements are kept under masterful control by Sciamma; this is truly a beautiful, beautiful film. Stylistically it is not an overtly audacious enterprise, but the director’s formal skill and control over her material is clear throughout. Her style of filmmaking is deceptively complex, often appearing to be a naturalistic, actor-driven approach, but with regular visual flourishes that catch the eye without deviating from the overall aesthetic. Sciamma teases us, holding visual flair and emotional bombast just below the surface, with both occasionally breaking through in audacious, breathtaking moments. One such moment is the film’s ending, a tour-de-force from both director and performer. Sometimes Sciamma holds a shot for what feels like an age, but it is always just right. It allows us the time to appreciate the aesthetics whilst also ruminating on the characters’ place within them, probing the psyches of the two women to truly understand their feelings. As with these emotional crescendos, everything in Portrait of a Lady on Fire is very difficult to fault; every object, every frame, feels at once meticulously crafted and alive with barely concealed emotion. To have such formal precision infused with a palpable sense of wild magic is no mean feat, and it proves that Sciamma is a #filmmaker of enormous skill. #AndrewYoung