★★★ Directed by Rob Cohen Starring Toby Kebbel, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson Film Review by George Wolf If your local TV weatherperson has a bit more swagger this week, there's a good chance they've seen The Hurricane Heist and it's heroic, badass meteorologist. But it's not just weatherman Will (Toby Kebbel) saving the day, there's also ATF agent Casey (Columbus' own Maggie Grace, repping home with an OSU cap), Will's brother Breeze (Ryan Kwanten) and one ferocious weather system. A thieving crew led by the scowling Perkins (Ralph Ineson from The VVitch) launches the latest big screen attempt to rob the treasury, but can you guess what makes this heist a little different? There's a hurricane! What follows is big, dumb, and more fun than it oughta be. Credit director Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, xXx) with making the most of what he's got, gunning for B-movie glory instead of overreaching. Let's be honest, this setup is just south of Sharknado, but the pace is snappy, the effects are effective, and the adventure occasionally thrilling. The writing team gives us easily identifiable characters that lean on cliche without being defined by them. Casey and Will are both damaged souls, natch, and heroic teamwork just might be their ticket to redemption. Perkins and his team of evil doers, clearly inspired by Hans Gruber's iconic thieves in Die Hard, chew plenty of scenery while making it easy to cheer their eventual comeuppance. The Hurricane Heist won't tax you your brain, but it doesn't want to. It just wants you to have fun. You will, "weather" you expect to or not. Catch phrase! #GeorgeWolf #moviereviews #moviereviewsmovies #film #entertainment #actionfilms #RobCohen #TobyKebbel #MaggieGrace #RyanKwanten #RalphIneson #FilmReviews

★★★★★ Directed by: Niclas Gillis Written by: Niclas Gillis Starring: Tianna Allen, Prince Richard Combs, Tanisha Lambright, Cheryl Juniaus Short Film Review by: Chris Olson A tale of urban survival in this harrowing short drama from writer director Niclas Gillis. Hold Me Down is a ferocious denunciation of the roles some women are forced into in order to endure life as others want them to. Tianna Allen plays Chastity, a teenage single-mother living in New York City. Her poor living conditions are clear from the plastic bags she uses as diapers for her child, as well as the reprimands she faces from her mother (a spectacular performance from Cheryl Juniaus). However, it is not until we see how Chastity makes ends meet that we truly witness the heartbreaking reality of her situation. Paying the bills by working as a stripper at an illegal club. Every now and then a story comes along that really gets its hands dirty with the brutal fringes of society. Last year, The Florida Project was an immense example of this, showcasing the harsh reality of single mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) through the eyes of her innocent child Moonee (Brooklynn Prince). And with Hold Me Down, filmmaker Niclas Gillis is not afraid to depict the conditions of Chastity in the harshest light. What’s remarkable about his film is that it feels like it pulls no punches, without ever really showing any nastiness. We see our heroine experiencing the rebukes from her enraged mother, the cold detachment of a former boyfriend (Prince Richard Combs), and the lascivious attention of male onlookers (including one particularly aggressive van driver), but we do not see any gratuitous violence or brutality. This is the strongest message that can be gleaned from Hold Me Down. The fact that women often experience such traumatic experiences whilst attempting to fulfil roles that society has shepherded them into is appalling enough, but the fact that so much of these experiences go untold or unnoticed is shameful. Tianna Allen is superb in the leading role, occupying the tragedy of her character with grace. As she traverses the dangerous city streets in the dark, having left her not-so-home-sweet-home only to enter the lion’s den surrounded by vicious predators, no inch of Chastity’s life is safe or welcoming and Allen is marvellous at depicting the endurance of it all. Prince Richard Combs serves up a worthy turn as the good-for-nothing ex, whilst the aforementioned formidable screen time of Cheryl Juniaus is something to behold and completely captivating. Raw and teeming with social dialogue, Hold Me Down is a powerhouse short film that takes a sledgehammer to gender roles whilst never loosening its grip on the audience’s collar. Want to watch short films for free? You can watch the entire movie of Hold Me Down below. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #ChrisOlson #Watchshortfilmsforfree #UKFilmChannel #Drama #NiclasGillis #TiannaAllen #PrinceRichardCombs #TanishaLambright #CherylJuniaus

★★★ Written and Directed by Alastair Railton Cinematography by Adam Hudson Starring Francesca Louise White, Rayanna Dibs, Mark Wisdom, Alastair Railton Short Film Review by Euan Franklin Amateurism comes in all forms. Filmmakers of basic online-indies – mostly held together by cheap sellotape – usually stumble when working the equipment. But that’s not nearly as important as the story. These movies falter because of their narrative issues more than their technical incompetence, clumsily creating depthless characters and first-draft plot-structures. But in Between the Divide, writer-director Alastair Railton manages to deliver a serviceable story in spite of the visual and audial grievances. After a corpse is found in an apartment, his throat cut, it’s left to Detective Eve Fischer (Francesca Louise White) to find the killer. She interrogates two suspects: one, a mentally perturbed woman called Harriett (Rayanna Dibs), and a weird corporate businessman with a psycho-smile (Mark Wisdom). But when Fischer’s suppressed past comes back to haunt her, reality becomes horribly disturbed and things are not as simple as they appear. Between the Divide has a half-decent screenplay, already securing its place above most amateur efforts. You become curious about Fischer’s character, and Railton unfolds her story in an intensely alluring, subjective style. He likes dotting various peculiarities through the film, most notably the strange scar across the neck of Fischer’s partner (played by Railton himself). It pops up like an uncomfortable, unmentioned feature of the character, but is revealed as a key part of Fischer’s distorted experience. The film excels in these sorts of mysteries. The performances are surprisingly vivid and engaging. White is excellent at playing the unstable detective, suppressing the emotions that gradually explode inside her. But she is surpassed by the other talents in the film. Dibs gives a realistic and memorable depiction of mental instability, while providing the little idiosyncrasies that make her character feel original. There are times when Wisdom is clearly doing a Hannibal Lector-impersonation while wearing a suit from Patrick Bateman’s wardrobe, but his delivery is scarily and perfectly patient. Railton gives him the best speeches, particularly when recounting the death of his family – melding great writing with a great performance. But, following the unwanted convention of many online-indies, there are many technical faults in this movie – most obviously the sound editing. Either Railton has abnormal hearing, or he’s attempting to ignore the gaping audio holes between every cut (the title Between the Divide almost calls attention to that). There’s no decent underlying track, meaning there’s no consistent sound, and the result is like watching a stuttering train that never leaves the platform. It’s a pain to listen to, even more so when considering the decent quality of the dialogue. Adam Hudson’s cinematography is bland and stunted, often striving for deep colours without competent colour-correction – making the film look more grey than was perhaps intended. To add injury to injury, the set-design doesn’t lend itself to great visuals; it’s not only basic, but also improbable. A decorative wallpaper is an unlikely choice for an Interrogation Room. Between the Divide is on the edge of a good movie, despite the short runtime (40 minutes), and reminds you of the early experiments by Christopher Nolan and Darren Aronofsky – but it’s strangled by the technical hiccups. There’s something profound and enticing hidden in this film, but the crew are too inexperienced to discover it. I look forward to the day they do. Watch the official trailer for Between the Divide below... #BetweentheDivide #AlastairRailton #AdamHudson #FrancescaLouiseWhite #RayannaDibs #MarkWisdom #EuanFranklin #IndieFilms

★★★ Directed by Johannes Roberts Starring Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison, Lewis Pullman Film Review by Hope Madden Sequels are hard. Especially when you don’t understand what made the original so unnerving and memorable. A decade ago, Bryan Bertino released the almost unbearably slow burn of a home invasion film, The Strangers. The underappreciated gem quietly terrified attentive audiences, beginning with the line, “Is Tamara home?” Director Johannes Roberts (47 Meters Down) and screenwriter Ben Ketai (The Forest) pick up the story of three masked, bloodthirsty youngsters still looking for Tamara. A loving but bickering family spends the night at a lakeside campground and trailer park. A great deal of exposition ensures that you catch on, but the main gist is this: problem child Kinsey (Bailee Madison) is at odds with her beleaguered parents (Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson) and her golden-child brother (Lewis Pullman). Yes, our three masked malcontents have also settled into that same lakeside trailer park, now mainly vacant in the post-season. Where Bertino’s horror had the languid melancholy of the old country blues tunes scratching away on a turntable, Roberts prefers the power ballads of the early Eighties. In fact, instead of the cinema of the Seventies that inspired Bertino, Roberts prefers 80s fare, from the early MTV soundtrack to the Argento-esque title sequence to the campground setting. This is a self-conscious slasher with jump scares, frequent bloodletting and a marauder who is profoundly difficult to kill. Roberts borrows a lot. Not just from Bertino’s original, but also scads of other horror gems from across the eras (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Town that Dreaded Sundown, Friday the 13th, Bava’s Carnage and so many more). And while cinematographer Ryan Samul cannot grip you with dread the way Peter Sova’s creeping camera and quiet wide shots did ten years back, he can frame a shot. That shot 1) has usually been lifted from another source, and 2) often contains a nearly-ludicrous image. Still, there are more than a few beautifully macabre sequences in this movie. One poolside episode is particularly impressive. Still, the main problem with The Strangers: Prey at Night is that it gets comfortable in clichés, where the stinging original subverted them. That doesn’t make it a bad movie. It’s not. It’s a nasty little piece of entertainment, unoriginal but competent. And you cannot expect originality from a sequel, of course. You just hope it can be memorable. The Strangers: Prey at Night is not. #HopeMadden #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #horror #horrormovies #slashers #TheStrangers #TheStrangersPreyatNight #JohannesRoberts #ChristinaHendricks #MartinHenderson #BaileeMadison #LewisPullman #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases

Rachel Shenton’s heartfelt tale of a deaf child who is struggling to communicate was brought to life by Director Chris Overton. Writer and actress Shenton (Switched at Birth) stars in the film, alongside, newcomer Maisie Sly and Rachel Fielding (Secret Diary of a Call Girl). The Silent Child has won over twenty awards since its world premiere at Rhode Island International Film Festival and recently a 2018 Academy Award. The nation has fallen in love with Maisie and can now see the film, as it will air on BBC1 on the 30th March at 7:40pm. The Silent Child centres around a profoundly deaf four year old girl named Libby who is born into a middle class family and lives in a world of silence until a caring social worker gives her the gift of communication. Oscar winning Director Chris Overton began his career as an actor and worked with industry greats such as Joel Schumacher and the Oscar winning director Roman Polanski. The Silent Child is Chris’s first short film as an independent director and what would arguably be one of his most challenging, with the lead actress being a profoundly deaf five year old girl who communicates only in British sign language. Oscar winning Actress and Writer Rachel Shenton’s passion for deafness urged her to put pen to paper, an inspiration that was first born at the age of 12 when her late father lost his hearing suddenly. Rachel is an ambassador for The National Deaf Children’s Society and has been raising awareness for well over a decade. As an actress, Shenton has most recently filmed BBC2 show White Gold. She started her career in Hollyoaks, which won her a national Television award nomination for Best Dramatic Performance. In 2014 Rachel made her American TV debut on ABC Family drama Switched at Birth playing Lily Summers. The Silent Child's stunning cinematography was shot by Ali Farahani. The film was Produced by Rebecca Harris, Julie Foy and Danny Ormerod. The beautiful music was composed by Amir Konjani. Watch The Silent Child on Good Friday, 30th March on BBC1 at 7:40pm. Watch the official trailer The Silent Child below

Directed by: Zak Jarvis Starring: Luke Goddard, Scott Rutherford, Sam Mancuso, Kerry Danielle-Blacklock and Christian Bloch Short Film Review by: Annie Vincent During the German occupation of Italy in the 1940s, many families harboured allied fugitives, risking their lives and liberties under the brutal Nazi regime. This network of Italian families came to be known as the Contadini. Across Frontiers tells the story of two British soldiers, Harry and Ernie, who flee from the prisoner train taking them from Italy into Germany. In a bid to become free men once more, the pair leap from the train and make it on foot across rural Italy, but not before the Nazi commander has seen them escape – they are now hunted men. Stumbling across Salvatore and his daughter Alessandra, members of the Contadini, in their farmhouse, they are given the chance to be free. Zak Jarvis has created a poignant short film and surfaced the courageous story of the Contadini; a lesser-known group of heroes who emerged during World War II. There is some real artistry in his use of long camera work, capturing the tranquillity, but also vastness of the Italian landscape, and his pairing of this with low, orchestral tones which at times bring foreboding and at others bring a sense of hope for the pair’s escape. The performances given by Luke Goddard and Scott Rutherford, as the ever plucky and hopeful fugitives, hell bent on becoming free men, are good, with Goddard’s excitable eyes on seeing Alessandra amusing. But the best performance comes from Sam Mancuso as Salvatore, who quickly warms himself to the audience as the charming and generous Italian, who feels he’s only doing what he hopes someone would do for his son, rarely contemplating the danger he places himself in. It is here that a little more work could have been done with the script. This was a really risky situation for all involved: for the fugitives, never knowing if they’d be given over to the Nazis; for the Contadini, never quite sure if they were being watched or not, and the script doesn’t quite capture this when it should. At the end of the film, Harry says he felt bad that he didn’t quite trust Salvatore, but this didn’t come across clearly and Salvatore was so warm, so welcoming, that he didn’t seem to be too concerned either, though he noted that the Germans were crawling over the countryside. As an audience, it is still easy to understand the danger and the sacrifice Salvatore made, but some revisions to the meeting between the four characters would have strengthened this. Overall, Across Frontiers is an interesting and thought-provoking additional to short war genre. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #WarFilms #AnnieVincent #ZakJarvis #LukeGoddard #ElisabethShue #ScottRutherford #SamMancuso #KerryDanielleBlacklock #ChristianBloch

Movie News Feature by Chris Olson, Editor As one of the leading providers of short film reviews in the UK, we are often asked where audiences can watch these movies. And more often than not we have to reply, "We dunno...". The screeners we get given are private and the reviews are often taking place before a film is released at festivals or for distribution. However... We have recently launch the UK Film Channel, a place where you can watch short films online for free in the UK. What films will be included? Well, this is up to the filmmakers. Not all of the films end up being for public viewing, and some require payments. At this stage, we are only looking to host short films and indie features that are free for public viewing. That way there is no need for any subscription. Subscription-free viewing people! The films that do end up on the UK Film Channel will also benefit from one of our reviews. That way you can see what the UK Film Review verdict is before viewing the short. You can then see if you agree and let us/the filmmakers know. Although, please be nice and gentle with your feedback, as we don't want any hurt feelings. What else will go on the UK Film Channel? We are hoping to become the Netflix of short films and indie features in the UK. So basically, we want to add a hell of a lot of movies from a range of filmmakers in the UK and internationally. From time to time we may also create special features or place video interviews on the channel. How can people stay updated? Aside from being on the website 24/7 (which we strongly recommend), you can also find us on Twitter @UKFReview and Facebook @UKFilmReview, where we will be making announcements about additions to the UK Film Channel. Please keep sending us feedback on any past reviews we have done where you would like to know where you can watch that short film online for free. We will endeavour to get in touch with the people involved to see if they would like to be added. Failing that, we may be able to add the trailer as well as details of where the full film can be found. If you are a filmmaker and would like to submit your movie to the UK Film Channel - Click Here. #UKFilmChannel #FilmChannel #WatchShortFilms #WatchFilmsOnline #WatchIndieFIlmsonline #ShortFilms #IndieFilms #ChrisOlson #Watchshortfilmsforfree #freeonlinefilms

★★★★ Directed by Greg Berlanti Starring Nick Robinson, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel Film Review by George Wolf Some of the most tired young adult cliches - narration, idealized characters, the dreaded climactic essay reading - show up in Love, Simon. So why is it such a winner? Heart, smarts, and humor for starters. But it's also the rare movie that earns points just for being here in the YA crowd, and for rightly assuming there's no reason it shouldn't be. Simon (Nick Robinson) is an upper middle class high schooler in Georgia, with some awesome friends (Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr.), awesome parents (Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel) and a big gay secret. But then another kid at school comes out anonymously online, which leads Simon to adopt a fake name and reach out by email. So while much of the student body is guessing who the "secret gay kid" might be, two online pen pals bond over the uncertainties of being themselves. Director Greg Berlanti (Life as We Know It) keeps the film moving, wrapping it with a clean, welcoming shine that would be just too peachy-keen if not for the smartly self-aware script from veteran TV writers Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker. Adapting Becky Albertalli's novel, the duo delivers some solid laughs (don't mess with the drama teacher!), but more importantly, a knowing vibe that refuses to wallow in self-absorbed teen angst. Current events have reminded us that many teens are more than ready to meet harsh challenges with strength and wisdom, and Love, Simon gives them some refreshing credit. It can't go unnoticed that the film treats homophobic taunting as more mischievous than dangerous, but even that misstep feels ironically right. Everything about Love, Simon, from the casting to the set design, is effortlessly likable and comfortable, feeding the notion that this is nothing more or less than another teen romance. It becomes a sweet, entertaining one, and it just might make some audience members feel a little less alone. That makes Simon pretty easy to love. #GeorgeWolf #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #GregBerlanti #NickRobinson #JenniferGarner #JoshDuhamel #romanticcomedy #teencomedy #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases

Directed by: Julia Douverny dos Santos Starring: Jeanette Nelson, Natalie Fenton, Jan de W Fockert, Gina Mellotte and Baroness Genista McIntosh Short Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Feminism is something we have all heard about, talked about and maybe even thought about, and yes over the years there have been a lot of documentaries and factual based films on the subject, but there is something that has not always been addressed...The Female Voice. When I first saw the title of this short I was under the impression that this was going to be a film tackling the subject of women’s views and opinions not always being recognised or considered within the public platform or within women’s personal lives, but no, this piece does exactly what it says on the tin, it’s an investigation into The Female Voice. Most people outside of actors and public speakers, rarely think about the impact that their voice has on how they are being perceived, and in the world of public speaking women are often unheard and discredited because of how they sound. Covering a wide spectrum of examples, The Female Voice tackles the reception that comes for women when they are expressing opinions within the public sector. Citing references from voice over actors to Margaret Thatcher, director Julia Douverny dos Santos clearly had done her research on the subject and in covering such a vast collection of people, it allows for interest to be spiked by a wide audience. An excellent example which ties the short together very well is that during the filming of the Iron Lady, the voice coach for Margaret Thatcher was cast as a man, when in reality it was actually a woman, once again displaying the idea that women can only achieve a powerful dominate voice when assisted by a man. What is pleasant about this short is its well presented demeanour, this is not a male bashing feminist piece, although references are used to times where men have overpowered a woman to get a point across but they are not presented with victim energy, I found this to be a refreshing approach to the subject of women’s rights. This short has an interesting and consistent pace; interviews are spliced together with archive footage, pop culture references, as well as political ones, making for a culturally stimulating watch. Whether you have an interest in women’s rights or not, The Female Voice makes us all take a moment to think about how we are being heard. #ShortFilmReviews #RachelPullen #ShortFilms #Documentaries #JuliaDouvernydosSantos #JeanetteNelson #NatalieFenton #JandeWFockert #GinaMellotte #BaronessGenistaMcIntosh

★★★ Directed by Richard Levine Starring Stanley Tucci, Addison Timlin, Kyra Sedgwick, Janeane Garofalo Film Review by Cat McAlpine Submission opens with the sardonic narration of an exhausted novelist/professor. His internal monologue sounds a lot like the opening to a novel but his book, we discover, isn’t being written. Ted Swenson (Stanley Tucci) is uncomfortable, unhappy, and uninspired. Then, in waltzes the first conscious student he’s had in years, Angela Argo (an incredible Addison Timlin). Writer/director Richard Levine adapts Francie Prose’s 2000 novel Blue Angel (based on Josef von Sternberg’s 1930 film The Blue Angel, which is in turn based on Heinrich Mann's 1905 novel Professor Unrat). Clearly, the story is not a new one. Fortunately, while the plot feels overwhelmingly predictable, the building tension is immense, largely pulled taught by the strong turns of Tucci and Timlin. The performances, across the board, carry the film. Kyra Sedgewick is so natural on screen it’s breathtaking. She is also the only likable character, as Ted’s content and then suffering wife. Colby Minifie is delightfully nasty in her short scene as the Swensons' daughter. Levine does the good work of leaving breadcrumbs without pointing to them with a neon arrow. It’s hard to trust your audience (mother! being a timely example) but like a good novel, this film works because of its layers. And also because Stanley Tucci can do anything. Surely a teacher/student affair between two narcissistic artists can’t end well, but I’ll leave the how and why to your viewing. Honestly, I wanted a little more from Submission. I wanted to know more about the tragic death of Swenson’s father. I wanted to know why Swenson’s daughter hated him. I was desperate to know which of Angela’s somber backstories were real and which were contrived. I wanted more cause to care about the destruction of a man’s family. And shockingly, I wanted more voiceovers ripped from the pages of the resulting novels. But I guess I’ll just have to read the book. Submission’s inevitable resolution suggests that no matter the terrible things we do, we’re all just potential fodder for America’s next great novel. #RichardLevine #StanleyTucci #AddisonTimlin #KyraSedgwick #JaneaneGarofalo #CatMcAlpine #movies #film #moviereviews #filmreviews #independentfilm #FilmReviews

★★★★ Directed by: Aneek Chaudhuri Written by: Aneek Chaudhuri Produced by: La artiste Productions Starring: Sayanti Chattoraj, Kaushik Roy, Anik Chattoraj, Mehuli Das, Priyanka Dey, Tanushree Das, Arja Banerjee Indie Film Review: by Chris Olson The concept of silence in the current political climate is a fascinating discussion, especially when we explore the often awful experiences of women in certain professions and walks of life. The use of silence in film has been equally as fascinating, in its power and effect, when filmmakers tackle heavy themes. One such filmmaker, Aneek Chaudhuri, has brought both these discussions to the fore with his artistic and impactful indie film White, which explores the issue of rape, using three stories and a lot of silence. More like visual poetry than narrative cinema, Chaudhuri has previously proven himself as a filmmaker worth watching for his approach to cinematography in his movies. With White, he couples this flair with meaningful character journeys without much (or any exposition). The experiences of the characters he follows are told through long, dialogue-free sequences, often with a static camera and low lighting. During the initial third of White, the camera spends a lot of time looking at Sayanti Chattoraj (who is sublime by the way) as she goes about simple tasks such as eating or knitting, all with a growing sense of foreboding. This level of intimacy is essential to the success of White as a parable on the heavier themes at large, which mainly deals with how a woman would/could cope after being raped. By including no dialogue, and approaching each aspect of the story on a more physical level, the experience becomes that much more emotional for the viewer. As the scenes of trivial daily chores are surrounded by a naturalistic soundscape, or a formidable score from Siddhartha and Chatterjee, the tension is built and released using a less obvious structure than lines delivered from performers. Whilst Chaudhuri’s film does deliver on a visual and emotional level, there do exist a couple of issues with his approach. The first of which is the lack of connection from the viewer to the victim. Without the backstory and details of her suffering, the audience will be unable to fully understand the details of what’s going on unless they have done further reading about the film beforehand. Another problem is the heavy reliance on the musical score. At times it beautifully complements the scenes and adds large amounts of pathos and tone, however, at others it is a massive hindrance on the emotional impact of a scene, taking over as a bludgeoning noise. That all being said, White should be commended for attempting to voice the voiceless by gagging itself. The bold filmmaking approach is worthy of the attention of all patrons, and should spark a terrific debate surrounding the nature of these stories and why silence would be the weapon of choice for Chaudhuri. Is he saying that these crimes typically go unpunished? Are the victims marginalised and even ostracised? Does more need to be done to find the voice for anyone experiencing such horrific treatment? Or is Chaudhuri saying all of the above and more? #IndieFilmReviews #IndieFilms #ChrisOlson #WorldCinema #AneekChaudhuri #SayantiChattoraj #KaushikRoy #AnikChattoraj #MehuliDas #PriyankaDey #TanushreeDas #ArjaBanerjee

★★★★ Directed by Sally Potter Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson, Timothy Spall, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy Film Review by Matt Weiner Sally Potter’s jet-black comedy The Party mostly succeeds as social satire examining the savagery churning just below the surface of the polite and prosperous. Where it definitely succeeds, in ways that must seem truly unfair to every single other actor alive today, is crowning Patricia Clarkson as a national treasure. Not that the rest of the tight ensemble is full of slouches. Clarkson plays April, one of five guests attending a party for Janet (the almost equally superb Kristin Scott Thomas), who is celebrating a political promotion. Janet’s guests fall into broadly recognizable personalities who are practically begging to have their worlds turned inside out: from the New Age life coach Gottfried (Bruno Ganz) to the supercilious professor Martha (Cherry Jones, also—and you might be sensing a theme here—outstanding). Timothy Spall plays Bill, Janet’s husband and a literal odd man out: he is nearly catatonic when the guests arrive. When he finally reveals why, it sets off a series of violent delights, both verbal and physical. The cast might actually be too good for the material (written by Potter). That’s an envious problem for a movie to have, but it’s still a real one. The repartee is shocking and funny in turn. Just about every single line delivery from Clarkson, Scott Thomas and Spall is perfectly measured—so much so that the barbs feel like they’re cutting a lot deeper than they really are. And Emily Mortimer provides a welcome degree of grounding as Jinny, Martha’s partner and the only party guest who seems recognizably human rather than an outsized target ripe for mockery. But for all the wicked pleasures to be had from watching this masterclass in verbal sparring, there’s a nagging superficiality to it all. The rapid-fire pace distracts from the reality that nobody besides maybe Jinny ends up discovering some deeper personal meaning about themselves other than rank hypocrisy. And a gimmicky twist at the end doesn’t help. And yet. It’s easy to forgive The Party’s shortcomings after you’ve heard Clarkson tell someone “You are surpassing yourself” or “You could consider murder” in tones so deadpan that we really ought to invent a new adjective. It’s a strange, perfectly flawed bunch Potter has thrown together. And I could have stayed with them for hours more. #SallyPotter #KristinScottThomas #PatriciaClarkson #TimothySpall #BrunoGanz #CherryJones #EmilyMortimer #CillianMurphy #MattWeiner #TheParty #independentfilm #movies #film #entertainment #moviereviews #filmreviews #FilmReviews