Author: BRWC

Six Rounds: Review

By Kit Ramsey.

Six Rounds is the follow-up to writer/director Marcus Flemmings’ 2016 quirky comedy The Conversations, trading in laughs and stand-up for pathos and tragedy. It follows the introspective journey of former hood and amateur boxer Stally (Adam J. Bernard) as he weighs up a decision to either rejoin his old life on the wrong side of the tracks or press on into an uncertain future in a world dogged to this day by racial tensions, a theme only exacerbated by the dark shadow of the 2011 London Riots which persists and pervades throughout.

Indeed, it feels that this film has all the potential to be a stand out British feature debut, which is why the decision for it to be only an hour in length baffles. Sadly this run time will indeed insure the film will only be available to those at festivals, the mainstream or even art house circuit being too unforgiving of non-standard form such as this.

However, for those lucky enough to see this, you’re in for a treat. Flemmings and DOP Haider Zafar produce arresting visuals in raw black and white, where everything from two sweating bodies in a boxing ring to a flaming car caught on the receiving end of a molotov mid-riot look ripped straight out of a Hollywood production. The editing is slick and non-intrusive, never drawing attention to itself except for when the film intends it. And when it does, you’ll know it.

Six Rounds is extremely self-referential and reflexive, deploying a variety of strange scene set ups, compositions and ideas in order to bring you into the psychology of its characters. In one memorable sequence, we see primary love interest Mermaid (Phoebe Torrance) appear in a quick interlude discussing stars as a form of unconscious vision/memory for our protagonist, her face superimposed over a black star field. This reads as completely silly, yet it somehow works brilliantly both in the context of the film and just as a scene unto itself. Furthermore there’s an interesting plot framing device of the film being made up of Six Rounds, or vignettes, giving the film a very post-modern and arty edge.

Having already mentioned Bernard and Torrance, the performances are outstanding from all, and I was genuinely left wondering when they’ll be discovered by an entity such as the BBC. It’ll soon become obvious that this film is completely carried by its characters, so to have actors of such a caliber on a reported budget of only £7000 is an enormous accomplishment.

If there was to be minor criticism of Six Rounds it would be found in the quality of the dialogue, in which there’s the occasional clunky line that sounds like a discordant note. Fortunately, the majority is perfectly acceptable and the minority ropey lines hardly takes one out of the film.

In conclusion, if you happen to find yourself with the opportunity to check out Six Rounds then I would implore you to do so. The energy and young talent behind it is crackling and I’m almost certain this picture will lead to big steps for all involved in the future.

4/5

7th May 2017
A Star Is Born

Every actor in Hollywood has a time where they’re in search of their ‘big break’. Some take longer than others, but it only takes one key role to thrust actors into stardom and make them a household name. For Chris Pratt, it took seven years on Parks and Rec and a slate of small film roles to finally hit it big with his superhero character Starlord in Guardians of the Galaxy. Lucas Hedges, on the other hand, only had ten minor credits before he was invited to the Academy Awards after earning his nomination for Manchester by the Sea. But it is these breakthrough roles that turn an actor from just another amongst the crowd, to someone people strive to emulate.

To celebrate Hedges’ breathtaking role in the release of Manchester by the Sea, available on Blu-Ray and DVD from 15^th May, we take a look some of Hollywood’s most respected actors and actresses and the role that made them…

6th May 2017
Movie Magic: Aspects Of Movie Make-Up Artistry

The work of movie make-up artists is often overlooked, even though it is vital. For example, some films require make-up artists to transform a human being into an ethereal creature. Everyone knows that these looks involve prosthetics and incredible make-up skills, but there are times when make-up is a little more subtle. This could involve ageing or de-ageing a performer for a particular role. The point is that the work of a movie make-up artist is on display, yet some may not know this. The following should help you understand the importance of make-up artists and what the job entails.

How is Make-Up Artistry Used in Film?

You know that these artists change performers in accordance to a role, but their work is a lot more important than this.

For example, the right make-up artist can help the actor channel the character. There are many times when an actor relies on the make-up designer to help him or her flesh out the character, which only helps make a better film.

These artists also help the audience. While the movie is playing, they help the audience suspend belief. The work of a good make-up artists makes you believe what you are seeing. The audience is going to accept that a 20-something year old actor is in high school or that a ethereal creature is real.

Directors also use this talent to ground the film in some type of reality. For example, make-up artists help the director make the actor look tired or alert with a few changes to the face. Directors also use this type of artistry to show injury or even death. In short, these artists are an intricate part of the magic of film making.

What Does the Make-Up Artist Job Entail?

The job may seem relatively easy, but it is quite extensive. First thing you should know is there are normally two types of make-up artists. Some work on the extremities of an actor while others work on the body. Those that work on the extremities work from the top of the head to the top of the breastbone. These artists also cover make-up duties from the wrist to the tip of the fingers and the toes to the ankles. The body make-up artist covers the rest if necessary.

The artist has to meet with the director after reading the script to talk about the design of the make-up. Once a style is agreed upon, the make-up artist has to talk to the hair designer, costume designer, set designer, and the lighting directors to ensure everyone is on the same page.

The artist must make sure that the make-up looks the same every time for continuity purposes. He or she must also ensure that performers look the same as well. This is done with make-up, but there are times with an artist uses natural skin remedies like Eugenia Shea recommended all natural shea butter to ensure that the actor’s look is rested and as expected since it helps relief the stress make-up puts on the skin.

Sometimes the make-up artist has to make appointments for the actor to go the optometrist or dentist should the performer need to use contacts or tooth-based effects.

As you can see, there is a lot more to the job of a movie make-up artists than meets the eye, and these points just scratch the surface.

5th May 2017
47 Meters Down – Movie Review

By Last Caress.

Lisa (Mandy Moore) and Kate (Claire Holt) are sisters, on holiday in Mexico. Lisa is coming to terms with having very recently been dumped by her beau and, to assist in keeping Lisa’s mind from her grief, Kate books an hour-long session of “swimming” with great white sharks – from inside the relative safety of an undersea observation cage, of course – because I guess simply partying hard in the hardest partying country on Earth just won’t get it done, eh?

47 Meters Down

Anyway, the plan: Once the shark tour boat captain (Matthew Modine) has chummed the water to draw in a shark or two, he’ll get the girls into their masks and oxygen tanks, and pop them into the observation cage which he’ll then lower with a winch to a depth of roughly five metres, keeping radio contact at all times with the girls who should be plenty busy enjoying the majestic natural spectacle of great white sharks in their natural habitat. And that’s precisely how the plan goes.

Until the winch cable snaps, plummeting Lisa, Kate and their cage 47 meters down to the ocean bed, cut loose from the boat, in the dark, out of radio range, running out of oxygen and surrounded by great whites.

47 Meters Down

I love a good shark movie. The problem with finding a good shark movie though is that, as with Bigfoot films and Godzilla pics, the ratio of good ‘uns to f*ckawful ‘uns is heavily stacked in favour of the crap. There’s Jaws (Spielberg, 1975) of course, and Open Water (Kentis, 2003)… then what? The Reef (Traucki, 2010), Jaws 2 (Szwarc, 1978) maybe. Many have a fondness for Deep Blue Sea (Harlin, 1999); personally, I’ve a bit of a blind spot for Bait (Rendall, 2012) with its nutty sharks-in-a-shop premise. Recently, The Shallows (Collet-Serra, 2016) drew some interest – I certainly liked it, for the most part – and it would appear I can now add 47 Meters Down, the new movie from British director Johannes Roberts (The Other Side of the Door) to my rather slim list of quality bitey-fishy features. It’s a tense little gem.

47 Meters Down

From the moment that winch cable breaks, we stay down in the gloomy depths with the girls. An initial bout of panicked hyperventilation by Lisa is brought under control by Kate but, just watching, I could feel myself struggling for air along with her. The temptation for the girls to clamber out of the cage and bolt for the surface is palpable but it’s not that simple; even if they could avoid the enormous predators circling them, they risk contracting decompression sickness (the bends) which could kill them if they rise from that depth too quickly. They do have to leave the relative short-term safety of the cage though, both to rise to a depth shallow enough to a least re-establish contact with the boat, and to collect the spare oxygen tanks the crew are going to drop down to them so’s they don’t drown while they wait for the coast guard. Their rapidly diminishing air supply is a constantly ticking time bomb, underpinning all of the other issues piling up before the increasingly terrified sisters, played with a good deal of honesty by Ms. Moore and Ms. Holt.

47 Meters Down

Renamed In the Deep by distributors Dimension Films and initially scheduled for a VOD home release last August, 47 Meters Down was bought at the last minute by Entertainment Studios who returned to the movie its original title and slated it for a thoroughly deserved cinematic release which it will receive in June this year. Catch it as soon as you can.

2nd May 2017
Whiskey Galore: Good & Not Good

By Marti Dols Roca.

What’s good and what’s not that good about Whiskey Galore (2016)

What’s good?

It’s sweet: every little story-line the movie creates resonates with a certain aspect of everyday life and it’s very easy to empathise with them as well as holding a warm smile on your face for the ninety minutes the movie lasts.

It’s simple: less is more; the simplest the better; brevity is the source of wit… The movie efficiently tells a simple story in a simple way. Even though it sounds easy, it is not. How many good premises have gone bonkers due to ambitious (gently put) directors? i.e. Suicide Squad.

It’s fun: from the naively dumb British army officer to the ultra conservative Scottish mom, the film uses and uses well all kind of comedic registers in the shape of characters, situations or sound design. Again, no need to articulate the most sophisticated of jokes when whiskey and Scots are within reach.

It’s one of those movies that focuses more on little personal stories than in a big main storyline and consequently offers a portrait of a small and very particular society or ecosystem. Other similar products of different genres would be: Calvary (2014); Fellini’s Amarcord or Burt Lancaster’s starred Local Hero (which is also about a small Scottish town).

It doesn’t lie about its nature; in other words, it doesn’t try to be what it’s not. From the very first seconds of the movie we understand what we are about to see. There is a: “WWII-Tiny Scottish Island” caption, and then we hear a fairytale kind of music over a beautiful shot of the Atlantic Ocean. Enough said.

What’s not that good?

Why make a remake when nowadays these kinds of movies are not that easily appreciated anyway?

Is it too simple? What is the balance between simplicity and stakes? Considering that the result of the equation is the time (and money) investment from the audience, is worth reflecting on that.

Until what extent a movie about Scots stealing whiskey stands on its own?

Could it be that Scots don’t like it because it’s too cliché and non-Scots are just not interested or more interested in other simple and entertaining movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2?

*On the other hand, Englishmen are made fun of; always a good thing for both UK citizens and foreigners.

2nd May 2017