film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Joel Fisher

  • One Way To Denmark: Review

    One Way To Denmark: Review

    Herb (Rafe Spall) is sick of his life. He’s unemployed with no prospects, lives in a dingy flat in Wales with noisy neighbours and even his own mother thinks that he’s wasted his life. Then one day after thinking all hope is lost, as if by magic the TV turns on and he sees a show talking about Denmark, one of the most idyllic places in the world and more importantly how well they treat their prisoners.

    All people who get arrested in Denmark are housed in proper accommodation, fed well with proper heating and are made to feel like they have a purpose in life. Herb realises that there’s only one thing for it, he has to go to Denmark and get himself arrested.

    Herb starts off as a pretty unlikeable character. He hates his life, sees no future and no other way he could make anything out of his life so from the very start the audience may not warm to him so easily. However, as the film goes on and thanks to Spall’s performance, Herb becomes a character who the audience may start to like as the script slowly reveals aspects of his life that he’s taken for granted.

    When Herb does indeed make it to Denmark, he’s also shown as a character of conscience as he finds it hard to go through with his devised plan. That’s when the film turns and for the most part, One Way to Denmark becomes a feel-good, easy going film that just stops shy of being an advert funded by the Danish tourist board.

    It may be obvious where the film may be going, but often it’s the journey that’s important and not the destination and so One Way to Denmark will make even the most hardened people smile at how nice everything turns out to be.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPYoMDwaw4s&feature=emb_title

    One Way to Denmark taps into a premise which has the potential for prime comedy gold, However despite a good cast it doesn’t quite reach the dizzy heights of laugh out loud comedy, instead opting for a gentler feeling and a pleasant smile.

  • Lake Of Death: Review

    Lake Of Death: Review

    One year after her brother Bjørn (Patrick Walshe McBride) went missing, Lillian (Iben Akerlie) and her friends, Kai (Ulric von der Esche), Harald (Elias Munk), Gabriel (Jonathan Harboe) and Sonja (Sophia Lie) all go back to the same cabin by the lake in which Bjorn drowned. Haunted by her brother’s death, Lillian is plagued with hallucinations and dreams that put her on edge the entire time.

    Her friends are determined to have a good time though so Lillian tries her very best to put it out of her head. However, as Lillian’s hallucinations get stronger and she starts sleepwalking, things get stranger and stranger and the group of friends find themselves in danger.

    Lake of Death is a Norwegian horror movie exclusive to Shudder, inspired by the original 1958 Norwegian horror movie De dødes tjern (Lake of The Dead). Unfortunately, whereas the original movie may have felt inspired, atmospheric and ahead of its time, Lake of Death is quite the opposite.

    Having the misfortune of having the same kind of setup as movies such as Evil Dead and Cabin Fever (both of which are mentioned in the script even though the latter was partly inspired by the former) doesn’t help, serving only to remind the audience of much better movies that they could be watching instead.

    Even worse, Lake of Death doesn’t even try to be original as its entire cast is made up of two-dimensional characters that the audience won’t even care about because they do stupid things just for dramatic effect. It’s not because their actions are meant to entice the audience into enjoying their deaths however, their behaviour at certain points just doesn’t make any sense.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jf1x8qG7EA

    The whole movie has been done before in much better ways and it just goes to show that if the movie has a weak premise and there’s no attempt to entertain an audience and put a fresh spin on a classic format then they’ll soon stop caring.

    Finally, if you haven’t guessed the ending from the premise then perhaps you should stop watching movies, because if you haven’t got the hang of it by now then you never will.

  • Peripheral: Review

    Peripheral: Review

    Bobbi Johnson (Hannah Arterton) is a writer, her debut novel lit a fire under the youth of the country and she’s become a beacon of hope, change and revolution in an increasingly disillusioned world.

    Her publisher, Jordan (Belinda Stewart-Wilson) is eager for Bobbi to get her started on her next novel, but Bobbi isn’t sure what to write next. She only knows that she wants her next book to be written with her voice and for it to say something that will be as influential as her first novel.

    Bobbi still writes on an old typewriter, she’s the kind of writer that believes that to find an authentic voice then she has to write in the same way that many have written before her. However, Jordan disagrees and after Bobbi realises that she has to do something to pay the bills, she reluctantly agrees to let Jordan send her the latest hi-tech editing software that will help her compose her next masterpiece.

    The trouble is that not only does Bobbi have to contend with a computer that’s intent on rewriting her work, but her junkie ex-boyfriend, Dylan (Elliot James Langridge) comes back into her life and she’s concerned that she may have a stalker.

    Peripheral is a surreal horror film directed by Paul Hyett and written by Dan Schaffer. Taking presumably a lot of influence from David Cronenberg, Peripheral is a horror that not only boasts bizarre imagery, but also has some not so subtle subtext running throughout and has moments of body horror that are impressively executed. Schaffer’s script not only talks about many of the aspects that consume a writer’s mind, but also deals with Bobbi’s own drug addiction and the things she does to keep her clean.

    As Bobbi starts to use the software to help her write, she finds herself getting lost, not only in the words she writes, but also in quite literal ways as she finds her body changing in ways that she wasn’t expecting. It’s up to the audience to decide whether the changes are all in her mind, a manifestation of her state of mind or perhaps something altogether more sinister and real.

    Peripheral is a multi-faceted story that will satisfy fans of the body horror subgenre, but also many writers may find themselves identifying with the existential crisis that Bobbi finds herself in that may be driving her mad.

  • The Rental: Another Review

    The Rental: Another Review

    Two couples, Michelle (Alison Brie) and Charlie (Dan Stevens) and Josh (Jeremy Allen White) and Mina (Sheila Vand) are spending the weekend away together in a rental by the sea. However, when they meet the owner of the rental, Taylor (Toby Huss) they start to get a sense that he may not be as welcoming as he could have been.

    Charlie and Mina are business partners, working closely together, they are not only great friends, but they have a great working relationship and rely on each other heavily to get through their work. Once settled, they start to enjoy the evening, but as the influences of their good time takes effect, things happen that cannot be taken back so easily.

    The Rental is a slow burn horror and directorial debut from Dave Franco who also co-wrote the screenplay. The setting for the film may not be all that original (four friends going to an isolated house has been done to death) but the performances of the cast keep it compelling as their fleshed-out relationships keep the audience wondering where the story will go next.

    It just may take a little longer to get there than some audiences may prefer. Thankfully though, the director and cast (including Franco’s wife, Alison Brie) don’t indulge too much in their performances so much as to distract from the plot.

    As the film does finally get to the point and for some the direction may not be all that surprising, there’s still enough to go on as far as what’s going to happen between the couples, whether the owner’s as corrupt as he appears and who exactly may be watching them.

    Unfortunately, as the film goes into its final act it does veer into very familiar horror territory, which may delight some, but may also put others off as they may have been expecting something more unexpected. Also, the person who is really watching them is as generic as they come.

    Whereas with some villains the little the audiences know about them the better, in this case it just feels like the villain’s motivations weren’t all that well thought out.

  • Secret Child: Review

    Secret Child: Review

    Gordon (Austin Taylor) and his mother, Cathleen (Fiona Glascott) live in North Dublin in a place called Regina Coeli, a place hidden away from the rest of society because Regina Coeli is a place where single mothers could go to raise their children. Gordon is just like any other boy of his age, curious about the world and always ready to defend his honour when faced with a fight – even if it lands him in trouble.

    However, Gordon is also curious about where his father is, he often sees other children with their fathers, but his mother has never talked about his. Then one day Gordon is surprised to see his mother so enamoured by once again meeting up with an old acquaintance, Bill (Aaron McCusker) leading Gordon, and the audience, to suspect that Gordon may be his real father.

    Secret Child is a bittersweet short film and directorial debut of Yew Weng Ho, based on the novel by Gordon Lewis and Andrew Crofts. Set in a time in Ireland where single mothers were frowned upon by the majority of society, Secret Child puts its audience into a time in the mid-twentieth century where everything seemed to be cheerful despite the darker secrets that people preferred not to talk about.

    Although charming and heart-warming with a particular shocking scene which is certainly a sign of the times, Secret Child never judges its characters or the society as a whole, instead deciding to just show things as they were.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jZjBXsA8t0

    The nostalgic setting and the production value will easily transport the audience back to what some may consider to be a simpler time, and so for the most part it’s an easy film to watch, despite the underlying themes that we would find unacceptable today. All the cast are excellent, especially Taylor who manages to put across the cheeky charm of a boy living in a more innocent time and will certainly warm the hearts of the audience.

    Secret Child may not be a particular ground-breaking or confrontational story about living in that time in Ireland, but the little hope that it brings the audience will certainly make them feel good.