film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Joel Fisher

  • Hudson: Review

    Hudson: Review

    Hudson (David Neal Levin) is a shy, reclusive man who writes haikus to pass the time and desperately misses his mother. She passed away recently and ever since then, Hudson has barely left the house and doesn’t like to be around other people. Then one day Hudson’s cousin, Ryan (Gregory Lay) arrives and tries to get Hudson out of his shell.

    Ryan is the complete opposite of him, he’s loud, brash and not afraid to show his emotions, but despite his home being intruded, Hudson is still polite and friendly to his cousin and even sees an opportunity. Being reminded of a place which he remembers fondly of an old willow tree, Hudson convinces Ryan to help him find the tree so that he can scatter his mother’s ashes.

    However, along the way they meet Sunrise (Mary Catherine Greenawalt) and soon Hudson starts to realise that their may be life after death.

    Hudson is a heart-warming comedy drama and feature directorial debut of Sean Daniel Cunningham. Setting the scene rather nicely, Cunningham has set the mood for what audiences may expect from an endearing indie comedy drama and that’s exactly what they get. Levin plays Hudson with all the charm and likeability that audiences will soon warm to and throughout he is always a character that the audience wants to see overcome his fears.

    Lay who also co-wrote the film also comes across well and the chemistry between the distanced cousins makes for a good pairing. Also, Greenawalt’s Sunrise is a welcome addition and brings a suitably quirky performance to the film.

    However, for all that the film does right, it does seem that it’s creating a mood rather than telling a story. Hudson is beautifully shot, has good performances and may give its audience that warm feeling inside that they may want from such a film. It even has a light and whimsical soundtrack filled with folk songs that go down nicely.

    The problem is that it all feels rather predictable and slightly manipulative as if Cunningham is showing what he can do as a director rather than telling a story. Hudson may give its audience just what they wanted, but there’s just something missing that makes it truly stand out.

  • Apartment 413: Review

    Apartment 413: Review

    Marco (Nicholas Saenz) and his girlfriend, Dana (Brea Grant) are expecting a baby. However, there’s pressure mounting on Marco because he’s unemployed and the clock is ticking so that he can provide for his new family before his girlfriend gives birth or dumps him. Then one day while he’s doing anything but applying for jobs, he gets a text on an old Nokia telling him that his girlfriend is lying to him.

    He answers the text, but doesn’t get a response although the damage has already been done and Marco starts to suspect that his girlfriend will leave him, is cheating on him and maybe that their baby isn’t his.

    He tries to shake it off, but the feelings of rejection from employees and all the time he’s spending alone are starting to get to him and he feels like he’s losing his mind. Not to mention the times he spends talking to people who aren’t there.

    Apartment 413 is a psychological thriller set in a single apartment. The premise is solid because almost everybody has gotten to that point where they can’t find a job and it feels like it may never happen. Thoughts start coming into your head and the anxiety of having no purpose in life can feel stressful.

    However, Apartment 413 doesn’t seem to have any idea about what it wants to say and what direction it wants to take Marco’s story.

    There are many psychological and horror thrillers which deal with mental health and not usually in a healthy way. There are twists such as ‘he was the killer all along’ or ‘there was a conspiracy to drive her mad’, but neither of those seem satisfying. They’re also usually tagged on to the end to make films seem cleverer than they really are. In the case of Apartment 413 though, there’s a bit of ambiguity and although a mystery can be good fun to try and solve, it comes across as if the filmmakers haven’t made their minds up themselves.

    There’s a fair bit of mundanity in this 80-minute film and although that does reflect the time where somebody may be unemployed, there’s an uneven balance between this and the scenes of suspense and mystery. What could have been a deep insight into the psyche of somebody trying to find a job and slowly losing hope or a supernatural thriller with an interesting twist just feels confusing and unfinished.

  • John Bronco Rides Again: Review

    John Bronco Rides Again: Review

    Daniel Stacks (Tim Baltz) is a Ford enthusiast and historian who runs his own YouTube channel dedicated to the topic he loves. He loves the history of the cars, the pop culture that it’s involved itself in and how it became a household name.

    He’s also in awe of one of Ford’s prominent spokesmodels for the company in the late 70’s and early 80’s – John Bronco (Walton Goggins). John Bronco was a pop culture force of nature all unto himself and he is still fondly remembered today, not only by Ford lovers, but of early 80’s cartoons and breakfast cereal fans.

    John Bronco was a man, a legend and a brand the likes of which the world had never seen and Daniel Stacks thinks it’s about time he got his star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

    John Bronco Rides Again is a short mockumentary based on the character created by Walton Goggins from a short directed by Jake Syzmanski. Expanding on John Bronco’s impact on the world, John Bronco Rides Again tells a short biography of the kind of man only few would remember, but is remembered fondly for their niche impact on a young man’s life.

    Walton Goggins by now is well known for playing cowboy types, so he fits perfectly into the role and makes Bronco a charming, endearing and somewhat dim-witted character which audiences are sure to enjoy. In fact, the chance of a full series following the escapades of a former TV star trying to recapture his former glory may have a lot of potential, as a lot of work has clearly been put into the character to flesh him out.

    The recreation of a certain kind of Americana is meticulously detailed and the story of his life is littered with cameos from some surprisingly recognisable people as well. A particular highlight is Michael Chiklis who has a rather unexpected connection to the titular star.

    John Bronco is short and sweet and shows the potential of the character in a longer form, the jokes don’t always work unless perhaps you’re a certain age and remember people like John Bronco, but he could be a character worth exploring on his journey to fame. However, maybe a little less sponsorship from Ford wouldn’t go amiss.

  • Mosquito State: Review

    Mosquito State: Review

    Richard Boca (Beau Knapp) is a Wall Street analyst. He can’t help but see patterns in everything and he knows something catastrophic is on its way. He also lives a lavish life in his luxury apartment and has an on again/off again relationship with Lena del Alcazar (Charlotte Vega).

    However, as he realises that the patterns could have global effect on the world’s economy, he must try and convince his colleagues to do something before it all goes wrong. Not only that, but there is an infestation of mosquitos in his apartment which may very well be infecting him from the inside out. The year is 2007.

    Mosquito State is a body horror film directed and co-written by Filip Jan Rymsza set in a pivotal time in the 21st Century’s history where everything started to go wrong. Following analyst Richard Bocca, the film displays the kind of panic which could only have been deduced by a scientist in a disaster movie and this is where Rymsza starts his story.

    Bocca’s mad ramblings coupled with his increasingly troubling appearance make him a hard person to believe when he starts telling his colleagues about the devastating event which is about to happen. Although whereas this is indeed the desired effect, it may make him hard to care about as he’s trying to shut the gate after we know the horse has bolted.

    However, there were also rich people like Richard Bocca who also thought that this kind of thing wouldn’t affect them as well and this is where the audience may lose Richard. It all depends on their opinion of what happened and whether they think he deserves it or not.

    The film also feels rather out of place for Shudder, because although there is the body horror aspect, it never really goes as far as to really repulse, so couldn’t necessarily be thought of as a horror. Also, once the audience understands the metaphor of the mosquitos then they may lose interest.

    Knapp plays the part well and as the audience sees the kind of things that he’s accustomed to then he may turn into a somewhat unlikeable character as his world falls down around him. In summary, although Mosquito State looks visually impressive it never really has a strong enough story and never really knows what it wants to say in the end.

  • The Shattering: Review

    The Shattering: Review

    Claire (Murisa Harba) and her husband, Eric (Timothy Ryan Cole) are going through a difficult period in their lives. Claire has lost a baby and it’s taking a toll on their relationship. They’re struggling to keep things together and although they’re trying their best, the cracks are showing and it seems that they may be at breaking point.

    Claire is also seeing Monica (Charlotte Beckett), a therapist and although Claire’s grip on reality is dubious at best, she feels like she’s getting better.

    The Shattering is a psychological thriller about a woman’s post partem depression and the different stages of reality that she feels she’s experiencing. Presented in a non-linear fashion, The Shattering tells Claire’s story by going back and forth through her experiences of pregnancy and the events that happen after her miscarriage.

    Both Harba and Cole have a great chemistry together and having most of the on-screen time focussed on them really helps as it shows their relationship. The realistic dialogue also explores the feelings that a couple such as this go through in this situation and feels very well thought out.

    There’s a certain level of intrigue and mystery though as although the story is not told with a beginning, middle and an end. Also, there are certain things Claire does such as fantasise about her therapist and dress in certain ways which suggest her mind may not be all there.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlV8Zo9PeZo

    The Shattering always keeps the audience guessing though, not only by going back and forth through time, but also making them guess about Claire’s state of mind and Harba’s performance reflects that perfectly.

    However, there are issues with the depiction of mental health, post partem depression and perhaps a little too much focus on Murisa Harba in her underwear which takes focus away from the plot. For all the good that it does to discuss the issues surrounding the film with an insightful and thoughtful point of view, it does unfortunately have an uneven tone. This results in an ending which unfortunately doesn’t have much to say about the film’s prior events and may leave the audience confused.