★★ Directed by: #ChristianRivers Screenplay: by #PeterJackson, #FranWalsh, #PhilippaBoyens Starring: #HeraHilmar, #RobertSheehan, #HugoWeaving Film Review by: #BradyClark After purchasing the film rights 9 years ago, LOTR legend Peter Jackson’s long-awaited interpretation of the Mortal Engines saga is finally here. Who wouldn’t want to see giant, motorised cities roaming desolate wastelands to consume everything smaller than themselves in a quirky steampunk tribute? Unfortunately, the idea is much better than the execution. Hera Hilmer takes the lead as brooding Hester Shaw, a disfigured assassin seeking revenge for a past trauma. After a failed attempt on the man who took her mother’s life, Thaddeus Valentine (the ever-watchable Hugo Weaving), Hester is cast out from the monstrous London with do-gooder Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan). The two must fend for themselves without the protection of their roaming abodes. Despite a strong start for Hilmer, her performance slowly fizzles as Shaw’s strength and anger wilt, perhaps tethered by Sheehan, who is undoubtedly the worst aspect of this film. Although he may look the part, his portrayal of Tom is incredibly annoying from the outset amidst painful overacting. Though this would likely have a lot to do with the jam-packed script that decided to state the glaringly obvious anytime there was a hint of a dramatic pause. Fans of the books will be disappointed by the character portrayals in general, save for Weaving as the villain of the piece. One could be fooled at several points that Valentine is misunderstood, to the point where you almost root for him. But even this falters into predictability as the final act plays through. The result is a hot mess. A pacey Mad Max-esque opening, great visual effects and an engaging score do little to breathe life to Christian Rivers’ directorial debut. Even these seem inferior to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which survived on a much smaller budget and relied on the wonders of New Zealand – something Mortal Engines may have greatly benefited from. Potential for an engaging film faded in ignoring the more personal storylines that are mostly hinted at, explained briefly, and then glazed over in the shadow of battle between London and the static settlements in Shan Guo (formerly China). Valentine’s history with Hester and her mother, as well as Hester’s reunion with the weirdly likeable Shrike (an undead Stalker played by Avatar’s Stephen Lang) are the most watchable parts of the film, and yet gone in a flash. A multitude of characters (Anna, Katherine, Bevis, Magnus, Chudleigh…I could go on) that had potential barely received any screen time, making way for the forced and uninspired romance of Hester and Tom, several far too obvious Star Wars rip-offs, and a replicated war plot we’ve seen a hundred times. Perhaps Jackson and Rivers should have stuck to Middle Earth.

★★★★ Directed by: #MariaPopistasu & #AlexandruBaciu Starring: Maria Popistasu, #AlexandruDabija, #PaulChirana Berlin Liberi Film Festival Review by: #ChrisOlson Romanian #shortfilm The Seagull is a thoughtful and contemplative piece on the fragility of life and a wonderful addition to the 2018 Berlin Liberi Film Festival lineup. From directors Maria Popistasu and Alexandru Baciu, it's a film that engulfs itself with the human tendency to avoid emotional vulnerability. Maria Popistasu plays Laura, a caring and dutiful daughter who struggles to communicate with her father (Alexandru Dabija) about his ill health. Fortunately, the pair are giving plenty of conversation by the seagull who has trapped himself on the window, and whom the two hope to nurture back to help. Told with no score, minimal editing, and lots of mid-range static shots, The Seagull is a #shortfilm that blends its style well into the themes of the story. Without the classic emotive trappings of cinema, the characters are left bare on the screen, allowing what's not being said to have maximum volume and therefore impact on the audience. The often banal mutterings of Laura and her dad about what they should do with the injured animal become like whirring cogs as the machinery of their relationship prepares to fully engage with the actual situation. This is then compounded in a spectacular car sequence where Laura talks to her dad following his latest visit to the doctor. Anyone who has experienced a serious health issue within their family will most likely be aware of the strange combination of comedy and sadness that arises when we are forced to contemplate our own or someone we love's mortality. The #filmmakers here do this splendidly, allowing the humorous lines to land without any frills or dressing and instead lending a good degree of authenticity to the narrative. This is the kind of exchange huge amounts of viewers are likely to be able to relate to. The performances are terrific once you submerge yourself into the tone and atmosphere of The Seagull. Small, almost tiny moments of intimacy can be located amongst the plethora of distance. From Popistasu's incredible reactions in the car, to Dabija's pacing, audiences will be able to connect with these characters even with the seemingly impersonal nature which is so vital to the storyline. Both performers are very convincing and engaging. #worldcinema that is inventive and thought provoking is often hard to locate, so attendees of the Berlin Liberi #filmfestival should feel privileged to see such a well crafted and powerful movie.

★★★★★ Directed by: #PeterJackson Documentary Film Review by: #DarrenTilby Made to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the end of the #FirstWorldWar and featuring never-before-seen, fully restored and #colourised footage. Peter Jackson's stunning documentary brings to life the experiences of ordinary soldiers like never before. “You’re not going to learn anything about the #FirstWorldWar from a greater view,” says Jackson, whose aim here isn’t to inform of the political workings of war, nor the tactics used by its now infamous Generals. Instead, he has opted to focus on the personal experiences of the common soldier. To do this, he and his team trawled through over 600 hours of interviews with over 200 soldiers in their search for voices to express that first-hand experience. Jackson doesn’t stop there, however: hiring a small army of forensic lip-readers to determine what the soldiers on-screen were saying, then having actors reproduce the dialogue (in the correct regional accents, I might add) and dubbing it over the original footage. Modern recordings of things like real-life artillery shelling (courtesy of the New Zealand army), grinding tank tracks and whinnying horses are also added to complete the audio restoration. Of course, none of this would have worked had the film restoration not been done to a high standard. The moral conundrum of whether #monochromatic film should be colourised is still a hotly debated one. But let me say, as someone who is not generally a fan of #colourisation, Peter Jackson has absolutely nailed it. The #restorative effects take a while to kick in. The film, beginning in black and white, details the recruitment process and training undertaken by recruits. Not until the troops arrive in France do we get to see the #restoration in all its magnificence. It’s a wise move. #Colourising the whole film would obviously be much more expensive and time-consuming, but would also have detracted from what is, as it stands, an awe-inspiring moment. #Colourisation is only the surface of Jackson’s film #restoration, however. The problem with old film footage like this is the camera speed or frames per second (fps). Early film was usually hand cranked, which resulted in an often varying and always low camera speed, usually around 12 fps; which is what gives it that sped up jerky look. Most modern film is shot at 24 fps, which presents a problem when you want to ‘correct’ the speed as around 12 frames per second are missing. To counter this, Jackson has used advanced computer techniques (which I really don’t understand) to fill in the missing frames; producing footage that runs at a normal speed. Everything comes together in complete perfection. And, in an instant, this seemingly distant #war and the apparitions who haunt its landscapes are brought miraculously back to life. The result is nothing short of a technological masterpiece, not to mention one of the most poignant and moving #wardocumentaries ever made. Astounding, with both its beauty and its savagery. They Shall Not Grow Old needs to be seen by as many people as possible.

★★★★ Directed by #SebastiánSilva Written by #SebastiánSilva Starring #JasonMitchell #CalebLandryJones #AnnDowd Film Review by #GeorgeWolf "Hey, Tyrone." "It's Tyler, actually." "Oh, my bad." The subtle discomforts start early in Tyrel, writer/director Sebastian Silva's perceptive and slyly intense slice of racially tinged mumblecore, a film that benefits greatly from yet another standout turn from Jason Mitchell. Mitchell stars as Tyler, an African-American man who is grateful to escape a houseful of in-laws by joining his friend John (Christopher Abbott) on a birthday getaway in the Catskills. But it's not John's birthday. It's John's friend Pete's (Caleb Landry Jones) birthday, and it isn't long before Tyler is meeting plenty of new faces and realizing his is the only one that isn't white. Plus, it just happens to be the weekend of Trump's inauguration. Perfect. Amid heavy dialog that's fast and free-flowing with an improvisational feel, the crowded mountain home becomes a nerve-wracking metaphor for the state of race relations. Silva, the unconventional Chilean filmmaker who mined social anxieties effectively in Nasty Baby and The Maid, continues to subvert expectations through intimate, thoughtful characterizations. After a long stream of memorable supporting roles (Straight Outta Compton, Mudbound, Detroit, Kong: Skull Island), Mitchell carries this film with a performance that is sympathetic from the start, a key factor Silva leans on to turn our insecurities against us. With each slight, appropriation and assurance that "he didn't mean anything by that," Tyler's feelings become more conflicted, raising the level of concern we have for what might happen. As is his wont, Silva steers clear of expected plot turns and veers in surprising directions, one of them concerning a friendly Catskills neighbor down the road (Ann Dowd). Though it's understandably easy to compare this film to Get Out (especially with Jones in the cast), that comparison itself may be one of the scabs Silva is picking. Why did Jordan Peele's horror story resonate so brilliantly? With a focus on casual affronts to identity and the privileged confidence that everything is fine, Tyrel's Catskills weekend offers some clues.

★★★★ Directed by #AlexisBloom Starring #RogerAiles #GlennBeck #CatherineCorcoran Film Review by #MattWeiner The two most arresting interviews in the new documentary Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes don’t involve any surprising new reveals about the Fox News media mogul himself. But it’s no accident of archival footage for director Alexis Bloom to let clips of Ailes, Bill O’Reilly, Matt Lauer and Charlie Rose hang on the screen just a few beats too long. In July 2016, Ailes resigned from the network he built due to sexual harassment allegations, including those from high-profile current and former Fox News anchors. It would be another year before Me Too crystallized as a movement, but Bloom convincingly frames the rise and fall of Ailes within this broader national reckoning. Ample time is given to Ailes’s accusers. Their stories are powerful, and serve as a constant reminder that the tragedy of these harassment incidents aren’t the “great men” we lose but rather all the potential talent that was silenced or forced to leave the industry too soon. The most refreshing part of Bloom’s perspective is that it means we’re subjected to a surprisingly little amount of armchair analysis. A few of the industry talking heads wonder about the paths not taken for Ailes, and glimpses of his white picket fence upbringing in northeastern Ohio certainly fit neatly within his guiding ethos for Fox News as a revanchist counterweight to supposed liberal anarchy. But these tangents either slip away quietly or are forcibly punctured by the reality of his legacy. It’s a satisfying irony to see Bloom take control away from Ailes and his persona, even posthumously. If the broad outlines of Ailes as both kingmaker and mythmaker are familiar territory in Divide and Conquer—from his prescient television savvy with Nixon up through the perfect singularity Fox News achieved through its fusion with Donald Trump—Bloom makes a good case that this story is still vital. And, for better or worse, unfinished. That a paranoid old ogre could have built any world he wanted to with his boundless talent is about as nice a sentiment as the film can coax from his former colleagues. But so what? Ailes is dead now, and can only look up at the rest of us as we figure out how to live in or fight against the world he created.

★★★ Directed by: #MichaelMiddletonDowner Starring: #AliceBird, #GavinFowler and #KayaYuzuki Short Film Review by: #RachelPullen Foodies really get on my nerves, I don’t know why but they do, it’s just food dude, shove it in your mouth, continue to live, and move on. But no, there is a whole subculture of mouth savouring, meal Instagramming folks who think artisan bread hand kneaded by a 5 year old Korean child slave is better than a classic slice of Kingsmeal...bread is bread fools. So what if you were eating this amazing product that you’re paying some ridiculous price for, and you find out that it’s not made by a Korean child...but is actually made of human bones or Spam or something? That probably happens a lot more than you think, well director Michael Middleton Downer has the same concerns too. Delicacy is the tale of a young lady who creates these amazing little pie things [honestly that’s how little I care about food, I don’t even know what they are called, think mini Cornish pasties but from China] for a high end eatery. They beg with her to work in the kitchen with the other chefs but she is insistent, the magic she creates can only happen if she prepares them alone from the comfort of her home. But on her walk back to her house to create some more precious mini Cornish pasty pies, she is hit on by a stranger, who after some hesitance from our leading lady, eventually ends up taking him back to her place...score. And yup, you guessed it, the magic pasty pies contains her own version of soylent green. Professional and slick, short film Delicacy boasts amazing #cinematography, the use of lighting throughout the piece cannot be overlooked, gentle and low level, the #shortfilm gives off a warm and safe vibe, kind of how people may feel when sitting down to a family meal in the evening. We are invited in and we want to stay. Bird and Fowler bring professional performances, their on screen chemistry works well. You sense the nerves yet excitement that come with a first date, portrayed on screen confidently making viewing pleasant and believable. Sadly the storyline is predictable; we are able to guess that her ill fated date would be the main course quite quickly as the set up leaves little to the imagination. The storyline has potential but the execution causes us to figure out the ending about three minutes in. Had they considered a different arrangement to the storyboard this may have been avoided but overall it does not take too much away from the enjoyment of viewing. Read more #filmreviews here.

★★★★★ Directed by #AlfonsoCuarón Written by #AlfonsoCuarón Starring #YalitzaAparicio #MarinadeTavira Film Review by #HopeMadden and #GeorgeWolf Thank you Netflix for financing and distributing Alfonso Cuarón’s masterpiece, Roma. No offense to the small screens that Netflix often lives in, but this one demands to be seen on the big ones. A breathtaking culmination of his work to date, Roma pulls in elements and themes, visuals and curiosities from every film Cuarón has made (including a wonderfully organic ode to the inspiration for one of his biggest), braiding them into a semi-autobiographical meditation on family life in the early 1970s. At the film's heart is an extended group concerning an affluent Mexico City couple (Fernando Grediaga and the scene-stealing Marina de Tavira), their four children and their two live-in servants Adela (Nancy Garcia Garcia) and Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio). The family unit will morph, stretch and strengthen by film’s end as Cuarón envelopes us in a languidly paced but visually sumptuous exploration of Cleo’s point of view. A remarkable Aparicio quietly observes all that goes on around her—the tumult and the quiet of life inside and outside the house—as Cuarón’s camera performs a cross between poetry and ballet to capture those observations. Filmed in gorgeous black and white, the picture is showy without being showy, it’s realistic with flourishes of absurdism. More than anything, it is proof of Cuarón’s mastery as a cinematic storyteller. The same fluidity he brought to his Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban serves a different kind of magic here, capturing the intimate and the epic, the simple and the wildly complicated with pristine clarity. Sequence upon sequence offers a dizzying array of beauty, as foreground and background often move in glorious concert during meticulously staged extended takes that somehow feel at once experimental and restrained. The effect is of a nearly underwater variety, a profound serenity that renders any puncture, from a street parade moving blindly past the distraught woman in its path to a murder in broad daylight, that much more compelling. Roma is filmmaking of the most consummate skill. Though it's anchored in family strife that might feel at home in a Lifetime melodrama, the film achieves an intimacy that's grand, detailed and perhaps more than anything else, inviting. Accept that invitation, and Cuaron will serve you a feast not easy to leave behind, even if you want to. You won't want to.

★★★ Directed by #TomVolf Written by #FannyArdant #JoyceDiDonato #MariaCallas Starring #MariaCallas Film Review by #ChristieRobb It’s an ambitious project to document the life of an international celebrity almost entirely in her own words. And that’s the task undertaken, not entirely successfully, by director Tom Volf in Maria by Callas. The life of the mid-century opera singer is captured primarily through taped interviews, diary entries, letters to friends (read by the opera singer Joyce DiDonato), and, of course, recordings of Callas’s phenomenal performances. We see the polished surface of a star born to humble beginnings in New York who rose to command stages across Europe and the Americas. It’s almost two hours of sweeping updos, elaborate costumes, chic evening wear, dripping jewels, swaddling furs, impeccable makeup, and pristine manicures. Volf tracks Callas’s career from the 50s through the 70s, and lingers on close ups of Callas’s arias. She’s a waif—all bouffant hair, expressive eyes, and bird-like bones. You wonder how such a big voice can possibly come from such a tiny frame. She’s magnetic. Passionate. Commanding. The singing is interspersed with autobiographical tidbits provided by Callas. But these are only sketches. Although she states again and again that she would give up her career to raise a family and it’s clear that at some point around her late 20s or early 30s she got married, the first time she utters her husband’s name in the documentary it’s to discuss their impending separation. We are left to wonder how genuine she is in saying that she’d give up her career for domestic life and how much she felt compelled to say that, given the prevailing gender norms of the years in which she was famous. Much of the autobiography portion is consumed with Callas’s operatic 10 plus year affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, which occurred both before and after his marriage to Jackie Kennedy. Through interviews and letters you can see Callas’s attempt to put a positive spin on what must have been quite a tumultuous relationship. Even while he is pulling away from her, Callas writes to a friend, asking for agreement on how he has changed for the better. The final moments of the movie show Maria kicking back in Florida. Her hair is down for the first time. She’s wearing loose lounge wear instead of a corseted bodice. Her hair flows down her back, and she's sporting thick glasses that magnify her myopic eyes. It’s clear how much effort has gone into the package of the public Callas persona. The contrast between the woman and the artifice would have been more effective with a bit more exposition. It’s an admirable goal to have Callas in control of her own narrative, but to do so leaves out information that would be helpful to provide context to this life. For example, Maria’s rivalry with an older sister who was considered to be the pretty one in the family. The scandalous headlines. The qualities of her vocal talents. The year Maria decided to lose some weight mid-career and lost nearly 80 pounds. How the weight loss may have contributed to her vocal decline. How her changing voice impacted her attempted late-career comeback. Without the biographical backstory, the documentary seems too surface level. If you don’t know a lot about Callas, do your research beforehand and come for the music and her arresting performances.

★★★ Directed by #LarsvonTrier Written by #LarsvonTrier #JenleHallund Starring #MattDillon #BrunoGanz Film Review by #HopeMadden and #GeorgeWolf What does a serial killer have in common with an indie filmmaker? Quite a lot, or so suggests indie filmmaker Lars von Trier. We'll say this with all sincerity: The House that Jack Built—a 2+ hour peek into the mind and methods of a murderer—is von Trier’s most lighthearted picture to date. It’s also as tedious and self-indulgent as Nymphomaniac: Vol. II. LvT’s artistry lies in his ability to make the viewer uncomfortable. His films are punishing, which is why his first foray into horror, the brilliant and wildly unnerving 2009 film Antichrist, was such a perfect fit. He returns to the genre with Jack, here allowing a sadistic murderer the opportunity to shed light on the filmmaker's own discomforting artistry. Which can work—Julian Richards’s The Last Horror Movie and Remy Balvaux’s Man Bites Dog both offer blistering achievements on the theme. But Jack falters, and von Trier falters, in two important ways. The film does deliver sadistic glory, yet in terms of violence or depravity, it feels oddly safe. Not safe for all viewers, mind you, but horror fans and von Trier fans have seen far more envelope-pushing than what Jack depicts. There is one sequence—the picnic sequence—that is among the most perfect horror movie episodes ever filmed. Beyond that, much of this movie is competently made but ultimately tired. We follow Jack (Matt Dillon, making the most of a surprising casting choice) through various instances of homicidal mania. As voiceover conversations with the mysterious Verge (Bruno Ganz) pay homage to Dante's Divine Comedy, Jack's bloody exploits become less darkly comedic and more brazenly sadistic, testing his claim that "the soul belongs to heaven and the body to hell." Just as the Nymphomaniac films traded provocative ideas for fist-shaking admonishments from filmmaker to critics, Jack devolves into an instrument wielded even less bluntly. Again, von Trier channels his tale through two voices: the protagonist and a straw man. Verge serves up the proselytizations on art and morality so Jack can knock 'em down, with snippets of von Trier's previous films peppered in for anyone who still isn't getting it. Not that LvT's ideas on this topic aren't interesting - far from it- but the line between personal and self-indulgent is the same one that separates uncomfortable questions that resonate (as in von Trier's own Dogville) from spoon-fed answers that do not. One side makes for an engaging film experience while the other falls short, no matter how impressive the visual set pieces (which Jack does indeed provide). Von Trier has unapologetically wallowed in depravity his entire career, and those themes have served the narrative in amazing ways. Now he seems more interested in narratives that serve grandiose debates of his own artistic value. Let's hope that road has reached an end. While von Trier remains an artist worthy of attention, The House That Jack Built stands as another missed opportunity.

Watch the Aladdin movie trailer which is due to hit UK cinemas in May 2019. As well as being one of the most beloved movies of the #Disney back catalogue, the film is also quintessentially Disney-esque. Heroism, magic, royalty. Take a look at the Aladdin movie trailer and let us know what you think. Remember to share this post and the video with your friends.

★★★★★ Directed by: #OscarAdams Written by: #OscarAdams Starring: #RoryWilson, #ElenaSaenz Film Review by: #DarrenTilby Oscar Adams’ fantastic short tale of star-crossed lovers is a 12-minute, tear-jerking piece of #cinematic wonder. Being trapped in an unloving and unhappy relationship brings Jonathan and Eloisa into a chance encounter in a coffee shop. The language barrier (Eloisa being #Spanish) initially causes friction. But Jonathan clearly feels a connection with Eloisa and takes her the coffee she was struggling to order. This small gesture of kindness sees the two embark upon a day-long #romance; in which they discover love is a language of its own. The initial difficulties between the two caused by the language barrier are well displayed here by both Wilson and Saenz. What is, perhaps, more impressive is the incredibly well-presented chemistry between our leads. An understated affair; one told more through a glance and a gaze than dialogue. Both actors excel here and neither one of them ever put a foot wrong. In fact, the only time the film encounters problems is during a few moments of dialogue; which can feel forced at times. Indeed, Trolley says it best when it says nothing at all. That doesn’t in any way mean the script or dialogue is bad, far from it, it’s just not the film’s strong point. The characters, on-the-other-hand, are thoroughly well-written and standout from the usual clichés found in such films. The wonderful soundtrack supports the narrative and sets the mood for the film, whilst Samira Oberberg’s stunning #cinematography radiates with beauty. With the slow cutting of shots which switch between scenic and close-up ensuring we never miss a glance, glint of the eye or day-to-day splendour that surrounds us. Trolley's storyline plays out like a #Shakespearean tragedy; a 12-minute long, contemporary Romeo & Juliet if you will—just without all the death. But whilst this fleeting #romance is at the heart of the film, there’s much more going on here. Themes of #regret, #loneliness and missed opportunities all run through the film’s veins; providing the lifeblood on which it flourishes. Trolley is a well-written, well-acted and well-presented piece of #filmmaking. A shining display of brilliance that any #filmmaker should strive to achieve. Of course, it isn’t perfect, no film is; but the few problems it has are negligible and didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this wonderfully thought-provoking and #moving film.

★★★★ Directed by: #MarijkeDeBelie Berlin Liberi Film Festival Review by: #ChrisOlson A hand-drawn #animation from filmmaker Marijke De Belie, Feminam is a short yet virile burst of cinema that attempts to visually represent some of the forms women have taken over centuries. The result is a submersive and stirring experience. Coming in at less than two minutes long, audiences of the Berlin Liberi Film Festival may feel the #filmmaker is attempting too much to encapsulate the whole of womanhood since the dawn of time with such a short running length. Yet, Feminam is not by any means a total or conclusive piece. Instead it is an artistic representation that displays the glorious variety of the female role within the viewer's perception of it. As each figure morphs into another and the varying shapes blend and merge, a dream like atmosphere is created that feels almost Freudian. This is reinforced by the methodology, which involves pencil drawings and a bit of wood. The simplicity of the techniques and the personal attachment to the materials makes this a more intimate affair than one might anticipate. The visuals are also accompanied by a voice track spitting adjectives and labels over the changing shape of the female figure. This “creation” style sequence has an accumulative power, eschewing any sense of cynicism for something more positive and powerful. This is not about female subjugation but the awesome strength of femininity. There exists, also, a spiritual element within the #animatedfilm. Several of the guises which appear on screen during Feminam have religious connotations which further develops the themes of the piece. By including a diverse range of belief systems, the audience is asked to contemplate the connection between the natural form and the role women have played in faith and worship, some of which seem to complement the female form whilst others seem at odds. A compelling and intricate movie, then, and one that contains a surging power through animation. Feminam is a robust journey through womanhood and femininity that celebrates the versatility of the gender and the fluidity of the role.