Author: Joel Fisher

Harris (Gino Anthony Pesi) is a cab driver and one day while he is mindlessly scanning through radio stations to keep himself entertained, he is told by his despatcher to pick up what he thinks will be just another fare. Harris arrives at his destination and into his cab steps a beautiful woman named Penny (Brinna Kelly).

During the course of their short time in the cab together Harris and Penny get to know each other, however just as the conversation really gets going, Penny vanishes leaving Harris bewildered and confused. So, without anything else left to do Harris restarts the clock, but soon Harris realises that he’s stuck in a time loop where every destination starts and ends with Penny.

From that moment onwards, Harris and The Fare’s audience are taken on a ride of twists, revelations and what turns out to be a compelling story with a great cast and an engaging romance at its centre.

Pesi and Kelly both prove to have a great on-screen chemistry and as the story unfolds, the script makes it feel as if the couple really are meeting for the first time, hitting it off and falling in love. The characterisations feel real, well thought out and the conversations between Harris and Penny feel natural, perhaps reminding the audience of a time where they had a really good first date.

Also, personally speaking, the conversations where Penny and Harris are talking about their situation get deeply, deeply nerdy and I loved every second of it, making the couple more fleshed out and showing that there may be much more to a person than first impressions allow.

The Fare is a beautifully shot romantic time travel drama that plays out as what the audience may think is a typical sci-fi time travel drama, but it has enough surprises to make the audience realise that they are getting a lot more than they expected.

As the final act kicks in, the way the story plays out may get a little too romantic for some tastes, but for old romantics who haven’t quite lost all hope it’s a wonderful, slightly strange and thoughtful romantic drama that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

24 Little Hours is the latest film from writer/director Paul Knight and after 10 years of making films he’s gone back to his roots with a plot involving thugs, mugs and violence, all within the backdrop of gritty London town. DI Summers (Fiona Skinner) is a discredited police officer with a past of corruption and mistakes who is nevertheless tasked with getting to the truth behind a series of killings involving an ex-con with a grudge.

Told through a combination of police interviews, flashbacks and up to the minute scenes detailing the action, DI Summers is close to cracking the case. However, with a string of unreliable witnesses and superiors who don’t trust her to get the job done, Summers may have to do more than her job allows to bring the right people to justice.

Having spent 10 years making films, Paul Knight must have gathered quite a lot of experience in the British film industry. It’s just a shame that it comes across that Knight seems to think that he knows exactly what people want; clichés, stereotyped characters and a cast that don’t know how to act without going completely overboard.

The plot for 24 Little Hours is a little muddled and would take a lot of concentration for those who are just expecting a typical British gangster flick. However, this is less to do with the intricacies of the story, but more to do with the film spending too much time with the wrong characters. A list of characters who are either miscast, rely far too much on their deep, gravelly voices to sound menacing or have to wade through the dialogue which often relies on a degree in Cockney Rhyming slang.

Also, a lot of characters feel completely out of place, where there could have been a good actor with an interesting part, instead it feels like they were put in the film just to kill time.

However, it’s not all that bad and the film’s finale is where it really is at its best (and not just because the film is nearly over). Knight manages to create an atmosphere throughout that maintains that feeling of a dark, violent underbelly of London and the final pursuit for the killer is very well played out.

It’s just a shame that it took so long for 24 Little Hours to understand its strong points, forcing the audience to put up with bad dialogue, plodding story and a slow pace.

It Must be Heaven is the latest satirical comedy from world renowned director Elia Suleiman. Known throughout his work for commenting on the state of Palestine, his country which he holds close to his heart, Suleiman’s latest film looks at the world around him rather than his country directly. However, as he travels from Palestine, France and New York, Suleiman’s story brings up parallels which are taken for granted abroad but hold a deeper meaning for Suleiman’s home country.

Being a master of an almost lost form of cinema (silent cinema) Suleiman is there every step of the way with the audience, putting himself in every scene as he is a silent and yet compelling observer of the world. Along with the audience, he witnesses the unusual, the passionate, the disturbing and often the comical sides of life.

Rather that starkly telling the audience as it is and the way Suleiman sees it, his presence as director, writer and actor is as if Suleiman has stepped out into the cinema audience and is sat alongside them as the film plays out. Mostly as a spectator but occasionally and sometimes with great surprise for the audience as a participant.

Suleiman is a pleasant man to spend time with and so his thoughtful observations subtly help the audience understand what he is trying to say – even when he says nothing at all. It Must be Heaven shows the world as it is but in a heightened and comedic way, so while the audience are laughing at the vignettes that make up the film, they can be taken aback when they start to realise that these satirical observations may not be so amusing after all.

Through the use of precisely choreographed scenes involving tapes measures and Segways, Suleiman shows the peaceful beauty of life as well as the comedy that comes with the most mundane of situations. However, while the audience have their guards down, that is when Sulieman starts to tell the audience why they are there and what he wants to really say.

Although Suleiman’s story is not without a little venting on ignorant producers who want to tell his story their way or want to soften the message to appeal to a broader audience.

It Must be Heaven can be appreciated in many ways and can appeal to those who are fans of Suleiman’s work, those who are passionately political or even those who may just enjoy a gentle view of the world told through the medium of silent cinema.

Although there may be moments that go over the heads of the audience that may be less informed of Sulieman’s background and Palestine’s place in the world, It Must be Heaven shows that there is still a place in the world for such a unique voice.

Ghosts In The Graveyard: Review. Sally Sullivan (Kelli Berglund) is a shy, insecure teenager whose life has never been the same since the death of a childhood friend while they were playing a game. Now Sally is a teenager and is starting to get the feeling that she is being watched, or even worse haunted by not only the traumatic memories from her childhood, but by the ghost of her friend.

Sally just wants to fit in, but unfortunately the past won’t let her go and as much as she tries to fight her demons, she starts too realise that her connection to the supernatural may be stronger than she first thought.

Ghosts in the Graveyard is the feature debut of writer/director Charlie Comparetto. The film sets the scene with a knowing wink to audiences who may think they know what to expect, with its high school setting and cast of sexy teens it puts all the players in place for a high school slasher. However, what follows has more in common has more in common with Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen.

As the film progresses, the audience is let in on the secret that certain members of the small, sleepy town in which the Sullivans live may know more about what Sally is experiencing than they’re willing to admit. In particular Sally’s father, Charlie (Jake Busey) who is doing the best he can to protect his daughter from the dangers of teenage life, may know more than anyone the full extent of what lies ahead and is willing to do whatever it takes to keep Sally safe.

Ghosts in the Graveyard is a horror movie that knows exactly what it is and knows exactly what its audience wants. The ghost that plagues Sally is rarely seen which is always welcome in a horror movie. A little too much and the audience will start to see the villain for what it really is and too little and it may just turn into an actor fighting with themselves and trying to look scared.

However, the tone for the movie is perfectly set with its misty graveyard scenes, sinister nun, Sister Brigit (Mary Anisi) and scenes that set up all the scares in just the right way. The film’s climax is also fun, scary and over the top which leaves the audience wanting more of Sally’s adventures, with the film tempting a possible sequel (or prequel?) to explore more of the background of Sally’s connection to things that go bump in the night.

A fun night in with a good old fashioned ghost story, Ghosts in the Graveyard may be just what you’re looking for.

Timothy (Kaeleb Zain Gartner) and Madison Edwards (Hailey Foss) live with their mum, Melanie (Dawn Van de Schoot) in a quiet, suburban neighbourhood where hardly anything ever happens. Then one day whilst collecting the mail, Melanie discovers three red envelopes all addressed to each member of the family.

They open the letters and in each of them it gives them a picture of somebody living in their area with simple instructions – kill them before they kill you. Laughing it off at first, the Edwards family don’t see how anything like this could happen, let alone that anybody would take it seriously, until Melanie decides to pay their neighbours a visit.

Red Letter Day is a high concept horror comedy and feature debut from writer/director Cameron Macgowan. Clearly inspired by a love of the genre, Red Letter Day gives a lot of nods to horror films old and new and creates something unique and surprisingly simple but effective in its conception.

Life in any quiet suburban street is pretty dull, so the concept of Red Letter Day raises the questions of what we would do if we were given the chance to do whatever we wanted – no matter the consequences. The results making the movie into a cross between Desperate Housewives and The Purge.

The movie’s story is also told through social media, Timothy and Madison watch as their neighbours open their letters and as the movie continues, it shows a reflection of ourselves as we so often post photos and videos online to just get people to notice us. The question is, how far would we go to get noticed and does our diminished responsibility give us carte blanche, whether it be through an anonymous letter or through the lens of a webcam?

However, besides the deeper issues that run through the actions of the Edwards family and their neighbours, Red Letter Day is predominantly a comedy and there are enough laughs and plenty of blood and gore to please any horror junkie. The cast all do very well, particularly Van de Schoot whose desperation and increasing exasperation reaches new levels when she’s faced with doing things to keep her family together that she never dreamt of doing.

Despite its initial slow start, Red Letter Day turns into a satisfying horror comedy that cleverly makes a sleepy little neighbourhood wake up and as the violence, horror and the black comedy laughs ensue, the audience is bound to get just what they wanted.