★★★★ Directed by Felipe Jorge Documentary Film Review by Owen Herman Boxing has always had a strong relationship with cinema, be it fictional like the Rocky franchise or documentaries about the sport’s greatest characters and stories. Indie documentary Touch Gloves isn’t new or original, but it does move away from the heroic underdogs or world champions that are so often featured on screen. Instead, Touch Gloves goes into the real heart of the sport: the local gyms that keep kids off the street and set youngsters on a path to greater things. It is a personal, honest look into the lower levels of boxing and its intimacy brings a grounded feel to the film. Director/editor/cinematographer Felipe Jorge has made a documentary that is still inspirational but also very focused on the believable, relatable stories of ordinary kids wanting extraordinary things. Touch Gloves centres on Ray Hebert, the owner of a small boxing gym in Haverhill, Massachusetts. A likeable, committed man who has spent his retirement trying to help kids get fit and learn to box. There is a natural, chronological order to the story, with Jorge following a variety of fighters as they compete at different levels. Jorge’s editing allows the story to flow effortlessly and his interviews really seem to get into the minds of the people on screen. These are people you start to root for, even if you haven’t known them that long. It is also easy to be inspired by them, whether it’s the dreams of an 11 year old wannabe pro or a 27 year old attempting to return to the sport. Jorge manages to capture the warm, motivating atmosphere that permeates this gym and its members. Touch Gloves has so much warmth behind its boxing technicalities that it’s hard not to enjoy, even if you have no interest in the sport. To make a documentary that interests and grips people who have no personal relationship with the subject matter is very difficult, but this is exactly what Jorge has achieved. If you love boxing you’ll love this film for its intimate look at the heart of the sport. If you don’t, you’ll love this film for the honest and inspiring stories that are on display. A thoroughly enjoyable documentary. Click here for more Film Reviews #Indiefilmreviews #OwenHerman #filmreviews #Documentaryreviews #Documentary #IndieFilms #Boxing #Sportsmovies

★★★ Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney Starring Louis C.K., Ellie Kemper, Eric Stonestreet, Lake Bell, Steve Coogan, Jenny Slate & Dana Carvey Film Review by Jack Bottomley After finding immense success with their Despicable Me franchise and last year’s spin-off Minions (starring the goggle-eyed, dungaree-wearing sponge-like henchman), The Secret Life of Pets is Illumination Entertainment’s next attempt at capturing the hearts of their family audiences. Although it is preceded by fun Minions short Mower Minions, this animated film is clearly an effort to get something else going for this successful animation studio. Blessed with a core concept that some have called Toy Story with animals, the potential for Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney’s feature is evident. Who doesn’t love cute animals going on an adventure? So as we enter the heart of New York and find out what our beloved pets get up to during the day, we also ask can this film reach the heights of its inspirations or is it a bit of a dog? Set in New York City, the film sees Jack the Jack Russell Terrier (voiced by Louis C.K.) lead the perfect life, alongside his loving owner Katie (Ellie Kemper), but things are thrown into disorder when she brings home huge hairy mongrel Duke (Eric Stonestreet). Needless to say the two struggle to get along but when a park incident strands them both on the streets, Duke and Jack will have to work together to survive animal catchers, streetwise strays out for revenge against humans, and more, as they try to get back home. All the while their neighbourhood friends are trying to find them. Reminiscent in many ways of Oliver & Company with lashings of Toy Story, Bolt and Up, Brian Lynch, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio’s screenplay cannot quite match the sophisticated storytelling or emotional heft of some of those influences, however The Secret Life of Pets is still a fun family film with its heart in the right place. Starting brilliantly well and ending in an equally warm and affectionate fashion, these bookend moments of greatness are the film’s strongest suit. Featuring visual comedy and heart-warming testaments to how our animals act and think and how we as owners treat them. These insightfully funny sequences are what really sell the film and will speak directly to many an audience. Sadly it is the central narrative stretch that loses this impact, forgoing some of the insight to tell a story of getting home and feeling the need to over complicate matters. The script in this main body is not all bad but loses some of the finesse set up in the opening stretches of the film, even as it moves at a right old lick! Still, this being said the punchy voicework and wide selection of characters do make the whole thing a pleasurable enough viewing for the family. Jack and Duke eventually make a worthwhile heroic duo- see a sausage dream sequence- even if scenes are stolen like biscuits from the cupboard by overweight pampered feline character Chloe (Lake Bell). True the lack of a proper villain in place of Kevin Hart’s rather annoying rabbit Snowball is an undeniable setback but with characters like the sneaky Ozone the Sphynx cat (Steve Coogan), Tiberius the Hawk (Albert Brooks), love struck Pomeranian Gidget (Jenny Slate) and Pops (Dana Carvey) the paralysed Bassett Hound, there are plenty of characters here to entertain a wide range of viewers, even if some (Ozone especially) deserve more screen time. So, while not utilising the concept as greatly as it could have done, though it does acknowledge our obsession with viral cat videos momentarily, this animated effort still makes for a worthwhile animated adventure. The animation is bright and pleasant, awash in this sunny kind of hue that makes it oh so charming. While Alexandre Desplat’s wonderful score is a real highlight, evoking a very ‘60s New York cinema vibe, with a wide range of emotions and styles in one soundtrack. It is not always hilarious and goes off course at points but for family aimed entertainment, The Secret Life of Pets is enjoyable if not quite Toy Story with pets. Still it makes you want to give your little animal friends a hug, so job done really. Click here for Film Reviews galore #filmreviews #JackBottomley #Animation #TheatricalReleases #Animatedfilmreviews #ChrisRenaud #YarrowCheney #LouisCK #EllieKemper #LakeBell #SteveCoogan #DanaCarvey #JennySlate #EricStonestreet

★ Directed by Ben Falcone Starring Melissa McCarthy, Peter Dinklage & Kristen Bell Film Review by Kieran Freemantle Your enjoyment of Melissa McCarthy's The Boss will depend on whether you find swearing in front of children and vulgarity funny. If not then The Boss will be a painful experience for you. McCarthy stars as Michelle Darnell, the 47th richest woman in America who is willing to step over anyone to succeed in business. But Michelle crossed the wrong person when she uses insider information to stop a rival (Peter Dinklage) and he gets her arrested. After being sentence for five months in a minimum security prison Michelle is left broke and homeless and goes to her former assistant Claire (Kristen Bell) for help. With Claire, Michelle plans her comeback, using Claire's brownie recipe and a new troop of Girl Scouts to get back to the top. The Boss has the same basic premise as 2 Broke Girls where a rich woman looses everything and convinces an unconfident woman that she has a product that could sell. When a film has a similar set-up to one of the worst sitcoms currently on TV it should have been scrapped or at least started again from scratch. There are differences between the CBS sitcom (on E4 in the UK) and The Boss: Michelle and Claire are older than Max and Caroline, the former rich person is the crude one of the pair and Claire has a more down-to-Earth personality and there is much less focus on pop-culture and hipster jokes. Instead The Boss double downs on sex jokes and profundity for its 'humour'. Michelle swears and says inappropriate things like sex acts to children and that in itself is a joke. Even the most opened minded person would have objections about using swearing in front of children as a gag. Since the success of Bridemaids, Melissa McCarthy has become overexposed. She does two styles of comedy; being meek, sweet like she was in Gilmore Girls or as crass as possible. It's a shtick that gets old very quickly and McCarthy offers little invention or variation to this type of comedy. She is becoming the female Adam Sandler. There is the occasional chuckle on offer but that’s usually based on a reaction to Michelle, like Claire seeing the designs for Darnell's Darlings and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil's Tyler Labine breaking the fourth wall when Michelle describes her heist plan. McCarthy was surrounded by a decent cast and they look bewildered as to how they ended up in this movie. Bell asks 'what's happening' during the film's climax and that sums up her thought process during The Boss. One of the best examples is the scene where Melissa plays with Claire's bra and followed by McCarthy ad-libbing about each other's breasts. Peter Dinklage has shown despite his fame in Game of Thrones that he has poor taste for comedy, following Pixels with this. Dinklage has shown himself to be a talented actor and voice actor but he was poor in The Boss, playing a softly spoken businessman who is obsessed with Japanese culture. The only real plus is he's playing a character who happens to have dwarfism, not a dwarf character. Dinklage's assistant was similar to Marc St. James in Ugly Betty. Kathy Bates appears in the film for two scenes and it wouldn't be surprising if her material was cut. Claire also says the line 'you are such a cliché' to Michelle and that is a great way to sum up the plot of the film; clichéd. The Boss is a film made up of predictable plot points and lazy screenwriting. My personal favourite was a misunderstanding between the lead characters leading to Michelle betraying her friend. The Boss attempts a theme that Michelle was rejected as a child and that was the catalyst for why she went into business and become a remorseless bitch. It's screenwriting 101 where the lead character is aiming for something she wants (becoming a business tycoon) but what she needs something else (a family). The Boss is unsubtle with these ideas. The Boss’ central premise revolves around Michelle making her own version of the Girl Scouts where the girls can make commission from their brownie sales and save for their college funds. The film tries to put a nice spin on this idea but in reality Michelle is using unpaid children as her work force and it becomes a distraction when thinking about the broken child labour laws. The Boss is a typical mainstream R-rated Hollywood comedy, a hackneyed piece of work that relies on its big name star to make up for the lack of a screenplay and feels that swearing is enough to substitute a joke. Want read more Film Reviews? Come this way #filmreviews #KieranFreemantle #TheatricalReleases #Comedy #1Star #BenFalcone #MelissaMcCarthy #PeterDinklage #KristenBell

★★★★ Directed by Roland Emmerich Starring Jeff Goldblum, Liam Hemsworth, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Jessie Usher & Maika Monroe Film Review by Jack Bottomley “Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Boom” In a world where reboots reign, remakes arrive and unnecessary sequels are green lit more than a set of traffic lights, we often approach any ‘long time in the making’ follow-up with a degree of hesitation. This is, after all, the year that the already controversial Ghostbusters reboot is being released. We don’t know what is more shocking; the fact that in 2016 we are getting a sequel to Roland Emmerich’s own 1996 box office busting Sci-Fi action hit Independence Day, or that it has been 20 years since the tentacled invaders infamously blew up the White House and in the process Emmerich set a new standard for big screen destruction. In the years that have followed, excepting a few more restrained works, Emmerich has heightened his eye for carnage with such movies as The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, and now he returns back to the film that arguably planted his name in the disaster movie genre. But is Independence Day still worth celebrating? Set 20 years, pretty much to the day, after the events of 1996, this sequel takes place in an alternate version of our modern world, a world where we have used the alien technology to advance our knowledge and have become a united world of people (well, this is Science Fiction after all folks!). The plot picks up as the pilots, particularly the defiant Jake (Liam Hemsworth), of the ESD (Earth Space Defense) moon base prepare for Independence Day festivities. Meanwhile, down on Earth, David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) is visiting a warlord’s clan- who over the years have taken refuge among an old alien ship that landed back in ’96- and comes across worrying signs that the aliens may not be done with us. No quicker than he makes this starling revelation is mankind flung into round two of this war, as the aliens return and with far more ferocity. Throw out of the cockpit any expectations of sophistication or depth; this digital slice of cheesy pizza is messy, cinematic junk food that is easily digested, fun and tasty. The five (that’s right we said five) screenwriters (one of whom is also Emmerich) for this well set up sequel, know precisely what this film is and from the ludicrously large scaled annihilation of the aliens’ arrival, to the climatic battle with the movie’s big (like, freaking huge) baddie, this blockbusting ball is a near B-Movie blast of pure entertainment. Setting up a series mythology (expanding on the aliens’ backstory and species) and leaving things open for a sequel, this ridiculous movie takes pleasure in going as big and absurd as physically possible, while Harald Kloser and Thomas Wanker’s (poor guy) occasionally Star Wars-y score blasts out proudly. Clichés fly around like alien fighters and the film is chock full of simple characters and purely effects driven spectacle but the movie embraces all the flaws, as it seeks only to entertain and that is precisely what it does. Some may see it as tarnishing the original but just like the first, Independence Day: Resurgence is big and popcorn munching fun through and through, taken to the fullest extent of over the top. With the exception of Will Smith, the film gathers up the major players from the last film from a beard brandishing Bill Pullman to a now trained nurse Vivica A. Fox, as well as some others we won’t mention. However, in addition to the many returning faces, the film features some fresh blood and while some characters are merely here to get thrown into the skyscraper smashing, tidal wave splashing, desert dancing fracas, the cast bring a deal of appeal to their characters. Yes it is an overcrowded film, with lots of madly scientific jargon and gobbledygook but the cast all approach with a smile and a willingness to get stuck into the barminess. Liam Hemsworth is charming as the more interesting hero of the film Jake, and is a definite attempt to fill the Will Smith gap, and rather successfully actually. Meanwhile Jessie Usher and Maika Monroe do the best they can in equally heroic but less charismatic roles as Dylan Dubrow-Hiller (the now grown up stepson of Smith’s Steven Hiller) and Patricia Whitmore (daughter of former president Thomas J. Whitmore (Pullman). While Travis Trope and the always-reliable William Fichtner also make effective appearances. However the undeniable stars of the whole shebang are a wonderfully droll Jeff Goldblum, whose at one point says, “they love to get the landmarks” which is practically all you need to know to sell this film. Also a scene-stealer is Brent Spiner’s funny return as haphazard haired Dr. Brakish Okun, whose presence is (in case you were wondering) explained in the most stupidly satisfying way. So for all its faults and well-worn genre tropes, Emmerich’s film rises above the likes of his misfires like 10,000BC and Godzilla by embracing its own preposterousness. This is a pure and simple experience which, save for some genuinely brilliant modern comments on society (a female president, a homosexual male relationship (only suggested but it is still a step in the right direction for an often behind the times mainstream cinematic market)), is made entirely to let the audience switch off their overly critical minds and just enjoy the end of the world as we know it. Everyone involved knows what film this is and has clearly had a ball making it, just as many of you will by watching it. It is refreshing to see a big budget sequel deliver early and often by just embracing what it is and having good ol’ fun! “Welcome to Earth” indeed. More Film Reviews this way #filmreviews #JackBottomley #TheatricalReleases #RolandEmmerich #JeffGoldblum #LiamHemsworth #BillPullman #Scifi #ActionFilm #DisasterFilm

Directed By Beau Fowler Starring Francesca Fowler, Jonathan Power, Togo Igawa Short Film Review by Owen Herman Chameleon, from Ki Films, is a short action thriller set in a near future Tokyo. It centres on Sam (Francesca Fowler), a rebel captured and held by the mysterious U.N.O., as she contemplates escape. Simply put, from beginning to end I was thrilled (which is probably quite important for a thriller). The dark, dank prison cell provides a setting that automatically unsettles the viewer and the tremendous score cements the nail-biting tone. Without the solid writing and strong performances the plot may have felt a tad unoriginal, but I was engaged and intrigued. However I thought the final plot twist was a bit too much; the viewer may feel dragged out of the experience as they half-expect it to turn into a comedic quadruple crossing Mexican standoff. The short film’s standout moment was the brutal fight scene halfway through. Hollywood has a real problem with fight scenes; the use of jarring shaky cam, poor lighting and confusing cuts can result in something really hard to follow. It is really impressive that Chameleon went against this trend and delivered a clear, well-choreographed fight that is smoothly put together with skilful camera work and editing. The cinematography and editing incorporate an intelligent use of focus and the management of light and dark is exceptional. There are a couple of sinister shots using the darkness behind characters that look spectacular. Talking of sinister, Togo Igawa deserves a special mention. A good action-thriller needs a good villain and his performance makes the mysterious Tai convincing and very threatening. Overall, until the final plot twist, Chameleon is an engaging action thriller that is very well made. The fantastically thrilling score creates an atmosphere that the film lives up to. The 15 minute run time certainly felt a lot shorter and I was left wanting more, and that is always a great sign for a short film. Read more Short Film Reviews here #Shortfilmreviews #ShortFilms #OwenHerman #Thriller #filmreviews #ActionFilm

★ Directed by Jesse H. Knight Written by Darren W. Conrad Starring Darren W. Conrad, Candace Blanchard, Marco St. John, Maggie Batson Cinematography by Jason Ledford Music by Cutshawekane Indie film review by Euan Franklin There are films floating in the amateur ether that become famous, or infamous, because they have a humorously execrable quality. Tommy Wiseau’s The Room is a popular example, as is James Nguyen’s Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which is even worse. Jesse H. Knight’s cop-based crime drama floats somewhere between the two. John “Johnny” Walker (Darren W. Conrad) and Mandy Kain (Candace Blanchard) are police officers in a small rural town in North Carolina – where they face many issues and dilemmas during their patrols. One of these cases involves Officer Kain going to court after shooting and paralysing a fifteen-year-old burglar. Considering the gritty genre and multiple plotlines, the amount of character conflict is surprisingly scarce. Many cases are thought provoking, but their resolutions are too fast and poorly structured. After Officer Kane’s court hearing, she visits the parents of the girl she paralysed. Neither parent was angry, neither was sad, neither wanted justice or revenge. Even the victim forgives her assailant in no time at all. This pattern recurs in the various plots within the film and turns tortuous to watch when all the problems seem to solve themselves. Filmmakers have an obligation to hurt their characters: kick them over, break their legs, spit on their faces. Jesse H. Knight, however, gives us an accidental push followed by a genuine apology. We occasionally peek behind the curtain and into the life of Officer John Walker, as he makes and breaks with various women. These scenes bring clear and subtle explanations for his motives as a character. In spite of this, Conrad’s irritating gestures and sickening dialogue with children makes his approach more creepy than sweet. John Walker is a blubbering man-child, appealing more to our laughter than our tears. Even though Conrad’s emotional performance is revolting to watch, Blanchard manages to display a genuine grief and torment over her experiences as a police officer. The character of Captain Jack MacDonald – a tough, steely policeman from a different generation – is the most watchable character in the whole indie film, excellently played by Marco St. John. However, all decent performances are made tedious by Jason Ledford’s mediocre cinematography and Cutshawekane’s cheaply constructed background score. It is frustrating to learn there were as many as four people (including Jesse H. Knight) working in the sound department, considering the amount of audial negligence in the film. The craftspeople seem to be incorrectly content with basic foley noises without seeing the need for a Buzz Track – no ambience, but plenty of unvaried footsteps. The same number of workers were also involved in the wardrobe department. I’ve never been to North Carolina, but I’m fairly sure that police badges are made of metal – not out of needle and thread, sewn into the front of an officer’s torso. This ridiculous design feature has squandered any legitimacy to the film, if the sound editing had not already achieved that. Partners can be entertaining, but in all the wrong ways. The technical failures and storytelling weaknesses appear more like a piece of TV fan fiction than a genuine police drama. Fifty shades of rubbish. Click here for more Indie Film Reviews #Indiefilmreviews #EuanFranklin #IndieFilm #filmreviews #Filmmakers #Filmmaking

Director & Writer: Matthew Manson Cinematography: Catherine Goldschmidt Editing: Arielle Zakowski Starring: Malcolm-Jamal Warner, David Bloom, Chaize Macklin, Donis Leonard Jr, Lawrence Mandley. Short Film Review by Andrew Moore As the film’s trailer and teaser inform us, based upon an upcoming feature film, the Tribeca Film Festival selection Film Short Wannabe by Matthew Manson is a lightweight (in a positive manner) glimpse of (as it states) ‘New York City – A Long Time Ago’ and very much a homage to those classic US teen flicks of the 80/90’s which many (myself included) still hold dearly to our hearts although our own teens are but a distant memory. Against the backdrop of a summery New York, Wannabe captures perfectly a sense of place and mood (added to by natural sound editing) and injecting this with just the right amount of humour and further complemented by music from Billy Joel to The Pixies. If I was to describe this well produced short film as fun, light and irreverent I would be doing so in a positive manner because the director Matthew Manson and his talented cast know how to augment this with just the right dose of humour to legitimise the film’s style and its knowing and equal sense of homage/nostalgia for those of us who’ve already experienced films from this period whilst making it equally fresh and relevant to those who haven’t. This level of duality is all achieved seamlessly which is much to its credit and there’s an acute awareness of the subtle nuances which give it its sense of legitimacy without overburdening what is meant to be fun, funny and enjoyable. As for the performances, David Bloom (who played Kevin in Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: First day of Camp among other roles) fits the mould perfectly as the geeky, slightly (occasionally more than slightly) awkward yet ‘trying to be cool’ Jewish kid Daniel trying to ingratiate himself with streetwise Jamaican girl Emefa (Chaize Macklin who is also excellent) whilst attempting to deflect her attentions from a (far cooler) rival for her affections and (hilariously) trying to ingratiate himself with her father at a family picnic. It doesn’t detract from their performances to say they could drop into any teen film from the short’s intended period seamlessly (but then that’s surely the point)! The rest of the cast supplement the two key characters central performances perfectly which is perhaps to be expected as most of these guys are experienced actors including Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Luther (Theo Huxtable from The Cosby Show). Still it’s great to see a film short with positive, natural acting because when this isn’t the case, due to the film’s brevity one bad performance can jeopardise everything. Thus getting everything balanced in a short film, making it appear effortless, great fun (further augmented by Daniel’s bearded Orthodox interlude sequence and the also the end credit out-takes) and engaging is a compliment I having no problem giving to Matthew Manson’s film. Obviously, with regard to the director’s intended Wannabe feature film then storylines, motivations and characters would need to be greatly padded out and developed but there’s more than enough scope here and avenues for the plotlines to achieve this whilst maintaining Wannabe’s central theme of a slightly awkward Jewish-American teen ingratiating himself into the affections of an Afro-Caribbean American girl and her family whilst developing an affectionate Goldberg’s-style look down the reverse telescope of our recent history. I would like to think the film (as a feature) would keep its footing firmly on the humorous side of racial differences whilst we root for our two central protagonists. Wannabe clearly wants to make us laugh (and achieves this) whilst celebrating its characters’ cultural differences (through humour and burgeoning teen romance) in a positive manner without the overbearing weight of too much analysis and I’d congratulate it for that. Click here for more Short Film Reviews. Or visit our Film Channel to watch short films. #Shortfilmreviews #AndrewMoore #ShortFilms #FilmChannel #Indiefilms #Comedy

Directed by Stuart Wheeldon Starring Nigel Barber, Rebekah Bowman & Rachel Prince Short Film Review by Sarah Smeaton The Nine Ladies Film production company have produced a visually beautiful piece of work here. In Limbo is comprised of several striking shots of scenery in the Derbyshire countryside and this short film is, aesthetically, a piece of artwork in its own right. In fact, for me, the plotline falls secondary to this here. The idea is reasonably original in format, following three teenagers in their fight against the Black Eyed Children, who leave them fighting not only for their lives but their very souls, which are left to wander In Limbo. It is a psychological dream that will most certainly leave you with unanswered questions. But I do wonder if it’s tried to be a little bit too clever here and has perhaps fallen short on that knife-edge balance between providing just enough information to create intrigue without too easily giving the ending away and providing too little that your audience loses interest. The divide between reality and dream is blurred throughout, which should in theory add to the eeriness of this film, that is, it would have if it were at least clear on some kind level where the dreams/state of Limbo begins and where reality ends. This is a fantastic idea, which shows how broad writer Stuart Wheeldon’s creative mind really is, but I would have liked to have seen this pushed and explored further. The idea of the Black Eyed Children is displayed to the audience but the true effects of this and the logistics behind it are never cohesively put into action. Nigel Barber (playing the role of Bill Parks) shows off his natural acting abilities in this short film. He is one-hundred percent believable and captivating all at the same time. He is the only actor in actual fact that appears to give any real life to his character. It was perhaps the intention of Stuart Wheeldon that the characters in In Limbo were to remain devoid of emotion in order to emphasise the dramatic change that has encapsulated humanity, but I would have liked to have seen a different range of emotion explored by the rest of the actors to be able to feel compassion towards the teenagers trapped in this world. Main female characters Victoria (Rebekah Bowman) and Sarah (Rachel Prince) never really show any emotion throughout the film. I wanted to see anger, frustration and joy (there were certainly moments when the writing called for this) but it never translated into performance, and as such I never really empathised with them. One of In Limbo’s strongest features is how well Stuart Wheeldon has provided contrast between different scenes throughout. Having Bill Parks provide a talk in a small village church, which on first sight appears as nothing more than an AA meeting, but what is in actual fact a discussion about paranormal beings in the vicinity, then in the next shot the three teenagers wandering aimlessly in a massive open expanse of countryside, has the effect of leaving us as the viewer on edge and uneasy. This perfectly fits with the nature of the storyline and therefore has the effect of creating a fantastically cohesive piece of work. Click Here for more Short Film Reviews #Shortfilmreviews #SarahSmeaton #filmreviews #ShortFilms #shortfilm

★★★ Directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović Starring Max Brebant, Julie-Marie Parmentier, Roxane Duran Film Review by Colin Lomas Ten-year-old Nicolas (Brebant) lives in a simple, remote seafront settlement where all the inhabitants are either women or young boys. Due to an unexplained illness, he is given daily medicine by his mother (Parimentier), who treats him with cold indifference yet unyielding protectiveness. At some point during their lives, the boys are all taken to an uninviting hospital facility on the edge of town, some of whom never return. When Nicolas finds a dead boy at the bottom of the sea while out diving, he questions his mother who insists he has imagined the whole thing. He starts to suspect she is not telling him the entire truth and sneaks out at night to try and find answers. French horror is known for its reticence and desolation; a Frenchman’s biggest fear seemingly being welcomed at home by a protracted unnerving stare. Nevertheless, the French are really rather good at reticence and desolation, and Evolution is no exception. Each lifeless glare from the town’s women lingers at least five seconds longer than would make for a generally acceptable edit, yet it builds up a truly unsettling sensation of intimidation. The boys are not excused from this intoxicating overextension either; reminiscent of Goodnight Mommy, their wavering acting prowess adds to the feeling of strangeness. Parimentier looks almost nothing like herself; her lack of make-up, yanked back hair and endless glower completely transform her into an ugly empathy deficient void, and she is genuinely discomforting. The dialogue is used sparingly, as if Hadžihalilović feels that too many words would detract from the isolation of the scenery and uncertainty of the boy’s situation. It certainly didn’t make millionaires of any subtitle translators; at its peak, a sentence every five minutes is as Tarantino gangster as it gets. Although feeling a little self-absorbed at times, the cinematography is stunning. All inhabitants of the town are dressed in greys, the buildings are dirty white, the rooms almost empty but for distressed functional furniture. In contrast, the underwater scenes could be straight from the BBC Nature archives and teem with bright hues and bustling vigorous life, the difference between the two environments intentionally striking and disorienting. Evolution, like most European horrors, requires patience. If you expect a bloodbath in the first ten minutes, it’s likely the film is not for you. For those who stick with it and permit the uncertainty and bleakness to gradually seep into the innermost depths of the psyche, the rewards will be high. It’s French, it’s a horror, it’s reticent and desolate. It is also rather good. Click here for more Film Reviews #filmreviews #ColinLomas #TheatricalReleases #LucileHadzihalilovic #FrenchCinema #Horror #WorldCinema #LucileHadžihalilović

Directed by David Bradburn Starring Anne Jacques, Susan Monts-Bologna, Genevieve VenJohnson & Judi Schindler Short film review by Chris Olson Films that conform to genre conventions often find their fundamental throughline in humankind’s fear of something. A romantic comedy may touch upon our fear of ending up alone, or that we fear being judged for being independent, whilst a political thriller plays upon the viewer’s fear indicative of their belief system, or that their passivism will bring around huge change that will negatively affect them. Indeed, a slasher film plays upon our fear of being mutilated horrifically by a maniac with knives...a phobia most people suffer from. Short film The Coming of Age, directed by David Bradburn, takes a far more prevalent concern and the clue is in the title. Barbara (Anne Jacques) is an elderly lady in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease, and at the beginning of the movie is being checked into a care facility. Initially the place looks friendly, after being greeted by an employee (Genevieve VenJohnson) and shown her room which has been adorned with one of Barbara’s paintings in order to make her feel at home. Once she meets the other guests, though, the setting takes on a mysterious and threatening atmosphere with a plethora of abnormal behaviour and antics, ranging from sweet delusions to outright verbal abuse (a fantastic curse-filled rant from Judi Schindler is particularly brilliant). One particular guest, Minnie (Susan Monts-Bologna), attaches herself quickly to Barbara and an initial friendship seems to bloom. However, the invasive nature of Minnie’s behaviour intensifies, whilst Barbara begins to develop curious traits of her own. This is a wonderfully tragic story told with beautiful craftsmanship. The performers are given enough space to flesh out David E. Tolchinsky’s story without the mood ever dropping focus, or allowing the audience to drift away. Barbara is our entryway into this piece, and through her we experience the deterioration of her grip on reality, and the devastating effects of what it could be like to live with Alzhiemer’s. What was really lovely about the short film was that it did not resort to cheap aesthetic tactics, such as darkness or frantic editing. Everything is filmed in daylight, giving a natural effect to the tone, and the pace is perfectly suited to the story being told. The performances are wonderful, from this all-female cast. Each character is served up with a vibrancy which elevates the story for the viewer, and the ensemble work well together to create a dynamic which is intense and accessible. This is particularly impressive, as films that typically offer up elderly casts often succumb to hokey clichés and inoffensive blandness. Jacques puts in a magnificent turn, moving through the increasingly terrifying stages of Barbara’s journey with a formidable presence. On the critical side, there was a bit of a weak moment with the “multiple voices” section, which cheapened the feel of the short film, making it feel like a soap opera. It is also a very familiar way to treat mental illness on screen so offered nothing to the movie’s effect. The sound editing in general was distracting and something which could have been improved with a more subtle approach. Overall, though, a genuinely engaging, thought-provoking piece that grapples with several universal themes that will touch audiences. Click Here for more Short Film Reviews. A review of The Coming of Age will also be on the next UK Film Review Podcast - so DOWNLOAD & SUBSCRIBE #Shortfilmreviews #ChrisOlson #ShortFilms #Podcast #filmreviews #ShortFilmReview

★★★ Directed by Jodie Foster Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O'Connell, Dominic West, Caitriona Balfe Film Review by Kieran Freemantle Part thriller, part satire Money Monster is a rare directional effort from actress Jodie Foster that takes swipes against Wall Street and the media. Lee Gates (George Clooney) is a Jim Cramer style media figure - both financial pundit and over-the-top showman. Gates is so impossible to manage that his director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) plans to leave him for another job. Patty's last show becomes more eventful than she intended when a disgruntled man, Kyle (Jack O'Connell) storms the show and holds Gates hostage - determined to get answers for an investment tip that went wrong making him $60,000 poorer. As tensions rise and Kyle becomes more unhinged Patty, her production team and the CCO of IBIS Clear Capital - Diane Lester (Caitriona Balfe) - start to believe that something underhand has happened at the investment fund. The screenplay for Money Monster was on the 2014 Blacklist: a list of best unproduced screenplays in a given year. This is the second time Foster has tackled a screenplay from the list (the first being the Mel Gibson led The Beaver). At 98 minutes Foster does make a briskly paced thriller and does not let up when the plot gets going. It is a film that has a number of storylines converging to the same point and Foster and the screenwriters are to stitch these threads together. There are scenes set in Seoul, Iceland and South Africa that seem random at first but it all comes together near the end. The reason why the company lost $800m is easy to predict but it is still interesting to see how it comes together and the screenwriters are able to throw in the occasional surprise. I am a sucker for films about the media and Money Monster does take a few jabs like a TV worker asking if Kyle said 'fuck' on TV after shooting a gun and holding a man hostage (because violence is okay as long as no one says naughty words) and Patty continues to direct the show after Kyle has taken control. Gates is a tabloid figure, someone who sees his job just to give showmanship rather than any serious journalism. The financial sector is also a target with Diane's hopelessly repeating the corporate speak when talking to Kyle, just like many politicians or PR people do on news programmes. The big problem with Money Monster is its tone - it wants to be a serious thriller with a political satire edge and a comedy. There is the silliness of Clooney dancing with a giant dollar sign and Gates telling a producer to test some new anti-erectile dysfunction cream which leads to him getting called during an inappropriate moment. It's a delicate balance and Foster and the writer are trying to walk the fine line between absurdity and tragedy like when we meet Kyle's girlfriend but more often than not it felt more like the film was trying to have its cake and eat it. The film also has the problem of being slightly outdated - since the 2008 financial crisis bankers have been as popular as leprosy and Money Monster attempts to tap into this anger but the film would have been more impactful a few years ago when the anger was at its highest. Money Monster has a top cast - beside from its big names the film features prolific actors like Giancarlo Esposito, Lenny Venito, Christopher Denham and Condola Rashad. Roberts is fine in the lead role but it’s hardly one that stretches her and Clooney was strong as the willing pantomime figure who has to undergo a change during the course of the film - Clooney has the comedic timing required for the role. O'Connell has the toughest role as Kyle - making him a volatile young man whose best-laid plans go to waste while also trying to make him empathetic. It's a tough act but O'Connell has the talent to pull this off: turning Kyle from a man who has a plan to being pushed into despair when it all unravels for him. Irish actress Caitriona Balfe was also notable as the seemingly inept CCO of IBIS Clear Capital Fund but ends up playing detective, investigating how the company lost $800m in one day. She is a moral person working in an amoral industry and tackling the plot of the film from a different angle. Money Monster is a fun ride of a film that tightly ties all its plot threads together. Plenty of talented people worked on the film and there were lightly funny moments throughout. Yet the film was unsure whether it wanted to be a serious and entertaining thriller - an indictment of the financial sector or be more comedic in intent. Want to read more film reviews? Click Here #filmreviews #KieranFreemantle #JodieFoster #GeorgeClooney #JuliaRoberts #JackO39Connell #DominicWest #CaitrionaBalfe #TheatricalReleases

★★★★★ Directed by Shane Black Starring Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Margaret Qualley, & Kim Basinger Film Review by Kieran Freemantle Since writing Lethal Weapon, Shane Black has become one of the most famous screenwriters in Hollywood, a man who became known for his humorous dialogue, complex plotting and characters, with the ability to subvert the action genre and setting his films at Christmas. He now makes his third film as a director, a delightfully funny and violent neo-noir mystery. Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) is a thug who is paid to beat people up for a living. One of those unfortunate people is Holland March (Ryan Gosling) - a private detective investigating the death of a famous porn star - Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio). After Healy is attacked by gangsters looking for college student Amelia Kutner (Margaret Qualley) he has to team up with March to find the missing woman before the gangsters do: leading them into a conspiracy involving LA based pornography and the American automotive industry. Black has returned to familiar territory after his dalliance in the superhero genre with Iron Man 3. A cynic may say Black lacks range or invention, but Black is too good with this material and the same criticism could be laid at the feet of Alfred Hitchcock. With his writing partner Anthony Bagarozzi, Black crafts a tight mystery that keeps the audience guessing - it is not obvious how all the evidence and story threads connect which makes for a great mystery. They clearly know their thrillers - the story is a little like a reverse Chinatown where the investigation in The Nice Guys starts out on the sex industry before discovering an environmental cover-up and, because of Crowe's casting as a violent investigator, it's easy to think of his role in L.A. Confidential: another great film with a complex multi-layered plot in a period setting. The pornography angle reminded me of the classic British film Get Carter, although The Nice Guys is a lot lighter in tone. The Nice Guys has a deliberately old-school feel to it. It embraces it's film noir influences with its detective story involving a conspiracy involving pornography and corporate corruption - as well as tropes like the brooding voice-over from its main two players meeting various nefarious figures, which the characters do not know who to trust - including high ranking officers; the investigation takes characters to various locations - from high end parties to slums. The Nice Guys embraces its 70s setting and Black does a marvellous trick of making LA look like a fun and funky place and be a cesspool of sleaze and pollution at the same time. It's a neon-lit city that suffers from smog, sex and drugs. The party is a great snapshot of a place where people are having fun: a band is singing Earth, Wind and Fire and the partygoers are surrounded by ladies lacking clothing. Black and his team formed a great cast. Crowe is great in the lead as the man who uses his fists to get information. Crowe's broad frame makes him believable as the heavy for hire and he is the most interesting character in the film: a man who questions whether he is a good man but does have a certain level of morality. Gosling also shows his range - for an actor who has an image for being cool, suave and good looking - he plays a clumsy fella who enjoys a few drinks. He is money-grabbing and amoral when it comes treating his client yet he does care about his daughter. However March is at times so hopeless it's mysterious why Healy doesn't just work alone - Black and Bagarozzi should have made him a little more competent with his detective skills. Young Australian actress Angourie Rice was smart beyond her 13 years. Her American accent is so good I didn't even realise she was not an American national. Her character is a little too precocious for her own good at times but Black is known for having smart-ass kids in his films and he knows how to make these characters likeable. The film also has a fine supporting cast that includes Matt Bomer, Kim Basinger, Beau Knapp and Keith David. Any film or TV series is improved 20 times just for having Keith David in it. When we finally get to meet Margaret Qualley as Amelia she was a hoot when she rants and raves. Although The Nice Guys is an entertaining mystery it is also a great comedy to the point it is better than most full on comedies. Black's ear for dialogue is ever present and the writing and direction allows for some funny visual gags like how our investigating duo try to dump a body. Black knows how to mix comedy into the action and gives us the best of both worlds. The Nice Guys is not as action packed as the trailer suggests. When the action does appear it is well staged, ranging from shoot-outs to full on brawls. Black even plays on this by having the characters walk into an action scene and smartly walk out again before they can are seen. The Nice Guys is an entertaining romp that has a great mix of genres being funny and thriller in equal amount. The film is a perfect storm of directing, writing and acting and makes a great alternative to the big blockbusters currently out at the moment. More Film Reviews here #filmreviews #KieranFreemantle #TheatricalReleases #ShaneBlack #RyanGosling #RussellCrowe #MattBomer #KimBasinger #BeauKnapp #MargaretQualley #AnngourieRice