film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Joel Fisher

  • Groupers: Review

    Groupers: Review

    Brad (Peter Mayer-Klepchick) and Dylan (Cameron Duckett) are in a lot of trouble. They’ve been tied to chairs, tied to each other and they’re now sitting at the bottom of an empty swimming pool. The night before they were approached by a beautiful woman named Meg (Nicole Dambro) who wanted to get really drunk with them. However, they soon find out that Meg is the one who has tied them up and is going to torture them until she gets the results that she wants. It also doesn’t hurt that Brad and Dylan are two homophobic jocks and Meg is set on changing their minds.

    Groupers is the feature debut from writer/director Anderson Cowan. Supposedly the premise for the film was devised on an episode of a podcast that Cowan co-hosts. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of a thought beyond that.

    When Meg kidnaps and starts to torture the men there is clearly a conflict in the way that she is trying to conduct her ‘research’. Whereas the two men clearly deserve some kind of retribution for their behaviour, as soon as the twist is revealed the film starts to lose its appeal and the potential discussions that could have surrounded the film fall flat.

    Groupers could have opened a deeper discussion on the causes of homophobia and could have talked about the morality of trying to stop abuse and violence with abuse and violence but unfortunately, I don’t believe the filmmakers thought that deeply. On the one hand there are a couple of gay characters which could have aided in the discussion of homophobia, but there are also a lot of other characters introduced (seemingly at random) who are as abusive and violent as Brad and Dylan and this is supposed to be part of the joke. The point is that it feels like Cowan thought that his initial premise wasn’t strong enough to carry an entire film, so threw in some quirky characters to liven things up.

    Groupers Teaser #1 from Anderson Cowan on Vimeo.

    Unfortunately, adding new characters seems to do the opposite as the second half makes the pace feel slow and frustrating. Characters talk across each other and there doesn’t really feel like a natural conclusion until the dialogue stops because it seems like Cowan doesn’t feel qualified to have a deeper discussion. Saying all this though, Dambro gives a good performance and the chemistry between the two jocks makes them strangely likeable (despite the homophobia). However, once Cowan has run out of ideas with what to do with them, Groupers feels over indulgent and erratic. Thankfully though, the film doesn’t delve too deeply into torture porn as its premise suggests.

    Groupers is an original idea that runs out of juice, never saying anything clever or insightful about its subjects. The initial idea may have seemed funny in a juvenile kind of way, but Cowan never really settles on his opinion of the bullies. If Cowan’s idea was to show a discussion where everybody is shouting their opinions at each other and nobody benefits like is so often the case online, then mission accomplished. Unfortunately, this doesn’t translate well to film and before Groupers is over the audience may want to distract themselves with something else.

  • I Trapped The Devil: BRWC FrightFest Review

    I Trapped The Devil: BRWC FrightFest Review

    Steve (Scott Poythress) has a bit of a dilemma and he doesn’t know what to do about it because prior to the film’s events, Scott trapped the devil in a cupboard in his basement.

    Worse still, Scott’s brother, Matt (AJ Bowen) and his wife, Karen (Susan Burke) have unexpectedly turned up for Christmas dinner. Scott’s anxiety and paranoia hit the roof as the family’s evening goes on, he soon realises that there’s nothing else for it – he has to tell his dinner guests about what’s in the basement, no matter the cost.

    I Trapped the Devil is the first feature film from writer/director Josh Lobo. The unique premise says a lot about this first-time writer and I’m sure there will be more original writing in his future. Unfortunately, the premise for the film is far more interesting than its execution. What could have been a tense thriller or a dark comedy instead ends up being something more meandering than its promising set up.

    The film slowly builds the tension that Scott is feeling until the audience is sure that he is about to burst, but from that moment on the rest of the film feels more like an idea that got out of hand, with no real direction to a satisfying conclusion.

    When confronted with whatever is in the basement, Lobo’s depiction of what lies below the house is again an interesting idea and is well executed, able to give the audience a sense of curiosity. However, there’s only so much time that the camera can spend lingering on a locked door so the rest of the film has to rely on its cast who all deal with the situation surprising calmly and mostly in a quite sensible manner.

    Also, the brief sequences of whatever may be in Scott’s mind as he loses his grip on reality are done well and show promise visually, with an artistic flair. Although, when coupled with deeper conversations about the concept of evil and what it means for humanity, the film comes across as if the director wanted to do something much more intense and intellectual but felt it may go over better in the guise of a horror movie.

    I Trapped the Devil is an ambitious idea, but beyond the premise it doesn’t deliver on what it promises. The ending is unsatisfying, leaving the audience confused but not in a good way where they can discuss the film later, but rather that the writer/director may not have known himself how it was going to end.

  • Extracurricular: BRWC FrightFest Review

    Extracurricular: BRWC FrightFest Review

    Extracurricular: BRWC FrightFest Review

    Derek (Keenan Tracey) and Ian Gordon (Spencer Macpherson) are brothers, they’re also straight A students who love hanging out with their friends, Jenny (Britanny Teo) and Miriam (Britanny Raymond). Together they have a great time and they’re favourite pastime? Planning and carrying out the murders of innocent people.

    The local sheriff, Alan (Luke Goss) is blissfully unaware of the teenager’s extracurricular activities, but during an investigation that goes deeper than he initially realised, Alan decides to reopen some old cases that may lead him closer to the band of killers. With its original premise, Extracurricular puts its audience right in the mix of its protagonists who would usually be the villains. The film forces the audience to watch as the main characters happily discuss their previous murders and takes the audience along for the ride as the murders are committed. 

    There is never really any reasonable explanation given as to why the teenagers do what they do, so their motives are left to the audience to decide. Is it a commentary on disaffected youth? Is there a lack of direction and discipline for the teens? Or is this just another thing to tick off on their list of achievements? Who knows, it could even be those pesky video games. Director Ray Xue paints a picture in his film of high school movies gone by, the premise clearly being a distant cousin to Heathers, but with an uncomfortable twist that makes the viewer feel more like an accomplice than merely an observer. 

    Extracurricular
    Extracurricular

    The scenes of the brutal murders are well executed (pun not intended) and the discomfort makes the audience question why they are even watching such brutality, but not so much that they want to stop. The film is full of twists and turns as the killing spree continues and the group’s friendships are called into question. As things go wrong, the audience discovers who among the overachievers is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

    However, there are issues with the film’s lack of characterisation. Apart from Miriam, none of the others are particularly sympathetic, only leaving the audience with the knowledge of the people they have killed and the terrible things they are going to do. There also doesn’t really feel like there’s a lot of chemistry between the leads and I believe that’s down to the script. If there was more to pad out their relationships and the audience got to know them better then perhaps, they would have understood their motives or even grew to like them despite the atrocities that occur.

    Extracurricular stays gripping and has lots things to keep its audience interested. A bit of subtext certainly wouldn’t have hurt the film, as the audience doesn’t really get the opportunity to connect with its cast, but in the end, there are enough shocks to thrill horror fans. Maybe some of the audience will even question the nature of the slasher movies they enjoy so much.

  • Between The Darkness: Review

    Between The Darkness: Review

    Between The Darkness: Review

    Sprout Grady (Nicole Moorea Sherman) lives with her dad, Roy (Lew Temple) and her little brother Percy (Tate Birchmore) and they lead a rather unconventional family life. It’s been a year since Sprout’s sister, Magda (Daniela Leon) died and Sprout’s father is commemorating the day of her death as they worship the Greek gods of ancient times. The Gradys live in relative isolation, Sprout is taught everything she needs to know by her father and is learning to face her fears.

    Sprout is also thirteen and as she enters her teenage years and is faced by new challenges, she starts to realise that her isolation from the outside world has perhaps made her more unprepared for what lies ahead. Then one night, Sprout is awoken by visions of what she believes is a Gorgon and in the day light she starts to question everything around her. The biggest question of all being how she can balance the challenges of her impending womanhood and being a warrior.

    Between the Darkness is the feature film debut from writer/director Andreas Rovira. The coming of age horror story tells its audience of a teenager born into an unusual family unit who still faces the complications of growing up. However, amongst the sweet, gentle story of a young girl finding her place in the world is a horror story that goes into some unexpectedly dark places.

    Rovira manages to balance the two sides of the story quite skilfully, never really giving the audience too much of one or the other side until it’s necessary. The teenage story is bound to be relateable to many who remember the awkwardness of childhood and also Sprout’s visions of the Gorgon are carefully played to give the horror crowd what they want as the true nature of the Gorgon remains a mystery.

    All the cast do exceptionally well, especially Sherman who is compelling to watch, managing to carry the bulk of the film. No mean feat for somebody so young. Temple also plays the Grady father with the right amount of eccentricity, making his character something between Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic and Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski – but with something in the dialogue that is a little unnerving. However, let’s not forget Birchmore who I found myself rooting for into the final act, despite not having as much dialogue as the rest of the cast.

    Between the Darkness is not the kind of horror movie you may be expecting from its initial premise and I found myself caught up in the story and the distractions from what was really going on, making its final reveal all the more rewarding. Not to worry though traditional horror fans, the movie truly delivers what it sets out to do but also manages to give the audience a little bit more to think about than they were expecting.

  • Woodstock Or Bust: Review

    Woodstock Or Bust: Review

    Woodstock or Bust is the feature debut from director Leslie Bloom and co-writer Judi Blaze. The story revolves around Lorian (Willow Shields) and Meryl (Meg DeLacy) as they prepare themselves for a once in a lifetime trip to Woodstock to kickstart their careers as singer/songwriters.

    The film takes them on a road trip where they encounter lots of new people, experiences good and bad and find out more about themselves and each other as underlying tensions start to rise in their friendship that they always believed was really close.

    However, the film is not just a light hearted road trip filled with moments of female empowerment. The filmmakers take the time to talk about the issues that were surrounding America at the time, particularly in reference to the Vietnam war, setting the film apart from other films set in this period that may want to just focus on the peace, love and good times.

    Instead, the film portrays a more realistic view of what it was like to live in the latter part of the sixties and how the political background was playing on young minds.

    Shields and DeLacy play well against each other and although their tight bond may seem forced at times their chemistry is evident, making the audience hope for the strength of their friendship to pull them through hard times. Along the way, the pair encounter many kinds of people but the film never treats them like a particular type of teenager, giving both Lorian and Meryl their own distinct personalities.

    This is in no doubt down to the lead’s fine performances, which make them both stand out at different time when the story requires it of them.

    Woodstock or Bust is a breezy summer film that sometimes takes its audience down paths that they weren’t expecting and the film is all the better for it. There are times were the political commentary may seem a little heavy handed but the bond between the aspiring musicians is what really drives the film. Director Leslie Bloom clearly had a vision when making the film and it very much comes across as a teenage Thelma and Louise, being able to talk about the bond between women and some of the darker issues that are as relevant now as they were in the Sixties.

    A charming film with a great soundtrack and some wonderful performances, both dramatically and vocally, with some original songs that you may find humming to yourself long after the film has finished.