Pearl

 

Some may say that Pearl is the most beloved, if that word can even be used, film in Ti West’s trilogy. The villain from X has own story to tell and it is as dark as her soul. Thankfully we can now enjoy it in 4K. Second Sight’s releases of Pearl (and MaXXXine) are fantastic as always. Complete with extras on disc, art cards, booklet with various essays all presented in rigid case with brand new artwork and the film itself on 4K. Whether you’re a die-hard fan for the film or new to Pearl’s bloody beginnings, this is a release that worth having on your shelf.

Waiting for her husband to return from war, Pearl dreams of becoming a star, dancing on stage or in movies. But as her dreams are stifled by her overbearing mother, her sick father and her duties on the family farm, Pearl’s inner thoughts and desires start to break through with violent and bloody consequences.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Saint Clare

 

Religion and horror go together like bread and butter. Add in a devout protagonist who believes all the murders she commits is an act of god and you’re looking at a somewhat enticing premise. Though Bella Thorne made her name from playing mean girls and evil ditzy types, here, she is Clare. She believes in god, attends church, sings in the choir but also struggles with her compulsives need to kills people. Having done the festival circuit in 2024, Saint Clare is finally making her way to our small screens. Unfortunately, this is not quite the film that was herald.

College student Clare appears normal on the surface but tries hard to hide sociopathic tendencies. When girls start disappearing from her small town, with little concern from the police, Clare takes the investigation into her own hands when one of her friends goes missing.

Full review on Filmhounds. 

The Legend of Ochi

 
Harking back to the adventure films of the 80s and 90s where things felt more innocence and slightly more exciting, writer-director Isaiah Saxon takes us into a new world, strange yet still familiar. The island where these characters live, described as a small island and yet there are mountains, rivers and a vast landscape that takes days to cross. Possibly compared to the rest of the world the island is small but here provides a magnificent backdrop to a story of courage, curiosity and connection. The Legend of Ochi is an adventure as well as a fantasy that could just about capture the imagination of any age.

Yuri, a young farm girl living on the remote island of Carpathia, has been brought up to never go out after dark and fear the mysterious reclusive creatures known as the Ochi. Her eccentric father is obsessed with killing the creatures and trains a group of young volunteers to protect the village. But when Yuri finds an injured baby Ochi, she decides to journey across the island to return it to its home.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Drop

 

Although Drop has a very enticing hook, there is more bubbling beneath the surface of our heroine. With a somewhat simple plot, that could very easily be slid into the ‘dumb premise’ category, gradually becomes an edge of your seat thriller with an actual three-dimensional character. The technology used in the film does play a major part and follows along the trend of other recent horror-esque thrillers, but again, thankfully, Drop manages to stand apart and offers a little more than what we’ve seen before.

Violet, a widowed mother, has finally decided to go on a date with photographer Henry having met him on a dating app. During their date a very up market restaurant, Violet is plagued with messages from an anonymous person. But as the evening goes on, the messages turn into increasingly violent instructions otherwise her young son and sister will be killed. All she has to do, is kill her date.  

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

The Last Showgirl

 

Long-time showgirl Shelly has performed at the Razzle Dazzle for 30 years, when the casino announces that the show will close, she is devastated. While her younger co-stars decide to audition for other shows, she is left in limbo. As the world she’s know for so long starts disappear around her, Shelly tries to reconnect with her estranged daughter and decide what she should do next.

The tone of director Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl is a continued feeling of sadness. Beginning with the crushing news and the fallout from that. What’s interesting is that a story such as this is not focusing on the show that, within the world of the film, was seen as the last show of its kind and maybe once would have been described as iconic. The focus is nearly solely on Shelly as we watch her world fall apart. Having given up literally everything for her career and the show, she has little to show for such loyalty. She seems careful money unlike her best friend and ex-showgirl Annette who gambles away what she earns as a cocktail waitress. Shelly’s life appears empty outside of the show, her daughter doesn’t even feature in her life until she reaches out to see her. Shelly’s behaviour throughout the whole film is that of someone going through grief. The show was her life and she cannot fathom being without it. She lives in the past, still talking about the 80s when showgirls were seen as ambassadors and how the show emulated that of something similar seen in Paris. Shelly longs for the ‘old days’ of elegance, or at least what she views as elegance.

As we watch her breakdown slowly to her new reality, there is no better person to portray Shelly than Pamela Anderson. She is truly putting everything into this role and she nails Shelly’s vulnerability and delusional behaviour perfectly. Anderson emulates the frustration and sadness of Shelly, she makes us feel compassion for her. The supporting case also do an excellent job with the roles given, but Jamie Lee Curtis steals every scene she is in as Annette.

Writer Kate Gersten based the script off her own play, Body of Work which was in turn based on her visits to the now closed ‘iconic’ show Jubilee! which was one of the longest running show on the Las Vegas Strip. Though this film belongs to Shelly (and Anderson), it also serves as a bittersweet tribute to the old shows and the days of the typical Las Vegas showgirl while ushering in the new entertainers taking their place.

Fantastic performances from Anderson and Curtis are the key to The Last Showgirl but Gia Coppola does bring that feeling of loss throughout as well as a tiny glimmer of hope for the future.

Anora - London Film Festival

 

After his previous critically acclaimed films, director Sean Baker has created a very different kind of story. Still exploring and highlighting the lives of sex workers, Baker chooses to go big, really big, this time round, not only in scope but with his characters. Ani, the eponymous Anora, is the definition of a larger-than-life personality. Her energy and enthusiasm is matched by Vanya and the two of them actually make an adorable, if naïve, couple for a short magical time. But faced with problems that seem out of their control, their lust for life turns bitter. The whirlwind romance, the comedic tone all but disappears swiftly becoming something darker, still sometimes amusing, but eventually a slap in the face. The condensed ‘happy’ period in both Ani and Vanya’s lives feels like a literal dream as reality sets in. Baker managed to cram several turning points (and genres) into the story that don’t feel overcrowded, but instead feel oddly realistic as the story flows easily and steadily towards a very depressing end. 

There are many things to take away from Anora, but the glaring obvious is the disparity of privilege. The disappointment hits differently for Ani and Vanya. The latter, a spoilt overgrown child who saw the whole experience as just that, with no remorse or care for anyone else who was involved. Vanya got what he wanted and though he tried desperately to hold on to his freedom, as he sees it, ultimately it breaks and gives up. Ani, however, a genuine person from start to finish, who seems to have very little, was given a new life, a love and all was taken away within minutes. Her world was turned upside down and dis-guarded as soon as she was no longer needed, or desired. 

Anora, as a film, is a force of nature. From dramedy to romance to dark comedy to harsh realism, the story takes you on journey and doesn’t miss an opportunity to gut you, whether you’re laughing and staring, with an empty feeling at the screen. Mikey Madison has been rightly praised for her performance as Ani, which really rides the wave of emotions. There will be surprises if Anora is picked up as a real contender during awards, this film has caught people’s attention and should hopefully hold the spotlight throughout the season.

The Balconettes - London Film Festival

 

Mixing genres in film is always an exciting approach, especially if the subject is darker and needs a fresh take. Director and co-writer Noémie Merlant said that she had originally set out to write a love story but ended up with The Balconettes. Though, she also pointed out, there is a love story within the film, one of female friendship. At its core, the film broaches a darker subject, but in order not to sink the characters into despair, comedy with a bit of supernatural weirdness balances the story and ultimately creates that fresh take that is needed. 

During a heatwave, three friends in living in Marseille find themselves cooped up in their apartment. Across the way, they observe a mysterious handsome man. Through a few dramatic and comedic errors, the three of them find themselves in the man’s apartment for drinks. But later that night, one of the friends returns home covered in blood and the three women find themselves living out a nightmare.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Unit 234: The Lock Up

 

Storage units can offer a wealth of surprises, usually of the unexpected variety, or those that will haunt you for weeks. For such a mundane location, films that heavily use or are set in storage units need to have one hell of a narrative to keep the story going. Usually a horror or a thriller, you’d never have a rom-com set exclusively at a storage unit, with fair few unscrupulous characters and a twist that you may see coming, but at least you were entertained. Unit 234: The Lock Up is just entertaining enough that you can forgive its benign location. 

Laurie, owner of a remote storage facility, once run by her parents, ends up working the night shift after her plans fall through. After becoming suspicious of a very persistent man, claiming to own a unit, Laurie discovers an unconscious man locked in Unit 234. The man, Clayton, is chained to a gurney and missing a kidney. Laurie finds herself having to fight off a dangerous gang who are determined to retrieve Clayton, by any means necessary.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Substance

 

There is so much to absolutely love and admire about The Substance, as well get frustrated over and grumble about. The general consensus with the film seems to be that is it gloriously bloody, disgusting for sure yet the narrative is questionable. But the praise for the performances for both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley is consistent, they are superb. Having won the Best Screenplay at Cannes 2024 and the intriguing teaser making the rounds, there was a buzz around the film and expectation on how this body horror would shape up. 

When Elizabeth Sparkle, award winning actress and decades long host of an aerobics show, is fired on her 50th birthday, she makes a drastic desperate decision. She is offered a black-market drug, the Substance, which produces a younger, more attractive version of herself, thus giving her another shot at holding the spotlight. But after her alternative self takes advantage of the strict rules, resulting in devastating non changeable effects to her original body, things go from bad to monstrous. 

Going by director Coralie Fargeat’s first feature, Revenge, you are right to expect enough blood spilt that the entire set will be painted red. Where Revenge was literally what it said on the poster, The Substance is more up for debate and there are far more questions to be answered throughout the film, as well as not all of them being answered. This strange bizarre satirical body horror (with some science fiction thrown in) boasts a fascinating concept but with a 2-hour 20-minute run time, there is far too much indulgence gore and crotch shots with less focus on the narrative. 

Shooting from disorientating angles, making use of the long corridor at the studio and the choice of close ups to really express the most disgusting moments, made for an intriguing film. All coupled with the concept of the drug and the complicated rules. A stand out scene in the film is most avidly the birthing of Sue, Elizabeth’s younger version. The ripping of skin and extracting of fluids, the film became a visceral treat for the eyes even before any large amounts of blood was spilled. With a large focus on the characters’ bodies, their stark pale skin against the white titled floors was especially pleasing, design wise, to view on screen. As the film progresses though, so does the body gore, particularly the end section. But all this blood and disturbing images hold a purpose, the themes at the heart of the film, image and beauty. Though Elizabeth Sparkle is still beautiful, her image is outdated and considered too old to even be considered for a revamp of the show. Enter Sue, young, beautiful, wears that pink one piece with ease and is able to pelvic thrust throughout the show without batting an eye. Though we get to see, quite obviously its about beauty standards and how women are treated but at the core of the film is Elizabeth and how she views herself. At one point, after the effects of the drug have take its toll on her, she stops referring to Sue as someone else as she has throughout the story. She finally admits out loud that she hates herself, which may explain her finally grotesque form. There could have been a deeper dive into her psyche but there is only a strange acceptance of herself, eventually, but one that is met with a reaction you see coming a mile off. 

Both Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley do give fantastic performances, the former especially during her French cooking phase in the film. Fargeat’s idea is in danger of being better than the execution, but there is more merit the film than there is to be disgusted by.

Subservience

 

It is a tale as old as time, when a man, struggles to cope with day-to-day life, taking care of his family while his wife is sick, he seeks out help. In this case, he buys a robot which ends up malfunctioning and terrorising said man’s family including his sick wife. Humanised robots is by far not a new concept and amongst the countless stories out there, Subservience doesn’t try to reinvent the AI dangerous narrative but merely tell us a story which we have seen before.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

If You Were The Last

 

When was the last time a science fiction romantic comedy was both whimsical, in a non-nauseating way and was actually heartfelt, as well as having genuine laughs? If You Were the Last should have been the breakout film of this year but instead was cruelly left to the streamers with very little flare. Unfortunately, there are genuinely great films that do the festival circuit and never get picked up by a big enough distributor who will back the film. But aside from how the film was released, this gem of a film really does lift the spirits and brings hope that there are stories out there, like this, even being made. 

Two astronauts, Adam and Jane, drift throughout space. After their multi year mission is derailed, mostly due to their deceased crewmate Benson, Adam and Jane, over time wonder if they will ever be rescued, discuss life, love and the pros and cons of them having sex with each other. All the while falling in love, but unsure if the other feels the same. 

Setting any sort of story in space comes with the expectation on how a sci-fi should look like, but what If You Were The Last offers is something a bit extra. All the tech on the ship, resembles something out of Wes Anderson’s or Michel Gondry’s workshops. The astronauts even have a cosy living room space on the ship, to make them feel at home, complete with watching films on cartridges. The sci-fi elements are left to the setting outside the ship and the communication set up to try and reach home for rescue. All other parts are complete rom-com beats and they are most welcome. The quirky tech and set design is not overbearing, balanced out by the two actors fantastic chemistry. Zoe Chao and Anthony Mackie are so in tune together, they do not miss a step with one another, romantically or comedically. Its almost a shame when they are eventually separated in the third act when (SPOILERS) the two make it back to Earth and their spouses. 

There is a more sombre element to the story, these lost astronauts have only each other (aside from the ill fated Benson) and have been this way for a few years. The strain on their mental health and on their respective marriages, takes a toll. The joke about them deciding if they should have sex with each other goes past the joke stage is the really about connection. If You Were The Last is essentially a sweet story set against an incredible background, two people against the universe, and at one point Benson.

Drive Away Dolls

 

Ethan Coen’s first solo outing was a documentary about notorious musician Jerry Lee Lewis. A man known for his incredible piano skills and for the fact that he married his 13-year-old cousin. Obviously these two pieces of trivia don’t go hand in hand. But the latter is a sordid affair, and fact. Ethan Coen, judging by his other solo works; a book of poetry, plays and short stories, has a flair for the crude and downright filthy. Throughout the Coen Brothers’ catalogue there are moments that do really make you stand back and think, ‘why did they think of that’. A prime example is in Burn After Reading, when its revealed what George Clooney’s character, Harry Pfarrer is building in his basement. After watching Drive Away Dolls, its clear which brother thought of this.

After Jamie is thrown out by her girlfriend, she and best friend Marian take a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida. But after a mix up with their rental car, the women find they are in possession of some sensitive materials belonging to some shady people who are in hot pursuit.

Along with his wife, Tricia Cooke who co-wrote and co-produced, Ethan Coen’s second outing as director without Joel is one that, on the surface feels like just another Coen Brothers film. However, while the film does include the crime caper elements and a certain air of ridiculousness, the film is missing something. The run of the mill suspicious behaviour from the shady criminals alongside a completely different story about two friends taking a road trip and becoming more than just friends, feels like half-baked ideas, mashed together with a lot of lesbian jokes and unnecessary scenes.

Along with similar beats we have seen before from both the Coens, along with very random psychedelic moments that only sort of make sense at the end, Ethan Coen’s film feels familiar but doesn’t quite hit the right notes.  This is shame as there are some great characters, amusing quite firing dialogue and one or two very funny moments, but its just not what you’re going to expect, in an unsatisfying way.

Birthday Girl

 

To celebrate her daughter Cille 18th birthday, her mother Nanna, pays for her and her friend Lea to go on a cruise. At first the trip is filled with laughter, dancing, and drinks, but on the first night Cille is found on the upper decks of the ship alone with no underwear and bruises. Claiming she has no memory of what happened but sure she was sexually assaulted; Nanna becomes determined to find out the truth and find the attacker.

The film very much rests on the shoulders of Trine Dyrholm who plays Nanna the mother desperately trying to find answers. Dyrholm is captivating in her role, acting as our guide through a parent’s nightmare. She very easily slips into the irresponsible mother who just wants to celebrate with her daughter to being on a mission she knows she might fail; she carries the film and does it well. But despite the great performance, the film does, at first, feel like a paint by numbers story. Young girls acts recklessly, its discovered she was raped, but she is blamed for putting herself in the position, mother takes action to find out the truth. It is the last story beat where Birthday Girl picks and becomes far more intriguing to watch.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

I Saw the TV Glow - Sundance London

 

Nostalgia is a powerful tool in film, a homage or mention to something you experienced or even just knew about when you were younger makes you feel as if you’re part of the story on screen. I Saw the TV Glow weaves together a nostalgia driven plot with a personal journey, showing us what it feels and looks like to both deny one’s true self and feel the pull for what we needed when we were younger. It’s a delicate mix of genres that director Jane Schoenbrun, calling upon the sci-fi fantasy dramas of the 90s, especially those aimed at teenagers. I Saw the TV Glow is rather let down at times but narrative choices and the constant bleak overtone. However, its unique style and fascinating TV show within a film makes it unlike anything made in recent years.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Lisa Frankenstein

 

Sometimes, stories are just better when retold in a fun, amusing and original way, especially when they are inspired by a literary classic. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been the source of many versions, either faithful or a complete twist of the story. Lisa Frankenstein is both familiar and a bizarre iteration. Mixing together 80s teen rom-com and slasher components, the Frankenstein elements are closer to a spoof film, which is nowhere near a bad thing.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Everyone Loves Touda - Cannes Film Festival

 

Chasing dreams and wanting more, a better life is an age-old tale. Films such as these can feel predictable as soon as the tone is set. As an audience we become hopeful along with the dreamer of the story and even though we can guess how things will end, we still cling onto the hope that this character somehow succeeds. In Everyone Loves Touda, we enter the world of hopeful dreamer Touda and share in her journey, but we know all too well how this story ends.

Touda, is a Sheikha, a traditional Moroccan performer who are empowered by the songs of fierce female poets who lived before. Trying to carve out an existence in her rural town, performing each night in darkened bars to drunken men, Touda wants more from life. Deciding to take a chance, she moves to Casablanca, the big city, in the hope of being recognised as a true artist and securing a place for her son at a school that accommodates deaf children.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Swede Caroline

 

Although competitive vegetable growing or more specifically, growing giant vegetables does take place around the world, the event feels very much like a typically ‘British’ pastime. Any competition steeped in tradition will be able to find the comedy and in this case it’s a mockumentary about one vegetable grower and her story to win the coveted prize of heaviest marrow. The subject and setting is humorous before the film has even started. What’s good enough for Wallace & Gromit is good enough for the amateur film crew who ‘stumble across’ a major story worthy of its own documentary. 

Set in the world of competitive giant vegetable growing, the community is rocked by scandal when relatively new competitor Caroline has her prized marrow plants stolen. Together with her partner, Paul who fancies himself an amateur sleuth and her overly helpful neighbour Willy, Caroline is determined to find the culprit and still try for the top prize at the competition.

Full review is over at Filmhounds. 

Immaculate

 

Religion and horror go hand in hand, for obvious reasons, with the most popular being Catholicism. Fire and brimstone, hell and the devil, there’s too much temptation to take this religion to it’s darker corners. Immaculate is Sydney Sweeney’s passion project, having been attached to the film for years and eventually ended up being one of the producers as well as starring. This does seem, on the surface, an unlikely role for her to take on. But as soon as Cecilia arrives on screen, as the sweet and somewhat naïve novice nun, it becomes very clear that this is exactly the role Sweeney should be playing. 

No sooner as Cecilia arrives at the impressive convent buried in the Italian countryside, there is an ominous atmosphere that all is not what it seems. Anyone well versed with horror films that focus on religion will recognise the story beats and settle in nicely for the bizarre events ahead. Immaculate hams up the horror to the max, with jump scares every five minutes it feels, mixed in with some disturbing dream sequences that may be real after all. But as every character Cecilia interacts with feels like an omen or doomed ally, this sense of dread is constant leaving very little mystery. 

For those who enjoy an ominous horror and the company of nuns easily manipulated by a priest (as they always seem to be) will enjoy this blood-filled holy fest. Sweeney herself is actually pretty good throughout but her shining moment is at the climax of the film, caked in blood, having a very cathartic primal scream. However, all, the film is entertaining but it doesn’t rise above others made of the same ilk. The mystery is thin and the premise intriguing but nothing that shocking when you realise what’s going on in the catacombs. The fact that this film was stuck in development for a years does show, but luckily Sweeney sticks with it to give the film that shining moment.

Love Lies Bleeding

 

Love stories can appear in any genre and love coupled with revenge makes for one passionate bloodbath. Director (and co-writer) Rose Glass’ much anticipated follow up to religious horror Saint Maud (2019) has had audiences all geared up for what set to be a hot, sexually charged, bloody chaotic story. Glass absolutely delivered on the promise all the trailers and posters had set up. 

When small town gym manager Lou meets body builder drifter Jackie, there are immediate sparks. But after one violent incident threatens to tear the two apart, they are set on a path of chaotic revenge, each doing anything they can to protect the other.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Mafia Mamma

 

When you think of crime family, we don’t automatically think comedy about a woman having a midlife crisis discovers she’s actually part of the mafia. Comedy and violence have gone hand in hand with plenty of other films, sometimes treading that fine line between funny and tasteless. It would be harsh to say that Mafia Mamma is both as there are comedic moments and a fair few eye rolling scenes too. Especially with every mention or reference to The Godfather. But instead of the mix of comedy and obvious violence, we also get the woman wants and has it all scenario, with a touch dull romance on the side. Just like the wine they make in the film, it does not go down well.

Full review over at Filmhounds.