Emily film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead directed by Frances O'Connor. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Emily Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Feb 22, 2023 Directed by: Frances O'Connor Written by: Frances O'Connor Starring: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead Wuthering Heights was always a conundrum of Gothic literature. It is mean, its tragedies ugly, its heroes selfish and boorish. It’s a dark and misanthropic piece of fiction often mistaken as romance. Lucky for all of us, Frances O’Connor appreciates the twisted nastiness of the novel and suggests a vividly unusual inner life for its author in her feature debut, Emily. Emma Mackey stars with an understated but authentic weirdness as the misfit Brontë sister. Emily doesn’t seem suited for teaching, or for much of anything. The stories she tells are childish and they embarrass her sisters, and she won’t let anyone read what she’s writing. She seems to disappoint everyone around her except her brother, Branwell (Fionn Whitehead). In O’Connor’s loose biopic, Emily finds the space to explore once her sisters are gone off to teach and she is alone with Branwell. The filmmaker slyly inserts memorable scenes from Brontë’s novel as moments, here more innocent, between brother and sister. These moments work on many levels, but mainly because writers draw from their own lives. The dynamic complicates and Emily’s transformation deepens as an unexpected, almost involuntary suiter comes into the picture. Untethered by the judgments of her sisters, Emily is free to determine her own course and the journey is intoxicating to witness. Mackey glows as her character slowly, finally comes into her own, giving us a dimensional, tender and delicately genius young woman you yearn to know better. Whitehead charms in a slightly underwritten but nonetheless poignant role. Oliver Jackson-Cohen – so different than the unrelenting narcissist of The Invisible Man – delivers the greatest arc of any character as assistant parson William. His performance is never showy, but moments of vulnerability give the film its heartbeat and heartbreak. O’Connor breathes life with all its chaos, misery and joy into the Brontës’ 19th century. Emily feels less like the vision of a newcomer than the product of a passionate kindred spirit. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Chum film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Alice Eve, Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond directed by Jonathan Zuck. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Chum Film Review average rating is 1 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Aug 9, 2026 Directed by: Jonathan Zuck Written by: Jonathan Zuck and Joe Leone Starring: Alice Eve, Eric Michael Cole, Jim Klock, Elle Haymond A couple of unhappily married newlyweds go on a boat trip on the morning after their wedding, only for disaster to strike in the form of an overly aggressive shark and a psychotic trawler captain with an existential axe to grind. It seems odd that anyone would want to try to remake, or attempt to make their own, Jaws (1975). Perfection should be left alone. Not even Steven Spielberg wanted to have another crack at it, and this was after the unprecedented runaway success of the first one, where he had single-handedly created the phenomenon of the summer blockbuster. But of course, this is 2026, and in the intervening fifty years everything has been deemed to be up for grabs, and nobody has any shame any more, so rather than reverence and a healthy amount of distance, we instead have an entire subgenre of shark-porn which includes the endless chomping up of body parts and oceans of blood bubbling to the surface. Most of the modern shark movies tend to come in as self-referential, trying to be ironically funny, torture-porn moved to the sea, types of affairs, that know they’re bad (if not just quite how bad), but every so often one comes along that thinks it’s pure drama and takes itself seriously enough to bypass all the things that allow people to keep watching this nonsense. Chum , is one of those. With an intro scene straight-up ripped from Jaws , just with some supremely inferior editing going on, and a hammy, pseudo-philosophical voiceover instead of the iconic John Williams music, Chum sets out its stall as a cheap, less than B-movie, knock-off, that is going to make us sit through every shark trope under the sun. Lo-and-behold, what we get is eighty-six minutes of inane drivel, where a boatload of fuckwits get thrown overboard and ground into mincemeat by the sharp, pointy teeth of a fearsome, somehow sentient and overly-emotional, sea predator. In true Gen-Z style, there is only a minimal amount of setup and absolutely no characterisation involved in getting everybody onto the boat, with an ensemble of trust-fund responsibility shirkers filling out our roster of shark food. There’s this guy, and that guy, and a couple of bikini women with big, inflatable, life-buoys strapped to their chests (even sharks have to contend with their food being contaminated by micro-plastics these days), and Alice Eve, who also stumped up enough cash to be credited as a producer on this displeasure cruise. Alice and her beau hate each other, but they got married anyway, because, hey it’s 2026 and we do what we like. They’re in Malta, where the dangerous sharks don’t usually go, but by golly that’s a good time to shoehorn in some trite virtue-signalling about climate change and the changing feeding patterns of sea predators, even though the entire production overuses AI in its feeding frenzy sequences and must have swallowed up an entire island nation’s worth of potable water in generating this slop. But, you know, we’ll make the point anyway, because we can’t do our own research and even when we’re holding one opinion whilst simultaneously acting in an antithetical manner, we’ll argue about it until we die, or at least get our face onto some fascist’s debate-porn blog. So, obviously, the sailing trip goes bad, and is literally sunk to the bottom of the ocean, when a gnarly sea-captain comes along to save the day and fishes the vacuous ones from the water. He’s not the hero he makes out to be, however, and soon he’s over-expositioning everything in a dire monologue that lays everything out on the deck. He’s the one in the voiceover who lost his wife in the intro sequence, and after tracking the shark that did it, for years all over the seven seas, he’s come to the point where he’s trying live human bait to catch the anthropomorphised killer. Such is the extent of ‘story’ that we get from Chum , and then we must watch as one by one everybody gets munched on by AI sharks, and reams of AI blood are spilled into the crystal waters of the Mediterranean. Almost everything in Chum is rushed and shoddily done, from the laughable wooden acting, to the non-existent script, to the disgustingly bad continuity, to the aforementioned lack of skilled, paid work in the visual effects. Only the cinematography above the water line, of the coast and the horizon, and the rather gruesome ripping apart of bodies under the water, offers any sort of affecting moments for the audience, while everything else flounders and eventually drowns in its own incompetence. Chum is a prime example of where modern filmmaking for the TikTok generation is going. It scrapes its ideas from old classics and strips everything of value or merit from them, eschewing involved themes and storylines, or complex characterisation, for those who can no longer hold these things in their heads for any length of time, and packages it in dumbed-down bitesize chunks that have no meaning or weight behind them, just so that some torture-porn gooners can get their adrenaline fix for the hour before they go and find some other trash to consume. It would be best if films like this were never made at all, but in the modern age it seems the best we can do is stay well away from them, and resolutely refuse to pay any money to see them, so that they hopefully sink without a trace into the deep blue depths where nobody but the fishes are troubled by them. Chum will be available on Digital Download from 17th August Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Film Trailers Paper Tiger More Ink More The Social Reckoning More Focker-in-Law More Heart of the Beast More Klara and the Sun More Power Ballad More The Debut More One Night Only More Supergirl More Masters of the Universe More Wild Foxes More

Bird of Paradise film review by UK film critic Joe Beck. Starring Neda Davarpanah, Jeffery Thomas Johnson, Brian Ronan Murphy, McKensie Lane directed by Reza Amidi . HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Bird of Paradise Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Joe Beck | Posted on: May 30, 2024 Directed by: Reza Amidi Written by: Reza Amidi Starring: Neda Davarpanah, Jeffery Thomas Johnson, Brian Ronan Murphy, McKensie Lane To many people around the world Los Angeles is the pinnacle of arts and entertainment. Reaching it is like making your way to the summit of Everest for artists in industries ranging from film, music, television, and art. It’s the City of Angels for a reason, where a miraculous big break could be just around the corner, with the fame and millions that might come with it. It’s also the City of Broken Dreams, where for every star that is born, another five people have their aspirations crushed, and are forced, reluctantly into a life they never wanted. ‘Bird of Paradise’ has its protagonist caught between the two, and after a slow start, becomes a tense and unnerving thriller. Reza Amidi’s film attempts to navigate the commentary on the shallowness of Los Angeles and the lifestyle often associated with it, alongside the mystery and thriller elements necessary to keep the story engaging. The commentary is far from tactful, and often heavy handed in it’s approach with regards to the struggles of trying to make the initial breakthrough, and then in the sinister backroom dealings that run Hollywood, which have their shadiness amped up to the max. This gives us a series of characters that are full of tropes - the dodgy talent rep, the stuck up producer, the uncaring agent - making the film seem less and less believable, which is fine for a straight thriller, but bad for a thriller that wants to depict the Hollywood system and its murkiness. The film immediately establishes its thriller elements by opening with the abduction at gunpoint of Sasha (McKensie Lane), the wife of bad comedian, and by all accounts even worse husband, Bobby Garrison (Brian Ronan Murphy). We are then thrust into the life of aspiring actor Kat (Neda Davarpanah), and her struggles to get her career off the ground when she is suddenly presented with the opportunity of a lifetime by talent rep Dominic Dunaway (Jeffery Thomas Johnson) - a supporting role in a studio film called ‘Bird of Paradise’. Kat wants to be an actress but is far from ready from the pressures that fame, celebrity, and working at the height of the film industry in Hollywood, and begins suffering a series of breakdowns, which only heighten her anxiety surrounding the disappearance of Sasha, who had previously been cast in her role. She fears deeply for her safety, and with her world turned upside down begins seeing things and having mysterious dreams, as she becomes more and more involved in the mystery behind Sasha’s disappearance and murder. Reza Amidi directs the film well, particularly in terms of building suspense and tension as the film develops, and in establishing an unnerving sense around so many otherwise ordinary interactions, and a horror film with his directing would almost certainly be an exciting watch. However, the script, also by Amidi, is lacklustre, particularly in regards to dialogue which is often one-note and devoid of any subtext, which doesn’t help the actors, whose performances lack note, and never particularly endear themselves or their characters to the audience. ‘Bird of Paradise’ thrives in building suspense and tension, however as a portrait of Hollywood and Los Angeles it feels shallow, whilst its screenplay detracts from the story, ultimately making the film feel altogether very surface-level. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Joe Beck Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Answer Your Phone film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Oliver Midson directed by Benji Wragg. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Answer Your Phone Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Jan 4, 2024 Directed by: Benji Wragg Written by: Benji Wragg Starring: Oliver Midson A young man is being pursued by something sinister, while someone is attempting to contact him via his mobile phone. This spooky and tense short horror film from Australia tells a story that follows the concept of a person being stalked by a menacing force. It is night-time and an unnamed youth (Midson) is walking home. He enters a deserted car park and begins to feel uneasy. He also receives texts from someone named Nancy (apparently his partner), who wants to know his whereabouts. The man repeatedly looks around him, as if he believes that someone (or something) is after him. As Nancy tries calling him, he proceeds to run home, however will he be safe there? This short horror film wastes no time in announcing that this is going to be a scary experience, with the opening letters that make up the title being red and stylised and accompanied by a sinister score. And the tension and suspense remain firm during the five-minute duration, with the viewer wondering what the protagonist is running from (if he is running from anything). And that is an interesting thing here because the screenplay does not make it clear whether the hero is actually being targeted by some entity or if it is all just in his head. He never speaks and his frantic behaviour gives the impression that he is terrified that something bad will happen to him. Furthermore, no entity of any kind is seen, making it seem that it is the messages and missed calls that are troubling him. Interestingly, since his mobile phone appears to be menacing him, this film could also be viewed as a commentary about how mobile phones have profoundly become part of people's lives today, how callers always expect the other person to answer them and the main character could be considered a victim who is desperately trying to break free from this psychological prison. Going to the technical now, the ominous and tense music mentioned above is a great plus and contributes significantly in developing the right atmosphere thanks to the efforts by Drew Handcock. Also regarding the audio, the song Despair by In Vanity was a great choice to close the film with. The creativity involving the camerawork and editing deserves commendations, with the filmmakers utilising camera techniques that include shaky P.O.V. cam, arc shot and Scott David Lister's editing that makes a very effective fast cutting sequence. And all of these filmmaking techniques are supported by Darby Maxwell's moody cinematography. This is a frightening psychological horror short that has quite an effect thanks to the suspenseful and dark atmosphere, Midson's performance and the music. By the way, the protagonist is wearing a top that has the word 'NOPE'. Would that be a reference to the 2022 sci-fi horror feature? It would be rather cool if that was the case. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Corsage film review by UK film critic Hope Madden. Starring Vicky Krieps directed by Marie Kreutzer. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Corsage Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Jan 3, 2023 Directed by: Marie Kreutzer Written by: Marie Kreutzer Starring: Vicky Krieps Neither hero worship nor maudlin tale of objectification, Corsage delivers a daring reimagining of the life of Empress Elisabeth of Hungary, played with mischievous relish by Vicky Krieps. This is hardly the first fanciful reworking of a historical biopic. Director Pablo Larraín has reconsidered two such lives as tragic cinematic poems – 2021’s Spencer and 2016’s Jackie . Just last year, Andrew Dominik turned America’s most recognizable icon into the object of punishment porn (Blonde ). While two of those films are lovely and one is unwatchable, it took filmmaker Marie Kreutzer to reimagine one iconic life without simplifying the tale’s heroine to a tragic beauty to pity. Kreutzer’s year-in-the-life is fictional, though Empress Elisabeth was certainly real. Her presence clearly influences this picture, but Kreutzer’s fantasy – replete with the most gloriously misplaced modern songs – looks askew at the renowned and misunderstood beauty. As Sofia Coppola did with her empathetic and under-appreciated portrait, Marie Antoinette , Kreutzer and Krieps establish the startling aloneness facing a royal woman, particularly a foreign sovereign married into royalty abroad. Krieps excels in particular during scenes where Elisabeth struggles to leverage what power is available to her. The audacity of Elisabeth’s behavior unveils a fiery joy and brittle vulnerability in Krieps’s performance. Wonderfully refreshing are the vanity and selfishness that are allowed to creep into the portrait. Corsage ’s hero is no saint. She’s a free spirit to be admired, as well as a self-centered brat willing to require the sacrifice from others she’s disinterested in making herself. Here again, Krieps is a superstar. Elisabeth’s flaws are outrageous, her strengths enviable, her oppression great. In Krieps’s hands, the composite is an endlessly compelling conundrum, as frustrating as she is fascinating. The film sees power as freedom and acknowledges how little of it there is for women, even women who seem to have it all. In the end, it’s the film’s and Krieps’s humanity that make the final moment of freedom feel earned and victorious rather than fraught with compromise. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Hope Madden Theatrical Release, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Tomorrow film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring N/A directed by Aryasb Feiz. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Tomorrow Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Nov 15, 2024 Directed by: Aryasb Feiz Written by: Aryasb Feiz Starring: N/A A young boy and his new found friend must face down the wrath of an angry shopkeeper in order to acquire some much needed medicine. In writer/director Aryasb Feiz’s short film animation, Tomorrow , we meet an unnamed young boy as he travels the streets of the city. We find out in the opening shots of the film that he is a thief, stealing from a street cart as he cuts about his business and finds somewhere to loiter. The boy’s favourite perch is by a tree which looks onto a small road containing an antique shop. He witnesses a small exchange between the owner and a customer and has an idea, however, the purloined food which he still has in his hands has now earned him a new furry companion. Distracting the dog with the food, the young boy heads into the antique store for a little light robbery. He seems to know where the stash is hidden and heads straight for the small ampoules of liquid stored on the underside of the chair. It’s no surprise that the burly shopkeeper catches him and gives him what for, but then the boy’s new friend comes along to help save the day. The two of them run away home, until the boy gives the poor dog the slip and it has to use its nose to find him again. Once they are reunited, we find out what the whole commotion was about and we see that the boy’s father needs the medicine to stay alive. Sadly, one ampoule only gives relief for a day and the next morning the young boy is back outside the antique shop looking for a way to get in and get some more medicine. This constant worry of only having enough for today, and needing to keep repeating the cycle in order to survive, is what leads Feiz to ask the question – What about Tomorrow ? Throughout the story there’s a lot of minor threat and a smattering of intrigue, with the medicine not always being in the same place and the dog getting caught in the basement and other comic capers going on. The animation itself is cutesy and endearing, helping to invest the viewer in the relationship between the boy and the dog, with there being shades of Dug from Up (2009) coming through as well as a ‘Disneyfied’ feel to the whole film. However, there’s a lot to be played for going on in the background, and the sombre yet beautiful music from Fereydoun Bahrami keeps the tone of the film where it needs to be. There’s plenty to enjoy as the narrative runs through the scenario, but strangely it never feels as though we’re getting anywhere. Despite there being three storywriters involved with the project, it seems that neither of them got around to introducing a theme or a moral or a message to the film. There’s the odd situation that an antique dealer seems to have a stranglehold on the supply of medicine instead of chemists or clinics or hospitals, and it’s unclear by the end of the film whether we should be on the boy’s side or not, as he is an obvious thief. Getting a message across is also hindered by Feiz’s decision to film without any dialogue. What must have been a conscious choice to try and save the universality of the film, has ended up costing the filmmakers in terms of truly delivering what they wanted to say. There is so much muddied in with the story of Tomorrow that it seems Feiz and his friends forgot to take a stance. There’s nothing else there apart from the immediate storyline and by the end of the film everything is back to square one. Whilst this may in fact be Feiz’s main idea, nothing has been learnt upon the way, and the reoccurrence of every Tomorrow is only because nobody moves on – so what’s the point? As it stands though, the one-time story from Tomorrow is fun while it lasts and the immediate relationship between the dog and the boy is entertaining enough for the seventeen minutes that we’re watching for. If some of the action wasn’t so obviously violent, and the guiding principle was better expressed, Tomorrow looks as though it could be an intro animation shown before a Disney feature film. However, there needs to be more underneath the story to really give this animation something worth talking about. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Short Film, World Cinema, Animation < All Reviews Next Film Review >

All That Glitters film review by UK film critic Madeleine Lavers. Starring Jack Welshons, Monterio Caldwell, Samantha Ipema directed by Noah Meister. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS All That Glitters Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Madeleine Lavers | Posted on: Jun 17, 2026 Directed by: Noah Meister Written by: Noah Meister Starring: Jack Welshons, Monterio Caldwell, Samantha Ipema All That Glitters is a beautiful film with a strong, narrative-driven story that relishes a common on-screen theme (drug culture) while challenging it from a different angle. The story follows timid protagonist Christopher as he is thrown into a world of drugs that exist within his American High School. The film, written and directed by Noah Meister, comments on a multitude of important social issues that are frequent yet new and profound for Christopher. This format allows audiences to be exposed to unfamiliar surroundings at the same time as the main character, providing viewers an opportunity to connect with Christopher and root for his success. Upon his sudden and unexpected involvement in the selling of a large amount of cocaine, Christopher asks for the help of Mack, another student. Their quest forms a friendship that flourishes across a reciprocated network of support, adding humane and heartwarming elements. The secondary characters also carry lots of emotional weight, with the relationship issues of Sarah and Dominic creating tension that heightens during scenes set at the party. It is satisfying to see how multiple storylines connect as these characters link directly to the chaotic plans of Christopher and Mack, eventually catapulting into a messy and complex situation. The stark contrast between characters who are heavily involved in drugs and others who are not ensures the film represents different perspectives of realistic experiences, whilst drawing upon other crazy circumstances that create an engaging watch for viewers. For a debut feature film, the production levels are strong, with potent cinematography and the originally composed score being prominent features. The performance of Christopher, played by Jack Welshons, is extremely rewarding and believable. His on-screen presence is large and has the ability to capture audiences wonderfully throughout. The character arcs develop notably, with each of the characters carrying a firm awareness of their flaws that become prominent as the events of the story unfold. A small detail audiences will appreciate is the repeated visualisation of Christopher being in his underwear. Despite this also providing comedic relief, it symbolises the progression of the main character. The film begins with a dream sequence where Christopher turns up to class in his boxers (a dream most of us have experienced). His embarrassment transforms into self-assurance as he stands somewhat confidently in his underwear during the party towards the end of the film. Overall, the film and story in particular are strong, with traditional narrative elements being utilised assertively. The anxious nature of Christopher begins as a captivating equilibrium, before his call to action and sudden participation in a drug deal provide him with the opportunity to build new relationships and learn many valuable lessons, overall amplifying his clear character development. This film deserves to reach more audiences and enlighten them about drug culture issues that may be surrounding different communities, unbeknownst to them. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Madeleine Lavers Indie Feature Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Stop Making This Hurt film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Joe Swift, Beth Collins, Alexander Jeremy, Elisha Mistretta directed by Susie Kimnell. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Stop Making This Hurt Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Dec 13, 2022 Directed by: Susie Kimnell Written by: Susie Kimnell Starring: Joe Swift, Beth Collins, Alexander Jeremy, Elisha Mistretta A man meets his former partner in a restaurant and they discuss the past. A man (Swift) is sitting at a restaurant table by himself. Closing time is approaching and the place is quiet and a bit darkened. Eventually, he is joined by a woman (Collins), with whom he used to have a relationship. The two of them have a conversation and it becomes apparent that things between them ended up badly. The man attempts to apologise and make things better, however, it becomes evident that he did something terrible. This dark short film begins as a drama about a broken relationship and as the story progresses and more and more clues are brought to light, things move towards thriller territory. The main element is the conversation between the two protagonists, which tells a lot about their lives, particularly about the man's life, about what kind of person he is and the findings are not positive and just keep getting worse and worse. Swift delivers a chilling performance as an individual who has very dark secrets and a very sinister hidden personality. Although, he can appear charming and cheerful, it is obvious that ultimately, he is a bad person. Collins does a terrific job as a his ex-partner who was a victim to his actions and knows what he really is. The film is free from music, apart from the ending, which is where Duncan Pittock and Richard Lacy make their contribution with a sinister score that makes an effective closing. Ben Mann also deserves commendations for the work on the cinematography. This short has a very-well-structured screenplay that starts with more or less normality and revelation after revelation lead to a devastating truth. Through well-written dialogue and strong acting, this film tells a dark and memorable story. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Shelter film review by UK film critic George Wolf. Starring Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Naomi Ackie, Bill Nighy directed by Ric Roman Waugh. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Shelter Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Jan 28, 2026 Directed by: Ric Roman Waugh Written by: Ward Parry Starring: Jason Statham, Bodhi Rae Breathnach, Naomi Ackie, Bill Nighy Just how many off-the-books groups of elite assassins are there? And does Jason Statham have expired membership cards from all of them? Apparently, quite a few. And yes. In Shelter , the secret group is called Black Kite, and Michael Mason (Statham) has been exiled and on the run since he broke a golden rule ten years ago. While hiding out at a lighthouse in the Scottish Isles, Mason’s rescue of a drowning girl named Jesse (Hamnet ‘s talented Bodhi Rae Breathnach) gets them both spotted by MI-6’s new high tech surveillance system. So now Michael’s been made, Jesse’s an orphan and they’re both on the top secret hit list. This time out, Naomi Ackie gets to be the director barking orders in front of video feeds, while Bill Nighy is the oily spymaster who crossed Statham years ago. Much like the chess pieces Mason likes to play with, director Ric Roman Waugh is just moving new pieces around the same formulaic playground. Screenwriter Ward Parry adds on the trusty child-in-danger trope, along with no shortage of cliched dialog. “You really think we can outrun what we are?” “Maybe I’m becoming like you…” “You don’t want this life.” It’s more plug-and-play action on the way to a requisite showdown, but Statham and Breathnach share decent chemistry, Waugh (the Greenland films, Angel Has Fallen ) orchestrates some effective hand-to-hand combat sequences, and he’s able to build the film with a bit more nuance than Statham’s usual fare. It ain’t Hamnet , but at least our righteous killing machine isn’t lathering up with a tube of shark repellant. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Cursed Memory film review by UK film critic William Hemingway. Starring Deepani Silva, Wasanthi Ranwala, Indika Wickramarachchi, Manaya Senevirathna directed by Ranga Bandaranayake. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Cursed Memory Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: William Hemingway | Posted on: Dec 15, 2025 Directed by: Ranga Bandaranayake Written by: Chamara Prasanna Kodithuwakku Starring: Deepani Silva, Wasanthi Ranwala, Indika Wickramarachchi, Manaya Senevirathna In a moment of crisis, a woman loses her faith and writes a letter to Jesus, pleading for a miracle. Melinona is a survivor of the Easter Sunday Bomb Attacks, which took place in Sri Lanka on 21st April 2019. She carries mental scars of that day, when her Christian centre of worship was targeted by ISIS backed radicals, although she has always kept her belief – until now. In a letter, she explains to Jesus why she is putting him in a box and stuffing him under the sink, and how she has come to the realisation that she may have been wasting her time talking to him in the first place. Melinona has got herself into a bit of a pickle, you see. She’s been lending out the money her son has been sending her from his faraway job, lifting iron in a cold country, and she’s not been asking for any interest on it. She doesn’t know what she’ll do when her son comes home and finds out that she doesn’t have the money, and so it’s JC’s fault for abandoning her in this time of need. She tells of her woes in this letter, never intending for it to be read by anyone but Jesus, but somehow it becomes a firelighter for the family’s shame, as it falls into the wrong hands and gets distributed far wider than anyone had imagined. Over the course of twenty-seven minutes, we are treated to Melinona’s troubles and her Cursed Memory . The letter seems cursed, too, as it takes on a life of its own, passing between hands, being read through different mouths and in different voices. Director, Ranga Bandaranayake, appears to have a clear vision of how Melinona’s story should be told, and this comes through in how well thought out every scene is, with the writing from, Chamara Prasanna Kodithuwakku, giving plenty of characterisation and context to work with on screen. When matched up with some strong production value, the solid writing and impressive direction help Cursed Memory to stand out as a well put together piece of film. From the full-on three-minute credits sequence, to the haunting melodic tones of Lahiru Madiwila’s music, to the casting choices and background detail in the scenes, there’s been a lot of thought and production behind getting Cursed Memory to be just the way it is – and it has paid off. Melinona’s journey is one of trauma and of recovery, and it weaves its way through the lives of everyone around her, bringing us with along with it too, until we are invested in her story as much as her son, or daughter-in-law, or priest. The filmmakers certainly know how to put a film together, and show a real understanding of how to use visual language to tell a story, making Cursed Memory a little more memorable than the rest. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic William Hemingway Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Influenced film review by UK film critic Jason Knight. Starring Olesia Nikolaiets, Ciaran Cochlan, Asad Panjwani, Sarah Collins directed by Asad Panjwani. HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Influenced Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Jason Knight | Posted on: Dec 8, 2022 Directed by: Asad Panjwani Written by: Asad Panjwani Starring: Olesia Nikolaiets, Ciaran Cochlan, Asad Panjwani, Sarah Collins An online celebrity is pursued by an obsessed fan. While walking home one night, social media influencer Amber (Nikolaiets) is approached by Dane (Cochlan), a man who claims to be one of her followers. He proceeds to speak to her and offer her chocolates and refuses to leave her alone, causing her to panic and run to her house. He runs after her and enters her property by force. What follows is a nasty confrontation that goes from bad to worse. This short is a stalker thriller that explores the world of internet personalities, particularly the bad side of it. It suggests that social media celebrities can affect certain individuals the wrong way and that can have very unfortunate consequences. It also points out that sometimes influencers can be double-faced and pretend to have a certain personality, in the interest of gaining followers. The film is tense and has plenty of nail-biting moments. Dane chases Amber through a street and the two of them get into a physical confrontation inside her home. Things get more and more out of hand and become life-threatening. However, there are also comedic moments, such as when the crazed fan removes his shoes once he has entered Amber's property. It is not clear whether the story is also meant to be a dark comedy, however the comical feeling is there. The acting is not the best, but that does not spoil the film. Nikolaiets plays an internet celebrity whose job has ended up getting her more than she bargained for. Cochlan is the one who steals the show with his vivid portrayal of a disturbed individual who is obsessed with Amber. Praise goes to the dynamic, tense and sinister score, which works rather effectively during the opening, where Dane is introduced, making it clear that he has sinister intentions. Special mention also goes to fight choreographer Holly Prentice, who makes the hand-to-hand fight scenes tense and vicious. The stylised closing credits also deserve commendations. This short is definitely interesting and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat. It is a story about obsession, mental health and the dangers of being an online celebrity. The fact that it ends on a cliffhanger may be unsatisfying for some, but may be approved by others. Buy UKFR Banner Space About the Film Critic Jason Knight Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >