Category: REVIEWS

Tennessee Gothic is a horror comedy and feature debut from writer/director Jeff Wedding, based on the short story American Gothic by horror writer, Ray Russell. Caleb (William Ryan Watson) and his dad, Paw (Victor Hollingsworth) are a couple of good ol’ boys living on a farm in Tennessee when one day they find Sylvia (Jackie Kelly) a beautiful young woman who says that she has been attacked and hiding from a bad man.

Instantly taking to her charm, the two men take her in, feed her, clothe her and give her a place to stay. Soon Sylvia is just like one of the family, that is until Caleb gives in to his carnal urges and soon Sylvia and Caleb are doing the one thing that any young couple do most often.

However, there’s something a little strange about Sylvia and soon both the men on the farm give in to their temptations whilst around Sylvia. Even when the local preacher, Reverend Simms (Wynn Reichert) arrives to take Sylvia to an orphanage, she manages to use her ‘charms’ to persuade him to change his mind.

The film is described as a horror comedy, but for those expecting the script to be full of funny one-liners or hilarious gross out scenes then they may be left a little disappointed as Tennessee Gothic’s takes its comedic inspirations from a time well gone past. There may be a smile here and there but the tone of the film doesn’t really deliver as a comedy simply because – there aren’t enough jokes.

The problem is that Tennessee Gothic wants to recreate a type of comedy from a long time ago and forgets that its modern audience may not be as interested. Putting it plainly, Tennessee Gothic sets the tone as more of a Seventies sex comedy rather than a modern look at how men can be so easily lead by their loins and it makes most of the film feel tedious and outdated.

As the film reaches its final act the tone changes completely and as a full-blown horror, this segment succeeds but is too little too late as there is barely any of this in the rest of the film so the sudden shift feels jarring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQKv2UrQwrQ

Audiences who may have not experienced the kinds of sex comedies that Tennessee Gothic evokes may even be a little bored by this point, so to suddenly give them what they were hoping for so late in the game may be off putting.

Saying all that though, there are moments to enjoy and the soundtrack is great with some songs that really set the mood. It just would be a little better if there was a bit more horror to fill the gaps where there are supposed to be jokes.

Jumanji: The Next Level – The BRWC Review. When Spencer Gilpin (Alex Wolff) goes back into the fantastical world of Jumanji, his pals Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner), Anthony “Fridge” Johnson (Ser’Darius Blain) and Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman) re-enter the game to bring him home. But the game is now broken — and fighting back. Everything the friends know about Jumanji is about to change, as they soon discover there’s more obstacles and more danger to overcome.

It may be hard to believe, but I actually saw the critically acclaimed and highly beloved Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle just this past week. When it was released in the theatres, it managed to gross a whopping $962.1 million at the worldwide box office. On a budget of $90-150 million, the box office profit on that film was incredible. But I only saw it recently, because at the time, so many other movies had come out that my time was occupied with.

But, I saw it eventually, and I genuinely really liked it. A lot. I was honestly not expecting too much out of it. The whole style of these Jumanji films seemed just too weird and campy and I was not expecting Jake Kasdan to craft an exciting, adventure filled film with a ton of heart, but that is exactly what it was surprisingly.

To be completely honest with you, I was unsure about how I felt regarding a sequel to that movie. Welcome to the Jungle was a blast at the movies, but a lot of the things that were shown in Jumanji: The Next Level turned me off a little bit. The whole idea of swapping out the characters and having these new additions to the cast play the old avatars from the first film seemed like such a bizarre choice. Why would you not just continue having Spencer and friends play the same avatars they played in the first outing?

But, to my surprise, The Next Level handles this pretty well, and although at times it can be a bit confusing as to who is who, it still worked and definitely made for some greatly comedic moments.

Much like the aforementioned installment, this new chapter in the series is absolutely hilarious at times. Each and every one of the cast members bring their comedic A game to their roles and I would say that nearly all of the jokes landed. One of the funniest actors in this one was definitely Dwayne Johnson as well as Karen Gillan, which was a delightful surprise.

Before, Gillan’s character Ruby Roundhouse did have a few funny moments, but she did not get enough time to show her comedic skill. Here, however, it is the exact opposite. In fact, there is one scene in the second act with her and Jack Black that was really funny and is one of the film’s funniest and most memorable sequences.

Speaking of Ruby Roundhouse, she is one of the most entertaining characters to watch on screen. She is almost always doing something crazy, wild, and adventurous and Gillan’s chemistry with the rest of the cast is truly amazing.

As this is a Jumanji movie, most audiences are going to want to see a ton of chaos ensue in this crazy video game world, and I can gladly report that we do get a whole bunch of it. Although I do overall enjoy the predecessor more, the action here is better and a lot of it was in camera and extremely fun to watch, albeit effects heavy.

Something that I found was incredibly clever about Welcome to the Jungle was how each character had only three lives before they were dead, and so the film had its tension and stakes instantly raised. The same can be said about Jumanji: The Next Level too for the most part. Even though the stakes do not necessarily feel as high as they did before, I still did feel a little bit anxious towards whether or not certain characters would make it out alive in some situations.

Also, the villain here, Jurgen the Brutal (Rory McCann) is ridiculously weak. Much like the previous outing, the villain is the definition of a cliché villain. The type that you would expect to stroke their mustache and laugh evilly. There is literally no character development given to him and it would have been so much better if the film had given us some backstory behind his character.

At times the editing can be a bit jarring too, as some sequences have us in a zany video game world and then the next second, we cut back to some characters in the real world, and the transition there was not smooth and felt bumpy.

But overall, this is yet again a surprisingly good movie that a ton of families and audiences will have a blast watching. If they do want to make a third entry down the road, I am sure that I would be perfectly okay with that. As long as Kasdan is returning, as well as the cast that we know and love, then it should hopefully be a great time, because this one sure was.

Jumanji: The Next Level is yet another wacky and greatly funny movie with a big heart and boasts tons of fun action and adventure.

My Kingdom is a Belgian short film about a trio of siblings. They have all come to the home of their recently passed mother to collect their belongings and relive the old memories one last time. But the longer they stay there, the more they realize what nostalgia is actually worth.

That their memories themselves are what matters and that these objects and this place are just that – objects and a place. That these will mean absolutely nothing to those who come after. So, they decide to make one more, messy and chaotic memory while they are there.

The title of the film, My Kingdom, is taken from the famous phrase ‘my kingdom for a horse’. That’s not just me speculating, the film states that at one point. The saying does have many meanings, but here it means that something insignificant could mean more than something big – how a horse could mean more than a kingdom in a battle. It is poetic and beautiful and it’s clear that My Kingdom holds this saying close to its heart.

Narratively it very well structured. The pacing is nice, slow and solemn at first. But the longer it goes on the louder and more hectic it gets. At the end, before the final breath anyway, it is a deliberate mess – much like the state of the old home. The home mirroring everything that our characters are going through.

From messy but structured, to literal paint splattered across the walls. The sound chimes in too. The start has very little music at all, even when its there it is quiet and barely noticeable. Come the end it is like being in a club. Even our characters go from whispered voices to screaming their lungs out.

I found the ending of the film to be particularly uncomfortable. I think that this is partly deliberate of the filmmakers. It is all very raw and primal – speaking of raw, there were parts of this where it visually reminded me of the cannibal/horror film Raw from a couple years ago. Namely because of the use of bright paint and the cinematography. You feel like you are seeing a bit of a break down. It’s a relief when our characters actually take a breath at the end, because that is exactly what the audience is doing. Although, this may also be partly because I don’t like clubbing – this, again, feeling like that towards the end.

It is well shot and edited, every following shot complimenting the last. You will struggle to fine a film as smoothly edited this year. The acting is on point, you buy every second of the performances through both dialogue and their actions. I wouldn’t say that I would watch it again.

But I cannot fault the craft of the filmmaking in My Kingdom. It’s a good story well told – all in less than twenty minutes. If you enjoy a good character study with some good subtext, if a little on the nose, then My Kingdom is certainly worth the viewing, even if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

By Naseem Ally. Ernesto’s Manifesto is a heartwarming feature film starring Fernando Hidalgo, that centres around his character Ernesto, a charming, humble man who is doing his best to get by in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, Ernesto’s constantly receiving the short end of the stick in life. Things don’t seem to be going his way anytime soon. However, after enduring a series of bad breaks, there are glimpses that his fortunes are about to change.

Speaking of fortunes, a fun fact about this film is that it was solely funded from Bitcoin profits – nice!

Fernando Hidalgo is great as the lead role in this film. His charisma and dry humour are along the lines of Ricky Gervais from the British series ‘The Office’. Yes, the British one, not the American one – sorry.

At the beginning of the film, Ernesto is somewhat of a ‘doormat’, but a lovable one that you can’t help but laugh at, and yet at the same time feel pity for.

He somehow manages to put up with Veronica, his snobbish girlfriend who doesn’t think too highly of him, but whom he’s still smitten for. Ernesto is unlucky in life as well as in love.

Ernesto’s Manifesto opens up with a beautiful wide shot of Los Angeles greenery. There are some breathtaking hillside views, after which the camera pans downs towards the suburbs of L.A, where we meet Ernesto who is California dreamin’. A solid opening for the film.

With L.A being accustomed to great weather, the director has definitely taken advantage of this with the majority of the film being shot during the day. The natural lighting really complemented the sets and costumes used in this film, and it’s overall feel which is quite laidback.

The sound used in this film is a fitting backtrack to the playful vibe, that resonates throughout Ernesto’s Manifesto. From the very beginning, you can definitely hear the Latin influence in the score. There’s some salsa, and to my ears at least, a touch of reggaeton.

In the first quarter of the film when Ernesto was having a few flashbacks of some previous work ‘incidents’, I loved the simple yet effective sound effects used during the quick transitions. It was very sitcom-esque in a similar vein to ‘The Big Bang Theory’.

The overall pacing of this film was well thought out, and none of the sequences felt rushed. It follows a similar format to the typical ‘day in the life of’ tv-shows where the audience gets to gauge and develop an overall feel for the protagonist. It doesn’t jump from one scene to the next, and it doesn’t drag out either which is a plus.

Within the first five minutes of Ernesto’s Manifesto, you’re invested in the story and looking to see where it’ll go next.

Fernando Hidalgo is the centrepiece for this film and delivers with perfectly timed one-liners, which sound even better in his dialect. He is constantly perplexed by some of the ‘expressions’ used by people in the film, and this makes for some hilarious scenarios.

The thing I appreciated the most about his character is that his charm and humour is pretty much effortless.

He’s not necessarily trying to be funny, which is a great thing because his performance doesn’t feel forced.

Even though Hidalgo really carries this film on his shoulders as Ernesto, there are some weak spots in this film, no doubt. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters seem to be doing a tad too much on the comedic punchlines, when they don’t need to.

They should take a page out of Hidalgo’s book for any future comedic roles. Sometimes, just keeping it simple works. Simple jabs are more effective than hooks. It’s just a shame that Hidalgo didn’t really have anyone he could bounce off of.

Watching Hidalgo’s display in Ernesto’s Manifesto reminded me of ‘Yehya’ and ‘Guillermo’ on ‘The Jimmy Kimmel Show’. Like, how could you not love em’. They’re brilliant!

You just root for Ernesto to win in this film and quote-unquote ‘stick it to the man’.

This had the potential to be something special, but some of the weak links in this film dampen it, just a tad. I did appreciate the comedic attempts from the supporting cast and it seemed like they tried to take a leaf out of ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ or ‘Modern Family’, but they weren’t quite up to par.

With that said, it’s still worth a watch as Ernesto is the main attraction in this film, and he definitely delivers.

Ernesto’s Manifesto is released in U.S theatres on December 13th and across all digital platforms on January 14th 2020.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: The BRWC Spoiler Review. SPOILERS AHEAD.

It’s fantastic to see Kevin Smith back in the writer/director chair after his heart attack last year and what a way to return to the film industry than to reintroduce fans to his iconic characters Jay and Silent Bob (played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith).

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is the sequel (and, yes, reboot) of the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. After learning that a ‘Bluntman and Chronic’ film reboot is being made, stoners Jay and Silent Bob return to Hollywood to stop it from being made.

While it was nice to see the mischievous pair back on the big screen, Reboot was, unfortunately, in need of a script rewrite.

The film is very familiar and does feel like a continuation into the lives of two friends who have not grown up much at all. Because of this, the slapstick humour returns and works beautifully, along with the Looney Tunes-style music, which works most of the time. However, some of the music was a little out of place and too loud in some scenes. 

The first act was a little messy, especially the scene revolving around Jason Lee’s character Brodie Bruce (from Smith’s 1995 film ‘Mallrats’). While I understand that Kevin Smith’s films are dialogue films, this scene, where Brodie explained to Jay and Silent Bob what a reboot and remake were was slow and painful to watch. Considering that it occurred 10-15 minutes into the film, it already slowed the pacing down.

The jokes revolving around the dialogue was also written too late, timewise. While I understand that a similar scene took place in Strike Back, where Ben Affleck was explaining what the internet was to the lead characters, the internet as we know it was still a relatively new product whereas remakes and reboots have been ongoing in the film industry for decades. While I understand what Kevin Smith was going for, this should’ve been removed, or dialogue should’ve been cut to make the pacing tighter.

Some other aspects of the films that should’ve been removed was a plot involving a Russian spy and a scene where the characters get kidnapped by the KKK. Even now, I’m still not sure what Smith was going for in these segments as they went nowhere. While the latter scene was probably a commentary on the group, the Russian spy plotline had no reason to be there other than for Silent Bob to get his shining moment in an Iron Man-style suit.

However, the whole third act at Chronic Con in Hollywood was delightful and the strongest part of the whole film. Cameos from Kevin Smith’s filmography and TV work were all here, including the cast of the show Comic Book Men, his film Chasing Amy and even the cast of his debut film Clerks! Speaking of cameos: THERE WERE SO MANY! From Chris Hemsworth (Thor) to Justin Long (Tusk) to Ben Affleck (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) to Matt Damon (Dogma).

Kevin Smith has worked with a lot of great (and now very famous) actors over the years and it’s incredible to see them altogether in one movie, even if the cameos are only a few seconds long. There’s also a lot of references and mentions to his previous films sprinkled throughout this, and it seems like Smith has used Reboot to look back on his career and comment on it, for better or worse (mostly better).

Overall, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was fine. While it was nice to see the pair back on screen and watch them grow up into more responsible(ish) adults, it was a little messy and there were a few uncomfortable scenes. By the time it got to the third act, it felt more comfortable with its narrative but, by then, it was a little too late. While I can’t say this was a bad film (I did enjoy my time watching this), it wasn’t great. 

3/5