Author: Joel Fisher

Ivy (Ian Gregg) lost his faith when he witnessed his parents getting killed when a driver swerved into them. However, Ivy still lives in a very faith-based community and although it weighs him down when everybody around him seems to blindly follow God, he does his best to get by in his hometown.

Then one day he meets Sadie (Leah Merrit) and it feels like love at first sight. Although, when he does what he can to get to know her, Ivy soon realises that Sadie is a Christian. Not only that, but her dad is a pastor who believes that his daughter shouldn’t date.

However, this only encourages Ivy who consults his best friend, Surge (Tyler Graham). A man who lost also his faith, but knows enough to help Ivy get by as he gets to know Sadie. However, as they get to know each other, Ivy starts to realise that Sadie’s faith may not be so bad after all.

Holy Irresistible is a romantic comedy directed by Pamela Corkey, and written by Andrew Shearer and Nicholas Sherman. Although, as some may expect it to be a devout faith-based comedy preaching to the choir, Holy Irresistible couldn’t be farther away from that.

Instead, the film plays more like a usual romantic comedy. The kind that has a somewhat high concept premise, but has a script that feels well thought out and authentic. There are also a few discussions about faith as Ivy questions the power of God. Although they’re dealt with even-handedly and show the audience both sides of the argument.

The cast is full of comedic and quirky characters, although not so much that they get annoying. Highlights such as Lea DeLaria’s aunt Rad and George Deavours’ right-wing pastor are bound to raise a few smiles.

Holy Irresistible’s script doesn’t play too heavily to a solely Christian audience. Although it might surprise some who are expecting the typical kind of thing from this subgenre. However, those with an open mind and a sense of humour are bound to find something they like in this funny albeit formulaic romantic comedy.

Kate (Kate Frampton) gets by in life working at a diner and in her spare time she loves nothing more than playing video games. She doesn’t really get out all that much, but that’s about to change when her father dies, leaving her their family home in his will. The catch is that in order to get hold of the deeds for the house, Kate’s father has set up a treasure hunt filled with clues as to where Kate will find them.

So, Kate heads out into the woods for her first clue but is startled by two men who seem like they have been out there for years. These two men are unshaven and half naked and they look like they may have never even touched civilisation. However, Kate sees an opportunity for them to help her and in exchange she helps them clean up a bit and learn about the world.

Wild Boys is a family comedy directed by Morten Forland which feels like the kind of movie that just doesn’t get made anymore. For those old enough to remember the likes of Harry and The Hendersons or Encino Man then they may find themselves instantly familiar with the format.

The two primitive men played by Vincent Catalina and Jordan Laemmlen will perhaps keep a smile on the faces of younger audiences, although perhaps their parents may question where they came from and why. This is because despite them being an integral part of the movie, they don’t really add anything to the plot other than comic relief.

There’s also the issue of making the kind of movie that adults may remember from their childhood thirty years ago. On the one hand they were imaginative and had lots of laughs, but on the other there were certainly aspects which were more adult orientated.

This is no different in Wild Boys because although it’s a simple action adventure, there are certainly more adult topics that are raised which parents may want to gloss over.

However, Wild Boys is unique and refreshing for the time and may keep its audience happy. It’s just that parents may have a little conversation here and there on the finer points.

Filmmaking has had to adapt over the past few years. With the restrictions of covid, people turned to Zoom to make their stories a reality and they did the best with what they could do. Whilst mostly unsuccessful with a few exceptions, it soon became clear that people didn’t want to watch films about people in lockdown whilst they were experiencing it themselves.

However, as things move on and although we are still not free of covid, stories are beginning to emerge which are relevant to how we were feeling at the time and perhaps how we still feel today. These stories tackling loneliness and isolation are something which we can all relate on some level, and perhaps now is the right time to talk about that shared experience.

Distant Tales is an anthology about different people living in an increasingly isolated time where it feels like the best way to communicate is at a distance. However, unfortunately this means that we can often feel the psychological effects such as loneliness even when we don’t realise it.

Taking many different experiences from different walks of life, Distant Tales puts together a varied look at life behind a computer screen. A man looking to find a romantic connection online, another attending an interview only to form a bond with his interviewer. Also, a woman conducting a drugs trial, contacting her patients to ensure their wellbeing and a man taken in by right wing media to which he feels is his only outlet.

Each of these stories show a wildly different perspective on life and for the most part they meet their expected intention. However, whilst most of the stories are done well and feel realistic, to put the first story where it is in the anthology may give the audience a false impression of it as a whole.

This is unfortunately because it seems to be there for shock value, which doesn’t reflect the rest of the film at all.

However, Distant Tales is a thoughtful anthology of morality tales and seem mostly told from a realistic perspective. Audiences may find something they had not thought about before and that helps to give Distant Tales the fully rounded story that it sets out to tell.

After being in a car accident, most people would have thought that Kevin Garner’s (Kristoffer Polaha) life was over. However, when he wakes up in an alleyway bruised and bloody, he starts to realise that his life is about the get much worse. Meeting a man who refers to himself as The Benefactor (Neal McDonough), he realises that the man before him may cause him even more trouble.

Knowing everything about him, The Benefactor makes Kevin an offer saying that in every reality there are different versions of him and they all work for him and he can make Kevin’s dreams come true. Considering Kevin is having marital and financial problems this may seem tempting to some, but Kevin’s faith has helped him to believe in a higher power and it isn’t the man sitting opposite him.

So, to teach him a lesson The Benefactor sends him on a journey to get back to his own reality so that he can see how cruel the world can be. A journey which changes Kevin’s life in many ways.

The Shift is a science fiction retelling of the story of Job, written and directed by Brock Heasley. Clearly aimed at a religious audience, Heasley attempts to adapt the book from the bible in order to appeal to a wider audience.

However, there comes a lot of baggage with doing that and it does indeed feel like the movie is preaching to the choir. Those unfamiliar with the book of Job may feel a little lost as well, but thankfully it’s approachable script can ease people into the story. For non-believers, it’s best to think of it as It’s a Wonderful Life meets Quantum Leap.

McDonough plays the part of the man with many names with the true menace it deserves. Making for a formidable devil no doubt due to his past experience of playing comic book villains. There are also a couple of other cameos from John Billingsley and Sean Astin which may bring out the inner nerd and with a little background it feels like they work suitably in their roles.

Just bear in mind that the film won’t convert anybody new any time soon.

Archie: The BRWC Review.

Archibald Alexander Leech was born in Bristol in 1906. He had a poor upbringing fraught with personal trauma as his father had his mother committed against her wishes, meaning that Archie barely knew his mother. However, Archie had a destiny and a drive that would bring him to America to get away from his abusive father and completely reinvent himself. After his career in acting took off, Archie decided to become Cary Grant.

Archie is a miniseries about Cary Grant (Jason Isaacs) and his marriage to Dyan Cannon (Laura Aikman). Serving as an executive producer alongside their daughter Jennifer and star Jason Isaacs, it tells the story of their life together partly from her perspective.

However, considering the accounts are taken from many recordings and interviews with Cary Grant and the people that knew him, it feels like it’s missing a huge chunk of his life. The story of a young man from Bristol who comes to Hollywood and becomes somebody totally different is an interesting one and is touched upon. However, it feels like the story is geared towards who he was rather than how he got there.

A shame, considering Grant’s rise to fame is just as interesting as his life, turning the focus on the later years of his career seems purely because the production involved the people who knew him then. Having been known as one of the most sophisticated and stylish men in Hollywood, the chance to see how he got there by making friends with such people as Douglas Fairbanks and Howard Hughes seems like a missed opportunity.

Isaacs plays Grant very convincingly, a very different actor from Grant himself who may have been accused of playing the same type throughout his career. However, Isaacs disappears into the role and the uncanny valley soon fades away.

Similarly, Calam Lynch plays young Archie with charm and warmth, moving from Archie’s native Bristolian to Grant’s more manufactured accent to add some levity. Something which the audience will surely warm towards.

With Isaacs perhaps not at the age where he could play Grant in the prime of his life, this could be forgiven. The story between him and his mother also adds some humanity to a man who seemingly wanted anything but to be himself. However, for those looking for a well rounded biopic then there’s certainly something missing.