★★★★★ Directed by: #TobyKearton Written by: #ConnorMarlborough, Toby Kearton Starring: #HenryStorrs, #SageSpielman Short Film Review by: #AlfieKaye Welcome to Toby Kearton’s short film, Dissonance: a totalitarian alternative world where music and melody are outlawed and the rebellion of such a law costs you your freedom, and in some cases, life. A world not light-years from Ray Bradbury’s #dystopian classic, Fahrenheit 451 where the simple pleasures in life are stripped from us by the authority of that era. Henry Storrs plays ‘The Man’. Having been caught innocently playing a melody on his music box, he is stripped of his liberty, and as such, his relationship with his daughter, Sophia (Sage Spielman). When incarcerated, his desire for music never waives, but he yearns for a reunion with his daughter, and plots to make his escape. Right off the bat: Dissonance is a staggering accomplishment; a flawless short that never puts a foot wrong. The #cinematography places you in this world and reminds you of the intimacy and the care of a Charlotte Bruus Christensen shoot – focussing on subtlety, expression and the minor details rather than grandeur. The use of black and white and German Expressionism allows for an eerie, dystopian atmosphere reminiscent of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. And furthermore, not a single shot is wasted, with every frame serving a purpose. This feels like a film that achieved everything it set out to, made by a director who understands the subtle intricacies of filmmaking. Vladislav Nikitin’s editing is also seamless and the film runs like a well-oiled machine. Ramesh Kumar Kannan’s original score is an extraordinary piece of work, perfectly aligned with the tone of the film. More so than a film with dialogue, music plays a key role in perpetuating the narrative and the tonal sensibilities in a silent film – Kannan’s score achieves just that. The orchestrated set mirrors the subtlety of the #filmmaking, achieves a specific tone throughout the film and also represents an alternative way to develop character in a film that doesn’t use dialogue. Diegetic sound is also used with equal significance and confidence. Particularly, a scene in which an inmate initiates melody by banging his hands against the wall in which he’s confined. The consequent sequence is a textbook example of how to create tension using sound in film. It would be easy to see this film just as a love-letter to sound, but it’s equally about oppression in a totalitarian state. The latter in particular allows the cast to shine. Led by Storrs, the cast is able to effortlessly navigate the potentially difficult exercise of performing without dialogue by bridging that gap with the subtlety of facial expression and body language. Dissonance is a tremendous piece of work; a textbook example of how to develop narrative, shoot cinema, compose an original score and formulate a perfectly-structured picture. Kearton clearly understands the purpose and conventions of visual storytelling and is passionate about the process. It has been announced that Kearton is to make his feature directorial debut with a 2020 release. I for one am eager to see if he can reproduce a similar standard in feature films.

★★ Directed by: #ChrisKDaniels Written by:  Chris K. Daniels Starring: #KinsonTheodoris, #SunhengTain Short Film Review by: #CoreyBulloch If you sit you die, that appears to be the hook in this horror short Stand from director-writer Chris K. Daniels, however, that premise isn’t able to deliver tangible intrigue or tension as continuous shots of a man struggling to stand grow tiresome. The main character portrayed by Kinson Theodoris is haunted by a creature in a parking garage in some type of time loop and every time the man succumbs to exhaustion and sits the creature is able to move freely and capture its prey unless the man stands again. The direction and editing focus on the monotony of the man’s task, creating a visual repetition of shots and actions with minimal dialogue, but even as the creature approaches there is no sense of danger for the audience. The issue of Stand is that the atmosphere of the film is focused on how tired the main character is rather than a sense of dread for what awaits him. Daniels direction doesn’t help Theodoris’s performance, not giving him much to do besides shake his feet and flutter his eyelids in an attempt to stave exhaustion. The audience has to piece to together what they can of the story but their efforts aren’t rewarded by the unimaginative #filmmaking. The mystery of the creature is undercut by the #cinematography as the location of the car garage means most of the film is under harsh fluorescent light. It looks like a man in a rubber mask and its not until the end where the creature begins to make ghoulish sounds that the audience understands that it isn’t supposed to be a man in a mask but an actual monster. One scene has the man throw a rock at his tormentor only to have it bounce off the rubber head with comical effect and completely breaks the illusion of the film. While Daniels’s direction or cinematography doesn’t help make his #shortfilm exciting, the editing of the short does have a few choice moments. Sudden cuts showcasing the creatures possible supernatural abilities break away from the dull cycle Daniels establishes for his characters. The score from Christien Ledroit does its best to get under the audience’s skin but only really takes effect when the creature is hidden and doesn’t do much to make Theodoris’s standing exciting. It’s only when the creature is portrayed in the background out of focus lurking against Theodoris’s profile that it has potential to haunt the viewer if only briefly. An interesting concept executed very poorly, Stand has nothing much to say with its thematically unclear narrative. Whether it's supposed to represent insomnia, paranoia or the dangers of monsters in parking garages, Daniels allows too much ambiguity leaving audiences wondering what the purpose of the film was at all. Alongside being unable to make his monster believable or genuinely intimidating, the director doesn’t offer any clarity on what Theodoris’s plight is, how did he end up in the garage? Why can’t he leave? Why does the creature hunt him? It’s like a poor example of less is more; less story for more confusion and indifference from the audience.

★ Directed by: #IanSamuels Written by: #LindseyBeer Starring: #ShannonPurser, #NoahCentineo, #KristineFroseth Netflix Film Review by: Charlotte Little Sierra Burgess Is a Loser is an American teen comedy-drama film that was released by #Netflix in September 2018. This film was directed by Ian Samuels and starred Shannon Purser, Kristine Froseth, RJ Cyler and Noah Centineo. Sierra Burgess explores the idea that bigger teenage girls who don't satisfy the conventions of beauty are still worthy of being loved. This film drifts into darker themes and attracted controversies as it romanticises questionable character choices, with central plotlines featuring catfishing, cyberbullying, and the use of a deaf character as a prop for an unfunny funny scene. This Netflix teen flick should count its lucky stars that it premiered weeks after the Netflix series Insatiable, a spectacularly glib attempt to tell the same story. Comparisons have between made between the two, with Sierra Burgess coming out on top, a movie that is sincere in its message, even if it was poorly delivered. The titular high school student is played by Shannon Purser, who manages to harness the sickly-sweet awkwardness that defined Barb in Stranger Things, utilising this character trait to portray a sense of vulnerability in her role as Sierra. Her dialogue is consumed by literary quotes, something that made me want to hide behind my blanket as my face scrunched up with the pain of second-hand embarrassment. Despite Sierra's self-assurance in her academic abilities, she struggles to look at herself in the mirror. The love interest of our protagonist is sensitive jock type Jamey (Centineo, To All The Boys I Loved Before), whom Sierra catfishes and woos by proxy. Jamey is under the impression that he is texting Veronica, the beautiful yet bitchy cheerleader (an excellent example of originality), portrayed by Kristine Froseth. Sierra texts back, and soon they're talking 24/7, with Jamey still none the wiser that he's texting Sierra. At Jamey's expense, Sierra grows closer to Veronica as they delve deeper into this elaborate lie, forming an unlikely friendship. The film does its best to make the audience feel sympathetic towards Sierra and Veronica but generates a different response with a nuanced atmosphere of queasiness. The movie doesn't get any better. In one particular scene, Sierra kisses Jamey when he thinks he is kissing Veronica while out on a date with her, which means the kiss is non-consensual and highly manipulative. It doesn't create a favourable impression and could be regarded as damaging, considering the current social climate. Although some may argue this scene could be used as an example to discuss boundaries and consent, there is no discussion within the film for the audience to adopt and develop. I was excited to learn that Jamey's brother was Deaf, that the film featured scenes of American Sign Language (ASL). I was not as excited to discover that there was a more sinister and ableist motive behind the creation of a Deaf character. At one point, Sierra pretends to be deaf and non-verbal to avoid speaking to Jamey, should he recognise her voice from their phone calls. Jamey attempts to sign to Sierra, introducing her to his brother, a flustered Sierra tries to mimic sign language to him before eventually running away. This scene was painful to watch, and it hit a nerve. I was upset to see a Deaf character exploited and used to prop up a scene that was supposedly meant to be funny. As a major streaming service, Netflix has a responsibility to encourage representation. Jamey's brother was not a genuine representation of the Deaf community but merely an excuse for a punchline. Jamey's brother had no further involvement or character development in the film, which says a lot. There was a meaningful message about female friendship, but even this minuscule nugget of wholesomeness was completely tainted and ruined by the film's questionable direction and abysmal storytelling. The next Netflix teen flick certainly has their work cut out for them.

★★★ Directed by: #TomerAlmagor Written by: Tomer Almagor Starring: #AmySeimetz, #BretRoberts, #DonalLogue Indie Film Review by: JJ Donoghue The story of romantic love which grows between two strangers after a chance encounter is a story as old as time. Writer and director Tomer Almagor, in his only full-length feature film to date, takes inspiration from this classic romantic format with his sombre drama, 9 Full Moons. It tells the story of Lev (Bret Roberts) and Frankie (Amy Seimetz), a young, dysfunctional couple who find love with each other in spite of the sad, chaotic troubles of their lives. Making a movie which follows such a recognisable structure creates a series of challenges for any #filmmaker. Audiences have seen many similar stories, and as such there is a definite need to offer something refreshing and inventive. 9 Full Moons is able to capture moments of this kind of compelling ingenuity at times, particularly in the scenes which centre around Frankie. We follow her through a journey of pain, heartbreak and isolation, a journey which feels truly fulfilling by its end. From the sudden, blisteringly real attack on her character in the opening moments of the film onwards, it is obvious that Frankie is the most gripping of the two central characters. Amy Seimetz’s clever, genuine performance truly shines through. As the story progresses, we watch intently as Frankie’s awareness of the problematic nature of her emotional unpredictability and alcohol addiction slowly unfurls. This culminates in one devastating, brilliantly executed scene between herself and her ex-husband, Spencer, (Foster Timms), when she finally realises something needs to change. However, sadly the #indiefilm is unable to find the right balance between her character and Lev’s. 9 Full Moons splits the screen time more or less equally between the pair, which feels almost like a mistake, as Lev’s narrative is far less intriguing. He rarely extends beyond being sullen, brooding and occasionally violent, and as such becomes difficult to either warm to or care about from an audience perspective. Furthermore, though a sense of character development initially begins to take shape in the film, it soon stalls, with the constant hints about his troubled past never truly leading to any kind of introspection or conclusion. In fact, Lev’s scenes may have been wholly unwatchable if not for the frequent appearances of the character of Charlie King Nash (Donal Logue), a genuinely amusing and lively inclusion. This disparity between the appeal of the two main characters ultimately takes its toll. Though 9 Full Moons is not a wholly unenjoyable experience, it ultimately feels as though it is lacking the kind of unfaltering energy and flair which is required to keep hold of an audience’s attention for its entirety. #JJDonoghue

★★★ Directed by #JillCulton #ToddWilderman Written by #JillCulton Starring #ChloeBennett #AlbertTsai #TenzingNorgayTrainor Film Review by #RachelWillis Writer/director Jill Culton has crafted a sweet, magical children’s tale with Abominable. The film opens with a man-sized yeti escaping from a laboratory at the sinister Burnish Industries. While being hunted through the streets of a big city in China, the yeti is injured. He hides on the roof of a building and seems to be safe – for the time being. The opening scene is dark and a little scary, which explains the film’s PG-rating. This is fare for older children, which isn’t a knock on the film, but it isn’t the cute romp one might expect for the 3 – 6-year-old crowd. The opening hints at more terrifying moments to come as Burnish Industries is not willing to let its latest discovery go without a fight. The film switches gears, and we’re introduced to Yi (voiced by Chloe Bennet), a teenage girl who rushes through life doing odd jobs to make money. She’s estranged from her mother and grandmother, who don’t understand her attitude. As we follow Yi through a typical day, we are given small pieces of information to help us understand who she is. Not only is she distant from her family, she is mocked by her peers, and her only friend is a younger boy named Peng (Albert Tsai). On the roof of her apartment complex, Yi has a hideaway where she stows a map of China, an old violin, and a dream of visiting several places across the country. It’s here that she discovers the hidden yeti. Reminiscent of How to Train Your Dragon (another DreamWorks production), Yi slowly forms a bond with the beast she names Everest. While the development of the bond between Toothless and Hiccup in HTTYD is a slow process, the connection between Yi and Everest feels rushed. And like Toothless, Everest has behaviors similar to a cat or dog as he navigates this new world. The few minor similarities aside, Culton manages to craft a film of her own that explores the value of friendships, family, and the beauty of the natural world. It’s a lot to explore in a children’s film and while some of it is handled well—particularly the friendships between Yi, Everest, and her friends—other aspects are neglected. The film drags a bit during the second act. As Yi, Peng, and Peng’s cousin, Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) try to keep Everest out of the clutches of Burnish Industries, there are a few montage moments that slow the film’s pace and will have even the most devoted viewer twiddling their thumbs waiting for the action to resume. However, Abominable is a film that, while predictable, has a few good laughs and plenty of heart.

★★★★ Directed by #JaniceEngel Written by #JaniceEngel and #MoniqueZavistovski Film Review by #GeorgeWolf Even if you know nothing of Molly Ivins, you won’t be long into Raise Hell before you’re wondering: WWMID? After a lifetime of speaking truth to power was ended by cancer in 2007, what would Ivins do – or more pointedly, what would she say – about the cesspool of blatant corruption that is American politics in 2019? And as entertaining as Janice Engel’s documentary is, its biggest takeaway is just how badly Ivins is missed in a profession now facing unprecedented threat. Engel is clearly a fan, but her portrait of Ivins as one of a kind is hard to rebut. A six-foot-tall Texas native who could out-drink the Bubbas while she skewered their elected reps, Ivins blazed a gender trail through newsrooms across the country. Ivins even covered Elvis’s obit and funeral for the New York Times before settling in as a Pulitzer-nominated political columnist and author, the role that brought her legions of what one longtime colleague called “not readers…constituents.” Her writing was smart, informed, and extremely opinionated, laced with acerbic wit, a passion for civil liberties and an undeniable voice. And Engel, as director and co-writer, makes sure you realize how unnervingly prescient it was, as well. Of course, all this also brought Ivins plenty of haters, and though Engel isn’t preaching to that choir, she doesn’t completely shy away from the personal demons that dogged Ivins throughout her life. Like its subject, the film is fast-paced, smart, fun and funny, as Engel deftly uses Ivins’s timeline as a microcosm of shifting political landscapes. But more importantly, Raise Hell is a fitting tribute to a woman who wasn’t afraid to, and an urgent call to follow her lead.

★★★★ Directed by #RupertGoold Written by #TomEdge Starring #ReneeZelwegger #JessieBuckley #FinnWittrock Film Review by #GeorgeWolf Call it a comeback, a re-introduction or a friendly reminder, but Renee Zellweger’s channeling of Judy Garland is an awards-worthy revelation. Since winning an Oscar for Cold Mountain over fifteen years ago, Zellweger’s resume has been scattershot and curious enough to make seeing her name on top of the marquee a rather nostalgic blast from the past. But here, she’s just a blast, bringing a can’t-look-away magnetism to every moment she’s on screen, and leaving a noticeable absence when she’s not. Based on Peter Quilter’s stage play The End of the Rainbow, Judy shows us a legend struggling to get work and fighting to retain custody of her children. By the late 1960s, daughter Liza was off starting a career of her own, but Judy’s two young kids with producer Sid Luft needed a stable home that Garland could not provide. Accepting a lucrative offer for a string of concerts in London, Judy leaves her son and daughter with their father in hopes that the British engagement will give her the resources needed to take them back full-time. Focusing on this late, sad period in Garland’s life is a wise move by director Rupert Goold (True Story) and screenwriter Tom Edge (The Crown). A limited scope can usually provide biopics with a better chance for intimacy, and true to form, Judy’s false notes arrive with the flashbacks to Garland’s days as a child star. Showcasing her mistreatment as a young cog in the MGM studio system is well-intentioned but unnecessary, the blunt forcefulness of this thread adding little more than jarring interruption. Zellweger is all we need to feel the tragedy of Garland’s fall. Her portrayal comes fully formed, as both remarkable outward impersonation and a nuanced glimpse into a troubled soul. Nary a movement seems taken for granted by Zellweger, and her delivery of Edge’s memorable dialog is lush with an organic spontaneity. And though she barely sang publicly before her training for Chicago, Zellweger again shows impressive vocal talent. Of course she can’t match the full richness of the real Judy (who could?), but Zellweger’s style and phrasing are on-point bullseyes, never shrinking from Goold’s extended takes and frequent closeups during some wonderfully vintage musical numbers. In one of the film’s best moments, Judy joins two male superfans (Andy Nyman, Tim Ahern) for a late night dinner at their apartment. I won’t spoil what happens, but have some tissues handy. It’s a beautifully subtle and truly touching ode to Garland’s status as an early gay icon, and to the universal pain of loneliness. Ironically, this brilliant performance should bring Zellweger the second act that Judy didn’t live long enough to enjoy. I’m guessing she’ll appreciate it, and I know she’s earned it.

★★★★ Directed by #ViktorKossavosky Written by #ViktorKossavosky Film Review by #GeorgeWolf “We swam out through the trunk!” Those are six of the very few spoken words in Aquarela, and they quickly establish the stakes in Victor Kossakovsky’s immersive documentary. His aim is to get you startlingly close to the world war between man and water. There is power, there is beauty, there is death. And there’s some death metal, which isn’t as out of place as you might think. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a great time to be a documentarian, and thus, a fan of documentaries. This year alone, we’ve seen technological breakthroughs make possible the wonders of Apollo 11, They Shall Not Grow Old and Amazing Grace. Like those, Aquarela (“watercolor” in Portuguese) employs cutting-edge wizardry for an experience that begs for the biggest screen you can find. Monstrous ocean waves build and crash, huge chunks of ice fall prey to rising global temperatures, and a hypnotic narrative emerges. Mankind has battled the shapes of water for centuries, in hopes of lessening its dangers and harnessing its power, and Kossakovsky feels it’s time to hear from the other side. The few humans who speak feel like party crashers. Don’t expect explanations, you won’t get any. What you will get in Aquarela is an utterly astounding profile of a living, breathing, dying force of nature.

★★★★ Directed by #DanielScheinert Written by #BillyChew Starring #MichaelAbbottJr #VirginiaNewcomb #AndreHyland Film Review by #HopeMadden Director Daniel Scheinert (Swiss Army Man) walks an amazing tight rope between hillbilly stereotype and sympathetic character study with his latest, The Death of Dick Long, a crass comedy with deeply human sensibilities. Zeke (Michael Abbott Jr.), Earl (Andre Hyland) and Dick (Scheinert) work on some Nickelback covers for their band, Pink Freud. Band practice out at Zeke’s ends late, long after Zeke’s misses (Virginia Newcomb, excellent) and their daughter (Poppy Cunningham, also excellent) head off to bed. The fellas get a little weird, things get out of hand and let’s just say Pink Freud won’t be touring. Yes, we have all witnessed films situated within the world of dive bar cocktail waitresses and their paramours. Tailer parks, mullets, giant prints of tigers, they’re all here. But what makes Dick Long kind of miraculous is how generous Scheinert, writer Billy Chew and the whole cast are with these characters. Really, generous to a degree unseen in a comedy of this sort—which is to say, the sort of comedy built entirely on the idiocy of its white trash characters. As Scheinert slowly unearths the details of the mystery, a lesser filmmaker might wallow in inbred, backwoods, banjo pickin’ gags. Not this guy. The more unseemly the subject matter, the more bare the soul. Abbott’s inevitable vulnerability is almost alarmingly heart wrenching given the comedic tone of the film and the actual crime committed. Likewise, Newcomb mines her character and this situation for something honest enough that you wonder what the hell you would do if you were to find yourself in this situation. Her performance has the texture of a long and comfortable relationship suddenly and irreparably busted. Hyland’s Earl, on the other hand, is straight up hill jack comic gold, but even this performance sidesteps broad strokes and finds a recognizable, human soul. There’s not a single performance in the film that isn’t a welcome surprise. And underneath it all, Dick Long reimagines small town masculinity, isolation and loneliness. Daniel Scheinert follows up on the promise of the crowd favorite madness of Swiss Army Man with a crime caper of a wildly, weirdly different sort. I’m all for his brand of lunacy.

★★ Directed by: #BryanCWinn Written by: Bryan C. Winn Starring: #DakotaKennedy, #PJKing, #OliviaLemmon, #VictorChen, #KyleCameron, #RoccoBovo, #JohnjayFitih, #GregHill, #LorenLivy, #LucianaVara, #JacqiVeni Indie Film Review by: Chris Olson A heist film where the characters have no honour in filmmaker Bryan C. Winn's indie film Thieves. An Ocean's Eleven style plot that unfolds across the City of Angels, in which gangsters, assassins, and cops converge to meet various sticky ends. Dakota Kennedy plays Johnny, a career thief whose luck turns bad when he and his pregnant wife (Loren Livy) are captured by thugs after a job. She gets killed and he must make amends to the boss he has offended when he tried to steal from him. Johnny proposes a lucrative hit on a racecourse to repay, only to find plenty of hurdles to jump if he's going to survive. Convoluted and familiar, Thieves is a film born out of numerous action movies from yesteryear. From the synth score to the underdeveloped characters, audiences know exactly what kind of movie this is from the get go. The only confusing choice was to have it in black and white, attempting a #filmnoir style on a cops and robbers smash-n-grab narrative. The result is more like CCTV footage, with raw visuals and even rawer audio. The pacing is way too quick, in particular the skipping over of emotional investment for the audience. Johnny's wife gets killed fairly early in the movie but a few scenes later he is onto his next heist and bereft of any noticeable sadness. Likewise, the inclusion of so many characters and subplots feels too ambitious. Such as the bent cop (P.J. King) who owes money to a different #gangster (Victor Chen), or the array of goons and hit people who surround Johnny. There were strengths to Thieves that show Winn as a capable if exacting director. A few cool cinematic techniques were used to spice up the visuals, such as a stimulating section of Johnny driving through the city, or plenty of drone shots of L.A. at night. He also borrowed the classic heist tactic of running through the job before the job happens with deft skill. There were also a few moments of decent comedy, such as a weapons guy making explosive devices whilst watching (and talking to) a movie. Far from adventurous storytelling, or providing any relevant themes to a modern audience, Thieves is an indie film paying homage to other films of the crime genre. Whilst the #filmmaking and aesthetics appear bold and daring, they wind up only adding to the noise and chaos of Winn's breakneck paced plot, leaving the viewer's head spinning for all the wrong reasons. Watch the Thieves Movie Trailer.

★ Directed by: #PhilipBrocklehurst Written by: #BradfordNSmith Starring: #JonathanSkyeOBrien, #ZuzanaSpacirova, #MarieBrowne Short Film Review by: Chris Olson Bereft of much narrative intrigue and full of technical shortfallings, short film I Am The Wanderer, directed by Philip Brocklehurst and written by Bradford N. Smith is an indulgent odyssey of the blandest kind. Jonathan Skye-O'Brien plays the aforementioned Wanderer, a lost man full of despair. He spends his time slouched against trees or trying to thumb a ride on a nearby dual carriageway. His isolation is broken only by a female figure (Zuzana Spacirova) who emerges as a ghostly figure only to disappear the moment he gets closer to her. I Am The Wanderer is ten times longer than it needed to be, with a forty-minute run time and basically only one sequence: Skye-O'Brien lurking around a very nondescript location looking totes emosh. The limited dialogue, character backstory, or exposition means audiences will be unlikely to engage with anything other than the central character’s loneliness which, without context, seems baffling rather than compelling. The music from Stephan Ortlepp is completely misjudged, as if he was given free reign to make every second as dramatic as the last. It doesn't work and ends up feeling completely distracting and at odds with the minimal visual stimulation being given to the viewer. There is a scene where the Wanderer attempts to go down some stairs that was so built up it felt like he was the first man on Jupiter. There were parts where the sound design was very poor. Perhaps explained by a limited budget but for a film depended on only a few aspects, this should have had more of a priority. It could be acknowledged that I Am The Wanderer is full of metaphors and symbolism that may engage the audience in some way. No one stopping to offer him a ride shows societal apathy when it comes to the suffering of our fellow humans, or the astronomical task of descending the stairs could reflect his sliding further into despair. However, these are so laborored the movie becomes an endurance test of monotony. Movies where the central character experiences a strong conflict between hope and despair are often indulgent to a point. The audience is given one person to properly focus on, invest in, and cling to the thought that they will find the promised land of the former. Usually, these stories come with enough accompanying material to give us a reason to join them on their tumultuous journey, and then we experience a plethora of challenges and obstacles which will test their mettle. With I Am The Wanderer, these fundamentals are not followed and as a result we get dropped into the character’s struggle which barely moves until the final stretches of the film, by which time most viewers will have embraced their own despair and moved on. #ChrisOlson

★ Directed by: #AdrianGrunberg Starring: #SylvesterStallone, #PazVega, #SergioPerisMencheta, #AdrianaBarraza, #YvetteMonreal Film Review by: #NathanialEker Last Blood couldn’t be a more appropriate subtitle for a garishly brash sequel that offers nothing but testosterone infused uber-violence as a substitute for good storytelling. While the Rambo series has rarely claimed subtlety as a strong suit, the fifth instalment indulges in new levels of pointless brutality, revelling in every overly gory kill with a childlike glee. Gone are any notions of poignant political commentary that made 1982’s First Blood compelling; you can scarcely imagine two films less alike in tone and substance. Even 2008’s Rambo, with its infamously high body count managed to bring an appropriate modicum of respect, allowing us to believe that we were indeed following the same soldier who brought a town to a standstill with almost no fatalities. 2019 John Rambo could give Michael Myers a run for his money as he tears through hordes of stereotypical baddies, hammering genitalia and snapping bones with a disturbing sadism. After decades of drifting through continents, a seventy-three-year-old Rambo has finally returned to the US; Arizona to be precise. Living with surrogate daughter Gabriela and her Grandmother, the three enjoy a peaceful existence on a laughably idyllic ranch. However, when Gabriela crosses the border to Mexico to find her father, all hell breaks loose, as well as any semblance of coherent storytelling, transforming the narrative into a bizarre blend of Taken and Home Alone. Perhaps the latter is a stretch, but the ‘setting the traps’ montage does offer one of the film’s few truly enjoyable moments. Last Blood also boasts a great score, as its poor dialogue and obtuse action are at least supported by Brian Tyler’s fantastic orchestrations. While far removed from the bombastic, heroic horns of Jerry Goldsmith’s work on First Blood, Tyler provides a subdued, melancholy ambience that occasionally pays homage to prior leitmotifs; a welcome relief from the chaos. There’s an oxymoronic quality to the muddled script as it tries to balance a story of familial tragedy while simultaneously keeping the ‘one-man army’ element of the character alive with a dense revenge plot characterised by a high mortality rate. The brutish dialogue doesn’t help, particularly when Rambo threatens to murder a (admittedly irritating) teenage girl; a ‘true hero.’ The notion to take the character back to his urban roots, however, is an interesting one. With care and an introspective script, it could’ve taken both he and Stallone full circle, to a simpler time where tension was based on rising stakes, rather than number of organs evacuated. As is, the setting does nothing but promote a disturbingly stereotypical view of Mexico. The decision to present the city as a hell hole and characterise all Mexicans (bar one) as disturbed, sadistic drug addicts is baffling at best and grievously insulting at worst. There’s little to enjoy in Stallone’s determined, yet dull fifth turn as the title character, not helped by the boorish dialogue, co-written by the man himself. Despite decades of history and four prior films, Rambo is so far removed from his initial characterisation that even aligning with him as an empathetic protagonist proves problematic. Stallone has turned this once three-dimensional, complex character into a pastiche of himself, more akin to Charlie Sheen in Hot Shots! Part Deux. The missing in action mullet and bandana must be to blame. Newcomer Yvette Monreal provides the closest thing to a stand out performance as Gabriela, but due to her rapid introduction and the surprisingly short 100-minute runtime, we fail to properly invest in her. It also quickly becomes clear that she exists merely as a plot device to keep Rambo’s psychotic rampage going. This transparent motivation gives the film a disingenuous tone and it’s difficult to understand what the intended core message is, other than ‘Mexico is bad’, apparently. If there’s one thing a Rambo film should execute well, it’s the action. Mercifully, the climax is at least gory and fast paced enough to be mindlessly enjoyable. The gritty violence is beyond unnecessary and more comparable to the horrific intensity of a Saw film in places. This does in turn make the finale boisterously entertaining, in the same way that senselessly smashing a television provides momentary empty gratification. The supporting editing is generally acceptable though rarely inspiring. Scenes such as an early fight which utilises a point of view camera show creativity, though the action is generally dull and shockingly by the numbers. To review, Rambo: Last Blood sends the series out with a disappointing absence of fervour; If First Blood was a wartime explosion, this is a cheap firework. In similar circumstances to action brethren Die Hard, the fifth instalment fails to understand the complexities of its source material, instead throwing as much gratuitous action at the blood-soaked wall, sacrificing compelling characters, dialogue, and a coherent narrative as a result. Last Blood strips the series of subtlety, social relevance, and pathos, thrusting it into its welcome grave. Where Rambo (4) felt like renewal, Last Blood is unnecessary and ultimately harmful to the legacy of the character. If this is to be the last Rambo, it’s sad to see such a beloved series conclude in a tirade of barbaric senselessness and toxic masculinity. First Blood was an analysis of the very real and very harmful effects of the Vietnam war on those who served and it will always remain a classic. Last Blood is an analysis of when a film series should have the courtesy to die and will be in the supermarket bargain bins before Christmas. John Rambo, despite becoming more of a caricature with each increasingly silly sequel, deserved to be discharged with more dignity. This time, it’s for the best he stays retired. The Rambo: Last Blood Movie Trailer: