Category: REVIEWS

Road trip movies are all about progress. As the characters weave their way to their destination, they change and grow, ultimately finding an inner resolution that makes everything worth it. Indeed, the genre is riddled with clichés, but that’s no reason to dismiss it. A recent reminder of the never-ending power of the road trip movie is Sean McEwen’s debut feature “Braking for Whales”. 

The script, written by McEwen and his wife/star Tammin Sursok, introduces us to Brandon (Tom Felton) and Star (Sursok), estranged siblings reuniting to settle their recently deceased mothers’ affairs. In many ways the two are polar opposites, and it doesn’t take long for them to be at each other’s throats. Just after they implode, they are informed, in a case of severely rotten luck, that to claim their inheritance they need to take mum’s ashes to her desired resting place, the stomach of one of her beloved whales. Needing the money, the duo set out from Iowa to a Texas aquarium home to an Orca whale.

Of course, this is a somewhat silly plot; obviously, it’s not okay to feed remains to a whale, but, as anybody who has ever seen a road trip movie knows, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. And that is a sentiment which Braking for Whales embraces wholeheartedly to heart-warming effects.

At least that is the case for the most part. However, the film has the unfortunate knack of overcomplicating itself with the absurd. There are otters, a strange infatuation with a former US president, and the incessant need for the pair to continually refer to each other by their first names mid-conversation with one another. It’s all a bit much and will undoubtedly deter some viewers. In saying this, those who can look past this will find a tale of two suffering people desperately needing help from one another and witness them slowly come to find it.

And it is precisely the two stars responsible for being those two damaged people that ensure this film’s success. They make for an endearing pair who perfectly encapsulate the way family baggage can drag you down. Felton produces a wonderfully deep portrayal of severe repression, and opposite him, Sursok develops Star’s tragic guise of apathy in the wake of a divorce perfectly. They are both terrific performances, and they make the film.

Behind the camera, Braking for Whales finds two significant strengths, score and cinematography. The music in the film is beautiful. Jason Soudah composes the heart and soul of the film with his work here. The subtle guitar is haunting as it echoes both the tragedies of Brandon and Star’s past as well as the difficulties of their present, it’s brilliant work. Cinematographer, Justin Henning also stands out thanks to the wonderful way he captures America and the pair within it. There’s just the right amount of sentimentality that it doesn’t get cheesy and remains stunning. Credit must also go to McEwen himself who guides the film admirably and pulls all the strings together nicely. 

Braking for Whales has the potential to speak to many people. Yes, there are flaws, but by the end, there’s a certain enlightenment, and that’s more than enough to make this film a good one.

In Search of Greatness is a documentary feature from filmmaker Gabe Polsky, it examines the life and mind of sports greats and what it takes to be a champion. There are interviews with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, football great Jerry Rice, and soccer star Pele. This piece was equally as fascinating as it was inspirational.

It showed how sports stars are not some accidental freaks of nature, they really aren’t built differently from anyone else, nor do they possess a special aptitude, and, sometimes, as Wayne Gretzky put it, they can’t even play the sport better than anyone else. These athletes showed how above all, belief in yourself, wisdom, and innovation can supersede how hard you train. 

What these athletes did was identify a method, a creative flair, something that made them different and then capitalized on that thing that made them unique that many people sadly miss in their lifetime, and used it as a tool to become the best. I appreciated the not stereotypical nature film as it really showed professional sports as an art, and was not just about how far athletes go to contort and stretch their bodies, basically torturing themselves into becoming super human. It was about their passion, love, and desire for the game; and their innate ability to stick to something until they identified a way to succeed. 

I have to admit when I was assigned this film I shrugged. As I’m not a huge sports fan, I thought this would probably be difficult for someone like me to relate to and pull meaning from due to my personal lack of interest in sports; but what I found was the exact opposite. This film is riveting and I was inspired, I say this truthfully as I know anyone will be able to relate. The athletes are really taken off the pedestals society puts them on and shown as they are, human. They are people with passion, hopes, and dreams just like all of us. Although their joy was synonymous with their sport, no matter what field we are in, their motivation is magnetic.

Out of all the athletes they interviewed I think I identified most with Wayne Gretzky. I loved the story he told about his parents, how they never pushed him to become anything, he just had a passion and a talent, an inclination towards hockey. He basically picked up the hockey stick on his own because he loved it, not because he was being prodded by his parents. He credited their parenting technique as something that helped him become great, the freedom to make his own decisions.

In the world we live in today we see too much pushing of children into sports or activities to the point where they have no time to be creative and decide what they really want. Not everyone shares the same skill set or path in life, we are all individual people and maybe that path to greatness can be achieved in the way Wayne Gretzky’s was, through individualism and self discipline.

All in all, In Search of Greatness is a gem. A delightful, wholesome watch, and a perfect pick me up for anyone who feels left behind or unmotivated.

In Search of Greatness is released on digital platforms on 6^th May.

A story of love and responsibility, Angelfish is story of a young couple from different sides of the track. Forced to look after his family Brenan (Jimi Stanton) meets the college bound Eva (Princess Nokia) before dreams of something better threaten to tear them apart.

Angelfish is your typical watered down Romeo & Juliet. Though their families may not be at war, they do disobey the family’s plan for them. What I don’t get with Angelfish is that its built on the idea of a beautiful young couple transforming each others’ lives, yet, Eva didn’t seem to inspire Brendan that often. Brendan seems to be inspired more by the wise old gent Mr Nunez (Bobby Pasencia) during their numerous deli counter chinwags.

There was a particular scene in which Eva tells Brendan to follow his own advice, which seemed to be pushing it that way, but in the end Brendan is more inspired to change his life by his absolutely terrible mum incapable of helping his little brother out of trouble. In a way you could say finding someone he loves brings him to this point, but it was hard to see and could have done with a little more screen time and development.  

Where Angelfish really succeeds is in its portrayal of young people with way too responsibility thrust on them for their entire lives. Brendan and Eva have opportunities ahead but a family to care for first. It’s difficult to watch at times as two clearly loving and GOOD people are forced into things they don’t want to do, or rejected by the ones that they love. Jimi Stanton and Princess Nokia do a stunning job in displaying the heartache and raging battle inside. Director Peter Andrew Lee does a solid as well directing them and the cinematography to make them feel alone. The gritty realism of the sound quality does add an extra tension to the scenes. The background characters, background actors don’t add much. Add this to a weak and strange middle section a lot of Angelfish seems strange and unconnected.

The inspirational speech which eventually heals Eva’s woes is OK, but doesn’t really address the problems Eva faced from her mother. Ultimately at the end, I wanted more happy moments and more love I know that not all films end with that magical ‘happy ending’ which although frustrating for me led me in the end to decide I quite likes Angelfish as a whole, despite its drawbacks.   

As for drawbacks, Angelfish has a few. The brother was a weak character. I didn’t really get how or why he was pulled into drugs, and why the dealers wanted him involved so badly, or why on earth they thought the brother would help them. It seemed a bit forced, as if included just to create some kind of conflict, but with very little threat. The film made a big deal of the mixing communities in its blurb, but as an outsider it seemed to make little difference to their story.

Having watched the BBC’s Normal People in almost complete succession, I know that not much happening doesn’t mean a lack of excitement or tension. Angelfish had a lot of these moments and lot of similarities, but it didn’t hold you in anywhere near the same way. The dialogue felt like a bunch of scripted inspirational speeches pieced together and didn’t feel natural. The only natural character was Eva’s gossiping pal Ricky (Sebastian Chacon) who’s short but sweet screen time made for some of my favourite moments, but again, ultimately redundant to the plot…or anything. Give him a sequel!

Princess Nokia will be making waves at some point, with a music career and feuds with Ariana Grande to back her up and certainly Jimi Stanton will make a good few movies like Angelfish before he’s done. Unfortunately Angelfish is not going to be on the watch list on Netflix for a lot of people. For those into emotional dramas it’s a nice simple easy watch and will fulfil an evening’s filmy duties. It’s the sort of film you finish and say ‘I quite like that’ but may forget the name when telling your mates the next day.

Luke (Luke Barnett) and Tanner (Tanner Thomason) are best friends. Luke works two jobs; cleaning pools and trying to sell herbal tea through a scheme set up by his idol, Nicky Steele (Jason Alexander). However, one day Luke loses his job cleaning pools and decides that it’s time for a change.

To make matters worse he also finds out that his dad, a pastor named Mike (Lance Reddick) is having financial trouble and then suddenly it hits him. Realising that Christian movies can make a lot more money than they cost to make, Luke manages to convince Tanner and some of their friends to make a faith-based movie. All they need is an idea, a script and a star – preferably Republican and Christian.

Faith Based is a satirical comedy in the same vein as films such as Bowfinger and Tropic Thunder, using their initial premise to make fun of the film industry, but subtly putting its message across. At first there may be an outcry from certain religious and political outlets, but underneath it all Faith Based is about friendship, making films and having faith – no matter who or what you put your faith into.

With a script written by Luke Barnett, the film takes Luke and Tanner’s real-life friendship and uses it to bring out the chemistry between the pair. Faith Based doesn’t have a forced all-star bromance at its centre, but a real chemistry between its lead actors.

With a sharp, witty script, Faith Based also puts in a lot of fourth wall breaking and laugh out loud moments. Although the partly documentary style does start to feel a bit out of place the more the audience may start to think about it.

What could have been a film that takes a cynical, sniggering swipe at Hollywood and Christianity while trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator turns into a comedy with a real heart at its centre. Cameos from Jason Alexander, and David Koechner as Luke and Tanner’s film idol, Butch Savage will delight audiences as their larger than life personalities fill the screen.

Also, Lance Reddick’s casting as Luke’s father is perfect and icing on the cake for a film that has a lot more to it than first impressions may allow.

The Willoughbys: The BRWC Review – Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.

We live in a world where we get a ton of deep and thought-provoking movies that force our brains to be in use a lot. This is definitely not a bad thing, though. In fact, my favorite movies of all time are those that are incredibly interesting and require the viewer to analyze everything that they just witnessed such as Hereditary and Midsommar.

But after a while, you may want to just watch a movie that doesn’t require you to do much except for kick back and relax. Sometimes, you just need a movie that is easily digestible and will put a smile on your face while you watch it. Kris Pearn and Cory Evans’ The Willoughbys is exactly that type of movie.

The Willoughbys is a very cute, easy-breezy watch that while incredibly fast-paced and fun to watch, is forgettable in the long run. The biggest issue with the film as a whole is that really not a whole lot happens in this story. Despite the fact that it moves by at a breakneck pace (there’s rarely any boring scenes except for some in the first act), the story is rather dull but it feels so familiar. A large portion of this movie feels remarkably similar to the iconic Addams Family franchise. It’s actually kind of hilarious how similar the two properties are. The families even act rather similar to one another.

There are some really fun ideas at play here. A couple of scenes do try to divert the viewer and it does so fairly well I would say. However, for a film with a running time of ninety-minutes, it should have had some sort of pull. The story here is extremely bland and uninteresting. The main reason why the movie ended up winning me over was the characters and the dynamic between them all, particularly the dynamic between Tim (voice of Will Forte) and their nanny Linda (voice of Maya Rudolph).

Watching them get into a bunch of crazy incidents was a blast, mainly due to how different they are from one another. Tim is a rather hyper, attention-needy kid who can be a bit much to handle. The whole family is, really. Whereas Linda is the exact opposite; a super calm, nice-mannered older woman who is just trying to do her best at being a nanny. The scenes where she has to deal with the children were not only really funny to watch, but also carried a deeply important message, as did the whole film by the end of it.

Another thing that the film has going for it is its animation style. It reminded me a lot of the animation on display in last year’s Klaus in all the best ways. All of it is extremely well detailed and it breathes a great sense of life and vibrancy to the whole world that these characters live in.

So, as a whole, this is a movie that didn’t blow me away by any means. It has a lot of problems, mainly its rather familiar and tired story that doesn’t have anything new to say. But, I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t have a fun time watching the Willoughby family’s mischief. It’s quite funny at times, has brilliant animation and has a touching message about loving your family. All in all, it’s a fun time.

The Willoughbys may not have a great or interesting story, but its excellent animation style mixed with the fun character work save the film from mediocrity.