Thelma

 

True crime stories no longer exclusively belong to horrific murders and serial killers. Scammer revenge stories have come to the forefront more recently on the small screen and are making their way to the big screen. In the last few years, we’ve seen the likes of Inventing Anna and The Tinder Swindler detailing real crimes. We’ve also had the likes of The Beekeeper appear which heavily features scammers along with intrigue, excitement, tragedy, and full-blown action. Thelma is the latest in this sub-genre, and its quite unlike anything that’s come before. 

After getting scammed out of a hefty amount of her savings, 93-year-old Thelma decides to go out seeking justice, against her family’s advice. Enlisting the help of an old friend, Ben, who owns a scooter, the two try to track down the criminals responsible, meeting a few characters along the way. 

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Longlegs

 
Being lauded at the scariest film of the decade, there is no doubt that Longlegs has been one of the most anticipated horror films of the year. Combining the morbid fascination with true crime-esque, serial killer cases, occult based horror and morbid curiosity. The film grips you tight, dragging you into the mystery and ominous dread. Boasting one of the most terrifying transformations from Nicolas Cage in recent years and another great turn from scream queen of the moment, Maika Monroe. 

FBI Agent Lee Harker, after showing an aptitude finding criminals, is brought in on a decades long case. A serial killer, targeting families, calling themselves, Longlegs, has left stranger coded letters at the scene of the crime for the last 30 years. Even more strange is that Harker herself has a connection to the case than she has kept buried in her mind since she was a child. 

Without delving too deep into the lore in the film, the occult hints and references to ‘the man downstairs’ taking on more than one meaning, Longlegs’ horror is fascinating as well as painstaking to watch. The hunt for a serial killer and unearthing the crimes committed are devasting to behold, but once the abhorrent truth is revealed, it does feel somewhat anti-climatic at first. With further truths uncovered and the real connection between the killer and Harker coming to light, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with some foreshadowing storytelling coming full circle as well. 

Whenever Nicolas Cage appears in a film where he is either playing a beyond unusual character or the story is bizarre, it always grabs peoples’ attention. His role of Longlegs is disturbing to the point where you spend half the time desperately looking away yet his voice even cuts deep in a uncomfortable high pitched wail. Maika Monroe didn’t even know what Cage would look like so all her reactions to his presence are genuine fear. This layer of realism is just one part of what makes this film the most talked about. The continuous uncomfortable feeling is what keeps the curiosity and terror alive in the audience. Monroe as Harker relays how the audience feels throughout, curious, determined to find out the truth and continuously disturbed at every turn of the case. 

Although Longlegs does rely heavily on the jump scares the create a sense of discernability, it is the overly long ominous shots and scenes that create the feeling of dread. Director Osgood Perkins has been able to deliver a film that will stay with you when you least want it to. The horror mixture may be subjects tackled separately in previous films, but including the crime procedural with a traditional occult story helps ground the film, slightly, to something more real. Though there are supernatural elements at play, the lead up feels all too real. A devilishly clever way to have those images linger in your mind.

The Quiet Maid - Raindance Film Festival

 

There has been many a story portrayed in film involving the classes and the issues that come with the divide, the characters end up being the defining factor to make each story stand out. Having had its UK premiere at Raindance 2024, The Quiet Maid was nominated for Best Debut Director and Best Debut Feature.  The film boasts an enticing lead, Paula Grimaldo who is captivating even when completing menial tasks. She went on to win Best Performance at Raindance. The Quiet Maid is not a thriller, nor is it a straightforward drama. An observational character study would be more accurate as with Ana herself, there is more beneath the surface than what we are presented with.

Working for an upper-class family on the north-eastern coast of Spain, quiet Colombian domestic maid Ana, balances her duties with finding ways to also enjoy the Summer.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

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.

Drugstore June

The apathetic adult child, usually a favourite as a male character, but thankfully there has been quite a few female characters like this appearing on our screens. In her 20s, living very comfortably at home, still stalking her ex and doing the bare minimum where possible in life, June is the apathetic adult child. While she does have a job at the drugstore (hence the name), she spends her time concerned with her online presence and her ‘June Squad’ follows. When the drugstore where she works is robbed, she decides to investigate and find the culprits. Her motivations is not to help out her beyond patient manager, but for the ice cream machine that was damaged in the robbery. 

June’s quest for the truth leads her to meet various characters, some as weird as her, others that seem to accept her strange demeanour and reasonings for everything. Although frustrating, June’s delusional personality is an absolute joy to watch. She is thoroughly entertaining and even, on very few occasions, makes very accurate observations of her surroundings. The mystery elements in the film, allow June’s detective skills to shine through, opening for more funny scenes, random characters that all play into solving the crime. 

Drugstore June is a difficult comedy to place and this is part of its charm. June is the clear stand out, played to perfection by Esther Povitsky, who also co-wrote this gem. Sometimes it can be grating for these delusional characters to never learn a lesson, but June’s charm out-weighs this character flaw and just becomes an easy comedic watch.

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.

5lbs Of Pressure

 

There are some emotional punches thrown throughout but the bleakness of the final act that makes it difficult to see a silver lining in any of the chaos that proceeded it. Betrayal, redemption, hope are all expressed throughout 5lbs of Pressure. Consequences from actions long in the past and immediate future play out side by side as each character tries to get by and make better choices.

Adam, about to complete his parole, returns to his old neighbourhood to start over and to finally meet his son he missed growing up. When hearing about Adam’s return, Eli, the brother of the man Adam killed, plans his revenge as his own life falls apart.

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.

Dream Scenario

 

Nicolas Cage never seems to disappoint us with his performances. They are either standard action with an edge of ridiculousness, serious with a strange concept or outright ludicrous. Dream Scenario sits within the middle bracket, as a story about an average man who finds himself appearing in people’s dreams. Benign at first, but eventually turns into a complete nightmare for himself and everyone who dreams about him. The film comes across as dark comedy but very quickly slips into something more serious and unfortunately, depressing. 

Without explanation and without conclusion, Dream Scenario, leaks into our minds as a very abstract midlife crisis. Paul, helpless as to what people dream about, let alone how he appears in people’s dreams, is at first idolised, feared and finally abandoned by his friends, colleagues and family. This is a tragic story in which the protagonist and near to no control over his life and what happens. Paul could be seen as guilty as lapping up the attention at first, his ego inflated but ultimately, he is just a sad character with a simple life, a somewhat domineering wife and the all round basic existence. There is no cautionary tale here, no, be careful what you wish for, only a sense of disappointment and emptiness. 

Dream Scenario won’t go down in Cage history as one of his best performances or best films. Interesting concept for sure but beyond that, it would be best to let this film fall into the ether.

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.

Dogman

 

The opening sequence of man in drag, bleeding, driving a huge truck with a pack of dogs in the back, sets up the film to be one hell of story, but very soon turns into a very melancholic tale that never really seems to quite fit together. Dogman, the latest film from genre director Luc Besson, is, on the surface an intriguing story, highly character driven full blood, sweat and tears. But delve deeper and the plot falls apart, with just great performances to hold it all together.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Snack Shack

 

It may feel a little early for a teen summer comedy to be making a splash, but Snack Shack is ahead of the curve. With a great cast, in particular the two leads Conor Sherry as AJ and Gabriel LaBelle as Moose, and a fun vibe running throughout, there is more than meets the eye with this film from director Adam Rehmeier.

After being harangued into getting a job for the summer, teenage best friends AJ and Moose win a bid at their council to run the snack shack at the local swimming pool. Through their entrepreneurial spirit, they try to turn a profit and plan for future ventures. But when a new lifeguard, Brooke (Mika Abdalla), arrives on the scene, the boys' friendship and business are put to the test.

Full review over at  Filmhounds

Molli and Max in the Future

 

The ‘Rom-Com’ is forever being challenged. It’s a genre that will never truly die and continue to evolve or in the case of Molli and Max in the Future, take an idea from the past and twist it. Inspired by When Harry Met Sally, at least the format and nature of the two leads relationship and set in an overtly futuristic world, Molli and Max is both a homage to the rom-coms of old and a step towards the evolution of the genre. 

Set a billion years in to the future, magic is common place, sentient robots conduct PR campaigns and a demon wants everyone to live in the trash dimension. Over 12 years, 4 planets, 3 dimensions and one space cult, Molli and Max keep bumping into each other. As time goes by, they each change, but their emotions usually stay they same, though they won’t admit it. 

A science fiction rom-com is always a welcome addition to the saturated genre, especially when its both light and incredibly dark. The balance is well maintained throughout the entire film and never really teeters over into depressing which can happen in with any kind of romance. Molli and Max each go through their own struggles, but always find each other at the right time. The chemistry between Zosia Mamet and Aristotle Athari is fantastic, their quips and fast paced talking is well matched. Combining the true romance and comedic undertones is very entertaining to watch. As well as the leads there are some amusing and fun supporting characters that help build this strange future world, that itself is fascinating. There seems to be some new dimension or magic level that opens up, the possibilities seem endless. 

Molli and Max is the unexpected sci-fi rom-com that you didn’t know could be actually challenge the genre.

Marmalade

 

On the surface, Marmalade could be just another love story, just another Bonnie & Clyde-esque scenario but something more complex lurks below the surface. 

Finding himself captured and thrown in prison, naïve Baron strikes up a tentative deal with his cell mate Otis who has bragged about being able to escape. As they formulate a plan, Baron recounts his life story and most importantly how he met the love of his life, the enigmatic Marmalade. He tells Otis of how they robbed a bank in order help his sick mother and have enough to start their new lives together. But all is not quite what it seems in the prison or in Baron’s story.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia

 

Sport centric films can either fall by the wayside or are able to capture the attention of any audience. Motorsports might be in the latter category for the pure adrenalin and speed spectacle elements. But those films based on historical events, tend to cut down on the excitement and concentrate on the drama off the track. Race for Glory: Audi vs Lancia is based on a real championship. Anyone who is interested in motorsports, specifically rally driving will at least get some joy out of this one.

 

At the 1983 World Rally Championship, the intense and at times, petty rivalry between the German led Audi Sport GmbH team and the Italian led Lancia Abarth team comes to a head. With the Audi Quattro car a favourite to win, Lancia lead Cesare Fiorio tries everything within his power to make his  team a success, even hiring the renowned German rally driver Walter Rohrl for only half the races.

Full review at Filmhounds

Slotherhouse

We all know the story of the creature, the monster, loose in the enclosed building. There’s no way to escape, despite there being many exits but those unlucky souls trapped inside are doomed no matter what they do. We are also familiar with slasher horror films. A mysterious person or entity kills a group of people one by one in violent and bloody ways. Mashing up horror genres with comedy isn’t something new. However, having one of the slowest animals on Earth become the creature of the feature, as well as the antagonist slasher, is one of the most bizarre twists on film.

Desperate for popularity points so that she can become her sorority’s president, senior Emily adopts a three-toed sloth, making it the house mascot. But as her popularity rises, so do the number of mysterious deaths and disappearances within the house. Realising too late the havoc and bloodshed the sloth can cause, Emily and her remaining Sigma Lambda Theta sisters must fight for their lives.

Full review over at Filmhounds 

Poor Things

In the wake of Academy award nominations, the somewhat fantastical science fiction comedy Poor Things is garnering further attention, both sceptical and admiring. The outcry from many was that this was a film about a woman’s liberation told through the eyes of a man (which happens often) and on the other hand it was an inspiring look into a woman breaking free from society, filled comments on current and past depictions of society and its expectations.

Bella Baxter, a young woman, resurrected and implanted with the brain of her foetus, by the Dr Godwin, begins her life anew. As she gradually ages and wants to experience more, she runs off with a cad of a lawyer to Europe. Along her journey of self-discovery, sexual liberation, she learns of philosophy, and what it truly means to be independent.

 

Adapted from the novel by Alasdair Gray, of which is told from the perspective of the male characters, the film fully concentrates on Bella Baxter’s journey and her views of the world. We see Bella being able to break free from several constraints and that includes the male characters in the story who all seek to control her at some point. This could be a feminist story but not a universal one.

 

We see Bella breaking free from society and its expectations, but to gain much of this liberation, she had to join a brothel. It’s incredibly frustrating to continuously see this depiction of sexual liberation on screen. There has rarely been an alternative. A series of events happen for Bella to end up in this situation, but the key being, she ultimately chooses to stay working in the brothel. But at first, she is too naïve to understand what is happening as she is still, technically, young. This woman’s liberation is through sexual exploitation, firstly by the lawyer who brings her to Europe in the first place, and then by her first encounter at the brothel.

 

There is something satisfying about Bella being desired continuously along the way by all these men, wanting to control her, keep her locked away but she ends up outwitting them, or in fact taking control of them in various ways. BUT at the same time, that continuous mention of how beautiful Bella is, is also how she able to behave outrageously without consequence or severe punishment. Her ‘pretty privilege’ is not discussed at length as most are too focused on the sexual elements and male controlling women, but it is something to be noted.

 

The steampunk Victorian set period makes for a fantastical world where places and things are twisted to suit this director Yorgos Lanthimos’s film world. These are the most enjoyable elements about the films, aside from the comedic dialogue and the scenes with Mark Ruffalo as the cad lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn. But the story and Bella herself are at times, too hard to swallow and the choices made to depict a woman’s liberation feels too one note and are rather basic ideas

Mean Streets

 

Martin Scorsese has been known for his gangster films, as well as a foray into other genres, but his third film, Mean Streets was the one that pushed him into the spotlight. A gangster film about violence, crime and fraught friendship, Mean Streets not only showcased Scorsese's talent, this was Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro's first appearance together in a film, as well as the first in a long line of films, the latter worked on with the director. It could be said that Mean Streets was the start of something special.

Following a group of 20-somethings as they each try to make a name for themselves in New York city, going from small time criminals to aspiring gangsters. Charlie, trying his best to avoid crime but working for his mafia boss uncle, dreams of opening his own restaurant. Along with Tony, who runs the local bar and Michael, a loan shark who runs small dodgy deals, Charlie spends his time cleaning up the messes of his sometimes friend, Johnny Boy, a petty thug who rips off loan sharks for a living. But sooner or later, Johnny Boy's bad habits will catch up with him.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.

Watch List 2023

 

Another year of film and what a spectacular one it has been. Thankfully and with much effort I was able to see more films this time around, hopefully following that trend into 2024. With the all the voting done and lists revealed, here's my top films from the year.

A profound and most understated story that could be interpreted many ways, but for me it was about longing, lost love and the all too heartbreaking, 'what if'. I wrote about Past Lives for Filmhounds in the latest issue, which can be bought HERE.

All I have to say about the deliciously twisted film can be read HERE

This was the end of an era, my personal favourite Marvel storyline and with this ending the fighting family gang adventures, I don't need to see anymore Marvel film. This was as heartbreaking as any ending would have been. There were laughs and rage and tears, which pretty much sums up the film. Letting our gang go out with a bang and appropriate endings for them all. 

Based on the fantasy sci-fi graphic novel of the same name, the shapeshifter Nimona graced out screens via Netflix and left quite an impression. Amazing animation and special effects with gut wrenching storylines and great characters, my only wish would have been a theatrical release. I wrote about the film, in particular one of the best scenes in the film for Filmhounds, which can be read HERE.

One of the most under seen films of the year but with an ever pressing message. My review can be read HERE.

A favourite from LFF 2023, the slow burn thriller set in the Outback. My review can be read HERE.

Just when you thought romantic comedies had gone stale and were only for streamers. We get a story with two electric leads (with fantastic chemistry) set over the course of one day. The comedy was genuine, the romance not over kill, it was a perfect mix and thankfully, this was on the big screen where it should be.

The title feels hard hitting but its more than that. My review can be read HERE.

Taking the world literally by storm. We all willing took that hand and were drawn into the world of possession. This hit a chord with so much so I made a zine! My full review can be read HERE. Sadly, all the zines are sold out.

The biggest question of the Summer, Barbie or Oppenheimer? Of course I saw the one about a land where all the Barbies dolls live out their most progressive careers, until one Barbie and Ken escape to the real world. Christopher Nolan's biopic was decent but in no way would I choose that over Barbie. This film had everything (except the ending, for me I had some issues), with not only hilarious moments, but a Ken musical number, toxic masculinity dive, and seeing the entire board of Mattel chasing Barbie all over town and into her world. There's too much to condense into a few sentences here to convey all the amazing aspects of the film, so thats Kenough for now.