Review Category: Movie

What does the word ‘rupture’ bring to mind? A painful injury to the nether regions? A side effect from a night of extreme drinking and curry consumption? Or perhaps a vigorous combination of both resulting in a dash to A&E and an embarrassed call to your boss Monday morning? Head over to the USA, and it’s a different story altogether; the creatives of Tinseltown poo-pooing such tawdry associations and slapping the word in giant letters in front of this enjoyably unhinged A-list horror. Shows how much we know.

Noomi Rapace (Prometheus) plays Renee Morgan, a single mother who is unaware that her home has been bugged with hidden cameras by bad people. Stopping at the side of the road to fix a mysterious blowout, she is forcibly abducted and drugged to the eyeballs by a sinister cohort led by Michael Chiklis and British actress Lesley Manville. They spirit her to a mysterious installation packed with high-tech equipment for human experimentation. So far, so Prisoner. Except this is no beautiful village, but a rusting industrial hellhole where poor Renee finds herself on the receiving end of bizarre medical interventions designed to summon in her the mysterious ‘rupture’ of the title. And not an onion bhaji in sight.

What follows is a one-woman masterclass in terrified rebellion from Rapace; we root for her as she desperately attempts to escape and wince along with her manifest discomfort. In what may well be the year’s greatest moment of cinematic horror, her worst nightmare becomes a reality in a scene involving an airtight helmet and some spiders.

The set-up that director Steven Shainberg (Secretary) give us is brilliantly disorientating. Told entirely from Rapace’s perspective, we’re constantly questioning the veracity of her experience – and with good reason, as it turns out.  On the visual side, Shainberg has a ball, saturating the screen with Gaspar Noé-esque reds and tossing sly and not-so-sly genre references around the place including turning the famous ‘Apollo 11’ carpet from The Shining into wallpaper. Obviously, the villains are uber-nerds on the side – even more reason to hate them.

It’s fair to say that for a lot of people Rupture will stand or fall on a rather audacious twist featuring a completely gratuitous CGI effect that will either have you hooting with delight or snorting with derision. Ever the rebels, we did a bit of both (a hootie snort) but came away liking it; it’s a proper horror moment with a streak of mad delight in its execution that tells us not to take things too seriously. Indeed, from here on in we’re in pulp sci-fi territory, with a final act that transfers the action back to Renee’s home and what feels like a homage to Philip Kaufman’s creepily urbane 1978 take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The small cast are all excellent, Chiklis giving it his best Vincent D’Onofrio and Manville nicely malevolent as his co-conspirator. But this is Rapace’s film; yes, we know she can do this kind of thing standing on her head but that doesn’t make her trademark mix of vulnerability and steel any the less effective. Rupture may not have the cleverest title of the year or be particularly original, but with Rapace at its centre in stark raving terrified mode, it’s a committed stab of strangeness that’ll keep you guessing through to an admirably dark conclusion. Might want to skip the usual post-cinema drinking and curry, though, just this once…

RUPTURE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: STEVEN SHAINBERG / SCREENPLAY: BRIAN NELSON, STEVEN SHAINBERG / STARRING: NOOMI RAPACE, PETER STORMARE, KERRY BISHÉ, MICHAEL CHIKLIS / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 4TH

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:

With the copious amount of comic book characters leaping from page to screen nowadays, it really does take a great deal of effort to do something different, something unique, something (you know where we are going here)…strange. Well in conjuring up a film adaptation of Steve Ditko’s magical maestro Doctor Stephen Strange, Marvel Studios really have had quite a task on their hands. A product of the ‘60s mind (altering) set, Doctor Strange is a character that must have been a challenge to do justice to onscreen (see some racial stereotypes of the era in the source material). The spiritual mythos and magical elements of the character are a change of pace to the MCU and the production of this film has certainly raised eyebrows. With accusations of whitewashing the cast (The Ancient One is portrayed by a white English woman) and some unsure about the casting of the good doctor himself, as well as the appointment of (until now) Horror genre director Scott Derrickson (Sinister), people were keen to see the results. Well, rest easy fans, Marvel have delivered…again.

The film centres on brilliant but egotistical neurosurgeon ace Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), who is left with nerve damage in his hands after a near fatal car crash. Desperate to regain his steady hand and thus his career, and after various failures with medicine, he is directed to the Tibeten community of Kamar-Taj to a group who may be able to help, with the use of “alternative” treatments. However this group, led by The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton), has more to offer than healing remedies, as Strange is challenged to unlock his true potential by opening his mind to the impossible. In many ways Doctor Strange is typical Marvel formula but with pepperings of fresher elements. This origin story certainly draws from the rulebook heavily, with the plot structure working out like clockwork at times. True, this studio formula is growing overly familiar but Derrickson’s film is bolstered by a superb central performance and grand scaled ingenuity in its action.

Like Iron Man, this is a film energized by the hero it is introducing and the screen absorbing appeal of this new face in the MCU makes the film work, in spite of the familiarity of its narrative rhythm and the weakness of its villainous component (a common issue across Marvel’s movieverse). Cumberbatch’s casting may have worried some but he is in his element here and is simply sublime as the initially self-centred and egomaniacal genius (not far removed from his turn as Holmes in BBC’s Sherlock). Doctor Strange is a joy every time he is onscreen and Cumberbatch captures the essence of the character’s intrigue, intellect, dimension bending power and big screen friendly enchantment. In fact, this may be Marvel’s most enigmatic movie character since Robert Downey Jr. started as Tony Stark.

The supporting cast is also effective with Chiwetel Ejiofor being a strong accomplice as fellow sorcerer Karl Mordo (though fans will know things are going to get more interesting there in the future), Benedict Wong being very entertaining as straight faced protector of the mythic scripture Wong (eschewing the character’s problematic comic book presentation) and – in spite of the controversy – Tilda Swinton is great as The Ancient One. Rachel McAdams is underused (in a similar manner to Portman in Thor) as Strange’s co-surgeon come romantic interest Christine Palmer and while Mads Mikkelson exudes menace (as he does so easily), his villain Kaecilius is pretty ordinary, as is the big bad we meet in the film’s effects filled finale, which borders on falling prey to third act syndrome but recovers it nicely. 

However, in spite of the film’s few missteps, it never ceases to be an entertaining origin movie, focused on introducing this character rather than building up the universe (minus the film’s two absolutely brilliant post-credits scenes). This constant entertainment is of course down to the potential brilliance of the title character but is also credited to some stunning kaleidoscopic action sequences that recall Inception and feel like the result of what would happen had Christopher Nolan taken LSD while making that film. From the start this set piece packed caper is stunningly realized and these perfectly rendered sequences of magic and cinematographic parlor tricks are the film’s ace in the hole. As is a beautiful score by Michael Giacchino, who at times hits on Indian sounding psychedelic riffs and meshes them with Queen-like guitar work (the end credits track is simply divine).

Doctor Strange is a treat for the eyes and ears for sure and is a rare film that makes good use of big screen 3D. It is not flawless but you’ll be carried along for the whole 115 minutes and enjoy the landscape folding, cape swirling and spell-casting ride. The formula may be getting well worn but now that we know how Strange became “Master of the Mystic Arts” and embraced his power, the real fun can begin and on this evidence Benedict Cumberbatch is a future scene stealer in this world of Hulks, raccoons and demi-gods. Doctor Strange is another enjoyable offering in the MCU.

DOCTOR STRANGE / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR: SCOTT DERRICKSON / SCREENPLAY: SCOTT DERRICKSON, C. ROBERT CARGILL / STARRING: BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, TILDA SWINTON, CHIWETEL EJIOFOR, MADS MIKKELSEN, RACHEL MCADAMS, BENEDICT WONG / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Expected Rating: 8/10

Actual Rating:

Sometimes films of a low budget just have to make do with what they have at hand when it comes to props, locations, and whatnot. It’s one of the reasons there isn’t many sci-fi films made at this level. What This Giant Boulder (let’s just call it that for now) does so well is take this necessity for economy to the logical level and craft the whole story around it.

Tom (Nicolson) and Gavin (Roscoe) are persuaded by their friend Jeffrey (Pujol) to attend a sci-fi convention against their better judgement. While Jeffrey’s having the time of his life, the others are less than enthused. Going in to see a screening of an old black and white film, they are suddenly sucked into another dimension – one that takes place in the world of the low budget clichéd movie. Although this may seem like something completely unbelievable, the friends shrug off the ludicrous scenario and throw themselves into the surroundings. That is, until the evil Lord Froth (Wycoff) takes a dislike to them and threatens to pursue them across the universe.

Landing on a nearby planet, they pick up two allies, Emmanor (Niederer) and Bruce (Tito), and set about getting back to their own reality while avoiding the usual array of adversaries.

There’s so much joy and passion in This Giant Boulder, not to mention a genuine love of the genre it’s spoofing, that it’s hard not to get swept along with the fun on screen. Full of little touches (everything in the space world is constructed from everyday items, from Fruit Shoot lids as buttons to potato mashers and old hairdryers) and an attention to detail that many of the ‘big boys’ would overlook, there’s so much to take in that a second viewing is essential.

Writer/director/star (heck, he even provided the song that accompanies the obligatory ‘romance’ scene) Nicolson is easy to watch; an instantly likeable lead, he’s self-effacing and charming and plays off against the other characters well. Even the more ‘kooky’ characters such as Jeffrey – an OTT interpretation of a regular sci-fi geek – are not too far ‘out there’ that they can’t be related to. Equally, Sez Niederer is utterly enchanting as the ‘Princess’ (we’re not going to go into too much detail of the plot, as it would spoil the fun of the reveal), Tansy Hayden’s buck-toothed, scarily mono-browed henchwoman Fralligay is strangely endearing, but the scene stealer is surely Wycoff as the Vader-esque Lord Froth, literally chewing the scenery with delicious practically ‘tash-twiddling villainy.

There are so many fantastic moments it’s hard to single some out, but we’d certainly say watch out for the space market (with plenty of background characters worth watching out for), the encounter with the Skaer, a Welsh-voiced felt puppet who is definitely not a Muppet (“that proud race is long extinct”), and Froth and his army attempting a silent approach on our heroes.

With such lo-fi special effects, This Giant Boulder could have easily fallen on its arse as a pathetic pastiche, but the references (both verbally and visually) are so spot-on that it just wouldn’t have worked with a massive budget for believable ships and planets where you can’t see the wires holding them up.

If we had to make any criticism, it would be that at just under two hours, it’s a little long, but we’d be hard pushed to think of anything that could be cut without being missed.

This Giant Boulder has already been screened at several festivals in the UK (including the STARBURST International Film Festival), and if it happens to play anywhere near you, don’t pass up on the chance of seeing it. Seriously, you’ll be missing out on your next favourite cult movie.

THIS GIANT PAPIER-MÂCHÉ BOULDER IS ACTUALLY REALLY HEAVY / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: CHRISTIAN NICOLSON / SCREENPLAY: ANDREW BESZANT, CHRISTAN NICOLSON / STARRING: CHRISTIAN NICOLSON, SEZ NIEDERER, DANIEL PUJOL, LEWIS ROSCOE, JOSEPH WYCOFF, TANSY HEYDEN, JARED TITO / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Expected Rating: 6 out of 10
Actual Rating:

 

Ouija:
Origin of Evil is
the prequel to 2014’s Ouija and tells
the story of that movie’s antagonist (Doris). Alice Zander is a mother of two
who, with the aid of her children, uses parlour tricks to convince people they
are contacting their loved ones. One day Alex brings home an Ouija board to use
for her act and it is discovered that her younger daughter (Doris) really can
communicate with the dead. Alex puts Doris to work as a medium, but doesn’t see
the damage this does to her.

The central strength of Ouija: Origin of Evil is the clear and
sympathetic motivation of Alex as a character. In the beginning when her claims
of putting people in touch with their relatives are false she believes that she
is doing good work, because she gives them closure. This is mirrored in her own
desire for closure due to the death of her husband before the events of the
movie. This need for closure means that it is only natural when the movie
depicts her as being unaware of the danger she is placing Doris in, and the
warning signs that Doris’ gift isn’t all that it appears to be.

This loss underpins the actions of the character throughout the film and
gives Ouija: Origin of Evil an air of tragedy. All of the performances are
strong in this regard but the strongest is Lulu Wilson as Doris Zander. Lulu
Wilson plays Doris’ transformation from innocent child to movie antagonist
perfectly. When she first starts using the ouija board she exudes a calm that
makes it feel like she is in complete control of the situation and this really
adds to the otherworldly nature her character takes on by the end of the film.
Thanks to Lulu Wilson’s performance the change from innocent child to an
inhuman being of malice, and rage is a gradual one that the other characters
and audience don’t realise until it is too late.

Sadly the actual horror in the movie isn’t always as strong as the
characters or their motivation. The supposed rules of the board are mentioned
but we never see one of them actually enforced, so a later broken rule has less
impact. Early attempts at horror come across as unintentional comedy rather
than anything genuinely scary. A scene in which Doris uses her powers against
two bullies is clearly supposed to be dramatic, and terrifying is just really
funny. When your horror movie has you rooting for the demon ghost girl you are
usually doing something wrong.

This isn’t a problem that lasts and the by the third act the movie has
realised its true potential. The nature of the spirits that ultimately plague
the family is simple, and avoids convolution. Like the Zander’s grief the
spirits’ anger boils down to a simple, believable reason that makes them all
the more menacing.

Ouija: Origin of Evil has an uneven start but ends on a high note thanks
to strong characters, a plot that wisely invests its focus in the struggles
that inform their actions. It explores questions left by its predecessor
without feeling restricted by it.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: MIKE FLANAGAN / SCREENWRITERS:
MIKE FLANAGAN, JEFF HOWARD / STARRING: ANNALISE BASSO, ELIZABETH REASER, LULU
WILSON, HENRY THOMAS, PARKER MACK / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
 

After successful runs
with proto-cult films Big Ass Spider!, Turbo
Kid, Jeruzalem, and Tales of
Halloween, production company Epic Pictures have made a great name for
themselves and are heading to the Sy-Fy channel this month. Their latest
offering is the end-of-days themed Day of
Reckoning which follows one family’s twenty-four-hour fight for survival in
a world overrun with demons.

Joel Novoa’s Day of
Reckoning deserves credit for sheer audacity of concept and pulls off some
great large-scale monster-filled disaster imagery. There’s also some great
parallel Earth, stuff since the film takes place fifteen years after an initial
reckoning, and it’s nice to visit a post-apocalyptic world where things have
been somewhat recovered and the human race crawls furtively on. If anything though,
the horror/sci-fi dystopia stuff isn’t in there as much as it should be, so the
world feels oddly inconsistent. There’s a fine cast at work though and everyone
does well to bring the world to life.

Much of this is as cool as you’d expect it to be, but after
the first few glimpses of mania, proceedings start to dull. A lot of the issues
come down to the quality of the effects which are, for want of a better word,
flimsy. If the film had been more like Big
Ass Spider! (which appears for a cameo) and embraced its dodgy effects and
B-Movie aspirations, there could have been some great fun. Especially with
prolific genre stars like Raymond J. Barry and Barbara Crampton on board. Instead,
there’s a lot of doom, gloom, and scenes which aren’t really constructed to
scare or thrill.

Thankfully, Day of
Reckoning knows it can’t pull off the epic rumble you might want, so it
scales down and delivers a tighter, more controlled final set-piece. The film
feels most comfortable when it keeps the hell-beasts in the shadows and turns
the pace up, but it doesn’t happen enough. It’s a real shame because, somewhere
in here, there’s an undeniably cool premise populated with interesting
questions. The notion of afterlife, or any theistic influence, is put to bed
too quickly, and since there’s little food for thought anywhere else, it feels
skimpy on meat.

If the effects had been practical and the gore more heavily
indulged in, there could have been a rip-roaring time to be had here; instead
it’s a dour-faced disposable which rambles through its runtime without evoking much
reaction.

DAY OF RECKONING / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR: JOEL NOVOA /
SCREENPLAY: GREGORY GIERAS / STARRING: JACKSON HURST, HEATHER MCCOMB, JAY JAY
WARREN, RAYMOND J. BARRY / BARBARA CRAMPTON / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Expected Rating:
7/10
Actual Rating:

 

Nobody quite portrays Britain
like Ken Loach. And if one thing is for certain in the eclectic world of
British cinema, it is that the veteran director’s social realist pieces provide
an acerbic depiction of the country that bore him. His latest offering I, Daniel Blake looks to expose injustice
in contemporary Britain for perhaps one of his most timely cinematic offerings yet.

Never one to
obscure his ideologies and critiques, Loach has seemingly been galvanised into
this return to filmmaking (he retired in 2014) by a country he sees as
suffering from a vicious austerity agenda. In response, he’s crafted a film
with an agenda of its own. 

Newcastle
serves as the milieu for this potent tale to unfurl. The film opens with a
black screen as we hear our protagonist, Daniel Blake (portrayed compellingly
by comedian Dave Johns), being barked at by an apathetic health care professional.
Despite being deemed unfit to work by a doctor after a recent heart attack, the
unfair test reverses the doctor’s findings. To make matters worse, Daniel’s
entire working life has been in skilled manual labour and the internet-driven
present day of online JSA forms and ordering fake trainers from China has
passed him by.     

This sets the narrative in motion with Daniel stuck in a
purgatory between job seekers allowance and disability benefits as he appeals
the decision. Daniel’s predicament works to display the absurdity of a system
that expects someone incapable of working to spend 35 hours a week handing out
CV’s.

On one of his many travels to the unsupportive job centre,
Daniel happens upon a single mother-of-two, Katie (Hayley Squires), who has
just been relocated from London through a housing scheme. As she’s minutes late
for her appointment, she is being penalised and is risks having her benefits
frozen. Her pleas that she had to find her way around the new city fall on
unsympathetic ears. Stunned by the lack of compassion, Daniel steps in to
intervene – thus sparking a genuinely touching friendship where both find solace
in each others support.

Cynics often berate Ken Loach’s films as didactic
propaganda, suffused in left wing principles. It would be difficult to apply
this criticism to the script devised by frequent Loch collaborator Paul Laverty
though. The material for the film is inspired by and based upon meticulous
research and interviews. This detail only serves to worsen the blow of scenes
such Katie’s daughter confessing to being ridiculed for having broken school
shoes, or Daniel’s presentation of his handwritten CV. One scene that has a acutely
lasting resonance is Katie’s hunger induced breakdown in a food bank, made all
the more palpable by the fact that over a million people in the UK are now
forced to use food banks.

This is a candid and profoundly affecting film that is
bolstered by social realist conventions such shooting on location, natural
lighting and unknown actors. With static wide-angle shots and the ability to
inspire formidable performances from his cast, Loach once again proves that the
spirit of De Sica is alive in modern cinema. Delivered with the idiosyncratic
injection of scathing politics and intense tenderness that make him an auteur
in his own right. Just as he did with Cathy
Come Home in the 60’s and countless others throughout his career, Loach
manages to evoke empathy and awareness for those that truly need it.

Sometimes a piece of cinema means a little more than mere
entertainment. This is a cut-to-your-core representation of bureaucracy vs.
society. A government telling people to strive for more isn’t helpful when
you’ve got 12 quid in your purse and mouths to feed. I, Daniel Blake isn’t a film; it’s a war cry for change.

I, DANIEL BLAKE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: KEN LOACH /
SCREENPLAY: PAUL LAVERTY / STARRING: DAVE JOHNS, HAYLEY SQUIRES, SHARON PERCY,
BRIANA SHANN, DYLAN MCKIERNAN / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Expected:
8/10
Actual:
 

Following off the back of a successful first outing, Now You See Me 2 sees another magic-based heist for the film’s protagonists, the Four Horsemen but is it a worthy follow up?

The story picks up with three of the original Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco) in hiding. They are brought out into the open by their mentor and FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) in what is an elaborate trap set by Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), a millionaire tech genius, with reason to see the Four Horsemen, along with newest recruit Lula (Lizzy Caplan), ruined. Their troubles bring them to Macau where Rhodes, along with magic debunker, Thaddaeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), must not only rescue the Four Horsemen but also even the score with Mabry and his elusive backer. 

Now You See Me 2, in short, is very entertaining. It benefits from a strong cast, The Four Horsemen all suit their individual roles within their merry band of ethical thieves; Eisenberg is the de facto leader, Danny Atlas, who enjoys camaraderie with the sometimes too eager Jack Wilder, played by Dave Franco, and the more headstrong Merritt McKinney played by Woody Harrelson. Daniel Radcliffe suits the role of a very 21st century villain: an egotistical 20-something who thinks he knows everything because he got lucky with the boom in new technology. However, the brilliant Lizzy Caplan was wasted in a role that was essentially a filler due to Isla Fisher being pregnant and unavailable for the film, even her “romance” with Jack Wilder is both unexpected and pointless. Meanwhile, with regards to the entire plot it lacks the surprise that the first film had in abundance, of course, the finale is very entertaining but it doesn’t surpass what we have seen before.

Overall, Now You See Me 2 is definitely worth a watch, it’s performed well and this more than makes up for the storyline lacking in surprises and for characters that feel like a last minute edition.

NOW YOU SEE ME 2 / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: JON M. CHU / SCREENPLAY: ED SOLOMON / STARRING: JESSE EISENBERG, MARK RUFFALO, WOODY HARRELSON, DAVE FRANCO, DANIEL RADCLIFFE, LIZZY CAPLAN / RELEASE DATE: 7TH NOVEMBER 

It’s
safe to say Paul Schrader’s career as a director has never been quite as
successful as his career as the writer of such classics as Taxi Driver and
Raging Bull. But as much as it’s hardly fair to compare Schrader’s recent output
to his glory days, it’s also impossible not to consider his most recent film,
Dog Eat Dog a huge disappointment. That is, unless you saw Schrader’s last film
Dying of the Light which also starred Nicholas Cage. In which case, things are
looking up… slightly.

Dog Eat Dog is not only a re-teaming of
Cage and Schrader, but also of Cage and Willem Dafoe; their first since David
Lynch’s Wild At Heart. Based on the novel by real-life criminal Eddie Bunker, Dog
Eat Dog is the tale of three jailbirds fresh out of the joint, who while
looking to make some fast money, become embroiled in a plot to steal a baby
from a rival gangster. With so much stupidity and psychopathic tendencies on
display from the central trio, it’s not a surprise that nothing goes to plan.

Opening with a talk show interviewee
spouting some nonsense about making the world safer by having more people
carrying guns, Dog Eat Dog feels like it’s perhaps going to be a contemporary
crime thriller with something interesting to say. No such luck. Stuck in the
typical gangster milieu of strip clubs and sleazy bars, with its grizzled old
ex-cons spouting casually racist lines and engaging in bad taste ‘comedy’
killing scenes, this feels like Schrader trying to emulate Tarantino and all
the hip young filmmakers who probably grew up adoring Schrader’s early output
with Scorsese at the helm.

The tone is all over the place, wallowing
in the coked-up excesses of this sad trio as they get themselves mixed up in a
job that is out of their league. They make for a cheerless bunch; Cage taking
the lead, but being blown out of the water by Dafoe’s electric, but completely
OTT performance. It should be depressing, but they’re all so unlikeable that
it’s impossible to care for any of them, even as they are revealed to be so far
be out of touch with the world and far from the brightest sparks. Only
Christopher Matthew Cook as Diesel, the third corner of this mismatched
triangle approaches anything close to sympathetic with his toned down
performance becoming a welcome relief from Cage and Dafoe’s attempts to
dominate proceedings.

Schrader doesn’t help
his stars by seemingly allowing them to try out anything and matching the
craziness of their performances with a style that never settles. Schrader
appears desperate to pack the film with zippy cuts and wacky editing in a vain
attempt to give the film a modern edge. Unfortunately, all Dog Eat Dog reveals
is a group of talented people with their best work long behind them.

DOG EAT DOG / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR &
SCREENPLAY: PAUL SCHRADER / STARRING: NICOLAS CAGE, WILLEM DAFOE, PAUL
SCHRADER, MAGI AVILA, CHRISTOPHER MATTHEW COOK / RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 11TH

Expected: 6
Actual Rating:

Spanning
two decades, and trips across continents from Orange County to Afghanistan and
enough drug-taking to make Howard Marks turn in his grave, Orange Sunshine is a
fascinating documentary with an incredible story to tell.

In Orange County, 1960, when a group of
young hippies discovered the then very expensive psychoactive substance LSD,
their minds were immediately blown. John Griggs in particular found it a
life-changing spiritual experience and gathered his wife Carol and closest
friends around him to create the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, part druggie
cult, part business enterprise. Their mission was not to make profit, but to
make as much LSD as possible and make it as cheap to purchase as thy could. The
goal? To ‘turn the world on’ and realise a spiritual revolution where people
forgot their obsession with material possessions and love would start to fight
back against the constant presence of war in the world.

Looking at the world today, it’s hard not
to wish the Brotherhood of Eternal Love had been more successful in their task.
As one interviewee attests, the sixties were the perfect storm where the youth
decided to drop out, resist being sent to fight a war in Vietnam and find a
purer connection between their fellow human beings… all fuelled by
mind-expanding drugs, the best of which the Brotherhood became suppliers of.

Using talking head interviews with all f
the core group of Eternal Lovers, as well as sun-dappled reconstructions filmed
on Super-8 cameras, director WilliamA. Kirkley tells this magical, optimistic
tale of the naïve but admirable Brotherhood as they smuggled hash across
continents, ran rings around the authorities and created a peace-loving utopian
community in Laguna Beach in the sixties.

Unsurprisingly, the party can’t last
forever, and while Orange Sunshine is completely biased towards its ageing hippie
subjects, it does show the dream come crushing down around its idealistic
protagonists. The now-wrinkled, but no less life-loving characters are a
sprightly bunch, and most are an apparent testament to the lack of danger that
surrounded their lifestyle choices. But, Orange Sunshine also contains
emotional scenes where the casualties of the era are discussed in detailed
terms. It’s a shame there isn’t also some discussion on the negative effects
that these drugs may have been having on the wider society.

How much sympathy you have for these storytellers
will depend on your personal attitude, and perhaps own experiences with drugs. But
whether your mind is open to what the Brotherhood set out to achieve or not,
Orange Sunshine is a riveting documentary with an exciting, thought-provoking,
tragic and hopeful story to tell. Sit back and enjoy the vibe.

ORANGE SUNSHINE / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR
& SCREENPLAY: WILLIAM A. KIRKLEY / STARRING: AUSTIN ARNOLD, TYLER MAURO,
FRENCESCA GALASSI / RELEASE DATE: TBA

Expected: 6
Actual Rating:

With
its frequent references to Christianity, it’s unsurprising to find a holy
trinity of perfect performances at the heart of Trespass Against Us. A towering
Brendan Gleeson plays domineering father to reluctant criminal Chad (Michael
Fassbender), who is hoping for a better life for his own son Tyson (Georgie
Smith). As three generations of the Cutler family, Gleeson, Fassbender and
Smith are a force to be reckoned with in this exceptional crime drama.

The caravan-dwelling Cutlers commit
robberies and clash with the police constantly, led by Rory Kinnear’s P.C.
Lovage. Chad and his wife Kelly (Lyndsey Marshal, also excellent) want out of
the criminal life, attempting to get a secure home and keep their two children
in school. But Gleeson’s ‘Pa’ Cole has other ideas, pushing Chad into a heist
that will bring down the full force of the law upon them all. Like the doomed
kids of American ghetto movies, Chad finds himself torn between the life he has
been born and raised into where criminality is an everyday occurrence, and
another life where he may only find disappointment and prejudice.

But that’s not to say that Chad doesn’t
enjoy aspects of his outlaw lifestyle. Both Chad and filmmaker Adam Smith revel
in the thrill of the chase, whether it’s the opening scene that sees the
Cutlers careering across a field in pursuit of a hare, or driving a painted
yellow car through town with the police right on their tail or involved in a high
speed cat and mouse chase in the middle of 
the night after a robbery. Chad and the rest of his brood live a wild
lifestyle, brimming with immaturity, irresponsibility and ignorance, and yet they
remain strangely endearing… for the most part.

Because while Trespass Against Us sucks you
in with some visceral action, it sucker punches you with its wonderfully
observed relationships. The family bonds in this tight-knit community are
strong and the codes of loyalty and respect are clearly passed through the
generations from father to son. To make things more complicated, even Gleeson’s
Cole is a tough character to hate; a victim of his own lack of education who is
desperate to keep his kin enslaved in the same lifestyle as he has led,
shackled by the same ignorance.

Trespass Against Us isn’t without its fair
share of clichés. Though it may never be referred to as such, there is a clear
sense of the ‘one last heist’ being played out, while the guy trying to go
straight but facing prejudice and overcoming his circumstances has been done to
death in other films. But this particular travelling community has remained
largely unexplored on film and is unlikely to see such titans as Fassbender and
Gleeson draw attention to it again in a hurry.

It might not do much for positive
representations of travellers, but Trespass Against Us is a film full of heart
and empathy. It all boils down to the complicated relationships of fathers and
sons, but with some riveting action and heart-tugging drama, Trespass Against
Us ends up as thrilling must-see.

TRESPASS AGAINST US / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR:
ADAM SMITH / SCREENPLAY: ALASTAIR SIDDONS / STARRING: MICHAEL FASSBENDER,
BRENDAN GLEESON, LYNDSEY MARSHAL, GEORGIE SMITH, RORY KINNEAR / RELEASE DATE: TBA

Expected: 8/10
Actual Rating: