Category: REVIEWS

A Line Birds Cannot See is a short animation that tells the story of a woman only known as E. When E was twelve, her family went from Guatemala in an attempt to cross the Mexican border into The United States only for E to be separated from them and pushed into a life of slavery and abuse.

Using simple yet beautiful animation, the short film tells the harrowing story of a woman recounting the events that took her childhood away from her. Through the use of the relaxing images and music, it tells the story so that the audience can relax and take in the pretty images, but despite the beauty of its animation the short film takes the audience through a journey of what the worst of humanity is capable of doing.

The film gently puts the audience at ease with its animation and music, but it never detaches the audience from E’s story as the film plays out as if the twelve-year-old E is telling the story herself. E’s emotions pour through to the audience and her story cannot help but send out a strong resonance as the things she talks about are not outlandish or sensationalised, but come from a very real and personal experience.

//vimeo.com/315499736

A Line Birds Cannot See is sadly not a wholly unique story but is just one of thousands of stories that happen every day to immigrants all over the world. I’m sure that it is the hope of the film makers and of E’s that viewing A Line Birds Cannot See may help in some way, however small, to open the eyes of people who ignore the problems of those who feel they have to flee their countries or simply want to work for a better life.

E’s story may bring up emotions the audience may have not been expecting and through the short time it is told, it manages to put across its message strongly. A Line Birds Cannot See doesn’t give any solutions to the problems that immigrants face, instead it leaves the chance of hope in the hands of those who watch and take notice of E’s story which I’m sure will help to push its message further than just a single viewing.

After watching the film it would be good to know that when the subject of immigration is raised as it often is these days, that somebody may think twice when they consider what a girl like E had to endure just to live a better life in another country.

Mandao of the Dead is a new comedy/horror/sci-fi from writer director Scott Dunn and stars Dunn, Marisa Hood, Sean McBride and Alexandre Chen.

“Jay Mandao (Dunn) and his adult nephew Jackson (McBride) astral projection to reverse a ghost’s death on Halloween“

This film combines astral projection and vampires in what could be considered an interesting premise however somewhat fails to deliver on this with the pacing and story – as a film it really failed to launch for me.

Sean McBride gives a believable performance as the man-child character of Jackson. Living with with his mother’s ex partners brother who he calls ‘uncle’. Dunn in the lead role of Jay Mandao should be driving the film forward; he gives a performance that swings for the fences and often misses and ends up rather one note. The supporting cast was also on the whole lack-lustre.

2.5/5 – As a film it offers some interesting ideas but fails to land.

Murder Suicide: An upbeat buddy comedy 

The beats are odd, the characters a little flat, but the quirky silliness of this film makes you smirk and grin. A woman kills her ass hole boyfriend because he let her dog run loose – she concocts a poisonous beer knowing he’ll ask her for the rest of her own drink, and therefore orchestrates his own demise through his rude predictability.

A mysterious hotline plays a third character which provides the smirks and funniness of the story. The absurd deus ex machina allows the woman to walk away from her crime with little to no guilt, thanks to a quick google search of non extradition countries. The hotline gains a new customer, and she and her dog both get lost.

Safe Bet 

This short is charming in a very vulnerable way – the playful sadness of dating and the risky game of romantic gambling give one woman a really bad night. The inversion of the tropes are legitimately cool. The nice guy at the beginning is still nice, but more going for him than we thought, the coy pixie girl is lonely and desperate, and the ass hole is nothing more than that because we all know how they are.

In the end, the only safe bet is the one you make on yourself. As this woman makes not one but two mistakes in one night, turning away a great date to go sleep with a loser, then coming crawling back to another bad surprise, it makes you realise how your first impressions can be criminally unfair and sometimes the safest bets have the lowest reward – you gotta risk it to get the biscuit. 

Craning

This movie has been in development for a while, and has since been recognised for the effort. With good reason – the short is emotional, neatly done and a great watch. Two people on an uncomfortable date are left wondering whether a meaningful connection is even possible. It takes some honest confessions and a few twists to get the two from A to B – awkward banter to a real place of empathy. 

The two actors together don’t seem to have much chemistry, but their performances are both still good. The camerawork is sophisticated, and moves from static and stationary to carefree and fluid. It’s linked well with the dialogue and the story, and the performance at the end really brings it home. I take my hat off to this film, I was invested and surprised, and left feeling a little raw, in the best possible way.

After the events of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) life has gone back to normal – as normal a life that an enthusiastic Magizoologist can have at least.

His international travel rights have been revoked, he believes that Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) has moved on after their brief romantic encounter and to top it all off The Ministry of Magic informs him that Creedence Barebone (Ezra Miller) has resurfaced in Paris after nearly destroying New York. The Ministry believes that Scamander is the only one that can secure Barebone and neutralise the threat he poses but Newt is not so sure. It’s a good thing then that the evil Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) is securely locked away for his crimes…

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second film in Warner Bros’ plan to reignite the cinematic love for Harry Potter. J K Rowling herself has provided the scripts for this and the previous film and may well do so for further instalments, but as far as the audience are concerned, Rowling is the only person who knows what is really going on.

Newt’s friends are quickly pulled back together as if the events of the first movie have never happened and off they go again on another adventure. Along the way they are met with old characters, new characters and some really old characters (just how old is Dumbledore anyway?) and the fans of Harry Potter are given a movie full of magic, wonder and CGI. However, there are very little indications of an actual plot.

Personally speaking, I have read every Harry Potter book there is, I have seen all the movies probably more than once but I cannot tell you in a clear and concise way what actually happens in the movie and least of all why it happens at all. As I said, characters appear as if they have never left but other characters appear for seemingly no reason other than to anchor a previously non existing connection to the main cast.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bYBOVWLNIs

Other characters seem to just appear for the real Potterheads to prick their ears up among the confusion of special effects and exposition. (Nicholas Flammel anyone?)

It all just feels like it was meant to be leading to something else, but the questions of what and why this film exists are never properly answered. The cast are all on top form though.

Love him or hate him, Newt Scamander’s shyness is still endearing under Redmayne’s control and I for one am looking forward to seeing more of Jude Law’s Dumbledore as a face off with Grindelwald is sure to be on the cards at a later date.