Author: Ben Gummery

Time to Kill is a comedy short from writer director Justin Rettke; co-written by Christopher T. Wood & Scott Frank.

Harris (Christopher T. Wood) is a professional hit-man waiting for his next target Shekky (Decon Ledges).

This is a fun exploration of the life of a hit-man and how he spends his time while waiting prior to the kill with hilarious effect. Wood delivers a wonderful balance of dead-pan serious and comical in his performance matched by the writing. I also loved the realistic and gritty production design. The cinematography however is a bit bland only using a few different shots.

3/5 – A hilarious romp through a few hours in the life of a hit-man.  

We’ve all seen the films where a character comes into a dark room and finds a killer sitting waiting for him, perhaps in the dark or perhaps switching on a lamp as part of a charismatic reveal. Well, in Time to Kill, we get to see a little bit more around this than normal as we join a hit-man trying to pass the time waiting for his target to return home.

There is a sketch quality to this short film that might have limited it, but it fleshes out beyond this by virtue of what it does. Our hit-man moves from observations of the messy flat around him, into family drama, yoga, therapy, and hopes – all of which add to his character while also keeping the chuckles coming. I say chuckles deliberately, because it is a short that is more consistently amusing than it ever is laugh out loud funny. Mostly it seems to stay on that side of the line, and I did wish there could have been some stronger laughs on the way, but it was amusing. I would also have liked the ending to be stronger than it was – it was a nice ending, but not a great one.

The film benefits a lot from the performance from Wood. He is alone on the screen for the majority of the time but he carries it well and is pretty funny throughout – making more of the material. It is an amusing film, I wish it were stronger and funnier, but it is solid and worth a look for Wood doing good work.

Sometimes upon hearing the premise of a film I think ‘This will either be dreadful or amazing….but either way I need to watch it to find out…‘; ‘A Dozen Summers’ certainly falls under this category.

From British writer/director Kenton Hall; this film is described as two 12 year old girls who hi-jack a movie and turn it into a story about their lives. This is an interesting concept in and of itself but also consider the lead roles are played by Hall’s own daughters Scarlet & Hero Hall and Kenton himself plays their father in the film.

The film starts with some wonderfully hilarious voice-over from Colin Baker (of Doctor Who fame) which sets the comedy bar high. Through-out their are various fourth-wall moments and references to the many tropes and devices used by film-makers.

One of the greatest tricks in the indie film-makers tool box is to use the resources you have immediately have available and Kenton certainly makes use of this here by casting himself and his two daughters in main roles. He even re-formed his band IST to write some original songs for the score (a very strong effort I might add).

The writing here verges just on the edge of reality but it is scarily real at times; though always with a comical up-ending. Many will find something to relate to in this piece; adults & children alike! I have to say though I found the deliberate ‘DIY’ look to the cinematography here distracting at times.

Whilst I had the feeling this film would drag Kenton manages to keep the momentum through a variety of devices. I think perhaps the best comparison I can draw is to some of Danny Boyle’s work…it has that same hopeful energy and true British indie film spirit. I look forward to seeing more from Hall!

4/5 – ‘Bold, Hopeful British indie comedy/drama at it’s best’

The film will be rolling out city by city in to UK cinemas, starting with a 4-night run in Leicesters Phoenix cinema on August 21st-24th.

Find out more at dozensummersmovie.co.uk

From writing/directing duo Howard & Jonathan Ford comes the sequel to 2010’s The Dead. Whilst the original was set in Africa we switch continents for this film which has a similar story but set (and shot) in India this time. Released on DVD in the UK by Altitude.

The film stars Joseph Millson, Meenu Mishra and Anand Krishna Goyal.

An American engineer (Millson) teams up with a surviving orphan street kid (Goyal) to trek 300 miles across stunning but deadly rural Indian landscapes to the now infested slums of Mumbai to try and save his pregnant girlfriend (Mishra).

This film really makes use of the sparse and beautiful landscapes available in India and I found it was beautifully shot with some great sweeping shots.However this is perhaps more successful as a straight thriller than a genre film although there are a few fun kills and escapes. There are stellar performances from the main cast. All in all a good effort from the Ford brothers.

Extras
The only included extra is the Trailer; a slightly disappointing offering.

3/5

Order now from Amazon.

Another darkly mysterious Continent becomes an inhospitable dead zone in The Dead 2: India. The highly anticipated follow-up to the award-winning Ford Brothers’ critically acclaimed zombie road movie, The Dead, sees the cult franchise move to the hustle and bustle of India as the devastating outbreak takes hold. Set against the spectacular vistas and stunning scenery of Rajasthan, known as The Land of the Kings and one of the world’s first and oldest civilizations, The Dead 2: India puts the Ford Brothers’ unique apocalyptic vision on a far bigger canvas in terms of breathtaking scope, thrilling action, death-defying stunts, emotional resonance and spine-tingling fright.

A ship docked fresh from Somalia, containing one infected worker who feverishly picks up his meager pay then passes unnoticed into the very heart of India through the overpopulated bustling streets, setting off an unstoppable chain of events.

Meanwhile American turbine engineer Nicholas Burton (Joseph Millson), is working up high on wind farms in the peaceful and stunning Indian countryside. Having fallen in love with local girl Ishani Sharma (Meenu) from a humble home on the outskirts of the slums of Mumbai.

Their three hundred mile distance is broken by a phone call revealing Ishani is now pregnant and scared for her life : chaos and terror have taken hold of the cities as the dead return to life and attack the living.

Nicholas has to battle his way across three hundred miles of ferociously infected Indian landscapes to reach Ishani and his unborn child. With the help of a young street kid Javed (Anand Goyal), he has to rely on his wits and sheer brute force using any means possible to try and save them.

Set in Europe in 1815 during the Napoleonic wars this period drama/thriller from director Bill Thomas  and writers Bill Thomas/Ian Thomas follows the story of British soldier John Cross who is sent by his superiors to investigate a strange local disease. The film is being released on DVD in the UK exclusively by 101 Films. This follows on from other genre period films such as Dead Snow.

The film stars Roland Bearne, Jp Berry, Alex Bevan and Matthew Neil.

Extras
There is a great ‘Making Of’ featurette included which covers many aspects of the production and features many of the cast and crew.
The disc also features a director’s commentary.

3/5