Author: Joel Fisher

The music industry is hard, it’ll either welcome you with open arms, chew you up and spit you out or ignore you entirely. From that moment on you have choices to make, you can either give up and go on to other things, bask in the glory of your success and hope that it lasts or you can be like Anvil.

Canadian metal band Anvil were a band that were playing alongside the best in the Eighties and yet for some reason they never got picked up and never became the success that they and many others thought they would be.

However, that never stopped them and 30 years later they are still making music, still playing to their fans and hoping that they will get the big break that they deserve. Anvil: The Story of Anvil is a documentary that’s coming back to cinemas this year and looking back its story is as relevant as ever.

Following Anvil which comprises mainly of lead singer Steve ‘Lips’ Kudlow and drummer Robb Reiner (not that one), the documentary shows where they are now and how they’ve never lost their passion for the music. Although, behind their passion lies a lot of emotion and possibly regret of what they could have been.

Music has always been their drive, but they still have to hold down steady jobs and have families to support after all.

Still working hard and making music, the documentary also shows the connections with family and the relationship between two friends who believe in each other. Now in their fifties it’s clear that they’ve seen better days and Lips may be taking the one that got away harder than his partner, but it’s a testament that they’re still together and so close.

Anvil is a documentary that not only speaks to music aficionados, but to people who have ever followed a dream and failed or given up. It reminds us of ourselves and everything we’ve done that perhaps hasn’t worked out in the way that we planned. Life may get you down, but thankfully Anvil are still there to remind us to keep on rocking.

Upstate New York has a problem with a mysterious creature is sighted and the townsfolk start to be murdered. So, a band of young cadets are brought in to solve the case. Among them, a young man called Edgar Poe (William Moseley) seems to have a knack for finding a mystery and he’s determined that it must be solved.

However, there are certain distractions along the way such as the beautiful and equally mysterious Charlotte Ingram (Melanie Zanetti) and her mother, Elizabet (Kate Dickie) who seems to have an unusual hold over her daughter. Then there’s the wide range of suspects in the town and it seems that Poe’s investigation will be harder than he thought.

Raven’s Hollow is a slow burn detective horror story exclusive to Shudder, directed by Christopher Hatton and co-written by Chuck Reeves. Although any fans of Tim Burton will eventually see that this story is far from original and that it takes many liberties with its historical figure at the head of its movie.

It also draws quite heavily from Sleepy Hollow, an unlikely gothic detective reimagining which became a hit in the nineties.

Apart from the title there is a change in the main character’s appearance and demeanour that we all know so well. Both stories took their characters and changed them into something far more dashing and quicker minded than their counterparts. Both stories also include a potential love story with a young woman who lives with her mother and both stories include an ominous creature stalking the town. However, the one in Raven’s Hollow makes the sharks in Sharknado look more realistic.

Once the audience has settled into the story of Raven’s Hollow and the connection between it and Tim Burton’s retelling of a classic tale then they may even find themselves becoming a little bored. This is because not only has director Hatton taken inspiration from the characters of Sleepy Hollow, but most of the story beats as well.

There’s an attempt at trying to pad it out a little towards the end, but it’s only prolonging the inevitable and without the visual flair of Burton’s work it’s exposed to be a cheap and lazy copy.  

Dennis (Scott Friend) and Mia Lotz (Madeleine Morgenweck) are having relationship troubles. Dennis is a recovering drug addict and for an actor that is not the best thing to go public. Mia is also coming to a crossroads with her career in sports so although she’s fully supporting her husband, she has doubts.

So, they decide to go away together to have some time alone so Dennis can detox and Mia can re-evaluate her life. However, one day Dennis’ estranged brother Roger (Will Brill) turns up and their road to recovery is completely changed.

To The Moon is a slow burning drama written and directed by Scott Friend about a couple on the brink who are brought together in an unusual way by a relative stranger. Never really knowing what’s going to happen, Roger’s alternative lifestyle seems appealing to Dennis at first as he says that he can help with his addiction. However, fantasy mixes with reality as the audience are pulled in different directions as Dennis doesn’t know whether his brother is truly there to help him or not.

Roger is obnoxious and socially awkward which makes things worse and Dennis’ state of mind is constantly questioned as he sees his brother and his wife getting closer. This makes for a tense viewing for an audience who may think they know where the story is going, but the way that it gets there makes it all the more entertaining.

Also, despite it being a film directed and written by one of its central actors it never feels like a passion project. Scott’s performance in front of the screen is never overplayed or made to feel that it’s all about him which invests the audience more.

The final act may feel like it takes a hard right turn and becomes far more hallucinogenic than the audience may be expecting though. Its final message may be a little too literal for some as well, but audiences won’t often see something so unique.

To The Moon may feel like a slow burn horror movie which you think you may be able to predict, but it’s a thrilling enough experience that you may not mind the more obvious directions it takes.  

Irwin M. ‘Fletch’ Fletcher (Jon Hamm) is a former investigative journalist who has decided to step away from the business due to print media not being what it used to be. However, certain skills come in handy when Fletch comes down his stairs in his apartment and finds a dead body.

Hauled in by the police, Fletch becomes the prime suspect and Detective Monroe (Roy Wood Jr.) is determined to find out the truth. The trouble is that Fletch is not that forthcoming with the truth, perhaps a skill he picked up while being a journalist, but there’s one thing he can do. He can prove his innocence.

Confess, Fletch is a crime comedy which revives perhaps Chevy Chase’s most well known and adored character outside of Clark Griswold. Known for his quick thinking and penchant for disguises, Fletch had a couple of outings during the Eighties and his comeback has been in development hell ever since Fletch Lives, the far less successful sequel at the tale end of the decade.

However, now comes the time and Hamm seems perfectly cast as Fletch because of his good looks, comedy timing and onscreen charm. Played as if the audience is completely unaware of Fletch’s legacy, Confess, Fletch is a simple detective story. There’s the set up and the suspects and the eventual pay off and all seems not so bad. Although for those familiar with arguably Chevy Chase’s greatest character then there are some distracting differences.

Apart from being played by Jon Hamm who seems like he could play this part in his sleep, the Italian setting is explained, but is a little jarring for an all-American character. Secondly, despite Hamm’s previous work in comedy and being able to take on different characters, gone are the disguises which made the character so famous in place of a baseball cap which Fletch loves so fondly.

This leaves the rest of the cast to pick up the slack and thankfully with cameos from Marcia Gay Harden, Kyle MacLachlan and John Slattery it helps to move things along.

Unfortunately, despite the triumphant comeback of a once loved character, it feels more like a Sunday afternoon detective story rather than a full-blown comedy thriller like the original. Everything is wrapped up far too easily and sadly Hamm’s Fletch breezes in and out of it all with very little impact.

Dom (Josh Stifter) is an aspiring filmmaker who focuses his attentions on cryptozoology – unexplained and mythical creatures. He has a channel on social media where he talks about his theories on the unknown, but the comment section is getting him down. Especially because they’re right and he’s not living up to his potential.

Then one day Dom is presented with footage of a sasquatch by his friend, Miles (Keith Radichel) and they head off to meet a man called Doug Greywood (Daniel Degnan). Doug is a peculiar man, perhaps the type you’d expect to have claimed to have seen a sasquatch, but he’s the only one who will show them what they want to see.

However, it seems the Doug’s ulterior motives may be leading the intrepid adventurers into a trap.

Greywood’s Plot is an arthouse horror directed by Josh Stifler and co-written by Daniel Degnan. Clearly aspiring filmmakers themselves, Stifler and Degnan have a lot to say about the filmmaking process and also what it takes to be popular.

Shot in an arthouse style and evoking an atmosphere like many horror movies that have come before, Greywood’s Plot is a mixture of what would be considered high art and more mainstream fare. This is mirrored by its protagonist who is frustrated with the way his life turned out and sure that he can do much more if given the chance.

However, the problem seems to be that like its protagonist, Greywood’s Plot wants to have its cake and eat it as well. Giving the audience something different than they may have expected by shooting in black and white brings a certain tone and expectations to a movie and often this may push audiences away. Although on the other hand there are people who gravitate towards the kind of thing that thinks outside the box and are satisfied by the way it is presented in a less conventional way.

This unfortunately leaves Greywood’s Plot feeling like it’s simultaneously trying to appeal to both audiences, and in doing so it alienates them both. It may say something about how different genres appeal to its audience, but the mash up may leave the audience feeling unsatisfied.