Author: Joel Fisher

Maxine (Kate Beckinsale) has the sole responsibility of looking after her son, Ezra (Christopher Convery) something which gets more difficult as he’s getting bullied because of his epilepsy. Also, her ex, Tyler (Tyson Ritter) still hangs around and his abusive nature and drug addiction makes him difficult to be around. Her father, Max (Brian Cox) is serving time in prison too, estranged from each other for so long, Maxine doesn’t even know him anymore.

Then one day Max is told that he has cancer and despite his crimes is granted compassionate leave. The first person he thinks of his daughter, so he calls her but Maxine isn’t all that interested in making amends. However, eventually she reluctantly agrees and Max moves in. Getting to know each other again is difficult, but Maxine soon finds some good left in her father and his bond with Ezra starts to grow.

However, once Max gets in touch with an old friend named Hank (Ernie Hudson), it seems that old habits may die hard.

Prisoner’s Daughter is a family drama directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written by Mark Bacci. A slice of life drama that although feels somewhat cliched is elevated by its experienced cast.

A story where a family are reluctantly brought back together to settle their differences is nothing new. Even the idea of a single mother struggling to cope whilst being tormented by an aggressive ex is nothing audiences haven’t seen before. However, with the pull of Cox and Beckinsale as father and daughter, the audience are sure to be met with good performances.

It’s a pleasure to say then that neither actor phones in their performance as could be expected with something which doesn’t exactly stray too far from formulaic. Even Convery’s performance brings enough charm and likeability to a character whose arc is predictable enough.

The ending is something that may touch audiences, whilst others may see how it pulls at their heartstrings. There also really isn’t enough about the realities of somebody living with epilepsy unless the plot requires it. However, Prisoner’s Daughter may interest an audience who wants to see a good cast in something unexpected.

Ramy (Hakim Brahimi) is a medical student studying in Montréal. A quiet man who is still grieving over the death of his mother, he wants to find out more about life in a city that seems so far removed from home and his Middle Eastern upbringing.

The only person he knows there is his cousin, Tamer (Jade Hassouné) who’s the lead singer in a punk band, so he goes along one night to see them play. There he meets Desiree (Jasmina Parent) and Yaz (Sana Asad) who seem to be full of life and embody the freedom of the city that Ramy wants to experience.

However, Ramy soon becomes enamoured with Yaz and his pursuit of her drives a wedge between his new friendships.

Montréal Girls is a comedy drama directed by Patricia Chica and co-written by Kamal John Iskander, partly inspired by his own experiences of moving to the city. A complicated story which interweaves many themes, it gives the audience much more depth into Ramy’s story than he may even realise himself. The more cynical members of the audience though could find themselves being driven away if they don’t understand Ramy’s art.

However, for those who are determined to follow their dreams, then Montréal Girls becomes a nuanced and thought-provoking film. A story that talks about a multitude of things such as grief, cultural expectations and affairs of the heart. It feels like a coming-of-age story at the time in life where everything is supposed to be figured out and Ramy’s journey may lead the audience to surprising places.

With some great performances by all of the main cast, director Chica makes Montreal come to life. Paired with beautiful cinematography, Montréal is the star in the film, but thankfully without making Montréal Girls feel like a tourist board advertisement.

On paper, a story about a medical student dreaming of becoming a poet may feel a bit pretentious and artsy. If that’s not your thing, then in some ways it may meet those expectations and in others it won’t. However, for those who want a story that challenges them, then a night with Montréal Girls may be just what they need.

Sebastian Poe (Billy Blair) is a jazz pianist who’s down on his luck. He’s just not getting the gigs he used to and it may be down to his drug addiction. The only thing keeping him going is his sister, Elsie (Lori Petty), but she has cancer and things are not looking good for her, especially as the medical bills are piling up.

To make matters worse, Sebastian owes a lot of money to a drug dealer, a crooked cop named Terry (Jason Coviello) and it’s time for him to pay up. However, this time Terry has a deal for him, all Sebastian has to do is to go where Terry tells him and to kill the person he meets there. The problem is that once he knows who he’s meant to kill, Sebastian’s night goes from bad to worse.

Tonic is a crime drama written and directed by Derek Presley. Something of a throwback which may remind the audience of film from the Seventies, Tonic tips its hat to Martin Scorsese’s work and perhaps in particular pays homage to After Hours.

Starting out with a sleazy jazz musician who has seen better days is something of a cliché and the audience may be forgiven if they try and guess the outcome. However, Presley’s script keeps things fresh and performances from Blair, Petty and others keep the pace going along.

A film which could have gone deep into the bleak nature of Sebastian’s situation, Tonic also has lighter moments which help the audience keep on his side.

Following Sebastian in seemingly real time, the camera stays with him and thankfully Blair’s performance is strong enough to keep the audience interested. A protagonist who may be difficult to root for becomes a character who’s going through the worst night of his life and the audience will still want him to see it through.

With a cast of supporting characters from different walks of life, Tonic becomes a fleshed-out world that evokes the kind of crime drama that may not get made anymore. It also may encourage audiences to seek out the films of that era where everything was so enticing and yet so grubby.

Sacha (Hugo Andre) is a food critic and it’s his first time in London. He’s far away from his family in France and so when he meets his new flatmate, Dan (Will Masheter) he’s understandably nervous.

Dan works in the city as a banker, he wines and dines with his colleagues and is just like one of the boys. Except Dan feels that he has to hide himself and his sexuality because of his toxic work environment. However, Dan finds he can confide in Sacha and their friendship even helps him come out of his shell.

Makeup is the directorial debut of Hugo Andre, with a script co-written by Will Masheter. A movie that deals with issues of homophobia in the workplace as well as tackling everyday attitudes. However, if Makeup were set thirty years earlier, it may be more realistic.

It’s unfortunate that the pacing is so slow as well. Something which could have been a feelgood story about two men who find a strong friendship, could have been filled with laughs as well as drama. However, it takes a while for the movie to get going which suggests an undercooked plot which feels stretched out.

Also, the attitudes of most of the male characters is deliberately homophobic and quite upfront about it, something which doesn’t feel like would happen even amongst straight male friends in the 21^st century. In fact, a scene where Dan’s boss addresses his behaviour would have led to a tribunal, whereas in the movie it’s seen as something that just happens and can’t be tackled.

Questionable French accent aside, Andre does a good job of inhabiting a character who’s full of anxieties and neuroses. However, considering both lead actors wrote the script together, there could have been more of an effort to show their friendship on screen. They unfortunately come across as quite dull and even a drug fuelled bonding scene doesn’t do anything to liven them up.

Makeup feels like a production where the filmmakers wanted to do something that felt relative to a modern audience. However, their efforts feel inauthentic and cliched.

Eula (Chantelle Han) and Morris (Charles Boyland) are heading out to where they know about a veteran who has hoarded some very valuable truffles and they’re going to steal them. Times are hard for them both and with a baby on the way and not to mention the pandemic, they feel even more desperate than usual.

They find themselves disagreeing with each other before they get there too, with Eula hoping that it will all go smoothly and Morris worrying about the outcome. When they get there, all seems quiet as they would have expected, but suddenly somebody comes out of nowhere and attacks Morris leaving Eula to fight for her life.

Escaping, Eula finds herself wandering in the wilderness and of all the things she thought would go wrong, she never thought she’d be fighting for her life.

Peppergrass is a crime thriller directed by Steven Garbas and Chantelle Han and co-written by Philip Irwin. A premise which sounds very original, utilising the events at the time the movie was filmed, it becomes one of the better lockdown movies.

However, despite the uniqueness of the concept and how it’s seamlessly weaved into real life events, the audience may think that not everything went as planned. This could explain the long periods of time where Eula is by herself, while reminding audiences of films such as The Revenant and Cast Away, it only drags the movie out and slows down the pace. It could be that there were other plans laid in place that had to change during that point, but the audience will never know.

Han does a good job portraying a desperate woman being put very much out of her depth and the audience may believe that with her roles as co-writer and co-director that Peppergrass was a vehicle for her. However, Peppergrass still manages to maintain a good story which doesn’t focus too much on Han’s performance as other passion projects would.

Beautifully shot with a team of talented filmmakers, Peppergrass made it out of the other side of the pandemic intact. Where other lockdown movies failed because of being caught in a panic, Peppergrass shows that competent filmmaking can work even in the worst of conditions.