Author: Joel Fisher

Ryan (Nathan Hill) is an astronaut and despite having the kind of job that most people could never aspire, his life on Earth is normal. His wife, Sadie (Ira Chakraborty) however is anxious when Ryan returns home from a mission and she finds that he’s not quite the man who left her. She can’t quite put her finger on it but something tells her that Ryan just isn’t the same.

Then one day she gets a visit from Colonel John Smith (Edward Mylan) and she tells him that they’re aware that something happened to Ryan while he was in space, but they’re not quite sure what. This leads Sadie to become increasingly worried about her husband’s unusual behaviour.

Alien Love is a science fiction movie about a couple drifting apart. Directed by Simon Oliver and co-written by Nathan Hill, it tells a familiar story which could have been plucked straight from the pages of an old science fiction comic.

However, like Nathan Hill’s previous movie, there are things that the audience may need to take on board while watching. Mainly that it’s of a low budget variety and perhaps not all of the actors were classically trained. Although if you’re willingly watching a low budget movie called Alien Love, then you may know what to expect.

Even taking all this on board though there are still issues that the audience may have to consider. Because as with Nathan Hill’s previous movie, there is a definite issue with pacing. For a movie that takes less than ninety minutes this is a problem because although the premise is raised quite early, there really doesn’t seem to be enough urgency for Sadie and the other characters to unravel the mystery.

For director Oliver, it seems his ethos is that he should show his audience and not tell – something which is to be commended. However, combined with the script, this often makes it feel like things are just happening and there isn’t enough to keep the audience engaged or to care about the audience. This unfortunately makes Alien Love a film that gets less interesting and more baffling as it goes along.

Bitcoin has become a controversial subject ever since its conception. On top of the majority of people not really understanding what it is there’s a lot more to consider. Things such as the environmental impact which has yet to be fully explored and the fact that one of the first things people did when they found out how to use it was to use it to deal drugs over the internet.

However, where there’s a bad side, the benefits of mining and using bitcoin are rarely explored and Dirty Coin is a documentary which attempts to redress the balance.

Dirty Coin is a documentary written and directed by Alana Mediavilla. A documentary that tries to put the case across that Bitcoin is good, actually. Unfortunately, Mediavilla’s documentary in its attempts to show the good side, often does so by underplaying the controversies or just sweeping them under the rug.

Talking to a variety of experts on Bitcoin from all areas of the industry, Dirty Coin covers areas from environmental, political and moral issues. Its purpose seems to be to reassure its audience that everything is going to be ok. However, in giving interviews only to experts in the Bitcoin industry, it doesn’t give the chance for those on the other side to speak.

This unfortunately may quickly give the audience the impression that the documentary is trying to sell Bitcoin directly to them. Something which feels increasingly like a recruitment video, enlisting people to their cause.

The documentary also doesn’t dive into the more personal dangers of Bitcoin for an everyday user. Whereas Bitcoin has been said to be revolutionary for removing the banks and legal systems surround currency, the documentary fails to remind its audience that Bitcoin is a risky investment that is not protected by law or the financial industry. Not to mention how volatile the investment of Bitcoin can be, causing people to either gain millions or lose it all.

Dirty Coin is well thought out and considered, but seemingly only from one side. Those looking to invest may be convinced by the end, but those looking for a broader scope or a little more advice may want to do their own research.

Jake Large (Nathan Hill) is a lawyer who’s engaged to a beautiful woman and everything seems to be going his way. Then one day he finds a pregnant woman who is being assaulted and without thinking he leaps into action rescuing her.

The next day, Jake gets a call from the woman called Candace (Phillyda Murphy) and she wants to thank him for his heroism. However, one thing leads to another and they start to fall in love.

Lady Terror is a throwback erotic thriller directed, written by and starring Nathan Hill. Inspired largely by Corey Haim’s Blown Away, Lady Terror attempts to recreate that nostalgic feeling of a genre that’s so bad it’s good. However, it may feel like the audience could be left behind without knowing the references to movies of that era.

It’s all well and good to make a pastiche of a genre which is fondly remembered. However, it’s another to ensure that there’s an audience that will understand where the filmmakers are coming from. Unfortunately, this is where Lady Terror falls apart because although there were many bad movies from the era they are referencing, plenty are still being made today.

This also doesn’t excuse the story itself, because although being a pastiche of a movie genre long forgotten, it doesn’t mean that the story has to be so predictable. This means that unless the audience knows what the filmmakers are trying to do, any glaring mistakes in the plot and things that may raise a smile could come across as unintentional.

Not to mention that Lady Terror’s lead character is so unlikeable that the audience may not care what happens to him and that it takes so long for the movie to get to the twist. A twist which many may see coming from a mile away. For a true homage, it needs to subvert expectations and Lady Terror unfortunately doesn’t manage to do that.

So, for all its effort and earnestness in bringing back something that Hollywood stopped making years ago, it’s just a shame that Lady Terror couldn’t be more fun and less eye-rolling.

Short (Addison Chapman) and Skinny (Chandler Balli) are two cowboys with a strong bond. They always have each other’s backs in a fight and they do what they can to survive in the Old West. Hearing about a bounty on a serial killer’s head, Short and Skinny decide to collect the reward themselves, but they’re going to need some help. The problem is that the posse they put together don’t always get along.

Death After Dusk is a western directed and co-written by Chandler Balli with Travis Lee Prine. A love letter to a particular time in cinema when Westerns weren’t exactly in their golden age, but they were still fun.

With a unique premise, Death After Dusk is part western and part slasher movie. Marrying the two together seamlessly with Balli’s direction and stunning cinematography provided by Keith Kinsey.

However, despite the look and the feel of a western from days gone by, there are still problems. Most notable is the pacing, whilst most movie lovers are used to seeing movies stretch to nearly three hours, in this case the movie could have done with an extra edit to keep the pace moving. Things such as characters taking their time to explain their sad backstories and standing around explaining what they were feeling could have easily gone to the cutting room floor.

Also, a subplot introduced at the very start of the movie feels like unnecessary padding. Although not used a lot, it still may take the audience out of the movie as they’re snapped back to reality.

However, it’s undeniable what Balli and his team were able to accomplish. The production from the locations, costumes and performances takes the audience back to a time when Westerns were still crowd-pleasers. The story is engaging with exciting and tense scenes and they are all heightened by Balli’s impressive score.

Although it’s a shame that there wasn’t more of an objective view of what was needed in the final cut. A noble effort with some striking moments, Death After Dusk could be just the thing that Western fans are looking for.

Chris (Jonas Bonnetta) has a lot on his mind while driving which perhaps accounts for the car accident. An accident that forces him to give a lift to Joanne (Sonja Smitts) who happens to have a lot on her mind as well. It’s been a rough year for them both and with the prospect of having to drive into a snowstorm laid ahead of them, it’s going to be a long drive.

However, this gives them time to get to know each other and as they lay bare their souls to each other, they find they have more in common than they thought.

Drifting Snow is a contemplative drama set in the wintery Ontarian countryside of Prince Edward County, written and directed by Ryan Noth. A director with a background in editing and documentaries, his debut shows an eye for the world around him.

However, this is an ambitious first feature for director Noth, a story of two people meeting and getting to know each other whilst relaying their stories to each other may be a lot to take on. As is the unique way in which Noth decides to tell his tale, drifting as the title suggests, between the past and the present.

This technique may be a little off-putting for some as they may have to put more work into concentrating than they first realised, but it may help to lengthen the pace for a relatively short film.

Noth’s eye for pleasing aesthetics is best showcased here as the Canadian countryside really gets its due. With cinematographer Tess Girard laying out a winter wonderland for the audience, they can always decide to watch the world go by if the conversation runs a little dry.

Drifting Snow may also not be the kind of movie that an audience may want to sit down for on a lazy Sunday afternoon. However, despite a leisurely-paced movie with a pleasant setting, the themes of grief and loss may not gel with the scenery. This may leave Drifting Snow as divisive, but if the audience relaxes then they may just find something they like.