★★★★★ Directed by: #VinNucatola Starring: #NickPiacente, #ChrisDAmato, #TimothyJCox, #JanelKolowski, #BJGruber and #MaryOrtega Short Film Review by: #JasmineHollyBullock The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is one of the most prolific in the world. Even if you didn’t watch it or enjoy it as a child, you still know what it is and who they are. You’ll have seen a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle packed lunch case at least once in your life. Italian Turtles, written and directed by Vin Nucatola, is a 9-minute short that takes place during the pitch for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show. The film is a parody, thus probably isn’t the most historically accurate but, honestly, its more entertaining that I thought it would be. The whole thing is quite nostalgic and makes you think of being a kid and seeing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles around a lot; after more than 30 years of existence, the franchise is still well known but not as prominent as it once was. In terms of the visuals and the editing, I really liked the almost fuzzy filter that’s been put over the film because it gives it a nice 1980’s vintage feel, which is perfect because the pitch meeting for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took place in Los Angeles in 1986! The costuming and hair styling are also spot on with capturing the look of the 80s. Consequently, Italian Turtles shows itself to be a thought-out production. The dialogue is definitely entertaining but still naturalistic, which this makes it even better. Wording in the script has obviously been carefully considered with the use of some 1980s slang, and its super RAD. The dialogue is one of the best aspects of this film and it also works perfectly for establishing the characters. All of the performers were brilliant, not just okay. They were BRILLIANT. One of my favourites was Chris D’Amato who plays Peter Laird, one of the creators of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. D’Amato is endearing in his doubtful and anxious portrayal of Liard. Another favourite was Timothy J. Cox, who plays the head of the board meeting. It was a pleasure to see Cox because I recognised him from another short film that I had reviewed a few months ago, called Doll It Up. Cox was the saving grace in that film, and he is just as fantastic in Italian Turtles. Vin Nucatola has done a terrific job creating Italian Turtles, and producers Mary Ortega and Brian Morgan are also to thank for the fact that this is such a well-crafted production. Nucatola has been able to wonderfully balance elements of absurdity and naturalism. The absurdity isn’t over the top and certainly isn’t misplaced, since this IS a parody about the creation of a TV series that focusses on 4 teenage mutant ninja turtles that love pizza and are trained by a sewer rat. In Italian Turtles, there is a mini performance of the theme song for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I now have that stuck in my head. Essentially, if there was somehow a sequel to Italian Turtles, I would be more than pleased to watch it and I am actually rather curious to see what else Nucatola has written… that’s testament to how impressed I am with his script writing and directing!

★★★ Directed by: #DavidLeitch Written by: #ChrisMorgan #DrewPearce Starring: #DwayneJohnson #JasonStatham #IdrisElba #VanessaKirby Film Review by: #HopeMadden Somewhere around its 6th installment, the Fast & Furious franchise tweaked its direction, abandoning logic and embracing ludicrous action as it jumped cars from skyscraper to skyscraper and waterskied off the back of launched torpedoes. But things took off for real around Episode 7 when some mad genius decided to pit mountainous government operative Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) against Limey nogoodnik Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), each of them playing a self-lampooning version of themselves. Fun! Where to go from there? How about we drop that whole car heist and espionage thing, expel Vincent Toretto and gang, bring in Idris Elba and see what happens? And for the very first time, I was kind of looking forward to a F&F film. Fast & Furious Present: Hobbs & Shaw boasts more than just ampersands. Internal logic? Cohesive plot? Thoughtful insights on man’s inhumanity to man? Why, no. Cheeky fun? Indeed! The film indulges in the best elements of F&F (action lunacy, self-aware comedy) and dispenses with its weaknesses (schmaltz, Diesel). F&F: H&S consists primarily of fistfights, gun fights and vehicular chicanery stitched together with comic lines. Unfortunately, there is a plot, but it doesn’t get in the way too much. A virus meant to thin the herd falls (or is injected!) into the hands of a rogue MI6 agent (or is she?!). The CIA (or is it?!!) pulls together the two old enemies for no particular reason, but Ryan Reynolds shows up in a decidedly peculiar cameo (one of several to look out for) to draw your attention away from the first of many gaping plot holes. By this point (about 7 minutes into the film) we’ve been through three separate fight sequences, each meant to articulate the character of one of our leads: down-and-dirty badass (Hobbs), smoothly lethal sophisticate (Shaw), smart and efficient and highly contagious (Vanessa Kirby as MI6 virus thief Hattie), and Black Superman (Idris Elba, who gives himself the name, but if it fits…). Right. Enough with plot, on to stupifyingly illogical and imaginative action. Hobbs & Shaw offers quite a spectacle. It bogs down when it gets away from the explosions, wheelies and punches. Whether devoting excessive time to pissing contests or to dysfunctional family backstories, director David Leitch—who proved his action mettle with Atomic Blonde—too often forgets that words are not this franchise’s strongest suit. Still, there is something compelling about watching Black Superman V Samoan Thor. I don’t know that there’s enough here for a franchise springboard, but there’s plenty for a wasted afternoon.

★★★★ Directed by: #LuluWang Written by: Lulu Wang Starring: #awkwafina #ShuzhenZhao #TziMa #DianaLin Film Review by: #GeorgeWolf Caught in a lie and feeling desperate? There’s always the Homer Simpson defense (“It takes two to lie – one to lie and one to listen”), or even the George Costanza (“It’s not a lie if you believe it”). But with The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang finds poignant truths in an elaborate lie, speaking the universal language of “family crazy” while crafting an engaging cultural prism. Inspired by an episode of the This American Life podcast, The Farewell unfolds through the view of Billi (Awkwafina), a Chinese American who follows her parents back to China after the news of her grandmother Nai Nai’s terminal cancer diagnosis. But Nai Nai (Shuzhen Zhao-priceless) is the only one who doesn’t know how sick she is, and the extended family has concocted a ruse about a grandson’s wedding to give everyone an excuse to come visit Nai Nai one last time. Billi’s parents (Tzi Ma and Diana Lin) are worried she’ll end up giving the game away – and with good reason. Billi is not entirely on board for the “good lie,” and this conflict of conscience is the vessel Wang steers to expose important cultural differences while she’s getting solid laughs with all the family antics. The lies -both big and small- pile up, all in service of the belief that one’s life is part of a whole, and thus it is Nai Nai’s family who must carry the emotional burden of her illness. It is Awkwafina who carries the film. If you only know her as a comic presence (Ocean’s 8, Crazy Rich Asians), prepare to be wowed. As our window into this push and pull of tradition in the modern world, she makes Billi a nuanced, relatable soul. While Wang’s script in sharp and insightful, her assured tone is even more beneficial. Even as the film feels effortlessly lived in, it never quite goes in directions you think it might. Wang doesn’t stoop to going maudlin among all the whiffs of death, infusing The Farewell with an endless charm that’s both revealing and familiar. Funny, too. No lie.

★ Directed by: #SergioManfio Written by: #AnnaManfio #FrancescoManfio #SergioManfio #DavideStefanato Film Review by: #ChristieRobb #EmmyClifton During the recent heatwave as a bid to keep everyone entertained and out of the sun, I asked my upcoming Kindergartner, Emmy, to help me with my latest movie review. Mom says… Even a cup of ill-timed afternoon coffee was barely enough to keep me from nodding off during director Sergio Manifo’s animated adventure. The premise was interesting, centered around a teenage Leonardo Da Vinci who brings mechanical contraptions into being in  15thcentury Italy. But as we passed the 10 minute mark with no inciting incident, I realized we were in trouble. Eventually we get it. Leo’s friend Lisa’s farm has been vandalized. The crops are destroyed. And without them, Lisa’s dad can’t pay the mortgage and she’ll have to be married off to the anemic son of their nobleman landlord. The film has a little bit of everything: jokes that don’t land, phoned-in voice acting, questionable gender stereotypes (girls are described as “moody” and cry to get their way), characters who lack development, painful musical numbers that appear out of nowhere, exposition dumps delivered through dialogue, and a romance that makes Anakin and Padme’s in Attack of the Clones look nuanced. But my favorite thing by far is the closing song. I’ll leave you with some of the lyrics: When I am here with you I’m a fish inside a creek And I don’t know how to speak Maybe a mobile phone would help Kid says… I enjoyed it more than the Little Mermaid, but less than Frozen. Leo was my favorite character. He did the fun stuff. Lisa, the girl, was ok. I’d watch it again. It was kind of scary in parts. Why does everything end up a skeleton in this movie?

★★★ Directed by: Lynn Shelton Written by: #LynnShelton #MichaelPatrickOBrien Starring: #MarcMaron #JillianBell Lynn Shelton Film Review by: #CatMcAlpine On a hot summer day Cynthia (Jillian Bell) and Mary (Michaela Watkins) walk into an Alabama pawn shop with a sword to sell. Shop owner Mel (Marc Maron) listens in disbelief as the women explain: This isn’t just any sword. This Union officer’s sword, and its accompanying documents, can prove that the South actually won the Civil War. Sword of Trust pokes at what and who we believe in, and why. What leads people to believe that the world is actually flat or the deep state is actively erasing battles from history books? How many times can we forgive someone before we simply can’t anymore? Filmed on location in Birmingham, the pace of the film matches the speed of summer in the south. No one moves too fast, talks too loud, or quite gets to the point. Penned by Lynn Shelton (who also directed) and Mike O’Brien, the dialogue is almost too natural, suggesting that most of the script was largely improvised. The frame work is a little choppy, with a focus on Cynthia and Mary at the start that suggests more of an ensemble focus than is delivered. As the action picks up Cynthia, Mary, Mel, and pawn shop assistant Nathaniel (Jon Bass, loveable) all warily agree to pile into the back of a moving van with an unknown destination. “This is definitely how people die.” “This is how individual people die. There’s four of us.” Then, we’re hit with a momentum bait and switch. The longest scene of the film takes place in the back of the van where the characters explain exactly how they came to this point in their lives. This is when realize the real film is about Mel, and his ability to find satisfaction in life despite its disappointments. As the emotional epicenter, Maron is a marvelous star. Not dissimilar from his performance in Netflix’s GLOW, Maron has the beautiful, stuttering delivery of a man who can admit his life is “tragic” without ever truly contemplating that reality. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesn’t rise to meet his performance. The action is predictable and anticlimactic. Mel is worrying over bad decisions and a woman he’s still in love with, but his only onscreen interaction with Deirdre (Lynn Shelton, again) is early on and devoid of context. There are bright spots, like Nathaniel’s patient diligence in trying to explain to Cynthia how the world is actually flat, but the film doesn’t quite shine. The Sword of Trust skims over the top of conspiracy theories and their cult followers. Every believer is either a backwoods idiot or a loveable idiot, both easily dismissed. There’s an opportunity to explore the cultural black holes that create these communities, but Mel isn’t really interested in them, so the narrative isn’t either. Ultimately, this is a worthy effort to highlight the people and stories that find themselves in small, southern towns. But the film would’ve benefitted from either more evenly distributing its focus on the lives of all of its players or narrowing the narrative sharply on Mel.

Film Festivals > #PressReleases The British Urban Film Festival (1-7 September) has announced its line-up, nominees and awards recipients. The festival will open with Tosin Coker's 'Lara and the Beat', a Nigerian romantic comedy drama about 2 sisters coming to terms with the legacy of their family's media empire. British interest comes in the form of lead actress Seyi Shey who was born in Tottenham. The film also stars Wale Ojo (Meet the Adebanjo's). The closing night film is the festival premiere of Joseph Adesunloye's 'Faces', a multi-narrative feature film set across four storylines that follow a group of characters as their lives begin to unravel. The film stars Terry Pheto ('A United Kingdom'), Aki Omoshaybi ('Spilt', 'Star Wars - The Last Jedi') and Shingai Shoniwa (lead singer of The Noisettes). Other film highlights include 'Acceptable Damage', a film about one woman's battle with bullies whilst dealing with Asperger's and 'Stray Dog', a gritty drama about a helpless mother and her runaway teenage son. Documentaries also feature in the festival line-up this year, including 'Song for our People' (USA), 'Block and Censor' (China), 'ID Project - My Dominica Story' (UK) and 'The Mayor's Race' (UK). The #filmfestival will also showcase 4 competitive strands of #shortfilms along with the Iris Prize programme - in partnership with the Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival (based in Cardiff). Headlining the programme will be 'Colonial Gods' - directed by Dee Rees (Mudbound). Actor-writer-director-producer Noel Clarke will receive this year's honorary award at the BUFF Awards on 7 September. Hosting the ceremony will be radio presenter Linda Egwuekwe with guest presenters including Ashley Walters, Wil Johnson and Femi Oyeniran. At this event, nine awards will be given out in seven categories: BUFF Awards nominees BUFF Best Short Film (sponsored by Met Film School) 4 short films will be shortlisted via a public vote from 40, to be shown during the festival. A second private vote will choose the winner in this category. Blessing Anyiam-Osigwe Best Actress Award Seyi Shay (Lara and the Beat) Zoe Ranson (Stray Dog) Elinor Machen-Fortune (Acceptable Damage) Terry Pheto (Faces) BUFF Best Actor Eddie Linina (Stray Dog) Aki Omoshaybi (Faces) Elijah Baker (Acceptable Damage) Vector (Lara and the Beat) Victor Adebodun Best Feature Film Lara and the Beat (Directed by Tosin Coker) Acceptable Damage (Directed by Lavinia Simina) Stray Dog (Directed by Luke Hefferman) Faces (Directed by Joseph A Adesulonye) BUFF Best Live Script Recipients 2019 Best Live Script Winner: Asylum (Written by Eno Enefiok) 2019 Best Live Script Winner: Raped (Written by Malcolm J Solomon) 2019 Best Live Script Winner: Loyalty (Written by Jo Southwell) BUFF Best Documentary Song for our People (Directed by Mustapha Khan) Block and Censor (Directed by Awei Chen) ID Project - My Dominica Story (Directed by Richard Etienne) The Mayor's Race (Directed by Loraine Blumenthal) The full programme, which also includes 4 days of film and scriptwriting workshops + the Live Script readings (all at Met Film School) can be found at www.britishurbanfilmfestival.co.uk

★★★★★ Directed by: Richard Miller, #GrantArcher Written by: #RichardMiller Starring: #EstherMcAuley, #GavinFowler, #RichardShields, #MichaelMuyunda, #LauraStringer, #CraigSpencer, Short Film Review by: #ChrisOlson Cancer creeps up on the best of us. Whether that's a loved one suddenly being diagnosed, yourself, or a movie that has the C-word as the central conflict. Numerous filmmakers have told stories of cancer patients taking up the fight against the dreaded disease (The Fault In Our Stars, My Sister's Keeper) and most with an admirably grounded approach. Few storytellers would dare shy away from the brutal reality of living with cancer and this is no different for directors Richard Miller and Grant Archer with their short film Can't Hide It. Esther McAuley plays Kim, whom we meet at the beginning of the movie putting on a baggy Christmas jumper. This and the title of the piece would make some viewers (definitely not this one who was totally not taken by surprise) think that we are dealing with an unwanted pregnancy narrative. It's not long before we are shown that Kim's troubles are much different, attending a hospital session with her partner (Gavin Fowler) where even the Jenga can't distract her from the horrors she's about to face. As the pair tackle each step together, a bittersweet atmosphere of romance and tragedy fill the screen. Masterfully controlled, almost tactile #filmmaking here, Can't Hide It is as close to joining someone's cancer fight as you can get. It's no holds barred, sombre, loaded with heartbreaking moments yet still cheekily funny and at times even joyous. The relationship between the two central characters is beautifully handled, each devoted to the other in a warming, sarcastic manner. The performances from McAuley and Fowler depict the wondrous endurance of love, with each actor terrifically coping with the highs and lows that the plot demands. The aesthetic is intimate and at times gloomy, the perfect setting for such a story. We see Kim losing her hair in the shower or throwing up in the toilet as if we are a floating head on her shoulder. All this creates an important impact on the audience which is to fully immerse themselves into the plight of the character in an almost palpable way. Editing is used cleverly to highlight the chaos that ensues when your mundane life becomes mixed up with a life-threatening illnesses. Kim's attempts at going through the motions at social gatherings seems punctuated by unaware characters whose intrusions feel almost villainous. Smartly assembled and gut-punchingly authentic, Can't Hide It deserves the same level of commendable praise as the best of the cancer genre movies. This is tragedy at is most heartwarming and a definitive short film for 2019.

★★★★ Directed by: Tanmay Singh Written by: #TanmaySingh Starring: #SuhaasAhuja, #SayaliBhagat, #ShrutiGupta, #AryanJitendra Short Film Review by: #ChrisOlson Confronting the person you once were is never more acute than through the eyes of someone you once loved. When two former lovers meet in a coffee shop years after they parted ways, the pair are surprised to find how much the other has changed, and how oblivious they had been to their own maturation. In short film Marilyn Lights, Suhaas Ahuja plays John, a once dedicated musician who now barely finds time to play guitar amongst the "rat race" lifestyle of a 9-5 job and being married. Sayali Bhagat plays Preeti, a former flame of John's who is now a mother. Rekindling their romance, John and Preeti find at first their connection to be as strong as before and enjoy each other's company immensely. However, are these two people really the same man and woman from the flashbacks? Or has more changed in their lives and who they are than the brand of cigarettes John smokes? Laced with a romantic atmosphere, Marilyn Lights lays a delicate stage for the tangled plot to unravel on. The complicated nature of John and Preeti's relationship is allowed plenty of breathing room, dipping in and out of the present to show key moments in their history that reveal pivotal aspects of who they were against who they are now. This heartbreaking examination of how people no longer fit into the moulds they once occupied is at the heart of writer/director Tanmay Singh's short movie. The chemistry between Ahuja and Bhagat is beautiful, brilliantly capturing the almost childish innocence of being infatuated. This makes their downfall all the more poignant and the two actors play it wonderfully. Shruti Gupta, who plays John's wife, is also great as the hard-pressed spouse struggling to come to terms with her partner's identity crisis. From a #filmmaking perspective, Marilyn Lights is impressive. The cigarette ads at the beginning of the piece were marvellous to watch and were woven into the plot really well. The score was a tad on the melodramatic side, sometimes soaking the scenes in emotive music. That being said, there were some nice musical moments where John gives in and gets his guitar out. A beautiful love story told beautifully, Tanmay Singh could well be a #RichardCurtis of short filmmaking. His control of plot and character is masterful and this short film shows oodles of potential. Watch the official short film trailer below.

★★ Directed by: #PeterSullivan Written by: #KraigWenman #PeterSullivan Starring: #BrendaSong #MikeVogel #DennisHaysbert Netflix Film Review by: #ChrisBuick #Netflix has grown from strength to strength in recent years, moving on from mail-order DVDs to becoming the biggest streaming platform there is. It’s fair to say it also has established quite an impressive catalogue of original productions to offer its subscribers these days, alongside all its other licensed content. But the harsh reality is that Secret Obsession, one of Netflix’s most recent original ventures, is not the streaming behemoth’s finest hour and a half. The film opens with a woman (Brenda Song, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody) running for her life from a knife-wielding stranger. In her attempt to escape, she is struck by a car and after waking up in hospital, has no memory of her life before the incident. Rushing to her side is Russell (Mike Vogel, Bates Motel, Under the Dome), who tells her that her name is Jennifer and that he is her husband. After helping Jennifer with her recovery, he takes her back to their magnificent dream house to pick up their lives again. However, it is not long before Jennifer realizes that all is not as it seems in their perfect world. Time to be frank; if you have watched the movie trailer for this film; you already know what happens in this film. And on the off chance that you might still be unsure after that, the first fifteen to twenty minutes will confirm it for you. The title here says it all really, and because we are painfully aware of what is going to happen very early on, it is a long ninety minutes waiting for the rest of the characters to catch up with us. The cast here do the basic job of delivering the uninspired dialogue, with Song acting scared in the appropriate places and to her credit, tries her best to bring some sort of tension to the film but other than that, it’s very daytime movie calibre, especially Vogel who only seems to deliver one flavour throughout; bland. As well as the whole outcome being telegraphed very early on, the film is laden with done-to-death thriller clichés with seemingly no attempts to subvert our expectations. There are unresolved sub-plots, Dennis Haysbert (24, The Unit) as detective Frank Page has a missing daughter which is briefly mentioned early on but never referred to again until being quickly swept away at the end, not to mention several moments of jarring, over-dramatic music. All this is rounded off by several plot-holes, aggravatingly dumb character decisions, and laughably unrealistic setups (the lighter and the candle is especially ridiculous); this movie should perhaps come with a warning that it may cause severe eyestrain for viewers from rolling them in disbelief so often. It’s great that Netflix offers #filmmakers a platform to get their projects out there which would otherwise might never be seen. But with nothing new to offer and a plot so painfully obvious, Secret Obsession is one that maybe should have been reconsidered.

★★★ Directed by: John McElroy and #BrettJones Written by: John McElroy and #RandyWright Starring: #JohnMcElroy, #MaryJaneHeath, #FelipeFernandez, #KathrynParks, #MarkTroy, #HenryLawrence, #CassandraCalo, #DollieMulholland Indie Film Review by: #ChrisOlson Rocky Mountain Fast Guy, a sprawling tale of twanging guitar blues starring John McElroy (who co-directs with Brett Jones and co-writes with Randy Wright) as a wannabe country singer-songwriter whose luck is as bad as his dress sense - there are a lot of flannel shirts. As he makes his way from one exciting adventure to the next in search of Nashville and fame, he encounters many of life's heroes and villains. Outgrowing his family's Florida ranch, Guy (McElroy) gets banged up after picking up the spoils of a botched robbery. This leads him onto a path with destiny which includes the likes of drug kingpins, scam artists, strippers, drug-taking cops and a Johnny Cash tribute "artist" (Mark Troy). It's a zany comedy adventure movie with plenty of action. Following a #roadtrip genre structure, Rocky Mountain Fast Guy boldly attempts a huge number of locations and characters, as well as an ambitious running time. Many of the set pieces are comically timed yet there is a large amount of pathos surrounding the events which transpire for our musical protagonist. The juxtaposition of comedy and drama works well, allowing heavier plot moments (such as the abuse his mother experiences at the hands of her boyfriend) to coexist in harmony with scenes involving Guy's hapless exploits. There are a lot of rough edges to the indie film and viewers would be forgiven for picking up riffs and melodies from numerous other road trip or musical biopic movies. Guy's quest for stardom is a familiar but still charming one and his array of mind-boggling incidents are at least unique to him. The film feels contrived due to the chaptered nature of the plot, as if for all Guy's supposed misfortune he still manages to emerge unscathed and ready for the next installment. He also has this unwavering confidence in his musical abilities, which whilst fair enough, makes his character less sympathetic. The performances are likable across the board. Even if many of the supporting players only get a fraction of screen time they are still pleasant to be around. Felipe Fernandez as a badass drug dealer is a standout for me and McElroy is by and large an easy to warm to presence. The songs are great with fable-like lyrics narrating the movie and a few excellent live performances dotted around to engage with. From a fundamental perspective, Rocky Mountain Fast Guy feels flawed. The character is interesting and plenty of conflict occurs in his life but the constant on-the-run approach to tell his story feels like we are getting the Greatest Hits album rather than the meaty first record with all the angst and despair needed to fully connect with the material. Watch the official movie trailer below.

★★★★★ Directed by: #CaioCortonesi Starring: #HumbertoPedrancini, #DeboraAquino, #JulianaDrummond, #CaioCortonesi Short Film Review by: #ShrubabotiBose Directed by Caio Cortonesi, Asra, a Brazilian short film is as lyrical in its retelling of the universal story of death and acceptance as it is thought-provoking. The music pulses in the background, intensifying at climactic moments and fading out with the shift in settings. There is a particular rhythm, an ebb and flow pattern in the score. It resonates with the characters’ feelings and emotions. The persistent sound of a ticking clock gives us a sense of urgency. In retrospection, it counts the hours till the old man would stop breathing. At a measured pace, the camera follows the characters in and out of the frame, panning across Omar’s profile through the wall separating the adjacent room where his father is lying in his bed. The narrator is in no hurry to tell us the story, but the music builds tension as the dialogues continue outside the frame, only to culminate with the anguished cries of the old man before us. Omar tries to reason with him in Arabic, his father turns to face him, bitter distaste in his eyes and responds with reproach, “Your Arabic is still a shame.” It is significant to note how he never loses control, be it over his own life or over his son. His voice makes a dominating screen presence bursting out loud in intervals and overpowering the monotonous voice-over of the son. In spite of sharing a difficult relationship with his son, the old man entrusts Omar with the responsibility of finding a person who can carry out euthanasia and put an end to his pain. As a conventional religious man, he lived a life of strict discipline, denying himself of his own identity for all these years. Just before the final moment, however, he has one single desire. With the help of the medical practitioner, he gets a makeover and becomes “beautiful”. The eyes are outlined with dark kohl and the lips are painted in a deep shade, the sharp contrasts are heightened in the black and white film. Zooming into the face and taking a close-up shot emphasizes this transformation. Makeup plays an important role but lighting causes the real impact as his face illuminates with inner peace at his reconciliation with himself. It’s a moment of self-discovery, liberation and transcendence. In death, he breaks free from his physical pain and mental agony, as his soul leaves the corporeal confines of his body, he attains true freedom.

★★ Directed by: #VigneshKumar Starring: #LeaDesGarets, #Nishu, #CalumRDavidson Short Film Review by: #NathanialEker A generic concept doesn’t have to equate to a dull film. With the right direction, even the simplest idea can surprise, delight, and fright, as should be the case for a ghostly parable like Death News. Regrettably, despite the odd moment of synergistic camera work and lighting, the picture produces all the horrors of a budget-lite episode of Goosebumps, and is a slog to sit through. We’ve all seen this plot before; a successful person accidentally kills an innocent, doesn’t own up to the crime, and is promptly haunted to death. While the script admittedly concludes with an enjoyable Twilight Zone style twist, the dialogue is far from the quality of Rod Serling’s work as the story moves with a pace ranging from absurdly fast to mind numbingly plodding. The little dialogue used is fine, but only fine. A ghostly summary via a typing poltergeist is poorly written, clumsily expositing plot beats that feel as inorganic as the forced scares themselves. Lead player Lea Des Garets gives a mixed performance. Bearing the emotional weight of the narrative on her shoulders, she’s required to be likeable enough to align the audience to her plight, but also deplorable enough for us to want to see some spooky justice. Perhaps in part due to the basic script, her acting comes off as more Scooby-Doo than Woman in Black. Over the top expressions that scream ‘zoinks’ lead to a campy performance consistent with the silly aesthetics, in particular, the look of the ghostly victim. The eponymous ‘Beth’ spends the majority of the film with her head slouched towards the floor, popping the best scary eyes that she can muster, and looking more hungover teenager than vengeful spirit. The campy performances are compounded by a poor attention to detail in the make-up, lighting, and camera departments. The former is as rudimentary as monsters come, with black panda eyeliner substituting the usual horrific injuries, pale eyes, sharp teeth, or gaunt face that tend to characterise most filmic spectres. A simple approach often works wonders, but shooting the ghost in centre frame, in broad daylight, only highlights the sloppy make up and does nothing to inspire goosepimples. Had the ghost been obscured by chiaroscuro lighting, or better yet, hidden entirely, our psyche could’ve filled in the blanks; an approach that is often more effective. It’s absolutely more frightening than a hungover woman with panda eyes carrying a stuffed doll around in broad daylight. To give credit where due, there are moments where the camera brings the film to life. The money shot comes at the mid-point as Stefanie stares through a multi panelled window with red and blue lights reflecting onto her face, laying her guilt on heavily without the need for words. It’s a well shot sequence that implies endless subtext without saying a thing. It’s thus a shame that the entire picture wasn’t written or shot with the same level of subtlety. Only a few minutes later, as the spectral exposition dump via Microsoft Word is delivered, the cinematography moves from Hitchcockian tension building to shaking more than Outkast with a polaroid picture. It’s unclear whether this was an attempt at a found footage style of recording, putting us in the mind of Stefanie, or whether it was just sloppy work. The only inspiration for racing hearts or clenching teeth comes from the chilling soundtrack, which isn’t half bad. Though some tracks sound bizarrely ripped from a children’s mystery show, the loud bangs and booms do provide a sense of impending dread, even if the other elements don’t support it. One facet that is genuinely fantastic however, are the opening titles. Archaic, subtle, and eerily lacking in music, they powerfully forebode a coming terror and craft an organic feeling of fear. It’s just a shame that they don’t foreshadow a compelling film that’s consistent with their level of quality. Overall, Death News is a bland, uninspired ghost story that fails to tread new ground while simultaneously lacking effort in the most critical areas of compelling horror. While classics like Halloween tell a genuinely frightening story on a small budget by employing smart techniques like a POV camera, a slow tension build, and a basic, but effective costume, Death News commits the greatest sin a supernatural thriller can; it’s just not scary. While not completely devoid of merit, it’s instantly forgettable due to a weak script, a mundane tone, and campy acting. Death News is regrettably, bad news.