Directed by Steven Spielberg Starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Austin Stowell Film review by Kieran Freemantle Based on the true story, Bridge of Spies is excellent historical spy drama, having the talents of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and the Coen Brothers involved. Mixing Cold War drama and witty dialogue, Bridge of Spies is 2015’s Argo. Hanks stars as James “Jim” Donavan, a New York insurance lawyer and a prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials. The American government give Donavan the thankless task to defend Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a Soviet citizen who has been arrested in Brooklyn for espionage. Despite Donavan’s best efforts, the trial was for show and Abel is sentences to 30 years in prison. Donavan is later recruited by the CIA to negotiate a prisoner exchange after a U-2 spy pilot, Francis Gary Powers (Austin Sowell) is shot down over the Soviet Union and is sent to Berlin to achieve this - just as an American student is arrested by the Stasi in East Berlin. Bridge of Spies is a film of two halves: the first being a legal drama about a lawyer giving the best defence possible in a hostile environment and the second is a story of CIA operations in the midst of a tense geo-political situation. When Donavan is defending Abel he is not just doing his legal and civil duty, he is standing up for American values of democracy, free speech and due process, fighting against the climate of fear towards the red menace. Spielberg captures the paranoia of the period, making it was impossible for someone to receive a fair trial and that anyone who is even associated with a communist is seen as a traitor to America. The public attitude is to show patriotism means being blindly loyal to the society you live in and the governmental system although Donavan is the man really standing up for American values. Issues like this still persist in America, with cases regarding the War on Terror, the Iraq War and Edward Snowden. This was a film set only a few years after Senator McCarthy's Communist witch-hunt. It was an atmosphere of pure mass hysteria and Spielberg captures this paranoia of the period - from communists infiltrating American society to the threat of nuclear annihilation. The spectre of nuclear war is a present danger, whether it's the Americans and the Soviet trying to gain the advantage over the other to Donavan's son fearing a nuclear strike and preparing for such an event. The approach Bridges of Spies takes is very similar to Spielberg's Munich, where Mossad agents assassinate the leadership of the Black September Organization after the Munich Massacre. Their actions lead to a more extreme next generation taking over – similar to what was happening in the Gaza Strip during this period. Tonally and structurally Bridge of Spies is similar to the 2012 spy thriller Argo. Both tell of extraordinary true life spy missions, they are set in heightened political situations and feature a first half in the States and the second abroad. Both having a slight comedic bend to it. The Coen Brothers did rewrites on the screenplay (Suite Française's Matt Charman wrote the original drafts) and their influence is most evident with the dialogue, having plenty of witty dialogue and exchanges, and as the film progresses, the scenario becomes stranger. Mixed with Spielberg's sensibility for light comedy and Hanks' delivery and body language, they make Bridge of Spies a surprisingly funny film. Their touch is more present for Bridge of Spies then it was for last year's Unbroken, which The Coen Brothers also rewrote. The heart of Bridge of Spies is the relationship between Donavan and Abel and both Hanks and Rylance were brilliant together, having good banter and emotional moments together as you would expect from a Spielberg film. Most of the relationship is frontloaded to the beginning of the film. Rylance spoke with an unusual accent, mixing different regional British accents instead of a Russian one. It is actually accurate to Abel's real voice and Rylance stands a very good chance to earn an Oscar nomination for his performance. Hanks convinces as a man with brilliant argumentative and persuasive skills, whether it was against judges, the CIA or KGB's agents or harden communist leadership. When the film moves to Berlin it turns into a spy drama, where Donavan is given a crash course into how to be become a spy, having to attend clandestine meetings, remember mission details and act on his feet. Being a lawyer, Donavan is an intelligent man and finds a way to get the best outcome. Bridge of Spies aims for realism, so there are no shoot-outs or car chases, it is all about getting information, whether it is from dead drops or spy planes while the Americans, Russians and East Germans are making power-plays against each other in this complicated game of geo-politics. It is a film about political calculations. Bridge of Spies is the first film since The Color Purple where John Williams does not score a Spielberg film. The official reason is Williams was unwell, but it was probably because he was busy with the next Star Wars film. Thomas Newman, the composer for films like Wall-E, Skyfall and Spectre handled the music for Bridge of Spies and he does replicate's Williams' sound. One of the final tracks has a very patriotic sound to it, almost leading this Englishman to stand up and yell "USA, USA!" Bridge of Spies is an excellent spy drama that is also a courtroom drama, an examination on political and legal philosophy, and takes a wider look of the Cold War on domestic and international fronts. The dream-team of Spielberg, Hanks and The Coens delivers on making a film that should please history enthusiasts (even if it does take a few liberties) while giving us a fair few laughs. #TomHanks #StevenSpielberg #KieranFreemantle #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #TheatricalReleases

Directed by Robert Zemeckis Starring Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman & Colin Firth Christmas film review by Chris Olson Nightmarish and bold, this creepy take on the classic Charles Dickens tale is lacking the usual fluffy trimmings of a Christmas film and instead goes for the ghoulish. In a sparkling piece of casting, animated Jim Carrey takes on the archetypal role of Ebenezer Scrooge, and instead of delivering a cartoonish performance, serves up a truly morose and affecting old codger. It seems pointless to go into the plot or the character, as they are so synonymous with Christmas, but here is a quick run-down: A cheapskate business owner is visited by three ghosts who terrorise his night's sleep until he gets into the Christmas spirit. What is beautiful about Zemeckis' film is the richness of the detail; the score is huge and sweeping, the pacing is beat perfect, moving the audience through drastically different scenes without much jarring, and the tone is consistently engrossing throughout. Never does the film drop the bauble and fail to deliver what it sets out to do. There is always a reason why certain stories are daubed “timeless”, and Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is certainly that. To become a festive tradition, a story must transcend the usual elements of a “good story”, and instead capture something quintessential. The reason why we keep revisiting Scrooge (a title which has had its own cultural impact), is the deep fear we all have of that possible darkness inside us that a simple tragedy or hardship could trigger at a moment’s notice, and we lose ourselves to misanthropic moping. The fact that Jim Carrey, known for being such a wildly animated performer, is slumped into this character has a huge effect on viewers, reinforcing this fear of the oblivion in our own subconscious. When we take a look at Michael Caine’s version of Scrooge in the movie with the Muppets, there can also be huge similarities drawn. Many viewers will probably feel this depiction of A Christmas Carol is too terrifying for a Christmas film, especially an animated one, but for audiences looking for a festive film that captures the truly haunting nature of this ghost story from a literary giant, Robert Zemeckis delivers an undeniable triumph. Come back tomorrow for another Christmas film review. #ChristmasFilm #filmreviewsUK #filmreviews #JimCarrey #RobertZemeckis #MichaelCaine #ChrisOlson #Animation

Directed by Mike Mitchell Starring Ben Affleck, Christina Applegate & James Gandolfini Christmas film review by Chris Olson If you were to put Ben Affleck on the Naughty or Nice list, inevitably he would bridge both categories, in terms of his creative output in the film industry. With recent gleam still lingering from critical hits like Gone Baby Gone (2007), Argo (2012), and Gone Girl (2014), it seems audiences have succumbed to the season of forgiveness enough to allow the man to play Batman in next year's DC Comic's film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - an honour indeed. From his misfire catalogue, Ben Affleck has so many films to choose from - Pearl Harbour (2001), Daredevil (2003), and most definitely the topic of this Christmas film review - Surviving Christmas - where he plays an eccentric, yet lonely, millionaire, who essentially whores out a suburban family to pretend to be his own in order to recreate the festive season of his childhood. Head of the family Tom (James Gandolfini) is at first violently apprehensive about Affleck's yuppie appearance - even knocking him out with a snow shovel. However once Drew (Affleck) comes to his senses, so does Tom, after being offered $250,000 to go along with the Christmas charade...haha, get it? As Drew runs amok recapturing his youth, his presence brings chaos to this family, where there already lies an element of distress. The tension is vamped up with the introduction of Alicia (Christina Applegate), the grown up firecracker who openly insults Drew’s feckless stupidity, regardless of his cash. However, this is a Christmas movie after all, and Alicia could end up a victim of mistletoe and Affleck's grinning charm. More grating than if the cast of TOWIE turned up carolling at your house, Surviving Christmas puts its warning in its title - this is a film to be endured! From the outset, it is incoherent, mindless, and so busy stuffing itself with festive facets, it forgets to even tell a story. Affleck's character goes to huge lengths to pull off the perfect Christmas, even using a helicopter to go tobogganing - and yet he has no real affection for Christmas at the beginning of the film, hoping to elude it in Fiji with his girlfriend Missy (Jennifer Morrison). By the end, the plot becomes drunk on it's own eggnog and no one can understand Drew’s motives or actions! Gandolfini is particularly out of place, giving a decent performance whilst being surrounded by incompetence. His surly muttering and humbug demeanour will probably reflect many of the viewers who fall victim to watching this movie. On the Nice list, there are some warm and fuzzy scenes of tobogganing, Christmas pantomimes, and awkward family meetings which give off an aroma of festive fun. Oh and the mum (Catherine O’Hara) from Home Alone (1990) does a nude photo shoot which her erotically charged teenage son (Josh Zuckerman) ends up finding online whilst trying to masturbate...happy holidays everyone. More Christmas film reviews tomorrow. #ChristmasFilm #moviereviews #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #ChrisOlson #Comedy #BenAffleck #JamesGandolfini

Directed by Robert Zemeckis Starring Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola and Michael Jeter Christmas film review by Chris Olson Animation finds a welcome home at Christmas, with many of the classic films in our #ChristmasFilmCountdown being animated movies. Director Robert Zemeckis has also directed another animated Christmas film, A Christmas Carol (2009), which starred Jim Carrey as the iconic humbug Scrooge. The Polar Express, which stars another comedy legend, Tom Hanks, is far less nightmarish than A Christmas Carol, and substitutes eeriness for cheeriness. The story is of a young boy (Tom Hanks) who is on the cusp of becoming a “non-believer” - meaning he is losing his belief in Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve night, the boy embarks on a magical adventure when an immense train pulls up in the snow outside his house, heading for the North Pole. Aboard the train are other children of a similar age, as well as an enigmatic Conductor (also Tom Hanks), and a train crew of quirky characters. This film, based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, has an aesthetic which captures the same magic of a film like The Snowman (1982); with sweeping, snowy landscapes, vivid characters and beautiful emotional moments. The Polar Express also benefits from a touching script, mostly delivered by Hanks in his various roles, which is the perfect complement to the animation. The story unfolds with a racing pace, but never fails to deliver those heart-aching moments of childish innocence and poignancy. There is a certain aloofness to some of the film’s characters, and the friendship which develops between the children on the train seems to intensify a little too quickly, which some viewers may find a too convenient. However, the subtle tone the film achieves and the vast scale of the set pieces are never at risk, and you do genuinely care about the mild peril which these characters start to face. The Polar Express is a beautiful example of a Christmas film, something which will stand the test of time because it captures the heart of a story and wraps it with delicate emotion. Fans of animation will be lost in scale of Zemeckis’ film, and non-believers will find it hard not to give a mini fist-pump by the climax of the movie. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #TomHanks #RobertZemeckis #Animation

Directed by Kira Richards Hansen Starring Rosalina Krøyer Short film review by Monica Jowett This Danish short film Damn Girl from director Kira Richards Hansen follows a 12-year-old tomboy who has a hard time dealing with being a girl. She has created a boyish world for herself, surrounded by her all male friends and struggles with the oncoming sexual confusion that comes with being a teenager. Alex (Rosalina Krøyer) is obviously a tomboy. Her light blonde hair is messy and tied back and wears a tracksuit and trainers. She blends in perfectly with the boys she hangs around with as they barely notice she is actually a girl, and Alex openly mocks the other girls that wear low cut, figure hugging clothes. The film captures these friends at the perfect age where anything can happen, on the cusp between childhood and young adulthood. With no grown-ups around them - and none are shown within the short film - there is no limit to their actions as they drink and smoke and live in their own world. Yet there is a constant feeling things will soon change for these friends, especially Alex. In the opening scene, we see her drinking and smoking with a group of boys her own age; laughing and joking with her friends. This light hearted teasing lasts throughout the night, as they walk along railway lines, graffiti the walls and run around deserted fields. As the group of friends wander around, Alex and one of the boys walk together and eventually peel off from the rest to be alone. Alex wants to find the rest of the group in an attempt to be sure nothing happens with this boy, yet he is happy to be alone with her making comments about how he feels. There is a shift in tone as Alex is determined to stay as one of the boys and fights to stay that way. The cinematography from Brian Curt Petersen is gorgeous, the night sky carefully lit by greenish lights as the friends mess around. In the night setting, lit up by unnatural light it further demonstrates this world Alex has with her male friends, as though it is completely separate from the rest of her life. Hansen has beautifully captured the struggle and conflict Alex goes through in the film as Damn Girl makes a touching portrayal of the hardships of Alex’s tomboy identity. Through the eyes of a tomboy we still are shown the difficulties faced when on the brink of growing up. Check out more short film reviews. #Shortfilm #shortfilmreviews #MonicaJowett #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #ShortFilm #Shortfilms #shortfilmreview

Directed by Seth Gordon Starring Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn, Robert Duvall, Jon Voight, Mary Steenburgen, & Jon Favreau Christmas film review by Chris Olson “You can’t spell families without lies...go ahead try it.” This is one of the lines given to Vince Vaughn’s character, Brad, in the Christmas comedy film Four Christmases, and does a good job of summing up the movie’s overall theme. Brad, and his girlfriend Kate (Reese Witherspoon), are a perfectly united couple at the beginning on the film, hoping to avoid their broken families during the festive season by vacationing in Fiji. However, an unfortunate bout of fog, and a nosy news camera crew, quickly undo their plans, meaning that a round robin trip to all four families becomes unavoidable. As much as Brad and Kate feel anxious about visiting their parents (all of whom have new partners) and their quirky siblings, nothing prepares them for the tumultuous journey their own relationship takes, as their constant reliance on skirting the truth has been a foundation of their bond. Seth Gordon’s film manages to highlight a very common situation for people at Christmas, which is having to cope with the expectations of their family, whilst trying to carve out their own slice of holiday bliss. Seeing the varying types of guilt trips and emotional pressure put on both Brad and Kate during the film, audiences will most definitely be able to relate to the struggle they are going through. However, there is a lovely turnabout during the movie, where we realise that both Brad and Kate are their own worst enemies by avoiding their families, which has consequently affected their adult relationships. Both Vaughn and Witherspoon turn in great performances, anchoring the viewer to their relationship with the right balance of comedy and pathos. The supporting cast is made up of some heavyweight Hollywood stars, in particular Robert Duvall as the macho dad of Brad, who swills beer and taunts his son for being inadequate. Jon Favreau is also fantastic as a UFC-style fighter (yes, your heard me right), who, if not beating on Brad like a punching bag, is shamelessly feeling up his pregnant wife or chomping on chicken wings. Aside from a few loose moments of generic plot-pushing, Gordon’s film is a tight blast of Christmas comedy, perfectly aimed at the modern audience. It captures the subtle balance between love and frustration that this time of year can cause, whilst telling a solid romance story which is relevant and fulfilling. More reviews in the #ChristmasFilmCountdown tomorrow. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #ReeseWitherspoon #VinceVaughn #RobertDuvall #Comedy #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK

Written and Directed by Sean Meehan Short film review by Hannah Sayer Total Performance is a confidently produced portrayal of a struggling actress whose current job consists of her being a ‘sparring dummy’ to take in other people’s abuses. The narrative centres on Cori, played by Tory Berner, an actress who works for a company named Total Performance who employ actors to rehearse difficult conversations with their clients. Examples of these practice encounters can be break ups, confessions or firing an employee. Sean Meehan’s writing is a clever depiction of the emotional effects this line of work has on its lead, even though she is successful in what she does. The short film introduces Cori’s difficult employment as she goes into an office-like room and plays a cheating wife whose husband is confronting her after finding out about her years of betrayal. This initial encounter is intercut effectively with Cori’s first date with Tim, played by Steven Conroy, as she describes how her work is just practice for an actress. Tory Berner expertly portrays Cori as both intelligent and confident in what she does while highlighting how this has formed underlying vulnerability and insecurity. When Cori meets Tim for the first time on this date, he asks her whether she is able to turn her work on and off, as he compares her line of work to being like a therapist. It is unclear whether she really can. The evidence of her crying at the first encounter with her client in the film suggests the inner turmoil caused by this line of work and the emotional effects this has had on her. After an exciting and unexpected twist which leads to an emotionally thought provoking and open ending, it is made clear that Cori and Tim are more similar than they might think. Actions speak louder than words in the final scene. The act of hiding in the dark room as a conversation takes place elsewhere in the house acts as an effective metaphor for Cori hiding in the shadows of this job as she struggles to make her way as an actress. Chris Loughran’s cinematography conveyed the juxtaposition of the darkness and the light skilfully in this scene, as the troubling intensity begins to erupt. Sean Meehan’s interesting concept of dealing with emotional conflict, and having to talk about it before undergoing the actual confrontation, is an idea that some viewers may find appealing as a company that they wished really did exist. Check out more short film reviews. #Shortfilmreviews #shortfilmreviews #Shortfilm #Shortfilms #ShortFilm #shortfilmreview #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #HannahSayer

Directed by Tristram Shapeero Starring Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, Clark Duke, Robin Williams & Oliver Platt Christmas film review by Chris Olson One of the quintessential elements of Christmas, is a Humbug. Known for disliking the holidays, Humbugs are always present during the festive season and regularly represented in Christmas films. From Scrooge to Bad Santa, there is always a person who would rather set fire to a Christmas tree then decorate one. The root for Humbuginess differs; bad childhood, loss of a loved one, or, more commonly, hating the family whom you are forced to be with. And this last reason is the basis for A Merry Friggin’ Christmas. Boyd (Joel McHale) and his wife (Lauren Graham) and kids are subjected to an unwanted family reunion when Boyd’s brain-damaged brother Nelson (Clark Duke) holds a christening for a baby on Christmas Eve - even though Nelson is not the father, and the real parents have run off to Mexico. The reunion means that Boyd must come face to face with his alcoholic father Virgil (Robin Williams), whom he has not seen in years. There is an enjoyable mixture at play in A Merry Friggin’ Christmas which few Christmas movies execute as successfully. Right from the title, you can see a potent blend of holiday cheer and sneer, of bauble and bourbon (which Santa loves apparently), that accompanies the whole film. Boyd’s dilemma is coping with his conflicting emotions of trying to avoid his father, whilst creating an amazing Christmas for his son (Pierce Gagnon) - who may very soon stop believing in Santa Claus. At times, there are excellent moments of physical comedy and adult humour, and at others there is a poignancy about the emotional cracks which show during a time like Christmas that adds gravitas. One scene where Virgil realises just how much his son has hated him is completely moving, with Robin Williams delivering a spectacular display of range. Without spoiling the plot, there is a road-trip structure to the film which is always an added bonus for a Christmas film (similar in a way to Home Alone), as holiday travelling and a deadline make for a bubbling tension. The score is subtly done, without clanging the same tired tunes. Aside from a few script misfires, there is a lot to like about A Merry Friggin’ Christmas. Because, whilst the Humbug-element is implied, it does what all good Christmas films do with an Ebenezer - show him the true meaning and crack on with a ripping yarn that in any other genre would be considered awful fantasy. Come back tomorrow for another Christmas film review. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #DVD #RobinWilliams

★★★★★ Directed by Jesse Nelson Starring John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Olivia Wilde, Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried, Marisa Tomei and Alan Arkin Christmas film review by Chris Olson As this year’s major Christmas release, Jesse Nelson has a lot to live up to delivering Steven Rogers’ story to cinema audiences. The current UK Film Review #ChristmasFilmCountdown has shown some of the best festive films ever made, and we will also be seeing some of the lesser loved movies in the coming days. So where does Christmas with the Coopers end up? The Naughty or Nice list? First off, from the trailer for this movie, audiences may enter under false pretences - this is not a riotously funny film, and does not try to be. From the outside, there seems to a familiar aroma of slapstick family capering, but that couldn’t be further from the reality. Nelson’s film is sharper than an electric carving knife, serving up huge doses of emotional poignancy. The story is pretty simple; a family is coming together to spend Christmas with each other, even though all of them are going through some kind of emotional distress. Balancing their own problems with the expectations put upon them by fellow family members becomes the major feature of the film’s body, and something which the stellar cast pull off really well. For example, the characters of Charlotte (Diane Keaton) and Sam (John Goodman), the central mum and dad of the story, are experiencing a breakdown in their relationship, which could well end after the Christmas period. This turmoil runs parallel with the love and joy which they find in their children, even if it can be exasperating at times. Olivia Wilde turns in a particularly great performance as Eleanor, daughter of Charlotte and Sam, who simply wants to get through one Christmas without disappointing her parents. So she enlists the help of a stranger at an airport called Joe (Jake Lacy), who have an instant chemistry made up of equal measures of attraction and conflict, to pretend to be her stable boyfriend rather than admit the truth of her reckless personal life. The film is told with a “many-threads” approach, giving interspersed scenes of the different family member’s situations, such as Marisa Tomei from the back of a cop car or Ed Helms in a job interview. This structure, similar to Love Actually (2003), works well to depict the complexity of one family at Christmas - how all the problematic tensions become magnified by the holiday season. Indeed, something which the narration (provided by comedy hero Steve Martin) picks up on. Whilst there are some great comedy moments, especially the use of some quick-cutaway sequences, this film is built on a sturdy foundation of pathos and character. Tearjerking starts early and remains an unrelenting force throughout, delivered most effectively by Alan Arkin’s sombre grandfather character, whose charming affection towards diner worker Amanda Seyfried is beautifully arresting. Far from what many viewers may be expecting, Christmas with the Coopers delivers that much needed reflection and schmaltz among all the lavish vibrancy of more typical festive films, and deserves a place on the Nice list. UK Film Review will have another Christmas film review for readers tomorrow, so be sure to pop back. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #TheatricalReleases #AmandaSeyfried #InUKCinemasNow

Directed by Michael Curtiz Starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen Christmas film review by Chris Olson With more razzle-dazzle than any other festive film, White Christmas is a mainstay for many people’s top movies to watch during the holidays. Musical numbers, slapstick comedy and budding romance, Michael Curtiz’s film is like one of those chocolate selection packs you get at Christmas - with, sadly, now out of date brands. Cinema has come a long way over the decades. Whilst the form carries with it many of the strides made by pioneering filmmakers, audiences have come to demand different output from their movies - and tap dancing is rarely one of them. Gloriously displayed in this film with all the leading talent, many of the musical scenes feel antiquated to the point of awkwardness. That being said, there is a lot to like about this movie. The plot of White Christmas is typical of 1950s Hollywood, simple and dreamy; a couple of war veterans (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) become popular theatrical producers in the years after WWII. Having been hoodwinked into seeing a local show starring a couple of sisters (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen), a blossoming relationship grows between the foursome, with a yuletide romance in the air. Trials and tribulations inevitably befall the group, especially when they run into a man who used to serve as a General, who has now fallen on hard times. This commentary on the nature of post-war society is particularly deep for a film that on the surface appears to be all candy canes and tinsel. With great showmanship and theatricality, Curtiz has wedged a film into the culture of Christmas, not to mention popularising the anthemic title song which has become synonymous with everything festive. It is not a Christmas film which has aged that well, and younger audiences will not be able to relate to the film’s structure, which relies on an old model, but for those who are looking for that easy festive watch, or something to have on in the background whilst they are wrapping presents, White Christmas is toe-tapping good fun and laden with enough nostalgia to knock your granny into a coma. Come back tomorrow for Day 4 of the #ChristmasFilmCountdown. #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #ThrowbackThursday #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #DVDReview

Directed by Christine Sherwood Starring Charlie Lewington, Jack Brett Anderson & Scarlett Byrne Short film review by Monica Jowett Fitting in with your friends isn’t always easy for a teenager and in short film Lashes from writer and director Christine Sherwood, teenager Ashley (Charlie Lewington) discovers that sometimes trying to fit in in a twisted adolescent world does not equate to the hurt it can cause, and begins to lash out at her friends. Ashley is a teenager struggling to fit into a different social life she wants to be part of, with a boyfriend Jason (Jack Brett Anderson) who she doesn’t fully trust. She is ignored by her friend Sarah (Scarlett Byrne) when she needs her support and then her doubts about her boyfriend turn out to be justified. After being told of Jason’s cheating ways by Sarah, which Jason adamantly denies, she begins to lash out at the people closest to her. As she starts to realise the world she was trying to fit into by having the blonde hair extensions and false eyelashes, begins to crumble, Ashley begins to take control and fights back. This short gives a glimpse of how life can be being a teenage girl. Ashley is constantly looking for approval from her friends and boyfriend, yet she hates to be used. Like any normal teenager, she wants acceptance, possibly going out of her comfort zone to get it. But Ashley herself is far from perfect, smoking cigarettes and stealing cocaine just some of her extra-curricular activities. Lewington gives a solid performance as Ashley, perfectly showing the mix of curiosity and self-discovery that play a huge part of growing up. The supporting cast do well to portray the superficial friends who only show interest in Ashley when it suits them. The short film’s overall design set against the backdrop of East London has created Lashes as a film perfectly capturing a social system of teenagers. Ashley, with her simple shorts and hoody differs from Sarah, who lends out fancy tops to her friend. Even their houses, Ashley’s close and cluttered flat compared to Sarah’s spacious and tidy house, signal a different class between them, further demonstrating Ashley’s struggle to fit in. As she turns away from her disloyal friend and boyfriend, Ashley sheds the superficial friends and appearance, she looks younger yet it is easy to see the new independence and confidence she has found. Lashes is a carefully written short film depicting the stormy seas of adolescence that leaves anyone who has been in a similar place totally uplifted. Click here for more film reviews. #Shortfilmreviews #ShortFilmReview #shortfilmreviews #shortfilmreview #Shortfilmreview #MonicaJowett #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #Shortfilm

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik Starring Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Beverly D'Angelo Christmas film review by Chris Olson “Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse.” Such is the tone of one of the funniest, slapstick Christmas movies of all time. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold - family man and the embodiment of Christmas spirit, attempting to create the perfect holiday season for his family. Calamity ensues though, as Clark’s Christmas cheer is stretched thinner than a pine needle though with the arrival of his extended family - an entourage of feckless hazards and some trailer trash cousin-in-laws (headed by a hilarious Randy Quaid), who inadvertently spoil every one of Clark’s plans. This film really stands up well, which is an essential quality in a Christmas film that will inevitably be pulled out of the dusty DVD cupboard each year. The comedy, at times, misfires slightly - with some gags lacking perfection with their timing, but overall this movie is bust-a-gut funny! From Clark flying off the roof trying to hang Christmas lights, to kicking the crap out of his lawn ornaments when the lights won’t turn on, this family film achieves some huge laughs, whilst uniquely commenting on some of the more unspoken feelings that Christmas can evoke: frustration, homicidal fantasies, a complete hatred of other people. The soundtrack is wonderfully chosen, in particular during a sequence where Clark daydreams about a cashier he met, with "Mele Kalikimaka" playing in the background. Whilst there are a few elements which date the movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation should be a tradition for comedy film fans at Christmas time. It is still a hugely enjoyable film that has some amazing performances, not least from Chase who is at the top of his game in this sort of film. Quaid is superb too, as are the older relatives whose lack of hearing and blatant rudeness is utterly splendid to watch as it quickly wears on Clark’s holiday cheer to a mere whimper. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Christmas Film Review. #ChristmasFilmCountdown #ChristmasFilm #ChrisOlson #filmreviews #filmreviewsUK #DVDReview