Author: Joel Fisher

After a body is found in a circle of stones outside of a cabin, Officer Fisher (Peter Tell) and Officer Winters (Haley Heslip) are called in to deal with the situation. The deceased’s family are adamant that the law enforcers follow a set of rules as they want their dearly departed to be preserved.

As there is nobody for miles who can pick up the body and take it away then the two officers will have to stand guard over the body. There is also to be no autopsy and the pair are told that they should protect the body at any cost. However, it’s not really clear what they’re protecting the body from – that is until Officer Winters is called away and Fisher has to deal with what’s coming all by himself.

3 Demons is a supernatural horror directed by Matt Cunningham and co-written by Peter Tell. Having such a familiar setting for a ghostly tale, 3 Demons wears its influences proudly on its sleeve while it pays homage to The Evil Dead while still maintaining its own identity and ever-increasing horror.

A somewhat slow burn of a horror, the events start happening as if Officer Fisher may not be all in his right mind and the introduction of the film may certainly suggests so. However, as the events escalate then the audience may have to decide what route they want to go down as although there are indeed demons haunting Officer Fisher, it’s never quite clear as to where they are coming from.

There is an issue though with the start of the film because despite 3 Demons being beautifully shot and about to create an atmosphere, the choice of using Halloween costumes to depict the demons may raise an unintentional smile.

While an admirable attempt, making a person with a sheet over their head appear scary is a difficult task and one that doesn’t entirely work.

However, there is a story to be told and the more the audience gets to know Fisher and his inner demons, there’s a chance to tell a poignant and touching story. It’s just a shame that it feels undermined by the framing device which ends the film on a jarring tone.

Neto Niente (José María Yazpik) is a dangerous man and goes by the moniker, The Jesuit. Having been imprisoned for a long time, he’s looking forward to getting his life back on track. However, his wife, Nadia (Paz Vega) and son, Julio (Keidrich Sellati) have been kidnapped by an even more dangerous man named Sans (Ron Perlman) and taken to Mexico.

The Jesuit knows the reputation he has gained over the years, so using his talents and his contacts he does whatever he can to be reunited with his family.

There are No Saints (also known as The Jesuit) is an action revenge thriller directed by Alfonso Pineda Ulloa from a script by legendary screenwriter, Paul Schrader. The problem is that There are No Saints seems like something Paul Schrader could have written in his sleep and the cast have hardly bothered to wake up either.

There have been many revenger thrillers over the years and the most obvious comparisons are obviously Man on Fire and Taken. However, in comparison, There are No Saints is as weakly executed as it could have possibly been. Yazpik’s portrayal of a strong, stoic man who will do anything to get back his family could very well have been done as dark and brooding, but his portrayal seems so underplayed that his character barely registers with the audience.

There are of course moments of brutal violence and it seems that this is why the movie had been made. However, even these scenes seem cliché and predictable as The Jesuit goes from one random thug to the next and revels in torture much more than he does the anguish over his family.

There are a few cameos as well from Tim Roth, Tommy Flanagan and of course Ron Perlman, but the former seems to have only been inserted for some recognition and the latter comes across as the most underwhelming villain in recent history. This leaves Flanagan in the middle, quite literally being a middle man with a role as cliché as the rest.

There may be no saints, but there are definitely enough people who had nothing better to do.

Mary Aldrich (Jocelin Donahue) is very close to her mother, so much so that when she gets a troubling letter, she immediately heads off to an isolated town where she believes she will find her. Taking along her friend, George (Joe Swanberg), they eventually find themselves in a small town where something doesn’t feel quite right. Realising that they may in fact be in danger they try to leave, but they find that getting out of there is easier said than done.

Offseason is a supernatural horror written and directed by Mickey Keating. Unfortunately, those familiar with the video game Silent Hill may see this story coming from a mile away and the vague script and cliché jump scares will surprise nobody.

Starting out in a suitably eerie way, Offseason introduces Mary’s mother as she seems to be talking about her experiences and offers a dire warning for whoever may be listening to her. However, this seems to be for the audience as well as whoever’s by her side, because if you even have the slightest interest in horror then you may want to turn back.

Apart from looking very good on camera and giving the audience that creepy feeling that everybody may not be who you believe, there really isn’t much else to Offseason to keep an audience entertained. The characters and plot are so thinly displayed that the audience will know exactly where this is all going, but they may not necessarily know why.

There are characters there to offer handy exposition at certain points throughout the film. However, by the time they have finished the audience may have more questions than they have answers, and not in a good way.

Doing what it can with a limited budget it seems that director Keating may know what to give an audience, but doesn’t really know how to make it a satisfying experience. The characters and plot are all there, but they just seem lazily borrowed from a half-remembered horror movie which doesn’t have enough depth.

Offseason may put audiences off if they can guess the ending in the first ten minutes, but at least it looks good enough so that you can focus on the visuals.

The world as we know it is changing every day. Recent years have shown us that we can never really know what to expect and can certainly never be fully prepared for what’s coming. Since 2009, economics has been changing and whilst the world was reeling from the credit crunch, a new currency was emerging on the internet – bitcoin.

Years later and bitcoin is still being used in one way or another, but a lot of the myths and rumours about bitcoin remain. On the one hand you may have heard about the man who bought a pizza online using bitcoin which could have been worth millions today. On the other hand, you may have heard horror stories about how somebody physically lost a fortune in bitcoin when they accidentally threw out their hard drive.

No matter what you may have heard, some people still can’t really fathom how any of that could have been done and why it could be the future.

The Bitcoin Field Guide is a documentary which aims to clear up any misunderstandings and miscommunications over what people really know about bitcoin. Told using experts, internet comedians and done so in a palatable way, The Bitcoin Field Guide breaks down everything you may need to know, but it’s a lot to take in.

Presented for the internet generation, it seems that The Bitcoin Field Guide wants to appeal to the average YouTube viewer. Split up into chapters, it goes through everything you may need to know and it goes into immense detail. However, like most YouTube videos, these points are intercut with gifs and public domain clips to emphasise their points, which sometimes undermine sections that are supposed to be taken seriously.

However, despite the fun and manageable way in which it presents itself, it doesn’t fully explain things like NFTs and glosses over the other dangers like the damage on the environment. This is especially evident when showing somebody funnelling hot air out of their apartment due to the immense heat generated by the servers.

The Bitcoin Field Guide does indeed make it easy to understand and people may come away from the documentary with a better sense of what bitcoin is and why it’s important. It may just expect you to know some things before going in.

Agnes (Genevieve Adams) and Levi (Thomas McDonnell) are due to be married and timing couldn’t be better when she announces that they’re going to have a baby. There are a couple of snags though that may be holding them back. Firstly, Agnes is worried that her acting career may be put on hold if casting agents aren’t willing to hire a pregnant woman. Secondly, Levi’s family is Jewish which means that Agnes will have to convert in order to maintain Levi’s family traditions.

The problem is that Agnes is an atheist and despite loving Levi deeply, the conversion may prove to be a step too far.

Simchas and Sorrows is a heart-warming comedy drama directed, written by and starring Genevieve Adams. Seemingly the perfect jumping point for a sweet romantic comedy, audiences may be expecting a culture clash comedy along the same lines as My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

However, the subject of converting to another religion makes it more complicated, but thankfully Adams’ script deals with it sensitively and with some very thoughtful dialogue.

Raising points from both sides, Agnes finds that within a strict Jewish family there are things that she could bring to the table and finds herself giving advice to others. Things which could help lighten the weight carried with such heavy responsibility. However, there are still problems with the story and it may be a little too much for one film.

The discussions of religion and conversion are dealt with delicately, with good performances from Adams and a particularly meaningful speech from Rabbi Cohen (Hari Nef). However, with this being the drive of the film it does feel like other things such as Agnes’ career and issues with family and friends may pad out the film a little too much. Coming in at just under two hours, perhaps the film could have been edited more cleanly, without the need to include everything.

Saying that though, despite its ambitious undertaking, Simchas and Sorrows comes from a good place which has clearly thought through its premise. However, maybe an objective view could have helped to trim it down.