★★ Directed by: #WilliamFReed Written by: #WilliamFReed Starring: #TylerMann Film Review by: Emily Davison Escape Room Austin is home to a tight-knit group of eccentric gamers, whose business is in danger of being bought out by the Corporate Escape Room next door. Lone wolf Matt (Mann) begins his new job; will he be able to help the co-workers he soon begins to view as his family face up against adversity or will the team lose everything? The Good Hearts Club (2021) is the debut feature of Mexican American filmmaker William F. Reed and this light-hearted comedy was made as a personal story for the director. Reed had previously worked at an escape room alongside individuals who are similar to the misfits presented in his movie, with the shooting location being at the same place he worked. Due to Covid-19, filming was delayed in March 2020, however Reed’s labour of love finally got going with the help of close friends and new talents. It was the director’s aim to tell a sweet story about how if you do your best and keep a kind heart as you do so, you just might find out there is good in the world after all. For his debut comedy feature length film, Reed makes a strong impression with his snappy direction and well timed jokes. The opening sequences do a great job at introducing us to our protagonist, awkward but well-meaning Matt and a diverse cast of quirky individuals. The craziness of their fast-paced working environment to entertain their guests leads to some hilarious moments where Matt is immediately thrown into the group dynamics head first and has to try and keep up with their common working practices. Despite some low budget identifiers with filming largely restricted to the centre shooting location of the escape room (excluding a few exterior drone shots of the city and a couple scenes taking place at a park or local diner), the witty and heart-warming narrative alongside Reed’s visionary direction balance things out well. There are also several well edited montages of the group working together to create a new room and improve their chances of attracting montages, which are sound tracked wonderfully with motivational indie tracks. The film does begin to exhibit good character work, although it does struggle with its large cast of characters where many fall to the wayside in regard to development. Aside from Matt, the owner of the business, Terry (Matt Arbo) is given the most attention alongside some appearances from his ex-wife, Karen (Jane Schwatz), who works next door and the tension between them is finally resolved in a touching payoff by the end. Other characters are introduced early on in a quick succinct fashion and end up bleeding into each other as simply being those ‘one of’ those geeky misfits. The nature of the uplifting plot does unfortunately veer into cheese level territory where moments which are designed to be emotionally investing are not earned, due to a lack of meaningful character interactions and natural growth. One example is when Matt gives an inspirational speech to his friends and reveals how he loves them as his new family and the camera pans over close-ups of all the cast reacting to this declaration, which feels forced and unjustified. The movie does suffer as a result, but there are genuinely endearing moments to be found which will bring a smile to your face and fulfils Reed’s admirable goal to bring a positive, uplifting film to audiences. Overall, The Good Hearts Club does feature entertaining performances and quirky direction with some endearing comedy, but its reliance on sentimentality with little character work makes for a rather forgettable, albeit well intentioned, piece. #EmilyDavison The Good Hearts Club (2021) trailer:

★★★★ Directed by: #StéphanieChuat and #VéroniqueReymond Written by: Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond Starring: #NinaHoss, #LarsEidinger, #MartheKeller, #JensAlbinus Film Review by: Corey Bulloch A brilliantly performed intimate film focusing on the emotional toils of caring for a terminally ill loved one, My Little Sister champions verisimilitude over melodrama. Writer directors Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond craft the interpersonal relationships of Lisa, a former playwright now teacher, with such care that it can be disarming in its authentic direction nothing feels manufactured for drama. Lisa is brought to life by a knockout performance from Nina Hoss, packed with subtlety and fidelity. Hoss’s dramatic power is fuelled by Lisa’s complicated relationships with her twin brother Sven, a stage actor dying of cancer, and the conflict arising in her marriage to Martin, the director of a prestigious academy in Switzerland. Lisa is forced into difficult choices regarding the future of her family; with Sven’s health and Martin’s career dividing her as Chuat and Raymond capture these poignant difficulties through their filmmaking. Hoss’s performance captures the internal tug-of-war one has when facing the inventible, this desire to believe that the better days are not behind you. Lisa is in denial of Sven’s condition, not to his pain or struggle but that the battle is over. Sven, also beautifully portrayed by Lars Eidinger is also struggling with the realisation of his mortality, trying to hold onto semblances of his former life. Though his illness can’t be avoided, as made clear from the agonisingly realistic make-up work that pushes Eidinger’s performance to another devastating level in the third act. Sven desires to return to acting after his surgery, which Lisa fully supports, as the twin’s mutual need for this becomes a metaphor for their denial. A tragic refusal to accept what’s happening, that performance can allow Sven and Lisa to hide from the pain. Lisa even returns to writing trying to will this into existence even as she can’t deny Sven’s illness worsening. She won’t give up on her brother but life always goes on which is what creates conflict with her husband Martin. My Little Sister is neither depressing nor uplifting it is merely honest, honest in the pain of love and family. Chuat and Raymond direct such empathic performances from Hoss, Eidinger and Jens Albinus as Martin that these choices they make can be understood within the tragedy. Martin is looking to the future, one that he understands will not feature Sven and when his contract at the Swiss international school is brought up for renewal despite Lisa’s desire to move back to Berlin and help Sven, Martin is thinking long-term. It’s a conflict that can be seen as selfish but also pragmatic, it captures the frustration in how families can be torn apart by terminal illness. People that are overwrought by emotion and pain trying to make the best decisions they can in the worst time of their life. You may not agree with everything Lisa, Sven, and Martin do but you will understand it. The filmmaking reflects this emotional adversity through its natural intimate cinematography. Filip Zumbrunn’s work that allows the script’s beautiful realism to be reflected in its visual presentation, you can’t help but be drawn in. Littered throughout are these small comforts against the pain; the gorgeous vistas of Swiss paragliding, nightclubs, gift shops, intricate tracings in sandpits, the composing of poems between siblings. It deepens the details of these characters, reflecting on how our lives are built from so many intricate little moments. All of these moments adding up to a stunning film of powerhouse performances that never breaks its hold on the audience’s empathy. My Little Sister opens in UK cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema from Friday 8th October. #CoreyBulloch #theatricalrelease

★★★★★ Directed by: #CaryJojiFukunaga Written by: #NealPurvis, #RobertWade; #CaryJojiFukunaga and #PhoebeWallerBridge Starring: #DanielCraig, #RemiMalek, #LéaSeydoux, #RalphFiennes, #LashanaLynch, #ChristophWaltz, #JeffreyWright, #NaomiHarris, #BenWhishaw, #AnadeArmas and #DavidDencik Film review by: Brian Penn The opening titles remain an exquisite work of art; the fanfare laden soundtrack, roving spotlight and closing camera lens. A gunshot and the screen turns red; of course it’s Bond and thankfully he’s back in full effect. After more false starts than a 100 metre sprint, we finally get the 25th instalment of the greatest ever movie franchise. It doesn’t disappoint with a satisfying mix of stunts, gadgets and snarling villainy. Along the way it ticks a variety of boxes that ensure its credentials align with a modern thinking audience. He now has a much softer personality and displays a range of emotions to boot. Whilst the humanisation of Bond is a useful dimension, it sometimes detracts from his purpose as a state trained killer. However, the most pleasing elements are retained including the dry one-liners, stone cold stare and overriding need to serve his country. The story begins with a compelling salvo running the full gamut of action dynamics. Dr Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) is emotionally damaged and struggling with the past, while Bond (Daniel Craig) has opened a barely healed wound in a rapid turn of events. Jumping forward five years we find Bond retired and living in Jamaica. Old CIA chum Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) has sought him out for special commission. They want him to recover a new bioweapon called ‘Heracles’ and its designer scientist Obruchev (David Dencik). Both went missing after a robbery at a London laboratory and have inevitably fallen into the wrong hands. MI6 led by ‘M’ (Ralph Fiennes) are also keen to recover said weapon, and have newly anointed ‘00’ Nomi (Lashana Lynch) on the case. Bond takes the CIA freelance role and clashes with his opposite number. Gentle sniping eventually gives way as the pair combine to defeat forces that threaten the safety of millions. It’s a fairly predictable ‘bad guys about to destroy the world as Bond rides to the rescue’ type of storyline. But it’s all superbly delivered with the panache we’ve come to expect. The narrative relies on a strong adversary to give Bond drive and purpose. ‘No Time To Die’ spoils the audience with two high quality villains. Ernst Blofeld (Christoph Waltz) makes an excellent cameo appearance that is more than a faint nod to Hannibal Lecter; while Lyutsifer Safin (Remi Malek) slithers with quiet menace. It might seem outlandish and far-fetched; but we exchange reality for escapism at the door of the cinema. More importantly, this is top class entertainment and the reason why cinema was invented. The final scenes are surprisingly poignant as Bond bears his soul. A superb soundtrack is topped off by a reprise of ‘We have all the time in the world’ by Louis Armstrong. The theme song from ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ it reminds us of last time Bond’s heart was broken. The finale leaves us to wonder when 007 will next be joining us. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long?

★★★ Directed by: Rodman Flender Written by: Terri Hughes Burton, Ron Milbauer Starring: Seth Green, Devon Sawa, Jessica Alba and Elden Henson Throwback Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Idle Hands (1999) Film Review The spooky season is upon us once again, pumpkin-spiced everything and Uggs apparently are a thing, but while all the white women do their white women things, I like to think about all the underdogs of the Halloween season, the underrated horror gems that are overshadowed by the big shiny Hollywood productions. And so, as the night rolls in and the seasonal sadness takes a grip, I am here to give you an underrated horror gem in the big lead up to the season of Halloween…and this week, the one, the only, 1999 classic Idle Hands takes centre stage. Idle Hands make the devil’s plaything right? The film tells the tale of the laziest boy ever, a typical suburban teen who does nothing more than sit in his parent’s basement and smoke weed all day and wear those big Jenco jeans, classic teen bants. Our lazy lead man Anton (Devon Sawa) soon finds himself unable to control his hand, and not in the lonely teen pumping fist too much way, but more in the stabby killing kind of way. He kills his parents, throws his cat over a fence, ties his hand to a bed in a kinky sex move and bones his hot neighbour, and while that all seems like a standard American teen summer, he soon kills his two best stoner pals and is all sad. But never fear, they are not dead, and without any explanation from the script they are able to come back to undead animation (but the folks don’t, so hey screw them) and aid Anton in his zany quest to keep porking his new lady and get rid of his bad hand. They help him cut it off, he puts it in a microwave, the stoners then let it out when they want to make microwave burritos and the hand goes on a killing spree at the local prom…of course, but no worries help is here, some lady who knows about this stuff comes to save the day, she has an old book, which always helps. She saves the day, they are all high fiveing and bone each other, the hand is dead…the end….and we never know what happens to the parents, ever, like why didn’t they get to come back to life? And what happened to the cat he threw? Ah man the questions. But hey this is a 90s black comedy, what do you expect?! This movie was never going to be the next Godfather, and that’s cool I’m on board, but what makes this worthy of my underrated horror gems you may ask? Well, Idle Hands comes in fast with some awesome special effects, some gross but fun body gore, and a storyline that although is riddled with plot holes and unanswered dead parent locations, still has that cute 90s charm that comes with the teen horror trend of the time. So in the lead up to Halloween, you may not want to be balls deep in the serious suspense and gore that a lot of films lay on thick, and if you have seen Tucker and Dale vs Evil too much and are looking for a little more light-hearted fun...but with death, then look no further, for Idle Hands encapsulates the campy, gory, horror vibes we all sometimes crave. So, this week we must remember: Dead parents are forever, even if your friends come back. Once you lob a cat, it’s gone forever. And if you cut off your hands, it won’t rid you of masturbation desires. #RachelPullen

★★★★ Directed by: Steve Pink Written by: Trent Atkinson Starring: Amber Midhunter, Taylor Gray, Nelson Lee Film Review by Robert Stayte Relationship dramas are some of the easiest movies to produce, as all one needs is a bunch of locations (or less) and two actors, with not even much of script being needed sometimes. It is easy to see why Director Steve Pink went in this direction for his next feature after the monumental critical and commercial flop of Hot Tub Time Machine 2. Good on him for doing so, because The Wheel is a mature and heartfelt look at a relationship in crisis. A couple in their 20’s named Abee (Amber Midhunter) and Walker (Taylor Gray) who have been together since they were children, are currently going through a rough patch. They go on a retreat to the mountains in an attempt to save their relationship, with Walker attempting to use the help of a self-help book and Carly (Bethany Ann Lind) and Ben (Nelson Lee), the owners of the property they are staying at. The Wheel embraces its dramatic stakes and low budget aesthetic in a way that is admittedly off-putting at first. It takes a while to get used to the rough look and the heavy amount of character dysfunction does make for a hard initial sit. The cinematography does admittedly look rather cheap and though the camerawork is fine, it for the most part never becomes impressive. But this flaw ultimately becomes less of an issue the more the film goes on, thanks mainly due to the writing. The script is surprisingly clever and nuanced, gradually unfolding and revealing layers about its characters. Abee and Walker are two hardened people who seem to be together just for the sake of the sake of not being alone, being contrasted with Ben and Carly who seem to be doing a lot better. As the film goes on, there is a reversal, and we start to see the love underneath the toxicity and the toxicity underneath the love. It’s a three-dimensional script with no stereotypes. Acting wise, both Amber Midhunter and Taylor Gray knock it out of the park. They not only totally convince in these henpecked and broken roles but heighten the drama on the page. Midhunter is especially spectacular, given the emotional transition she has to make from start to end. What is also worth mentioning is that these two together, combined with Pink’s direction, create one of the best climaxes I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a long single take that is so simple visually yet probably required so much planning and is so powerfully and perfectly performed that it’ll be a surprise if it doesn’t move you in any way. Whilst Pink’s direction is decent if unspectacular for the most part, that finale was masterfully done. The Wheel is not an easy sit, but it is rewarding and effecting in equal measures. It’s a big step forward in maturity for Pink as a director and a showcase of fantastic acting for Darkhorse performers Midhunter and Gray. Get ready to be moved.

★★★★ Directed by: Edgar Wright Written by: Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns Starring: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Diana Rigg Film Review by Robert Stayte To quote the introducer of the TIFF showing of this film, Edgar Wright needs no introduction. Post-Cornetto trilogy he has gone in a much more genre embracing direction. Baby Driver was both a conventional and unconventional action car-based crime thriller. His latest is similarly one that embraces convention and does something new, this time with an old-fashioned tribute to classic horror that is bonkers yet incredibly gripping. Cornwall resident Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) goes to London to do a College Fashion Degree, having grown up influenced by 1960’s culture. After entering a residence owned by Miss Collins (Diana Rigg), she starts to have dreams of a past resident named Sandy (Anya Taylor Joy), who was a talented singer taken in by Paul (Matt Smith). Dream and reality start to merge and Eloise soon discovers the terrifying truth hidden in the past. The direction from Edgar Wright is probably the flashiest of his career, which is saying something. Despite an initial slow build-up, the film eventually becomes louder and more aggressive, culminating in a third act that’ll probably be too intense for some audiences. But it’s both beautifully composed and energetic, not to mention enlivened by a great soundtrack and immersive sound design. He even pulls off jump scares and dream sequences, two elements that many horror directors have mishandled in the past. This film also serves as a nice Spiritual Successor to Wright’s Cornetto entry The World’s End, in that both are fundamentally critiquing nostalgia. This film embraces it more, especially with the pitch perfect period detail, but it shows that the past is something to not be adored and instead to be accepted for what it was. Also, the fact that this is Wright’s first film to be co-written by a woman (Krysty Wilson-Cairns) is very clear, as both the past and the present are shown to be full of misogyny, which ties into the main story heavily. It’s a tough subject to execute well, but they just about manage to do it. Character and performance wise, Wright once again writes and directs a great set. Eloise is a well-drawn and sympathetic lead and Sandy is a character full of mystery that soon turns out to be rather complicated. Thomasin McKensie delivers probably her best acting to date, nailing the emotional turmoil her character goes through and being totally lovable. A creepy Terrence Stamp and Diana Rigg probably steal the show, the latter given a fitting final role. Flaw wise, the film can admittedly be too bombastic for its own good and overall, it’s the only one of Wright’s films that could have done with tightening. The third act does feel overlong and doesn’t quite keep up momentum. There are also occasions where the film lost me, but typically it won me back through a surprise reveal (of which there are a few). Last Night in Soho might be a little overambitious, but it is another win for Wright’s great string of successes. It’s a fun watch for horror fans and general audiences will most likely come away with something to love.

Filmmaker Interview by Chris Olson Having recent seen (and loved) Robbie Walsh's indie film The Letters, I caught up with one of the film's stars to chat about her experience on the film and how she handled such an emotive role. Thanks for chatting with us. How's life been treating you during the pandemic? Thanks for having me. Good. I've been working as normal in my job in television and radio throughout the pandemic, so in many ways that was great. Obviously, everything else was flipped on its head, so we made adjustments like everyone did and got in the swing of homeschooling, and sticking within restrictions, and missing people and all the other things we took for granted before Covid existed. I didn't bake banana bread, but I did take up plumping, painting, wallpapering and all sorts around the house. Power tools are my new best friend. Useful skills but shame about the banana bread. You recently starred in Robbie Walsh's stirring drama The Letters. How did you come to be part of the project? I worked with Robbie before and he approached me when he was thinking about shooting The Letters. At first, I wasn't sure I'd be able to take on the project with timing around some other stuff, but once we talked it over I knew I didn't want to pass it up and we figured out a way to make it work. Why did you want to play the character of Clinoa in the film? Cliona's complex, intelligent, kind, driven and very much alone. Because I have kids and a husband, I guess if I was ever to think about the unimaginable and wonder what it would be like if I were to get sick, I always imagine a scenario where I'd be surrounded by people. So the idea of Cliona going through her pain and suffering alone, with no one to confide in or to take care of her is distressing and sparked a deep sadness. I wanted to tell her story. What do you hope audiences will take away from the film and your performance in particular? It's impossible to watch The Letters and walk away without being affected. It's a powerful story and knowing it's inspired by true events increases the impact. I hope I handled the role with sensitivity and care. What's next for you? I'll probably eat lunch but I presume you mean professionally, so I'm currently working on a short film due to wrap this week. Then it's not until November that I'm committed to another feature film project so full-time job, three kids and I'm sure I can find something else to fix or build in the meantime. I did mean lunch but good to know about the job too. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to become an actor? Do it. No point thinking about it too much, just get out there and give it a go while you're enthusiastic because you'll need to work hard. What would you say if you were a dolphin? Quit throwing all your shit in the ocean, and yes - we are more intelligent than you! Check out our review of The Letters.

★★★★ Directed by: #SagnikDuttaGupta Written by: #SagnikDuttaGupta Starring: #ArghyaRoy, #SohamGuhaPattader Short Film Review by: Emily Davison On a stormy night, a needy man picks up a wallet full of money, only to find the owner observing him closely. To his surprise, the brooding owner begs him to keep the purse as he won’t be needing it anymore. It is revealed that the latter intends to commit suicide before the dawn. It's up to the poor, yet compassionate man to convince the grieving stranger to change his mind before it's too late. Porityag (Abandonment) (2020) is the zero budget directorial debut of Indian NIT graduate Sagnik Dutta Gupta, who writes and directs this poignant social drama covering relevant topics like depression and suicide. These issues are not commonly addressed in mainstream media, especially in regard to the male population and this short delivers on a sincere, genuine piece encouraging viewers to become more aware of the problem. The film is refreshing in that it involves two characters from seemingly different economic backgrounds, who are able to come together and share in the universal struggles which everyone at some point in their life faces. The short creates an involving atmospheric tone with effective dark, gritty cinematography from Sankha De and an immersive sound design which emphasises Foley over dialogue. The sound mixing is unfortunately uneven, however, and often distracts from the scene with exaggerated sounds of footsteps and splashes from water in a bottle sounding unnatural to the ears. It can be very off-putting. Both characters are well established and performed by Arghya Roy as the thief and Soham Guha Pattader as the unnamed suicidal man. Roy acts as the friendly voice of reason to help the stranger see how he can find his own strength to overcome his demons and the blank unresponsive Pattader authentically captures the bleakness of depression. The full emotional impact the short may have had is lost somewhat due to slow and meandering pacing which overshadows what could have been a riveting, small-scale piece of social drama. There is just a bit oo much of characters sitting about and bloats the short running time of fifteen minutes to make the narrative feel dragged out unnecessarily. A touching and cathartic ending does do well to make up for its admittedly slow middle portion. Gupta’s delivers on a strong short debut film with an honest assessment of real social issues of depression and suicide amongst men. The two leads give good performances and the dark visual aesthetic is engrossing, but it ultimately suffers with poor sound mixing and meandering pacing issues. #EmilyDavison

★★★★★ Directed by: Derek Whittington Written by: Hyphen-One Music Video Review by: Chris Olson A vibrant, ambitious, and kinetic music video directed by Derek Whittington for OG Neuro and Hyphen-One’s ultra collaborative track “Stroke Code” combines urban creativity with a hard-hitting (and painfully relevant) scientific message. From the first beat of Stroke Code, you feel the capable creative hands of the artists at work. The meshing of beatboxing, simple harmonies, lively vocals and more are expertly crafted, resulting in an addictive vibe that is as thought-provoking as it is engaging. With social references in the song to George Floyd, COVID and 2020, the political zeal of the track’s intention is inescapable but impressively handled with a music video that celebrates unity, colour and collaboration. Across the city streets, the camera attempts to keep up with all manner of human activity, from graffiti artists to samba dancers, that seems bursting with energy and conviction. In order to fully appreciate the energy on display, computer-generated explosions of colour are added to sequences, from face masks being tweaked to show-stopping choreography in the middle of the street, everything here is teeming with passion. There is an obvious fluidity to the filmmaking that is essential to connect the multiple aspects of the music video. With a 4-minute plus running time, this is a substantial piece that aims to (and succeeds in) convey a heartfelt message using a plethora of eye-catching strands. The music complements this perfectly, with catchy riffs, grounded vocals, and a blend of the modern with the classic R&B feels, everything feels on point. As far removed from a COVID public service announcement as you could get, Stroke Code seems able to not only talk about numerous, huge issues that have impacted society globally but in a way that somehow feels refreshingly simple. The rhythm and movement of the piece interlink all who appear within, reflecting our shared experience, and the vibrant colourful additions seem to pinpoint our individuality which strikes us more often than we think. Whether your choice is to spray paint “Rise Together” on a broken door, or simply walk to work wearing a face mask, we all play our part in this frenetic and ultimately hopeful journey through life that is never overpowered by the seemingly endless sorrow and pain that comes our way. In fact, it’s those shared experiences that can bring us together if we choose to see the connection. Watch my video review of "Stroke Code": #ChrisOlson

★★★ Directed by: Virginia Abramovich Written by: Virginia Abramovich and Katherine Andrews Starring: Fiona Graham, Luke Robinson, Miguel Damiao Film review by: William Hemingway Jamie (Graham) is trying to deal with the loss of her boyfriend Isaac (Robinson) who fell into the river one night and never resurfaced. As a fashion/entertainment photographer she has access to a wide range of 'coping mechanisms' of which she prefers the Benzos, but unfortunately these don't seem to be helping too much. She has started having flashbacks to earlier trauma experienced in her childhood, and what isn't helping either is that Isaac seems to keep popping up in random places and running away from her. Here then, you may say to yourself, is a rather solid set-up for a psychological drama exploring the theme of loss, until that is, Jamie manages to catch up to Isaac one time and it turns out to actually be him. Or at least a version of him. Here Isaac suddenly decides to face Jamie and seems surprised she's there, even though she's been running after him and calling him repeatedly. He tries to explain to her what's going on in nonsensical gobbledigook, mentioning story markers like 'his research', 'finding a way to cross-over' and 'this dimension' before looking at a futuristic GPS on his wristband and disappearing back into the water. And now you're watching an entirely different movie. Luckily the themes haven't changed, just their mode of representation and delivery, and even though the sci-fi element is a bit jarring at first it becomes easier to take as the film progresses. So now Jamie is set on a manhunt, using the direction of this elusive Isaac to take a previously planned trip to the Azores, where she may be able to piece the clues together and find out who he really is. In between times flashbacks are interspersed with real time narrative and backstory is filled in on Jamie and Isaac's relationship as well as his career as a quantum physicist. There's lots of heavy, intense imagery of crashing waves, crying in the shower and standing in the wind and the rain to help connect the audience to Jamie's emotions, whilst she simultaneously explores the island of Sao Miguel and keeps seeing other versions of Isaac and herself. Isaac's colleague, too, is hot on Jamie's heels and is determined to get her hands on his top secret research, while the detective investigating the original Isaac's death is also closing in. These threads continue to weave their way in the background of the narrative, revealing themselves as necessary to keep things moving along, while also serving to allow the audience to keep at least one foot grounded in reality. Are we really watching the transposition of several planes of existence, or is it simply the descent into madness from someone trying to deal with their grief, or is there really no difference at all between these two things? Such are the questions asked by writer/director Virginia Abramovich in Between Waves, her debut directorial feature. These are intensely personal questions for Abramovich, watching as she did her father suffer and decline from bipolar disorder, whilst wondering to herself what he could possibly be experiencing when to him his visions seemed so real. This connection to the material is very apparent in Jamie's character and also in her portrayal by Fiona Graham, who Abramovich worked closely with for a significant time prior to filming. For a lot of the film, Graham's performance can tend to be the only thing holding the piece together or the audience engaged. Luke Robinson as Isaac, while bringing a certain charisma and screen presence to the role, is less certain in who his character is supposed to be and this results in a disappointingly stilted performance. The script, for all that it holds personal gravitas for the film-makers, doesn't do the story any justice and because of this a lot of the elements seem out of place. The science of the narrative is barely explained or used and Jamie's seeming ability to also 'cross-over' is generally fluffed-up and passed-by before a light can be shone over it. There is an over-use of heavy imagery and artistic licence in place of actual plot or character development and for this the overall film suffers. For all that though, Between Waves does look beautiful. The imagery is splashed everywhere for the audience to look at and director of photography Jason Webber does a fantastic job of making sure the colours pop when they need to while everything else stays muted and grey, giving the whole thing a definitive Scandi-noir feel. Abramovich sets up her scenes perfectly and these are edited together seamlessly so that every action seems natural and logical in the progression of the story, even if the story itself would have benefited from having been told in a different sequence or from another standpoint. The direction is faultless and there are some truly spectacular shots that Abramovich achieves, yet somehow there is something procedural about the whole flow of the film that would be better suited to a TV drama. At points this becomes distracting enough for the audience to wonder if the plot actually makes any sense or if it's just an excuse to have intense scenes on rocky outcrops while the sea rages on behind. Between Waves is one of those none too rare beasts of a film that suffers from not knowing what it really wants to be – although it is obvious that it's trying too hard to be Inception. The sci-fi and the psychological elements don't always marry well and the open ending doesn't help the audience to decide one way or the other either. There is a point in the denouement that resonates deeply with the emotions Jamie has been wrestling with for the entire film and which is deeply affecting, but then it gets overshadowed by the reintroduction of the science-fiction thread and is completely blown out of the water. In the end Between Waves sits in a difficult middle ground of a good film that could have been great. There is plenty that is done well but also just as much that isn't. Technically Between Waves is very proficiently made, however, narratively it falls short of its mark – whichever of several marks it was actually aiming for. Between Waves is now available on Digital #WilliamHemingway

★★ Stars All music and music video credits to: #AdamDani, #DNi Film Review by: Alicia Moore COVID 19 shows us the visualisation of the titled song by Adam Dani. This was made as part of the UiTM Mari Berlagu campaign to pass on well wishes, good spirits and mindful messages to healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to the rest of the public as a reminder to stay safe. All entries that I have searched have been very diverse – in both sound and visuals for the videos attached to the tracks – but COVID 19 might just be the most diverse one that I’ve come across. The entire expanse of this music video is totally consuming and fills all aspects of your sight. It presents itself as what you would think of when I say ‘hypnotic’ or an ‘optical illusion.’ Swirls, parallels, block colour scheme; if this video was shown to me without the song I think I might have squeaked and closed my eyes because there’s no doubt that it made me extremely dizzy, but when you pair the lyrics and further context of the purpose of the music video with the dizziness it quickly begins to balance out quite well. Who would have thought we would be living through a raging pandemic that has been ongoing for longer than we all realise now… do you see what I’m getting at? The whole situation is crazy, so to have visuals that can create a sense of dizziness and repetitive aspects matches brilliantly. For music videos in general you want there to be a flowing connection between what the ears are met with and what the eyes are met with. You might think this is simply a given but you’d be surprised at how out of place you can find yourself when watching music videos because the interpretation of the song transformed into a video hasn’t worked out. One music video in particular that describes the positives of this further in my perspective would be Slipknot’s The Devil In I. The song is heavy but the events throughout the video move at a beautifully slow and almost prolonged pace; instead of the video moving with the same pace as the song, the flowing connection is instead seen through the gruesomeness of the events that occur. That is a perfect balance. Bands like Cannibal Corpse aren’t going to have calm music videos, the whole universe would be confused by that, and the same goes for COVID 19 (yes, I deliberately used the widest contrast I could possibly think of there.) The electronic beats used in the song sync up with the dizzying visuals and manage to create a stable footing between both powers of sound and imagery for the duration of the video. The most praiseworthy part of Adam Dani’s submission COVID 19 is how the video was actually made in the first place, helping me conclude this review in a sense that everything comes full circle from start to finish. Very much like COVID… please wear a mask. Anyway, the song itself was composed and written within an hour before production and mixing began, and was made entirely using a smartphone and a BM500 mic. The quality that the end product has from just these is amazing. The music video was then made with five royalty footage pieces and stock images - seriously, how awesome is that?! To produce something so creative with so little will always be an impressive feat. Watch COVID 19 by Adam Dani here.

★★★★ Directed by: Thomas Vinterberg Written by: Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe, Magnus Millang. Film Review by Robert Stayte Thomas Vinterberg is probably Denmark’s most well-known director, next to Lars Von Trier, known for pioneering the Dogme 95 movement and for naturalistic dramas (despite sometimes branching out, like with his recent adaptation of Far From the Madding Crowd). 7 years after their last collaboration, he reunites with his The Hunt lead star Mads Mikkelsen for a soulful look at middle age, alcoholism and life in general. Four middle aged schoolteachers, Martin (Mads Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe) and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) are all equally in the mid-life crisis periods of their lives. They all decide to spice it up by making a pledge to secretly drink a bit of alcohol every day and find their lives improving as a result. Despite the premise seemingly laying out a standard narrative arc, Another Round thankfully avoids having an incredibly predictable storyline by focusing less on the group of friends trying and failing to keep their pledge a secret and more on their lives and relationships. Martin is the central figure and he is a very likeable character as despite the obvious foolishness of his devotion to getting drunk every day, he never loses his way morally and the situations he ends up in make him pretty sympathetic. He also has a good romantic arc with his wife Trine (the incredibly beautiful Maria Bonnevie). The other three are less developed, but they all get their moments of characterisation through brief subplots that come and go. Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm‘s screenplay heavily focuses on the younger generation vs the older generation, how the students indirectly influence the main teachers and vice versa as well as how people try (and often fail) to control their existences to solve their problems. Whilst these themes could have resulted in a lot of mean-spirited mocking towards it's characters, Another Round thankfully has little disdain for anyone, with one subplot involving a stressed student being strange but respectable. The third act does take a shift into pure drama, but despite this there is always a sense of optimism at the center. The acting is strong all around, but Mads Mikkelsen steals the show. Similarly to The Hunt, he is cast against type, not as a charismatic or creepy villain but as a regular plain guy who is trying to sort out his life. It works, because Mads has an inherent natural and lovable quality to him, so even when playing a regular guy, he manages to have presence. Vinterberg’s direction is sometimes more stylistic than one might expect, especially with the creative use of title cards, but for the most part it is the same gritty handheld style that he has often used, just with more polish. Another Round might not be a revolutionary leap forward for the “men in mid-life crisis” subgenre, but it is a very good entry. Fans of Vinterberg or fans of this subgenre will most likely be happy. Another Round is out on Home Entertainment release in the UK on September 27th 2021.