Author: Ben Gummery

Two For Joy is a new British drama from writer from director Tom Beard
The film stars Samantha Morton, Billie Piper, Daniel Mays, Bella Ramsey, Emilia Jones, & Badger Skelton.

“TWO FOR JOY is an authentic and unwavering, ultimately uplifting coming of age story; a visceral, moving exploration of one British family’s life. Mother AISHA, her teenage daughter VI and young adolescent son TROY, are at a crossroads in their lives.

Vi has been forced to grow up fast; mother-daughter roles are reversed, Vi is Aisha’s carer as well as trying to control her rascal younger brother Troy, who with no father figure and a struggling mother, is a law unto himself – something must give, the situation must change”

The film perfectly captures the quiet depression of the British seaside and the troubles some young people in less that ideal situations suffer on a daily basis just by existing.

The pacing is at times oppressively slow and reflective and we take a while to get going but eventually it’s sad and timely tale unfolds about how without proper adult supervision childish games can have terribly ‘adult’ consequences.

Perhaps fittingly the young cast get to shine brightest in this film while the adult characters are more in the background.

4/5

The film has a VOD release on February 25th.

EDIT – Screening today! – https://www.everymancinema.com/screen-on-the-green/film-info/two-for-joy-live-qa
iTunes pre order link here:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/movie/two-for-joy-2018/id1443901223

Mail Order Monster is a sci-fi tinged drama directed by Paulina Lagudi & written by Paulina Lagudi & Marc Prey.  The film stars Charisma Carpenter (Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel), Josh Hopkins & Madison Horcher

“Growing up isn’t easy for Sam. She’s bullied at school and has trouble fitting in.  She endures these struggles through her relationship with her dad, and her love of comics.  Making matters worse, she’s getting a new stepmom!  Desperate, Sam orders a robot monster through the mail that promises to solve her problems.    But this friendly “Mail Order Monster” is more than she ever could have imagined.”

Ever wondered what would happen if you actually sent in the coupon from that old comic? That question is answered here as we follow Sam Pepper (Madison Horcher) as she struggles to deal with the loss of her mother. The film wears it’s nerd-cred on it’s sleeve as the film starts with a motion-comic sequence; a device that is revisited later in the film. Sam’s ordeal has left her isolated from her school friends and a strained relationship with her father (Josh Hopkins); as he wants them to move on with their lives and his new love-interest (Charisma Carpenter).

At it’s heart this is a small, yet powerful and beautifully told tale of a young girl struggling with grief and life. We also get a little sci-fi in the story as she finds comfort in her new robot companion; the titular ‘Mail-Order Monster’ (MOM) which provides some warmth and comedy while at the same time having an underlying threat of danger with plenty of kitch factor and lends an ‘Amblin’ feel to the film.

A poignant, well paced and emotional exploration of grief and more importantly how we continue with our lives that works equally well for adults and children alike; in-fact i would recommend watching this with your kids to help them understand grief. The third act especially delivered a powerful punch that is well earned. The film hangs on young actress Horcher’s performance as Sam and she delivers with plenty of attitude and also depth of feeling that easily connects with the audience. It is under-pinned by a subtle score from Robert Mai.

The film is available now on iTunes.

Death Kiss – Review

Death Kiss is an ‘Action-revenge thriller’ feature starring Robert Kovacs, Daniel Baldwin, and Eva Hamilton. Written and directed by Rene Perez.

Clearly heavily influenced by the Death Wish series, this action-packed film sees Robert Kovacs in the ‘Charles Bronson lookalike’ role (the character is credited simply as ‘The Stranger’); a morally troubled vigilante who helps out a single mother (Eva Hamilton) and gets to beat up plenty of bad guys along the way. If this was the goal then Kovacs certainly delivers in this heavily characterised role.

In a brilliant turn, Daniel Baldwin plays fiercely political (and extremely non-PC) radio jock Daniel Forthright; whose radio show tirades serve as the moral commentary and narrative device for the film.

In terms of cinematography and action sequences Death Kiss by no means excels but if treated (as I feel may have been intended) as an out-and-out B-Movie it delivers everything you would except. The scoring adds a very retro feel though I found it a little overpowering at times.

A solid 3/5 good fun action b-movie.

Death Kiss is an ‘Action-revenge thriller’ feature starring Robert Kovacs, Daniel Baldwin, and Eva Hamilton. Written and directed by Rene Perez.

The film by no means excels but if treated (as I feel may have been intended) as an out-and-out B-Movie it delivers everything you would except. The scoring adds a very retro feel though I found it a little overpowering at times.