Review Category: Movie

COVEN OF EVIL

CERT: 15 / PLATFORM: PRIME VIDEO / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Young journalist Joe (John Thacker) is impressed with his first published piece exposing the practices of witchcraft in the community. One person not happy with the article is coven leader Evie (Samantha Moorhouse), who invites Joe to experience a real coven and put right the inaccuracies of his original piece and get a better understanding of what they do as Wiccans. Once in the rather pleasant surroundings of the coven, which resembles a farm more than a realm of satanic worship. He’s enticed by the younger members of the coven, particularly Talia (Lauren Ellen Wilson) and terrified by Evie’s husband Zander (Craig R. Mellor). Invited into a ceremony, Jo gets a little too ‘into’ things and he ends up having sex with Talia as the others eagerly watch on. His assumptions that the rituals are all just an excuse for a sex party seem to be accurate until he meets Alice (Laura Peterson), who appears to be being held captive in the house. Despite being forbidden from speaking to her, tries to get to the bottom of what’s going on.

Written and directed by Matthew J. Lawrence, Coven of Evil is a low budget UK film and it shows. That said, the cast may be variable – something forgivable in a movie at this level – but the story is enough to engage the more ardent viewer. Far from being a clone of Midsommer or a take on The Wicker Man, Lawrence gives us an interesting escape-and-chase-style angle to go along with the pagan rituals and to-be-expected sacrifice, which keeps the attention.

TENET

CERT: 15 | RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 26TH

“Don’t try to understand it. Feel it,” Clémence Poésy’s scientist advises The Protagonist (John David Washington). Yet Christopher Nolan’s latest is best served if one ignores these instructions and, rather than seek an emotional tether, embraces Tenet for its conceptual merits and technical excellence. This is Nolan on his home turf, in competition with himself.

Tenet may have remained shrouded in secrecy from the moment it was first announced, but fans will know to expect a mind-bending, deeply cerebral action-thriller from the acclaimed director of Inception and Memento. He deploys every tool in his signature toolbox, employing nonlinear storytelling and stunning cinematography to explore grand metaphysical themes and questions of fate and morality, delivering a sci-fi blockbuster that is Nolan through and through.

When it comes to narrative structure, this sees Nolan at his most ambitious. Without giving away more than the trailer already reveals, the action frequently slingshots back and forth, warping time and plot with only a throbbing soundscape to keep pace. Together with its dense, abstract theories of time and space and limited exposition, Tenet can feel like 150 minutes of controlled chaos.

John David Washington’s brilliantly understated performance is the eye of the storm. In a film of this scale where the rules are continuously being redefined, where the breakneck action pieces and narrative intricacies make you feel as though you’re barely keeping your head above water, Washington effectively grounds the story as the steadfast, self-assured Protagonist. One thing the Protagonist does not offer much of, however, is warmth.

Tenet’s coldness is what keeps it just short of greatness. When the audience is asked to invest emotionally in The Protagonist and Kat’s (Elizabeth Debicki, splendid as always) relationship, it feels undeserved and superficial. One cannot help but think of Interstellar, a film so colossal in its scale and ideas that it could all too easily have kept its audience at arm’s length. Yet, by rooting its grandeur in the love between a father and daughter, Interstellar earns its viewer’s feelings of hope, joy, and heartbreak. In the case of Tenet, the viewer’s investment is purely intellectual; there are no real stakes in the outcome beyond the satisfaction of seeing the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

Nonetheless, Nolan delivers a staggeringly ambitious sci-fi and sleek, compact action-thriller all in one: Tenet is technically excellent and challenging, pushing boundaries and subverting expectations with the director’s usual elegance. Will it save cinema? Who’s to say, but it sure is difficult to fault.

MONSTROUS

Searching for a missing friend in Bigfoot county, USA, a young woman (Anna Shields) instead finds an emotional and physical connection in the mysterious Alex (Rachel Finniger), the charming but intense stranger she met online, under false pretenses. But just who is responsible for the disappearances at Whitehall, NY? The elusive Bigfoot himself, or something far more human?

Director Bruce Wemple appears to give all the answers right off the bat, but Monstrous will keep viewers guessing to the end regardless. It opens with a shockingly brutal Bigfoot attack, setting the tone for a movie that Monstrous isn’t – not really. This film’s interests are far more human than that – in the burgeoning relationship between Sylvia and Alex, and the evil that men (or women) do. Besides, once we do get to see the Bigfoot suit again – it’s not all that.

Well-acted by its two stars and written with deliberation and pace (by Shields herself, no less), this is a thoughtful character study and a slowly unfolding mystery – a more serious version of Creep, but without all the found footage and peachfuzz. Its inevitable twist is signposted from a mile off, but no less engaging for it. This slow, atmospheric roadtrip may lack the Bigfoot chills and spills fans had been hoping for, but it’s more than capable of standing on its own two regular-sized feet.

CENTIGRADE

FORMAT: DIGITAL DOWNLOAD | RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 31ST

‘Bottle movies’ are films that take place almost entirely in a single location. This means the filmmaker must be skillful enough to keep the audience interested for over ninety minutes with very limited resources. It’s no accident the best examples of bottle movies come from the likes of Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs), Alfred Hitchcock (Rope) and Sidney Lumet (12 Angry Men). It’s no amateur’s business.

Director Brendan Walsh (Nurse Jackie) doesn’t quite succeed at sustaining the tension, but at least can keep you watching (if for no other reason than to yell at the leads about everything they’re doing wrong).

The movie opens with an American couple trapped in their vehicle, buried in the snow, in a seldom-used Norwegian highway. The wife, Naomi (Genesis Rodríguez), is a novelist on tour who blames her husband for the jam they’re in. The husband, Matt (Vincent Piazza), is an overly cautious individual who’s a notch resentful of his wife’s success. There’s an added difficulty to their predicament: Naomi is eight months pregnant. The initial strategy is to wait it out. They have water, warmth and a modicum of food. But as days go by, the approach becomes unsustainable.

Allegedly inspired by real events, Centigrade portrays some decidedly uncinematic aspects of the ordeal, like tedium, yet it doesn’t go as far as to become unsavoury. The characters are not particularly compelling and their problems are pedestrian and unoriginal. While you want them to survive, you know you’ll be fine either way.

What’s left? The cinematography and the performances. The car’s deterioration is well-calibrated and the camera finds enough angles to make the vehicle a world of its own. The sense of claustrophobia is palpable. The histrionically gifted Vincent Piazza (of Boardwalk Empire fame) is very watchable, even when delivering the most perfunctory dialogue. The same can’t be said of Genesis Rodríguez (Man on a Ledge), who’s not as skillful and is further hindered by the many layers of clothes she’s under. In short, Centigrade is competently made, but lacks the extra oomph to make a mark. If nothing else, it will make you feel better about your own self-isolation.

LA LLORONA

CERT: 15 / PLATFORMS: SHUDDER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Things may not have been easy but one positive of 2020, is that is has been a breeding ground for brave and bold works of horror, from Leigh Whannell’s impressive take on The Invisible Man to Natalie Erika James’ poignant directorial debut Relic to Egor Abramenko’s generation-defining Russian alien horror Sputnik. Add to this other standouts like Amulet, The Hunt, The Rental and Black Water: Abyss, and many more, and this year has been a strong and diverse one for the genre. And there is still plenty more on the horizon (Nia DaCosta’s Candyman, Gerard Bush & Christopher Renz’s Antebellum) but Jayro Bustamante’s La Llorona (currently showing on Shudder) is undoubtedly one of the year’s absolute masterpieces.

Not to be confused with last year’s The Conjuring-verse addition The Curse of La Llorona, Bustamante’s film is a different beast entirely, and a transfixing but tragic piece of expert filmmaking. The film sees former Guatemalan dictator Enrique Monteverde (Julio Diaz) on trial for genocides committed on the native Mayans back in the ‘80s. As the public rage increases and this controversial figure faces more pressure – forcing he and his family behind closed doors – his family begins to question more and more, and Enrique begins hearing and seeing things in his home.

We cannot stress enough with La Llorona, that you must not come in expecting anything close to the Conjuring-verse take, this is a powerful marriage of the hispanic legend (with some clever utilisations of “The Wailing Woman” motifs) with a timely and shattering story of the Guatemalan genocide and the true horror that is human history. This is a political horror movie that slowly unfolds, allowing the atrocities of the past to seep into the current, as the ghosts of history seek redemption upon the present. For a long time it’s more about the story of this brutal dictator being brought to task years on, and any supernatural goings on are brief and/or possible tricks of the mind which build in their frequency. The real horror here is humanity, or rather a lack of it, as the film shows how the cruelty of mankind and powerful men in particular is so easily buried by time, passed off by law or even wilfully ignored by people who know better.

Bustamante and Lisandro Sanchez’s screenplay, like Babak Anvari’s Under the Shadow or J.A. Bayona’s The Orphanage, shows how reality is the hardest thing to face, as the furious crowds demanding justice they’ll never be given or the abhorrent past events which trickle into centre frame, are equally as frightening as the spectral presence that subtly builds throughout. The climax is flooring, harrowing and emotional, and it pays off the slowly unfolding and confined atmosphere of the film perfectly. As the performances of the excellent cast, equally build in their intensity and emotions alongside the pace of this intoxicating picture. Margarita Kenéfic as Enrique’s wife Carmen and María Mercedes Coroy as new houseworker Alma, are particularly powerful in a film that constantly has so much to say and is a sustained, psychological and fire in the belly experience.

La Llorona is a twist on the legendary tale and figure, one which haunts viewers not with blood, guts and jump scares but with the omnipotence of history and the pain of its many victims. Incredible.

PROJECT POWER

CERT: 15 / PLATFORM: NETFLIX / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Netflix has done its best to keep our spirits up during a blockbuster-free summer season with a handful of genre action films intended to fill the gap left by the delay to our latest fix of mega-budget multiplex madness. By and large, their more modestly budgeted efforts, however imaginative and well-intentioned, haven’t quite hit the sweet spot and have generally come across like slightly superior TV movies.

Latest off the blocks is Project Power, directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, which is a muddy and tonally confused mass of sci-fi and superhero clichés clinging to a script that singularly fails to play to the strengths of its charismatic stars Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There’s some mileage in the premise, though – the latest street drug gives its users random superpowers for five minutes – and the first twenty minutes promise a powerful, energised urban take on the glossy fare offered up by Marvel and DC. But the film quickly loses its way and dissolves into a run of underpowered, often poorly-staged action sequences underpinned by explosive special effects to disguise sloppy scripting and thin characterisation. Foxx plays ex-soldier Art whose daughter Tracy has been abducted by the cartel distributing the new drug. Art quickly comes into the orbit of sassy teen drug dealer Newt (Dominique Fishback, who’s excellent) who dreams of being a rap star (naturally) and who herself becomes involved with one of her regular users, New Orleans Police officer Frank Shaver (Gordon-Levitt) as he works to infiltrate the cartel despite the warnings of his superiors.

There’s a lot working in Project Power’s favour, not least its New Orleans setting which gives it a welcome grittiness and edge especially when it occasionally touches upon issues surrounding the town’s sense of disenfranchisement post-Katrina. But its social conscience is subsumed by its rather tired A-plot, which sees ‘power’ users develop exactly the abilities they need in any given situation – one develops Wolverine-like hand-blades, another turns into a poor man’s Hulk – and any energy in the fight sequences is dissipated by direction that seems less interested in fighting and more interested in anything else that wanders into frame. Disappointingly bland, Project Power will just about pass muster until we can get back into the cinema to see how the big boys do this sort of stuff with much more flair.

ESTATE [Short Film]

Based on a short story by China Miéville, Estate is set in a tenement-strewn London neighbourhood, full of tension and potential conflict. The return of a prodigal son is the literal spark for a series of events that bring Britain’s pagan past into its urban present, and while it doesn’t quite stick the landing, there’s plenty to like and admire in Tom Harberd’s directorial debut. Harberd’s previous work as a producer on over a hundred productions pays off as he attracts a capable cast, with Doctor Who’s Samuel Anderson starring as Rick, a man who’s just about had enough of the people he shares the estate with. The Expanse’s Dominique Tipper is Diana, the bridge between Rick’s past, present, and future, and Martin McCann features as the enigmatic Dan Joyce, the king under the mountain.

Full of stylish shots of London and its inner city blight, the short thrives as a showcase for Harberd’s cinematic eye, and succeeds as a taster, leaving you wanting more from not only the director and his cast, but also from the world in which it is set. Estate is another one of those films that makes a reviewer happy he gets to see such efforts, but sad that a wider audience does not.

AN AMERICAN PICKLE

CERT: 12A / WHERE TO WATCH: HBO MAX, SELECT CINEMAS

In An American Pickle, Seth Rogen stars as a modern-day Brooklyn app developer, Ben Greenbaum, as well as his great-grandfather, Herschel, who was brined for a century in a pickle vat. It’s a film that walks the fine line between goofy fish-out-of-water comedy – a recurring gag sees seltzer water as being the height of fancy for Herschel – and emotional family drama. The fact that director Brandon Trost’s film, from writer Simon Rich’s script, doesn’t manage to reconcile the two in any meaningful way makes for a film that feels like an epic, despite clocking in at a clean 90 minutes.

The opening scenes – where Herschel is introduced, and meets his love, Sarah (Sarah Snook), work the strongest, because it’s all physical comedy and Borscht-belt jokes about Cossacks. A little cutesy, perhaps, but it’s certainly better than when the film flashes forward to modern day. After a solid decade’s worth of mustache jokes, the gags about Brooklyn hipsters seem horribly dated at this point.

The two Rogens are a little opposite, but the actor’s jocular everyman repeatedly comes through far too strongly in his portrayal of Herschel to differentiate between him and Ben. It doesn’t help that An American Pickle is yet another film about an aimless young man with no strong sense of self. Watching the movie, it’s all too familiar. While it looks lovely, An American Pickle is ultimately out of step with the times in which it finds itself.

THE RENTAL

It is maybe to be expected that a whole generation of filmmakers that grew up with a particular set of movies at their disposal may well end up reviving that genre. And it looks like the slasher film is slowly but surely making a comeback with the likes of Haunt, Netflix’s Slasher series and the recent 2018 Halloween and its forthcoming sequels. Most of the time, the tropes of this (or for that matter any) genre are well worn and many try to shake up the formula where they can but in actor Dave Franco’s directorial debut The Rental, we see an approach that is highly satisfying and an enjoyable start in what could be a fun career in horror.

The film sees Charlie (Dan Stevens) and his girlfriend Michelle (Alison Brie), alongside Charlie’s brother Josh (Jeremy Allen White) and his girlfriend Mila (Sheila Vand) rent a picturesque clifftop home for a weekend getaway. Though things start off a touch bumpy and only escalate further, as all signs point to the frightening realisation that this is not going to be the fun break they envisioned.

Franco and Joe Swanberg’s screenplay is a beautifully shot (making great use of the superb setting in Christian Sprenger’s atmospheric cinematography) Vacancy-like voyeurism thriller which drips into a tech-savvy slasher, and Franco’s direction allows much of the drama to initially stem from real-life tensions and friction among friends, as party night gone wrong hijinks ensue. Stevens, Vand, Brie and White are equally as good as each other and really the chaos begins before the central premise comes fully into play, with Toby Huss’ racially-motivated property owner Taylor and some tense relationship/trust issues surfacing among this confined group. Then, once things kick into gear properly, The Rental proves to be very confident in its choices.

Many things play out as the genre rulebook dictates, but the key to Franco’s success, is that he allows it to happen, keeping the story simple and not needlessly buggering about with audacious shenanigans that defy, distract or destroy. Then, refreshingly, he refutes select rules in a finale that knows less is far far more and one that some viewers may ironically be frustrated by but which this writer loved most, and it reminds to some degree of Adam Mason’s chilling Hangman, in its lingering statement. It is this ability to know when to hold back, which makes all the difference and works very well indeed, toying with that universal idea of being watched but also not knowing who anyone really is. A rental worth purchasing!

THE TENT

Following an event known as ‘The Crisis’, impressively bearded survivalist David (Tim Kaiser) hopes to sit out the apocalypse in his humble tent in the woods. Onto this scene stumbles fellow survivor Mary (Lulu Dahl), who finagles herself a place in the tent after David is injured. The relative safety of David’s quiet place comes under threat when this argumentative new presence brings Those Who Walk in Darkness – unseen monsters who may or may not have started it all – down upon their heads.

Kyle Couch’s single-location horror film may be overly influenced by recent cinema trends, but it’s more than a simple Bird Box or Quiet Place rip-off. Perhaps that’s by necessity; it can’t afford to be. On such a meagre budget, Couch keeps his monsters to the shadows, his characters hunkered down in David’s tent. The cinematography is simple and gloomy, but it works for the story being told. In spite of its name being in the title and everything, the actual tent doesn’t have much personality, but the film has a certain atmosphere regardless. Couch’s writing (of which there is a lot) is the real star of the show, papering over any cracks in the visuals and occasionally flat acting.

Those who go in expecting post-apocalyptic action or big scares will likely be disappointed by The Tent. Astonishing twist aside, this is more quiet character drama than anything else – a study of profound loneliness in two lost souls, reconnecting in a crappy tent in the woods. Like David’s tent, it’s shabby and unassuming, but gets the job done.