19th May2013

‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, Anthony Pizza, Bradley Cooper, Ray Liotta, Craig Van Hook, Mahershala Ali, Olga Merediz, Ben Mendelsohn  | Written and Directed by Derek Cianfrance

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The Place Beyond the Pines is an ambitious tale of scope and sequence. It embodies the impact of heritage and the lingering effects of our actions. Director Derek Cianfrance brings the same unrelenting realism to the stark relationships of this film as he did with his last project Blue Valentine. Both films share a sense of moral ambiguity where no choice is a forgone conclusion. The triptych narrative unfolds like a novel coming to life. Every act is distinctly different from the next as it follows a particular set of unique characters. Each storyline progresses from where the last one left off as the life of one character bleeds into the life of the next. Themes are effectually handled and the points certainly come across—sometimes too bluntly. Much of the third act feels less like a fitting conclusion and more like an elongated thesis on Cianfrance’s life principles. Still, there is enough craftsmanship at play to make The Place Beyond the Pines a chilling account of misbegotten legacy.

In the film Ryan Gosling plays Luke, a motorcycle stunt rider who discovers he has fathered a child without his knowledge. Eva Mendes plays Romina, whose one night stand with Luke turns into a life time commitment. Luke wishes to provide for his child so he turns to bank robbing to earn some quick cash. His decision begins a sequence of events that will live on for generations. There are a lot of films that have multiple storylines that connect into one another. Films like Crash or Babel take the large-scale approach as they cover a multitude of storylines all at the same time. The Place Beyond the Pines is slightly different as it focuses on one narrative at a time. This opening act forges a strong foundation for the film to build upon.  It brings you into this grimy world of miscreant creatures. Cianfrance has a knack for creating characters with a harsh authenticity. Though the cast is full of some of today’s hottest stars, they fit into these roles with ease. Gosling is great as this brooding scoundrel who mistakes action with intelligent decision making. Luke is not a saint by any means but you are given enough background to sympathize with his plight.

Part of what makes the first act stand above the rest is it’s amped up momentum. The pacing would never be confused with a thrill ride, however the car chases and bank robberies deliver large doses of excitement. Sean Bobbit’s cinematography helps capture these moments with his stunning use of the camera. It is equivalent to watching the best shot version of Cops ever made. The bank robberies were distinctive in their simplicity. There were no grand schemes or years of planning. Just get in and get out as quickly as possible. Real banks were used for these scenes, which added a level of validity to their execution. Common conventions were avoided at all costs. It was as if Cianfrance specifically designed the film to curtail your expectations.

Cianfrance also plays with expectations by abruptly ending the first act to move into story of Avery—a young rookie cop played by Bradley Cooper. This fresh-faced police officer becomes a hero due to being in the right place at the wrong time. His new-found fame brings him into a world of corruption he is not ready for. He soon realizes the line between cop and criminal is not as distinct as he once thought. His story continues the theme of instantaneous choice and the effects it can have. The slight influence from outside forces brings these characters down roads they didn’t expect to travel on. No choice is without repercussions, and righting a wrong does not necessarily fix the problem.

These themes of legacy, father-son connection, and the continued influence of one’s actions lead up to the coup de gras final act. Parallel imagery was elegantly used to relieve poignant moments of the films early stages. The scope of the film goes from zero to hundred with this last bow. Character motivations were glossed over to fit into the narrative’s wishes. More importantly the characters in the final act are far less intriguing than the first two. They feel less like characters and more like gears stuck in this frozen line of destiny.  In addition the plotting becomes muddled within this framework. Its hesitation to move forward inhibits any type of momentum from being established.

One consistent commonality within these three acts was the number of quality performances. With Blue Valentine Cianfrance gave his actors a lot of room to perform. Much of the dialog felt ad-libbed as if he just let the actors live in the moment. There is some of that here, and most of the actors are more than capable to work through this heavy lifting. Bradley Cooper has come a long way since he first emerged onto the scene. He breaks free from his movie star persona to encapsulate this rather grounded character. At times the dialogue did become a little too clumsy. The arguments between Gosling and Mendes were lacking an emotional weight, because the words—or lack thereof—took precedence over the performance. For the most part any issues with these performances were minute at best. If you were to walk in cold not knowing any of these actors you may think the people on-screen are genuine average citizens, which is a testament to their dedication to these roles.

The Place Beyond the Pines is a tale on the longing effect of the power of choice. Much of its hypothesis is commendably portrayed through the act of great storytelling. There are far more successes than failures, but the failures come at one of the most inopportune times. Though it starts with a bang, it goes out with a whimpering dud. Nevertheless that initial bang is still strong enough to pull you through till the end, and there is enough in the final turn to save it from being a complete waste. The legacy of The Place Beyond the Pines has yet to be determined, but the early signs put it on the right track.

**** 4/5

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19th May2013

‘Handgun’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Karen Young, Clayton Day, Suzie Humphreys, Helena Humann, Ben Jones | Written and Directed by Tony Garrett

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With one broken relationship still fresh in her mind, Kathleen Sullivan (Young) is in no mood to take on a new boyfriend. Larry (Day) however will not tolerate sexual rebuffs; rape is his means of exercising what he regards as a male prerogative. Consumed by anger and hungry for vengeance, Kathleen now finds she must take matters into her own hands.

The film debut of Karen Young, who would later go on to star in Birdy, Daylight and The Sopranos, is an uncompromising look at America’s hand gun culture through the eyes of a school teacher coming to terms with being raped. Helmed by British director Tony Garnett in the heart of Texas using a mix of actors and local people, Handgun is unlike any other rape/revenge thriller that has come before or since…

This very stylised look at American gun culture comes from writer/director Garnett – who was a part of the radical “kitchen-sink” drama movement on British television in the 1960s and ’70s, producing classics such as Kes, Up the Junction and Cathy Come Home – who avoids falling into Death Wish/I Spit On Your Grave territory through a matter-of-fact, documentary-style (without the clinical edge typically associated with the genre), directorial approach. It’s this cinema-verite style that gives Handgun a gravitas over and above it’s exploitation counterparts.

And whilst Handgun does contain some of the tropes of the rape/revenge exploitation genre, the film is less interested in the revenge that it is in presenting a character study of a woman broken both physically and mentally and what it takes for her to regain some “control” over her life. Garnett spends a good portion of the film introducing us to the meek and mild Kathleen before she goes through her ordeal so that we may feel more for her character when the unthinkable does happen. Then Garnett spends even more time showing the transformation of Kathleen from timid teacher to gun-toting killer.

And all the while Karen Young gives a mesmerizing, tour-de-force performance – holding back at the right time, conveying emotion without ever externalising her feelings;  going through a physical change (and not only in appearance) so that we believe she has made the transition to hardened killer – it’s a stunning debut and shows why Young has kept working steadily ever since.

This DVD of Handgun, released by Network releasing as part of their ‘The British Film’ strand also features an archive interview with Tony Garnett and original theatrical trailers for the film. It is also the first time the film has been presented in it’s correct cinema aspect ratio in the UK.

An essential purchase for revenge film lovers and lovers of good cinema alike, Handgun is released on May 20th.

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19th May2013

Tinto Brass – ‘The Key’ and ‘All Ladies Do It’ Blu-ray Review(s)

by Phil Wheat

One of the true pioneers of adult and erotic cinema, Tinto Brass is renown as one of Europe’s leading figures in softcore erotic filmmaking, earning a worldwide reputation for his blend of art and extremity. After joining the Italian film industry in the early 1960’s Brass worked alongside the likes of Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini, before directing his debut solo feature in 1963. However it was not until 1976 that Brass would gain worldwide recognition, when Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione chose him to direct the infamous Caligula. Despite numerous editing and post-production issues, which caused Brass to disown the film, it made millions at the box office and ultimately gained him global notoriety.

And now Arrow Video bring us The Key and All Ladies Do It in two dual format editions including brand new uncut and uncensored versions of each film, which have been painstakingly restored for Blu-ray and DVD.

The Key

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Stars: Frank Finlay, Stefania Sandrelli,  Franco Branciaroli, Barbara Cupisti, Maria Grazia Bon, Gino Cavalieri, Piero Bortoluzzi | Written and Directed by Tinto Brass

Tinto Brass’s first major film since Caligula, The Key, originally released in 1983, stars Frank Finlay as a man who is terrified of losing his voluptuous wife Teresa (Sandrelli) because he is unable to satisfy her sexually. He arranges for her to have an affair, by taking erotic photographs of her and asking her would-be lover to develop them. Meanwhile, he keeps abreast of her burgeoning relationship by reading her diary, in the full knowledge that she in turn is reading his.

An adaptation of the 1956 Japanese novel “Kagi” by Jun’ichirô Tanizaki, The Key moves the story from fifties Tokyo to a pre-war Venice, allowing Brass to wallow in the decadence of the era giving his film a sleazier edge and to satirize Italian politics, reaffirming the same socio-political agenda Brass brought to Caligula. However unlike Brass’ Roman epic, The Key sees the director working in a much more restrained manner – amping up the erotic overtones when needed but keeping the film on a much more melancholic slant for the most part, after all this is the story of a marriage with troubles…

Sadly the melancholy overshadows the story and the sex, leaving The Key feeling much like a meandering tourist video for Venice rather than the masterpiece of erotica many claim it to be.

Film: * 1/5
Blu-ray: *** 3/5

All Ladies Do It

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Stars: Claudia Koll, Paolo Lanza, Franco Branciaroli, Ornella Marcucci, Isabella Deiana, Renzo Rinaldi | Written and Directed by Tinto Brass

The longest version of All Ladies Do It ever released in the UK sees the stunning Claudia Koll indulge her unquenchable sexual appetite in a softcore epic loosely inspired by the Mozart opera Così fan tutte (the title is a direct translation). Lensed in 1992 but looking like something that has stpped straight out of the mid-80s, the film tells the story of Diana (Koll) and Paolo (Lanza), a happily married couple who have very different sexual appetites – whilst she loves to flirt and experiment, he’s content to simply listen to the stories of her various adventures. But, when she has an affair that’s much too close to home, he throws her out, and she moves into a Venetian flat to embark upon an erotic voyage of sexual discovery, while at the same time trying to win him back.

All Ladies Do It is, for the most part, a very different movie to The Key. Whereas that film was ultimately a dull, meandering tale of a marriage in breakdown, this is a fun and humorous  frolic into a very similar territory. It also focuses much more on Brass’ most famous fixation – the arse! What also raises this film above Arrow’s other Brass release is it’s star Claudia Koll. Not afraid to lay her body or her sexuality bare on the screen, Koll gives a mesmerizing performance as the (anal) sex hungry Diana whose hedonistic behaviour drives All Ladies Do It through the monotony of Brass’ story.

Filled with Brass’ trademarks: mirror shots, toilets, urination and plenty of arses, All Ladies Do It is, like The Key, one for Brass fans and completists only. Everyone else will probably left a little cold.

Film: ** 2/5
Blu-ray: *** 3/5

Another pair of interesting releases from Arrow Video, both films look fantastic on Blu-ray, however both releases are let down by a lack of special features. All Ladies Do It comes with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic David Flint, illustrated with rare production stills, whilst The Key comes with a collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Tinto Brass scholar Alexander Tuschinski.

All Ladies Do It and The Key are released on Double-Play Blu-ray by Arrow Video on May 20th.

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18th May2013

‘The Stone Tape’ Review

by Mark Allen

Stars: Jane Asher, Michael Bryant, Ian Cuthbertson, Michael Bates, Reginald Marsh, Tom Chadbon, John Forgeham, Philip Trewinnard, James Cosmo | Written by Nigel Kneale | Directed by Peter Sasdy 

I’ve never been a huge fan of ghost stories, largely because most of them feel (if you’ll excuse the pun) insubstantial and are more often than not resolved cheaply and without much in the way of originality. Which is to say nothing of the BBC’s insistence on producing at least four dusty Victorian-era spooky tales every Christmas. With exception, if you’ve seen one ghost story, you’ve seen them all, and The Stone Tape is mercifully one of the former.

Set in an ill-kept Victorian house, an electronics research team stumble across a room in which a female apparition appears at regular intervals to scream and just as quickly disappear, leading them to believe that she’s a psychic impression left in the stone walls of the room, hence creating a (wait for it) “stone tape”. This is exciting news for project leader Peter (Bryant), as the team’s goal is to discover a new recording medium and this might just be exactly what they need, but head programmer Jill (Asher) is significantly more unnerved, being that she’s one of only a few that can actually see the spirit.

What follows is the team’s attempts to both capture the activity on conventional recordings and exorcise it from the room so that they can keep their Thwomp-sized computers in it – the film was made in 1972, so laptops were barely even a fever dream at this point. The Stone Tape hasn’t dated especially well, the superimpositional special effects hardly convincing and the histrionic melodrama of most of the performances coming off more comical than creepy.

That said, the audio commentary with film critic Kim Newman and writer Nigel Kneale goes a long way toward redressing these issues by giving us historical context and discussing the recording methods of the day. I’d actually go so far as to say that I enjoyed Newman and Kneale’s commentary much more than the actual film, which is by no means a detriment to something that tells a compelling, unique story on what was clearly not the biggest budget.

It’s not exactly the spookiest tale I’ve seen, but I hardly think it’s supposed to be; the story is more of Peter’s brutality in removing the ghost and Jill’s desire to understand the spirit’s torment. There’s no happy ending, but if you’re familiar with Kneale’s work on Quatermass then I’m sure you’re used to it by now.

Definitely worth checking out if you want something a little more experimental with your supernatural tales (see also: Ghostwatch) if not for Newman’s insights alone, The Stone Tape is out on DVD now.

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18th May2013

‘Black Sabbath’ Blu-ray Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Boris Karloff, Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Jacqueline Pierreux, Gustavo De Nardo, Mark Damon, Susy Andersen, Massimo Righi | Written by Mario Bava, Alberto Bevilacqua, Marcello Fondato | Directed by Mario Bava

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Mario Bava had been steadily working away in Italian cinema before he hit it big with 1960s Black Sunday, a film which introduced many to both his work and to Italian horror cinema in general. In fact his 1960 opus was such as success that a horror follow-up was eagerly demanded. An so came Black Sabbath, a three-part horror anthology blending modern and period stories, featuring the iconic Boris Karloff as host and star of one of the segments.

Black Sabbath opens with the Victorian-era ‘The Drop of Water’, in which a nurse steals a ring from the corpse of a dead spiritualist, who naturally tries to get it back. This is swiftly followed by the giallo-style ‘The Telephone’, where a woman is terrorised by her former pimp after his escape from prison, and tries to escape him with the help of her lesbian lover, who has a dark secret of her own. However Bava saves the best tale for last – the 19th-century set ‘The Wurdalak’ the only tale in this anthology to feature the great Boris Karloff as a much-loved paterfamilias who might not be entirely what he seems. This tale is also the closest, thematically and visually, to Black Sunday.

From an era that placed atmosphere and storytelling over visual effects and gore, Black Sabbath seems remarkably quaint when viewed today – even when compared to its filmic peers from Tigon and Hammer. The movie is also somewhat of an oddity. From the same era as Hammer yet feeling far removed from that studios output; it was lensed in Italy, yet the tales in this anthology are actually based on stories by Russian writers Chekhov and Tolstoy! Yet Bava manages to bring everything together in a movie that both harkens to horror cinema of the past yet sign-posts Italian cinemas future.

Black Sabbath comes to Blu-ray, courtesy of Arrow Video, in two editions: I tre volti della paura – the European version with score by Roberto Nicolosi and the more familiar AIP release Black Sabbath, re-edited and re-dubbed with Les Baxter score; and both versions of the film look and sound remarkable – especially given the films age. Arrow’s restoration is easily on a par (if not better) with the restored Hammer films from Studio Canal and actually looks better than their release of Bava’s Baron Blood, even though that film was lensed almost a decade later.

An example of superb 60s horror, Black Sabbath is out now from Arrow Video.

Film: **** 4/5Blu-ray: ***** 5/5

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17th May2013

‘Trouble With the Curve’ Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Matthew Lillard, Robert Patrick, Ed Lauter | Written by Randy Brown | Directed by Robert Lorenz

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We all enjoy the opportunity to be comfortable. It brings a warm sensation as we relax from our busy day to feel at ease for a brief moment.  Sometimes movies are capable of providing us that brief moment of escape. They present a certain story or plotline that isn’t challenging and easy to follow. You aren’t required to think yet you still remain entertained. It’s as relaxing as a Saturday afternoon nap where we recharge our batteries before returning to the cruel cynical world. When watching director’s Robert Lorenz’s film Trouble with the Curve I was placed in the ultimate state of comfort. The story is formulaic and never deviates from the obvious path it gives itself. You can easily put the pieces together far earlier then the movies does, but there is some enjoyment to be found in the lead performances. Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams elevate the material that they are given to make Trouble with the Curve the perfect Saturday afternoon movie.

In the film Clint Eastwood plays Gus a baseball scout who has firmly entered the twilight of his career. His health is diminishing and many wonder if he is still able to do the job.  There are few people who can play the old curmudgeon like Clint Eastwood.  This is his first on screen performance since Gran Torino and he has reserved himself to these roles of the stubborn old man with an attitude. They do overplay it at times, but it’s still fun to watch him as the cranky man who simply hates everything around him. Part of what stops Eastwood’s performance from feeling redundant is his relationship with Amy Adams, who plays Gus’s estranged daughter Mickey. Gus was a single parent who never quite understood how to raise his daughter. The relationship between Gus and Mickey has always been similar to trying to put a square peg in a round hole. Though Mickey grew up around baseball she has left that life to pursue a law career.  Due to unforeseen events she is forced to break from that life to return to the life she once knew. Neither is thrilled about the idea of sharing life on the road again. Both are unable or unwilling to accept the other and clash stubborn heads countless times. Their story does read like a Lifetime movie, and this could have been a melodramatic mess.

What stop that from happening were the performances of Eastwood and Adams. They continuously pulled the material along as it weighed them down with a number of uninspired ideas and an endless amount of movie clichés. Adams has the ability to morph herself moment to moment with ease. She knew when to play the brash tough girl and when her performance required a lighter touch. You wouldn’t think she would be able to go toe to toe with Eastwood in an argument, but she has no trouble. There were times when you saw the bickering stop and an actual father daughter relationship begin. This was important not only to give us a break from the arguing, but to also to provide us some reasoning to route for them to finally connect.   Watching this relationship develop was unquestionably the best part of the film.

That’s not to say there aren’t any other highlights. Justin Timberlake brings in some much needed life as a burned out baseball player turned scout. The only issue was his character never found a proper place amongst the story, and was often forced into the plot to play go between with two leads. If you are a baseball fan you’ll certainly appreciate its approach to the sport as the anti Moneyball movie. Their focus is on the importance of the personal touch, and how the computer can’t tell you everything. I was unaware of what life is like for a baseball scout, and wished this went more in-depth. Instead it was more compelled to tell us how important scouts are rather than show us. That importance was laid on a little too tick and became ridiculous on occasion. Part of that was due to the performance of Matthew Lillard, who played the scout that represented to new guard. His performance was silly to say the least and at moments hard to watch. The script didn’t do him any favors with lines that read like they were from the most outlandish of campaign commercials. A lot of this film was very cartoony with characters that were paper thin. It would attempt to create conflict in the easiest ways possible by developing these pointless villains. For example you had a blue chip high school prospect whose arrogance was only superseded by his racist tendencies. Gus was following his career to see if he should be the Atlanta Braves number one pick, and the script felt compelled to make that answer as obvious as possible. The worst part was making this horrible character wasn’t necessary and never had a real payoff. For some reason the film felt obligated to fill the screen with a number of poorly written superfluous characters. It was only a few steps away from someone walking on screen and pointing at a person and telling the audience verbatim, “This person is bad and you shouldn’t like them”. Perhaps there is some gratification in watching someone come to their unavoidable demise, but in the end it did nothing to move the story forward.

When it got back to the relationship between the main characters it found its stride. When it deviated you were left with less than stellar material. Trouble with the Curve is a flawed movie for sure that could have been better with a proper script and more capable director.  Trouble with the Curve will certainly have a broad appeal as it casts a wide net when pandering to the audience. It knew how to play the game to have just the right amount of humor to balance out the drama. The highs aren’t too high and the lows aren’t too low.  In the end you are left with a movie that hits it right up the middle.

Trouble with the Curve is released on DVD  and Blu-ray on May 20th.

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16th May2013

‘Upstream Color’ Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Amy Seimetz, Shane Carruth, Andrew Sensenig, Thiago Martins, Andreon Watson, Ashton Miramontes, Myles McGee, Frank Mosley, Carolyn King | Written and Directed by Shane Carruth

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Shane Carruth burst onto the scene in 2004 with his intricate Science Fiction drama Primer. The complexities of that film have propelled an endless amount of analysis and debate. It is the type of time travel movie that does require you to do ‘diagrams with straws’ to completely understand everything that is going on. Carruth showed with Primer that you could explore big ideas with a limited budget. Nearly a decade later he has finally come out with his highly anticipated next project. Upstream Color shares many similarities with Primer. It ventures into the genre of Science Fiction with a unique concept rooted in a surreal reality. There is a multitude of moving parts that cause you to constantly play catch-up, and it is evident that you will need to watch it multiple times to completely comprehend what exactly is happening. With that said, the themes it conveys are quite rudimentary in their depth.  It wears its ambiguousness as an oblique shroud to cover up some severe issues, like a number of rather wooden performances. Still, it provides a cavalcade of intriguing ideas that beg to be dissected. Those who feel the Science Fiction genre is void of new ideas would do themselves a huge favor by taking a chance with Upstream Color.

Although it fits within the world of Science Fiction, it is not necessarily a type of film general audiences associate with the genre. There are no robots, futuristic tech, or heavy doses of computer graphics. Carruth explores outlandish concepts not through high tech gadgets, but through means of organic discovery. Worms are specially designed to allow a person to mentally control another human being. A connection is formed and through that connection a person can dictate their subordinate’s actions on demand.  A young woman named Kirs (Amy Seimetz) is fed one of these worms without her knowledge. She is forced through a number of actions including emptying her bank account. When she finally breaks free all the events become a blur as she remembers only small fragments of what happened to her. Her life becomes a mess until she meets Jeff (Shane Carruth). They share this uncommon bond that neither really understands. Together they begin to explore this bond in hopes of better grasping what this all means.

Of course any description of this plot will always be incomplete.  Carruth’s strategy is to present the narrative with a rubicon esc structure that has you placing all the different components together yourself. When you have a world of films that pander to the lowest common denominator it is a pleasure to see one that treats its viewers as adults. The premise of what is taking place is, for the most part, straightforward. Carruth gives you just enough to fully understand the basic plot structure. Not that the narrative is absent of complexities. Motives and the meanings behind many of the character’s actions are left obscure. We know the where and the what, but the why is purposely kept away from us.  In layman’s terms, story elements can get confusing if you do not fully pay attention.

The subtext in this messy mosaic provides a lot of fodder for debate, though you cannot help but wonder if we are putting more into it than is actually there. When you dive deep into the ideas of the film’s foundation they are not actually all that rewarding. Themes like identity, personal connections, and the cycle of life feel shallow for such an elaborate concept. It’s like we are given this enigmatic algorithm that requires intense calculations of the highest order. When the answer is finally discovered we are left emotionally spent. Then when we peak down at our discovery we realize all that work was done to simply determine how many feet are in a yard. Some may still find pride in all their hard work, while others will be left distraught over all the time wasted.

Another issue that plagues the film is the lack of quality performances.   Amy Seimetz is decent at times in her role, but she never gets much room to deliver any true emotional damage.  Shane Carruth is utterly insufferable as Jeff. Carruth is obviously a very intelligent person with many fascinating ideas, but he has no acting ability whatsoever. Directors place themselves into films all the time, and it typically does not go very well. Especially in a case like Carruth’s that requires a lot from him. He reads line with a shallow brevity as if he was randomly chosen for a local car dealership ad. The film would have been a lot better off if he chosen someone else for this role.

One thing Carruth can clearly do is direct. The imagery he comes up with is striking. Moments like watching these worms take control inside a human body or seeing the title of the film come to life in array of beautiful color are memorizing in their execution.  It hammers home this opaque atmosphere fraught with longing. We, along with these characters, are placed into this sea abstruseness. As they search for understanding we conspire beside them in hopes of determining what this all means. Our discovery may not be as fulfilling as we could hope for, yet there is something to be said for a journey that is willing to forgo the normal tropes we require. There is nothing quite like Upstream Color out there, nor will there ever be. Though it doesn’t come close to the master work of Carruth’s first film, it is still an experience worth doing.

***½ 3.5/5

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14th May2013

‘Superman: Unbound’ Review

by Dan Clark

Stars: Matt Bomer, Stana Katic, John Noble, Molly C. Quinn, Diedrich Bader, Jason Beghe, Frances Conroy, Melissa Disney, Alexander Gould, Stephen Root, Wade Williams | Written by Bob Goodman | Directed by James Tucker

Superman-Unbound-screen

With 2013 being the 75th anniversary of Superman and Man of Steel scheduled to come out this summer it was a forgone conclusion DC would release their emblematic direct to home media animated feature this year. DC certainly has been more successful than their marvelous competition at translating their classic stories to this format. Superman: Unbound  however, ends up being a mediocre entry for this franchise.  With a limited scope and a stereotypical plot it adds nothing to the Superman mythos. It feels less like an extended feature and more like a pilot episode of an upcoming television series. The animation and voice acting are both handled with care, but neither is given that much to work with. The film has a number of thrilling action beats that a too few and far between.  Their repetitive nature inhibits Superman: Unbound  from fully taking flight. This appetizer to this summer’s tent pole leaves you wishing you could just skip to the main course.

Superman: Unbound  adapts Geoff Johns and Gary Franks five issue Brainiac  storyline for Action Comics.  The storyline focuses on the being known as Brainiac (John Noble), who travels around the galaxy abducting entire cities and destroying any planet he finds redundant.  When Brainiac sends a drone to Earth Superman (Matt Bomer) goes on a quest to stop him before he can bring harm to Superman’s adopted home. Superman’s cousin Supergirl (Molly C. Quinn), who has recently arrived on Earth herself, has witness Brainiac’s power firsthand when he attacked and abducted the city of Kandor on Krypton. She fears that even with Superman and her new found powers that Earth stands no chance against the power of Brainiac.

For a film that’s main conflict is an alien invasion its scope felt relatively small. When Brianiac descends upon these cities it is as if the entire invasion takes place on one single city street. This failure diminished Brianiac as this glooming threat for much of the film, which would not have been an issue if its restrictions were replaced with a more intimate setting. Opportunities certainly presented themselves, but they were never seized upon. Moments like Superman interacting with Kryptons for the first time were strikingly hallow. Not an ounce of insight was sought within the development of Superman’s character. It came and went with no longing effect whatsoever.

One of the more positive aspects was the relationship between Superman and Lois Lane (Stana Katic). Lois has been made aware of Clark Kent’s secret identity, and has begun dating the ‘Man of Steel’. Dating a superhero has its problems, and Superman is shown he is capable of being the jealous type. Their bickering could have easily become an annoying hindrance, but it showed a side to Superman that isn’t always explored—his inability to recognize when doesn’t need to come to the rescue. A key component to what makes this work is the quality voice acting. Matt Bomer has a stoic presence as Superman, and adds a tiny bit of personality.  Stana Katic plays Lois Lane with a vigorous attitude and dry sense of humor. Though John Noble outshines them both, as the imposing Brainiac. His voice echoes complete control over all others that oppose him. He is not maniacal in his behavior; instead he treats all others with a dismissive whim.

Overall the animation does what the story requires of it, yet nothing really stands out. Most of it is your typical paint by numbers design. The look of Brainiac’s ship and robot drones are rather generic. No one, in my estimation, has yet to master inputting 3D animation within a 2D film so it is not surprise it does not work here either. The action scenes are crisps and easy to follow, but devolve into video game button mashing sequences. There’s only so many times you can watch hoards of mindless robots get destroyed and stay interested. With a film called Superman: Unbound and a PG:13 rating behind it you one would think there would be a more brooding ferocity involved. Blood is haphazardly thrown into moments like an unrated version of a PG:13 action film—where digital blood is inserted to up the violence count. When Brainiac and Supes finally throw down things start to pick up, but the inevitable conclusion is rather lackluster. The plot in general is one you have seen many times before–often done a lot better.  Those who are desperate to get their Superman fix before this summer’s big show might be able to find Superman: Unbound a suitable warm up, but most others would be better off allowing their anticipation to naturally grow. Otherwise you’d be left with a disappointing adventure that never gets off the ground.

Superman: Unbound is out now on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD in the US. The film is released in the UK on June 3rd.

** 2/5

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12th May2013

‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Review

by Dan Woolstencroft

Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho | Written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof | Directed by J. J. Abrams

Star-Trek-Into-Darkness-Poster

J. J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise was, in my opinion, a success. It was an entertaining, exciting slice of space shenanigans which managed to cleverly acknowledge the much loved franchise that came before it, without feeling like a tired retread or overly reverential re-imagining.

2013 sees the arrival of Star Trek Into Darkness, the second entry in the new franchise, with Abrams once again at the helm. Does it succeed as well as the first? Sadly not.

The cast from the first film are all present and correct. Chris Pine returns as Kirk, Zachary Quinto dons the fake ears again as Spock, and Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and John Cho all don their appropriately coloured Federation garb and dutifully return to the Enterprise.

One of Star Trek Into Darkness‘ problems is its inability to manage the amount it gives crew members to do. Kirk and Spock get most of the screen time, with Chekov, Sulu, Bones, and Uhura getting very little stand out action. Uhura admittedly gets more to do this time, but she’s still very much in the shadow of Kirk and Spock. And with most of their differences resolved in the first film, the relationship is less interesting now than it was before. It doesn’t help that Pine’s Kirk is less cheeky and confrontational, resulting in a pretty bland portrayal. Pegg’s Scotty is almost entirely played for laughs, which is a shame. Pegg is worth more than that.

New additions to the cast don’t fair brilliantly either. It’s always nice to see Peter Weller on the big screen, and he gives an enjoyable turn as Admiral Marcus. But new villain Benedict Cumberbatch is so ludicrously over the top you expect the audience to be booing and hissing whenever he appears. It seems like he’s in some other movie, one rich with emotion and significance, and it doesn’t work. Every line reading is treated like Shakespeare, and while Cumberbatch is a great actor, it’s not what this film needs. He has presence, I’ll give him that, but every time he opens his mouth you want to groan.

Alice Eve is also pretty terrible as Carol Marcus. Inexplicably British, apparently only present for eye candy – even to the point where she’s gratuitously seen in bra and knickers – and crowbarred into the plot, her character and performance offer no value at all.

The script seems to spend an awful lot of the film explaining why things aren’t possible (“we can’t transport them because we don’t have line of sight”, “we can’t transport them because the wind’s blowing in the wrong direction”, “we can’t transport them because I put the wrong trousers on this morning”) only to justify another elaborate set piece. Most of which aren’t particularly exciting. There’s a sense that the whole film was engineered to hit certain targets; here’s some ideas for sequences we can put in, how can we write them into the script? The pacing feels off too, with far too much exposition-seeking chatter between the action sequences. I found myself pretty bored at times, unable to really care why anything was going on, yet the film seems hellbent on explaining exactly why things are going on.

As for Abram’s direction, while the action sequences are largely coherent – with one in particular in the film’s mid section coming off extremely well – the man needs to seek help for his lens flare problem. Is there some sort of Lens Flare Anonymous group he can join? I appreciate it’s a trademark, but it’s overused here and you almost feel that certain sets have been designed specifically to justify maximum lens flare. I wonder if Star Wars holds some allure for Abrams because lightsabers would make a great source of lens flare.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the script is how much we’re asked to care about characters we haven’t spent a lot of time with. The original cinematic franchise followed a much loved TV series and its audience had time to grow fond of these characters. After two films, I’m not sure we can possibly be invested enough to really care about their fate. Characters seem to be more hung up on the emotional significance of events than the audience possibly can be.

I’m not going to venture into spoiler territory here, but I suspect there’s a good chance that fans of original Trek will be groaning at times. Where the first film managed to feel like a fresh spin, with a clever hook into the original series, this time things feel like too much of a retread for comfort. Again, no spoilers, but some of the twists are more than a little silly.

What remains is an over long, irritatingly shot, glossy looking second offering in a franchise I was happy to defend the first time around. But I can’t find much to like this time. Where something like Skyfall managed to solidify the reboot a franchise, skilfully blend old with new, and still feel like it was telling its own tale, Star Trek Into Darkness manages none of these things. I can only hope a new writing team is installed next time, and that Abrams gets professional help for his addiction.

Star Trek Into Darkness  is in cinemas now.

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11th May2013

‘The Fallow Field’ Review

by Mark Allen

Stars: Michael Dacre, Steve Garry | Written and Directed by Leigh Covey

The-Fallow-Field

El Mariachi has a lot to answer for. As does Clerks. Both were made in the early ‘90s on incredibly low budgets ($9,000 and $30,000 respectively; Clerks filmmaker Kevin Smith famously maxed out all of his credit cards to finance the film) and achieved previously unheard-of success from new directors, as supposedly ‘independent’ film budgets of that era – like those of Reservoir Dogs and Sex, Lies and Videotape – came in at around the $1million mark. This helped to kick-start guerrilla movements and independent movies proper, and surely had some impact on bringing us to our crowdfunded present, where dead TV shows can be resurrected by the cash of fans and a boatload of promises. It also sent an unfortunate if optimistic message to the general populace of the world:

We made a feature film without any money. Why don’t you?

Now, I’m not saying I want to live in a world without movies like Clerks and El Mariachi or the filmmakers who conceived them, but when I watch a film like The Fallow Field I often catch myself thinking that we might have been better off if no-one had seen his black-and-white arthouse comedy and he’d simply gone bankrupt.

Yeah, it’s going to be another one of those reviews.

Billing itself as “Memento meets Wolf Creek” – which is in itself a ludicrous bar to set for a film with a paltry (according to IMDB) £9,000 budget – The Fallow Field is an exercise in murky-to-nonexistent plot, dull, pretentious camerawork and the kind of bad acting usually reserved for compensation adverts. Writer-director Leigh Covey places us somewhere in deepest, darkest Sussex as Matt, a supposed amnesiac who’s just been dumped by both his wife and mistress (who has the decency to bone him before dropping him like a bad habit, thus meeting the naked flesh quota required for budget horror flicks) and ends up returning to a mysterious farm, where a quite obviously evil and insane farmer invites him in for tea and then, wholly unsurprisingly, murders his dumb ass which, somewhat surprisingly, he’s apparently done before. He proceeds to bury Matt in a field and before long he’s up and walking again, albeit chained up and forced to help the farmer carry out more gruesome murders and resurrections until he’s had enough of it.

All of that suggests at least some kind of coherent narrative, which unfortunately isn’t the case, as the drawn-out dialogue serves to confuse rather than intrigue and most scenes extend far beyond the limits of normal human patience (or at least mine, anyway). It struck me while watching that The Fallow Field would have been way, way better off being made as a short film; its premise of a stretch of land having astonishing, if temperamental, regenerative powers is at least an interesting one, but not one that can really be sustained by tiresome dialogue and bad acting over 90 minutes. And the title alone is enough to pre-bore an audience – before popping the disc into my player and seeing a disfigured hand on the title screen, I had no idea it was supposed to be a horror flick. ‘Fallow’ isn’t exactly high on the list of horror buzzwords, is it?

So while it tries to compel, scare and be atmospherically creepy (though it does occasionally succeed on this front, the score setting an eerie tone in some of the early scenes), The Fallow Field fails to materialise into anything approaching a satisfying horror experience, and will likely drive viewers to their smartphones and laptops long before the credits roll – which, incidentally, contain the best part of the movie: a rollicking rock song that’s totally and utterly out of the step with the proceedings, and all the better for it.

The Fallow Field is out on DVD now.

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11th May2013

‘Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Sarah Louise Madison, Sabrina Dickens, S.J. Evans, Rorie Stockton, Richard Goss, Sule Rimi, Kathy Saxondale, Johnathon Farrell | Written by James Plumb, Andrew Jones | Directed by James Plumb

dead

In 2012,the deceased have risen from their graves with only one instinct-to feed on the living. Academics speculate on the scientific cause of the phenomena and theologians point to the Armageddon foretold in the Book of Revelation. But as the cities are over run and civilization crumbles, four generations of one family take refuge from the undead army in an isolated farmhouse in West Wales.

Based on the 1968 zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection is not a direct remake of George Romero’s original, instead it takes inspiration from the original movie, often playing with the audiences expectations and subverting the events that you would expect, given the trend of “remakes”, to take place.

Very much an amateur production, and I don’t mean that in any derogatory way, this film suffers somewhat due to it low-budget nature. The film has a decent script and there’s some flair in James Plumb’s direction but the film is let down by a cast that don’t bring the same gravitas and believability to their roles as Romero’s cast did in the original; and by the ridiculous over-use of a pseudo-violin synth that chimes up whenever Plumb wants to signify danger – it’s a poor storytelling choice that belies any skills Plumb has a director.

However despite any qualms I may have with the quality of this film, you have to respect both writer Andrew Jones and director James Plumb – the pair have not only managed to get this remake off the ground but also sequels to Silent Night, Bloody Night and House on the Edge of the Park; and after watching Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection I’m definitely interested in seeing what they do with both of those movies.

Whilst I wasn’t blown away by Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection, it was still littered with some fantastic moments of movie-making, such as the decision to kill the (expected) hero Ben early on and (and this is the real standout) scriptwriter Jones’ decision to update the rednecks of the original movie to a group of tracksuit wearing chavs who relate the entire situation to a real-life Call of Duty – taking pleasure in killing both the alive and the undead – as well as a group of wannabe soldiers; is inspired. Plus the final payoff? That’s just as downbeat (maybe even more so) as Romero’s original…

Night of the Living Dead: Resurrection is released on DVD on May 13th, courtesy of 4Digital Media.

*** 3/5

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11th May2013

‘Sick Boy’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Skye McCole Bartusiak, Marc Donato, Debbie Rochon, Cas Rooney, Greg Dorchak | Written and Directed by Tim T. Cunningham

sickboy

Tim T. Cunningham is a name you may not recognise but he has been working as a visual effect artist since 1997 on some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, including Armageddon, The Patriot, X-Men First Class and most recently Snow White and the Huntsman. Having lensed his first feature, Xtracurricular, in 2003; Cunningham gets back behind the camera for Sick Boy, a low-budget horror movie featuring that most-familiar of horror tropes – the perils of babysitting…

Perpetual slacker Lucy (Bartusiak) has had job after job, seemingly unable to stay interested in her work for too long. After quitting her job as a dental assistant and arguing with her fiance (Degrassi‘s Marc Donato) over family finances, she steps in for a friend to babysit for a local woman, Dr. Gordan (Rochon), whose young boy Jeremy is confined to his room due to illness. Despite being paid handsomely under the proviso that she only stay on the ground floor and call if anything happens, irresponsible Lucy decides to snoop round the house – a decision she later regrets when she discovers what “illness” Jeremy actually has.

Now the idea of a babysitter stumbling across something she shouldn’t isn’t anything new in horror. In fact some of the greatest films in the genre are based on that very concept – Halloween and House of the Devil to name just two. And whilst Sick Boy may not rank as one of the best examples of the sub-genre, it still has plenty to offer horror fans.

Sick Boy is, like House of the Devil before it, a film that spends a good amount of its running time building up the dramatic tension – you know Lucy is going to snoop around, you know she’s going to find something she shouldn’t but it’s a matter of how long director Cunningham can keep you on tenterhooks before unleashing the films true nature on what is, by now, an eager audience. And that true nature? When it comes it turns the movie into something completely different… Who expected Sick Boy to turn into a zombie movie? Possessed demon child maybe. But zombie? That was a nice surprise.

Cunningham actually plants the seed of the idea early on as Lucy peruses photos of Dr. Gordan and her family in Venezuela (a plot point that is picked up on during the film epilogue) but when he truly reveals just what is going on – in a darkly-lit eerie scene between Lucy and the zombifying Mr. Gordan – it only made me eager to see where the rest of the film was headed.

Of course this is a horror film, so it is subject to some of the more traditional horror movie cliches – in particular some really bad decisions made by the irresponsible Lucy (don’t all heroines make stupid decisions though?), but there’s enough original ideas here to keep even the most jaded of zombie movie fan watching.

Sick Boy is out now on DVD from 101 Films.

**** 4/5

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10th May2013

Soho Film Fest Review: ‘West End’

by Catherina Gioino

The Soho Film Festival ran its course for the fourth time on April 5-12 in the Landmark Sunshine Cinema Theater, in Soho, New York. The festival featured over 70 films and shorts and brought together not only new and aspiring filmmakers, actors, writer and all, but also brought already established filmmakers and cinema enthusiasts to share ideas.

One of the films at the festival was West End, a film that is described as “Hamlet on the Jersey Shore.” Directed and written by Joe Basile, who also stars in the film as a priest, the film counts Eric Roberts, Peter Onorati, Neal Bledsoe, Isabella Hofmann, Joe Nieves and Lou Martini Jr. amongst its cast.

After Vic Trevi’s (Bledsoe) dad (Roberts) mysteriously gets shot. Vic returns home to find his mother (Hofmann) grieving while his uncle (Onorati) becomes close to both Vic’s friend Buddy (Nieves) and mother. Well wasn’t that a mouthful? Basically, Vic Trevi is a undercover cop who returns home to find the person who killed his father, and throughout his ordeal, he discovers secrets he never thought possible. Through the twists and turns of the film, I found it quite compelling and extremely well-thought out. It was one of those “edge of your seat” kind of movies, with everything you’d expect- action, comedy, romance, drama, and everything in between.

If there ever were a reason to love Shakespeare any more than you already do (or at least should), this is the reason. Shakespeare’s versatile story comes along quite greatly in this new version never thought imaginable – Jersey Shore mobsters. (Trust me, even if you never read Hamlet, you know the story. I bet you saw The Lion King right? Well there you go).

West End marvelously enwraps the viewer into a never ending state of paranoia. All the problems ever imagined are in this film- betrayal, love, revenge, death, anything. I guess one of my favorite parts would have to be the strained relationship conversations between Vic and his uncle. Both Onorati and Bledsoe wonderfully master the intense “awkwardness in the air” feeling that you can even sense while sitting in the audience.

After the film, Joe Basile and most of the cast stuck around and gave their opinions on the film and how it was made. Since the film was shot in the Jersey Shore, many of the comments were about the affects of Hurricane Sandy. Since the super storm did hit the New York-New Jersey area, mostly every person there understood the troubles the cast spoke about. They apparently ended filming right before the storm hit and recently had a screening where all the proceeds ended going to the victims.

Really captivating and perfectly executed, if you can just take away a few clichéd things, West End would be perfect.

**** 4/5

Check out the trailer below:

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09th May2013

‘Dead Mine’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Joe Taslim, Ario Bayu, Sam Hazeldine, Use Badhu, Byron Hulbert, Mike Lewis, James Taenaka, Les Loveday, Miki Muzuno | Written and Directed by Steve Sheil

Dead-Mine-screen

Some four years after he struck horror-comedy gold with Mum & Dad, Steve Sheil returns to the directors chair for Dead Mine, which follows a treasure hunter as he adventures deep into the Indonesian jungle on the trail of the legendary Yamashita’s Gold. Caught in the middle of an attack by armed groups, the treasure hunter and his group take refuge in a supposedly abandoned World War II Japanese bunker and are trapped. They quickly realize they are not alone and engage in a desperate struggle for survival and a terrifying reality that the only way out is to go further in…

Following in the footsteps of fellow Brit Gareth Evans, Steve Sheil ups sticks and heads to Indonesia for an Outpost inspired horror tale starring Brit actor Sam Hazeldine (The Raven) and The Raid‘s Joe Talsim which not only features a very similar zombie plot from the aforementioned horror film (replacing Nazi zombies with Chinese Imperial Guard zombies) but which also borrows heavily from films such as the Indiana Jones franchise and The Descent.

The first production of HBO Asia, Dead Mine feels – at first – like a breath of fresh air. The Indonesian setting is certainly something new, at least by todays zombie-movie standards and the films monsters, in particular the traditional armour-clad samurai warriors are again something little seen in the zombie movie genre – their aesthetic makes for a much more imposing threat than your typical undead soldier seen in the likes of Outpost and Dead of War. Another highlights of Dead Mine is most definitely the soundtrack – the atmospheric score, coupled with the way director Steve Sheil uses both diegetic and non-diegetic sound, managing to make even the silent corridors of the mine sound scary!

However it’s not all good news for Dead Mine. For starters the film is a little too close, thematically and sometimes aesthetically, to Outpost and its sequel Black Sun – although co-writer and director Steve Sheil tells his story much more competently than his Outpost counterpart Steve Barker. There’s also the issue of casting. Whilst Joe Taslim and Sam Hazeldine both bring gravitas to their roles but any good the pair do is offset by the horribly mis-cast Les Loveday as the “Indiana Jones” of the group, Price. Loveday’s performance screams the opposite of the rough-and-ready explorer his character should be, coming across more as a spoilt little rich kid out adventuring with daddy’s money. Of the two ladies in the cast, Carmen Soo is wasted as Price’s love-interest and hanger-on; whilst Miki Muzuno, as researcher Rie, is criminally under used.

A great B-movie horror, Dead Mine offers a new take on the zombie mythos, bringing an Eastern flavour to a sub-genre plagued by repetitive takes on a much-maligned movie monster and whilst it may have its problems, the film is a worthy addition to any zombie-loving fans collection.

Dead Mine is released on DVD on May 13th courtesy of eOne

**** 4/5

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