★ Directed by: #EricKnudsen Written by: #EricKnudsen Starring: #DavidSmith #ElizaMarsland Film Review by Alex Crisp … … … uhhh … … no … … … what? How long have I been unconscious for? 6000 years? How on earth did this happen? The disembodied AI running the state-of-the-art Venusian hospital I’ve been kept in for 4000 of those years informs me that at the time I passed out, I had been watching a 21st century romantic film titled True Calling. Naturally I was intrigued to find out how something as seemingly innocent as a movie could do this to a healthy human mind, and by scanning my brain waves, the helpful AI has been able to compile a snapshot of just what went down all those millennia ago. I only hope the account of those events doesn’t have the same devastatingly powerful soporific effects. Brace yourselves. On the eve of an election debate, a high profile politician goes off the grid in the hope of rekindling a romance with a childhood friend who’s on the eve of getting married. So, it’s a romance. A romance with no romantic energy, or any energy of any kind. David Smith and Eliza Marsland wade through their insipid dialogue with the enthusiasm of two farm animals touring an abattoir. The pair's lack of chemistry is compounded by director Eric Knudsen’s uncomfortable POV shots, which puts the frost right under the lens. Is it a smart portrayal of an unresolved romance between two people who haven’t seen each other in 17 years? The awkwardness, the stilted exchanges, the absent frisson. I'm going with no. Then there’s Knudsen’s misapprehension of how pacing works. Letting scenes end while holding the camera on whatever artful image has been lined up may look great for photography school, but it’s anathema for cinema, a medium that relies on tempo. You can’t just stop the film to linger on a shot you particularly like—the shot has to be incorporated into the film which, apparently surprising though it may be, has narrative demands. Cinematographer and colour-grader Kwaku Oware is the one member of the production team to come out with credit. The desaturated greyness of the picture is aesthetic rather than grim, capturing the winter chill of Northern England’s colour palette and servicing the ethereal turn the plot takes in the final act. It doesn’t wholly come off—the contrast is too bright, but it’s an ambitious visual goal that deserves better than to be snuffed by a cinematically-induced coma. To be clear, if you think these sleep references are just analogies, think again. This honestly begins and ends with ASMR and contains two long scenes of a man sleeping. It’s like watching a real-life Truman Show. And as an afterthought during the finale, a complementary dose of sermonising is mixed in with the Propofol. The main character is called Joshua Joseph, he gets baptised by “Jonny” John, he gets asked what he really believes in and why are there people in the world. Knudsen stops just short of forcing me to join hands in a circle and sing “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands”, but only just. That’s the last of the thoughts I had before entering my 6000-year slumber. The AI assures me I will make a full recovery. Turns out I wasn’t alone either—True Calling caused the Great Somnolence Crisis of 2021. Only Jeff Bezos in his giant sausage-shaped spaceship was able to escape the catastrophe, repopulating the universe with billions of babies that looked just like him. Thankfully artificial intelligence has long since wiped them out. I guess this is the proof we’ve all been looking for—cinema really can transport you. Or perhaps it's just the anaesthetic waring off.

★★★ Directed by #TomMcCarthy Written by #TomMcCarthy #MarcusHinchey #ThomasBidegain Starring #MattDamon #AbigailBreslin Film Review by Hope Madden A couple weeks back, Nicolas Cage played a man desperate to reclaim a loved one that was lost to him, a man who might stop at nothing to do just that. His film Pig hit every beat of a John Wick or Taken, subverting the genre trappings to create one of the most beautiful films of 2021. Matt Damon has not lost his beloved bovine, but in Stillwater, he leads a film equally bent on messing with audience expectations. Damon plays Bill Baker, an out-of-work oil rigger headed to Marseilles to see his daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin). It’s not your ordinary visit, though. Allison has been in prison for five years for a very Amanda Knox type of incident. What does Bill want? To get his little girl out of prison. What does he need? To prove himself to himself, and to the world, but most desperately to Allison. There is an aching humility undergirding this performance, giving it richness and tenderness. That humility alone is enough to separate Stillwater from other fathers-desperate-to-save-daughter films like Taken. But co-writer/director Tom McCarthy does not stop there. This filmmaker is hard to figure. McCarthy followed up his early indie treasures (The Station Agent and The Visitor among them) with the high profile, catastrophically terrible Adam Sandler movie The Cobbler. Bounced back pretty well, though, with his Oscar-winning Spotlight. Still, his filmography swings back and forth between masterpiece (he wrote Pixar’s Up) and misfire (he wrote Disney’s Million Dollar Arm). Stillwater falls somewhere between. The film opens with the threadbare premise of an earnest All American Dad taking justice in his own hands to save his daughter. It picks up that thriller storyline late in the second act with a jarring right turn you simply did not expect. In between, though, in what could easily feel like a self-indulgent side plot, is the real meat of the film. Bill decides to stay semi-permanently in France, moving in with the French woman who’s willing to help translate and sleuth with him. While he’s drawn to Virginie (Camille Cottin), it’s really her 9-year-old (a fantastic Lilou Siauvaud) that draws him in. And here McCarthy—along with a team of writers, both American and French—betray the real theme of the film. Stillwater is a tragedy about second chances. Its sloppy construction is both its downfall and its strong point. The film works against your expectations brilliantly to deliver a film that refuses to satisfy. The result is an often brilliant, ultimately unsatisfying work. And that seems to be the point. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed by: Kelly Sandefur Written by: Mitchell Klebanoff Starring: David Hasselhoff, Lucas Grabeel, Bree Turner and Patrick Galleger Throwback Film Review by: Rachel Pullen Dancing Ninja (2010) Film Review As we all know by now, the reason you come here is because I have in 411 on all the weird obscure movies, the ones you seem cool talking to your pals about in a sourdough bread place or morgue, the ones you can talk about and people think your hip and must be into art-house cinema or something…but you’re not, you’re reading this, and that too makes you somewhat hip. But all this affirmation aside, this week I’m going to dish up a movie so crazy, so god damn obscure, so unknown that even you, my sourdough-scoffing loyal readers are going to fall off your chair…p.s I don’t know what sourdough is. Dancing Ninja was actually conceived as the follow up to that lame movie Beverly Hills Ninja, which was…well lame, so I didn’t have high hopes for a film called Dancing Ninja, but the Hoff is in it, and he is a hot daddy, so I was ready to give it a go. Dancing Ninja follows the story of a young boy called Ikki who is found washed up in a harbour in a chest, eating a baguette as a baby, (just google that scene, it's amazing) and so is raised by his new Asian parents in Asia…that is all we know, and despite being there from birth he has a lovely American accent and only speaks English, and everyone is cool with it…moving on. He wants to do kung fu or something so joins a kung fu class but sucks, so instead of putting in the time there, he learns to dance on one of those Japanese dance machines and then uses those skills to help him fight…yup, it is going to get worse, this is the bit that makes sense. So Ikki thinks he is the legend of the Dancing Ninja he has heard about, and when his kung fu master is killed by the Hoff, who wants to do evil things, Ikki goes to California to avenge him, because you know…dancing legend. One of Ikki's classmates tags along as he is terrible and she has a level of competency about her, and they have dance-offs at clubs, and pal around together…oh yeah, forgot that Ikki’s Asian parents make porn and before he left the dad was like if you get laid you will be a better ninja, so with this in mind Ikki is super trying to bone his travel pal…Jesus. He finds if he grabs her boobs that he can contact his dead kung fu master and seek guidance on how to stop the Hoff doing evil stuff, at this point he wants to blow up celebrities…fine, all the best celebrities were in 1998 anyway so see if I care, but that is not the point…the point is this film has several scenes where he has to grab her boobs…the actor from High School Musical is now copping a feel in order to transcend into a meditative state to talk to his master about the Hoff, who wants to kill celebrities, who he wants to defeat with dancing...ow, this movie is a pain in my brain. Anyway, they both get caught in a net at one point and they decided to bone, and as they do he does these weird thrusting actions and lights come from his groin, and he like levels up or something and has better ninja powers from then on…again, this is the kid from High School Musical, in what appears to be a film marketed as family viewing…moving on. They defeat the Hoff, they’re happy, they bone again…the end, and I die inside, because what is this movie? You think it’s for kids then people are making porn, cupping boobs, there are dance sequences and the Hoff is wearing speedos and thrusting at my face. I don’t even think the filmmakers knew at that point, they were just like…more sex puns and ACTION, there are plot holes, loads of them, scrolls that are never mentioned after being portrayed as important, people wearing wigs but then not, but then wearing them again. Chaos. But what I can say is this, the acting is good, there are some actual laugh out loud moments that were intended, and although it is madness on every other level, this is one of those movies that people watch because it's so bad that it's good, and I can only imagine in a few years this is going to be like that movie The Room, because it, like that, is bonkers. So, this week we have learned: Boobs help us see all Dancing and fighting are interchangeable And if you take a chance because you like the Hoff, you will not be disappointed. #RachelPullen

★★★ Directed by #SabrinaDoyle Written by #SabrinaDoyle Starring #JenaMalone #PabloSchreiber Film Review by Hope Madden Dolores (Jena Malone) is a mess. Her past, her present, even her future: a mess. Shacking up with her high school boyfriend – just released from a 15-year stint for armed robbery – hardly seems like it will improve things for Dolores or her three children. But bubbling beneath the surface of filmmaker Sabrina Doyle’s messy, sometimes frustrating feature debut Lorelei is enough magic to make redemption possible. It helps immeasurably that Jena Malone plays the single mom who named each of her children after a different shade of blue. Wayland (Pablo Schreiber) had held out a hope that the eldest—a 15-year-old boy named Dodger Blue (Chancellor Perry)—might be his, but the truth is that none of Dolores’s kids are Wayland’s. All three should have been, but Wayland, in his own way, got out and Dolores did not. Malone’s commitment is mesmerizing. In her hands, Dolores is never one-note white trash, nor is she by any means an example of the noble poor. Instead, she’s all love and resentment, wonder and self-destruction. Schreiber (Liev’s brother) balances her electricity with quiet awe. He’s a physically imposing presence, especially opposite the petite Malone, but he never falls back on the gentle giant cliche. He fills Wayland’s inner conflict with remorse, loss and tenderness. Though Dolores’s trio of Blues (Perry, Amelia Borgerding and Parker Pascoe-Sheppard) showcase genuine talent from three young performers, the same can’t be said of the entire ensemble. Many struggle with Doyle’s sometimes stilted dialog and her tendency to toss in minor characters with little purpose but exposition. Between that and the film’s sometimes frustrating structure, Lorelei can be cumbersome. But there’s no denying the central performances or the beautifully messy image of family the film delivers. Though at its heart Lorelei offers a blue-collar romance, this is less a traditional love story—albeit one on society’s fringes—than a declaration about unconventional families. In fact, in that way alone Doyle manages to make Lorelei’s flaws work in its favor. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: Rachel Tillotson Written by: Steph Lloyd Jones, Rachel Tillotson Starring: Dee Ahluawalia, Valentina Carrasco Thayer, Flinn McManus, Isabella Ferreyros, Jean-Tristan Camenen Film Review by: Jason Knight A high-tech company has invented a service that convinces people that they can communicate with deceased loved ones. This service involves a person (or client) entering a special room that is right next to another special room, inside which is a company employee, who pretends to be the one who died. This process is possible because the two rooms are connected by a unique glass and when the client looks through it and thanks to advanced technology, they see their departed loved (who is actually the employee) and they wear the clothing they used to wear and speak with the voice they used to have. The employee who 'impersonates' the deceased is called a 'mapper' and they have studied the life of the deceased and the relationship they had with their loved one (the client), and speak as if they were actually them and move, creating a sort of digital puppet show. The clients pay a fee and are unaware of the employee and believe that they are speaking to a manifestation of a person that has passed away. The story takes place during one of these 'meetings'. Elliot (Ahluawalia) is a mapper for Pontem Technologies and is about to begin his first session with Audrey (Thayer), whose half-brother Ben (McManus) passed away under very dramatic circumstances. Audrey is looking to reconcile with Ben and move on with her life. Accompanying her is her friend Leslie (Ferreyros), who strikes up a conversation with company associate Ivan (Camenen), while she waits for Audrey. During the conversation between Ben and Audrey, a shocking discovery is made. This is a rather interesting and emotional sci-fi drama with a rather engaging plot. The film argues whether such a service would be right. It argues whether it is justified to convince people that they are really seeing and interacting with the ones who are no longer with them and if necessary tell them lies in order to make them feel better, that an uplifting lie is better than the hardest truth. The cast deliver strong performances, with Ahluawalia convincing as a person who is keen to do a good job as a mapper but begins to doubt that his job is righteous. Thayer is moving as Ben's half-sister, who is deeply traumatized by his passing needs to sort her feelings out. Camenen is amusing and sinister as an ambitious and cunning man, who seems to have his own plans for Pontem. Composer Kirsten Evans makes an outstanding contribution. The wonderfully composed score includes sounds of violin, harp and electronic music and at times it sounds idyllic for a science fiction film. The music accompanies the images quite effectively and creates a variety of feelings, including tension, peacefulness and sorrow. Evans clearly worked extensively and the result proves that. This science fiction short has good acting, great music, well-written dialogue and evolves around a rather intriguing idea: people communicating with the deceased. It also asks whether a lie is just if it makes someone feel better. #JasonKnight

★★★★ Directed by #HeatherRoss Written by #AdamSamuelGoldman #HeatherRoss Starring #TimMeadows #AdamMcKay #IkeBarinhoiltz Film Review by Matt Weiner E. B. White warned us years ago against explaining a joke when he wrote that “Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind.” What then to make of For Madmen Only, a feature-length explanation of not just a joke but a unique art form created by a man who has to hold the title of greatest comedy legend that nobody has ever heard of? Well, nobody outside of the comedy world. For Madmen Only seeks to correct this by documenting the story of Del Close, the improv comedy guru who brought form and structure to the genre and influenced decades of comedians, from Bill Murray and John Belushi to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Director Heather Ross brings an ordered, mostly chronological approach to Close’s chaotic life, with a who’s who of talking heads to back up the thesis that Close forever changed the direction of modern comedy. Ross balances the interviews with a series of re-enactments, with James Urbaniak giving such an uncanny performance as Close that he deserves a feature-length companion. For Madmen Only turns the history of a comedic form into a fully engaging suspense tale, that centers Close as a dogged Quixote trying to prove both the artistic and financial success of improv, even as his tumultuous lifestyle leads to setback after setback (and a few mental breakdowns for good measure). The film also manages to walk the tightrope between hagiography and documentary. If improv performance attracts a special blend of weirdo – as the on-camera interviews persuasively argue – that might go double for audiences who regularly watch these risky performances and hold detailed opinions about their favorite UCB Harold teams. Yet for a documentary on such a niche subject, Ross (along with co-writer Adam Samuel Goldman) hangs everything on a universal frame. Close is an artist first, and his medium just happened to be a new kind of sketch comedy. While a film dedicated to bringing Close to a wider audience is naturally in his camp, Ross sprinkles in enough counterpoints for anyone who thinks two hours of improvised comedy is too unstructured to be funny. Where this treatment of Close does pull its punches is when it comes to any in-depth look at the very narrow type of diversity this comedy scene fostered, an issue the industry is still grappling with. But at least that gets a passing mention. Completely absent is any look at the financial situation these theaters have created for participants. (A situation that has, not coincidentally, led to a comedy landscape where relatively privileged writers and actors can afford to pay large amounts of money to the theaters in big cities while paying their dues.) But these blind spots belong to the entire industry, not just Close. In a fitting nod to improv, For Madmen Only is full of surprising detours and poignant observations. It would have been easy to reduce Close to tortured genius or entitled bully. It’s harder to embrace vulnerability and grapple with the answer: “Yes. And…” #MattWeiner

★★ Directed by: #MatthewGoddard Written by: #MatthewGoddard Starring: #LeeKnight, #CarolineBurnsCooke, #ArronBlake Film Review by: Emily Davison Undercover Security Services officer, Christian (Knight), must come to terms with his own identity whilst on the case to track down a Russian agent. Misrule (2017) is the feature film debut of British director and writer Matthew Goddard and has recently dropped on Amazon Prime. This gritty, indie thriller makes a promising start, but ultimately struggles under a repetitive screenplay and questionable ideological messaging. The film presents a distinct, engaging style of cinematography, favouring broody night time sequences to heighten the down to earth nature of its urban setting and spy narrative. There are some electrifying night drive segments with distorted angles and smooth camerawork making for aesthetically pleasing viewing. This is demonstrated best by the opening credits, with a colour grading of purples and blues establishing the stylish visuals for the rest of the film. Lighting is also used very effectively during suspenseful scenes, with the dangerous Russian agent, Romanov (Kris Simeonov), introduced in a dark underpass, where his face is not revealed until later. Although the low budget is often noticeable, there is a certain British charm to its production which cannot be emulated in Hollywood blockbuster thrillers. The performances can vary, with Cooke established well as Joanna, Christian’s boss and mentor, a well versed and experienced individual who commands respect from her peers. Christian is partnered with Andrew (Blake) early on to help him find the Russian agent and both are good in their respective roles, but their characters are quite bland and could have been given more time to grow. They come across as pleasant guys who are good at their job and the blossoming of their romantic relationship is one of the key elements of the plot, however, emotional investment in their arcs may have been higher if they were developed more. Some of the line readings by Christian’s girlfriend and Joanna’s political correspond do sometimes sound very scripted and dull, which can be distracting. On the plus side, Cayelan Mendoza’s score enhances many sequences in the movie and definitely adds a needed punch of momentum. The music has a synth quality to it, with pumped up tracks applied over Christian working out by running laps and swimming, as well as background beats which elevate ordinary conversation scenes to something gripping and engaging. The downfall of the film’s screenplay comes with its oversaturated ideological messaging, which damages many scenes and causes them to appear too direct. Christian’s girlfriend, Samantha (Devora Wilde), exhibits ideas about toxic masculinity when she states “be a man” to her boyfriend struggling to have sexual intercourse with her and open up to her about his issues. There is also plenty of objectification of Christian and Andrew’s naked bodies and it is unclear whether Goddard is intentionally demonstrating the passionate feelings they have for each other or otherwise. The political allegories are the most prominent and quickly become tiring, with basically every scene between Joanna and her political correspondent alluding to politicians’ selfish interests. Simply put – there is too much repetition in the screenplay and not enough substance to justify it. In the end, Misrule does have so much potential with a terrific score and immersive visual style, but ultimately falls short with a screenplay that is over reliant on its messages about modern day politics and homosexuality. #EmilyDavison Misrule (2017) trailer:

★★★ Directed by #TrentODonnell Written by #JakeJohnson #TrentODonnell Starring #JakeJohnson #SusanSarandon #JKSimmons Film Review by George Wolf Small casts working on limited sets with wide open spaces. We’ve seen plenty of these films lately, and we’ll see plenty more. Because even under pandemic rules, creators adjust and create. Director/co-writer Trent O’Donnell and star/co-writer Jake Johnson adjusted to the tune of Ride the Eagle, a lightly sweet lesson in living your best life while you still can. Johnson is Leif, a harmless California stoner who plays bongos (oh, sorry, “percussion”) in a band called Restaurant. Leif’s been estranged from his mom Honey (Susan Sarandon, in a role that seems tailored to her) since she left to join a cult when he was 12. But now, Honey’s dead, and she’s left behind a couple things especially for Leif. The first is her sweet mountain cabin up near Yosemite, which he can take possession of only if he pays close attention to the other thing Mom left. It’s a VHS tape, filled with a to-do list that comprises Leif’s “conditional inheritance.” “Is this legal?” Apparently, it is. And luckily, Mom’s VHS player isn’t dead. So Leif dutifully goes about the tasks that Honey hopes will teach him things she regretfully did not: express yourself, eat what you kill, call the one that got away. Sarandon’s on tape, and ex Audrey (a charmingly flirty D’Arcy Carden) is on phone and text, so this is nearly a Johnson one man show. Good thing he’s in his likable comfort zone, using his talks with dog Nora as an endearingly organic way to both inform and crack wise. It’s all perfectly warm and amusing, but in need of precisely the jolt delivered by Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons as Carl, Honey’s ex-lover who’s not shy about detailing their love life. “That’s probably not what her son wants to hear, I guess.” No probably not, but we do. Simmons’s cameo punctures the bubble by putting two humans in the same room to reflect on the passing of another human. It’s funny and it’s fuzzy and it goes a long way toward making sure these ruminations on forgiveness and regret actually resonate. The Honey do list isn’t preaching anything new, but Johnson and O’Donnell never pretend that it is. Ride the Eagle is a casual, come as you are and wherever you are affair, like some comfort food two guys thought was worth another serving during a worldwide crisis. And they’re not wrong. Some golden rules are always worth a rewind, even on VHS. #GeorgeWolf

★★ Directed by #MartinOwen Written by #JohnWrathall #SallyCollett Starring #RaffertyLaw #LenaHeady #MichaelCaine Film Review by Christie Robb Have you ever found yourself reading a classic Victorian novel and wondering, “What if this was more like Ocean’s Eleven as directed by Guy Ritchie, but with parkour?” A modern-day update of the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist, Martin Owen’s Twist imagines Oliver as an orphaned parkour enthusiast and Banksy-esque street artist. Oliver is swiftly recruited into a gang of art thieves and tasked with stealing a previously stolen Hogarth painting to salvage the reputation of Fagin (Michael Caine), who was a legitimate art dealer back in the day until his partner stole the Hogarth and pinned it on him. The movie’s strength is in its depiction of parkour. The practitioners make the London cityscape into their playground, skipping across rooftops like stones on a still pond. The plot and character development are handled with less dexterity. The teenage thieves are given highly specialized technical skills with no attempt at an explanation of how, for example, a minor might know how to clone a cell phone or fake the credentials of a fine art gallery. The characters are very thinly portraited, with each seeming to get about one emotion to embody. Raff Law (song of Jude) as Twist is unflappably earnest with no undertone of the emotional baggage that a kid who was orphaned at 10 or 11 and lived alone on the streets of London would have accrued. Even Lena Headey, who gives a very convincing depiction of rage, can’t overcome the script’s lack of an explanation of why she’s there and what exactly she has to do with everything except being an obstacle because the plot demands it. Headey and Caine lend the film a certain gravitas it otherwise doesn’t really deserve. There’s certainly none of the concern with crushing, systemic poverty and the social class disparities contained in the source material. Oliver and the other young thieves are dressed stylishly, are glowing with good health, and get to hang out in a clubhouse furnished with classic arcade games, jukeboxes, and foosball tables. The morality of their lifestyle isn’t questioned as much as it is explained away as a romantic Robin Hood kind of thing where Fagin plays Hood and the kiddos are his Merry Men. Overall, the film is a rather lackluster adaptation of a classic that misses much of the original’s point. If you want to see young people executing artful feats of athleticism, dodge this flick and put on the Olympics. #ChristieRobb

★★★★ Directed by: #SteveSale Written by: #SteveSale Starring: #MargaretIbbotson, #CharlotteSale Film review by: Patrick Foley ‘In death we do not part’ is the tagline for Norma, a short film about grief, loss and the struggle to move on. Director Steve Sale’s minimalist piece is equal parts haunting, heart-breaking and uplifting in one. Norma (Margaret Ibbotson) lives alone following the death of her husband. Closing herself off from the world and rejecting her daughter’s (Charlotte Sale) efforts to reach out, she tries to null the pain she feels from her loss with small familiar comforts. But strange happenings around her house suggests that she might not be as alone as she thought… Norma is a moving short film about acceptance and coming to terms with death. It tells the story of its 87-year old protagonist beautifully through the wonderfully expressive performance of star Margaret Ibbotson, and the inventive and crafted direction of Steve Sale. There’s barely a word of dialogue in the piece (all of it coming courtesy of the daughter), with Norma’s frailty displayed by excellent cinematography – such as in an effecting scene following just her hobbling feet around her home. Key shots of her smiling in a photo with her now deceased husband, and her speedy dismissal of her daughter’s phone call, are however brilliant hints to how this frailty is emotional, not just physical. Margaret Ibbotson’s eyes and facial expressions show the immense weight of sorrow, as Norma tries to find herself following her husband’s death. These are replaced by fear and trepidation when bizarre events start taking place around her home, and show that confronting her fears and emotions is as big of a mountain for her to mentally climb. The film’s closing shot features a very different tone, and Ibbotson’s ability to convey a multitude of positive emotions with just a shift of her facial muscles makes for a remarkable and moving climax. The film deals with complex themes within its short runtime, and leaves audiences with much to ponder once the credits roll. Norma’s struggle to accept the death of a loved one is a strong portrayal of how much damage loss can cause – with her pained and feeble demeanour clearly amplified by her emotional state. The film also provides plenty of moments of which audiences can speculate the true meaning of, with a montage of images playing as Norma struggles to climb her stairway – hinting that her life may be flashing before her eyes as she ascends. Whether the film’s ending is a happy or sad one is also up for debate – for a film that is primarily about struggling with loss, the true nature of the strange occurrences around the home are key to determining whether Norma accepts the tragic event, whether she is happy to be lost in a delusion, or whether she and her husband are truly reunited. The film is stronger for its ambiguity, and is commendable for its bravery in this area. Bittersweet and poignant, Norma is a brilliantly unique short film which shows not tells. Steve Sale expertly handles this sensitive story, and delivers a compact emotional rollercoaster that deals with complex and challenging themes.

★★★★ Directed by: Joseph Archer Written by: Jack Price Starring: Sarah Lott, Harry Duff-Walker, Sophie Caplan, Jamie Carter, Lewis Cox Film Review by: Jason Knight A brutal medieval tale about a group of people trying to survive repeated attacks by savages. A warrior and her Danish travellers have settled in a Christian village, during the Anglo-Saxons age. Although they seek peace and harmony, they live under the constant threat of being victims of raids by Vikings. As people in their community proceed to be murdered one-by-one, tensions rise between them, leaving them unable to trust each other and defend themselves when the time comes. This dramatic swashbuckling short puts the audience in the shoes of individuals who are stuck in desperate situations. There is the constant fear of death and treachery, as the villagers proceed to lose faith in each other and start to doubt everyone's credibility. A devastating battle takes place, people are killed and everything falls apart. It is not all about death though, as there are also emotional scenes. The mise-en-scene looks very good, with the costumes, hairstyle, weaponry and buildings looking rather genuine. The makeup is also quite effective. The performances are generally rather impressive from all of the cast. Every actor is convincing as a person living in that era and have been through a lot. The characters are interesting, particularly Solvi, who is strong and determined to do the right thing and makes the audience root for her. The fantastic score adds great qualities. The music is dynamic and dramatic, creating feelings of danger and despair and listening to it helps bring the audience back to those times. The cinematography is black-and-white, providing a dark atmosphere. There are short montages that make fruitful use of fast cutting techniques and the serious narration sounds appropriate given the plot. This period action-drama is entertaining and moving and deserves a great deal of praise and recognition. It is a journey back to the medieval ages, with an intriguing story filled with sword fighting, death, courage and survival. #JasonKnight

★★★ Directed by: #MilindSwamy, #MukeshAsopa Written by: #RajeshAsopa Starring: #MukeshAsopa, #JasDhanda Film Review by: Will Baines Aisha and Rahul is a beautifully directed romance film with a few key problems that hold it back. The directors Mukesh Asopa and Milind Swamy are clearly talented, keeping the viewer engaged in a film that is unfortunately filled with poor dialogue and questionable acting performances. The story centres around a romance between Rahul (Mukesh Asopa) and Aisha (Jas Dhanda) and a struggle to blend with a vastly different culture after Rahul moves from India to Canada. The film often darts frantically between past memories and the present. While this can cause some confusion, the skilful direction creates confidence that a viewer is in capable hands and it is the intention of the film to be left in the dark. Instead of a sudden plot twist, the film fluidly moves back and forth in time to slowly reveal a painful truth which leads to many beautiful and powerful scenes. Moments where we see Aisha and Rahul together are enough to create a bond between an audience and the characters, however the character development is somewhat lacking throughout the film. This potential for development is restricted by a simplistic storyline and little focus on the characters themselves. The cinematography is where the true strengths of this film lie. It is tasteful, skilful and wonderful throughout. The camera is not simply used as a means to film the characters, but a tool that effectively tells the story. In fact, the cinematography is often far more effective in telling the story and engaging an audience than the somewhat problematic dialogue. The unique and interesting use of time in telling the story was also key to creating an engaging storyline from a simplistic idea. The jumps back and forth, especially earlier on in the film, can be unclear. However, instead of being confusing and disengaging it actually serves the gradual plot twist reveal to the end. Without this bold choice of playing with time, the storyline would become predictable, cliched and a bore. As mentioned before, this film has clear problems that almost overshadow the captivating directing style. Firstly, the dialogue. It seemed to rarely serve a scene, instead clashing with the mature cinematography. At moments where scenes are able to transform you into a blissful trance that only skilled directors are able to do, unfortunate dialogue can be painful at times. Furthermore, the acting and delivery of the dialogue certainly doesn’t help. Of course, this is a low budget indie film and the acting is not expected to be Oscar-worthy. However, it must at the very least be believable. Unfortunately, in a significant amount of the film, it simply is not. Overall, the film is worth watching if not just to view a couple of skilled directors at work. It is essentially an exercise in style, and often a beautiful one. However, poor writing, a simplistic storyline that allows for little development and poor acting affects what could be a touching, sweet romance. Pair the directors with an equally skilled writer, actors and actresses; there would be something truly magical created.