Directed by Foster Vernon Starring Justin Andrew Davis, Steven Trollinger, Leslie Lynn Meeker, and Timothy J. Cox Short Film Review by Sarah Smeaton Described as a ‘dark comedy’, Hell-Bent, although not really altogether that dark, is a hilarious and satirical short film that will have you laughing from start to finish. It’s a simple plot of main character, Michael (Justin Andrew Davis), looking for inspiration to create a ground-breaking article in order to get himself a promotion, and finding something far more extraordinary along the way. In fact the story falls into his lap at the very start, which would have been all too convenient if it hadn’t have been so funny. Just as we’re set up for another cringe worthy paranormal scarefest, there’s an interjection of, “Oh yeah, that’s my summoning circle, sweetie.” And instantly, we have the opening workings of comedy gold from writers Shayne Kamat and Lorenzo Cabello. Bringing a touch of realism to the paranormal genre, the mundane approach has managed to create an original piece of work here in a very overcrowded market. Think Elf, but more devilish, far more obnoxious and less child-friendly. Now that might sound like an insult, and in some ways it is, but it just works for this film. Ricky, played by Steven Trollinger in his acting debut, is everything a good devil should be; rude to the point of absurdity and self-centred to the very core. Particular mention must go to all the actors actually, as for the majority this is their first noteworthy foray into acting, apart from Timothy J. Cox (playing the brash Mr. Bowers) who is certainly a well-seasoned performer. With such a high proportion of debuting actors, though, I would have expected more slip-ups and less believability from the characters, but I was with this film every step of the way. Even when the ever so sweet ‘elderly’ secretary, Agatha (Leslie Lynn Meeker) adopts a laughably deep and dark demon voice to summon her friend Ricky from the underworld. What’s so refreshing about Hell-Bent, is that at no time does it try to take itself seriously. That being said the aesthetics and production was most certainly taken seriously, as the movement between scenes is seamless throughout. The combination of the two, will have you forgetting that we don’t actually coexist on this Earth with the devil and demon worshippers. And when you come to the end, you might wish we did. A light-hearted and timeless film, Hell-Bent is definitely worth a watch. If you like Short Film Reviews, we worship them this way. #Shortfilmreviews #SarahSmeaton #Comedy #shortfilm #TimothyJCox #FosterVernon

★★★ Directed by David Yates Starring Christoph Waltz, Alexander Skarsgård, Djimon Hounsou, Margot Robbie & Samuel L. Jackson Film Review by Kieran Freemantle The summer of 2016 has a deluge of sequels, franchise films, reboots and revival of old properties. One of them being Tarzan who is making his first appearance in a Hollywood film since 1998 where we saw Disney's Tarzan. King Leopold II of Belgium has laid claim to The Congo after the Berlin Conference, a territory with rich resources. However, Belgium bankrupts itself trying to build the infrastructure in The Congo, forcing the king to send his emissary, Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz) to find the source of the Opar diamonds. Rom makes a deal with Chief Mbonga (Djimon Hounsou), if Rom can bring Tarzan back to Africa Mbonga will let the Belgians have access to the diamonds. Tarzan, AKA John Clayton III (Alexander Skarsgård) has assumed his birthright, the Earldom of Greystoke and has lived in England with his American wife Jane (Margot Robbie) for eight years. Tarzan is convinced by George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson), an American war veteran, to accept an invitation to visit The Congo as an excuse to investigate alleged atrocities by Rom and his mercenaries. The Legend of Tarzan is the first major film by David Yates outside of the Harry Potter franchise and he is already set to go back to that series, directing the spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, coming out later this year. It is a shame that he has gone back to his comfort zone, but it is not much of a surprise because the production, going over-budget, forced it to be shut down. Just like the revival of The Lone Ranger a few years ago. Also like The Lone Ranger, The Legend of Tarzan has had some troublesome accusations against it. The Lone Ranger's problem was casting a white actor to play a Native American stereotype while The Legend of Tarzan was criticised for being a white man saviour story. Despite this The Legend of Tarzan is an entertaining yarn, best thought of as a deliberately old-fashioned story. It's a romp in the vein of Indiana Jones and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (an idea for a Warner Brothers crossover), stories where a hero has to stop a nefarious villain as he tries to gain political, financial or mystical power. Yates has shown himself to be a competent action and special effects director and he provides the goods for The Legend of Tarzan. The film opens with impressive battle sequences where Belgian soldiers fight to the death when outnumbered by a determined African tribe - fans of Zulu would appreciate this sequence. There are solid fist fights, including Tarzan fighting a huge gorilla and a fight scene in a train. Fans of historical set action films will be pleased with what Yates and his team put on the screen. Yates does experiment with other filmmaking techniques. The most successful is the use of slo-mo during the action scenes (mainly because I am a sucker for stylised slo-mo). This was mainly used when soldiers had to battle African tribes to add to some emotional weight. Other techniques had a negative impact, the worst being the camera constantly moving when Tarzan and Williams are talking after an attack on a village - it was distracting and added nothing to the scene. The Legend of Tarzan had a titanic task to match photorealistic CGI work that we have seen in the rebooted Planet of the Apes series and this year's The Jungle Book. The Legend of Tarzan is able to keep up for the most part, showing great apes that could match Caesar and Koba from the Planet of the Apes series while other animals likes lions, leopards and wildebeests are impressive. Sometimes the quality of the effects does dip and looks fake, but for the most part The Legend of Tarzan can stand alongside other blockbusters on the special effects department. The Legend of Tarzan is at its best when Christoph Waltz is on screen, a moustache twirling villain of old that will do anything for money, able to make deals but so distrustful. He is a coward but he is not someone that should be underestimated - an example being the opening action sequence where Rom shields himself from a barrage of spears while his soldiers are fighting to the death, yet he is able to take down a huge warrior with his chosen weapon, his rosary beads. Waltz has been typecast into villainous roles but he does it so well. It's a shame that the rest of the cast could not match Waltz's performance. Alexander Skarsgård, son of Stellan, looked the part, having impressive muscles, but a bit bland. Robbie and Jackson are the weak links, particularly Robbie acting too modern for a film set in the Victorian era. Jackson has the same issues, the worst being a joke he makes when he faces a gorilla. The other issues effecting the film were its screenplay and editing. Despite The Legend of Tarzan having an old fashioned tone and story the screenwriters attempted to make The Legend of Tarzan a revisionist approach to the character. The worst example involves Jane - she is made out to be a strong independent woman who doesn't take no for an answer and says that she's not a damsel in distress. Just because she says it doesn't mean she isn't one. A terrible example is when Jane escapes from Rom and his forces just so she can be captured again really quickly. It’s sloppy! The writers who worked on the film had the idea that they need to build a world and backstory, but they did not know how to do it. They introduce story elements like why Mbonga hates Tarzan and what happened between Tarzan and his gorilla brother, but the writers only tell us this information, ignoring the screenwriting adage 'show don't tell'. The editing does not help this situation, also introducing and dropping storylines and showing flashbacks for the sake of it. The score by Rupert Gregson-Williams deserves a mention, using African drums and percussion throughout to give The Legend of Tarzan a distinctive sound. Even more impressive considering Gregson-Williams' career has been working mostly on Adam Sandler films. The Legend of Tarzan has received some harsh film reviews, but in reality it is a perfectly entertaining adventure film that we do not see much of these days. It's a fun little throwback and the positives outweighs the negatives. More Film Reviews this way. #filmreviews #TheatricalReleases #KieranFreemantle #DavidYates #ChristophWaltz #MargotRobbie #SamuelLJackson #AlexanderSkarsgård

Directed by Charlo Johnson Starring Senan Byrne and Eddie Whelan Short Film Review by Owen Herman Gone Viral is a lovely short documentary that looks into the lives of the ‘Fupin Eejits’, two Irish mental health nurses and viral internet comedians. The Eejits, Eddie Whelan and Senan Byrne, use vine (a social media platform where users post 6 second videos) to make clever and funny content that saw them viewed by more than 300 million people worldwide. Director Charlo Johnson tells their slightly bizarre story through interviews, footage of their day-to-day lives and the vines that made them famous. Johnson has made something quite intimate, exploring the thoughts and feelings of these funny yet very ordinary men in an honest and warmly revealing way. The informal interviews are shot in such a way that they feel like the two are just having a friendly chat; the close ups and open body positions allow intimacy and create the feeling that the viewer, too, is in on the conversation. The use of the local pub reinforces where they’ve come from and the cuts between the two as they exchange witty lines demonstrates their natural ability as a double act. Looking into the two’s lives and interests outside of internet fame, from hurling to drumming, helps the viewer understand that Eddie and Senan are just two normal guys who have, even to their own surprise, made people around the world laugh. The juxtaposition of their discussing getting messages from models, with their co-workers talking about how down to earth they are is both humorous and fascinating. Gone Viral is brilliant at giving you a glimpse of the viral celebrity; someone who millions love yet leads a normal, everyday life. It doesn’t do any harm that the vines on display are laugh out loud funny too. Gone Viral is a must-watch (at 7 minutes long you have no excuse not to watch it) insight into the modern world of a social media celebrity. There is something very heart-warming and down to earth about two people who just did something for a bit of fun but have ended up making millions of people, including myself, laugh. More Short Film Reviews this way. #Shortfilmreviews #OwenHerman #CharloJohnson #Documentary #Documentaryreviews #Comedy

★★★★★ Directed by Steven Spielberg Starring Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill and Rafe Spall Film Review by Sarah Smeaton As with any remake, I was equal parts excited and terrified when I heard the news that The BFG would once again fill the big screen. With the knowledge that Steven Spielberg would be back in the director’s chair along with Melissa Mathison writing the screenplay, my heart palpations eased. A creative duo that hasn’t teamed up since ET in 1982, Spielberg and Mathison were the only people to be entrusted with such a well-known and well-loved piece of fiction. Coincidently, 1982 was also the year The BFG was first published. Well the stars have certainly aligned in more ways than one for this production of The BFG. A dreamy escapism into Giant Country, The BFG rigidly sticks to Roald Dahl’s original plotline, but with the addition of mind-blowingly spectacular CGI, you can’t help but be fully immersed into this phenomenal world. The beauty of The BFG, like all of Roald Dahl’s masterpieces, is of course its unquestionable ability to transport you from this world into another. Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant is moving, endearing and ultimately everything you could ever ask from the friendliest giant in the world. His unique language skills are as funny as they always were, the whizzpopping is as laugh-out-loud funny as when you were a kid and the underlying message to always follow your dreams is as poignant and memorable. Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is punchier than the quiet and sensible Sophie of the Disney classic, but the emotive friendship that quickly develops between these two lonely souls is as endearing ever. Rafe Spall’s minor role as Mr. Tibb’s is just as memorable, even for such a small part, although it’s not entirely clear what his accent is meant to be; this film reviewer is still deciding between American and Scottish. This is simply an extraordinary viewing experience for both those seeking to bathe in childhood nostalgia and those who have never even heard of The BFG. I can say with certainty that nobody has hyped this film up more than me, and it still delivered. Roald Dahl, despite notoriously never being happy with film adaptations of his fiction, would most surely have been proud to have seen this masterpiece in all its stunning beauty here. What Steven Spielberg has created is a timeless classic, which will transcend over generations and ensure the whimsical, whizzpopping dreams of the BFG live on forever in our hearts. More whizzpopping Film Reviews this way. #filmreviews #TheatricalReleases #SarahSmeaton #5StarFilm #StevenSpielberg #MarkRylance #RafeSpall

Directed by Thiyagaraja Starring Michael Marinaccio, Eric Roberts, Angela Gulner and Bruce Eckelman Short Film Review by Lorenzo Lombardi Director Thiyagaraja’s Than All Else Ever has a superlative title for a reason. It contains themes of concepts such as love and time, and questions our understanding of the universe. Needless to say, it means a lot to convey in its running time of just under 15 minutes. But does it do it well? We are taken on a journey with a narrator that recounts an anecdote of a space scavenger named David Galloway (Michael Marinaccio). He is tasked with reprimanding a rogue captain as well as retrieving a space pod they stole. Along the way, we see glimpses of Galloway’s love life. Marinaccio’s role is well acted and intriguing. He serves as the allegorical and emotional soul of the themes and story. On the other hand, that rogue space captain mentioned is played by the award-winning Eric Roberts (Dark Knight), who completely steals the short in his limited screen time. You truly feel a sense of history and insanity with this Kurtz-esque character, from the grizzled hair to a cynical outlook on destiny and choice. Than All Else Ever’s general idea is that no matter how far we technologically evolve, humanity will still remain determined --- for better or worse --- by its natural tendencies. This idea is furthered through the use of a black and white filter. Adding to this, flickers to the frame are seen. At one point, we even witness one frame roll up as if the film is being shown through an old projector. This artistic choice visually conveys the notion of humanity’s tendencies from the past. In the story, qualities and states of mind such as hubris and limerence determine the characters’ bittersweet fates. Is free will just a concept? This is one of many philosophical questions posed to the audience. As you can gather, Than All Else Ever executes these heavy themes well. It has solid acting, an occasional but droningly soothing score and deep thematic depth, achieved profoundly through smart artistic choice. At parts, though, its influence of 2001: A Space Odyssey oozes too evidently, and its effects can sometimes seem amateurish. The inclusion of a narrator does not do many favours either, shoving down the themes in a not-so-subtle way. Still, it is a surprisingly dense bit of short film prowess. Give it a try and contemplate what makes us human. Click here for more Short Film Reviews. #Shortfilmreviews #LorenzoLombardi #ShortFilm #ScienceFiction #Scifi #Thiyagaraja

★★★★ Directed by Peter Middleton, James Spinney Starring John Hull, Marilyn Hull, Dan Renton Skinner, Simone Kirby Film Review by Colin Lomas Unless you have first-hand experience of losing your sight, it is a very difficult concept to fully understand. Many describe it as their worst nightmare; the sudden struggle with daily chores, not being able to visually read, not being able to see when your child is in danger. Yet for all these struggles, people carry on, their life changing but not necessarily for the worse. Many flourish in times of perceived hardship and in the wake of extreme events. Yet sometimes it is difficult to find a balanced view of these types of stories; either they become a sorrowful tome of pity or a chest-punching anecdote of inspiration. Notes on Blindness is wonderfully neither of these; rather an account of a man going blind in his own words and from his own thoughts. A few days before the birth of his first son in 1983, theologian and academic author John Hull started to go blind. As he wrestled with his new life without sight, he decided to record an audio diary on a series of tapes, documenting his personal thoughts as well as scholarly reflections on losing one of his primary senses. The result was a wonderful and sometimes beautiful record of how blindness affects one’s life. Although at times he is understandably sad with the visual darkness enveloping him, Hull also explains in depth the details he once overlooked; how rain can produce environmental dimensions, the musical qualities of leaves blowing in the wind, the smell of flowers in the field. His drive and perceptive thought processes are contagious; when realising that most audio books were throwaway railway station crime thrillers, Hull set about employing thirty people to transcribe academic manuscripts for him. Together with Dan Renton Skinner and Simone Kirby playing Hull and his wife on-screen, Notes on Blindness uses Hull’s own words and voice to collate these thoughts into a wonderful insight of the months and years of life after diagnosis. In many ways, and with probable intent, the visuals of Notes on Blindness feel somewhat peripheral. In fact, the ninety minutes would work just as well as an audio book. That’s not to say Skinner and Kirby do anything less than a worthy job (their lip-syncing to the tapes is wonderfully seamless), rather that Hull’s eloquence and honesty completely captivates his audience. His intelligent musings and analysis are vividly fascinating and refreshing as his emotions are put through the wringer. He swings between anger, sorrow, tolerance and positivity yet tellingly never spirals into self-pity. His deep religious beliefs are constantly assessed and questioned as he starts to forget the faces of his family, yet it is his faith which finally brings him the strength to continue. It is this battle with God which seems to be the lynchpin of the acceptance of his condition. There are certainly heart rendering moments; his young son asking him if tears would bring back his sight, yet Hull’s emotional concern always seems to be about the effects his sight-loss has on others rather than himself. The one thing that the pictures do well is to capture the internalisation and claustrophobic nature of suddenly losing one’s sight. The increasingly dark blurry images of the world around Hull harmonise the audio excellently as he describes the ever decreasing focus on the outside world. Notes on Blindness was a tough story to put to film, yet Middleton and Spinney have managed to execute it excellently. The movie’s fresh yet simple approach could have backfired but the directors’ obvious care and love for the story has allowed them to create a captivating and enduring picture of a man coming to terms with a life-changing event. By the end, the overriding emotion toward Hull is not one of sorrow or pity but of absolute respect; a story of a caring, intellectual man who always has his family at the heart of any analysis of his condition. More Film Reviews this way. #filmreviews #ColinLomas #TheatricalReleases #PeterMiddleton #JamesSpinney #Disability

Directed by Matthew Mahler Starring Timothy J. Cox Short film review by Lorenzo Lombardi Rarely do we come across short films where a lone actor carries the whole flow of the picture successfully, but Timothy J. Cox accomplishes that coup with exceptional execution in What Jack Built. The film follows the titular engineer Jack as he devises and constructs a contraption unbeknownst to the audience. What follows is a purely visual experience, with most of the focus being on Jack gathering and building. Cox’s performance --- as being the case with most of his other turns --- is astounding. He is one of the sole driving forces of this film, and delivers a character that is both oddly compelling and thoughtfully mysterious. Cox manages to portray the character convincingly, adding incredible amounts of nuance. Jack’s origins and motives make room for interpretation, which gives a lasting memory to the character too. Director Matthew Mahler is the energy that punctuates the tour de force performance. He does this by using editing finesse as well as swift camera movements. Mahler also acts as the composer, crafting an exhilarating electronic score that suits the film’s crazy-scientist-styled tone well. He also makes a smart directorial decision by muting out most of the sound that should be resonating, leaving the score to act as the backdrop rather than boring sounds of equipment clunking and machines roaring. This film is a well made and mysteriously invigorating…I would provide a genre but What Jack Built must be seen to be believed. If someone told me I was going to be entranced by a short film mostly consisting of a man building an unknown device, I would have called them mad. Yet, Cox and crew achieved something unique with undeniable skill. Watch this for a prime example of what can be achieved in a short with just one strong performance. More Short Film Reviews to look at. #Shortfilmreviews #filmreviews #LorenzoLombardi #TimothyJCox #Shortfilms #ShortFilm

Directed by Eleanna Santorinaiou Starring Aaron Ishmael, Judith Haley, Ezekiel David Peat Short Film Review by Owen Herman Neighbourhood is a short film that explores the relationship between three people, living in the same small neighbourhood, and how that relationship changes after a small time drug deal goes wrong. Santorinaiou has chosen to go very small and intimate, and it works. The characters in Neighbourhood, a nosey but well-meaning old woman, a cocky unsociable youth and a mischievous young boy, feel real and natural. The circumstances involving the botched drug deal do test belief but the characters act convincingly enough to carry it off. Suspense of disbelief aside, the story still didn’t quite grip me and, beyond their realistic appearance and reasonably realistic actions, I just didn’t feel engaged by the characters enough to care about them. They felt real but were simply not interesting enough. The performances in Neighbourhood are solid; youngster Ezekiel David Peat is impressive for such a young performer. Santorinaiou has to be given credit as casting and directing a child actor is often laden with difficulty. The cinematography gets all the basics done well, the relationships and power dynamics between characters is clearly filmed, but the final shot, showing the comparatively huge size of the city, is outstanding and it really allowed the intimacy of the small neighbourhood to shine. There is good work with the editing as well, calm and tension are both contrasted well through the number and style of cuts. There is obvious filmmaking talent behind Neighbourhood but the story and its inhabitants were not as strong as they could have been. The escalation of problems that occurs just felt too much, especially when the short film focused so much on the more realistic nature of life in a supposedly ordinary neighbourhood. More Short Film Reviews this way. #Shortfilmreviews #OwenHerman #ShortFilm #Drama #Crime #Shortfilms

★★ Directed by Paul Feig Starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth Film Review by Chris Olson Okay, elephant in the room, yes reboots generally suck and mainstream cinema has been verging on a creative vacuum lately unless you like your films with superpowers or franchised. All the trolling in the world doesn't seem to be able to stop the green light for remakes of beloved movie classics, so let's deal with this like adults and stop all of the childishness. Kristen Wiig plays a clever clogs college lecturer whose possible tenure is jeopardised when an embarrassing book she co wrote about the supernatural appears for sale on Amazon, put there by co conspirator Melissa McCarthy. After confronting her old pal, Wiig's character is dragged to a supposed site of supernatural behaviour, and a ghost appears, before sliming her good and proper - and on camera. The video is leaked and discredited (the latter by Bill Murray of all people) causing Wiig to lose her job, but solidifying her and McCarthy's resolve to pursue these ghouls, now that they have confirmation that they actually exist. Far from reinventing the wheel, Ghostbusters (2016) seems to have got caught up in all the hysteria as much as the fanboys and girls. It suffers massively from a lack of identity and the result is a wish-washey, childish affair that is more disappointing than demonic. There are so many nods of the head to the previous films that this movie starts feeling like one of those dashboard figurines - kinda fun to look at but pretty cheap and the novelty quickly wears off. There has been a lot of talk about the cast of this new Ghostbusters film, and whether or not they rise to the challenge - immense as it was. The fact is that no opportunity was really given to them. Like an Olympic athlete competing on a diet of stodgy egg McMuffins, you cannot expect success with a script this clunky. Very little of it is funny and the visual spectacle is given so much preferential treatment that many lines literally get covered up by noise and clatter. That being said, this reviewer very much enjoyed Kate McKinnon's comedic performance, her anarchic spirit and detachment being palpable, and entertaining, throughout, and Leslie Jones turned in several chucklesome moments. Chris Hemsworth is funny to a point, and then becomes a victim of the film's scrambling to find jokes, relying on his character's buffoonish antics too heavily. Comedy anchors Wiig and McCarthy do their best to enjoy the silliness and the fun, but seem so self aware that they barely engage with Paul Feig's lukewarm endeavours. They seem so self aware that any chance of originality gets lost in the endlessly scrolling comments section of YouTube videos. Tonally, this film is a mess. The jokes land irregularly and the continuity will probably get the biggest, yet sardonic, laugh from audiences. In one scene it takes all four Ghostbusters just to grab hold of one ghost, and yet by the end we see each character pretty much playing ten-pin bowling with them. There is fun to be had here and writing as someone with no real attachment to the originals I can safely say I was completely unbothered with the taking of this premise or these similar characters. However, why make this movie?! What was the point of struggling through all of the cyber hate and trolling just to roll out a poor imitation of the original without any real improvements? The cast was there, the director has a proven track record. It all feels like this was an exercise in movie digital marketing and who could kick up the biggest stink...well bravo. More Film Reviews for your reading pleasure. #filmreviews #ChrisOlson #TheatricalReleases #PaulFeig #Comedy #Reboot #Remake #MelissaMcCarthy #KristenWiig #LeslieJones #KateMcKinnon #ChrisHemsworth

★★★★ Directed by Omer Fast Starring Tom Sturridge, Cush Jumbo, Ed Speleers, Arsher Ali Film Review by Colin Lomas Memory is a strange thing. It’s a basic function that is taken granted yet if removed, subtracts our ability to function in any rudimentary capacity during day to day life. What would it be like not to remember oneself? Not to remember your life prior to a certain point or event, not to remember friends and family? It’s little wonder scriptwriters have pored over the idea for so many years; it’s the ultimate personal intrinsic psychological horror location. The main difficulty for any writer now is how to bring something new to the table after the successes of so many similar movies. Director Omar Fast, known more for his video art installations, takes on Tom McCartney’s psychological nightmare-fest novel in an attempt to guide the genre in a distinctive, more disturbing direction. The movie starts with Tom (Sturridge) being hit by falling debris in a London street, awakening months later in a hospital bed with no memories prior to the accident. His lawyer soon tells him that he has been awarded £8.5 million compensation on the strict condition that he never speaks about the accident again. As he can’t remember anything anyway, he accepts the money and attempts to rebuild his life. During his attempts to integrate himself back into society it becomes evident he has been involved in something unsavoury; two gangsters are after him, his connection with a mystery black suitcase, his knowledge of the local drug dealer’s names. After a series of confused flashbacks, he decides to employ Naz (Ali), a ‘fixer’, who can arrange anything for a price, to rebuild his life in theatrical form in the hope of learning more of his history. Unlike other amnesia films which grant knowledge to the audience only as the main character learns it themselves (Before I Go To Sleep, Memento), Remainder starts off very slowly, revealing almost nothing for the majority of the first thirty minutes. Tom is followed around the streets of London in a haze of hallucinations and mysteries, as he uncontrollably dances in an Ian Curtis frenzy to a didgeridoo busker on the underground before being punched by the musician for an unspecified previous encounter. It begins in a much artier space than other similar movies yet starts to pick up velocity excellently, building on its initial reserved pace brilliantly as all the pieces start to coalesce. His relationships are excellently enigmatic; his best friend Greg (Speleers) who apparently sat at his bedside for the months while Tom was in a coma warns him off Catherine (Jumbo), the woman who is pertaining to be his girlfriend. Catherine in turn shows a mistrust of Greg, before Tom finds out the connection between the two. Tom becomes progressively disagreeable as the film rolls on, his utter single-minded commitment to finding answers and the lack of empathy for the effects on those around him is increasingly loaded with cold indifference. It is difficult to comprehend whether he is spiralling into or out of madness; his paranoia of friends and places, his moments of deja-vu, his utter obsession for the truth. There are even moments of Close Encounters as he subconsciously builds an unidentified house from memory out of cardboard boxes. It quickly becomes a truly puzzling, addictive horror mystery, and one which is almost impossible to tear yourself away from. Remainder takes a cleverly different approach to a storyline which has been very successfully executed before. Until the last five minutes, no amount of second guessing or intuition will produce a correct prediction of the ending. It is well paced, well-acted and will continue to niggle your cerebral region for a long time after viewing. We have more Film Reviews this way. #filmreviews #ColinLomas #TheatricalReleases #Crime #OmerFast #TomSturridge #CushJumbo #EdSpeleers #ArsherAli

★★ Directed by Mike Thurmeier, Galen T. Chu Starring John Leguizamo, Simon Pegg, Denis Leary, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez Film Review by Colin Lomas During his latest attempt to capture his beloved acorn, Scrat manages to find himself in a flying saucer, submerged in the icy depths of the polar ice-caps. Inadvertently turning the thing on, he zooms off into space to cause celestial mayhem within the solar system, playing planet snooker, causing vast electric storms on earth and eventually firing a huge meteor towards his home planet. Semi-mad adventurer Buck (Pegg) finds an ancient prophecy warning of the end of the earth from light falling from the skies and sets off with Sid (Leguizamo), Manny (Romano), Diego (Leary) and the rest of the usual crowd in an attempt to stop all life on the planet from being wiped out. There is basically nothing new here, yet Ice Age is in a fortunate place. The makers have built such a solid franchise with excellent individual characters that just putting them on screen for ninety minutes with a pretty bog standard race-against-time story works fine. Sid’s self-pity never seems to bore and the strained relationship between Manny and his soon-to-be son in law manages to add a differing dimension to the impending planetary disaster. Physicists and exobiologists may take issue to the temporal skulduggery at work here. Scrat’s inadvertent destruction of the emergence of life on Mars may have come a few billion years too late for the accuracy of history to be satisfied. But then we’re talking about a saber-toothed squirrel flying a spaceship around the solar system so the point may be somewhat moot. There are enough slapstick gags to keep the younger ones happy, while Manny’s family issues are directed fully at the parents, as if Octonauts and Two Point Four children had produced a high budget animated offspring. One thing Ice Age does well is realise that it has enough characters already in place, and makes no attempt at introducing any more; a pitfall many long running franchises fall into (yes, we’re looking at you Kung Fu Panda). The balance feels just right and enough time is allowed for each character to have his or her moments in the sun. The only real criticism about the Ice Age series is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to remember which film is which, such is their similarity. Ice Age: Collision Course never sets out to be anything other than an enjoyable, comic animated adventure, and it achieves that well. You get the feeling though that any further upcoming episodes may need a little more meat on the bones. Click here for more Film Reviews. #filmreviews #ColinLomas #SimonPegg #TheatricalReleases #Animatedfilmreviews #Animation #RayRomano #QueenLatifah #JohnLeguizamo

Directed by Peter Coukis Short film review by Sarah Smeaton Concepts of Desire does most certainly provide a portrayal of the origins of desire for heterosexual men. I’m just a little confused as to what its intention is as a piece of cinematography. Claiming to be based on the book The Joy of Sex, which was essentially a ‘how to’ manual, published in the early 1970s to confront sex in a colourful an explorative fashion, this video does little to align itself with the book other than be a succession of lurid, pornographic images. At times, it appeared as though director Peter Coukis’ intention might be to look at desire and how it has evolved over the years, how women have changed through the ages, but if this were the intent it was never properly rooted or explored as far as it could have been. The women in this film have become objects of attention, they are nameless, voiceless women who have no real identity. Not once do we see these women with anyone other than other women, as scantily clad as themselves. The only men we see in the short film, in fact, are two Navy men in an embrace kissing. Perhaps a small nod of the head to The Joy of Sex, which being published when it was, only provided a definition of homosexuality rather than exploring this as an equally satisfying sexual act. Either way, times have moved on, and in a society and a culture that looks to embrace love in all forms, it is a shame that this film has not stepped beyond this historical, dated take on desire. Not all men love women, not all men love the same shaped bodies. And what about the desires of women? The heart of this film appears rather narrow-minded and historic in direction. Perhaps it was the intention to stick within the boundaries of the stereotypical desires of old, but I think it’s missed a real opportunity here to step into the modern world that we live in today. Click here for more Short Film Reviews. #Shortfilmreviews #filmreviews #SarahSmeaton #ShortFilms #1Star