film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: BRWC

  • Americanized: Review

    Americanized: Review

    Americanized: Review. By Scott Gilliland.

    Getting through high school runs its own gambit of challenges; to do so when you are having a cultural identity crisis over where your place is in this world can amplify these stresses to an unimaginable degree. Stuck in this daunting scenario presented is Terry Hu’s Eng in the short film Americanized by writer-director Erica Eng. 

    There is a lot of confidence in Erica Eng’s short film, from the effective handheld camerawork that compliments both the action on the court and the awkward interactions our lead has with those around her. Constantly, you feel grounded within the story, present in the struggles of Eng’s day to day life. Be it the conversations in the classroom with other Asian American students or when she tries to fit in with her basketball friends. We are positioned perfectly to be a fly on the wall at this small but important juncture in her young life.

    The confidence that resonates through the screen also comes from the strong writing from Eng. Taking influences from her own experiences, we see the troubles that many teenagers from a multitude of cultures go through during this period in their lives. Perhaps that is what strikes the most about Americanized. While it is presented as a story about Asian American children who have only really known an American culture due to how many generations of their family have been born in the country. We are given a glimpse of what life could be like for anyone whose family has come from an immigrant background and encountered such issues. This connection grabs you and allows you to connect with the characters and the story.

    Taking this grounded nature to her film, Erica Eng does well to base a lot of Americanized loosely on some of her memories of her high school days. As good as the cast and production are, there is a great deal of strength in the script. Eng asks important questions: What happens to the younger migrants trying to find a foot hole in the only country and culture they know? By having Eng only understand English, care more for Western food etc., we see a typical American girl. Why should it matter what her skin colour is? Also, should it matter if she doesn’t open herself up more to her cultural heritage at such a young age just yet?

    Hu does great work as the conflicted Eng; you see her drowning in self-doubt about where she should be heading as a person—seemingly making one mistake after another with her peers and family. You feel for her as her identity crisis takes too much of a grip upon her. A telling moment in the short is that the only moments in which Eng is confident and free are when she plays basketball. Free of the stresses of her personal life, she can just play, and this increases your emotions for her as we know those highs will not hang around for too long; they never do. With Hu giving her character a chance to relax and shine, she almost provides two different performances, the on-court Eng and the off-court Eng, both equally fascinating. As a result, the viewer is hit harder when reality comes in various ways to her in a hard and rather unforgiving manner. You want the best for this girl, and a lot of that is down to Hu’s work.

    With our lead character, we have someone who cannot do anything right by those around her. If she veers away ever so slightly from the norm, she is admonished for it. It is easy to forget that your teenage years are meant to be about you discovering what type of person you are. However, Eng is limited, cynicism surrounds her, and her freedom is stifled constantly. Other Chinese Americans in her school dress and acts how they want to and, as such, fit in easily with the crowd. Tellingly though, from what is presented, Eng is the only female to do this and is mocked for it.

    People like Eng are stuck in a callous limbo, not fully a part of one group because of their skin colour and not a part of the other because she is too removed from what is expected of her. For those 17 minutes in Americanized, you are fascinated with her struggles and honest dilemma. An intriguing short film that offers up questions and leaves you to ponder. Erica Eng has a clear vision with her film and with as strong a voice as hers. It is only a matter of time before we see more great work from her.

  • 6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies

    6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies

    6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies. By George Bate.

    Comic book movies have dominated the silver screen in the 21st century. You can’t walk through a cinema today without a big and bold superhero posing heroically on the wall. 

    But the box office has only scratched the surface on the potential that comic books hold. Hidden away in the glossy pages are thousands of incredible superhero stories that have stretched back to the 1930’s. 

    The MCU, DCEU and all the stand-alone feature films have extraordinary potential moving forward in the future. Some of these stories have become iconic in their fandoms and doing them justice in live-action would please a lot of comic book and movie fans alike.

    The Killing Joke 

    The Killing Joke is one of DC’s most famous comic arcs, a dark and twisted story that delved into the Joker’s character. It gave audiences a back-story to the infamously mysterious villain, a deeper meaning behind the sadistic clown and it received overwhelming critical praise. 

    The story revealed that the Joker was once a regular man, grinding to support his wife and child. But when his family is killed, a heist goes wrong and he falls into a vat of chemicals, his mind snaps and warps, becoming the Clown Prince of Crime. 

    The Joker realises that Batman is just one bad day from becoming the same twisted villain. Without knowing that Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Joker tracks her down and breaks into her home. He shoots her in the stomach before sexually assaulting her and kidnapping her father. 

    It is one of the darkest comic stories in history. After the overwhelmingly positive reception of 2019’s Joker movie, an R-rated adaptation of The Killing Joke on the big screen would be a slam dunk at the box office. 

    Guardian Devil 

    Guardian Devil was the 1999 comic story from Kevin Smith that is widely known as one of Daredevil’s best adventures. The story follows Matt Murdock as his life falls apart, both as the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen and as a small-time lawyer. 

    The story begins with Daredevil being delivered a child, born from a 15 year old who claimed it was through immaculate conception. He is told that the baby is the Antichrist. Once the baby is under his protection, his life unravels. Matt’s partner, Karen Page, is diagnosed with HIV, his friend, Foggy Nelson, is framed for murder and he loses his job as a lawyer. 

    Through several plot twists and heart-wrenching deaths, Guardian Devil explores just how much mental torture that Daredevil can take, all manipulated by one man. It is a brilliant story that would make for a great big screen debut for the Man With No Fear. 

    Injustice 

    Injustice is the iconic DC comic arc that sparked the massively successful video game series. However, before NetherRealm Studios brought it into the public eye, Injustice was one of DC’s best stories. 

    A newly pregnant Lois Lane was kidnapped by the Joker and Harley Quinn, sparking Superman and the rest of the Justice League to go out and search for her. In their rescue, they discover that a bomb has been planted in Metropolis. While trying to kill two birds with one stone, Doomsday suddenly appears. 

    While Superman flies Doomsday to space, the Justice League discover the sinister plot. The Joker infected Superman with Scarecrow’s fear gas, tricking him into believing that Lois Lane was Doomsday, killing her and their unborn child. However, when she dies, the bomb is triggered in Metropolis. Superman loses his wife, his child and his city in a matter of seconds. The Man of Steel’s mind snaps. 

    This sparks a dictator-like Superman and a civil war amongst the heroes and villains of the DC Universe. It is a brilliant story of power and justice that would be on par with Marvel’s Avengers films. 

    Avengers: Under Siege 

    Avengers: Under Siege is a simple yet brilliantly written Marvel comic story that has become a classic tale in the Avengers lore. The arc follows Baron Zemo forming a team of over a dozen villains to bring down the Avengers in an all-out assault. 

    For most of the time, the Avengers had lost. Baron Zemo broke their spirits and outright destroyed the team. It is their biggest loss outside of the Infinity Gauntlet and Secret Wars. In the end, the good guys come back and win, in the classic Marvel fashion. 

    With Daniel Bruhl even more fleshed out as Baron Zemo and the MCU chock-full of villains, it would be an excellent way to expand on their one-off antagonists and expand their roster of evil moving forward into Phase 4 and 5. 

    The Tower of Babel 

    The Tower of Babel is an iconic Justice League story that truly demonstrates Batman’s skills as a strategist and tactician, resulting in one of the most clever and brutal stories of the DC comic universe. 

    In order to wreak havoc and control the world, the infamous Ra’s al Ghul discovers Batman’s contingency plans against his fellow Justice League members. Ra’s unleashes hell on the DC heroes. 

    Aquaman develops a fear of water. Green Lantern is rendered blind. Martian Manhunter is infected with microbes that light him on fire. The Flash is hit with tech that forces him into seizures if he runs too fast. Wonder Woman has a chip implanted in her brain that makes her believe she is permanently fighting enemies, exhausting her. And Superman is left in excruciating pain after being exposed to red kryptonite. 

    Seeing all these gods being brought down by one human man’s plans is a sight to behold. It would work brilliantly as a sequel to the Justice League story and would establish Batman as a force to be reckoned with. After Justice League 2017, Batman was left a laughing stock but The Tower of Babel storyline would put back at the top of the food chain. 

    House of M 

    House of M is a famous and compelling story surrounding Scarlet Witch and her descent into madness. After she loses her husband, Vision, and her two children, Wanda warps reality, fuelled by her anguish and grief. 

    But this alters the world around her. Magneto becomes a ruling force in the world, Ms. Marvel becomes the most popular hero. As the world begins to realise that things have changed, the Avengers and the X-Men meet, in order to establish what to do against the most powerful woman alive. 

    The Avengers decide to kill her and end the madness she is unleashing, however, the X-Men believe they can get through to her. What follows is a small civil war between the two teams and Scarlet Witch realises what she did, the bloodshed is her fault. With her powers at their highest level, she speaks the words “No more mutants”. 

    It is a controversial and extreme story that would work perfectly as an introduction for mutants into the MCU. With Wanda’s slow descent into madness during WandaVision, it would logically lead to the big House of M storyline. They would need to alter some events in order to introduce the X-Men and the mutant gene but it would be an amazing spectacle moving forward in the MCU. 

    6 Superhero Comic Book Arcs That Would Make The Best Movies. By George Bate.

  • The Pebble And The Boy: Review

    The Pebble And The Boy: Review

    The Pebble And The Boy: Review. By Jade Roach.

    The Pebble and The Boy is a British film self-described as made by the fans, for the fans of mod culture. The film, being a melancholic drama following John Parker (Patrick McNamee), a young mod navigating his life after the death of his father. As someone unfamiliar with this British subculture, The Pebble and The Boy was undeniably a great window into a community I knew so little of. Whilst the plot felt cliché at times and the supporting actress’ role contrived, the film as a whole was enjoyable but not a must-watch.

    Chris Green, director of the pebble and the boy, has directed a few films since coming second place at the Northern Soul new writers competition back in 2000 such as Best Laid Plans (2012) and Pretty (2017). Nevertheless, it felt as though this film was very amateur-ish for a man of his experience. Perhaps the daunting task of appeasing to mod culture was overbearing? The backing track was disappointingly unnoticeable, meaning mod classics had to convey a lot of the emotion. This limited selection of emotional music created a bipolar atmosphere as at times the message and direction of the film was clear, and at other times was foggy. The cinematography was decent, leading to a certain connect between the viewer and the film however there wasn’t a great sense of scale which was disappointing to see for a film essentially about a road trip.

    As mentioned previously, the supporting character of Nicki (Sasha Parkinson), actions felt forced with little to no motivation, this in turn made intentions unrelatable and the character as a whole fake. Her relationship with John is equally unclear as in some scenes she’s extremely close to him as an ally and a mentor, attempting to push John to see the bigger picture. Yet in others she’s blatantly exploiting the main character for his tickets to a mod gig. On the other hand, the second support character Logan (Max Boast), known for Sex Education, was a well thought out joker, who managed to do the back and forth between genuine kindness and general assholery convincingly.

    Overall, the movie was an interesting projection of a culture I feel most know so little of, with a great man character and an even better supporting character. Unfortunately, however, the message of the story was confusing as at most times it was unclear. Another shortcoming would be a loose sense of scale for a story of this type and a disappointingly bland soundtrack leading to a disconnect between the emotions actually conveyed through the film and the emotions that the director would want to convey through this medium.

  • Stillwater: Another Review

    Stillwater: Another Review

    Stillwater: Another Review. by Nick Boyd.

    “Stillwater,” which stars Matt Damon as Bill Baker, is a story of a father who is desperately trying to free his daughter Allison (Abigail Breslin), who was convicted of murdering her girlfriend in the coastal city of Marseilles, France while studying abroad.  (The story is very loosely based on the Amanda Knox case, but is a work of fiction all its own.)  Bill is an oil worker in Stillwater, Oklahoma, hence the film’s title.  When the film begins, Bill is off to visit his daughter in a French prison, where she is less than halfway through serving a nine-year sentence. 

    She asks Bill to deliver a letter to her attorney, desperate to have the authorities reopen her high-profile case.  With little faith in the French judicial system, Bill begins his own investigation to ensure his daughter does not lose hope and to possibly repair their frayed relationship.  At the hotel where he is staying, Bill befriends a young girl and her mother Virginie (played by an engaging Camille Cottin).  Bill begins to rely on Virginie for her help in translating, serving as a resource in his daughter’s legal case, and in understanding the nuances of the city he barely knows. 

    The more Bill and Virginie get to know each other, the more an attraction develops between the two of them, both of whom are single parents.  Bill becomes a surrogate father to Virginie’s daughter, who is adorably endearing.  Despite the predicament that he is in, as Bill becomes more immersed in French culture, especially in the presence of Virginie and her daughter, the more he is drawn to it.  This quiet dynamic between Bill, Virginie, and her daughter is by far the best part of the movie.

    As more of the details are revealed in Allison’s case, it becomes clear that someone named Akim may hold the key to unraveling things.  As a result, Bill makes it his mission to do whatever he can to locate Akim and get what he needs from him.  This results in some implausibilities in the last third of the movie.  

    A moving part of the film is when Allison is able to get a day’s release from prison and enjoy a day of freedom.  Father and daughter spend time together in the still waters of France’s oldest city, and Bill is able to introduce Allison to Virginie and her daughter.

    Damon is in top form underneath his tough redneck exterior showing vulnerability in a powerful thriller with a lot on its mind.  The devotion Damon has to his daughter is palpably felt, as is the relationship he forms with a French woman and her daughter.  The movie really keeps you guessing as to the true motives of the characters with its complex plot.

  • Sweet Thing: Review

    Sweet Thing: Review

    Sweet Thing: Review. By Alif Majeed.

    Alexandre Rockwell was one of the most exciting filmmakers to come out of the stable of the young indie movie brats of the ’90s. Even though his first movie, In the Soup, had announced his arrival as a significant force in the indie cinema movement, he sadly did not live up to his reputation. Of the four upcoming directors of the era to do a segment in the anthology segment Four Rooms, it is a tragedy that he and Allison Anders fell off the bandwagon while Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino became major players in Hollywood. Even though all of them had really brilliant starts to their careers around the same time.

    So I was happy when I heard that his latest movie got some pretty great reviews and was heralded as a return to form for him. But after I watched the movie, what I came out with were mixed emotions. Sweet Thing is the best he offered in a long while, but it did not live up to the hype for me on a personal level.

    A large part of it is because of the predictability of the plot. It involves two children Billie and Nico, who are pretty much left to fend for themselves throughout the movie after their father, Adam (a terrific Will Patton, who we need to see more often on screen), has to go to rehab. Their mom quickly moves on to her new boyfriend, leaving them to fend for themselves constantly. After a violent altercation with the boyfriend, they run off with a fellow stowaway Malik (Jabari Watkins), and from there, the movie follows their adventures on the road and the people they meet.

    It follows a straight line where you can see what the characters are and will do next. The father, though well-intentioned, will make it worse for the kids with his constant drunken bouts. You can figure out that the boyfriend, who at first seems like a cool guy to hang out with, will eventually turn out to be this horrible monster who would try to prey on the kids. A fact phoned in from a mile away. Even the eventual fate of the children after they become stowaways and their interaction with different people on the way has an inevitable eventuality to it.

    What was beautiful about the movie though is the lead actors. Even when I was put off by the constant barrage of tragedies that seemed to keep on befalling the kids, the performances undoubtfully will disturb you by how effective they are. The film is a family affair with Rockwell directing his real-life children Lana and Nico, and they are lovely. They act like they have known each other for years and feel like they would, to any extent, to protect themselves from the cruelties they come across. They are great to watch together on screen and thankfully are the focus of the movie for the majority of the movie.

    The person I was also most affected by was the character of the mom Eve (again Rockwell’s real-life wife, Karyn Parsons). Two scenes involving her really stand out. Her reaction to her daughter’s accusation of the boyfriend’s deviant behavior is a brilliant character moment and sadly chilling. It’s a scene that has shown up in countless abusive boyfriend movies, but she sells her desperation at clinging selfishly to her happiness even at the expense of throwing the kids under the bus. Another scene where she is remarkable is when Beaux (the boyfriend) keeps on insulting her in front of her muted and defenseless children while trying to grab on to whatever little dignity she has left when there is absolutely none. These beautiful character moments make a tremendous impact and stay with you once you are done with the movie.

    I would be happy if this movie reinvigorates Rockwell’s career and opens more opportunities for him. The predictable storyline makes it hard to believe that this is an absolute return to form for Rockwell, though he is way better than he ever was in a long time.