Author: Joel Fisher

Pin-Up girls became fashionable in the 1940’s where men would pin pictures of beautiful, glamorous women on the walls by their beds or to the inside of the airplanes before they were sent into battle. They became a symbol for the types of things the soldiers were missing back home, and let’s face it, they must have helped out a few of those soldiers on a long, lonely night.

Cut to the 21^st Century and Pin-Up girls have had a resurgence, the 1940’s fashions of not only clothes but hair and make up have inspired women from all over the world to become another symbol – one of body positivity and empowerment.

Bombshells and Dollies is a documentary that follows the annual Miss Viva Las Vegas Pin-Up Contest over the course of two years that interviews the contestants, the event holders and even a couple of those icons of the Pin-Up world. Bombshells and Dollies looks at the women behind the hair, make up and glamorous clothes and explores what most people may think is only skin deep.

Talking to many of the contestants who go by their Pin-Up monikers of Cherry Dollface, Bo Huff and Pin-Up Little Bit, Bombshells and Dollies gives the women a chance to speak for themselves, showing the audience that the Pin-Up lifestyle truly is their calling. Stories of heartbreak, abuse and a crippling lack of confidence are at the heart of many of these stories, and so the documentary shows that the Pin-Up lifestyle can be an escape where they can be themselves and not looked down upon by others.

There are also stories of the other sides of the contestants’ lives that may surprise some of the audience. Stories of the intelligent, successful and enterprising women who take part in the Pin-Up lifestyle who show that first impressions can be misleading.

Bombshells and Dollies may not entirely convert people who judge the Pin-Up lifestyle at face value, but it shows how much fun and confidence it gives the people who indulge in the lifestyle, celebrating a side of life most people wouldn’t dare venture into.

Abe (Evan Daves) and Todd (Larry Saperstein) are best friends who work in their local cinema that only ever shows two movies. It’s a small religious town and although the townsfolk continue about their business like any other, there’s an underlying influence of Christianity that governs the way they go about their day.

Abe and Todd work with Chaz (Jillian Mueller) and Ricky (Glenn Stott) used to be a couple, but since Ricky moved away over the summer they’ve been growing further apart and the status of their relationship remains unclear. Then there’s the cinema’s projectionist who Abe and Todd refer to as Heavy Metal Jeff (Robbie Tann), a recovering addict who has found salvation in Jesus Christ and is adamant in his teachings about the evils of drugs, sex and pornography.

Then one night before closing up, the group see a crazy old man wandering about and while they try and usher him out of the cinema, they come across a long-forgotten part of the cinema filled with old movie reels. Eager to watch something different for once, they roll one of the films and are shocked, excited and even a little aroused when they find the old film is an erotic arthouse film with demonic undertones.

Little do they realise, but by watching the forbidden movie a succubus has been unleashed into the theatre and once she’s had her fill of their teenage lust, she’ll be ready to drag them to hell.

Porno is a slow burn throwback comedy horror movie with dark, supernatural themes and is the directorial debut of Keola Racela. Playing on familiar set ups from other movies with demonic themes, Porno sets up all the familiar clichés of horror films but adds a few twists to their characters along the way to keep the audience invested in their stories.

Porno looks great as well, with stunning visuals from its Sixties Hammer Horror style celluloid nightmare, to its crazy final act that throws its leads into a fate worse than death. Although at times Porno gets too serious to be considered a comedy, there are frequent moments that will make the audience laugh. There’s also enough scares and body horror to keep any horror fans interested.

There’s even a moment that will make every male member of the audience recoil in terror – quite literally. Well played by its cast, Porno is just the thing to quench the thirst of horror fans and those looking for a little movie nostalgia.

Science and religion are subjects that rarely ever meet, let alone have anything in common. It’s said that the difference between scientists and theologians is that theologians have all the answers and scientists are still looking. So, it may surprise people that The Dalai Lama has been interested in science ever since he was a child.

The Dalai Lama: Scientist is a documentary that looks at the way that his holiness sees the world through both science and religion and attempts to put the two together to make sense of the wider world.

Through interviews with his holiness himself and footage from interviews and discussions between scientists and The Dalai Lama, The Dalai Lama: Scientist explores in intricate detail the different aspects of both science and religion through subjects such as quantum physics, neurobiology and Buddhist philosophy.

After a short, but interesting interview with his holiness the documentary soon goes into the various discussions between some of the world’s most renowned scientists and The Dalai Lama. Unfortunately, this takes up the bulk of the documentary and there’s a lot to take in for an audience who are looking for a casual and uplifting documentary about two very different views of life finding a connection.

The documentary is narrated very dryly, only talking about what The Dalai Lama has said and done, with very little room for his holiness to speak for himself. It’s only through the discussions that the audience gets a true feeling of his personality, his presence and the devotion that his followers have for him.

There are also a lot of moments during the documentary where it briefly stops to put up cards with bullet points, making the documentary feel more like an educational video for a class, making the audience feel like a student in a class rather than an adult interested in the subject.

It would have perhaps been more interesting to hear more about how science has influenced The Dalai Lama’s life personally, but it seems that the documentary has a set quota to fill. So, before the audience has time to contemplate the points raised by the parts of the documentary, it moves on.

The Dalai Lama: Scientist may be interesting for those students studying philosophy, science or theology, but for an audience looking to absorb more about one of the world’s most respected religious leaders, it gives the audience far too much all at once with little time to breathe.

After Olivia (Amanda Crew) loses her job, she decides that it’s time to get away from it all to clear her mind. She finds a place to stay online and after contacting the owner, Harvey (Robert Patrick) they arrange to meet to do business. Harvey tells Olivia that he’s a widower, the place where Olivia is set to stay is the house that Harvey and his wife, Agnes (Nancy Linehan Charles) have lived many happy years.

So, with bittersweet feelings after learning about Harvey’s loss, Olivia and Harvey exchange pleasantries and she settles in for the night. Little does she know that Harvey has acquired a taste for killing after being bored with the rest of his life and Olivia is lined up to be his next victim.

Killer Instinct is a horror comedy written and directed by Richard Bates Jr. that has neither a decent grasp on horror or comedy. Through a series of scenes, Bates Jr. manages to put together a movie that seems like it has something to say about the current media war between Millennials and Boomers, but doesn’t have a clear enough direction.

There’s certainly a horror movie in there, but with so many different elements such as Harvey’s fourth wall breaking monologues about Millennials, surreal dream sequences and very little characterisation it becomes very easy not to care about anyone.

Although admittedly very well shot, with the right script Robert Patrick could be even more menacing than he comes across. However, neither the comedic side of his character nor the menacing side comes over effectively. The meaningless background characters add no humour and aren’t fleshed out enough either, so when it comes to making a more coherent horror movie, their actions make it seem like they’re just following a script.

The surreal dream sequences and hallucinations that Harvey experiences are well done, but unfortunately, they’re gone all too soon and mostly serve as jump scares. Perhaps with a little more time and thought behind them, maybe Bates Jr. could have said something more profound with his story. However, much like the feud between the Millennials and the Boomers, it all seems rather pointless.

Cuisinière (Jeanne Werner) has a new job working in the kitchen of a high-end restaurant. She’s obviously worked hard to get where she is, but she’s still incredibly nervous, even more so when the head chef (Malika Kathir) makes her presence known.

The head chef wants everybody to know that she demands the best and complete perfection. However, after an accident, Cuisinière starts to wonder whether she has what it takes. As the pressure builds up and things get out of her control, Cuisinière’s job and indeed her entire career may be in the balance.

CRU (raw in French) is a short film written and directed by David Oesch that shows the intense, up close and highly pressurized environment of working in a kitchen. Using a handheld camera that moves around rapidly, following Cuisinière as she moves about the kitchen, Oesch’s camera is always with her and the audience may feel the pressure she is under as she tries her best to do things right.

The accident may leave some audience members feeling a little squeamish, especially when the repercussions are shown when it briefly moves into the restaurant itself.

However, this may be the point that Oesch wants to make. The slightly dark humour and result of Cuisinière’s hard work may be difficult to stomach, but what CRU is saying that hard work and perseverance are all well and good, but for true success you may need to put in your chunk of flesh.

Kathir is fantastic as the stern and domineering chef, slowly walking around the room and smoking a cigarette all adding to her persona. The audience may even start to feel just as terrified as Cuisinière. Despite Kathir’s short stature, she still manages to keep an air of authority and Oesch’s direction makes sure that she never comes across as comedic. Werner is similarly well cast, her wide-eyed expressions of terror as she darts around the kitchen are surely something many people can identify with.

Either in their own workplace or at the hands of Gordon Ramsey on reality TV, so they easily connect with her. It’s up to the audience to decide on whether all Cuisinière’s hard work, determination and ambition is worth it in the end.