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Filmmaker Feature by Jack Bottomley In the world of cinema and the pages of literature there are many influential names that have inspired the evolution of fantasy. Most people dare to dream but not everyone can make those dreams a reality, so these creators and innovators share their dreams with us all. And in modern fantasy, arguably the greatest dreamer and creator is one Guillermo del Toro, the bearded filmmaking fellow behind some of this generation’s most visually dazzling and innovatively assembled features. Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, del Toro is perhaps the greatest advertisement for how much mainstream markets can benefit from international imagination. Switching from Spanish language features to English tongued blockbusters, del Toro’s work has range and constantly alternates but the one constant is that you can guarantee is vision. So with this said, we at UK Film Review take a look at the man, the myth, the maker; we look at Guillermo del Toro and consider his career thus far. From an early age del Toro, despite being raised in a strict Catholic environment, had a wild imagination. Aged 8 he began making weird and wonderful super 8 short films, including a film about a megalomaniac killer potato. This early love of the fantastical, the odd and, yes, the dark, was arguably the best platform for del Toro’s long established motifs. Indeed del Toro’s work has constantly altered but the director’s loves and trademarks (insectoid creatures/machines, intricate steampunk-esque devices and religious imagery) are always there to remind you of whose art you are viewing. Monsters, creatures and other dark entities have always been a part of del Toro’s life, so naturally would make it into his work. The director studied at Guadalajara’s Centro de Investigación y Estudios Cinematográficos and his budding work in short films and writing was also furthered by his 10 years of experience in make-up and special effects. In this time he worked alongside Academy Award winning make-up artist Dick Smith (The Exorcist, The Godfather, Amadeus, Scanners). This experience aided his short film work no end and it is hardly a surprise that the talented young filmmaker was soon noticed. Even before making his cinematic feature-length debut in 1993, del Toro had amassed a back catalogue of numerous short films (many of which haven’t since been shown) but with Doña Lupe (1985) and Geometría (1987) early signs of del Toro’s directorial evolution were there to be seen. Both shorts had troubled productions and journeys to the screen, which later became a consistent issue in the production of certain del Toro projects and del Toro’s pursuit for realizing his visions was already a motivating factor for the young filmmaker. So in 1993, with the vampiric Horror Cronos, Guillermo del Toro would make his big screen debut and the Mexican genre film was a well-received treat. A clever film with style, violence and some of the aforementioned themes that would act as trademarks for his later films, Cronos was a striking debut feature. The film saw a strange clockwork/living insect device that could grant eternal life, resurface 400 years after it was created and in the process cause gruesome mayhem. Starring the respected Argentinian actor Federico Luppi and also marking the first of many collaborations with actor/friend Ron Perlman (who took a pay cut to help complete the film), Cronos remains one of the vampire sub-genre’s most well cast, unique and stylish offerings. The movies’ effects were provided by del Toro’s own FX company (a result of his learning of the industry) Necropia and despite going over budget (resulting in some financial issues), del Toro completed the film and would gain attention quickly. Hollywood had already offered to buy the rights to remake Cronos, which del Toro jokingly replied with, "Who wants to see Jack Lemmon lick blood off a bathroom floor?” However American cinema would soon come calling again, as Miramax Films gave del Toro a big budget (or at least far bigger than what he had worked with up until this point) of $30 million to work with on his next film, the dark creature feature Sci-Fi/Horror Mimic. What should have been a time of excitement became one of heartache however, as del Toro’s father Frederico was kidnapped and held to ransom, del Toro’s family under immense pressure paid the increased amount for his safe release but the traumatic event would urge del Toro’s family to move to the United States. As upsetting as the event was, it didn’t stop this directorial prowess from ushering in his first major American motion picture in 1997. In the grand scheme of things, Mimic is often seen as a lesser work from del Toro but the film, despite not being released the way the director had wanted (until 2011’s Director’s Cut Blu-Ray that is), was another interesting piece of work from the filmmaker and further embellished his beloved themes. The film starred Mira Sorvino as a doctor who aims to stop a disease spread by cockroaches by creating a mutant insect that can kill them. This mutant is engineered to last only one generation but something obviously goes wrong, as they have survived and evolved. Financially it fell short of its budget (an unfortunate trend that has plagued other del Toro projects) but attained a cult following for its dark and creeping story and ideas, so much so the film inspired two (unlinked) straight to disc sequels. Mimic was not an outstanding mainstream debut for del Toro but it would be his first step in becoming a big name in international cinema. Before that point, del Toro would go to a very personal place for his next project, in fact his next project was inspired by his own experiences with his uncle. The Devil’s Backbone (2001) is a Spanish Horror/Drama and was the culmination of an idea that del Toro had developed over 16 years (he wrote the film in college). As already stated the film came from a personal place for the director, as well as drawing inspiration from Japanese Horror and many rank the ghostly picture as one of the director’s finest features. Backed by iconic Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almòdovar, The Devil’s Backbone was set during the Spanish Civil war as 12 year old Carlos (Fernando Tielve) loses his father to the conflict and is relocated to an orphanage, that he discovers holds many dark and haunted secrets. The film would go onto receive- at that point- the greatest reviews of any of del Toro’s work and would later come to be the prelude to a film that cemented the Director’s place in dark fantasy cinema. However before that point would arrive del Toro would get behind the camera to make his first ever film that was adapted from an existing property. Though ironically, this film would introduce his original approaches to a wider audience. Blade II was the follow-up film to the Wesley Snipes led adaptation of the Marvel comics’ character in 1998. It was a massive change of speed for the director with a hip-hop heavy soundtrack and kinetic action-drenched R-Rated pacing. European vampires (specifically Nosferatu’s Count Orlock), folklore and the mutants in Beneath the Planet of the Apes all influenced the vampiric characters, as did del Toro’s own designs, adding even more distinctive touches. And while reviews were mixed, audiences have cited this as the very best adaptation of Blade ever made. They responded well to the excitingly choreographed fights and the unique and violent story which saw Blade (Snipes) begrudgingly team with the vampire council to face off against ‘the reapers’- a breed of vampire that fed on vampires. This would not be del Toro’s last brush with the fanged fiends, as years later he would write The Strain Trilogy (2009-11) with Chuck Hogan and both would bring the books to the TV screen in the FX series The Strain (2014-now). Blade II gave del Toro’s name more of a mainstream punch than Mimic did, making three times its budget. In 2004, del Toro would try his hand at adapting another superhero property, although as we all know del Toro is not one to go the safe route and his chosen hero would be dark, different and devilish. Dark Horse Comics character Hellboy was a hard sell to a majority audience (at that point used to more flamboyant heroes) and as such the film surpassed its budget but not in convincing fashion. That being said the reviews for del Toro’s Hellboy were positive and went on to amass a strong following. Starring Ron Perlman as big red himself, alongside the likes of del Toro regular Doug Jones, Selma Blair and John Hurt, the cast was as diverse as the highly innovative onscreen creatures. Like Blade II, Hellboy incorporated action set pieces with creative visuals and thus stood out from standard genre fare. The plot saw a highly ambitious young agent John Myers (Rupert Evans) recruited to the secretive Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, made up of unique creatures that acted as paranormal problem solvers. The lead problem solver was Hellboy, a demon rescued from the Nazis in WWII and raised to fight evil and he would face the ultimate evil in the resurrected Rasputin (Karel Roden). Working with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, del Toro refused attempts to alter the character by the studio and both he and Mignola’s top choice for the lead was immediately Perlman. The project may not have lit the box office on fire but it had cemented del Toro’s omnipotence in the realm of the fantastical, which would neatly lead to his most acclaimed film in Pan’s Labyrinth (2006). A rare instance of foreign language film achieving crossover popular fame, del Toro’s return to Spanish-language cinema would yield what many still call his masterpiece. Considered by the director himself as the “younger sister” to The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth was a spellbinding adult Fantasy again motivated by personal passion, del Toro even gave up his entire salary to ensure the film was completed (regularly turning down Hollywood offers to double the budget, so as not to alter the story to meet perceived populist tastes). Set in falangist Spain of 1944, the film focused on a young imaginative girl called Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who escapes the brutal reality of her ruthless falangist officer Stepfather Captain Vidal (Sergi López) by escaping into an unusual fantasy world. The narrative was filled with violent acts, penetrated by harsh but strangely beautiful imagination, both aspects married together to tell a moving story of sacrifice, war and empowerment. Starring tantalizing creatures- most famously Doug Jones’ Faun and Pale Man- this was a memorable and magical experience that was lined with powerful themes. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and received a 22-minute standing ovation, before going onto win 3 of its 6 nominated Academy Awards in 2007. Making $83 million on a $19 million budget, Pan’s Labyrinth is the fifth highest grossing foreign feature of all time. Pan’s Labyrinth elevated del Toro to the top of the fantasy field and he has remained there ever since. Since leaving the Labyrinth, the Mexican filmmaker would continue his side works in production, acting as executive producer in J. A. Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007) and creative producer in animated Hellboy tales Blood and Stone and Iron Shoes. This neatly led to del Toro’s return, through sheer determination (he turned down the chance to direct the then in the works Peter Jackson backed film adaptation of Halo for the chance to return) to his live-action feature-length sequel Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008). The film would mark his first and (until the day Pacific Rim 2 comes along) only ever time making a sequel to his own work. In this sequel he amplified the creativity of the first movie to an unbelievable scale- as clear by the Troll Market scene alone created through sets and prosthetics. The film saw Hellboy (Perlman) and Liz’s (Blair) relationship deepened and alongside amphibious co-worker Abe (Jones), the group was challenged by the threat of an embittered prince Nuada (Luke Goss), who tired of the truce with man. During production Sony had abandoned the film, believing Hellboy to lack profit making elements but Universal stepped in and the film nearly doubled its $85 million budget, it was no match for other superhero capers that year- Iron Man, The Dark Knight- but offered an alternative and as such strengthened and expanded its following, who to this day are still asking, pleading and just desperate for a sequel (as are many of the crew). After another well received work, del Toro’s workload unsurprisingly increased, as he would act as executive producer of oddball Horror Splice (2009) and paternal ghost story Mama (2013), as well as producing and/or writing projects like Guillem Morales dark mystery Horror Julias Eyes (2010) and Troy Nixey’s remake of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011). He would also act as creative consultant and/or producer on some major studio animated productions including Puss in Boots (2011), Rise of the Guardians (2012) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011). However in this period del Toro was heavily involved in the making of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit Trilogy, involved writing the films and for long enough was directing the then two-part adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s famed Fantasy. However financial issues and delays with MGM and the team, led to del Toro dropping out as Director in 2010- a position Peter Jackson would take over for the newly announced trilogy. However del Toro’s next film was a vast departure from the pitter patter of hairy feet and indeed from many of the Fantasy features for which he had made himself a big directorial power. In 2013, del Toro would return with Pacific Rim, an action heavy manga influenced monster movie that relished the designs of anime and kaiju cinema that del Toro had witnessed over his years. The film saw an unspecified future devastated by an invading race of monstrous kaiju’s from beneath the seas, until man fought back by building Jaegers (huge mecha-suits operated by two pilots sharing a psychological link) to do battle with the kaijus. The film is centered on ex-Jaeger pilot Raleigh (Charlie Hunnam) who is forced to return to help the ailing Jaeger program, led by Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), on a go for broke operation to save the world. Along with Travis Beacham, del Toro wrote the film in the vein of a mecha or kaiju film, drawing inspiration from Francisco Goya’s The Colossus too. This was a project squarely aimed as a loving homage and with its IMAX 3D sequences and scale based machine vs. monster scraps, this was a departure from del Toro’s other work in terms of scope and content. Thus, the film drew some mixed (though still positive) responses, and while struggling a tad domestically, worldwide numbers boosted the film to successful box office status, making the sequel a go, which, Del Toro assures, is soon upcoming. And with that comment on the future we arrive in the now, as del Toro’s newest feature- and return to his gothic and haunting roots- Crimson Peak, is in cinemas now. The film is del Toro’s answer to the 70s style old fashioned ghost story with stylistic lashings of Hammer Horror and Italian giallo thrown in for good measure. The film tells the story of author Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) who falls for and weds Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). The two move in together at his old mansion home, however all is far from well with this place and worse still Sharpe and his sister Lady Lucille (Jessica Chastain) might just know more than they are letting on. The film has drawn mostly positive reviews, with critics calling Peak a gorgeously dressed and assembled (the sets were all built from scratch) film that is far removed from what fills modern multiplexes. Sadly this has shown, as the film has flopped next to other more openly conventional (and less ambitious) fare. In many ways this typifies Guillermo del Toro, he is not the man that helms the cash machine breaker, nor the guy that busts blocks regularly but nor does he want to be. Looking back through Guillermo del Toro’s career and life, we can see a consistency that remains. Be he successful or not, del Toro has never made a lazy film, with each passing project he puts a piece of himself on the screen, be it the personal experiences found within The Devil’s Backbone or Pan’s Labyrinth or the influences of Pacific Rim. You always know when you have seen a del Toro movie but at the same time you don’t always know what to expect from one. He is a director who does not sacrifice creativity for cash or passion for payment and as a result he is a modern day cinematic mind that will continue to flourish and tick before our gaze and in turn will likely never cease to amaze us all. Read more filmmaker features. #FilmmakerFeatures #JackBottomley #filmmaking #filmreviews #theatricalreleases

Directed by Gregory Dunn Starring Lars Nyberg Short film review by Chris Olson Crisp and flavoured with peculiarity, Gregory Dunn’s short film Toasted gets lukewarm with a character study of an eccentric toaster collector, whose collection of toasting appliances from around the world has made him a local celebrity in Sweden’s Uttersberg. The modern kitchen is lost without a sturdy toaster. Sure you could grill your bread like a chump, or fry it if you shamelessly abuse your arteries, but the majority of us want our bread toasted in a matter of minutes using the traditional appliance. Without checking, it is probably safe to assume that 99% of toaster owners only have one toaster. The collection on display in this short film is as eclectic as its filmmaking. Dotted with exterior shots of random scenes, and an obscure score from Eavan Aiken which ranges from beautifully atmospheric to utterly confounding, Dunn’s movie is one of abstract elements and coalescing themes. Lars’ bumbling behaviour is complemented by the aesthetic of the filming, creating an overall tone which will probably divide audiences. There are ideas to take away if one should choose; such as the delicacy of routine or the haphazard nature of life’s timing, but most audiences will probably take away images of a lot of toasters…and probably craving a bit of sliced white and some jam. There is a stark tempo change during one sequence of the film, which is bolstered by Aiken’s score, that is particularly dramatic, and given the mundane nature of the elements on screen, it creates an uneasy feeling for the audience as it suggests a chaos which is unexpected and unrelenting. Showcasing at the Cork Film Festival, Toasted maintains a solid cinematography with vibrant visuals of landscape and interior workings. There is a sleek fluidity to Dunn’s piece that captures some intriguing features without drooping from the weight of structure or plot. That being said, it’s a short film that makes its point so succinctly that the viewer is left with little more than crumbs by the end in terms of lasting effect. For more film reviews from the Cork Film Festival click here. #CorkFilmFestival #shortfilmreviews #Chrisolson #filmmaking #SupportIndieFilm

Written and Directed by Alan King Starring Alan King, Rebecca McCauley, May Khun, Dino Marnika & Isabella King Short film review by Hannah Sayer Of his experimental short film, The Correspondent, Alan King stated that: “Approaching this film with a desire to break away from conventional story structure, I created a narrative arc that was somewhat less literal and primarily focused on merging the lead character’s conscious and subconscious actions”. This avant-garde and radical example of filmmaking leaves the viewer puzzled as to what its overall message is, but doesn’t fail to impress with its visually stunning aesthetic as we are led into the depths of a struggling man’s subconscious. The film is a chronicle of one man’s journey through love, loss and resurrection, after the death of his child. It begins with a scene of the man submerged in water, where deep and vibrant colours are used, to represent that this is a focus on the character’s subconscious actions. This juxtaposes the black and white sections of the narrative that will follow which represent the character’s conscious actions. The direction then moves on to a black and white sequence of a car journey, with the viewer in the position of being in the back witnessing the action, or lack of action, on the streets. This long shot is accompanied by a voiceover on the news about political conflict in Thailand, alluding to the title of the piece, as it is reported by a South East Asia correspondent. This quickly cuts to a shower scene, which is heavily edited with bold black and white contrast, giving the fragmentary sequence a surrealist edge. We are then brought back to the car ride, with the viewer accompanying the narrator on this journey. The narrative continues to insert heavily contrasted black and white shots and repeat the starting scene of the man being engulfed by the pool. This creates a sense of the man being unable to move on from this event in his life, which is causing his identity to become blurred and repetitive. Although it is not fully clear at this point, it seems that the narrative is evoking that the character is unable to let go of the past as he is haunted by loss, which is why his mind keeps reverting back to the pool scene. This man’s mind is in disorder, which becomes even more hauntingly apparent when the imagery of the kaleidoscope is used. These bright colours and obscure patterns establish a heightened sense of emotion, as it seems as if the viewer is witnessing something psychedelic or dreamlike. The rich palette of blues and reds used contrasts with earlier examples of the black and white imagery. When watching this part of the film, I was reminded of the pleasing aesthetic of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives (2013). The visually stunning nature of Refn’s work constrasts its dark subject matter, which is the case with The Correspondent. A man’s loss after the death of his child is made apparent through stylistically and beautifully shot pieces of experimental film intercut within the black and white pieces of the narrative, which symbolise the past. By constantly interweaving black and white with colour, to represent the conscious and the subconscious, King is effectively using film as a medium to express this man’s innermost thoughts and feelings and how strange and unique this feels to the outside world. The jaunty, shaky hand held quality of the final black and white piece of the narrative, of the man running down a corridor as he suddenly falls out of a window, adds a realistic effect, as if we are watching a real life case unfold in front of our eyes, as the viewer is witness to how the man is feeling lost as the intensity builds. It is interesting and thought provoking for the film to end on the imagery of the pool that has been repeated throughout, but developed slightly. The final image of his daughter in the frame, permanently frozen in time and lost forever, is deeply upsetting and creates a sense of nostalgia for the past. The moving final piece of music that accompanies this establishes this experimental piece as a heartbreaking self realisation of what has been lost. King is successful in what he states he wanted to do, of ‘a desire to break away from conventional story structure’. Its lack of any structure, its jaunty editing and rapid changes from black and white to colour, allow for the viewer to fully realise the disorder of this man’s mind. The short film is more of an exploration of the mind, rather than of a single journey, as it feels as though the ending doesn’t leave us knowing for sure that this man has accomplished all that he set out to. Read more film reviews here. #shortfilmreviews #filmreviews #supportindiefilms #HannahSayer

Director: Tom Smith Starring: Kate Louise Turner, Emma Loveday, Paul Lawless Short film review by Monica Jowett​ This short drama from director, producer and screenwriter Tom Smith is evocative as it follows Mollie (Kate Louise Turner) who is suffering in an abusive relationship at the hands of her girlfriend Ashley (Emma Loveday). Mollie fears for her safety and continues to feel uncomfortable in what should be a loving and supportive partnership. The short film opens to a close up of Mollie as she is lying awake in bed, looking almost as though she is scared of falling asleep next to Ashley. The following scene shows the couple talking about weekend plans, hinting that not all is right as Mollie is upset to find out Ashley is not available, and once Ashley leaves she gingerly touches a bruise showing on her chest. Visiting her concerned brother Charlie (Paul Lawless) she opens up about what has been happening to her. It is shown later on that Ashley becomes increasingly aggressive and physical with Mollie especially when fuelled by alcohol, and Mollie is quite defenceless. The careful scriptwriting from Smith shows how what is left unsaid carries as much weight as when Ashley taunts her girlfriend, verbally swearing and yelling at her. The use of close ups shots on Mollie throughout the short film, also used as a bookend, draws us closer to how Mollie really feels, as we see her tired and pale features closer and the impact the abuse is having. Turner, as Mollie, portrays the quiet hurt of people suffering from domestic violence and who feel incapable of getting out of it. As part of a lesbian couple, Smoke demonstrates how domestic violence is not just relevant to heterosexual couples, and can occur in any type of relationship. Mollie’s screams of frustration are directed at herself, as she clearly knows she can be in a better situation, but as she says to her brother ‘I can’t leave her,’ a mantra that is frequent in domestic abusive relationships, as they are afraid of what may happen. Turner gives a powerful performance as Mollie and her frailty is easy to sympathise with. However, in the final scene she shows a glimpse of the strength she has as she smiles, driving away from the pain and hurt she has faced. Smoke is an affecting short film that highlights the effect of domestic violence, from the victims standpoint but also gives reflection into the cause of the abuse as we glimpse Ashley pleading with Charlie. As Smoke focuses on a lesbian couple, the short film reinforces the universal nature of these troubling themes. Click here for more film reviews. #filmreviews #shortfilmreviews #shortfilm #MonicaJowett

Directed by Chris Butler & Sam Fell Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick & Christopher Mintz-Plasse #ThrowbackThursday film review by Joseph Banham I have gone for a change of pace for this week’s horror film review. Whereas the films chosen so far have all largely been aimed at adults, today I wanted to look at a recent film that is geared towards younger audiences. After all, the joy of Halloween is most celebrated by children, and the film industry has never failed to produce a whole array of spooky family films. Just look at the films in cinemas now, with Goosebumps just having been released (in the US at least) and Hotel Transylvania 2 filling multiplexes a few weeks prior. The film I am going to look at today is one that I feel stands at the forefront of modern Halloween-themed classics: ParaNorman (2012) The studio behind ParaNorman, Laika, have garnered frequent adulation for pushing the envelope when it comes to stop-motion animation. They have embraced all the traditional aspects of the art form, keeping the handcrafted look that makes it feel so special, while also using new computer technology to further enhance their work and push the boundaries of what was thought to be capable. Despite only having three features under their name (the other two being 2009’s Coraline and last year’s The Boxtrolls), the studio has already achieved a distinctive style revelling in stories of dark fantasy featuring misfit characters, leading their work to often be compared to the likes of Tim Burton. ParaNorman follows the story of Norman Babcock (voiced by Kodi Smit-Mcphee), a young outsider residing in the town of Blithe Hollow, who has the ability to see and converse with the dead. Obviously, the other children in his school see this habit of regularly talking to thin air worthy of some cruel mockery, particularly from typical school bully Alvin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). His seemingly strange behaviour even isolates him from his parents (Leslie Mann and Jeff Garlin) as well as wildly irritating his bratty teenage sister (Anna Kendrick), especially when he informs them that their deceased grandma is still sitting in the living room watching TV. The only person amongst the living whom Norman befriends is Neil Downe (Tucker Albrizzi), an equally tormented, overweight child at his school. Norman’s special talent soon becomes very troublesome when he starts getting visited by his estranged uncle (John Goodman), who shares his gift. His uncle tells him that he must carry on the duty of keeping the lid on a three hundred year old curse set upon the town by a witch before she was hanged. After his uncle collapses dead, it is up to Norman to keep the witch’s spirit at bay by reading a passage from a book before night falls. Of course, Norman doesn’t handle his new responsibility at all well, and ends up causing the dead to rise as well as a menacing storm to hang over the town. There is something about Laika’s visual vibe that makes them perfect for telling dark fantasy stories such as this. As CG animation has now become the standard for mainstream animation, there is something about stop-motion that now seems very unconventional—something that works very much in favour of a story like ParaNorman. The character designs look terrifically quirky, with cartoonishly exaggerated proportions that help with the world’s distorted, fantasy aesthetic. The odd designs don’t ever inhibit the audience from relating to them, however, as some of the best scenes come from personal moments with the characters; one of my favourite scenes involves a solitary Norman in his room alone, listening to his parents argue over his unorthodox interests. It’s genuinely moving seeing Norman as a kid who just doesn't fit in, portrayed with some touchingly subtle animation. The sets are also jaw-dropping. The studio have created a spectacular immersive world, featuring many staple locations of horror. A principal location is a gloomy wood, which is crafted with looming trees and cold colours, perfectly representing it as vengeful as the main antagonist herself. The locations absorb the viewer into the world seamlessly, which is made all the more impressive knowing that they hand-made miniatures.. What is most surprising about ParaNorman is that the first half does actually manage to be genuinely creepy. Early on in the film, where Norman’s class are rehearsing a school play about the town’s history, our hero has a disturbing vision about the town’s real shocking past. As his school hall disintegrates around him, and his bored classmates are replaced with Blithe Hollow’s solemn ancestors, the film creates an unnerving atmosphere that is quite unexpected considering its main target audience. The effect is augmented by some ingenious staging and chilling score, bringing the past to life to quite literally haunt Norman. The film’s creepier moments are comfortably balanced with a lot of light humour that, again, is surprisingly mature. The film has a range of visual gags, sharp one-liners and some more adult orientated innuendo. Whilst some of the innuendos don’t always hit, most of them are sure to elicit a few chuckles without ever feeling like the film is trying too hard to feel edgy. A great character is Neil’s older brother, Mitch (Casey Affleck), a typically dim fitness freak who gets inadvertently roped into saving the town with his little brother and Norman, although he would much rather pump iron than fight the undead. There are many fun homages thrown in for horror fans, including clever little references to the classic slasher films Halloween and Friday The 13th. The zombie film that Norman is watching at the beginning, with its vivid red lighting and techno soundtrack, is reminiscent of a film by Dario Argento, one of the master horror filmmakers. Such allusions suggest that the film was made by people who have a passion for scary cinema, and their admiration pours into every shot of the film, making it a great deal of fun for any horror fan to sit through. It is like all the main horror tropes have been mixed together and presented in one bright, inoffensive package. What I respect most about the film are the themes and message it delivers. While it does have a slight familiarity about it (there is the typical ‘don’t change who you are’ line), ParaNorman ultimately manages to be a lot more thoughtful than the standard run of family fare. The overarching theme of how fear can be the cause of unnecessary violence and hate rings very true, and the films treats it with such seriousness that is very refreshing. People bully Norman because they don’t understand him; they are, in a way, afraid of him. His father is constantly furious with his fascination with ghosts because, as his mother says, he is afraid for him. The theme reaches an emotional zenith in the film’s last twenty minutes. I won’t spoil what happens here, but will say that the filmmakers are not afraid to go to grim places. It results in a climax that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. If you stay til after the end credits in any of Laika’s films, you are treated to a glimpse of just how painstaking the stop-motion process is. In the case of ParaNorman, we get to see a time-lapse of a Norman model being made from scratch, from metal armature to finished puppet, and then animated walking off screen. It never ceases to amaze me, the sheer effort and deft skill all the animators and model-makers possess. I do have to mention, however, that this post-credits clip is trumped in The Boxtrolls, in which Richard Ayoade’s character questions his existence, wondering whether their whole world is controlled by giants moving them. As he ruminates to his companion (voiced by Nick Frost), the camera slowly zooms out showing the time-lapse of an animator working tirelessly around them. He casually quips, “I don’t know how they get the time”. I share the same astonishment. There is no denying that I love practically everything about ParaNorman. I love its ghoulish sense of humour, filled with darkly funny slapstick as well as some wry one liners. I love the whole premise of a small quaint town being attacked by supernatural forces. And I love that it’s a kid-friendly celebration of the horror genre with several nods to the classics. Next week, for the final Throwback Thursday horror review of October, I will be looking at one of those said classics. No prizes for guessing what it is. Click here for more #ThrowbackThursday film reviews. #ThrowbackThursday #JosephBanham #Animation #Horror #Comedy

Directed by Tom Smith Starring Kate Louise Turner, Lydia Atherton & Antonia Kleopa Short film review by Amaliah S. Marmon-Halm A powerful drama based around the emotional and physical trauma of having an eating disorder, Empty, by director Tom Smith & Producer/scriptwriter Kate Louise Turner, follows Kiera (also played by Kate Louise Turner) on her daily struggle to fight her condition. The film opens to what seems like a normal teenage girl starting her day. Things take an emotive turn when she then turns to look at herself in the mirror and starts to cry. The look of despair is one that anyone can relate to; the struggles of being a teenager and feeling like the world is on your shoulders. Kiera is later joined by her “friend” Anna (Lydia Atherton), who is nothing but overbearing, judgemental, mouthy and emotionally damaging – clearly a character who you are meant to hate. She seems to fulfil the purpose of a tool to stop Kiera from eating and only there to maintain her low self-esteem. Turner does an amazing job to really captivate the audience and portray what is like to endure such an all-consuming condition, like so many people in today’s society. From the timid, anxious and rather weak girl that she portrays in the beginning of the short film, to the much stronger version that she becomes towards its end, it’s hard to cheer her character on as Turner makes us believe in her performance whole-heartedly. From her continued hardships and through supportive figures like Ms Ashton (Antonia Kleopa), we learn that Anna is just a figment of her imagination; a personification of the horrible voices in her head. We also learn that rather than anorexia and bulimia is not just a physical condition, but one that is a mental struggle for control of one’s life. The final words that are displayed just round off the film beautifully, with such a simple yet extremely important message. “1 in 100 women have a clinically diagnosed eating disorder…you are not alone.” I cannot find a better way to end this review than that. More short film reviews here. #shortfilmreviews #amaliahsaramarmonhalm #shortfilm #Britishfilmmaking #supportindiefilm

Directed by Alexander Thomas Starring Laya Lewis, Sennia Nanua, Corey Trevor, Winston Ellis & Keiran Hardcastle Short film review by Monica Jowett 1980’s Britain was restless and Beverley, the short film from writer and director Alexander Thomas explores the issue of identity young mixed raced people went through at the time, to the backdrop of ska and 2 Tone music. Beverley ‘Bev’ (Laya Lewis) is a mixed race teen who moves to the suburbs of Leicester with her mother Janine (Vicky McClure), younger sister Jess (Sennia Nanua), autistic brother Carl (Corey Trevor) and dodgy father Travis (Winston Ellis) who has just come into a large sum of money. Whereas Bev was comfortable living in the city, the suburb is less promising especially considering the attitude of her middle-class white neighbours. She befriends a group of skinheads, who somewhat accept her but continue to make racial comments and bully her autistic brother, whom she constantly tries to protect from the harshness of other sub-cultures. Beverley produces a great narrative about what growing up in that area and society was like, quite different to the multicultural life of today. Using Leicester as the background of the short film, which is where producer Cass Pennant grew up, provides an authenticity to the story. Lewis fully embodies Beverley, who, though a figure of reliance and protection for her siblings, struggles with her identity, her ethnic appearance and interracial attraction with one of her new friends Wilson (Keiran Hardcastle). Surrounded by the ska sound of the 1980’s Bev tries to find her place in the changing world around her. Her sister Jess deals with her place in a smaller way as she tries to grow flowers in their front garden to make it more like a home, but comes up against their neighbours. Carl has problems fitting in, not helped by his autism which makes him a target for the skinheads. Even their mother knows the danger and unwelcome attitudes her family may face. The use of some great ska, reggae and 2-Tone music within the film makes Beverley full of energy and upbeat, whilst dealing with some tough issues surrounding adolescence as black and white come together. The music represents a place where Bev feels like she belongs being mixed race, as does her brother Carl, and music has a universal appeal which transcends most social barriers. Beverley encapsulates the tone of 1980’s British racial identity in young people, as a snapshot into recent English history that is not often seen. Using an open ending to the film, Beverley provides an opportunity to make more of Bev and her family’s story. Read more short film reviews here. #shortfilmreviews #MonicaJowett #Britishfilmmaking #SupportIndieFilms

Written and directed by Paul Murphy Starring Lisa Kay and Tahirah Sharif Short film review by Kira McPherson Despite its title, there are few moments of complete stillness in “Stop”, a forceful short film written and directed by Paul Murphy. A woman waits calmly for a bus, her composure undermined by the speeding traffic in the foreground of the shot. An earlier close up on the same woman’s face is framed by her bouncing hair, which moves up and down with the vigour of her walk. Everything is constantly in motion, the film suggests. The question is how much control we have over the direction of travel. Karen, the woman, feels as though she has none, trapped in an abusive relationship and resigned to empty gestures of escape. The conspicuous movements that frame Karen hint at what it might be like to live in this way, threatened by unstoppable forces from all directions. A clumsier director might have opted for a first-person shot here, and it speaks to the film’s underlying sensitivity and sympathy for its subject matter that it does not. In this choice and others, “Stop” reveals itself as being about empathy between fast-moving objects: strangers, spouses, buses and other vehicles all careening around the city together. It is a fundamentally urban story about the steps people choose to take to move closer together or further apart. The central relationship in the film is between Karen and a young girl, Niki, also waiting at the bus stop. Seeing Karen’s distress, Niki intervenes despite their obvious differences in age, race and circumstance. But this is not a conventional odd couple film. If anything, it’s closer to a public service announcement on etiquette in the city – or rather, in lesser hands this is what it could have become, a utopian vision of “if you see something, say something” in full effect. As it is, the film resists easy answers and definite conclusions. This is the space inhabited by the one true “stop” in the film, a pause in which Karen must decide where she will go next in her life. If there is any real victory here, it lies with Niki, who makes the active choice to help a stranger rather than recede into the anonymity of city living. Both actresses, Lisa Kay as Karen and Tahirah Sharif as Niki adeptly convey the importance of the choice facing Karen. Their characters appear as fully formed people, already in the middle of complex, emotional journeys much larger than the film can show. The finest accomplishment of “Stop” is its sense of the passing moment, the pause in which lives can pivot in unexpected directions. It is an impressive short film with the intensity of a small epiphany and a clear idea of what it wants to say. Viewers should listen. Read more short film reviews here. #shortfilmreviews #urban #KiraMcPherson #shortfilm #Britishfilmmaking

Directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez #ThrowbackThursday Film Review by Joseph Banham The ‘found-footage’ gimmick has become not much more than a joke in recent years. Cynics view the extremely low budget, deliberately amateurish mode of filmmaking as the studio’s attempt to maximise their profit margins with the smallest amount of effort possible. Just take a look at the Paranormal Activity series. The first Paranormal Activity (2007) grossed $193 million worldwide with a miniscule production budget of just $15,000, giving it one of the best cost to earning ratios ever. If studios could produce a film that is even half as successful as Oren Peli’s low-fi haunted house movie on a similar cost, they would be sitting quite comfortably on a rather handsome sum. And hence, in recent years following Paranormal’s success, there has been a barrage of shaky P.O.V. horror flicks. A lot have rightfully been lambasted as awful (2012’s The Devil Inside comes to mind) while others are genuinely very good (last year’s Creep, which I can’t recommend enough). For today, however, I’m going to look at the first notable example of the sub-genre, one that came along a whole decade before the trend was set, The Blair Witch Project (1999). First of all, I have to say that The Blair Witch Project was not the first of its kind. There were, in fact, a few other filmmakers to play around with the faux-documentary style, such as the disturbingly titled Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and the equally obscene Man Bites Dog (1992), before Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick came up with the idea to send three petrified actors off into the woods. So while Blair Witch isn't completely innovative in this sense, it is still noteworthy for being the first found-footage film with mainstream appeal as well as the first film to have a successful viral advertising campaign on the internet. The pretense of the film is that it is the recovered footage of three missing film students who set out in 1994 to make a documentary on the legend of the Blair Witch, a hostile spectre said to haunt the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland (formerly known as Blair). What starts off as a regular student film project soon turns into something a lot more sinister as the trio become lost deep in the woods and start to feel a malevolent presence surround them. The film is very scary in its ambiguity. This is not a film that ever tries to leap out at you and scream in your face. Instead, it makes the most out of the power of suggestion, relying on the imagination of its viewer. The plot moves very quickly through its expositional phase, consisting of about 5 minutes of interviews with the Burkittsville townspeople, each sharing their stories of supposed encounters with the witch. The action then moves into the woods where the young filmmakers try and get a closer look at where the strange occurrences were reported to have happened. I found this to be one of the most admirable things about Blair Witch, as it never spoon-feeds information to its audience. I can’t count the number of horror films that instantly become less terrifying as soon as we are given a long account of the antagonist’s backstory. The witch, on the other hand, remains shrouded in mystery, told through a few vague accounts from the locals whose recollections of the stories seem dubious. The lack of any clear explanation of its monster works very much in the film’s favour, leaving the viewer to put the pieces together and come to their own chilling conclusions. The poor camerawork that comes part and parcel with the found-footage style is decidedly not for everyone. The constant movement of the camera has been known to trigger motion sickness in some viewers as well as simply being irritating to others. This is unfortunately true of Blair Witch, which is filled with numerous shots pointed at the ground as the characters plod, and later sprint, through the woods, ending up with footage that might cause even Paul Greengrass to feel dizzy. This problem arises from the film feeling too authentically amateurish for its own good, something that should really be seen as praise. The camerawork does have its upsides, however, if you are willing to stomach it. One point is that it emphasises the disorientating effect of the woods, especially in times of stress. Secondly, it gives an immense feeling of intimacy with the characters, having a very personal ‘home-video’ feel. The nature of the film means that you are kept in their point-of-view and are never given any other information than what they are seeing, so when they are lying awake in their tent and hear some very eerie noises, you are as confused and frightened as they are. Blair Witch feels very real, which is due in part to the fact that it is (well, sort of). The three unknown actors all use their real names (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael C. Williams) and are essentially playing themselves using improvisational techniques under staged circumstances. Directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick did genuinely send the three off into the woods by themselves, entrusting them to operate the video and sound equipment on their own, and tried to interfere as little as possible. They communicated daily directions by leaving the actors notes in milk crates that they had to find in certain locations around the woods. The notes would give the actors vital actions they needed to do, but not much else. In addition, the crates would also contain their food for the day, which gradually decreased in the amount allowed during the eight-day shoot in order to match the characters’ diminishing supplies. The different sound effects and movements heard during the night scenes were set up by the crew, with the actors not knowing what to expect, they just knew they had to be prepared to react. It’s because of this that you’re never really sure how real what you’re seeing is. When Heather and Michael start screaming at each other, is it because they are trying to put on a scene? Or is it because they are genuinely exhausted and angry from the gruelling shoot? This mixture of reality and fiction seems fitting for a film released just before the turn of the century, where reality television was about to have its first big boom. That leads me to what is truly the most unsettling thing about Blair Witch. It isn’t really to do with the supernatural forces stalking the three students but rather their own growing feeling of despair and hopelessness. It’s because Heather, Josh and Michael’s camaraderie at the start feels believable that it is so effective when things start to break up. We feel their despair when they realise they have just gone around in a huge circle with no pathway in sight; we feel the same anger when it’s revealed one of them has lost the map; and we feel the same anguish when Heather breaks down into a tearful apology during the film’s most famous scene. The building tension between all of them is certainly distressing to watch, especially as the audience already knows their fate. The film was released to some harsh audience backlash, some of which it still experiences today. I imagine that this was partly due to the massive amount of hype the film received on its initial release. As mentioned earlier, the film was the first example of how the internet can be used effectively to market a film through word-of-mouth, being released in a time where the worldwide web was still a relatively new invention in households. The idea behind the ad campaign was to continue to treat the story as if it was true. The film’s website was set up under the guise of being an investigative site on the case of the missing teenagers as well as giving a more detailed background to the legend, allowing people to understand the film further. At the time of the film’s release, a fake documentary was aired on the Syfy channel titled The Curse of the Blair Witch, which examined the aftermath of the film’s events and served as an extension to the film’s lore. All of this, along with a brilliant critical reception, helped build up the reputation of Blair Witch as one of the scariest films ever made. It is inevitable that when something comes with such high expectations people will always be disappointed. Some audience members outright hated the film, with many complaining that it wasn't scary in the slightest. As someone who is too young to have been in tune with all the marketing and hype that surrounded the film in 1999, I can honestly say that, watching the film today, I think it holds up as a deeply effective psychological horror. When I watched it for the first time a few years ago, I did feel at times that it was a bit slow and wasn’t quite sure where it was going. But there is no denying that when the final 5 minutes came around, my heart was racing more than it had done in any other horror film I can recall. I think that The Blair Witch Project is a film that deserves to be seen by any horror fan, even if it’s just for its cultural impact. It offers up some disturbing moments, the power of which only dawns on you after the credits have rolled. I feel that it is a far more interesting film than others from the same voyeuristic family, ignoring jump scares in favour of real drama and tension. ​Read more of our #throwbackthursday film reviews. #ThrowbackThursday #JosephBanham #FoundFootage #filmmaking #Horror

Filmmaker Feature by Kieran Freemantle The historical drama Suffragette is coming out this week, a drama about the campaign for women who fought to get the vote. It is a film with that has an all star film cast with the likes of Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep and has plenty of women working behind the camera, being directed by Sarah Gavron, written by Abi Morgan and produced by Alison Owen and Faye Ward. Reviews so far have been mostly positive. Despite the triumph of Suffragette, women are unrepresented in the film industry especially in roles behind-the-camera. Only 14% of British films are directed by women from 2009 to 2013 and 26% of film crew members are female. Yet there are still successful female British directors working on film and television, and to celebrate, we look at the some of the best female directors from the UK. 6. Sharon Maguire Welsh lass Sharon Maguire is a director with one of the most successful films to be made by a British female director Bridget Jones's Diary, making over $281 Million at the box-office and earning Renée Zellweger numerous Best Actress nominations, including at the Oscars and the BAFTAs. Maguire was born in Aberystwyth and attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, gaining a degree in English and Drama. She later attained a PGCE teaching qualification and a journalism post-graduate degree from City University, London. Maguire worked as a researcher before working as a documentary director and producer for the BBC and Bridget Jones's Diary was her first feature film debut. Maguire was friends with author Helen Fielding in real life and the character of Shazza was based on the director. Following Bridget Jones's Diary Maguire made the drama Incendiary about a woman who loses her husband and son during a terrorist attack at the Emirates Stadium. It was met with negative reviews, with most the criticisms being aimed at the script. She is currently filming a third "Bridget Jones's" film. 5. Sam Taylor-Johnson Sam Taylor-Johnson was a very successful artist, known for her photography and video displays before she turned her hand to directing. Like many directors Taylor-Johnson started by making short films with her short Love You More winning Best British Short at the British Independent Film Awards and nominated for others including at the BAFTAs and Cannes Film Festival. Love You More gave actress Andrea Riseborough an early role. Love You More was a music themed short about two teenagers being drawn to each other when listening to the Buzzcocks song of the same name. Her debut feature film was also musically themed, a bio-pic about the teenage life of John Lennon, focusing on his relationships with his aunt who raised him and mother who returned to Liverpool. Nowhere Boy was an excellent film, particularly for Beatles fans and had a big name cast that included Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff and Taylor-Johnson's future husband, Aaron. Following Nowhere Boy Taylor-Johnson adapted the popular novel Fifty Shades of Grey. Though a big hit, it is the third most successful film by a female director, Fifty Shades of Grey was reviled by critics, many having their knives out due to the poor quality of the book. Taylor-Johnson herself hated working on the film, clashing with author E. L. James and turned down the opportunity to direct the sequel because of it. 4. Hettie MacDonald Hettie MacDonald is best known as a television director working on various shows like Poirot, Fortitude, Casualty and The Tunnel and most importantly Doctor Who. MacDonald directed the episode "Blink", often regarded as the best episode of the modern era being the episode that introduced The Weeping Angels and gave Carey Mulligan a big early role. It was a very atmospheric episode that expertly used the premise that The Weeping Angels can only move when no-one can see them and had an excellent script by Steven Moffat. MacDonald has recently directed the Doctor Who ninth season opener "The Magician's Apprentice" and "The Witch's Familiar". MacDonald has made one feature film, Beautiful Things in 1996. Beautiful Things was a comedy-drama and a coming-of-age story about two teenage boys in London who embark a sexual awakening with each other. It was a critically well received film, having a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.8 out of 10 IMDB. 3. Gurinder Chadha Gurinder Chadha is both one of the most successful British female directors and British Indian directors, best known for comedies based around families and her heritage. Chadha was educated at the University of East Angela and London College of Printing (now London College of Communication) and started her career as a BBC reporter before turning to filmmaking. Chadha is best known for directing the 2002 hit Bend It Like Beckham, a popular comedy about a teenage British-Indian woman who is a skilled footballer but is torn between her Indian upbringing and the English culture she grew up in. It was the film that made Keira Knightley into a star and a hit internationally, being the most successful Indian themed film in America and was the first Western film allowed to be released in North Korea. As well as Bend It Like Beckham, Chadha has adapted Louise Rennison popular young-adult novels, making Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, a teenage film that made over £10 Million at the British box-office. It was a film that provided early roles for Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Eleanor Tomlinson and Georgia Henshaw. Chadha's debut film, the comedy Bhaji on the Beach was nominated for a BAFTA for Best British Film and the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Newcomer to British Cinema. Her Bollywood style version of Pride and Prejudice, Bride and Prejudice was a commercial hit and well received by critics. Her next film is going to be a change of tact for Chadha, Viceroy's House, a historical drama about the life of Lord Mountbatten and his staff during the Partition of India. 2. Lynne Ramsay Scottish filmmaker is one of the best known female directors from the UK and highly respected by critics and filmmaking peers, often being praised by actors she has worked with. Ramsay studied photography at Naiper College, Edinburgh before attending the National Film and Television School, graduating in 1995. Ever since her early days as a professional filmmaker, Ramsay has been an award winning filmmaker, her graduation film Small Deaths won the Cannes Prix de Jury Prize in 1996 and won a second Cannes Prix de Jury Prize for her third short Gasman, as well as a Scottish BAFTA. Ramsay is known for her ability to combine a gritty ascetic with an art-house sensibility, as evident with her debut feature Ratcatcher and the adaptation of We Need to Talk About Kevin. Both were films centred round a violent event and how it effects the main characters, while Ramsay injected artistic flourishes during the run time. Ramsay was attached to adapted The Lovely Bones, her version being a much looser adaptation of the novel. She described her version being like Hamlet, seeing the ghost of Susie only through her father’s eyes. But Ramsay left the project when producers demanded a more faithful adaptation. Ramsay also left the filming of the Western Jane Got a Gun because of troubles with the productions. Ramsay has also served as a jury member for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and 2015 Venice International Film Festival. 1. Andrea Arnold Andrea Arnold is a former actress and TV presenter who worked mostly on children’s television, becoming a director later in life, known for her dark dramas. Arnold studied directing at the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles and learned screenwriting at the PAL Lab workshops in Kent - workshops designed for professionals in the industry. Arnold directing career started in the short film circuit and her 2003 short Wasp, starring Natalie Press and Danny Dyer, won the Academy Award for Best Short Film. She made her feature film debut three years later with the very grim drama Red Road that was set to be part of a loose trilogy called “Advance Party”. Her follow-up Fish Tank won the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival and won the Best British Film Award at the BAFTAs, a drama that starred Katie Jarvis (who was cast because a casting assistant saw her arguing with her boyfriend), a teenage tearaway from a council estate in Ess ex and her relationship with her mum’s boyfriend (Michael Fassbender). Arnold also adapted Wuthering Heights, a film that was praised for its acting, its bleak tone and handheld cinematography, using the 4:3 ratio. Arnold has also directed two episodes of the comedy-drama series Transparent and she has recently made her first American set film American Honey, starring Shia LaBeouf. Watch the Trailer for Suffragette below... #FilmmakerFeatures #KieranFreemantle #Britishfilmmaking #HelenaBonhamCarter #MerylStreep #CareyMulligan

Directed by T.J Scott Starring: Katrina Law, Lochlyn Munro, Victoria Pratt, Nick Tarabay Indie film review by Monica Jowett Stranded in the desert, miles from anyone else, four strangers heading from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a drunken wedding trip hit a mysterious woman with their car. They have to overcome the blazing sun and one another to survive and get back to civilization in this mystery thriller Death Valley, directed by T.J. Scott. A police car picks up a woman on a deserted highway as she screams for help, and we see her in police custody, ready to explain the events that have just happened. Annie (Katrina Law) is terrified and nervous as she retells her story that led to her being on the highway. Two couples are in a car heading to L.A for a wedding travel on a newer stretch of road, for a better view of the beautiful scenery. Drinking and laughing in the car, they are startled to see a woman, barely clothed firing a gun towards them and crash into her. Shocked by the sudden turn of events they fight amongst themselves before agreeing to find a way to a parallel highway and to safety but first have to get through the desert in blistering heat which proves too much as many surprising revelations emerge. Inevitably this causes friction between the four and it starts to put them, and us, on edge. A thick web of lies and deceit is revealed and it appears no one is who they seem. The script is dialogue heavy as it uses the open space of the desert as a place for all to let loose on their insecurities and issues with another. Though a perfect location for this thriller where circumstances become heated rapidly, the desert is dangerous and when the relative strangers are left to talk out their problems no one else is around to rescue them from each other or themselves. For instance, TV producer Billy Rich (Lochlyn Munro), self-proclaimed Hollywood’s ‘Golden Boy’ who is arrogant and overconfident is taking his wife-to-be, aspiring actress Annie to Vegas. After knowing her for one night, their barely formed relationship seems solid but as they hardly know one another, the cracks quickly start to show. In tow are former convict Roy (Nick E. Tarabay) who is breaking parole to take the trip along with his wife Jamie (Victoria Pratt) who may have been with Billy herself the night before. These two might be more unstable in their relationship than the others, made worse by the presence of alcohol, drugs and blazing sun. Subtlety and mystery is the key in this thriller as we are taken deeper into the desert and can no longer trust any character to be who they say are. The final act unravels the mysterious plot and we discover who has been keeping the biggest secrets and who the worst of them all is. Death Valley proves to keep the drama moving and not leave any question unanswered in this sun soaked thriller. Read more indie film reviews here. #indiefilm #supportindiefilms #MonicaJowett

Directed by Nura Gudaal Starring Bryony Cole, Ify E, King Tshikeva, Stephen Odubola, Gulied Osman, Glody Kinkiani, Nekkita Hollett, Moesha Barker Short film review by Hannah Sayer Clever and thought-provoking in its handling of its subject matter, Freedom Writers is a short film which explores the effects on a group of black teenagers when a race crime is committed against a person of colour by a group of white males. The film opens with a news style introduction recounting that a “Racial Stabbing” has taken place in Finsbury the previous night. A 16 year old Samuel Brown is the victim of the crime, who later died at the scene, when he was ambushed by a group of white males shouting racial abuse. This is effective in setting the scene for a film with an incredibly short running time, but it also allows for Nura Gudaal to comment on how the media relates crime to the public and how this can often cause a negative response. By choosing to film the events of the film in a small classroom, this creates a claustrophobic and intense tone from the outset. These at risk teenagers have been deemed incapable of learning in this racially divided London school when their dedicated teacher walks in on a situation where one of the students has removed a pocket knife from his person. Thinking of the dangers this could pose if this was used in retaliation, due in part to what had occurred the previous night, the teacher decides to discuss the issues surrounding this; gangs, violence and racism. Choosing to have a white female as the teacher in this case allows for many issues to be raised by the filmmakers, particularly when one of the students explains that she wouldn’t understand due to her colour. It is sad that it is poignant and a relevant topic of discussion in our society today when you consider that still “It’s all about colour.” When asked about the Holocaust, none of the students know what it is, yet they all raise their hands when asked if they’ve been shot at. The zoomed in closing shot with just the teacher’s shocked face in the frame is uncomfortable viewing, as the awkward realisation can be seen just from her facial expression. This is powerful filmmaking as instantly everything is put into perspective. It is a shame that this short is not in fact a longer piece, as there is not enough time for the discussion to develop even further. However, even though the ending is abrupt and you’re left wanting more, this is evidence that Freedom Writers has excelled in capturing the curiosity of the viewer by expertly tackling the issues of racial crime and how it is still prevalent as needing to be discussed. Read more short film reviews here. #HannahSayer #Shortfilmreviews #Britishfilmmaking #London #Urban