★★★★ Directed by #DWThomas Written by #TomBecker Starring #MaryLynnRajskub #RonLynch Film Review by Brandon Thomas Horror comedy is the cinematic equivalent of chocolate and peanut butter. It makes so much sense that they go together. And every subgenre of horror has been touched. The slasher? Multiple times! Zombies? Oh yeah. Podcasters turned into sea creatures? Umm…that too. With Too Late, director D.W. Thomas adds bad bosses to the mix, and also the world of stand-up comedy. Aspiring comedian Violet (Alyssa Limperis) has what seems to be a great gig as the assistant to comedy great Bob Devore (Ron Lynch). Devore’s weekly variety act Too Late is legendary, and Violet’s job makes her the envy of her comic friends. The problem? Bob is a literal monster, and Violet is in charge of bringing young, fresh-faced comics to satisfy his hunger. Thomas leans harder into the comedy than she does the horror. The tone is kept quite light throughout, and Bob’s more ghoulish moments are hidden off-screen (probably due to budget concerns). The make-up effects used on Lynch are quite good, but never come across as too grotesque. It’s just enough to get the point across and let Lynch’s performance shine through. Too Late draws a lot from the real world in constructing its story. For years, Lynch hosted a variety show of his own in L.A. called Tomorrow! The film also peppers in real-life comedians who help with authenticity. And authenticity is key here. The strength of Too Late is how natural everything feels. Some of the more elaborate digs at the stand-up world might be a little too “inside baseball” for most of the audience, but it’s still relatable enough to be more of a winking satire. The cast is universally good. Limperis is fantastic as the long-suffering Violet. It’s the kind of role that could’ve easily gotten bogged down with “woe is me” speeches and attitude, but Limperis, like the film itself, keeps things light and snappy. You can see the burgeoning comic underneath the stressed-out and overworked assistant. Likewise, Lynch is an absolute delight as Bob Devore. He never hams it up during Bob’s transformation. Bob is as much of a monstrous asshole when he’s a regular person as he is when he’s in his creature form. SNL alum Fred Armisen and notable stand-up Mary Lynn Rajskub show up in small parts as the “names” of the film. Rajskub’s appearance is more of a glorified cameo with Armisen having a more significant role. Neither makes much of an impact on the overall film, but it’s nice to see them, both adding value to an already wonderful film. Through charming performances and a look at a more niche part of the entertainment industry, Too Late stands out as one of the better horror comedies in recent memory. It’s not a gut buster, but you’ll have a smile on your face the entire time. #BrandonThomas

★★★★ Directed by #MaxBasch #MaliaScharf Written by #MaxBasch #MaliaScharf Starring #KennyScharf #JeanMichaelBasquiat Film Review by Christie Robb With the cancellation of 2021’s Columbus Arts Festival and ComFest happening only virtually, this summer you might be feeling the sweet ache of longing for community-building kooky pop art. Never fear—a Kenny Scharf documentary is here! Scharf, an LA valley native and young baby boomer, was drawn to New York by Andy Warhol and the Factory—folks having an extravagantly good time making art fun. He became part of a group of young artists who merged the club and art scenes. Along with Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, Scharf was also part of the 1980s NYC graffiti subculture and became renowned for blurring the lines between the rarified walls of the art gallery and the gritty surfaces of public spaces. Scharf’s style is maximalist, bright, chaotic, with amoebic-like organic forms. Heavily influenced by mascot-like pop-cultural memes from advertising, cartoons, and B-movies, there’s often something sinister lurking behind a smile. He calls attention to the nuclear in nuclear family. The documentary, by Scharf’s daughter Malia Scharf and Max Basch, is a mix of interviews with Kenny, archival footage, and commentary from collaborators, critics, artists, and collectors. It situates Kenny in art history by tracing the evolution of art style from post-WWII abstract expressionism through to pop art/appropriation art, to graffiti art and cartoon realism. Although some personal and historical background is presented, the focus is on the art itself and the evolution of the artist’s style, motivation, and use of media over the course of his decades-long career. While Basquiat and Haring died young (taken by overdose and AIDS, respectively), Scharf was privileged to witness his embrace by the art establishment, his fall into obscurity, and his perseverance as a creator. He’s an inspiration. #ChristieRobb

★★★ Directed by: Bellopropello Written by: Bellopropello Film Review by: Vikas Yadav A world populated with Transformers-type robots is bad news. People, both in real and reel life, have warned about the destruction that would be caused if these machines start walking among us. Dystopia, directed by Bellopropello, presents two sides of the same coin. One consists of robots armed with guns, and another shows them holding books. Could something that’s programmed in nature develop free will and intellect? Or could we at least change the weapon from bullets to contestation? Dystopia kicks off inside a factory where robots, after being manufactured, are equipped with guns. A worker walks on the top side of the frame, ensuring the apparatus functions properly. The whole short lasts somewhere close to 9 minutes (8 minutes 43 seconds to be exact), and this runtime is filled with a monotonous routine. Every scene, every step stays on for so long a time that it all gets stuck in your mind. I could still, in detail, recall how every part moved to assemble these robots. It does grow tedious, but maybe that’s the point: To show how mechanical process gives rise to an uncreative outcome. After familiarizing you with the assembly part, Dystopia welcomes you to the area where the bots are handed their weapons. They shoot in your direction, giving the impression of an inventor being killed by his own invention. Nothing is explicitly stated, but this visual could very well mean that humans would be overpowered and betrayed by their robotic creations. At least, this is what I gathered until bubbles infiltrated the facility. The machines stop, and when they resume, they swap guns with books. The robots now exit not by firing but by chattering some gibberish. Are they arguing or having a meaningful discussion is something I cannot say. Their voices become incomprehensible. Even if they are fighting with one another or some other individual, it’s nice that they are not doing so with a rifle. As for the bubbles, they could mean freedom, education, civilization, or nothing from the mentioned list. See for yourself and take your pick. The animated frames containing fiery steams, electric rods, and circular gears, all against a black-colored paint, resembles nothing short of a dystopian society. A quick glance into the credits of this film, and you would find that it was entirely made by Bellopropello himself. He has directed, written, and produced Dystopia. A single man donning every single hat deserves nothing but great respect.

★★★ Directed by: Tulsi Swarna Lakshmi Written by: Tulsi Swarna Lakshmi Film Review by: Jason Knight A documentary about the life and accomplishments of contemporary Indian photographer Abul Kalam Azad. Azad's creative photography is mostly autobiographical and focuses primarily on culture, modern history, politics, eroticism and gender. His work is regarded as philosophical and experimental and has been exhibited in India and abroad. This interesting documentary was filmed in locations of ancient seaports and its content is rather enlightening and intriguing. It includes many black-and-white photos that were taken by Azad and his talent and professionalism are clearly visible in them. These pictures are of various individuals and statues. There are also photographs of animals, such as goats, elephants, cows and cats. The footage shows Azad himself in action, operating photographic equipment and setting up shots. Watching this great artist work is a privilege. There is also a great deal of footage of crowds engaging in traditional celebrations, musicians playing instruments and people walking barefoot over lit charcoal. It should be noted that there is a sequence that involves a goat being put down and some viewers may find it upsetting. Lakshmi also provides the narration and her voice-over is clear and informative. As filming took place in India, Azad's country of birth, the documentary provides an image of life there, by showing Indian people, traditional clothing and ceremonies and statues that are significant. The viewers will also have the pleasure of listening to some Indian music during the ceremonies. Photography is a highly respectable and creative art and it is fascinating observing artists from around the world utilizing their talent and efforts in order to make a career in this sector, developing their own ideas and style. This is what this short documentary offers. It introduces the audience to an individual who has a great passion for their profession and it is interesting to learn about him and his work. #JasonKnight

★★★ Directed by: #TanmaySrivastava Written by: #JudithCarreon & #TanmaySrivastava Narrated by: #AlainAzoulay Short Film Review by Taryll Baker 1972. The expulsion of the Asian community from the East African nation of Uganda. Racial hatred and military hostility plagues the land. 90 Days to Leave captures the racially charged era of the 1970s, including political opposition, discrimination, education and employment. The crippling affect that racism has on our world is continuous and troubling. It’s been embedded in our history for hundreds of years and it still exists today, though in smaller numbers, it’s no less frightening and no less harmful. 90 Days to Leave documents the racism present in Uganda in the early 70s and beyond; between the Asians and Ugandan Africans. In our present time, the biggest example of discrimination and hatred (this past year in the spotlight) has been between white and Black people. But there is far more dirt in the seams of our ever-cracking world and 90 Days to Leave shows us just a snippet of it. As this tightly edited documentary shows, racial prejudice and discrimination can cause people to lose out on jobs, places to call home, and in some cases, a life. Setting itself firmly in the era of the 1970s, 90 Days to Leave showcases the disgusting nature of racism, the affect it has on a community, and the outcome of having to relocate to a different country. Forcefully pushed to Britain (and other countries in America and Asia), the Asian community essentially began anew, and when they were invited back to Uganda years later, many felt inclined to stay in the land they now called home. To be sure, there’s a lot going on in this documentary, and with its narration by Alain Azoulay, it definitely employs a knowledgeable tone. It’s unfortunate that it isn’t a longer piece, though. 90 Days to Leave is touching on an important subject and it deserves more time to explain, and in some way, breathe. This is a stuffed documentary, given its duration, but one that actually does educate a fair amount. Though it must be said that the 15-minute runtime means it works more as an introductory piece, than an information packet full of charged knowledge. It’s a sharp documentary with collected archival footage from events and interviews years prior, and trickles through these at a fast pace. The downside to any documentary providing information on such events as this, is that when compiled into a shorter duration, it can mean that a lot of key points are left on the cutting room floor. 90 Days to Leave is certainly a great little package, but it feels as if there could be so much more included to really drive it in. - #TaryllBaker

★★★ Directed by #YuleneOlaizola Written by #YuleneOlaizola, #RubenImaz Starring #IndiraRubieAndrewin, #GilbertoBarraza, #MarianoTunXool Film Review by Amber Jackson A woman flees into the depths of a Mayan jungle and is forced to confront nature as untamed. Both unnerving and unruly in equal measures Selva Trágica (Tragic Jungle) is a ninety-minute exploration of those trapped in the trees and none of what they are forced to confront is what it seems. Indira Rubie Andrewin portrays Agnes, a young woman fleeing being forced into an arranged marriage, is taken in by a group of Mayan men after becoming lost. The film tells us the setting is the border between Mexico and (now-called) Belize in the 1920s, but refuses to give any further information. Agnes’ story is not given to us directly, with the film instead removing context to maintain confusion and then just as the narrative begins to make sense, the film twists and makes you lose your bearings again. The storytelling is minimal, yet intelligent, as the jungle overwhelms its inhabitants. Tragic Jungle arguably participates in the Slow Cinema genre, with plenty of long scenes with no dialogue and the sounds of nature overlapping each other to further build an eerie space. It is like waiting for the jump scare that never arrives, making it all the more thrilling to watch. A sense of dread continually builds as Agnes and the group of men exist in the jungle. With an absence of music and any score, except for the sounds of animals and plant life, watching this film forces you to rely on your sensory response to the film. Senses are stimulated and overwhelmed throughout the film, with frequent shots of dirt and scrubbing dirt away, along with the sounds of walking through mud, washing, and the repetitive process of getting and making gum from the jungle trees. This focus on the physicality of the body in relation to movement and the strains of labour is incredibly over-sensory and only adds to any feeling of discomfort that audiences may feel. The camera is often at eye-level, adding to the immersive nature of every scene. Although well acted, Tragic Jungle falls short in parts mostly due to its treatment of power and control. The men believe that they have control over Agnes, being the only women that they encounter in the entire ninety-minute film, with her ultimately resorting to using her sexuality to gain power over them. This makes the discussions of race and cultural divisions feel slightly overlooked. These characters establishments and motivations could be much better, but if the point of the film is to be completely disorienting, it succeeds. By far the best character in this film is the jungle, unwelcoming and unassuming. The soundscape is both haunting and tranquil as animals wander past the camera and go against every expectation. Lack of context and motivation makes the jungle location feel lost in time. Amongst the beautiful landscape shots of the wildlife, a fear of nature and its power lurks expertly in every scene. This contrasts intelligently with the repetitive sounds of human noise, making the men sound mechanical in comparison. Varying noises collapsing together in this way is confusing, but makes a beautiful effect. Whilst it is clever to showcase the gradual demise of characters, after the first half of the film Tragic Jungle does begin to unravel and the plot falls apart. What started as a promising premise unfortunately falls a bit short by the end, as concepts of colonialism, toxic masculinity and the woman as the exotic Other all blend together. Suffice to say, I am not sure what to make of Tragic Jungle, but its beautiful concept and expert camerawork makes me appreciate the eerie story that it is trying to tell. If you are a fan of Slow Cinema and incredibly aesthetic films, it is worth watching. Tragic Jungle is currently streaming on Netflix UK. Watch the trailer here: #AmberJackson #TragicJungle #Netflix

★★★ Directed by #TerenceKrey Written by #ChristineNyland #TerenceKrey Starring #ChristineNyland #JacobAWare Film Review by George Wolf Re-animating the dead is one of the most long-standing premises of the horror genre. And like it or don’t, such tradition brings certain expectations. Playing God is going to bring consequence, that we know. The question is how bloody and brutal the comeuppance will be. Shudder original An Unquiet Grave goes the understated route, getting maximum return from a minimalistic production that is more centered on grief than gore. Jamie (Jacob A. Ware) is shattered from the loss of his wife Julie in a bloody car accident. Julie’s twin sister Ava (Christine Nyland, who also co-wrote the script) is grieving, too, but in different, sometimes morbid ways. In abstract terms, they discuss the idea that Jamie knows a way to bring “Jules” back, but only with Ava’s help. Months later, around the first anniversary of Julie’s death, Ava is a go. Though the rules of the ritual are a bit fuzzy, they involve returning to the scene of the accident with a blood relative of the deceased (that would be Ava), a blindfold, and the burning of sage. Working within a clearly limited budget, director/co-writer Terence Krey is still able to set an effectively creepy mood. The woods where the ritual is performed appear deep and isolated, with Krey throwing in a couple nifty camera moves to heighten the sense of the supernatural. Ware and Nyland are the only two people in the cast, and though they display an easy chemistry, some stilted dialog and a hurried pace – especially once Jules is revived – make for some awkward pauses in an otherwise earnest and insightful film. Navigating grief can be a unique and lonely journey, one where the darkest moments often come from a self-centered pity. With the hushed tones of the folk song that inspired its title, An Unquiet Grave reminds us that peace is a necessity for both the living and the dead. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by #JoshRuben Written by #MishnaWolff Starring #SamRichardson #MilanaVayntrub Film Review by Hope Madden I have seen a lot of horror movies. A lot. You have no idea. Do you know what I have never seen before? A horror movie that opens with a quote from Fred Rogers. Well done, Werewolves Within. Mr. Rogers is a hero of sorts for Finn (Sam Richardson), new park ranger for a very small, isolated, snowy mountain town. The townsfolk are divided on a deal to run a pipeline through their little hamlet. But they will have to work together despite their differences when it appears that a werewolf has begun to prey on their town. Because if left and right cannot work together in the face of a common oppressor, the oppressor will win. It doesn’t matter what that is: fascists, greedy capitalists, werewolves. Still, it can be tough to get the two sides to come together, even for their own good, so Finn channels his hero and does what he can to inspire the townspeople to look out for each other. He just wants them to become good neighbors. It is adorable. Horror has its share of nice guys, but these are almost invariably tragic victims, either the first to go because they don’t have the inner meanness to overcome villainy, or eventual victims because the movie is so much more emotionally relevant if they sacrifice themselves. The nice guy is almost never a horror film’s hero, and this is where Werewolves Within really does depart from standard fare. Director Josh Ruben—fresh off Scare Me, a clever horror-comedy he wrote, directed and starred in—delivers a forgiving, even sweet tone. There’s cynicism here, and characters are not drawn with a lot of dimension, but the performances are fun and the comedy is good-natured. Richardson makes an ideal Rogers-esque central figure, his new hometown populated by a talented comedy ensemble: Michaela Watkins, Michael Chernus, Wayne Duvall, Harvey Guillen (TV’s What We Do In the Shadows), and fan-favorite, Miliana Vayntrub. (You know, Lily from the AT&T ads.) Werewolves Within is loosely based on the video game of the same name, which may be why the plot feels so very slight. Still, writer Mishna Wolff displays a flair for whodunnit fun that elevates the film high above 90% of the video game movies that have been made. A lot of that success lies in Wolff and Ruben’s investment in the nice guy. Fred Rogers once said: “When I was a boy and I would see a scary thing in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.” Finn would have made him proud. #HopeMadden

★★★★ Directed by: Will Masheter Written by: Will Masheter Starring: Will Masheter, Kent Goldfinch Film Review by: Vikas Yadav Will Masheter’s 4 Queens has style and is made with a lot of verve. The camera is energetically active as if on a lookout. From the beginning, you sense something is off about this setting. The color red dominates almost every frame, indicating danger is afoot. But you are not sure when, where, and how the trouble would strike. It’s dark, and evil lurks in the darkness of night. Eventually, the red color would spill in the form of liquid. However, that happens towards the end. In the meantime, let secrets be hidden in the shadows. 4 Queens starts off on a simple note: Mikey (Masheter) meets the kingpin of an underground criminal enterprise named Tzar (Kent Goldfinch) for a game of poker. It's not just the two of them as Tzar’s other goons, too, are in as players. Cards are drawn, stakes are raised, whiskey is served, and the boys disappear in paradise. The sounds of laughter and the shuffling of cards are exaggerated and amplified to the highest volume. The camera spins as if drowning in its own hangover. Given the runtime to be around 24 minutes or so, you ponder whether Masheter’s objective here is merely stylistic experimentation. Is he training his lens to capture situations through cool techniques by utilizing poker as a backdrop? These musings are interrupted when women enter the room, and it's from here 4 Queens begins to reveal its true intent. You understand the reason behind Mikey’s attentiveness (it’s not only related to poker). You see what those red shades were pointing to. The shadows in the back don’t say “vice place” anymore. In retrospect, they seem to be converging with the mysteries of this film. 4 Queens is less about its characters than about the situation they have gotten themselves into. Elements of suspense and tension arise not from the people but from the atmosphere. The team has built such a nice set and developed such a thrilling mood that you don’t find it jarring when the gears are shifted in another direction. The short was shot beneath one of the producer’s houses (Colette Brown, if I am not wrong). The crew was allowed to shoot freely for many months. That feeling of freedom is apparent in 4 Queens, given the way Masheter immerses himself into his work and makes some ambitious choices unabashedly without fear of losing the audience. More pleasing is the fact that his decisions pay off satisfactorily. It’s a win-win case, everybody.

★★★★ Directed by: Jordan Anstatt Written by: Louis Lagayette Starring: Chloe Sirene, Matias Bonino, Julie Reifers, Ameerah Briggs Film Review by: Jason Knight A trip to the vet for an injured pet turns out to be for a much more sinister reason. Courtney (Sirene) and Sam (Bonino) are a young couple and they are driving their dog Max, who is bleeding, to a veterinary clinic. Courtney appears anxious and distressed. After they arrive, she secretly writes a note and passes it confidentially to the receptionist. The note reveals that she is in danger and that the police must be called. Based on a real-life incident, this dramatic thriller focuses on a life-threatening situation. It begins with normality and as the story progresses, it is revealed that things are all but normal, as Sam turns out to be a very dangerous individual. As his true self takes over, the tension rises, making the audience fear for Courtney's safety. He becomes aggressive towards her, indicating that she is stuck in an abusive relationship with him. Sirene delivers a very realistic and dramatic performance as a frightened, desperate woman, who is being threatened by her boyfriend. She seems to have suffered a lot in the hands of Sam, however she manages to find the courage to reach out and get help. Bonino is also convincing as a two-faced, violent man. Regarding the music, the film opens with a heavy metal track and composer David Frey creates a sinister score that goes very well with the atmosphere. As mentioned above, the plot is based on a true story and during the closing credits, real surveillance camera footage is shown, covering several events that took place in the clinic. By including this footage, the filmmakers help the viewer understand that the film they just saw depicts situations that happen in real life, which makes viewing the actual footage rather chilling. Max is Bleeding is a tense, unsettling story about a very dangerous situation. Remarkably acted, with beautiful cinematography and an intriguing plot, this achievement raises awareness about domestic violence and encourages people who are suffering from it to reach out. #JasonKnight

★★ Directed by: Kike Maillo Written by: Cristina Clemente, Kike Maillo, Fernando Navarro Starring: Tomasz Kot, Athena Strates, Marta Nieto, Dominique Pinon Film Review by: William Hemingway A Perfect Enemy Review “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away,” says Jeremiasz Angust (Kot) in the opening scene of A Perfect Enemy, quoting Antoine de Saint Exupery to end his self-aggrandising presentation on the philosophy of architecture, whilst simultaneously outlining himself as a perfectionist. After a quick meet and greet Angust is then whisked away in a chauffeur-driven car so that he can get to the airport and out of Paris as quickly as possible. Paris holds bad memories for him you see, as it was the scene of his deepest regret when his wife left him twenty years earlier, a failure he still carries with him, borne by the ring he continues to wear on his finger to this day. It is obvious that Angust is an uptight and stuffy character, sheltered from the realities of the outside world by hard-working assistants, luxurious surroundings and dark-tinted windows, which makes it all the more surprising that he allows his inner world to be breached by a brash, blonde bombshell in the shape of Texel Textor (Strates). This young Dutch girl appears from out of the pouring rain and raps on his car window while he's stuck in traffic, asking him for a lift to the airport. As luck would have it he's going her way and so Angust reluctantly agrees to offer help to a damsel in distress not realising, or seemingly considering, how this might affect his own plans and his own journey. Inevitably no good deed goes unpunished and after a quick turnaround to retrieve a forgotten backpack Angust arrives at the airport to find that he has missed his flight. Not only that but this young girl with her in-your-face personality has also gotten into his head and he is glad to wave goodbye to her as he makes for the VIP Lounge to wait for the next plane home. So, you can imagine Angust's consternation when somehow young Texel suddenly turns up in the same lounge, part of the terminal that he himself designed, and continues to badger him with her incessant chatter and thinly veiled attempts to engage him in philosophical debate. What follows is then a run-of-the-mill thriller as the two protagonists play an idle game of cat and mouse throughout the airport lounge while the audience desperately waits for some underlying concept to emerge. Unfortunately, that reveal is still a long way away and in order to get to it we must suffer through Texel's story, along with Angust, as she ekes out piece by piece the drama that she would like us to implicitly be a part of. As Texel tells it, her story has three parts: one disgusting, one scary and one that ends in love, and so the meat and bones of the narrative have been laid before us, supposedly whetting our appetite for what is to come. Sadly though, these morsels are over-ripe and are bland and tasteless in the telling. There is a lot of heavy dialogue and expository voice-over that permeates each part of the story and none of the flashback scenes ever really gets the time and space to grow and breathe. Director and co-writer Kike Maillo seems more intent on the telling of the tale rather than on the tale itself and as a result, everything feels fairly rushed and perfunctory. In effect the narrative becomes 'Tell, Don't Show' and Maillo seems to have set things out as 'I'll tell you how I'm going to tell you a story then I'm going to tell you that story just like I told you I would tell it' which, given the dialogue, isn't too far removed from sounding like one of Texel's own lines. The actors, too, seem to be having a really hard time delivering their lines with any emotion or connection to what they are saying. True, both characters are somewhat psychopathic and therefore have an underlying disconnect, but that's not the issue – it's that Maillo has taken the decision to film the piece in English despite most of his actors having very strong accents. This is not the actor's fault and we know that they have proven records with their acting ability, especially Tomasz Kot with his excellent performance in Pawlikowski's Cold War. It's just that the ask of delivering such verbose statements in quick succession, in a manner that is supposed to indicate verbal jousting, is just too much when they are thinking about their pronunciation and making the right shapes with their mouths. Instead of a fast-paced repartee a la Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network what we get is a form of verbal bellyflopping where the words just jump out of the actor's mouths without any direction, style or grace and then land flat with a thud. Maillo has said in an interview that he made the decision to film in English “right from the get-go” because he wanted to give “that feeling of a non-place” and proceedings would appear “more international”. However, given that A Perfect Enemy is basically a chamber play and the settings of the airport and the graveyard and the apartment could have been in any unnamed city, it feels as though other, better decisions could have been made in the construction of the film. Certainly it would have been better to hear a natural cadence and rhythm to the speech, in French perhaps, and read subtitles rather than listen to the actors sound as though they are chewing on pencil shavings. Where A Perfect Enemy finally comes into its own is in the third act, after we have listened to Texel's story and we realise just how connected the two main characters are. Here we eventually get to glimpse the underlying nature of what is driving the narrative and we understand that there is a character study at play with some filthy and nefarious themes to boot. Sadly this all comes as too little too late, and if we are still interested in the story at all we begin to wonder why more of this ugly, compelling psychopathology wasn't explored in much greater detail earlier on in the proceedings. For a film that outwardly talks so much about storytelling, it is odd that this is the area where it falls down the most. Maillo, being a veteran writer/director of several short films and a handful of features, has a good sense of how to set up his frames and make his shots look enticing. There is always a sense of grandiosity to the surroundings, reflecting the perfectionism that Angust aspires to, and which allows the viewer a visual treat when everything is so easy on the eye. The production value is obviously very high in this Spanish/French/German collaboration and it would be a shame if everyone involved didn't feel like they got what they wanted from the final product. There is certainly a lot of promise in the underlying material of this movie, based as it is on the book Cosmetique de L'ennemi, however, the audience is essentially let down by the decisions made in its adaptation and in the way the story is told. There are much better modern European thrillers out there and rather ironically it appears that A Perfect Enemy's most difficult adversary to overcome was the enemy within. A Perfect Enemy will be available on Amazon/Google and iTunes from 5th July

★★★ Directed by: #ChrisAppelhans Written by: #ChrisAppelhans, #XiaocaoLiu Starring: #JohnCho, #JimmyWong, #NatashaLiuBordizzo Netflix Film Review by: Emily Davison Optimistic and determined teen, Din (Wong), longs to reconnect with his childhood best friend when he meets a wish-granting dragon, Long (Cho), who shows him the magic of possibilities. Wish Dragon (2021) is an American-Chinese co-production from Sony Pictures Animation, the studio which gifted us with the spectacular Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). It is a computer-animated family friendly adventure comedy/fantasy, theatrically released in China on January 15th and internationally via Netflix on June 11th. Director Chris Appelhans is best known for his work on other animated films such as Coraline (2009), Rise of the Guardians (2012) and The Princess and the Frog (2009). The film exhibits slick, snappy and colourful animation with some appealing character designs for the good hearted Din, his beautiful distant friend Li Na (Bordizzo) and the dynamic Long. The backgrounds are quite simplistic and don’t offer anything new, but fit the quirky tone well. The overall concept is very familiar, with many viewers comparing the wish dragon to Robin Williams’ eccentric genie in the much beloved Aladdin (1992) and the energetic, whimsical presentation is too similar not to notice. However, the film takes a modern twist with a focus on the rich/poor class divide which is handled well for young viewers to understand. The plot is rather muddled and unfocused, with a redundant villain who does have a fun overexaggerated evil design, but a simple motive of getting the magical tea pot containing the wish dragon from Din. The film works best when it is focusing on the warm platonic relationship between Din and Li Na, which makes an endearing and refreshing change to not overstate their friendship as leading to a possible romantic relationship in the future. It is subtly hinted at occasionally, but it is not the main goal of the lead, as he only wants to meet his childhood best friend again after her father moved them away from poverty to a better life. Although quite predictable and generic, the film does teach an important lesson for children about the value of family and friendship over power and wealth, which does lead to some nice development for Long, who used to be a privileged prince and was turned into a wish dragon to learn about the inherent goodness in human beings. John Cho, most well known for his role as Sulu in the reboot Star Trek film franchise (2009-), gives Long an authentically regal yet playful quality, which does often seem like a lesser version of the genie from Aladdin, but is an admirable performance in its own right. Overall, Wish Dragon is perfect harmless fun for the whole family with a few good laughs, mostly in part to its polished animation and decent message, but it might have benefitted from a deeper focus on the more profound, heartfelt elements of its jumbled story. #EmilyDavison Wish Dragon (2021) Trailer: