Review Category: Movie

A psychological art film created by Kyle Broom delves into the world of pompous fame chasers. Broom plays on the stereotypes of arty socialites who become so consumed with their own egos and work. It’s an interesting allegory for self-obsession and the consequences of this. Whilst making a film about art, it seems as though the director is attempting to produce a work of art himself. Does he succeed? It kind of depends on what his true intentions were, Tabloid Vivant has a strange and surreal plot, with scenes that are very much out of place in style and story. It’s very much an art house film in which pretty much anything goes, and we can all look at this with a different perspective.

It’s a strange concept of two unlikely lovers using and abusing one another as they attempt to gain recognition for their united but individual pieces of work. One a writer, the other a technical artist isolate themselves in their friend’s cabin in the woods. They soon begin to lose control of their work and behaviour as they live off a dangerous diet of alcohol, sex, and paint fumes. Broom has a very interesting style of mixing realism with absurdity, he uses a lot of archive footage to give visual nuggets during scenes of lengthy dialogue and exposition, an attempt to distract us from the mundane.

Although the lush cinematography and cool soundtrack give the film a pleasant aesthetic that allows you to revel in its warped surroundings, it is empty of enough story and substance to save the film from its lackadaisical tendencies. It seems as though it would have been best played as a short form film rather than a feature. It isn’t long but feels very long-drawn when really we want to get to the nitty and gritty of these two unpleasant characters and see them at their worst.

The final act is when it finally gets interesting, the couple have become so consumed by this new revolution of art that they have forgotten how to live in the real world, they become violent and grotesque. Their attempt to save the painting from prying eyes leads to rather unfortunate circumstances. If you can get over the pretentious and stuffy first half of the film, you will be rewarded with a somewhat unique experience in the wacky and deranged department.

TABLOID VIVANT / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KYLE BROOM / STARRING: JESSE WOODROW, TAMZIN BROWN, CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, AMBER FRIENDLY / RELEASE DATE: TBC

 

A psychological art film created by Kyle Broom delves into the world of pompous fame chasers. Broom plays on the stereotypes of arty socialites who become so consumed with their own egos and work. It’s an interesting allegory for self-obsession and the consequences of this. Whilst making a film about art, it seems as though the director is attempting to produce a work of art himself. Does he succeed? It kind of depends on what his true intentions were, Tabloid Vivant has a strange and surreal plot, with scenes that are very much out of place in style and story. It’s very much an art house film in which pretty much anything goes, and we can all look at this with a different perspective.

It’s a strange concept of two unlikely lovers using and abusing one another as they attempt to gain recognition for their united but individual pieces of work. One a writer, the other a technical artist isolate themselves in their friend’s cabin in the woods. They soon begin to lose control of their work and behaviour as they live off a dangerous diet of alcohol, sex, and paint fumes. Broom has a very interesting style of mixing realism with absurdity, he uses a lot of archive footage to give visual nuggets during scenes of lengthy dialogue and exposition, an attempt to distract us from the mundane.

Although the lush cinematography and cool soundtrack give the film a pleasant aesthetic that allows you to revel in its warped surroundings, it is empty of enough story and substance to save the film from its lackadaisical tendencies. It seems as though it would have been best played as a short form film rather than a feature. It isn’t long but feels very long-drawn when really we want to get to the nitty and gritty of these two unpleasant characters and see them at their worst.

The final act is when it finally gets interesting, the couple have become so consumed by this new revolution of art that they have forgotten how to live in the real world, they become violent and grotesque. Their attempt to save the painting from prying eyes leads to rather unfortunate circumstances. If you can get over the pretentious and stuffy first half of the film, you will be rewarded with a somewhat unique experience in the wacky and deranged department.

TABLOID VIVANT / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: KYLE BROOM / STARRING: JESSE WOODROW, TAMZIN BROWN, CHRISTOPHER CARLISLE, AMBER FRIENDLY / RELEASE DATE: TBC

 

The world premiere of the independent horror film, Beyond the Gates, at the Los Angeles Film Festival, screened to an enthusiastic full house with the crew and stars in attendance. As an added bonus, Beyond the Gates cookies were handed out shaped in a skull that was an extra crowd pleaser.

The film is a great homage to the Italian horror films of the ‘80s influenced by House By the Cemetery, The Beyond, and The Gate with a touch of Don Coscarelli’s Phantasm thrown into the mix.

When two estranged brothers, Gordon and John (Skipper and Williamson), polar opposites in attitude and style get together to liquidate their missing father’s inventory from his video store they discover a VHS interactive board game entitled Beyond the Gates hosted by the beautiful but ominous Barbara Crampton (who also was one of the producers on this film) that may give them clues to their father’s disappearance. 

One night, Gordon’s girlfriend, Margot (Grant) decides that he three of them should play the game for fun, but by doing so, it begins to show them clues towards the disappearance of Gordon and John’s father, leading to deadly consequences if they don’t finish it.

Supporting characters Mercer as Gordon’s cop buddy, Derek, Welborn as the obnoxious, low-life pal of John’s and creepy store owner Elric of a shop that deals with the dead and death deliver great supporting roles in the film. Crampton does an outstanding job as the dark hostess capturing the feel of the video board games of the ‘80s.

There are innovative splatter FX created by John and Sierra Russell as well as an excellent Goblin-esque title theme by composer Wojciech Golczewski.

Brian Sowell’s cinematography gives the film a great aura and Stewart’s directing peels back layer after layer of the plot to excellent effect.

Horror fans will enjoy this fresh addition to the genre.

BEYOND THE GATES / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: JACKSON STEWART / SCREENPLAY: JACKSON STEWART, STEPHEN SCARLATA / STARRING: BARBARA CRAMPTON, GRAHAM SKIPPER, CHASE WILLIAMSON, BREA GRANT, MATT MERCER, JUSTIN WELBORN, JESS MERLIN / RELEASE DATE: TBC

 

As franchises go, they don’t come any more feverishly popular yet shell shockingly strange than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which began life back in 1984, in the pages of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comic book series. Over their 30+ year history, the heroes in a half shell have become pizza plucking pop culture icons and appeared in 5, now 6, feature films, beginning with Steve Barron’s first (and many still say best) film in 1990. Since that point the reptilian heroes have had a winding history on the big screen, with the turtles struggling to enjoy the same success as their ‘80s / early ‘90s heyday. However, when the Michael Bay backed live action 2014 reboot came along, it emerged a surprising hit (at least financially) and that very weekend a sequel was announced. So, along comes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, which doesn’t just follow up the last film but in many ways reboots that reboot, taking heavy inspiration from the much loved 1987 animated series.

The plot sees the four turtle brothers – Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Leonardo (Pete Ploszek), Raphael (Alan Ritchson) and Donatello (Jeremy Howard) – still hiding in the shadows, while Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) takes the heroic praise for defeating The Shredder in the climax of the last film. Meanwhile April O’Neil (Megan Fox) is pursuing a lead on how scientific mind Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) could be in leagues with the metal claw-swinging super villain. But things truly kick off when, in a routine prison transfer, Shredder (Brian Tee) is broken loose and comes across otherworldly forces that have given his Foot Clan the key to possibly taking over the earth. So it is up to the turtles and O’Neil, alongside temperamental corrections officer Casey Jones (Stephen Amell) to save the city of New York and more than that, the entire world. 

The last Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles did not exactly fill one with hope, regarding the franchise’s future. Featuring great action sequences and some good versions of the characters alongside a so-so plot, questionable designs, underused cast members, misfiring humour and another pervy moment of Megan Fox gazing, it was not abysmal, just not all that good. So after that and the hardly flashy trailers, expectations were not so high for this sequel. However, it seems as though some lessons have been learnt and Earth To Echo director Dave Green is more on target because Out of the Shadows is a huge improvement over its predecessor.

Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec have in many ways made this sequel as much a second start as a follow up and this time have dispatched with a lot of the self-congratulatory “this is so funny” humour to actually allow the characters some colour and charisma. True everything is not finely tuned, with some similarly misfiring jokes still remaining but more often than not the script actually moves along nicely – despite almost ending in a TV episode fashion (complete with “I’ll be back” villain fist shaking) – with some good gags and a very admirable attempt at capitalizing on modern day Donald Trump fragmented politics, albeit incredibly briefly. In many ways this is the most accomplished Turtles since the likes of the first but is set back from soaring slightly by some lingering issues.

Michelangelo is nowhere near as irritating as last time and each of the turtles get a chance to develop an actual personality this time round, as the film is as much an adaptation of the comic book source as it is the aforementioned animated series, in fact it leans towards the a latter more (see the closing credits theme). This is no more evident, than in how the characters are presented. Shredder- while not used as much as he could be- is much better designed in this film and allows Brian Tee’s stone faced performance to contrast with the, at times, The Secret of the Ooze inspired silly energy. Megan Fox’s April and Will Arnett are given less substantial a roles overall this time, though both have their moments and at least Fox’s obligatory sexualized moment serves a purpose in moving along the plot, as opposed to the impromptu perv-like arse staring last time, and in fact every time she is in a Bay production. Though of all the performances, the hooded star of TV’s Arrow Stephen Amell is among the most charming and is a nice new addition as Casey Jones, striking a chemistry with all his co-stars and bringing to life a character that fans will be pleased to see, though it would have been nice to see more masked action from him. Other characters make effective débuts such as matey mutated villains Rocksteady (WWE star Sheamus) and Bebop (Gary Anthony Willaims), alongside a certain brainy foe that we won’t spoil. Although one gripe is Tyler Perry’s over-excitable turn as Baxter Stockman, which is thankfully not prolonged but very annoying.

All in all Out of the Shadows is a lot of fun, it could go further with certain elements and ideas but it far surpasses the last film and boasts some enjoyable action that will delight many fans of the hit animated incarnation of these characters back in the late ‘80s. The effects and designs are slicker and this fast paced and ridiculous sequel drops the self-satisfied attitude a bit and livens up in the process. Like a Big Mac and a drink, this could have been even better had it had just that little bit extra with it but what the heck, it’s still tasty. Although avid fans may want to add another number to our score because this is a film that for better (colour and charm) and for worse (a narrative structure of one of the animated episodes) is like the TV series. Pencil this down as a turtle surprise! Sorry…

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR: DAVE GREEN / SCREENPLAY: JOSH APPELBAUM, ANDRÉ NEMEC / STARRING: MEGAN FOX, WILL ARNETT, STEPHEN AMELL, PETE PLOSZEK, ALAN RITCHSON, NOEL FISHER, JEREMY HOWARD, GARY ANTHONY WILLIAMS, SHEAMUS, TONY SHALHOUB / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW 

In cinema there are many unshakable rules and laws, everyone respects Citizen Kane, we all agree on how cool Samuel L. Jackson is, you never dispute Alfred Hitchcock as the master of suspense and you do not expect much from any video game movie. Over the years many video game phenomenons have pressed X to jump to the silver screen but pretty much all of them have been cases of ‘Game Over’. So much so that, among cinemagoers, the video game movie curse is well known. Well, after years of forging a cast and crew, finally Blizzard Entertainment’s computer game sensation Warcraft is marching into battle on the big screen. So, with a fantastic director behind it, can Warcraft: The Beginning break the curse? Critics have suggested no but we suggest it has done just that.

The story goes that the orc homeworld is on the brink of dying but in the face of this, wielder of the sinister death powered Fel magic; Gul’dan (Daniel Wu) has opened a portal leading to the peaceful world of Azeroth. As this horde of orcs aims to conquer this world, it falls on the king’s loyal knight Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmell) and his forces to lead the battle to save their world. However not all the orcs are convinced that this action is the best for their race, as Durotan (Toby Kebbell)- chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan- fears for his family and his race as war looms between man and orc, with mixed breed survivor Garona Halforcen (Paula Patton) also forced to question whose side she is on. 

The main issue with Warcraft is also one that many will be most happy with, in that it is very unforgiving on newbies in terms of the jargon-filled dialogue. Much is often the case with a lot of fantasy works but the kingdoms, clans, councils and magic terms are slung about as often as ‘boomsticks’ are fired here. The plot, much to its credit, at its root is relatively simple and thus the head scratching (to average viewers) moments of Easter Eggs and links to the games do not overrun the main narrative and there is still much to enjoy here for the uninitiated. Commonly with video game adaptations, the films miss the point of the source material or fail to strike the right tone, which is certainly no issue here. For the first time in memory, a video game film genuinely looks like the game it is adapting and even for the newcomers- as is this writer- the stark, grand and impressive video game feel is unshakable.

True the film does often have some simplistic moments- akin to cut scenes or an end boss- but Duncan Jones has not let his desire for doing Blizzard’s gaming zeitgeist justice, extinguish his own creative fires. Loyal it may be but Warcraft, from the pulse-racing opening to the genuinely welcome surprises in the climatic battles, still manages to boast a heart beneath its muscle and armour. The visuals are stunning (with Simon Duggan’s cinematography and the digital backdrops/sets being a triumph) and the story, even in its wordy and nerdy moments, is fast paced and packed with action but it is the poignant plot points and deviations from certain clichés in Jones and Charles Leavitt’s world building screenplay that genuinely surprise you. Most, quite reasonably, expected an epic here but perhaps one lacking character or soul in place of scale but Warcraft is genuinely a lot better than it has any right to be, considering how others of its ilk have struggled.

Jones directs with a clear aim to please the fans, critics have clonked his film over the head with a hammer but we found lots to love in this visually arresting fantasy. Vibes of John Carter and ideas that are well worn in this genre of filmmaking crop up but any overblown elements (a magical clash between sorcerers later on), many more enjoyable ones fill this well put together fable. Perhaps destined to encourage a following, if not break box office records (we shall see), this film truly offers a beginning to this hopeful series but also manages to stand on its own as a fully formed film- with a start, middle and end- while leaving room for more. It could do with a director’s cut version perhaps to flesh out certain elements, scenes and characters but what is here offers some big, impressive goings on, that bring the characters to life.

Deep and complex characters were never really an expectation but the script does actually allow for healthy doses of humour and gravitas, making the majority of the characters here very likable and effective. Protagonist orc Durotan is a brilliant creation; with the motion capture letting Toby Kebbell emote and allowing the big, brutish orc to have a heart (the moments with his wife Draka (Anna Galvin) and son Go’el are brilliant). Meanwhile Travis Fimmell is magnificent as the film’s Aragon-like hero Anduin Lothar and he strikes a good chemistry with Paula Patton’s new character, Garona Halforcen, a rare instance of a strong female lead in a classically structured fantasy. Plus her mixed racial background allows for an area of intrigue, regarding her place in the narrative. Meanwhile villainous duties are well handled by the nasty and devious Gul’dan- played by Daniel Wu and very well at that. Dominic Cooper as King Llane Wrynn also offers great support, as does Ben Schnetzer as young sorcerer Khadgar, who proves a vital aspect to the film alongside Ben Foster’s mysterious Guardian Medivh.

The film surprises in many ways but comes down to big warriors atop fantastical beasts, lobbing big arse weapons at each other’s toothy, green-skinned and dreadlock-headed mugs…so what’s not to like. Duncan Jones’ clear passion project (certainly tested by personal tragedies during the course of the film’s making) succeeds where so many others have failed and when Ramin Djawadi’s great score kicks in; you can feel the goosebumpy affection for the material coming through the screen. Warcraft: The Beginning is an axe swinging, tusk snapping, sword clanging, good old fashioned fantasy that wastes no time getting going and, despite the fact it would benefit from some wrinkles being ironed out, it stands as the best transition from video game to film yet. We loved it, many others will too and fans will feel right at home, critics be damned.

WARCRAFT: THE BEGINNING / CERT: 12A / DIRECTOR: DUNCAN JONES / SCREENPLAY: CHARLES LEAVITT, DUNCAN JONES / STARRING: TRAVIS FIMMELL, BEN FOSTER, PAULA PATTON, DOMINIC COOPER, TOBY KEBBELL, DANIEL WU / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Expected Rating: 5/10 

Never play with Ouija boards. Unfortunately, the kids in the 1977-set The Conjuring 2 will have been too young to see The Exorcist, so inevitably they unleash a demonic force in their home when they mess with a homemade hotline to unfriendly spirits. Janet Hodgson lives with her single mother and three siblings in a rundown house in Enfield. When Janet starts to go bump in the night by being lifted out of her bed and planted downstairs in the living room, paranormal investigators the Warrens travel to England to see if they can help.

This isn’t supposed to be your average haunting. The fact that the Hodgson family are poor and English is supposed to make a difference. But actually, they still live in a typical house with large bedrooms full of things to smash, a living room with a spooky rocking chair in the corner, and the all-important set of stairs that can creak whenever anything (supernatural or otherwise) steps on them. The accents might be different and the walls could do with a lick of paint, but this is still your average haunted house movie.

As a result, director James Wan feels like he’s repeating himself, ticking off tropes (Ouija boards, zoetrope, demonic voices) and coming up with little that is surprising. It’s lucky then that Wan is such an accomplished director, especially when it comes to the look of the film. Returning to horror after his brief foray into mega-budget blockbuster territory on Furious 7 (and expertly bringing back Paul Walker from the dead) Wan is on safe, familiar, but fantastic form. There’s an over-reliance on cranking out frequent LOUD NOISES for jump scares, but the cinematography, sound design, score and editing are all generally impressive.

If you’ve seen the Insidious films or the previous Conjuring film, you’ll realise that this is a film haunted by plenty of old tricks. Fortunately, that doesn’t make it any less tense. That’s mostly down to Wan’s technical mastery, but it’s also due to the characters. After a fairly pointless prologue in the infamous Amityville house, it is an hour before the returning Warrens actually get involved with the Hodgson family in their Enfield home. That gives us plenty of time to be creeped out by poltergeist activity, possession, and demonic nuns. The kids are petrified, while single mum Peggy (Frances O’Connor) is at a loss as to how to deal with the menacing presence.

Even though they might be terrorised throughout, this is a horror film with an incredibly low body count. Perhaps that explains the Amityville prologue, which offers a bit of blood before the slow burn spooky scares of the remainder of the film. Wan is a director that can do these kinds of scares with his eyes closed, but what he needs is a better script to help him back up to his peak.

Despite its ‘cor blimey’ characters and economically deprived family, The Conjuring 2 is a very generic haunted house movie only slightly elevated by Wan’s extremely confident handling of the material. It will scare the socks off you in the cinema, but it won’t haunt you all the way home. Recommended for fans of the first, but don’t expect anything as clever as Wan’s Saw.

THE CONJURING 2 / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JAMES WAN / SCREENPLAY: CAREY HAYES, CHAD HAYES, JAMES WAN, DAVID JOHNSON / STARRING: VERA FARMIGA, PATRICK WILSON, FRANKA POTENTE, MARIA DOYLE KENNEDY / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 17TH

Expected Rating: 7 out of 10

Actual Rating:  

In the quiet Danish town of Sorgenfri, life exists in a bland idyll. The suburban lives of nuclear families and backyard barbeques drift by with quiet normality, with the most anyone has to worry about being a teenage boy perving over the cute girl who’s just moved in over the road, something she doesn’t prove to be exactly averse to anyway. However, after reports begin to emerge of a mysterious viral contagion sweeping the country a quarantine zone is soon put up and not long after armed police begin roaming the local streets, ostensibly for the populace’s safety but clearly pre-empting the virus’ possible appearance in them. Which, of course, it inevitably does.

The worldwide epidemic of zombie fever now makes it to Denmark, with What We Become being the first (and almost certainly not the last) undead apocalypse movie to come out of the Scandinavian nation. The timing of its appearance is unfortunate in that it will garner numerous comparisons to Fear the Walking Dead, and while there are certainly parallels between the two, FTWD will forever exist in that shadow of its seminal parent show and be driven by a lingering journey towards the desolation of Days Gone Bye, while in What We Become, the contagion itself is very much a secondary consideration in the story’s structure. Far more significant is how the possibility of its appearance affects people’s behaviour towards one another, keeping the focus very much on the relationships between the living rather than how they survive against the ravenous dead.

While most zombie films take place over a matter of hours, or a few days at most, the seemingly endless torment – first psychological, then physical – that the characters endure pushes them towards breaking point as time passes. As things go from bad to worse with seemingly no end in sight despair begins to set in, and with it the gradual fraying of the ordinary decency that allows human society to remain functioning. The synth-heavy soundtrack is more than a little reminiscent of early John Carpenter, which is rather appropriate given that the atmosphere evokes the same sense of claustrophobic oppression as the thrillers from which he made his name.

Although the title has the obvious implication of the transformation undergone by anyone to become infected by the virus, it also has the far more significant connotation of how those few who remain physically unaffected nevertheless find themselves psychologically tainted, their sanity and humanity each being gradually eroded by the endless ordeal, and what kind of person the rising desperation eventually turns them into.

What We Become is a very human zombie movie, and asks us to consider how we would react if placed in the same situation and consider what we would truly be capable of when pushed to and beyond our limits.

WHAT WE BECOME / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: BO MIKKELSEN / SCREENPLAY: BO MIKKELSEN / STARRING: MILLE DINESEN, TROELS LYBY, BENJAMIN ENGELL, MARIE HAMMER BODA, ELLA SOLGAARD, MIKAEL BIRKKJÆR, THERESE DAMSGAARD / RELEASE DATE: TBC

 

A nameless student rents a room in a remote forest bunker so he can remove himself from the distractions of real life and concentrate on his studies and work. However, the family who live in the underground fortress soon prove to be as detached from the real world as their home, and before long he becomes hopelessly lost in an incomprehensible world driven by incomprehensible rules, warped egos and psychosexual games.

The Father believes himself to be far more intelligent than he actually is, a shortcoming only highlighted by his determination to prove it, whether to others or himself. His attempt to intellectually deconstruct a basic joke and ascribe meandering significance to every invented nuance actually makes you cringe. The Mother exists in apparent thrall to the mysterious Heinrich, who is only heard as a sinister and sibilant voice echoing seemingly from thin air. Then there’s Klaus, the couple’s eight-year-old son who is quite clearly a grown man – albeit a very short one – wearing children’s clothes (a discrepancy which is never even addressed) and who the Student becomes an unwilling tutor, too.

Nothing that happens in Der Bunker makes the slightest bit of sense and unapologetically offers no explanations. In fact, the only acknowledgment of such is the perpetual look of bemusement on the Student’s face as he is presented with another in a litany of incredulities as if he is the only one capable of perceiving just how utterly ridiculous it all is.

The set appears deliberately artificial and practically comes across like a live-action cartoon, a jet-black Looney Tune pulled from the mind of Sigmund Freud. Its spartan utilitarian design is relieved with the occasional splash of colour that emphasises its pointedly synthetic aesthetic, creating its own feigned perception of reality in its self-contained world, matching the nature of the bizarre characters who could not possibly exist anywhere else.

Amidst its relentless bizarreness, Der Bunker also has some comments to make about the inherently counter-intuitive education strategy of learning by rote, teaching children to retain facts required to pass exams without any reflection on the information being absorbed or incentive to retain it once its required academic purpose has expired. It also comments on the uptight nature of parents who are so set on conforming to societal norms that they become incapable of realising just how utterly screwed up they are, fostering unrealistic expectations on their children that allow them to live vicariously through their offspring’s potential success.

Der Bunker is gloriously demented and hilariously bizarre look at worryingly yet hilariously dysfunctional family and their perception of the outside world they can barely even remember. Driven by social commentary mixed with surreal black humour, it makes you question just how twisted you are for laughing all the while.

DER BUNKER / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: NIKIAS CHRYSSOS / SCREENPLAY:  NIKIAS CHRYSSOS / STARRING: PIT BUKOWSKI, DANIEL FRIPAN, OONA VON MAYDELL, DAVID SCHELLER / RELEASE DATE: TBC

Put simply, Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex takes a look at the work of prosthetic and special effects makeup artists. The concept draws an immediate comparison to the 2011 documentary Nightmare Factory, which focused on the work and history of effects house KNB and in particular its cofounder Greg Nicotero. However, Creature Designers places far more focus on the myriad creations themselves while also taking a dive into the minds of the kind of people driven to create them. 

From the make up work of Lon Chaney who, without any kind of education or training, simply figured out how to transform himself into a legion of tortured monstrosities, through the building of full-scale physical monsters, to modern film techniques utilising motion capture and creating the iconic creatures on a computer screen, the history of the craft of designing creatures, monsters, and humanoids is given a loving discussion by those responsible for some of the most iconic creations of the last several decades.

Major contributors are effects luminaries such as Rick Baker, Tom Woodruff Jr, Phil ‘Raptors in the goddamn kitchen’ Tippett, and Greg Nicotero; directors Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, Joe Dante, and Kevin Smith; as well as actor Matt Winston (son of the late and much-missed Stan), and you can feel the passion the guys have for the craft in every loving description of the conception and development of each idea.

Quite surprising is the lack of actual film footage used to illustrate the points. It was evidently (and quite correctly) felt that the sight of these creations in their dormant but nevertheless meticulously constructed state was enough to inspire suitable awe in viewers without a repetition of the shots for which they are most well known, while the explanations of the exhaustive and intensive process that went into their constructions allows us to fully appreciate just how much work it takes to bring to life even one such creation.

Rob Bottin is mentioned by several contributors throughout but noticeable by his absence, and from a comment late in the film it transpires that he gave up on the industry due to the lack of respect he was receiving. Likewise, Tom Savini is nowhere to be seen (and in fact, is only even mentioned once), which is a little surprising given that he is a name that general audiences are most likely to be familiar with.

A fascinating look into a side of filmmaking rarely granted the prominence it deserves, Creature Designers presents the creation process with as much reverence and enthusiasm as the artists themselves have for it, so much so that it might even inspire people to give it go themselves.

CREATURE DESIGNERS: THE FRANKENSTEIN COMPLEX / CERT: TBA / DIRECTOR: GILLES PENSO, ALEXANDRE PONCET / STARRING: RICK BAKER, PHIL TIPPETT, TOM WOODRUFF JR, GREG NICOTERO, GUILLERMO DEL TORO, JOE DANTE, JOHN LANDIS / RELEASE DATE: TBA

 

It’s back into Lewis Carroll’s LSD trip of a world for the sequel to Alice in Wonderland, this time directed by James Bobin, with Tim Burton producing.

Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is now a confident young ship captain, exploring the globe and believing nothing is impossible after the events of the first film. Upon returning home from a voyage, she discovers she is to be made a clerk by her new boss and former admirer Hamish (Leo Bill), and her mother (Lindsay Duncan) will lose her home if she refuses.

Visited by Absolem (Alan Rickman in his last role), who is now a butterfly, Alice goes through a mirror back into Underland (née Wonderland) where she is greeted by her old friends, including The White Queen (Anne Hathaway), Tweedledum and Tweddledee (Matt Lucas), Thackery (Paul Whitehouse), Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry), Bayard (Timothy Spall), McTwisp (Michael Sheen) and Mallymkun (Barbara Windsor)

Notably absent is The Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), who is mortally depressed following a chance encounter with a hat reminding him of his family’s death (including father Rhys Ifans) years ago. The only way to save him is for Alice to go back in time and stop this from happening. To do this, she needs to steal the chronosphere, a device that controls time, from Time himself (played wonderfully by Sacha Baron Cohen). However, the inept Time wants the device back, as does the banished Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter). And of course, time travel never has any complications…

The film is an improvement on Burton’s disappointing Alice in Wonderland. Bobin’s world is slightly more toned down; matching the more sombre themes of time, death and regret (Caroll wrote the story after the death of his father). Depp has ditched the Hatter’s Scottish accent, with Baron Cohen filling the void with a Herzogesque German accent for Time. The film seems more tolerable and watchable as a whole, although there is still a candy floss explosion of colour and plenty of zaniness.

There is overacting galore, usually on purpose and left up to Bonham Carter and Hathaway, fulfilling a sub-plot that explains how the sisters became enemies. The story itself is not very strong but the film seems is more coherent than its predecessor with more depth. It’s an enjoyable return to Wonderland, but still missing the wonder.

ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: JAMES BOBIN / SCREENPLAY: LINDA WOOLVERTON / STARRING: MIA WASKIKOWSKA, JOHNNY DEPP, HELENA BONHAM CARTER, ANNE HATHAWAY, SACHA BARON COHEN, RHYS IFANS, MATT LUCAS, ALAN RICKMAN, PAUL WHITEHOUSE, STEPHEN DRY, TIMOTHY SPALL, MICHAEL SHEEN, BARBARA WINDSOR, RICHARD ARMITAGE, LEO BILL, LINDSAY DUNCAN, ANDREW SOCTT, ED SPEELERS, GERLADINE JAMES, MEERA SYAL, JOHN SESSIONS, TOBY JONES / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Expected rating: 5/10

Actual rating: