Naked Zombie Girl is Back film review by UK film critic Rob Jones. Starring Robbie Allen, D.T. Carney, Nicole Cinaglia directed by Rickey Bird Jr. . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Naked Zombie Girl is Back Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Rob Jones | Posted on: Mar 24, 2023 Directed by: Rickey Bird Jr. Written by: Rickey Bird Jr. Starring: Robbie Allen, D.T. Carney, Nicole Cinaglia Naked Zombie Girl is Back is more or less what can be assumed of it from its title, but there is a slight twist on the grindhouse formula that makes this an interesting film in its own right. The purpose of it all is like any other film of this style, it’s an absurdist horror where we get to laugh at the ridiculous ways in which a zombie can be neutralized. But in its own way, it’s also a bit of a superhero movie. Our central character is a vigilante who protects those around her and gives us all the hope that everything will be alright. Just in this case, she’s a naked woman wielding a chainsaw. It should be credited for a couple of things - it knows exactly what it is and it’s also got an admirable sense of ambition. Most of the effects are practical, and although they’re clearly limited in terms of budget, the schlocky block splatters are just about funny enough to get away with their shortcomings in the name of humour. There are some inventive set pieces where body parts bulge and Naked Zombie Girl herself is shown as having a silly amount of strength, but that’s the point. It’s all in the name of crafting a fun experience, and that’s largely what it achieves. The often-quoted line from Martin Scorsese that compares Marvel movies to theme park rides is applicable to this one, but that’s all it ever tries to be. It’s an adrenaline rush that brings a smile and a helping of nausea with it, and it just keeps going until there’s no reasonable doubt that we’ve all felt a combination of the two. It’s the kind of visceral reaction that films like Braindead or Hobo with a Shotgun manage, but they also share an essential feeling that they’re in on the joke with you. As a sequel to another short film, Naked Girl is Back is apparently made with the hopes of attracting a commission for a full-length feature film. If it happens, it will surely be a limited theatrical run taking place in cinemas which stay open a bit later than most mainstream chains, but that feels like the perfect setting to experience what this offers. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Rob Jones Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Thistle in the Kiss film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Craig Andrew Robertson, Sarah Coyne, Leonora Cooke directed by Craig Andrew Robertson. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Thistle in the Kiss Film Review average rating is 5 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: May 11, 2026 Directed by: Craig Andrew Robertson Written by: Craig Andrew Robertson, C.J Lazaretti, Leonora Cookie Starring: Craig Andrew Robertson, Sarah Coyne, Leonora Cooke About as un-Christmassy as Christmas films get, and yet one that still manages to capture all the intricacies of family bonds that sustain even in the face of world-changing revelations, The Thistle in the Kiss is a gripping, bottled drama that unfurls between 2 siblings who have more in common than withholding secrets. On New Year’s Day, a broken-down car in the middle of the countryside leads to Declan (Craig Andrew Robertson) calling his sister Rachel (Sarah Coyne) for help. As she arrives, Declan can’t help but reveal that he broke up with his long-term partner Stephanie (Leonora Cooke) on Christmas day, following a row that came about due to her awkwardness around the family. Rachel tries to get Declan to see his relationship for what it really was, but her own secret connection to Stephanie threatens to turn their family upside down. The Thistle in the Kiss’ s fateful, drama-filled showdown between siblings is a triumphant example of what realised characters, authentic dialogue and a believable yet scandalous storyline can accomplish when delivered with patience and vision. The film plays out entirely on a misty Scottish roadside and in the front seats of a car, with only its stars and sheep to keep viewer’s attention. But the strength of the script and the expertise in its deliverance from director, writer and star Craig Andrew Robertson means all focus will be fixed on the family dynamic playing out in front of one’s eyes. Such a momentous and revelatory conversation could easily have felt contrived, but Robertson has enough grasp of his characters that their secrets feel as though they are bursting to come out into the open, and that the tension within Declan’s family has hit breaking point long before the film starts to roll. The chemistry between Robertson and his on-screen sister Sarah Coyne effortlessly establishes the family dynamic that drives much of the drama. Declan is something of a sad-sack, whereas the independent, fiercer Rachel dominates their early interactions. Rachel’s sardonic confidence suggests the rest of the family share her tendencies over her brothers, which also explains why Declan would be appealing to the standoffish Stephanie who struggles to fit in. As secrets shared between Rachel and Stephanie become clear, it re-contextualises Rachel as a character – and her cynical nature takes on a deeper meaning to the story. It is in the depth of the character’s background where the strength of their characterisation lies, and why viewers will want to revisit earlier scenes to identify clues in Coyne and Leonora Cooke’s performances. Add in impressive direction that never allows the focus of the film to drift too far from the main storyline, a great choice of location (with a shroud of fog that alludes to the unknowns about to come to light), and disciplined cinematography (where even the occasional cuts to a nearby sheep are timed to perfection), and it is hard to see how the filmmakers could have told their story any better. Thistle in the Kiss is an undoubted success and well worth a watch – and you don’t even have to wait until December. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Devon film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Kabir McNeely, Emily Steelhammer, Maximilian Itsikson directed by Kabir McNeely. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Devon Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Apr 15, 2024 Directed by: Kabir McNeely Written by: Kabir McNeely Starring: Kabir McNeely, Emily Steelhammer, Maximilian Itsikson Devon (McNeely) is struggling with his life. At only seventeen he already feels that the pressure of the world is too much and as a result it has turned him into something of a recluse. When we meet him, Devon is finding it difficult to make friends or find a group where he feels he belongs, and the feelings he has for his closest confidant and ally, Cameron (Itsikson) are only complicating matters. Devon constantly feels as though he is fat and ugly and as such has been starving himself in order to get his weight down. As revealed to us by a letter containing results of a previous psychological examination, we find Devon is suffering from ‘generalised anxiety’ and a ‘binge eating disorder’. As we follow Devon’s story we watch as he alienates and pushes away anyone who tries to get close to him. His general demeanour is guarded and rude, and the constant anxiety which he feels about himself causes him to blame other people when they show a genuine interest. His surliness and incessant moping around weighs heavily on his mother (Steelhammer), who just wants to be able to say the right thing, to offer her son some support and maybe even to see him eat something. Cameron, too, would like something to happen and offers up opportunity after opportunity for Devon to get involved and have some fun. Devon though, is too busy hating on himself; he just can’t see a way clear from the situation he finds himself in, and eventually he comes to the conclusion that he may be better taking the matter into his own hands. What we are being given then, from writer, director and star of Devon , Kabir McNeely, is an autobiographical tale of the difficulties of growing up when you don’t really like yourself. We are supposedly getting the story (this time) from the mother’s point of view, looking on helplessly as her son degenerates into a cycle of self-destruction from which he cannot be saved, mostly because he is unable to save himself. However, McNeely’s need to keep himself firmly in the centre of almost every frame of the film means that this viewpoint is somewhat relegated to the background. It may help explain though, why it is that Devon is portrayed as a character who is so very difficult to like. Made on a shoestring budget of around $5000, with actors recruited from the Backstage casting site for no pay, it’s obvious that McNeely is struggling to get any sort of professional feel to his production. The direction and photography are fairly amateur throughout, with an over reliance on the over-the-shoulder handicam to take us through every scene, and no real risks or creative ideas seem to have been utilised during filming. The music jars at certain points as over-intense choral singing and strings pop up at inappropriate moments, making a mockery of any (small) amount of drama the scenes manage to create, and the (over)acting from McNeely begins to feel really put on the more into the film we get. The script is, however, true-to-life, capturing the difficulties of growing up in an image conscious society while also showing the awkwardness that comes from being a teenager trying to navigate their own way in the world. The fact that McNeely has himself lived through, to some degree, what he is presenting helps add that authenticity to the dialogue. It is a shame then, that this is a story which has been told before, almost exactly, by McNeely himself. Not even six months before Devon’s streaming release, McNeely’s previous project, My Name Is Moe (2023) was uploaded onto YouTube, dealing with the very same issues and from which some ideas, dialogue and scenes in Devon have been directly lifted. It is obvious that the subject matter is so incredibly personal and relevant to McNeely that he feels the need to revisit it again in a new production, but with that he leaves himself open to the law of diminishing returns. Anyone who has seen My Name Is Moe will find nothing new in Devon , and unsurprisingly the more that you look at them both the more it feels like McNeely has run out of ideas. All credit must go to McNeely for trying to highlight a difficult and timely issue which is affecting an increasing number of the current generation, however, with the restrictions surrounding the production along with the amateur level of the filmmakers themselves, Devon just doesn’t do justice to the themes it portrays. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Short Film, Digital / DVD Release, LGBTQ+ < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Ugly Stepsister film review by UK film critic George Wolf. Starring Lea Myren, Thea Sofia Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp directed by Emilie Blichfeldt. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Ugly Stepsister Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Apr 17, 2025 Directed by: Emilie Blichfeldt Written by: Emilie Blitchfeldt Starring: Lea Myren, Thea Sofia Loch Næss, Ane Dahl Torp Are we done clutching our pearls about the recent Snow White update? They’re about to get plenty gooey. Really, writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt doesn’t care either way, she’s too busy infusing her feature debut with an impossible-to-ignore blast of sharp wit, subdued rage, and grotesque bodily horrors. Yes, The Ugly Stepsister (Den stygge stesøsteren) the latest new angle to a classic tale, but don’t expect it follow the trend of humanizing misunderstood villains. Blichfeldt makes sure there are plenty of bad guys and girls throughout this Norwegian Cinderella story, punctuated by grisly violence surprisingly close to what’s in the 17th Century French version of the fairy tale penned by Charles Perrault. As her mother Rebekka (Ane Del Torp) is set to marry the wealthy Otto (Ralph Carlsson), braces-wearing, teenage gawk Elvira (Lea Myren, amazing) dreams of one day marrying handsome Prince Julian (Isac Calmroth). But not long after Mom, Elvira and sister Alma (Flo Fagerli) move into Otto’s manor, he drops dead and new stepsister Agnes (the awesomely named Thea Sofie Loch Næss) drops a bomb. Otto was the one trying to marry for money. They’re broke. You know the plan that’s hatched: Elvira has to marry Prince Julian. If she can prove herself to be the most beautiful and charming of the “noble virgins” assembled at the upcoming ball, Elvira can secure the family’s future. Neither physical imperfection nor that slut Agnes is going to get in Elvira’s way. As Elvira learns that “beauty is pain,” Blichfeldt’s aesthetic recalls both Cronenberg and Fargeat, with wince-inducing procedures, the oozing of bodily fluids, and a proud, unflinching satirical lens. This is Blichfeldt’s reminder that these impossible beauty standards have a long history, as do slut shaming, compromised nobility and the limited options of desperation. Plenty of ugliness to go around. Myren carries the film with a transformational performance that parallels the impressive physical changes. Elvira arrives as a shy, impressionable child, but when she begins to resemble the required standard, the toll to keep it – while not quite as garish as in The Substance – is equally destructive. The Ugly Stepsister is fierce, funny, gross and subversively defiant. But is one feature film enough to immediately put Blichfeldt on the watch list of cinema’s feminist hell raisers? Yes. The shoe fits. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Slash/Back film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Tasiana Shirley, Nalajoss Ellsworth, AlexisWolfe directed by Nyla Innuksuk. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Slash/Back Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Nov 11, 2022 Directed by: Nyla Innuksuk Written by: Ryan Cavan, Nyla Innuksuk Starring: Tasiana Shirley, Nalajoss Ellsworth, AlexisWolfe Nyla Innuksuk’s sci-fi horror Slash/Back opens with a likable, snow-suited scientist gathering permafrost samples in a breathtaking Northern Canadian snowscape. Researchers on the Arctic Circle don’t have a great track record for surviving horror movies. Don’t you love the way blood pops on snow? The tentacled menace that cuts the scientist’s research short is soon to terrorize a remote fishing village called Pangnitung, or as Maika (Tasiana Shirley) and her buddies call it, Pang. Innuksuk has a lot of fun reconsidering John Carpenter’s The Thing – the tale of an invasive species and the terrifying havoc it can wreak – from the perspective of four indigenous teens. And in case the point is lost on you, Maika has a badass jacket to wear when killing invasive species that may help to clarify things. None of the performances suggest a superstar in the making, although Nalajoss Ellsworth impresses as instigator, malcontent and comic relief Uki. Still, the buddies – who include Chelsea Prusky as Lee Lee and Alexis Wolfe as Jesse – share a rapport that feels honest and relatable. Innuksuk mines this to enrich the fantasy elements with realism. The filmmaker’s greatest collaborator is cinematographer Guy Godfree (Maudie , Let Him Go ). The two contrast the ramshackle buildings of Pang with the glorious natural landscape around it. The effect not only conveys what could be lost to these bloodthirsty outsiders, but what was lost the last time. Creature design is sometimes inspired, sometimes a little weak, but Innuksuk embraces these limitations. Production value is high, even when the images and performances on the screen seem a bit amateurish. Somehow the two fit together in this world at the edge of the world, where that adolescent urge to pretend to be someone you’re not feels like a real betrayal and those seal hunting trips you took with your dad finally pay off. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

The Axe Forgets film review by UK film critic Patrick Foley. Starring Harry Butler, Aine Collier, Bosco Hogan directed by John Christopher. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Axe Forgets Film Review average rating is 5 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Aug 31, 2025 Directed by: John Christopher Written by: John Christopher Starring: Harry Butler, Aine Collier, Bosco Hogan “The tree remembers what the axe forgets”… so goes an ancient African proverb that decries those who cause pain and destruction but move on and forget as though their actions leave no stain. As John Christopher’s short The Axe Forgets shows, some acts are impossible to run from. In 1888, James S. Jameson (Harry Butler) has recently returned to Ireland from an expedition in the Congo. As heir to the Jameson whiskey fortune, he lives a life of indulgence in a grand manor served by his butler (Bosco Hogan) and partner Kate (Aine Collier). But James’ actions in Africa in service of a colonialist cause have left him with trauma that cannot be contained, and karmic hauntings plague his home life. The Axe Forgets shines a fascinating light on the Irish role in empire. With a protagonist baring the name of an iconic Irish export, it implicitly links the role of Irish elite to the subjugation and terror of colonialism, even as part of a subjugated and colonialised country. James S. Jameson is a willing participant in the brutalisation of those he deems beneath him. Whilst it is not explicitly stated, anyone with an appreciation of history will know that British attitudes to the Irish were not far from Jameson’s attitude to the Congolese. It is an uncomfortable, confronting film in this context – one that does not batter its audience over the head with its themes but asks them to reflect on them, especially when Jameson loses his family, respectability and moral centre. Gothic horror is the framing through which Jameson’s torment is explored. Visions in the night turn into shadows in his home, and sharp jump shocks will catch the viewer out as much as the protagonist. However these visions are not of supernatural beasts or masked killers, but mainly of Jameson’s own memories or off innocent people who were unlucky enough to come across him. A representation of PTSD of sorts, but in the form of an earned curse, or ghosts that now haunt the lavishness he has retreated to. Jameson himself is a villain, but colonialism is the monster, and the ‘rewards’ of riches and status can’t free him from its jaws anymore than those he has terrorised in its service. Harry Butler’s leading performance is piercing. The impenetrable stoicism of empirical upper classes sheds away as his own trauma makes him its vessel. Butler embodies a man unequipped to deal with the haunting he is now cursed with, through pulsating rants that drive away his wife or vigorous, disturbing handwashing in a river to try and clean never-ending blood away (a heavy-handed visual metaphor if there ever was one). History and horror fans alike will find An Axe Forgets fascinating. Its original examination of the after-effects of colonialism make for discomforting but unforgettable viewing, and complex questions it asks of its audience on the emotional level elevate it to a special experience. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

L'Aube Dorée film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Quentin Marline, Regis Bequier, Orlane Simon, Nicolas Bohn directed by Nicolas Lenerand. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS L'Aube Dorée Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Nov 7, 2025 Directed by: Nicolas Lenerand Written by: Nicolas Lenerand and Melinda Martinho Starring: Quentin Marline, Regis Bequier, Orlane Simon, Nicolas Bohn Back in the late 19th Century a new secret society was formed in the back-streets of London, where members learned about occult rituals, took part in strange initiation ceremonies, and practiced enhancing their magical or supernatural powers – this cult was known as The Golden Dawn . Over the next few decades, The Golden Dawn grew in size and popularity, expanding it’s reach and widening its member base, reaching out into the world of the arts and becoming de rigueur in certain circles, where actors, artists, and authors clambered over themselves to join. The most notorious of their members was Aleister Crowley, the man who spread the word of The Golden Dawn wider than it ever had before, who practiced its many rituals with devotion and glee, especially in their psychedelic, transcendental, and sexual aspects, who supposedly opened the gates of Hell in a small Highland cottage on the banks of Loch Ness, and who was immortalised in song by the late, great Ozzy Osbourne. Here though, in L'Aube Dorée (The Golden Dawn) , the cult has been transposed to nineteenth century France, and has taken on the mantle of deposing the King by any means possible. They work in the shadows, scheming and plotting on how to overthrow the monarchy, and use nefarious tactics, including murder, to achieve their aims. When we meet them, L'Aube Dorée are initiating their newest member, Guillaume (Marline), a teenager on the cusp of manhood, who has been schooled and prepared for this life by his father, Edouard (Bohn), who is also a member of the secret society. For his first task, and as a means of initiation, Guillaume must murder one of their sect, who is a known drunk and philanderer, and who has been running his mouth off too much to anyone who’ll listen. This person has become too much of a liability and so Guillaume must silence him for good. However, despite his ability with a sword, and his known reputation for being a skilled fighter, Guillaume’s murderous attempt goes awry when the girl that he is sweet on, Anne (Simon), witnesses him in the act and threatens to blow the whole organisation wide open. Guillaume must now make a decision, whether to honour his allegiance to his father and his sect, or to save the girl that he loves by standing up to those he has worked so hard to be recognised by. L'Aube Dorée then, is an historical thriller which is entirely clothed in cloak and dagger. The machinations of the secret society all take place in the back-streets of the city, under the eaves of buildings, through low archways into covered cellars, and into the back-rooms of forgotten about establishments. Their meetings are conducted under the auspices of candlelight, and the society only revealed in the light of day when they make their move to kill. All of this is captured nicely by DoP, Kevin Sakac, who mostly manages to get the shots needed despite the limited light, whether that be in the candlelit cellars or the twilight of the outdoors. Director, Nicolas Lenerand, also does a solid job with his shot choices and the way he builds up his scenes, with all of the important aspects of the characters and their actions brought front and centre into the frames. The writing though, from Lenerand and writing partner Melinda Martinho, is fairly stilted and to the point. We get the idea of what’s going on, and the main motivations of the characters, but there’s not an awful lot of nuance or depth to help flesh out the story around them. This perfunctory nature to the dialogue also then feeds through into the performances, where the amateur actors sound out their words almost to the point of caricature. This over emphasis on pronunciation is actually fairly useful to the average British viewer with no background in the French language, as it’s easy to hear the words and understand them as they are translated in the subtitles, but it does not help the performances any and keeps things sounding like an amateur production. Once the action gets going, L'Aube Dorée again feels like its missing a beat, as the actors struggle to pull off any sort of believability or smoothness to their fighting. The swordplay is laughably slow, even if the choreography is actually quite good, and the audience is never really brought into the scenes with the clash of metal. The conviction and heart of all those involved, however, is enough to carry the scenes, and the story, and to an extent the performances, to allow the film to expose its themes and its drama enough that the viewer can overlook a lot of the inadequacies shown by the small production. In the end, L'Aube Dorée offers an interesting look into the machinations of a secret society in historical France, where everything is done under the darkness of hooded robes. While it is a very amateur production, it carries itself well enough to achieve its aims and for the most part to bring the audience along with it, giving us a short window into a distant world. While it won’t win any awards for acting or writing, there’s enough here for most viewers to take something away from, and the team behind it should be able to build on what they have learned for their next project. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Disrupted Expectations 2: Becoming the Research Director film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato directed by Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Disrupted Expectations 2: Becoming the Research Director Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Apr 4, 2024 Directed by: Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato Written by: Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato Starring: Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato Disrupted Expectations 2: Becoming the Research Director is the second film in the Disrupted Expectations film series by Jorge Luis Villacorta Santamato. The Peruvian actor and filmmaker has made another feature-length film that is quite similar to two of his others that have been reviewed by the writer of this review, those two being Theoretically, An Even More Paranoid Conspiratorial Phone Call and Free Goody, Ugly Ranting, Disgruntled, Mysterious . What are the similarities? One thing is a long title. Another thing is that once again, Santamato is the protagonist and only character in the film. More would be that the feature is separated into several sequences, with Santamato constantly present, with the camera always static but with a different environment. And like Free Goody , the character speaks, unlike Phone Call , where he remains silent. What is there to be seen in this feature, then? Santamato himself playing a character over several scenes who is apparently pretending that he is talking to someone. Primarily filmed from the waist up, he constantly wears a suit and with the exception of the first sequence, he is clean-shaven. Each sequence last approximately ten to fifteen minutes and the environment (or maybe more appropriately: background) is different with each one, being a simple wall, a room with a painting and a bookshelf filled with books, a room with two religious paintings or a darkened room among others. What does Santamato's character do in this film? He speaks to either someone who is off-screen or to a bunch of books. His monologues touch on a variety of subjects, including religion, knowledge and cynicism and each time he finishes a part, he walks off-screen, before reappearing. Initially, his performance is calm and later it becomes more and more energetic and tense as he walks around, makes hand gestures, laughs hard and shouts. The feature begins with a title card stating that in the year 1999, the Devil visited a man known as The Searcher, who later became The Research Director and the following is his story. Does that statement help understand the film? What follows is a man talking to himself for one hour and twenty minutes just like Free Goody and once again, it fails to be intriguing and the lack of music does not help. Santamato's performance might be the only positive ascpect. He is convincing as he pretends he is having a conversation or being threatened by an unknown entity and he is amusing as behaves wildly, running around. Santamato comes across as a nice person and as an actor, he does seem to have positive qualities. However, is this enough to save this feature from being a dull experience? Probably not. In his review for Theoretically, An Even More Paranoid Conspiratorial Phone Call , the author states that this kind of storytelling would most likely work better as a short film, instead of a feature film and that opinion applies to Disrupted Expectations 2: Becoming the Research Director as well. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Indie Feature Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Godzilla x Kong: Thew New E,mpire film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring RebeccaHall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens directed by Adam Wingard. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Godzilla x Kong: Thew New E,mpire Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Mar 28, 2024 Directed by: Adam Wingard Written by: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater Starring: RebeccaHall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens Remember how good Godzilla Minus One was? Did you see the black and white version? Glorious! It’s almost too bad that Adam Wingard’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is really competing with the memory of that 2023 Oscar winner rather than his own moderately entertaining 2021 hit Godzilla vs. Kong . Because as a straight up sequel, G x K feels a little streamlined, a bit punchy. Dumb but moderately fun. Writer Terry Rossio returns, teaming with longtime Wingard collaborator Simon Barrett, as well as Jeremy Slater. They prune most of the Godzilla storyline to focus on Kong and his search for family. That brings Dr. Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and young Jia (Kaylee Hottle) back into focus. When the Doc needs help understanding Jia’s connection to energy spikes in Hollow Earth (Kong lives there now, remember?), she turns to podcast conspiracy spewster/world saver Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry). Together with a veterinarian who’s in touch with his emotions and really bad early 80s rock (Dan Stevens), Dr. Andrews, Jia and Bernie head to Hollow Earth to lend Kong a hand. There’s a lot of Planet of the Apes going on in this movie. Kaiju action takes a back seat and, though brightly colored and relatively fun, it’s never central to the film. But Wingard can create a fake looking but fun creature fight and Hall gets to explain what’s going on frequently to her dumb company, which makes it easy for every the most sugar-hyped family members to follow the story. What she’s doing in this franchise continues to be a head scratcher, but she can certainly act, which never hurt a movie. Henry and Stevens bring levity—or try. Both are also inarguable talents and they share a sweetly enjoyable onscreen chemistry, but nothing happening in G x K is as much fun as Wingard thinks it is. Kong: Skull Island was fun. That was a popcorn muncher for the ages: the soundtrack, the shot choices, the monster carnage, the humor and pathos. And don’t even compare it to Minus One , that just wouldn’t be fair. But for a greenscreenapalooza of dumb monster action, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is adequate. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Company of Four film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Angus Foulkes, Harry Walters, Gabriel Phelan, Charlie Tantam directed by Harry Walters. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Company of Four Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Mar 4, 2023 Directed by: Harry Walters Written by: Harry Walters Starring: Angus Foulkes, Harry Walters, Gabriel Phelan, Charlie Tantam It’s strange both how little, and how much, the world has changed over the past one hundred years. Sure, we’ve made huge technological strides, and we’re certainly a more inclusive and diverse society than we were a century ago, but still, very little has changed about people themselves. You’ll still find the same bonds of family, love, friendship running between people, same as you did then, and, unfortunately, you’ll still find the same loss of impassioned youth. When those soldiers went to war in 1914, and over the course of the following four years, they thought that they were stopping a conflict on such a scale happening again, and yet over one hundred years later we continue to see war, albeit of a very different nature, in Europe once again. ‘Company of Four’ captures the innocence of many of those young men who lost their lives, or indeed lost that unstained purity of youth, fighting for their country all those long years ago, before tactfully making us question the futility of it all. Written and directed by Harry Walters, ‘Company of Four’ depicts four young boys eager to serve their country and make their families proud as they stand on the brink of being called up for active service. The boys mess around, taking the mick out of one another, as lads still do, and put on brave faces to mask their nerves. Nobody really wants to say it, though Edward (Harry Walters) comes closest, but they know that there’s a good chance that they might not return and they’re scared for their lives.

 While Walters’ script is effective in establishing the bonds of connection between the group, its dialogue sometimes feels forced and unnatural, a shallow attempt to pick up the kind of language teenagers were saying a hundred years ago. This truly comes to the fore in an incredibly awkward scene between James (Angus Foulkes) and his mother, which is dreadfully stiff, not helping either actor, who both sound incredibly bored. 

 Walters’ directing, on the other hand, serves him far better, adeptly establishing the relationship between camera with his lens, which also captures, at times, some impressive cinematography. Perhaps more impressive is his ability to make you empathise with the characters in the bluntness of his direction - there isn’t anything flashy to take away from the grim reality and sense of impending doom for these young men, Walter’s understands that subtlety is needed in his direction, and that is what he delivers. 

 The real killer moment of ‘Company of Four’ comes when it sharply cuts to the present day - we see two lads, same as those from one hundred years ago, walking down the street laughing. They’re the same lads but they don’t have war on their minds, hell, they don’t even know if they had family that fought in world war one, as Walters’ makes his final, most damning point on the futility of war. ‘Company of Four’ may occasionally encounter a rough patch, but it does more than enough to get across its potent, and sadly still pertinent, message across both effectively and emotionally. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Joe Beck Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Burnzy's Last Call film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Sam Gray, Sherry Stringfield, James McCaffrey, Chris Noth directed by Michael De Avila. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Burnzy's Last Call Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: Dec 1, 2022 Directed by: Michael De Avila Written by: George Gilmore Starring: Sam Gray, Sherry Stringfield, James McCaffrey, Chris Noth ‘Cheers’ was one of the pioneers of the American sitcom, boasting a cast that included Ted Danson, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson, the show featured an eclectic group of characters who shared their lives at the local bar each episode. In 1995, two years after ‘Cheers aired its eleventh and final season, Michael De Avila made ‘Burnzy’s Last Call’, a film which claims to be ‘like an R-rated version’ of the beloved sitcom. Now, over 25 years on, the film - unappreciated on the first release - has been given a director’s cut, for reasons nobody other than Michael De Avila could possibly understand. That’s because the changes to the film appear to be restricted to a far shorter length, and bizarrely interweaved with clips of the African wilderness complete with a corny, fake David Attenborough narration. The clips of nature are strange - at first posed as a comparison between the savannah’s waterhole and the local bar, but eventually becoming inane and worthless. By the time you’re watching some vultures preying on an animal carcass, the clips have lost all value, and are merely there as some ugly decoration. The film’s focus on Burnzy (Sam Gray), one of those wise old sages who seem to frequent every bar in Hollywood, would work if he was given an ounce of character until the final five minutes. Throughout the film, he sits at the bar, for the most part observing in silence but occasionally chipping in with some sound advice. We can ascertain that he’s a decent fellow, but we’re not given anything worth caring about, meaning that when he’s given an emotional climax at the film’s conclusion, we have little to no reason to even care. Indeed, as a variety of figures find themselves at the bar, Burnzy often fades into the background, forgotten about until the chaos of whichever patron, many are regulars at the bar, turn up. It’s a group of customers which includes the likes of Chris Noth, Sherry Stringfield, David Johansen, Michael Rispoli and Tony Todd - whose appearance as Mistress Marla is one of the film’s highlights. Despite such a group of talented actors, their characters fail to engage, falling instead into one-note stereotypes, and not probing much deeper. Barman Sal (James McCaffrey) is given even less to work with, however, by contrast, McCaffrey’s charisma instead makes Sal, in that coy way of bartender’s, slightly charming. The characters that crop up in ‘Burnzy’s Last Call’, and indeed Burnzy himself, could well be entertaining, but such a fast nosedive into them makes that fact remiss, as, without a gold-standard script, we feel apathetic towards their respective fates. Most sitcoms, especially in the US, flounder in their first few episodes - sometimes a season in the cases of ‘The Office’ and ‘Parks and Recreation - as the audience takes time to build a rapport with its large group of characters. ‘Burnzy’s Last Call’ almost feels a bit like that first episode of a sitcom, only we know we’ll never see these characters again and so we have no reason to even try to form a connection. ‘Burnzy’s Last Call’ is a strange film and the changes in the director’s cut are even more baffling. Even without those bizarre and frustratingly redundant alterations, the film feels almost hollow, as though you watched the final episode of a long-running sitcom without ever seeing what came before. There are some hints of a funny, heartwarming film in ‘Burnzy’s Last Call’, but for the most part it is empty and monotonous, and, over twenty-five years on, feels even more formulaic than it would have felt upon its initial release. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Joe Beck Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

A Haunting Winter's Tale film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Gilda Ciccarelli, Francesco Teselli directed by Lorenzo Sicuranza. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS A Haunting Winter's Tale Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Jun 3, 2023 Directed by: Lorenzo Sicuranza Written by: Lorenzo Sicuranza, Miriam Vitillo Starring: Gilda Ciccarelli, Francesco Teselli A couple's happiness is destroyed by a terrible act. Inspired by actual events, this story is about a young couple in Italy, whose relationship takes a dramatic turn. The couple (Ciccarelli and Teselli) have just moved into a new home and seem happy and keen to start a new chapter of their life together. However, their bliss is threatened by the man's pill addiction and a series of events will result in the couple viciously turning on each other and life-and-death situations. This one-hour-long, low-budget feature tells a story about romance, drug addiction, betrayal and revenge. It begins as a romantic drama, exploring the tender relationship between the couple, with things indicating that they are going to live happily ever after, as the man proposes to her and she discovers that she is pregnant. Then suddenly everything changes following a confrontation, turning the film into a dark thriller about survival, murder and getting even. The narrative is more or less straightforward: happiness, then things go bad and someone is determined to take revenge. It is quite an intriguing viewing, with a great deal of suspense, although there is a sequence that involves a stranger who helps one of the protagonists that feels bizarre. The couple are two people who have been through difficult times and want to get on with their lives and both go through significant character development. The man ends up becoming a murderous antagonist, while the woman is forced to be strong, yet she too develops an urge to kill and therefore they both end up going down dark paths. The filmmakers utilise creative lighting techniques and the dramatic and sinister music by Jan Romano creates a sinister atmosphere and the addition of a classic Christmas song during the closing credits creates a sinister side for that track, considering the devastating events in the movie. The film is rather faithful to the true story that it is based on, making it disturbing to think that things of that nature actually happened. As a thriller, it works well, with tense and life-threatening situations and it tells a story about two people who go from caring for each other to turning into worst enemies. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >