film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Category: REVIEWS

Here is where you would find our film reviews on BRWC.  We look at on trailers, shorts, indies and mainstream.  We love movies!

  • Yummy: Review

    Yummy: Review

    A young couple travel to a shabby Eastern European hospital for plastic surgery. The young woman wants a breast reduction. Her mother comes along for yet another face-lift. Wandering through an abandoned ward the boyfriend stumbles upon a young woman, gagged and strapped to an operating table; she is the result of an experimental rejuvenation treatment. He frees her, but does not realize he just caused the outbreak of a virus that will change doctors, patients and his mother-in-law into bloodthirsty zombies.

    The only thing that Lars Damoiseaux’s Yummy has in common with the Justin Bieber song of the same name is that they share the exact same title. Well, that, and they are both extremely weird and leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Not yummy at all.

    This film starts out fairly simple with not a whole lot of gory sequences coming at us for a little while. That being said though, the film does have some extremely questionable moments in the first ten minutes alone. Moments that are going to make a ton of viewers feel quite uncomfortable but not in the way the filmmaker’s intended. There are odd sexual references and cringe-inducing lines of dialogue right off the bat, making it hard to get invested in anything at first.

    Thankfully, as the movie progresses, it does become more entertaining to watch with plenty of bloody goodness to behold. Of course, this comes with a price though. It’s a blast to watch zombies getting killed and buckets of blood and gore being dumped all throughout the running time, but after a while, it outstays its welcome. There was a point while watching the film, about forty minutes in, where I realized that this movie doesn’t really have a story. It’s just mindless blood and guts with no substance at all.

    Those that are looking for a film with deep themes and messages about plastic surgery and the dangers of it are not going to be too pleased with this one. If you are looking for a genuinely scary and unsettling movie about plastic surgery, I highly recommend you check out Doyeon Noh’s short Human Form. It may only be twelve minutes long, but I am not exaggerating when I say it’s one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen. That includes feature-length ones too.

    I was hoping that Yummy was going to be a similarly interesting look at plastic surgery and the horrors of it, just with a bunch of blood added into the mix. Sadly, it’s just blood. Everywhere. After a while, it is definitely not yummy, but rather, disgusting to have to finish. It has its moments of fun and amusement, but its terrible sense of humor and virtually non-existent story make this film yucky.

    Yummy offers some over-the-top bloody goodness but it doesn’t have a compelling story, nor does it delve into its interesting themes nearly enough as it should.

  • The Big Ugly: Review

    The Big Ugly: Review

    Acting as a modernization to the nitty-gritty pulp of classic westerns, The Big Ugly operates as an old-school throwback that proudly wears its genre influences. Despite its earnest approach, the film ironically lives up to its ill-fated name, offering an expired experience that never distinguishes itself from the crowded pack of actioners.

    The Big Ugly follows Neelyn (Vinnie Jones), a violent enforcer who’s spent his life loyally working for the London crime boss Harris (Malcolm McDowell). While assisting him on an oil deal with old-time friend Preston (Ron Perlman), Preston’s son Junior (Brandon Sklenar) unknowingly murders Neelyn’s girlfriend in the process. Friendships are then put to the test as Neelyn embarks on a relentless pursuit for retribution.

    The Big Ugly isn’t without some shameless pleasures. Ron Perlman and Malcolm McDowell continue to display their assured acting ability, developing a lived-in relationship despite rarely being a central focus. McDowell’s quiet presence bodes well in depicting Harris’ controlled menace, while Perlman personifies Preston’s frontiersman charm with personality and depth. Perlman is the sole actor who is able to unearth a semblance of humanity from his role, offering a resonant third act speech that packs a potent punch. I also can’t deny my satisfaction with the film’s action-oriented finale, as director Scott Wiper thankfully grounds his setpieces with a refreshing quaintness that enhances the character’s internal conflicts.

    While it may end with a proper bang, much of The Big Ugly’s runtime lingers in machismo conventions. Similar to other actioners (looking at you Force of Nature), there’s a reliance upon conventions that show their age, especially female characters utilization as mere victims of male destruction or gratification. Scott Wiper and Paul Tarantino’s screenplay never imbues its characters with proper dimension, substituting a contrived “code of honor” as the only motive behind their actions. Some actors are able to hold their own with the lackluster material (Vinnie Jones is a competent straight-laced action star), while others suffer substantially from the lack of help (Brandon Sklenar’s mustache-twirling villain never captures the magnetism of his intended purpose).

    All would be forgiven if The Big Ugly was infused with a semblance of originality. Unfortunately, Wiper’s direction lacks a much-needed creative spark, flatly developing visuals that never breathe life into the action at hand. I appreciate the director’s dedication to creating an authentic Appalachian landscape (the general concept was based around his family history), yet his stylistic identity relies upon an overused soundtrack to infuse some sort of pulse into the material. Its clear Wiper desperately wants this to be a swaggering noir in the vein of a Guy Ritchie or Martin McDonagh film, but his effort never reaches those lofty aspirations.

    Wasting a promising set-up, The Big Ugly never rises to the heights of its genre counterparts.

  • Archive: Review

    Archive: Review

    High-concept science fiction films have taken a backseat to the spectacle of bombastic blockbusters. Thankfully, there’s still been a fair share of gems that have captured the genre’s weighty, throwback appeal. Efforts like Ex Machina and Her have used their inventive settings to offer deft commentaries on our relationship with technology, while also flexing the strength of the genre’s minimalistic origins. The latest iteration of the subgenre Archive offers another satisfying low-key experience despite an inability to reinvent its framework.

    Set in 2038, Archive follows George (Theo James) a scientist working in an isolated base trying to create a new AI prototype. After crafting a few successful robots, George secretly sets his eyes on creating a human equivalent, one that would replicate his deceased wife Jules (Stacy Martin).

    After working alongside Duncan Jones in the 2009 sleeper hit Moon, writer/director Gavin Rothery offers an impressive debut with his first feature. His proficiency in visual effects significantly elevates his low-budget resources, creating a cerebral, lived-in world that features a plethora of inventive design concepts (I love the blocky practical look of the J1 and J2 robots). Working alongside Director of Photography Laurie Rose, the two craft a visual style that is equally steady and sterile, patiently allowing the camera to sit while creating an uneasy atmosphere from the start. Rothery deserves a lot of credit for exploring fresh technical avenues in science-fiction storytelling, especially through the inter splicing of mechanical specs and searing lights to display the life infused into these uninhabited machines.

    Archive soundly breathes humanity into its sentient subjects. Stacy Martin offers emotionally vulnerable work as Jules, as well as robots J2 and J3. J2 steals every scene they are in, with Martin shedding the character’s cold veneer to display a sincere sadness as a creation of George that is getting put to the wayside in favor of a newer model. The character’s arc is a sound reflection of our disposable attitudes towards technology, as our society always searches for fractional improvement to already satisfactory devices. Theo James adeptly plays off his robotic creations with ease, while unearthing a sense of danger as a mad scientist with an unhealthy dedication to his craft.

    Archive is as solid as they come, but the film ultimately does little to distinguish itself from its peers. Aside from a last-minute plot twist that leaves a potent sting, Rothery’s screenplay largely rests on the conventions of human/AI works, lacking the emotionality or thematic bite to leave a lingering impact. It’s your typical “man vs. god” battle that exists in every film of this elk, leaving me wishing Rothery did more to personify a distinctive experience aside from the well-colored visual components.

    If viewers can stomach a lingering sense of familiarity, Archive offers a sturdy, slow-burn science fiction throwback.

  • The Pool: Review

    The Pool: Review

    By Rowan Malyon.

    If you think you can guess how this story will unfold just from its description, then you are in for a series of surprises. From the premise, you might think you know exactly how The Pool will play out, but there are shocks at every turn and unpredictable moves that will leave you wondering who, if any, will survive this film.

    Day (Theeradej Wongpuapan), an art director for a production company, is left to clear up a 6 meter swimming pool after shooting is finished. Exhausted from working hard to support himself and his girlfriend, Day takes a nap on an inflatable lilo, looking for just a few minutes of peace. However, he wakes to find that the pool has been drained and the water level is too low for him to climb out. Eventually, Day and his girlfriend Koi (Ratnamon Ratchiratham) are trapped with only their dog, Lucky, and a hungry crocodile for company.

    Directed by Ping Lumpraploeng, the film seems, at first, to be your typical horror movie. All the usual ingredients for a story of triumph are there: the pregnant girlfriend, the impossible odds, the happy ending on the horizon. But by the middle of the film, you really are left wondering if and how Day will make it out of this in one piece.

    The story throws a lot of original ideas into the mix. At first glances, the plot is simple and the staging just as stark, but the filmmakers create an engaging plot from very little. Day needing his insulin shot is an added twist, and Koi turning out to be real and not just a figment of Day’s imagination, and then being injured, really tugged at the gut. 

    The actors are what takes this film from good to great. Wongpuapan switches from steely determination to desperate heartbreak so well. Each new development is a chance for him to explore every corner of human emotion and he hits every note perfectly. Ratchiratham is the emotional heart of the film but also shines in the action sequences. Koi is such a likeable character. Rather than becoming a prop and another burden for Day, she remains vital to the plot despite her serious head injury.

    This film has everything: humour, romance, a huge crocodile. Though a little cheesy in some parts and almost unwatchably painful in others, you cannot claim that The Pool is predictable. This is the first thriller that has actually left me worrying if the characters will make it out alive, and though I had to watch some of it through my fingers, I found I still couldn’t look away. 

  • Animal Crackers: The BRWC Review

    Animal Crackers: The BRWC Review

    Sprouting from earnest beginnings nearly a decade back, graphic novelist Scott Christian Sava dreamt up an adaptation of his family-friendly work Animal Crackers to the big-screen. This seemingly harmless low-budget project sparked an arduous journey myriad with legal battles and vicious corporate moves, leaving some wondering if the film would ever receive a domestic opening (Variety soundly highlighted its lengthy behind-the-scenes history). Now seeing the light of day on Netflix (the film received a theatrical release in China back in 2017), Animal Crackers’ fascinating history sadly overshadows the middling final product on display.

    Animal Crackers follows Owen (John Krasinski) and Zoe (Emily Blunt), a couple who grew up admiring the breathtaking feats of Owen’s uncle Buffalo Bob and his audacious circus. Stuck in the daily doldrums of adult life, the two decide to take ownership of their former stomping grounds when Bob dies, discovering an antiquated box of animal crackers that transforms their consumers into wildlife creatures. The duo fight to revive the circus while fending off Bob’s vengeful brother Horatio (Ian McKellan).

    Animal Crackers isn’t without some delighting qualities. The veteran cast infuses infectious comedic energy into their distinctive voice over roles, with comedic stalwarts like Gilbert Gottfried, Danny DeVito, and Patrick Warburton having a blast with their energetic side characters (Warburton deliciously chews the scenery with a smug attitude). Ian McKellan’s posh delivery makes the most out of Horatio’s sinister intentions, while Raven-Symone impressively disappears into the role of a mad scientist.

    Sava and Harley Quinn screenwriter Dean Lorey humorously color familiar plot beats with off-kilter comedic beats. Whether it’s Owen eating dog bones for his mundane job or Gottfried’s character Zucchini, a henchman who narrates in the third person while painting himself as a criminal mastermind, there are ideas that will have audiences of all ages amused. It’s clear that even with limited assets, Sava and director Tony Bancroft put their hearts into this project, as its pleasant animated style and earnest makeshift spirit create a film that’s hard to fully condemn.

    Good intentions aside, Animal Crackers suffers from the same noisy emptiness that has plagued several modern animated efforts (Trolls World Tour comes to mind). The script throws a wide-array of gags at the screen, often missing more than it hits with bits that can’t help but feel dated. While I am thankfully the film isn’t chock-full of lame-duke pop culture references, it sadly substitutes that trapping with simplistic caricatures that sometimes drift into mean-spirited territory (several moments poking fun at a woman’s weight left a bad aftertaste).

    Worst of all, the film leaves viewers with nothing to attach to. There’s a bare thematic throughline on the feud between creativity and commercialization in business that has no room to render, while the protagonists prove to be too blandly earnest for audiences to invest in. With there being more animated films than ever, it isn’t enough to simply skate along with by-the-book narrative contrivances that have been executed with more innovation and depth by superior counterparts.

    Animal Crackers may win over some young viewers with its zany energy, yet it doesn’t do enough to eschew its standard-issue design.