Directed by Harry Plowden Starring Joe Pass Short Film Review by Annie Vincent Any film as short as 1 minute and 22 seconds has got to work incredibly hard to capture its audience’s attention and plant a seed – some interesting idea or profound thought – to be credible in this very challenging and unique space in the world of film. Unfortunately, Lighter has fallen short of the mark here, though there are some elements of note. Lighter narrates the fleeting thoughts of a homeless man. Wandering through the underpasses of a city, somewhere in the UK, he thinks back on all that he’s heard today. From the polite members of the public it is mainly: ‘sorry, I’ve got no change mate’, but from the less polite it is: ‘get a job’. These voices cease as the man’s thoughts turn to collecting as many cigarette ends as he can to while away the night hours. That’s it. And whilst there are some interesting techniques being utilised here: the voiceover section at the beginning of the film; the handheld camera work through the underpass; the clever editing to create a pacey montage of the man smoking; none of these gel together to deliver the audience any sense of why we should be watching this. We have no idea why the film is called Lighter, other than this man needs one to smoke through his evening, but he has one – this isn’t about his search for one. If it was, perhaps there’d be some metaphorical truth about ‘searching for the light’ to be inferred. I feel there is some deeper meaning to this title: day time is better than night when you live on the streets, or that forgetting people’s unkindness can make you emotionally lighter perhaps – but who knows? Perhaps there is nothing at all to be read into here, but then the questions remain the same: why has this film been made? What was this director’s intention? There isn’t enough to go on in Lighter to be able to answer those questions: bumpy territory to be leaving your audience in. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #AnnieVincent #HarryPlowden #JoePass

★★★ Written and Directed by David E. Talbot Starring Danny Glover, Mo'Nique, Omar Epps, Kimberly Elise, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, J.B. Smoove, Jessie T. Usher, John Michael Higgins, Keri Hilson Christmas Film Review by Chris Olson Christmas is a time for families, whether you like each other or not. Comedy drama Almost Christmas from filmmaker David E. Talbot takes this idea and laces it with a strong sense of pathos, by having its main characters coming together for their first family Christmas since the passing of one of their own. What ensues is a cacophony of suppressed anxieties, bitter resentment, and holiday drama. Danny Glover plays the lead role of Walter, a man recovering from the recent loss of his wife, whom by all accounts was an incredible woman. It's her ethereal presence that shapes the atmosphere of Walter's beautiful family home as his offspring join him five days before Christmas. Rocking up with either their kids, partners, and/or baggage (physical and emotional), Walter's relatives soon make up the ingredients for a Christmas calamity. There is a degree of National Lampoon's A Christmas Vacation about Talbot's Almost Christmas that makes it feel very worn before it even starts. For a movie that emerged in 2016, it seems not much has changed when it comes to making a Christmas comedy. The characters are mostly glossy and flat, the plot is nonsensical, and the filmmaking aesthetic relies heavily on a schmaltzy score and rich lighting. Ultimately meaning that there is nothing edgy or memorable about this Yuletide offering. That being said, a few moments of sparkle can be found among the bland tree branches, such as the emotional core which gets revealed a couple of times during the film. The loss of the matriarch hits different characters in different ways, the best of which happens to rising football star Evan (Jessie T. Usher) in the latter half of Almost Christmas. There are some beautifully poignant moments with Walter attempting to recreate his wife's sweet potato pie late at night in the kitchen. Another enjoyable part of this film was Mo'Nique who plays Walter's thunderous sister-in-law, whose stinging quips and showbiz anecdotes were hilarious. She also delivers a line about a dildo which is simply brilliant. The major issue with a film like this is chaos. The plot is as overstuffed as the turkey and just as dry. Talbot attempts to stitch together a myriad of subplots for each of the characters, most of which end up undercooked or pointless, and increases the need for contrivance and unbelievable character motivations and behaviour. Without all this unnecessary noise, Talbot could have hit home harder with the stronger emotional points of his film and rendered his audience inert rather than unconvinced. #ChristmasFilmReviews #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #ThrowbackThursday #DavidETalbot #DannyGlover #Mo39Nique #OmarEpps #KimberlyElise #GabrielleUnion #RomanyMalco #JBSmoove #JessieTUsher #JohnMichaelHiggins #KeriHilson

★★★ Directed by Kenneth Branagh Starring Kenneth Branagh, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley Film Review by Kieran Freemantle Even to people who have never read any Agatha Christie her novel Murder on the Orient Express is one of the most iconic and recognisable titles. Actor/director Kenneth Branagh has taken on the challenge of bringing Christie's work to a new generation of cinemagoers. Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is the world's greatest detective and after solving a case in the powder keg that is the British Mandate of Palestine he earned himself a long overdue rest. However, when in Istanbul, Poirot is requested by the British Home Office to come to London ASAP - leading him to take his fateful journey on the Orient Express and forcing him to investigate another crime. When it comes to adapting Christie's work it is often best suited for television: ITV's Poirot series ran for 24 years and the BBC has released an adaptation over the past two Christmas (although their upcoming adaptation of Ordeal by Innocence has been postponed because of the allegations against Ed Westwick). Christie also favoured the lock room mystery - keeping a group of people in an area that has no escape when the crime is committed. Taking that into account Branagh does a terrific job at making what is a small scale story into a cinematic experience. He starts the film in the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem and grand CGI cityscapes of Istanbul and the avalanche is made out to be a huge action sequence. As audiences would expect from a Branagh directed film, Murder on the Orient Express is a lavish production that has lots of customers, grand sets, tracking shots and one of the most well-groomed moustaches in recent movie history. It was a feast for the eyes. Branagh and his team also a formed a great ensemble cast. Branagh is surrounded by stars like Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp and Josh Gad as well emerging talent like Leslie Odom Jr. (Broadway's Hamilton) and Marwan Kenzari (Jafar in Disney's upcoming Aladdin movie). These actors live up to their reputation and there are many great characteristics and dynamics like Dafoe playing a racist Austrian professor who faces off against Ridley's enlighten governess. The cast even has some surprising cast moments like Olivia Colman who plays Princess Dragomiroff's (Judi Dench) long-suffering assistant. Ridley particularly impressed as Mary Debenham, a woman who is able to intelligently spa with Poirot. It's her first major role outside the Star Wars franchise and she should be able to continue her career beyond a galaxy far far away. The first act of the play was a bit like the Robert Downey Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes. Poirot was portrayed as an eccentric with an eye for detail that is both a gift and seemingly has precognitive ability. Even the early tracks in the score could have fitted in those Sherlock Holmes films. The film also has a comedic tone in its early potions before becoming a more serious story involving child-murder and suicide. The issue affecting the adaptation is that the characters have to explain background information to make the mystery work. Viewers who are unaware of the plot would struggle to solve the case themselves because the clues and backstories are revealed so late. But this is an issue that affects a lot of mystery and crime thrillers based on novels because novels have advantage to naturally interweave this information into his narrative but within a film characters have to explain the information and comes across as clunky. Branagh reunites with his regular composer Patrick Doyle and he does provide a great score from the jaunty music that started the film to a more tender piano theme during the emotional moments. It is a great piece of music for fans of film scores. I went into Murder on the Orient Express without seeing any other adaptation, so this review needs to be thought of in that context. Branagh certainly makes a great looking film with a talented cast and the mystery itself is compelling even if it makes out Poirot is a psychic. #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases #KieranFreemantle #KennethBranagh #PenelopeCruz #WillemDafoe #JudiDench #JohnnyDepp #JoshGad #MichellePfeiffer #DaisyRidley #LeslieOdomJr

Written and Directed by Haji Outlaw Music by Billy Ray Valentine Short Film Review by Chris Olson Inventive and bafflingly funny cinema from filmmaker Haji Outlaw with his short film Humor, that combines an outrageous narrative and quirky comedy with superbly controlled filmmaking. Greeted by a man wearing what can only be described as a metal bear head, Outlaw's film begins as it means to go on...to embrace the absurd. The narrator embarks on his story about 10-year-old Humor and his coming-of-age journey to become a man, which involves Mother Russia, a murderous bear, being eaten to death by wild boars, and numerous other anecdotes which create a marvellous collage of creative brilliance from the storyteller. Utilising fourth-wall breaking and anarchic disjoints to the plot, Outlaw treats his audience as intelligent individuals who will either get it or loath it. Fortunately for this film reviewer I thought it was a genuinely smart and ingenious piece of filmmaking. The script is sharper than a bear claw and just as dangerous, in particular a line regarding an erection so hard it could pierce Siberian steel that was immensely hilarious. The loose attitude towards storytelling was then brilliantly contrasted by calculated editing and camerawork that made sure the viewer felt in capable hands, and wonderful music from Billy Ray Valentine that completely enhanced the offbeat atmosphere that was being cultivated. The use of intercutting was sporadic and effective, allowing the momentum to be momentarily unhinged was a risky tactic but one that allowed the fairytale nature of Humor to feel fuelled by imagination and bizarre visuals. There were also some nice callbacks to earlier jokes which worked really well. It would have been nice had the narrative ended up somewhere a little more worthwhile but as a piece of absurdist storytelling that may have felt contrived. Few filmmakers are able to pull off this kind of comedy with such controlled style and pointed humour. To be able to present such a weird and wonderfully tale with remarkable skill behind the camera testifies to Outlaw's potential and marks him as a filmmaker to watch, especially as he seems to have a penchant for a plethora of genres which I would happily watch him attempt with new, outrageous stories. Watch the official movie trailer for Humor below... #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #ChrisOlson #MovieTrailers #BlackComedy #HajiOutlaw

Directed and written by Azam Awan Starring Taha Khan and Waleed Khawaja Short Film Review by Rachel Pullen We all do desperate things when times get hard; steal, beg, fall into a pit of despair and lay around crying because you have no prospects or friends...maybe that last one is just me, but do we befriend a psychopath? why not! Short film Gloom is the story of a 20 year old man who is struggling with his demons and unemployment. Now his main demon is that little white powder cocaine, he loves the stuff, like the poor man's Scarface, he quaffs it down whenever possible. But as times get harder he turns to theft, trying to rob someone in order to fund his ever-growing drug addition. But like most robberies it does not really go to plan as he and his victim shoot each other at the same time, resulting in a wounded standoff with a reasonably priced hatchback car between them, not exactly the pay-off our leading man was hoping for I can imagine. What results is the two men conversing, as the victim, using his wisdom and charm, unravels the reasons behind what has led this man to attack and try to rob him, it's almost like they become friends, with matching gun wounds to show their newfound BFF. This unexpected buddy picture is short in a variety of styles, sometimes in colour sometimes in black and white, with close ups used to give the feeling of intensity as well as wide angled shots to show isolation and despair, its easy to see that director and writer Azam Awan has a talent for creating atmosphere even on what appears to be a tight budget. Our two leading roles played by Taha Khan and Waleed Khawaja, are engaging and compelling to watch, each of the actors give a sense of character and personality to the role in a very short period of time, confidently diving between comedy as well as a more sombre tone when they meet. As a short film, Gloom has a lot to offer, its script is witty and well thought out, the small budget does not make for unpleasant watching as locations have been well thought out and used to their advantage, and to top this offer if you enjoy a good plot twist then this short is definitely something to check out. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #RachelPullen #Drama #TahaKhan #WaleedKhawaja #AzamAwan

Directed by Matheus Ronn Written by Matheus Ronn and Mans Reimer Starring Nikki Tilmouth, C. J. Baker, Chris Kohls, Kassie Johnston Short Film Review by Chris Olson Theatre can be a dangerous industry and no less so in short film Jury Duty from filmmakers Matheus Ronn and Mans Reimer. Utilising a classic noir aesthetic and a 'whodunnit' structure, this is a cool and calculated story that unravels magnificently as the audience are encouraged to act as the jury to the violent act which has befallen one of the characters. Enigmatic diva, and the catalyst for the film, Iris Holliday (Nikki Tilmouth) opens the movie by rehearsing lines on a stage whilst her understudy Mollie (Kassie Johnston) prompts her from the seats in front. The play is Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, and is being put on by Iris's husband Clark (Chris Kohls) and co-producer Spencer (C. J. Baker). After collapsing on stage and being announced dead, the remaining suspects provide their accounts of the events leading up to Iris's demise with increasing intrigue. Shot in black and white and set in the 50's, Jury Duty is an obvious throwback to classic cinema. There is a wonderful newsreel section near the beginning of the short movie that not only provided excellent background to the characters, but also made huge leaps in cementing the tone and atmosphere of the piece. This was further developed by the great performances across the board. The performers were a theatrical treat, in particular Tilmouth. Her starlet behaviour and formidable nastiness made for a wonderful central conflict to make the actions of the other characters more convincing. I particular enjoyed the line delivery of Baker, whose control and intensity made Spencer a fantastically engaging character. Johnston is really enjoyable as the much put-out actor, as is Kohls as the enduringly patient husband of Iris. As with any whodunnit, the themes are largely predictable. There's jealousy, revenge, lust, anger. What was much appreciated about Ronn's direction, though, was the way in which these themes are explored. All the characters are suspects and there is no neutral person for the audience to use as an entryway, such as a bullish detective or inept cop. Instead the viewer is front and centre for the interrogations, allowing a profound sense of culpability to be inflicted upon us as an audience member. A remarkable feat executed well. Aesthetically pleasing with great characters, performances, and filmmaking, Jury Duty is the kind of film that excites and entertains as it delivers a cinematic experience that is wholly immersive. Watch the official movie trailer for Jury Duty below... #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #ChrisOlson #BlackandWhite #Mystery #Whodunnit #ClassicFilm #MatheusRonnMansReimer #NikkiTilmouth #KassieJohnston #ChrisKohls #CJBaker

Film Feature by Hannah Sayer Little Wallop Films is an independent production company founded by Liverpool based filmmaker Charlie Granby. The main aims of the company are to make films with affordable budgets and to help young filmmakers to produce work which gets seen. They are currently crowdfunding for an ambitious stop-motion animation titled Constellations which follows a love story between two stars. It is a passion project for the crew involved who are based all over the UK. They have all fallen in love with the story and they want to do everything they can to bring this heart-warming and uplifting tale to life. Rebecca has written and developed the story about the two stars, Cupitor and Lux, who fall in love and have to fight to keep their lights and stay together. The script celebrates love as a force that can conquer all if it is strong enough and that in darkness there is always light to be found. Five of the seven crew members involved in the Constellations production are women. The team are extremely proud to be working together when considering the film industry’s shocking statistics for women in film. A recent BFI study into Women in UK feature films between 1911-2017 reported that fewer than 1% of films over this time period have crews that are more than 50% female. The director, writer, producer, animator and editor roles are all helmed by women in the Constellations crew. It is important to encourage and support projects with women at the centre when today’s industry representation is still extremely imbalanced. There needs to be a shift in these numbers and hopefully after recent events in Hollywood there will be a shift in the number of women in positions of power on film sets, as even as recent as 2016 it was reported that less than a third of producer credits in British films went to women and even fewer to writers and directors. The Constellations team have taken it into their own hands to raise the money needed for their production themselves and they are determined to get their stop-motion animation off the ground, made and onto screens on the festival circuit and beyond. The team behind Constellations need to raise a total of £2430 by December 1st. The money raised will go towards making the project, which includes funding the animation software and paying artists and musicians. For more information on the project and how you can donate visit their crowdfunding page and follow Little Wallop Films on Instagram and Facebook to keep up to date with the production: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/constellations-an-animated-short-film-animation#/ Instagram: @littlewallopfilms Facebook: www.facebook.com/littlewallopfilms #supportindiefilm #HannahSayer #FilmFeature #FilmFeatures #ShortFilms #AnimatedFilms

Directed by Waylon Bacon Starring Clinton Roper Elledge and Armen Babasoloukian Short Film Review by Annie Vincent An amusing, yet thoughtful short film, The Ride subtly and manipulatively examines one of the saddest truths of modern society. The opening of the film introduces us to Greg (Roper Elledge), a young and apathetic youth who is late for the bus again and is going to be late for work. It's not that he's really keen to get to work at the tropical fish store; it's that if he isn't on time today, he will be fired. The next bus won't arrive for another half an hour and Greg is desperate enough to accept the offer of a 'ride' from an Italian man who appears at the bus stop behind him. But the Italian’s van is parked a fair walk away, he seems to live in the back of this van, is a little eccentric and is taking Greg on a route he doesn't recognise. Alarm bells start ringing. Something really is fishy, and it's not just the slogan on Greg's work t-shirt. It's the little details like the slogan on Greg's t-shirt, like the 'Missing' posters, like the increasing number of questionable items in the back of the van, which plants those seeds of doubt so firmly in our minds, that we are manipulated throughout 'the ride' to expect the worst. You will watch this and want to scold Greg for being so reckless in accepting this lift from a stranger. You will tell yourself you'd never be this stupid, that all manner of horrors will occur, just as Greg himself begins to panic about these things. And then you will chide yourself for jumping to such an awful conclusion. The camera work in this film is close and intense. Babasoloukian’s increasing intensity when he delivers his amusing dialogue is excellently paced and measured. The panic-fuelled predictions of Greg’s fate, hypothetical flash-forwards, are well worked into the narrative (though the moment the Italian points a gun at Greg is a little over-the-top and is probably the first moment we start to doubt our own predictions. However, I feel that is probably the director's intention). Bacon's message comes through loud and clear at the end of The Ride and it really is powerful. The audience is forced to re-evaluate their own thought-processes and prejudices. Engaging and thoughtful, this is a great example of just how powerful film can be. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #AnnieVincent #WaylonBacon #ClintonRoperElledge #ArmenBabasoloukian

★★ Directed by Aneek Chaudhuri Starring Susmit Bose and Aneek Chaudhuri Documentary Film Review by Daniel Reason The level of admiration that Aneek Chaudhuri has for Susmit Bose is made clear in his documentary about the aforementioned Urban-Folk music singer. Chaudhuri aims to bring insight into his life and bring to light just how influential he was in that music genre, despite many being unfamiliar of his work. By exploring the difference between the Indian folk music of Susmit Bose and that of artists from the Western culture, specifically Bob Dylan, Chaudhuri brings a lot of background into Bose’s life. As previously mentioned, the level of detail that Chaudhuri goes in search for has to be respected. By the conclusion, you truly feel like you have gained a great understand into Bose. His life, influences and upbringing are described well, so his life is the primary focus of the documentary. However, it is rather unfortunate how unsuccessful this is as a documentary, as it doesn’t contain the necessary ingredients that it requires, especially when it’s based upon a person that a lot of people may not know too much about, if anything. Perhaps the biggest issue is demonstrated in its run time – it’s approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes long. There are moments where you can’t help but be baffled by some of the scenes that are included. Rhythm is very important to a documentary as the information needs to be delivered in both a detailed and well-paced manner in order to prevent the drag of some scenes. When it is telling the story of an individual, why are shots of chickens and grass included? One could argue that it is to set the scene and give a clear understanding of the differentiating environment of India vs the West, e.g. the UK and US, but there is no reason for those shots to continue throughout. The editing, also, is rather perplexing. Often the text on screen would be a certain colour, but would be hard to see over the background – white text over a bright background, for example. The subtitles seem to lag behind the audio, meaning that there will reach a point in a translated discussion where it is unclear who’s dialogue it belongs to. Additionally, when there is a discussion taking place, there isn’t an introductory title or name on screen for those people, so you have no idea who they are or what relation they are to Bose, excluding the interview with his son. Another recurring element is long scenes of music. Of course, you want the audience to hear his music, and understand the appreciation for it, but when some of these scenes last for over 3 minutes, the level of focus within the viewer may deteriorate. Furthermore, there isn’t a transition into any deeper themes or things that have happened in Bose’s life, instead it continues to tell us more and more about his love for music, consequently resulting specific pieces of information being repeated and over discussed. While the clear admiration that Chaudhuri has for Susmit Bose and his music is clear, the documentary raises more questions about the way it was put together rather than the context that is being explored. This is an instance where it could be improved greatly by cutting the right time significantly, which would allow for a much more suitable pacing, and that would in turn improve the quality of this documentary. #DocumentaryFilmReviews #Documentaries #DanielReason #MusicFilms #AneekChaudhuri #SusmitBose

★ Directed by Dean Devlin Starring Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, Abbie Cornish, Ed Harris Film Review by Jack Bottomley When it comes to destructive movies, disaster master Roland Emmerich is the first name that springs to mind and the biggest surprise ahead of Geostorm was that the film was not helmed by him but instead by Independence Day co-writer Dean Devlin. Over the course of the last 20 years, the genre has really done a lot to our little planet, it has bombarded it with asteroids, invaded it, fractured it, drown it and blown it to smithereens, and now comes Geostorm, which seeks to take things to a new scale but is actually a catastrophe in all the wrong ways. Despite sounding like an afternoon slot filler on SyFy, this is actually a big screen cinema release that has a hefty budget and a decent cast and we were hoping for a big fun disaster flick as a result…what we get unfortunately, is a film that makes the fatal mistake of thinking it is far more intelligent than it actually is. The plot takes place in a near future where the Global Climate has become so hostile it needs a network of satellites controlled from space to keep the world in balance, however when things start unexpectedly going wrong with the space station, Jake Lawson (Gerard Butler), the man who designed the system, must return to space and find the problem, only to discover it is far bigger than anyone could have foreseen. For all the problems Geostorm could have had, never in a million years did I expect my biggest gripe to be that the film was boring and lacking in impressive destructive weather set pieces. Yet, that is indeed this movie’s biggest failing, as the trailers have basically shown you all the films huge money shot CGI devastation and the rest consists of a couple of chases, some space station panic and – most damningly of all – a conspiracy plot that is at odds with the film being promoted. Geostorm puzzlingly tries to craft a very serious political parable out of a film that features numerous scenes of dialogue all dressed up in fancy jargon to hide the silly nonsensical lame science fiction lite narrative. The film’s attempts at weight may have been commendable were it not for the fact that the plotting is sheer nonsense and uninvolving thanks to a script that seems like little more than overly patriotic gobbledygook. Even the CGI, which at $120 million dollars of course looks fine, is not exactly that impressive and the action set pieces do not at all distinguish themselves from any major entry in the genre in the last 2 decades. Had the last 20 years of disaster films never happened, Geostorm would fare better but they have and after seeing films like Independence Day (and its equally barmy sequel), Armageddon, 2012, Into The Storm, The Day After Tomorrow and San Andreas, you have seen practically everything in Geostorm and all done better. Despite the efforts of Jim Sturgess, the cast mostly look not very into it and the films only real connective scene involves a boy and a dog and it lasts a minute if that. Overall Geostorm is not as insultingly bad as some films but is just very forgettable and not all that entertaining and as a cautionary tale about climate change it is just ludicrous. Literally the only chilling scenes are the real life footage of natural disasters used in the opening. For all the CGI in the world, Geostorm cannot outdo real life events and cannot better a good 80% of films in the genre in the last 20 years in terms of spectacle, charisma and thrills. #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases #1Star #DisasterFilm #JackBottomley #DeanDevlin #GerardButler #JimSturgess #AbbieCornish #EdHarris

Written and Directed by Joshua Eley Starring Stuart Kennington, Aron Trausti, Teddy Robson Short Film Review by Hannah Sayer Albion is an interesting short film which takes on the challenge of tackling a well known story that has been interpreted and told many times before. However, the Arthurian legend translated onto screen in this instance is an ambitious task as it is told with a distinctively modern and science fiction twist on the medieval genre. Opening credits inform the viewer that the world is at war and that King Uther and his country face invasion from a formidable enemy which is closing in from the west. He has sent two soldiers to the forgotten continent of Albion in search of a lost relic and the short film opens with these two soldiers, Arthur and Eric, crash landing on Albion. They stumble across a native of this world who has been following them since they landed. What follows is a new take on the legend of Arthur as they go on a journey in search of the relic and therefore in search of hope. The result is ambitious as the production is completely shot in outside locations in the South West of England and Wales. This benefits the final film as the landscape adds to the realism of Albion as a vast expanse of desolate landscape. The ominous music used contributes to the foreboding and bleak atmosphere created by the empty landscape and builds up to the dramatic conclusion of the short film. The combination of the modern and the medieval in this short film is a fresh and interesting take on this overly familiar tale. The spaceships, capes and night vision equipment used within the film allude to its futuristic tone and juxtapose with the origins of the story. The narrative of the short film is simplistic, which is still enjoyable if not very exciting. More could have been added to the journey to make it more dramatic throughout. The comment from the native they stumble across who says that the invasion of the land has led to Albion’s desolation when people come and ‘take what you see fit’ is an interesting plot point and points to an ambiguity of good and evil which could have been explored further. Overall, in its brief running time Albion successfully achieves what it aimed to by taking on a familiar tale and adding its own unique twist. #ShortFilmReviews #ShortFilms #HannahSayer #JoshuaEley #StuartKennington #AronTrausti #TeddyRobson

★★★★★ Directed By Armando Iannucci Starring Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Michael Palin, Andrea Riseborough, Jason Isaacs, Jeffrey Tambor Film Review by Jack Bottomley Comedy is not easy at the best of times but comedy surrounding real subjects is an even trickier beast. However, when it comes to wrier/director Armando Iannucci – whose credits include The Thick Of It, Veep, The Day Today and Alan Partridge – his brand of satirical political Comedy has specialised in wrangling difficult/complex material into comedy gold. Case in point, Iannucci’s 2009 full feature film directorial debut In The Loop (a film spin-off of The Thick Of It), which is a modern Comedy classic and which took aim at boardroom motivated declarations of war, governmental power games and spin doctoring at times of uneasy political pressures. Now, Iannucci returns to the big screen with The Death of Stalin, which the poster calls “A Comedy of Terrors” and that is a most accurate description indeed. Brazenly, this feature is set in 1953 Russia and the film centres on the unexpected death of Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin, whose untimely demise throws the whole regime into flat out panic. Stalin, as a figure of socio-political history, is one that remains controversial and the atrocities of his era still echo through the world today. So, crafting a satire of this ruthless and uncertain time is an unenviable task but this film, based on the graphic novel of the same name by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, is not only brilliant but it is the best film this writer has seen this year. The screenplay by Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin and Peter Fellows is sharper than a switchblade and perfectly balances rib-aching laughs with lingeringly horrific scenes of power and depth. The Death of Stalin is the work of a satirical genius and is a piece of film that belongs in the company of Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The period is disturbingly aptly evoked and yet – even more frighteningly – the scenes of behind the scenes political calamity and clueless figureheads feel all too relevant for the uncertain contemporary age in which we currently reside. Behind all the instantly quotable lines and eye watering comic virtuosity is a background of death, torture and fear and this film pulls no punches in not only lampooning its perturbed era but also portraying the full mercilessness of its terror. That being said, as I said previously, the balance is masterful, yes the film is dark but never does one side overtake the other and the hilarity is remarkably ever present, even at times of true onscreen barbarism. The film conjures up countless scenes of pitch perfect satire; from an early music hall drama to a funeral filled with ridiculous tensions and baffled characters trying to create cohesion where there is only chaos. This is one hell of a funny film about one hell of a dark subject. The writing, direction, score and visual presentation all factor in to the film’s achievements but a major contributing factor is the incredible ensemble cast that has been assembled here. So great are the cast that choosing one favourite performance is virtually impossible and it is to the credit of all involved that each character gets a chance to shine. Each actor has a differing accent, avoiding any forced Russian inflections, and while this initially could have distracted it proves an intelligent move, as the accents add further facets to each and every character. Simon Russell Beale is unrecognisable and chilling as Lavrentiy Beria, head of Stalin’s secret police, hateably bullying his way through the film and creating a real master manipulator. Then there is the ever marvellous (and often ludicrously underrated) Steve Buscemi as Nikita Krushchev, who is at his darkly comic and screen enthralling best, while Jeffrey Tambor, as Stalin’s anointed – and dumbfounded - successor Georgy Malenkov is excellent and the source of some truly hysterical sequences. However specific praise should go to Rupert Friend as Stalin’s son Vasily, who evokes Kenneth Mars’ barmy performance in Mel Brooks’ influential The Producers. As well as an uproarious Jason Isaacs, who devours scenes as the Yorkshire accented Georgy Zhukov, the only character in this entire political shitstorm who is unafraid of his future fate because of ego, no nonsense attitude and his esteemed and feared reputation at the head of the Soviet army. These are but a few highlights in a cast full of them, with supporting performances from Michael Palin (as Vyacheslav Molotov), Andrea Riseborough (as Stalin’s daughter Svetlana Stalina), Dermot Crowley (as Lazar Kaganovich), Paul Chahidi (as Nikolai Bulganin), Paul Whitehouse (as Anastas Mikoyan), Olga Kurylenko (as pianist Maria Yudina), Adrian McCloughlin (as Stalin himself) and Paddy Considine as Comrade Andreyev. Everybody is tremendous and each is worth mountains of praise and awards recognition. The Death of Stalin is a masterpiece. Everybody involved in its making deserve applauding for creating such a funny, bold, thought provoking, alarming and unforgettable film. There is literally not a foot put wrong here and Iannucci once again shows us why he is a war hero on the satirical comedy battlefield. #FilmReviews #TheatricalReleases #5StarFilm #JackBottomley #ArmandoIannucci #SteveBuscemi #SimonRussellBeale #PaddyConsidine #RupertFriend #MichaelPalin #AndreaRiseboroguh #JasonIsaacs #JeffreyTambor