The Girl in the Pool

 

The title for this ‘mystery thriller’ really does say it all, for the story, for the execution of said story and sets up expectations accurately. Running at just under 90 minutes, you can feel the anxiety but the thrills are unfortunately non-existent.

Hours before a birthday party is to take place at his home, Thomas (Freddie Prinze Jr.) enjoys a supposed secret rendezvous with his mistress, Hannah. But leaving Hannah alone in his pool Thomas returns to find she her covered in blood and no longer breathing. Panicked, Thomas hides the body, cleans the scene and is forced to endure the party his wife Kristen has planned for him, all the while trying to figure out what happened and conceal the body that is now leaking blood from its’ hiding place.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Turn Me On

 

The idea that supressing emotions would be the answer to all life’s problems and would solve conflicts, with people living harmoniously and being left, content, is plot device that seems to be cropping up more than expected. But thankfully each iteration focuses on certain aspects that at least has a familiar but different feel. Turn Me On offers something new, in losing your emotions, you also lose your memories when taking the magic pill, or in this case, vitamin. But there is more to this story that at first meets the eye. 

Living in a closed off community where residents take a daily vitamin which eradicates all emotions, Joy (Bel Powley) skips her daily dose. Going on an emotional journey of discovery, she convinces her partner William (Nick Robinson) to stop taking the vitamin. Together, their world opens up, but also exposes them to not only damage emotions can cause, but also leaves them in a precarious position within the community with strict rules.

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.

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.

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.

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

Femme

 

Revenge stories always have an intriguing angle, whether we see it from the victim or the perpetrator or from somewhere in between. There is always a new angle to take and Femme delivers us something that we haven't seen in a while, an actual British thriller that has on the edge of our seats throughout. Based on the short film by writers and directors, Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, the feature film is tense emotional revenge story that feels relentless. So brilliantly executed, razor sharp characters and compelling performances from Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George Mackay.

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.

The Retirement Plan

 

A crime thriller starring Nicolas Cage as a beach bum with a secret government past sounds enticing enough. There are most likely going to be entertaining fight scenes, amusing dialogue, and no doubt another iconic look created for Cage himself. Unfortunately, The Retirement Plan, slips into the worn-out predictable film category where there is very little to redeem itself. 

After getting caught up with dangerous criminals, Ashley and her daughter Sarah seek out help from her estranged father, Matt. But when crime boss Donnie and his henchman Bobo catch up with them, Ashley soon finds out that her father had a secret violent past she knew nothing about.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Beautiful Beings

 

Following up on his 2016 feature film debut, Heartstone, writer and director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson returns with Beautiful Beings, a story about boyhood and friendship, tilting on the edge of destruction and ultimately a vicious act of revenge. 

After being hospitalised from bullies at school, lonely Balli is tentatively befriended by the understanding Addi, the sarcastic Siggi and the short-tempered Konni. Together they carve out an existence, trying to have fun and escaping their home lives. But after Konni’s temper gets the group into trouble with older and more violent people and with the return of Balli’s abusive stepfather, the boys have to decide if revenge and retaliation is really the way to live.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.