Review Category: Movie

Short films can be utilised to portray many things; often they are punchline-driven or perhaps created to introduce us to a world that the director is looking to expand into feature-length. The Velvet Abstract takes the form of poetic exploration and is a brief but fascinating way of making us look at one of today’s modern worries: what we are doing to our planet.

It’s made up of scenes all animated in a different style and media while the stern but soothing narration that meditates on the human condition and the tragedy that is happening in the world. Not just ecological but also the fractured dissociated way people live.

James Hughes’ short is well-written and the varied animation styles certainly make it pleasing to the eye. However, one does get the impression that  each separate animator was just given their line of narration and translated it to visuals rather literally. For a film with abstract in the title, there’s very little to actually back it up. That’s not to say it doesn’t work, it certainly does and it really does make one think about the state of things at the moment and worry about what’s to come.

As a bold experiment in art, it’s a fascinating and enthralling – if desperately depressing – journey. The animators involved are all highly skilled and certainly succeed in making their point.

THE VELVET ABSTRACT (SHORT FILM) / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: JAMES HUGHES / STARRING: TOBIAS MENZIES / RELEASE DATE: TBC

 

Director Can Evrenol’s Housewife was secured in the early evening slot during this year’s Halloween FrightFest. Often this slot will be regarded as a key point of interest to attendees, much like Leatherface was in its prime-time slot on the Friday night during the August event, and Housewife certainly had the chops to provide some intriguing moments.

A snowy evening long ago and a tragedy befalls young Holly when her sister and father are killed by a frantic mother. Years later, things seem to have settled down for her, as she embraces family life and a loving husband who has tried to help her overcome her childhood demons.

However, things are about to get interesting when she and her husband are invited by friends to an evening with the ‘Umbrella of Love and Mind’, led by a mysterious personal development guru (David Sakurai), who encompasses the best that these flamboyant and charismatic individuals have to offer, but whose psychological hold on his followers reveal more about their state of minds. It’s a fact not lost on Holly, who is forced to face up to the tragic events of long ago once again…

Housewife starts off intriguingly well, with a promising idea at the heart of its story. Indeed, if any of you have encountered these personal development gurus like Tony Robbins at one of their free events like the National Achievers Congress, then you will know the sort of person actor Sakurai’s character is like and this will build up the unease of a familiar situation.

However, before long the film resorts to conventional horror ideas and structure and you will refer back to other favourites of the genre like David Cronenberg’s The Brood and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, which were competent and fine examples of directors taking on an idea and an adaptation and revelling in its possibilities throughout. Admittedly, in light of the flashbacks and overreliance on the tragedy in terms of imagery, the film struggles to reach the pay-off it is striving for.

On a positive note, it is great to see a film from Turkey making the grade in the international circuit that can rival other European offerings from the likes of France, Italy and Spain for what it is trying to do. The film has an attractive cast and style to it and there is much to applaud on the technical side in Housewife. Evrenol certainly knows and understands the intentions of the genre, even if here he hasn’t quite pulled off the right essence of ideas and shocks that an audience looks for in a film like this.

HOUSEWIFE / CERT: TBD / DIRECTOR:  CAN EVRENOL / SCREENPLAY:  CAN EVRENOL, CEM OZUDURU/ STARRING: ALI AKSOZ, RESIT BERKER ENHOS, DEFNE HALMAN/ RELEASE DATE:  28TH OCTOBER (FRIGHTFEST)

With the likes of The Walking Dead and Cloverfield very human stories against the backdrop of apocalyptic events have proved immensely successful over recent years and another of this year’s FrightFest Halloween offerings, Mathieu Turi’s Hostile, did its best to approach the idea from a different angle. Director Xavier Gens, responsible for the likes of The Divide and Frontier(s), handles producing duties.

Juliette (Brittany Ashworth) is in the desert looking for supplies and civilization in a redesigned truck, but an error of judgement causes her vehicle to veer off the road and flip over. Trapped in the vehicle with no way of actually escaping, due to her leg being caught in a wheel, she tries to call for help, but is restricted in terms of communication and other matters.

Resigned to her seemingly inevitable fate, she reflects on her troubled relationship with boyfriend Jack (Gregory Fitoussi), the owner of a New York art gallery and the numerous factors that helped define their connection and ideas. However, neither of them are prepared for the imminent fate and bad hand that life is about to deal them.

Hostile is an intriguing variant on the genre and director Turi has at least tried to focus a bit more on the human element and emotion that is somehow missing from films of this ilk. Shot over three continents, including a sun-drenched Morocco, Turi said at the post Q and A after the FrightFest screening that he intended the film to be shot in English, as shooting in his native French dialect would have proved problematic in terms of funding. However, perhaps that would be an element to consider for a movie that we could see in the future.

Overall, this film is strengthened by the performances of the two leads, particularly Ashworth who communicates a wide mix of emotion in the context of both stories that the film tells – the loneliness and isolation in the desert and the city sequences. Juliette is a complex woman, troubled by her dark past and her desire to overcome her demons with help from her partner, particularly when another factor imposes on their future. Fitousse also shines in his role and it is great casting.

The film is technically sound, with good production values on a limited budget and holds the attention throughout. It does require its audience to be flexible and Turi tries to give the viewers some credit for interpretation, another factor he brought into the Q and A afterwards, about the circumstances the characters find themselves in. There is a touching climax to the film as well, a rarity in a movie that also features monstrosities roaming the desert like extras in The Descent, so worth sticking with for the duration.

HOSTILE / CERT: TBD /  DIRECTOR: MATHIEU TURI / SCREENPLAY: MATHIEU TURI / STARRING: BRITANNY ASHWORTH, GREGORY FITOUSSI, JAVIER BOTET,  JAY BENEDICT / RELEASE DATE:  VOD OUT NOW

Fans of Scandi-noir will find much to enjoy in this dark tale of loss, memory and ghostly goings on in the chilly Westfijords of Iceland, based on the novel by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

After an elderly woman is found hanged in a remote church, Freyr, a police psychiatrist (Jóhannesson), still mourning the disappearance of his son several years previous, discovers that this is but one of a series of strange deaths involving senior citizens in the area. Finding strange cross marks burned into the woman’s body, Freyr discovers that the common link between the deaths is that all of the victims attended the same church school as children. Meanwhile, three city dwellers restoring an old cabin across the bay begin to experience supernatural happenings. As the past returns to haunt each of the characters, the stories begin to intertwine in often disturbing ways.

Axelsson’s first foray into supernatural horror sees him building on the moody crime thriller tropes of his Icelandic TV series Trapped. I Remember You shares much of the same atmosphere, sense of isolation and labyrinthine plotting that made that show compulsive viewing. Thematically, too, I Remember You is very much in the Scandinavian thriller tradition, dealing as it does with the afterlife from the perspective of those still living but deeply grieving. Jóhannesson’s Freyr is caught in the belief that his son’s spirit will not rest until he finds his son’s body, and he is a haunted man because of it. Intriguing too is the time-frame of the story, and it is here that Axelsson delivers one of the film’s twists of which little should be revealed) except to say that the two plotlines of the story come together in a way that surprises the viewer even while snapping the film into sharper focus. Like many Scandi-thrillers, it’s a slow burn, but a satisfying one, and I Remember You will linger in the mind long after, like flickering shadows on an icy landscape.

I REMEMBER YOU (CELLULOID SCREAMS FILM FESTIVAL) / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR: ÓSKAR THOR AXELSSON / STARRING: JOHANES HAUKER JOHANNESSON, THOR KRISTJANSSON, AGUSTA EVA ERLENDSDOTTIR / RELEASE DATE: TBA

 If you had come to Frightfest and saw this title on offer without actually reading what it was about or what it promised, then you could be forgiven, based on what the festival offers and continues to do so, for thinking this was a spoof movie about a pseudo-horror film. As it stands, it is a real-life documentary chronicling the making of a recent horror film, Red Christmas, which played at Frightfest recently.

Horror Movie: A Low Budget Nightmare opened this year’s London Halloween Frightfest all-dayer and, based on reactions, was the fans’ pick of the day. Gary Doust’s film is both a cautionary tale and a triumph-over-adversity affair that will make you cringe, cry and laugh. If you are an aspiring film-maker and a film-school student, then this is must-see viewing.

Aussie actor Craig Anderson is tired of playing quirky TV supporting roles and as a result decides, like the best of most aspiring actors looking for life beyond the norm of an artist, to have a go at creating a horror film with the idea of an abandoned foetus that seeks revenge on its family. Strained of funds and inspiration, he seeks the financial backing of his brother who has got a secure background in property and other endeavours, as well as his parents.

Matters become even more complicated when he seeks the services of a name actress, in this case legendary genre veteran Dee Wallace (The Howling, Cujo and that low-budget studio film by the name of E.T!) who has been talked into flying out to Australia to play the lead, despite the fact that Craig has misunderstood the rules about Screen Actor’s Guild requirements and the knowledge of infinitely more talented and creative individuals. Can he win the day and achieve his cinematic dream?

Frightfest guests will often only ever reveal brief reflections on their films during the introductions and post-screen Q and As which, given the limited time and desire to keep the days on schedule, is not really a lot of time. Horror Movie will certainly provide much food-for-thought to anyone planning to consider a life around the big-screen and you will certainly find it a gut-wrenchingly honest and hilarious reflection of the challenges that people with limited funding go through to create the films that grace the genre festivals across the world.

There is added poignancy with the reflections of a real life Down Syndrome actor who provides a heartfelt desire to feel a part of the world, regardless of whether he is an actor or not and he provides some of the funniest moments (his video viewing habits are the pick of these!). The Assistant Director is also one of the stand-outs in the film.

The film certainly set guests and fans up for one of the best days in London Frightfest history. A winner on all fronts.

HORROR MOVIE: A LOW BUDGET NIGHTMARE /  CERT: TBD / DIRECTOR: GARY DOUST / STARRING:  DEE WALLACE, CRAIG ANDERSON, GERARD ODWYER, BYAN MOSES / RELEASE DATE:  28TH OCTOBER (HORROR CHANNEL FRIGHTFEST)

Fun-film-of-the-day in this year’s Halloween Frightfest all-dayer was undoubtedly It Came From the Desert, a Canadian-Finnish-British co-production.

Effectively fusing elements from all manner of classic giant bug films from the past, including THEM!, Eight Legged Freaks, and a past-Frightfest favourite, Infestation, the film doesn’t waste time with its intention. It is based on the cult Cinemaware video game from the 1980s and utilises all sorts of hip culture references throughout.

Two brothers, Lukas (Alex Mills) and Brian (Harry Lister Smith) are heading to a desert beer and bike party. Brian is a bit geeky, but a dab hand with fixing older brother Brian’s motocross bike, but the two of them have a crush on local girl Lisa (Vanessa Grasse), who Brian offers a lift on the way to what turns out to be a celebration of Brian’s champion bike abilities. Lukas walks away from the party to the annoyance of Brian, but when they catch up overlooking a cliff, they discover a cave which leads to a test facility, where a deadly secret awaits them and the locality…

At times you might think It Came from the Desert is a by-the-numbers affair, but this type of film certainly does the business every time it is produced. In terms of visual style, it reminds one of the likes of recent hits like Piranha 3D, though not with the extent or level of gore. Its heart remains in the 1970s affairs like The Giant Spider Invasion and Kingdom of the Spiders (a highly recommended William Shatner spider thriller from 1977).

The young leads are certainly impressive and convincing as the American,s and it is another great showcase for Grasse, who shone in Leatherface at the summer Frightfest this year. Scientists have pointed out on occasion on the plausibility of whether giant ants could exist in the logistics of nature since the release of Them! in the 1950s, but the release of Jurassic Park and the ongoing development of computer-generated imagery has made all manner of ideas achievable in the film-making process. If you are into your bikes in a big way, then there are some great visually choreographed sequences using the bikes, particularly during one chase sequence with the giant ants in pursuit.

Ultimately, whether this film rises and falls with the audience is based on how well it knows it. Most films have to maintain a balance of horror and humour to succeed in the genre and this film doesn’t rely as much on the bloodshed to make its mark with the intention. The fun is always watching seemingly courageous youths fall apart when faced with adversity like this in classic form. Miles and Smith evoke memories of Kevin Bacon and Fred   Ward in cult favourite Tremors and, like Grasse, are promising British talent.

IT CAME FROM THE DESERT / CERT: TBD  / DIRECTOR: MARKO MAKILAAKSO  / SCREENPLAY:  TRENT HAAGA, MARKO MAKILAAKSO / STARRING:  MARK ARNOLD, VANESSA GRASSE, CLAUDIA TRUJILLO,/ RELEASE DATE: 28TH OCTOBER (FRIGHTFEST LONDON)

The most stylish and unusual film of this year’s FrightFest Halloween was Lawrie Brewster’s The Black Gloves, a strikingly shot in black-and-white psychological horror film with elements of classic mid-20th Century classics like The Innocents, coupled with the likes of Black Swan and Argento’s Suspiria.

Psychiatrist Finn Galloway (Jamie Scott Gordon), whilst investigating the disappearance of a young patient, is drawn to a mysterious house in the Highlands where a ballerina resided, who suffered burns in a theatre fire whilst performing Swan Lake, under the watchful eye of a mysterious woman, Lorena Velsaco (Macarena Gomez). Galloway bluffs his way into her presence and decides to stay. However, his trail is compounded by repeated references to a dark figure resembling an ‘Owl-Man’. As such, the net begins to tighten on his objective, just as the dark forces begin to work their black magic on his perceptions…

Brewster said in his introduction and during the post-screening Q and A that he wanted to evoke memories of those classic films like The Innocents and Psycho and, like Ben Wheatley when he conceived A Field in England, it is a daring choice which he uses to great effect, particularly in his cinematography which is the first reason for seeing The Black Gloves.

The technical virtues of the film are backed up by great performances from Gordon and Gomez, who encapsulate characters who are both conflicted in their desires to both find out and conceal the truth of their situations.

It certainly is a movie that will demand repeat viewings and in time will definitely become one of the cult hits of the genre, because it doesn’t resort to the modern-day expectations and motifs that many film-makers experimenting and working in the genre want to go for. The Scottish setting could also be a nod to Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man, particularly during the atmospheric opening sequence when the first bad moments happen.

From the outset, with its classic, vintage credit sequence, echoing the classic Universal horrors of the 1930s like Dracula and Frankenstein, The Black Gloves provides a more thought-provoking and affecting experience. The ‘Owl-Man’ figure is based on a real-life Scottish folk-tale pointed out by writer Sarah Daly in the same post-screening Q and A (further to a question this writer posed at the event) and it’s for this reason that the film has to be applauded for trying a new approach to horror filmmaking.

If you are looking for Saw-style gore and Halloween-style suspense, then you may not be keen on this film. However, if you are in demand of something a bit more intellectual and meaty, then The Black Gloves is exactly what you are looking for. It might even focus you on watching more of the classic examples I have mentioned here.

THE BLACK GLOVES / CERT: TBD / DIRECTOR: LAWRIE BREWSTER / SCREENPLAY: SARAH DALY / STARRING: JAMIE SCOTT JORDAN, MACARENA GOMEZ, ALEXANDRA NICOLE HUME / RELEASE DATE: 28TH OCTOBER (FRIGHTFEST)

It’s been seven years since the last set of Jigsaw murders. For seven whole years, the mantle has lain dormant, the games come to an end, our cinemas at last free of Tobin Bell’s posthumous pontificating. We had assumed that Lionsgate would wait at least ten years before the inevitable reboot. Patience not being a virtue of the movie executive (there’s a Saw sequel to be had in there somewhere), the franchise re-emerges, following in the footsteps of Logan, Rocky, and Rambo, with the killer’s name in the title and everything.

Still, seven years is long enough for audiences to have forgotten the many intricacies of the Saw timeline, and Jigsaw goes back to basics, dumping Amanda, the Hoffman saga and even Saw 3D’s cliffhanger. There’s a new game afoot, a fresh set of dead bodies and two cops trying to decode the riddle. Copycat? Hitherto unseen acolyte? John Kramer arisen from the dead? We saw his very dead body sliced open for autopsy in Saw IV, and it’s to Jigsaw’s credit that audiences still semi-expect to see the sanctimonious old coot resurrected.

That’s about the only credit Jigsaw does get though. Its central mystery is the worst ever concocted in the franchise’s history, playing second fiddle to the worst game Jigsaw (?) has ever played. As five strangers compete for their lives in a booby-trapped old barn, their bodies pop up all around town for two comically serious cops to track down and investigate. Whodunit? Unless you’re counting the John Kramer zombie theory, it’s a choice between four potential candidates, two of whom are only in the film to play blindingly obvious red herrings.

The traps are fine enough, if marred by obvious CGI, but this is the weakest story yet. Its plot twists are telegraphed and blatantly stolen from previous entries, the mechanics of the game ridiculously strained. It plays like a Saw fan film or pilot for a particularly bad TV show, lacking the viciousness or smarts that has always typified even the franchise’s worst entries. None of its tricks are its own, and the gratuitous Tobin Bell cameo feels forced and silly. It doesn’t even look like a proper Saw movie, being overlit and surprisingly lacking in gore. There’s nothing wrong with taking the franchise in a new direction, but this one looks cheap and tacky, like a straight to DVD/Netflix imitator.

For fans and newcomers alike, Jigsaw is a disappointment: this reboot has the worst story, the worst characters, the worst writing, the worst twists and the worst traps. Not only is this the worst Saw movie, it’s also one of the worst horror films in recent memory. Frankly, it’s just the worst.

 

JIGSAW / CERT: 18 / DIRECTORS: MICHAEL SPIERIG, PETER SPIERIG / SCREENPLAY: PETER GOLDFINGER, JOSH STOLBERG / STARRING: MATT PASSMORE, TOBIN BELL, CALLUM KEITH RENNIE, HANNAH EMILY ANDERSON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

 

Expected: 7