Author: Joel Fisher

Sandy (Maddie Nichols) is living the dream life that any young woman would want to live. She lives in a perfect house with her parents and her boyfriend, Dan (Vincent Stalba) loves her very much. However, there’s something very strange about Sandy’s parents and ultimately, she knows that her boyfriend must never meet them. Unfortunately, he’s so in love that he simply must take it to the next level. At his own cost.

Fck’n Nuts is a surreal short movie written and directed by Sam Fox which sets its tone as almost a horror movie, but with a Fifties aesthetic. Looking like something that has leaped from the pages of an old comic book, Fox brings us into her world which some may love and others may find a bit overwhelming.

It feels like Fck’n Nuts is right up there with Fox’s previous work which is bold, brash and unashamed. Looking like an Oliver Stone fever dream, Fck’n Nuts fills its time with unhinged comedy and horror all presented to leave an impact.

Fans of things such as Creepshow and Tales from The Crypt may be interested by Fox’s story, because although there isn’t any outright horror, it feels like her direction is ripe for the genre. Being able to create an atmosphere while hitting her audience over the head with a state of confusion, only adding to the dreamlike quality of Fck’n Nuts.

Every part of the production has been ramped up to the highest level and feels designed to provoke and perhaps even delight audiences bored with the mainstream. This makes Fox a unique director who may gain a cult following if she were ever to go into feature films.

Turning the everyday and mundane into something lively, chaotic and comedic all in the space of ten minutes is something to behold and may take the breath away of its audience. However, it may also leave some audiences wondering what they just watched because the punchline is perhaps not as good as the prestige.

Fck’n Nuts is for a certain type of person, the kind of person that doesn’t see the world the same way as everybody else. Meaning that perhaps they could find something in Fox’s work that tells them that they’re not alone.

The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde: Review

Gabriel Utterson (Lorn MacDonald) has become increasingly concerned with the behaviour of his friend, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Henry Pettigrew). There have been reports of a murder and it seems to have centred around Dr. Jekyll, but to what end Gabriel is unsure.

Hoping to try and get a confession out of his friend, Utterson tries to dig deeper as to what’s behind the murder and why Dr. Jekyll is so adamant that he doesn’t know anything about it. Even to the point where Gabriel starts to think that Mr. Hyde may have some kind of hold over Dr. Jekyll, but he cannot fathom why. However, Utterson’s deeper investigation leads him to a horrifying discovery.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a Scottish adaptation of the famous novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson. Putting the events into Stevenson’s home city of Edinburgh, it follows a largely faithful adaptation set in the era of which it was written.

Originally streamed for an audience from The National Theatre of Scotland and adapted for the screen with extra special effects, it’s hard to see the join. This leads the latest adaptation of Stevenson’s work to feel cinematic with an undertone of the theatrical.

Having an entirely Scottish cast makes it feel like a natural choice and being shot in black in white also adds and air of mystery and suspense as Utterson digs deeper into Dr. Jekyll’s secret. However, those expecting something radically different from what’s on the page may not be that surprised.

Equally so, those expecting a more schlocky adaptation, filled with gratuitous violence and extreme body horror may equally be put off. Because it feels like this adaptation is meant for the purists and those who already enjoy the theatre, regardless of whether they know the story as well.

Being broadcast on Sky Arts, the expected audience for this adaptation may be those looking for something satisfying to watch. However, in the end it may feel like this adaptation was adapted for the screen so that it could just be added to the collection of remakes of the classic tale.

Kassandra (Kristianna Luna) has been recruited to work for a covert agency within the U.S. government because of her particular set of skills. She is able to read minds and that comes in very useful for when she’s linked with other members of the agency to extract information. One of the first people she’s connected to is Rachel (Karli Isabella Stunkel) and soon they find a connection is deeper than just mental.

However, it turns out that Kassandra and her team may be a little too good at their jobs and when they get closer to the truth, along with Stefan (Daustin Harvey) they have to go on the run.

Target Keyhole is a spy thriller written and directed by Michael Lauter. Something which turns out to be an unfortunate example of what happens when a director gives its audience what he thinks they want and misses the mark.

There’s a lot wrong with Talent Keyhole, the first perhaps being that the title is so cryptic that the audience may not easily grasp the premise. The title is indeed explained, but among all the other scientific and technical jargon which is thrown about, the audience may struggle to keep up as they’re expected.

Then there’s the dialogue and the acting itself, something which perhaps should be seen as an achievement as both are as wooden and stilted as each other. This means that whenever something dramatic, exciting or emotional happens, every actor delivers it like they’re simply reciting lines. Perhaps not a reflection on the actors, but on the direction that they were given.

Also, there’s a clumsy attempt at fleshing out the characters which feels incredibly dated. Kassandra is revealed to be bisexual at some point of the movie and this deepens the connection between her and Rachel. Unfortunately, this only seems to have been added for some titillation as the runtime is padded out with scenes of the couple holding hands and kissing.

Talent Keyhole unfortunately turns into a sinkhole quite early on into the production. A better director could bring much better performances from their cast, but even they’d be stuck whilst wading through techno jargon and acronyms.

Kendall Whelpton and his wife, Vera have been investigating paranormal activity for years. The quest for evidence of the unknown has been their lives and it brings them to a farm where it’s said that a house holds Native American spirits that regularly contact the living. So, packing up and moving in, the Whelptons interview the house’s owner and his neighbours in order to get to the bottom of it all. However, further investigation gives them brand new experiences.

The Haunting Lodge is a documentary directed by Kendall and Vera Whelpton, following an investigation involving their work in supernatural investigation. A journey that takes them into what usually could be a set up for a horror movie is presented as reality as the team dig deeper.

These kinds of documentary shows are very popular, especially at this time of year and for those who believe, then it can be a fascinating watch. However, there are also sceptics who enjoy them equally because some of these shows go so far over the top that it’s entertaining to watch how silly it all is.

The Whelptons certainly know how to structure a story as well and as mentioned before, it does indeed start off like a typically clichéd horror movie. That’s not to say that it isn’t entertaining though, because even if you don’t believe, there’s still a story to be told.

Doing all the things that you may expect from a show such as this, The Haunting Lodge sets its scene well, heightening tension with music and an eerie atmosphere. It may even do better than most fictional horror for setting the right mood.

However, for those who don’t believe a word of it, then it’s hard to see how The Haunting Lodge is doing anything to change their minds. The Whelptons may have been in this business for a while, but their eagerness to find evidence of the other side often clouds their judgement as they never seem to question it outright.

An entertaining watch with an interesting premise, The Haunting Lodge gives its audience everything they may want without going too far. However, don’t expect to be converted if you think it’s all fake.

Cam (Will Madden) and Sky (Angela Wong Carbone) have just moved to a new place for a bargain price. They’re overjoyed because not only did it come cheap, but it was because the house was used as the focus of a true crime documentary. Sky has also invited her friend, Carolyn (Hilty Bowen) to stay while she sorts out her life. A victim of a stalker, Carolyn is in a fragile state, but she has her friends to keep her safe and calm.

Then one day whilst looking through the house, Cam finds a computer. A computer that the killer in the docuseries used to spy on his victims. However, unlike most people, Cam starts to use the cameras himself to spy on his wife and her friend, finding that he’s getting a thrill out of it. However, with Sky’s obsession over the docuseries becoming an obsession, it won’t be long before something more sinister happens.

15 Cameras is a thriller directed by Danny Madden and written by PJ McCabe. The kind of thriller that you would expect to reflect the modern day, 15 Cameras instead turns its cameras on the audience.

As Cam becomes more obsessed with his voyeuristic hobby, he and Sky get new tenants of their own. A couple of women in their twenties move in and Cam couldn’t be happier. However, things get worse as Cam’s behaviour becomes increasingly more problematic and obvious to his new ‘neighbours’.

By focussing the film mostly on Cam, it may make the audience start to wonder about their own behaviour. After all, true crime has become an obsession all on its own and forcing the audience to witness Cam’s disgusting behaviour may make the audience wonder what they’re doing themselves.

Mixed with Sky’s own true crime obsession, the audience may even start to question why they’re so interested in watching a film about people who are voyeurs themselves.

Cam’s actions are highly uncomfortable at times and they range from the comical to the deeply disturbing, making the final act is made all the more satisfying because of it. Saying far more about ourselves than the audience may expect, 15 Cameras may make the audience think twice about the things that they watch.