Author: Joel Fisher

Vivian Cunningham (Thomasin McKenzie) is a bit of a mess. She’s irresponsible, self-absorbed and doesn’t have much time for other people. Then one day her grandfather dies and it throws her life off balance as she finds out that she’s inherited his house.

When she moves in, she’s introduced to the neighbours and realises the predicament that her well-meaning grandfather has put her in. It turns out that the house is quite close to a popular place where people want to throw themselves off the nearest cliff. Not only that, but Vivian’s grandfather saved around two hundred people while he lived there. So, putting the responsibility into her hands, Vivian finds herself having to put herself before others.

Totally Completely Fine is an Australian comedy drama series on Sundance Now which deals with family, mental health and finding out that life is more complex than it seems on the surface. Among the people that Vivian meets is Amy (Contessa Treffone) a bride-to-be who wants to end it all, but after a rather unconventional confrontation with Vivian, she decides to be her roommate.

Other than that, Vivian has her family to deal with. Her brothers, Hendrix (Brandon McClelland) and John (Rowan Witt) seem to treat her very differently, Hendrix has emotional problems of his own and despite being an older brother, he seems to treat her like an emotional crutch. John however, resents how Vivian floats through life without a care and sees how she treats people. Either way it shows how family can be complicated, especially when you don’t know the whole story.

McKenzie, best known internationally from films such as Jojo Rabbit, Old and Last Night in Soho continues to show her remarkable range considering her age and once again shows that she can be a strong lead.

A show which could have been one note as Vivian tries to save somebody each week, ends up becoming far more nuanced though. As audiences gets to know her, they may realise that first impressions aren’t the best way to judge somebody.

A strong supporting cast with some laugh out loud moments, Totally Completely Fine manages to put together a cast that whilst dysfunctional, shows that there’s a little light in all of us.

Jacob (Rav Ratnayake) is getting over a breakup and he’s not taking it well. The problem is that now is not the right time to be thinking about himself as his grandad has just died and the relationship ended about two years ago.

However, considering he’s taken so long to think about a plan, it seems that the time is right. So, he takes his best friend, Drew (Logan Webster) and his little sister, Abby (Sam Germain) along for the ride so that he can go and see his ex and win her back.

Skye (Tyra Cartledge) is also dealing with a break-up, something that she initiated herself, but it still hurts. Her best friend, Carly (Rhiaan Marquez) is not having her moping about though and is determined to get her out on a night out. So, they dress up and head out for a wild night to forget their troubles.

Sweethurt is a romantic comedy directed by Tom Danger and co-written by Logan Webster. A movie that feels like something from an earlier time because of its nostalgic and upbeat Nineties soundtrack. Unfortunately, despite its feelgood soundtrack, that’s not the only thing that feels dated.

Thrusting its audiences into dealing with two separate stories, it must understand where they’re both coming from. Jacob seems like a nice guy, but there’s really not much else to go on and although Ratnayake gives a likeable performance, he’s a bit of a blank slate. Also, the stereotypical ice cream eating woman lounging around after a bad break up just sets up the worst cliché.

Billed as a movie which interweaves two stories may also feel a bit misleading, because the screenplay feels far more interested in Jacob’s story rather than Skye’s. In fact, it could be said that the two stories were put together because there wasn’t enough for one feature film.

The two main characters do eventually meet, and although their ending does subvert the romantic comedy cliches, it all ends up feeling tacked on. Making the movie feel like something the filmmakers think they should be making, rather than something that feels genuine.

Mia (Harlee Lowder) and Joseph (Kenon Walker) are a couple looking for a new home. They’re desperate to move out of their neighbourhood but are turned down for a loan which leaves them having to stay where they are. Then one night, a gang breaks in and armed men kill Joseph, leaving Mia a widow.

Grieving for her husband, Mia is consumed with emotion and in the name of finding peace and revenge on Joseph’s killers, she contacts a Voodoo expert to help. Feeling like she may have managed some spiritual closure, Mia goes back to her life. However, what she’s not expecting is that The Reaper Man has resurrected Joseph and uses his body to wreak violent revenge on their home invaders.

The Reaper Man is a horror written and directed by Jaron Lockridge, created after he noticed how little influence African Americans had in genre horror.

The obvious comparison would be to Candyman in that respect; however, Lockridge has created an original horror villain which stands out on his own. Although, The Reaper Man’s artificially lowered voice could never beat the dulcet tones of Tony Todd.

Some may say that The Reaper Man is a slow burn horror, and at barely under ninety minutes it may certainly feel longer. However, this seems to be more down to pacing and whereas the draw may be The Reaper Man’s acts of vengeance, it feels more strung out than it should be.

Saying that though, The Reaper Man’s script elevates it beyond just a lazy slasher movie drenched in fake blood. It has a conscience at its heart which is effectively reflected in Mia’s actions upon realising what she’s done and in the victims of The Reaper Man as they beg for their lives. Something notable which makes it stand out from the usual crowd-pleasing horror.

The Reaper Man may not be for everybody, it clearly wants to be a genre horror movie, but it’s also one that attempts to make the audience think. The fresh perspective shows that the inclusion of African American filmmakers is worth exploring, but those looking for more blood than brains may be turned away.

Suzume (Nanoka Hara/Nichole Sakura) lost her mother when she was very young, growing up with her aunt, Tamaki (Eri Fukatsu/Jennifer Sun Bell) as her adoptive mother. Maturing into a teenager, Suzume has the world at her feet and those endless possibilities are filling her mind.

Then one day she meets Sota (Hokuto Matsumura/Josh Keaton), a young man who has a very special job which saves millions of lives every day. He’s a Closer, a person who finds doors all over Japan and closes them before a giant otherworldly worm escapes and causes disasters in their home country.

Coming across one of those doors one day, Suzume is puzzled and fascinated all at the same time, especially when Sota goes to work. Without thinking, Suzume throws herself into the danger and aids her new friend, but his job is made even more difficult when his form changes and he’s forced to rely on Suzume for help. Together they start to travel, finding those doors so that disaster can be averted.

Suzume is the latest animation from revered writer/director Makoto Shinkai, best known for his overwhelming success with Your Name. and Weathering with You. Bringing his own personal touch, Suzume is a mixture of the incredible and transdimensional mixed with the ordinary and every day. All put together with beautiful animations and drawings that create both worlds.

At its heart though is Suzume herself and where a lot of the story starts out being typically anime, it may surprise its audience as to just how poignantly touching the story becomes. What for most may feel like a straightforward adventure turns into something deeper and more meaningful as it deals with Suzume’s own issues with grief.

Also, Sota’s introduction may lead the audience to believe that a generic love story will drive the film. Although thankfully this is subverted, helping the audience understand love on a metaphysical level, rather than putting a label on it.

Ultimately, Suzume will leave the audience feeling good and will win over crowds as it has done in its native Japan. Just be ready for the strangeness which could only really depicted in anime.

The year is 1977 and the Wainters have moved into a house that they’ve inherited where something terrible was supposed to have happened many years ago. Husband and wife, Wes (Brandon McLemore) and Vera (Elena Ontiveros) and their son, Ethan (Jackson Lee Turner) are happy to make a fresh start there. However as soon as they move in, they start to see strange things and a dark presence starts to inhabit the house and their lives.

Dark Entities is a supernatural horror movie written and directed by Brandon McLemore which is supposed to evoke many classic movies from the horror genre. Clearly taking inspiration from movies and TV shows such as The Conjuring, Poltergeist and The Haunting of Hill House, this Seventies set horror movie may give its audience what they’re looking for.

Unfortunately, with having so many influences all at once, it feels like Dark Entities may have bitten off more than it can chew. Of course, evoking popular media to influence your own ideas is something that has been done many times before. However, Dark Entities borrows so heavily from these properties that it feels like nothing is original.

There’s also a lot of inconsistencies in what exactly is happening to the Winters family and in most cases where audiences may be put on edge as characters go where they shouldn’t, it feels like this family would have solved all their problems if they just left.

However, that would mean that there would be no movie to make, so despite all lines of logic the family just seem to let things happen to them. It almost feels like they were contractually obliged to fulfil their parts in a horror movie despite not directly knowing that they were in one.

For such a low budget movie, there must be some things that should be forgiven. Things such as using white sheets for ghosts and having to rely on amateur actors to provide the scares in their performances.

However, being around two hours long really slows down the pace, giving the audience more unintentional laughs in the movie than intentional scares.