Review Category: Movie

DEAD [FrightFest October 2020]

Hapless stoner Marbles (Thomas Sainsbury) may appear to be a useless coaster, but he does some very good things by helping the dead move on. He’s come up with a liquid made from marijuana that when injected means he can see and talk to those who have passed on. For all the people he helps, he can’t get over his own father’s death. A recently murdered cop, Tagg (Hayden J. Weal), convinces him to help catch his killer. As they investigate together, Marbles gets close to Tagg’s sister Petra (Emily Campbell, who sadly passed away in September), who has been carrying out her own probe into the killings that had been going on for a while.

This New Zealand comedy has a zest that’s infectious from the start. The initially fraught relationship between the spectral Tagg and mystic Marbles leads to a sensitive level when certain aspects of the slain copper’s life are revealed. This also brings some wonderful comedic moments from Marbles. Thomas Sainsbury, who co-wrote with director and actor Hayden J. Weal plays a wonderful character, often mispronouncing words and, despite the weed abuse, is a decent sort.

There are comparisons to be made with the equally charming Extra-Ordinary, but Dead certainly has a life of its own, so to speak. Despite the supernatural element, it can’t really be classed as a horror-comedy, and there’s plenty of heart to the characters, even the drug dealer! There are more moments that make you smile rather than laugh out loud, but when everything fits together as well as this does, that’s not an issue. Highly recommended.

THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE [FrightFest October 2020]

There’s no shortage of remakes these days, but what’s the thinking behind doing an almost shot-for-shot version of a 1962 cult favourite rather than attempt to better it? Director Derek Carl has taken the original story and recreated – using the same title font and music – the film adding some new moments and a knowing, wink-to-the-audience attitude. You could say this is a tribute band equivalent of a movie.

The story follows a brilliant doctor, Bill (Patrick D. Green), who is on a high after reviving a patient after being declared dead. Going away for the weekend with his fiancé, Jan (Rachael Perrell Fosket), he crashes his car, decapitating Jan. Taking her head to his getaway house/laboratory, he manages to keep it alive – but now he needs to find a body.

By updating the ‘60s scenario to glorious colour and keeping the timeframe, Carl manages to have fun with the stuffy acting and ridiculous situations – not to mention the misogyny and ableism present in the original. The result is more akin to watching the film as a stage play, with plenty of knowing moments, some that don’t work – the original film is seen on the TV at one point; an in-joke too far – but occasionally, this new version hits the mark. Added gore will bode well to an audience not familiar with the original, but it’ll likely more appeal to those who like to laugh at older films anyway. We don’t doubt the team’s sincerity and love for the much-mocked classics, but for this writer, despite being fun, it didn’t quite pay off.

DOG SOLDIERS (2002)

CERT: 18 / CINEMA / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 23RD

Unflinchingly brutal and unrelentingly entertaining, Neil Marshall’s cult 2002 werewolf classic Dog Soldiers is getting a 4K Digital release. One of the best British horror films of the millennium, if not of all time, Marshall’s debut feature is as engaging as it is squirm inducing.

Essentially a siege movie with soldiers, Dog Soldier’s premise is a simple one: a small squad led by Sgt Wells (Sean Pertwee) are ambushed by a pack of werewolves and take refuge in a remote farmhouse. Chaos and carnage ensue.

What elevates Dog Soldiers to the upper echelons of the genre is an enthralling blend of violence and humour, of a supernatural battle firmly grounded in the simple reality of a soldiering movie. There is no fat here; it is a stripped-down horror film that does everything it should do with craft and skill. Marshall’s direction dictates the pace perfectly, with quieter moments utilised for what minimal exposition is required – we all know the werewolf basics – while the intensity of the action scenes leave you as breathless as the cast. The creatures themselves are beautifully designed, as stylish as they are terrifying, and the cast are exemplary in their delivery of both humour and terror, although Pertwee does deliver a film-stealing performance.

Deservedly spoken of in the same breath as An American Werewolf in London and The Howling, Dog Soldiers is pretty much the perfect horror film, now available in 4K clarity, with Marshall leaving a lycanthropic legacy that remains unmatched ever since.

THE MOTHMAN LEGACY

PLATFORM: DIGITAL / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 20

For anyone with an interest in the horror genre or in urban legends, you’re likely well aware of the famed Mothman. And now, this mysterious being is having a spotlight shone on it again in Seth Breedlove’s The Mothman Legacy.

Honing in on the sleepy town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, The Mothman Legacy takes a documentary approach to the subject matter on the table. Breaking down the rumoured origins and speculated backstory of the forewarning, red-eyed, winged Mothman, the film serves as an initial history lesson into this creature and then regales its audience with tales from those who claim to have experienced the Mothman first-hand. Not only do we hear about the impact of this cryptid being on those who have seen it, but we also get to hear about what impact the Mothman phenomena – which first surfaced in the 1960s – has had on the town of Point Pleasant.

It’s here where The Mothman Legacy excels, with the focus being more on the people and places influenced by this creature rather than the creature itself. Rather than 75 minutes of where the Mothman came from, how it came to be, and why it does what it’s reported to do, that portion of the documentary is nicely wrapped up in the early goings of The Mothman Legacy. In that way, this helps The Mothman Legacy stand out from certain similar offerings centred on the Mothman. Instead, it’s left to us to hear the stories of others and to make our mind up on what we believe.

Featuring input from the Mothman Museum’s Jeff Wamsley and his daughter Ashley, authors Susan Sheppard and Heather Moser, The Mothman Prophecies screenwriter Richard Hatem, and other local Point Pleasant residents, The Mothman Legacy is engaging viewing for those both familiar and unfamiliar with the Mothman legend – and the film’s brisk runtime and hands-on reports make it an easy, enjoyable, informative watch.

LX 2048

CERT: 18 | LIMITED THEATRICAL RELEASE | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

LX 2048 is a high concept yet low budget sci-fi movie. The Earth has become toxic; the atmosphere is so damaged that to go outside without a full-body environmental suit on is to invite death. The movie follows the life of Adam Bird (played by Dunkirk’s Adam D’Arcy). As a seller and producer of Virtual Reality equipment, Adam was once someone special. Unfortunately chip technology is superseding clunky VR kit. He’s also separated from his wife, partially because he’s in love with an Artificial Intelligence. Oh, and he’s got a terminal illness.

If that seems like a lot, don’t worry, this movie will explain all the fine details to at seemingly endless length. It turns out that in the not too distant future, on an Earth ravaged by pollution and ecological disaster, people can still be boring. This isn’t the fault of the actors; they give it everything they can. It’s the dialogue, it’s flat and emotionless.

LX 2048’s main problem, though, is its pacing. The low budget means that the premise is played out endlessly. What begins as an interesting idea gets swamped with plot twist after plot twist. As thrillers go it’s incredibly slow, which is a pity because they are tons of solid and clever sci-fi ideas here, from cloning to environmental collapse to a whole examination of what it means to be human. What could have been a fantastic Philip K. Dick style existential drama is hampered by indulgent editing and poor pacing.

It is partially saved by some amazing key moments and twist. Ultimately, though, it’s just too long and way too interested in its own cleverness.

SHIRLEY [London Film Festival 2020]

Shirley is an unsettling, decidedly unconventional biopic of famed horror and mystery author Shirley Jackson. Madeline’s Madeline director Josephine Decker is less concerned with historical retelling than she is with capturing the essence of the American writer, as she goes on blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Based on the novel from Susan Scarf Merrell, Shirley explores an imagined period of Jackson’s life when a younger couple moved in with her and her husband Stanley (Michael Stuhlbarg). Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) strikes up a peculiar relationship with the young woman Rose (Odessa Young); at times apathetic, intimate, or abusive, their exchanges might leave your head spinning, but they also work to weave a rich and complicated portrait of the author. Young, in particular, gives a fearless performance as she shifts between personas, taking on the roles of dutiful wife, trusted confidante, lover, rival, and mentee, all the while coaxing out a guarded vulnerability in Shirley.

Decker’s film is a strange construction, though appropriately so given its subject and Moss’ hypnotic screen presence. At its core, Shirley is about power. Though much of the runtime is spent trapped within the four walls of Shirley’s house, the ever-shifting balance of power keeps the story taut and tensions high as characters wrestle for control. It is endlessly uncomfortable, keeping the audience off-kilter through the sheer power of Shirley’s central performances and its unpredictable direction. The essences of a psycho-sexual thriller, a feminist drama, and a supernatural horror are effectively blended together to create one fiercely subversive study of Shirley Jackson, with truly fantastic performances from Moss and Young.

WOLFWALKERS [London Film Festival 2020]

CERT: PG / CINEMA, BFI PLAYER / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 26TH

The third and final film in Cartoon Saloon’s informal ‘Irish folklore trilogy’ (which includes The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea), Wolfwalkers is a spellbinding manifestation of artistic vision, exploring themes of environmentalism, civilisation’s relationship with nature, and post-colonial trauma.

Set in 17th-century Kilkenny, Wolfwalkers rewrites history at the point of Oliver Cromwell’s violent invasion of Ireland and subsequent campaign to ‘tame’ its people and quash the Catholic Church. In Wolfwalkers, the Cromwellian figure of Lord Protector (Simon McBurney) is struggling to maintain control of the town: wolves haunt the woods beyond the city walls, terrorising those within and creating unrest. He has brought Bill Goodfellowe (Sean Bean) from England to hunt down and kill the pack, so that English forces may clear the forest for agricultural use. With him is his daughter Robyn Goodfellowe (Honor Kneapsey), a young girl who, despite her father’s protests, wishes to become a wolf-hunter.

In her desire to prove herself, Robyn sneaks out into woods and meets Mabh (Eva Whittaker), one of the last Wolfwalkers – mythic humans who can transform into wolves. The unlikely friendship that blossoms between them gifts Robyn a new perspective on the woods and its inhabitants, and on her place in this world. The breath-taking visuals contribute as much to the storytelling as the action, weaving together Irish identity, art, and folklore to illustrate the dualism between a callously modernising world and nature, brimming with life and beauty. Wolfwalkers is a proud rejection of colonial legacy, an urgent call-to-arms against the continued destruction of our environment, and a truly poignant tale of empathy, understanding and loss. It cannot be missed.

OVER THE MOON

CERT: U | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW (THEATRICAL), OCTOBER 23RD (NETFLIX)

After losing her mother at an early age, Fei Fei (Cathy Ang) like most children struggle to come to terms with the loss of a parent. After her Papa (John Cho) plans to remarry and memories of her mother seem to be fading, Fei Fei sets off to the moon to prove the existence of the Moon Goddess Chang’e (Phillipa Soo) and that her mother is still out there.

Directed by Disney veteran Glen Keane, Over The Moon is a beautiful and heartbreaking look at dealing with grief through the eyes of a young girl. From the opening scene, as we see Fei Fei’s mother sadly pass, the film possesses that magical Disney flair that synonymous with the powerhouse – even though this is a Chinese-American co-production between Pearl Studio and Netflix. That isn’t a bad thing either and is mentioned only as a compliment.

Keane and his co-director John Kahrs have managed to expertly adapt the late Audrey Wells story with gorgeous animation and character designs, meaningful songs and an important message for kids and adults alike. Cathy Ang’s performance in terms of both her VA and singing is simply phenomenal and is a talent that everyone should keep their eye on. In particular, the song “Rocket to the Moon” brought tears to our eyes as Fei Fei refuses to let go of the memory of her mother.

Although the film takes a slightly strange and risky turn in the second act, Keane and his team manage to stick the landing (pun intended) as the ending once again becomes relatable and grounded in reality.

Netflix’s recent animated films have been hit and miss but Over The Moon is most definitely going to be a massive hit with families across the globe.

THE LAST LAUGH

The Last Laugh is a high concept slasher film, that generally delivers on its promise but disappointingly pulls back at the last second, coming off as lazily written rather than clever.

Struggling stand-up-comedian Myles (Steve Vanderzee) is given a chance at breakout success, when his stressed out but loyal manager books him in a large theatre, for his biggest show yet, supporting Reggie Ray (Lowell Deo, channelling Eddie Murphy). Things get complicated when a mysterious figure with a comedy theatre mask begins killing the staff. Myles starts discovering bodies but decides to keep quiet as a top scout is in the audience, wanting to see if he is the next big thing. As Myles prepares to take the stage, he is increasingly on edge, reliving the death of his girlfriend and dealing with the deadly killer.

Despite some wooden acting and poor scene coverage (a couple of characters are introduced in a wide shot, so you struggle to connect with them), director and writer Jeremy Berg does a great job of focusing your attention on the mystery at hand. The killer looks great, there are some delightfully gruesome practical effects and Myles moral descent is enthralling. We are also introduced to an intriguing ghost story concerning ‘Laughing Linda’. On one hand you accept that Myles doesn’t deserve stardom and on the other you want to see if he can deliver a good performance. A lot is put on the table to feast on.

Endings are always difficult and this one really lets the film down. In a slasher film, such as this, you are wondering if its supernatural, the protagonist themselves or a character you aren’t expecting. Unfortunately, The Last Laugh delivers nothing, leaving the viewer only half full.

THE OTHER LAMB

PLATFORM: DVD, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD | RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 26TH, OCTOBER 16TH (MUBI)

The shadow of Charles Manson looms ominously over this, the latest feature from Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska. It’s evident from the off that something isn’t quite right about the all-female community living in the woods. Living under the supervision of a man known only as The Messiah, these women and girls attend to their daily duties while singing the praises of their long-haired and bearded man. Selah (Raffey Cassidy) has never known any different, but even she realises that something might be amiss here. As the Flock goes on the move after being banished by local law enforcement, Selah sets upon the long and difficult road to liberation.

No sleazy exploitation picture this, Szumowska’s slow-and-steady coming-of-age tale is a chilly thriller with more in common with the work of Yorgos Lanthimos than Tarantino. Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that the film even shares a lead in actress Raffey Cassidy; magnetic as the conflicted young Selah. What the film lacks in pacing, it makes up for its gorgeous cinematography, making the most of its remote woodland setting and icy colour palette (filmed in Ireland, pretending to be America). Visually, it’s The Handmaid’s Tale crossed with Shyamalan’s The Village. Tonally, it’s not far off either.

Viewers expecting the thrills and spills of your traditional horror film about woodland cultists may be disappointed – The Other Lamb is a slow, torturous battle for emancipation. Its story is not especially original and the storytelling is muddled at times, but that doesn’t make this film any less powerful. This is provocative, disturbing, and deeply unsettling cinema… and all without a single jump scare or flamethrower in sight.