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HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Uncharted Film Review average rating is 2 out of 5 Critic: Alasdair MacRae | Posted on: Feb 12, 2022 Directed by: Ruben Fleischer Written by: Rafe Judkin, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway, Amy Hennig, Jon Hanley Rosenberg, Mark D. Walker Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Ali What do you get if you start a new videogame IP inspired by Indiana Jones and then reverse engineer that game series into a film? Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie. Twenty years later, (or one Tomb Raider sequel, one Tomb Raider reboot and one actual Indiana Jones film we don’t talk about later) we arrive at the Uncharted film. All joking aside Uncharted has established itself as its own exciting narrative adventure series. Unfortunately, this film, the first released under the new PlayStation Productions banner, does little to entertain fans of the games, nor does it offer anything unique to the average moviegoer. Opening in true Uncharted fashion we start with an action set-piece prologue, a glimpse at roughly the midpoint of the film to establish the kind of peril our hero Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) will face. He recovers consciousness, his foot is trapped in the binding of a string of cargo crates hanging out of the back of a freighter plane high above the ocean. He mantles the crates and leaps his way up to the back of a plane before a scarlet gullwing Mercedes hurtles toward him and sends him plummeting. Then, before we can cut to ‘Now, New York’, we enter into a second prologue. A tedious look at a young Drake and his relationship with his brother Sam. The need for a second prologue is a sign of shaky things to come. Then, at last, we can get started on an adventure, kind of, Nate has to meet and bond with his partner/mentor Sully (Mark Wahlberg). The pair can finally go hunting for the lost treasure of Magellan in a race against Santiago Moncada (Antonio Banderas), a ruthless heir to a fortune built on blood money. We are now at the stage where there should be a word for a film that tries harder to determine itself as the launching point of a franchise than it tries to be an entertaining film. The Uncharted series has managed to differentiate itself through the crafting of lovable characters, such as the vaguely principled rough and tumble duo of Nathan Drake and Sully. Drake has a charm due to his clumsy nature as a man in his 30s managing to just scrape his way out of every encounter, relying more on luck than judgement. Sully is a moustachioed, gruff, older man who prefers cigars to hard work. In this adaptation, Nathan Drake is a Tom-Holland-type character and Sully is a Mark-Wahlberg-type character. These pair portray the characters in name alone. There are glimpses of fun on Drake’s adventure but it is hard to sustain when the core duo are so devoid of character. The last set-piece, in particular, is a rather grand spectacle, but it lacks the third act twist of the games which often unveil a supernatural element. This instead feels more like something out of a latter-day Fast and Furious outing. For fans there are a few easter eggs including (VERY MINOR SPOILERS) a glimpse at a Naughty Dog sticker and a cameo from Nathan Drake voice actor Nolan North. Uncharted does little for fans of the series, nor much for newcomers. It didn’t even make this reviewer want to rush back to the games, a crime in itself. Ironically, Uncharted feels like a Sunday morning stroll down a well-trodden path. About the Film Critic Alasdair MacRae Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Demigod Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Brandon Thomas | Posted on: Oct 11, 2021 Directed by: Miles Doleac Written by: Miles Doleac, Michael Donovan Horn Starring: Rachel Nichols, Jeremy London We know we’re in for a good time when a couple of hapless Americans venture into rural Europe. I’ve lost count of how many of these movies have been released over the years, but they’re almost always worth a casual look. I consider myself a well-traveled fella, but there’s always been something about the backwoods of Europe that sends a shiver down my spine. I’m sure Europeans feel the same way about Kentucky. Robin (Rachel Nichols, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and TV’s Alias ) and her boyfriend, Leo (Yohance Myles), travel from the U.S. to a rural part of Germany after Robin’s grandfather, Karl (Jeremy London, Mallrats ), dies. Robin and her father left Germany when she was young, and she hasn’t been back since. As she and Leo explore the cabin and its grounds, they are soon confronted by a strange cult, and find themselves scrambling through the region’s famed Black Forest, fighting for their lives. For a film that has folklore at the forefront, Demigod never gets bogged down by too much world-building exposition. Director (and co-star) Miles Doleac keeps the film moving at a snappy pace. The action sequences are well shot and edited, with a delightful level of energy. The majority of the production value is found in the cinematography and how it captures the vast, isolated forest. But when the Demigod himself makes his eventual appearance, the result is borderline disappointing. Having your titular character look like a distant cousin of the laughing deer head in Evil Dead II isn’t going to set the word of mouth on fire. Thankfully, the sheer brutality of the character helps keep the chuckles away. The film’s cast is pretty solid from top to bottom. Nichols makes for a strong heroine, selling the vulnerability of the character better than she does physicality. Director Doleac himself makes the biggest impression as German woodsman, Arthur. It’s a well-written character that allows Doleac to dance back and forth from a good guy to a bad guy to every gray area in between. Demigod doesn’t have a lot of narrative surprises up its sleeve. However, what it lacks in story twists and turns, it more than makes up for with exciting, bloody carnage. About the Film Critic Brandon Thomas Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Vaarwell - Quarter Life Crisis - EP Campaign Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Jun 8, 2023 Directed by: Taha Ismail Written by: Taha Ismail Starring: Vaarwell Ahead of London-based electro-pop duo Vaarwell’s upcoming EP Quarter Life Crisis, they have produced a series of music videos to capture the themes, emotions and mindscapes that power their ethereal and atmospheric music. In W/U, a couple sit in a car transfixed by the actions of a pair of doppelgangers representing their ideal selves in each other’s eyes. In DLAM (Don’t Look At Me) the duo transverse a city late at night with their faces obscured by blurring lights. Finally in Sellout, the pair are frozen in place at a busy and vibrant fairground, ignorant of the enjoyment and excitement around them as they consider the burden of life’s responsibilities. Vaarwell’s music videos/visualizers are interlinked by shared ingredients such as blurring and hypnotising lighting effects, introspective examinations of growth and adulthood (matching the EP’s subject – a ‘quarter life crisis’) and through its focus on the band as unwitting actors in a rapidly shifting world. The ultimate aim of the videos is to match the song they accompany thematically and amplify the band’s music. The setting of a city at night accomplishes this brilliantly, giving director Taha Ismail a canvas to create wonderous and airy imagery that viewers will find a treat. W/U is the highlight of the trio – presenting a discomforting mini plot about a couple viewing each other’s personas from the backseat of a car. The unreachable standards the pair hold each other too are highlighted, and the message that our true selves taking a back seat to the personas we create can result in difficulties communicating is impressively portrayed through the video. DLAM is more of a lucid experience, without an obvious storyline beyond the pair taking a trip through a city. The director’s concealing of the artists’ faces throughout the video creates an air of mystery, as well as a theme that people lose who they are in the madness of everyday life. Sellout is a simple visualiser, and unfortunately there is not a lot to say about what is ultimately a repeated frame. A sense of burden and disconnect is evident in the video’s construction, but this one feels far emptier than the other productions. This series of videos for Quarter-Life Crisis are solid and complimentary of Vaarwell’s unique and established music style. Whilst there is a limit to what they accomplish in terms of a story or plot, they do effectively match the music and create a visual experience to match the sonic one provided by the record. About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, Short Film, Music Video < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Small Talks Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Alasdair MacRae | Posted on: Aug 28, 2022 Directed by: George Sheard Written by: George Sheard Starring: Charles Doherty, Hollie Hurrell Taxi driver, Robert, (Charles Doherty) picks up a concerning fare one night in Chloe (Hollie Hurrell), a distressed young adult wanting to be dropped off at a nearby river. After the car breaks down Robert decides that he must intervene and talk to his passenger about her troubling behaviour. Suicide prevention is a tricky topic to discuss, and director George Sheard has taken perhaps the riskiest approach to the issue, a literal discussion where a person tries to dissuade the other from attempting suicide. In this short, the two characters are given little-to-no background and the audience is thrust with them into this extreme situation. Almost the entirety of Small Talks is played out in mid-close up, shot/reverse shot, and with such little use of cinematic devices, it puts the weight of the drama on the actors and the script. The director has put the film on a very narrow and limited path to success with a steep fall-off on either side. Fortunately, the writing and the performers selected are up to the task. Hollie Hurrell gives a striking performance as Chloe, lost in a desperate spiral of depression, hurt, and anger. Her frustration at her inability to communicate effectively conveys her trapped raw emotion. Charles Doherty is the likable Robert, tactfully attempting to counter the rapid descent without making matters worse, whilst also signalling a mutual understanding of Chloe’s situation. The pair manage to hold the gravity of the conversation for it to ultimately have a moving pay-off. One noteworthy and a possibly controversial choice made in the short is that the word suicide is noticeably absent from the dialogue. Whilst this may help the dialogue in terms of the drama, with both characters carefully circling the topic whilst trying to skewer it, it actually goes against the current mental health guidelines of asking a person outright if they are thinking about committing suicide. Perhaps the most interesting discussion point considering Small Talks is otherwise such a literal film. Whilst Small Talks does its best to make a rod for its own back, it does still carry emotional weight. The film’s successes can largely be boiled down to great performances from the lead actors, and a flawed but undeniably human script. About the Film Critic Alasdair MacRae Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Sarajin Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Chris Olson | Posted on: Oct 1, 2023 Directed by: Justin Kim WooSŏk Written by: Justin Kim WooSŏk Starring: Jongman Kim, Taehee Kim Filmmaker Justin Kim WooSŏk’s heartfelt and understated short film Sarajin explores a small story in a much bigger picture, one about the impact of climate change. Jongman Kim plays an immigrant fisherman living in Alaska. Things are tight, as the snow crabs that his livelihood depends on have disappeared, forcing his captain to keep the boat anchored. With pressure at home from his partner (Ki Jin Kim) to provide for their family, our protagonist faces a tough decision: whether to wait it out or to move on. Sarajin is based on real-life closures of fisheries and how this impacts huge communities of people who have lived and fished in one place for generations. Whilst the film never engages in heightened melodrama, keeping a low poignancy throughout, it is still a very striking story about how the changing oceans (caused by human actions) can drastically impact the lives of common people. Beautifully shot and low-key with its dialogue, Sarajin is the strongest when contemplative. A simple shot of a rusted boat in the harbour, or a lingering shot through the truck window as our fisherman drives him despondent. It’s a film that encourages the feeling of tranquillity in order for you to really consider what’s being depicted here. The performances support this through dispirited exchanges, such as the couple exploring their hopeless situation, or the crew on the boat longing to get the green light to go back out to sea. The glum tone would be altogether too much if it weren’t for the engaging filmmaking and strong acting. The film’s title means “disappearing” in Korean and the layered meaning here is as equally as devastating as the plot. Often, considerations of climate change focus largely on the natural impact and how we might see drastic changes to weather, sea levels and such. What we aren’t usually presented with are the aspects of our global communities that will be lost forever. With his short film Sarajin , Justin Kim WooSŏk has opened a door for his audience that it may be impossible to shut if you have engaged with his piece enough. There are already aspects of our lives that will be lost to the history books, with lots more likely on the horizon. Being forced to move on from our homes is one of the most unnatural experiences in the world and yet this could be the experience for many if our neglect of the ocean and other essential parts of nature continues. About the Film Critic Chris Olson Short Film, World Cinema < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The jar Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Swati Verma | Posted on: Aug 17, 2021 Directed by: Carleton Rodgers Written by: Carleton Rodgers Starring: Brandon Brownlee, Paul McGuinness, Rachel McGrane, CaolanJohnson, The film opens with a child wearing a space helmet with instructions of a mission playing in the background. This scene gives the audience the idea that the little boy has a dream of becoming an astronaut. The child collects money in a jar for the same purpose. The plot also revolves around the relationship between the father and son. The father (Paul McGuinness) tries very hard to support Jake's dream despite the financial troubles and work difficulties. The story also focuses on the struggles the little protagonist faces as a family unit and at school to fulfill his desire to embrace space. Jake(Brandon Brownlee) finds himself closer to his wish of attending a space school by facing all the challenges put forward by Brandon(Caolan Johnston). The plot point that breaks Jake into pieces is when he finds his dad injured because of an accident. The father is in a deep financial crisis. The money in the jar is the only way the duo can pay for the rent and food. Jake can only watch his dream shatter in front of his eyes. He wears his helmet and goes into his fantasy land of the planets and stars, moves towards the sun to avoid the reality of his life. Jake comes out of his dream to find out that his jar is empty. Paul McGuinness can portray the father's feeling so effortlessly. The father is very emotional, heartbroken, and helpless when he has to destroy all the hopes and dreams his son had out of life to deal with the monetary issues in their household. Sarah (Rachel McGrane) and Norton (WillOHare) are two more members from Team Jake who support him at school. Sarah is a courageous person who holds Jake together as she dares to stand up to Brandon when he tries to be unreasonable towards Jake. The viewers make up the fourth pillar in the support system of Jake. The audiences choose to dislike Brandon as well and protect the lead character against all odds. The director/writer (Carleton Rodgers) has managed to keep the audience involved with the film up until the end. The screenplay is simple, and it does not seem to be lengthy. The film has an open-ended closure. The viewers get the freedom to analyze and interpret the cinematic piece as they want to. About the Film Critic Swati Verma Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS A Love Song Film Review average rating is 4 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Sep 26, 2022 Directed by: Max Walker-Silverman Written by: Max Walker-Silverman Starring: Dale Dickey, Wes Studi Filmmaker Max Walker-Silverman’s feature debut A Love song blesses us with 81 minutes of Dale Dickey, a gorgeous western landscape, and not much else. It is enough. Dickey is Faye, a solitary figure with a face full of longing at Campsite 7. She sets her crawdad traps, makes her coffee, studies birds and their calls by day, stars and their positions by night, and waits. Dickey’s performance is a master class in authenticity, as always. She’s been the grizzled Appalachian or the kindly townsfolk in countless films and shows. Rather than hide the years that stretch across her face, she looks out from behind them, eyes bright and observing. She wears a lifetime of experience, and that, along with her instinctive natural performances, creates depth and richness. All that and more is called for in Walker-Silverman’s film because for about 80% of its running time, we’re alone with Faye and witness to Dickey’s achingly real performance. Faye’s solitude is broken up here and there. A friendly couple a few campsites over invite her for dinner. An odd group of siblings arrives with a peculiar request. A kindly and encouraging mailman stops by. Eventually, Faye’s patience pays off in the form of her childhood friend, Lito (Wes Studi). Decades of absence and years of meaning stand between Lito’s charming smile and Faye’s searching eyes. There’s magic and nostalgia for old-fashioned love stories in Walker-Silverman’s script, but these veteran actors don’t bend to sentiment. Both know how to blend innocence with renewal, reimagining coming-of-age as they do. Walker-Silverman’s camera lights on visual metaphors: hearty wildflowers bursting through dried earth, a transistor radio that always seems to know what to play. His film brims with the kind of beauty and type of characters reminiscent of Chloé Zhao’s work, but A Love Song is more meditative. It’s beautiful, touching and real. About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Blazing World Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Hope Madden | Posted on: Oct 14, 2021 Directed by: Carlson Young Written by: Carlson Young Starring: Carlson Young, Udo Kier, Vinessa Shaw Creepy twin stuff, Udo Kier, alternate realities—yes, The Blazing World . I am in. Co-writer/director/star Carlson Young takes us on a strange journey as Margaret Winter, haunted twin who lost her sister ten years ago. Struggling to get by, she relents and visits her needy mother (Vinessa Shaw) and difficult father (Dermot Mulroney), who are packing up Margaret’s childhood home for sale. And that is the last normal thing that happens. Working with cinematographer Shane F. Kelly (Boyhood ), Carlson conjures a beautifully melancholic world, one that almost seems like our world but only if you squint. The colors and music suggest a vibrant but eerie dreamscape, the ideal spot for Margaret to lose herself – and maybe find her sister. The title suggests Margaret Cavendish’s 17th Century feminist utopia, but Young’s script (co-written with Pierce Brown) takes only the loosest inspiration. Rather than the tale of a woman learning to lead in another realm, this The Blazing World reimagines one life’s greatest traumas as fantastical games to be overcome. Carlson herself does a solid job of shouldering heroine duties, and she surrounds herself with talent. While Shaw and Mulroney deliver wild and eerie performances, it is Udo Kier you’ll remember best. Of course it is! As gamesman, devil and guide, he charms in his wearily creepy way. Young’s writing can’t quite keep up with her knack for casting, though. While several scenes in and of themselves stand out spectacularly, and the weaving together of the various images creates a strange and intoxicating flavor, the underlying story is just too slight and the metaphors somewhat tortured. About the Film Critic Hope Madden Digital / DVD Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

Rise of the Footsoldier Origins UK Cinema Release Chris Olson Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 10:57:23 AM UTC VINNIE JONES STARS AS REAL-LIFE HARDMAN AND THE ULTIMATE GANGSTER IN BRITISH TRUE CRIME THRILLER RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS Only in cinemas September 3rd . Courtesy of Signature Entertainment. The eagerly-awaited RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS, starring legendary leading man Vinnie Jones, is showing exclusively in cinemas from September 3, courtesy of Signature Entertainment. Lock, Stock and Snatch superstar Vinnie Jones teams up with premiere acting veteran Keith Allen (Kingsman, Shallow Grave) for British true-crime thriller RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS, a brutal account of how real-life, hard-as-nails Falklands War veteran Tony Tucker came to be involved in one of the most notorious gangland murders in British history. As well as Jones, outstanding as fearsome doorman Bernard O'Mahoney, and Allen as formidable nightclub owner Dave Simms, the film features some of the cream of the crop of home-grown actors including Craig Fairbrass (Muscle) – returning as notorious drug-dealer Pat Tate - P.H.Moriarty from The Long Good Friday, Billy Murray (Eastenders), Michelle Collins (Eastenders), George Russo (Top Dog), the brilliant Roland Manookian (RocknRolla), a genius cameos from reality TV royalty Chris Hughes and the late and great Heavy D. Directed by Nick Nevern (director and star of The Hooligan Factory and star of popular BBC comedy series Motherland), who co-wrote the script with producer Andrew Loveday, this is a blisteringly good thriller, set against a superbly realised backdrop of the late 80s rave scene, with a pulsing soundtrack featuring the likes of New Order and Ultravox. A future Brit gangster classic that gives the likes of Layer Cake, The Gentlemen and Legend a run for their money. Jam-packed with foul-mouthed and often hilarious dialogue, explosive moments of violence, and a gripping plot that tells it like it happened, RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS is a must-see for anyone after an authentic crime biopic that hits like a knuckle-duster polished to a high shine. This is Blow, Essex style, and it will knock your socks off. Get your tickets front and centre now and prepare to get blasted. RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS is showing ONLY in cinemas from 3rd September, released by Signature Entertainment Watch Rise of the Footsoldier Free Online. The King's Man UK Home Release Date Announced The Latest King’s Man Film Will be Available on Digital February 9 and 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ and DVD on February 21. Read Now BFI Future Film Festival announces 2022 Awards Jury and full programme Find out who the jury is for the 2022 BFI Future Film Festival. 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Read Now Rise of the Footsoldier Origins UK Cinema Release The eagerly-awaited RISE OF THE FOOTSOLDIER: ORIGINS, starring legendary leading man Vinnie Jones, is showing exclusively in cinemas from September 3, courtesy of Signature Entertainment. Read Now Random Acts of Violence UK DVD and Blu-ray Release Date Jay Baruchel writes, directs and stars in his horror debut Random Acts of Violence, which makes its UK Blu-ray debut from Acorn Media International in conjunction with Shudder, following its success on the streaming service. Read Now Spirited Away 20th Anniversary Special Edition SPIRITED AWAY COLLECTOR’S BOXSET WITH DVD & BLU-RAY DOUBLEPLAY AVAILABLE 27 SEPTEMBER 2021 Read Now A New World Order Premieres in UK 23 August Black Mirror meets A Quiet Place in gripping sci-fi thriller A New World Order from director Daniel Raboldt in his feature debut, which gets its UK premiere on DVD and digital 23 August 2021 from Reel 2 Reel Films. Read Now

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS The Pod Generation Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: George Wolf | Posted on: Aug 9, 2023 Directed by: Sophie Barthes Written by: Sophie Barthes Starring: Emilia Clarke, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Vinette Robinson There are some scary implications to be found, but The Pod Generation is no horror show. In this near future world, couples – and women, specifically – willingly line up for the chance to get pregnant outside the womb. Writer/director Sophie Barthes (Cold Souls , Madame Bovary ) cooks up a smart, darkly funny and satirical look at the many faces of “progress” that still gets stuck on repeat in the third act. Rachel (Emilia Clarke) has a well-paid gig monitoring influencers (that’s a full-time job!) at a tech firm. Her husband Alvy (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a botanist and teacher. And from cognitive assistants to breathing bars and nature “sessions,” Rachel’s fine with all the comforts provided by technology, while Alvy is much more comfortable keeping things actually natural. So there’s a conflict when Rachel gets an unexpected message from tech giant Pegazus. After years on the waitlist – there’s an opening at The Womb Center! Do Rachel and Alvy want to be next to grow their baby in a pod? Alvy is plenty wary, but Linda, the Womb Center director (Rosalie Craig, terrific) is mighty persuasive. In a speech that feels like the cynical sister to America Ferrera’s truth bomb from Barbie , she wins the couple over with the reasons why women are no longer “victims of biology.” We’ve seen films about the hidden dangers of technology for years now, but Barthes brings a slyly vital approach to the discussion, and gets a big assist from production designer Clement Price-Thomas. Everything in this world is sleek, futuristic and creepily intrusive, but just close enough to our own surroundings that we have no problem accepting it as possible (even probable). Pair that with the excellent work from Clarke and Ejiofor, and Barthes has fertile ground to dig in. She peppers the outside with some dry, funny barbs about relationships and work life, while the meat in the middle takes on gaslighting and the slippery slope of trading control for convenience. And yet, as big and worthy as these ideas are, you expect the pregnancy arc to end with a little more bite. There’s more than enough to keep us engaged while a desperate couple is weighing their options, but once it’s decision time, The Pod Generation doesn’t offer much beyond what we’ve known since we were amazed by the click wheel. About the Film Critic George Wolf Theatrical Release < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Spooky Bastard Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Swati Verma | Posted on: Apr 25, 2023 Directed by: Michael Bird, Rafe Bird Written by: Michael Bird, Rafe Bird Starring: Rafe Bird, Vicki Reckless The word Spooky incorporated in the title of the short film usually refers to Sinister or ghostly in a way that causes fear and unease assisting the filmmakers to increase the audience engagement with the content via the leading couple Jamie (Rafe Bird) and Helena (Vicki Reckless). The plot of Spooky Bastard revolves around a loud crash in the middle of the night, and a cloaked figure in the garden one thing is for certain…. Jamie has found himself in a horror movie-and boy does he hate it when that happens! The ethereal cloaked figure has just one purpose…to spook. But what happens when it isn’t working? Well, things got to get really spooky… Now Jamie and his girlfriend Helena must discover how to rid themselves of the enraged Spooky Bastard so that they can just get a good night’s sleep…And wait for the credits to roll. In the opening sequence, a long shot of the house is shown followed by a close-up shot and mid-shots of the male protagonist along with eerie sounds in the background to elevate the horror genre and also adding hints of comedy to establish the subject matter the film deals with. The movie has incorporated comic references in the carefully written conversations between characters related to Nottingham providing it with the necessary local vibes so that the viewers relate to the same. The makers have decided to create a contrast by taking up the domestic issues every husband and wife go through daily so that the audience feels involved and does not get bored with the constant mention of Western and science fiction themes. The white, black, and blue colour pallet, camera angles, set design, dim lighting, dialogues, costume, hair, makeup, and props complement the switch between different genres and elements ensuring the continuity and smooth flow of the narrative. In terms of performance, Rafe Bird plays Jamie who is a fun-loving person who loves his life with his better half but soon is dealing with a spirit in a horror movie. Bird exudes brilliant comic timing in his body language, voice modulation, dialogue delivery, and the reaction shots given by him in a situation as per the demand of the script. Vicki Reckless as Helena is high on energy attempting to strike a balance between professional as well as personal life. Reckless portrays a fearless attitude as she deals with the situation. She is all calm and composed initially but takes the form of a ninja later. The young actress is a true inspiration to many making Helena relatable in the eyes of the audience. The Spooky Bastard talks about functioning as a unit to deal with any unforeseen emergencies. The short film also reiterates the need for emotional support and understanding between couples or families to combat and survive the testing times. The horror film celebrates womanhood and tells us that asking for help from women in one’s life should be a matter of pride, especially wives because it truly defines partnership in a wedlock. About the Film Critic Swati Verma Short Film < All Reviews Next Film Review >

HOME | FILMS | REVIEWS Tales from Pandora's Box: Chapter One Film Review average rating is 3 out of 5 Critic: Patrick Foley | Posted on: Apr 22, 2022 Directed by: Jason DeStefano Written by: Jason DeStefano Starring: Raina Ariel, Analyn DeStefano, Jason DeStefano Inheriting the chaotic nature of the mythological artefact its story is based on, Tales from Pandora’s Box: Chapter One is an anthological collection of occult tales relayed it’s the titular Greek legend. The result is an intriguing and artistic feature, but one that can feel repetitive and overlong. The film is made up of a number of short stories told to the viewer by Pandora (Raina Ariel), who documents the chaos unleashed upon the world since her legendary box was opened. Included amongst these are tales of cults who have turned hostile, serial killers receiving mysterious new callings, and witchcraft in some notorious familiar locations. As her stories are told, similarities begin to emerge, and links between the grizzly tales become clear. Billed as ‘chapter one’ of an unknown number of feature-length films, Tales from Pandora’s Box features a mixed bag of gruesome tales woven together to create the outline of an overarching story, which presumably will stretch across the remainder of its series. However much of the focus of the film is on the individual stories themselves. Director Jason DeStefano does a good job of adjusting pacing, themes and settings for the different segments. However repeated use of the same music and stock imagery of a red hallway, and certain camera effects, leave the film feeling repetitive. The stories themselves are of the classic ‘ghost story’ styling and delve into all kinds of occult and arcane mythology that will interest horror fanatics. Some last only a matter of minutes, and end up feeling rushed, whereas others enjoy further focus. Those who stick with the film will be rewarded by the revelations which connect the different sections together – though the sheer number of these make this a difficult task, and audiences can’t be blamed if they struggle to remember the large number of plots and characters, who sometimes end up sharing similarities. The film does feel overlong, particularly with the aforementioned hallway scenes which eat up several seconds using the same footage and music for the beginning of every story. Creating the idea of reaching into the box for each look at its power is an interesting idea, but the execution feels a little lazy. In contrast, some of the slower, more artistic stories themselves are among the film’s best. The narration’s tendency to over-explain detracts from some of the more complex of the tales – which never really have time to fully develop. The director’s ability to create unease, tension, confusion and awe through clever use of camerawork could have been better utilised here. The film’s rotating cast never really get much of a chance to thrive given the scattergun approach to the storytelling. However, Lucille Summers’ turn as the physical interpretation of Pandora intrigues between the stories themselves – remaining true to the basics of the original myth whilst adding sexuality and lust which unnerves as much as it arouses. Raina Ariel’s voiceover feels a little generic however, and suffers from an overeager script. Fans of mythological-based horror and witchcraft will find enough in Tales from Pandora’s Box to satisfy their cravings for the creepy. But the excessive length of this film means many will fail to reach the conclusion that ties its many tales together. Given that there will be at least another chapter, it’s a struggle to see how another offering will sustain itself. About the Film Critic Patrick Foley Digital / DVD Release, World Cinema, Film Festival < All Reviews Next Film Review >