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!

Western: Callum’s Take

You don’t often get a title that gets right to the point in telling us the theme of a film. Western is very clearly a film influenced by the old spaghetti western film from the days of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone. While this is an update, set in modern day Bulgaria, it still follows the same story tropes as those classic films did. Everything from the feel of isolation in a changing world, to the dust swept settings, right down to the mostly silent, outsider protagonist.

Meinhard (portrayed by Meinhard Neumann) is a stoic German worker for higher, taken on with some other Germans to help with the construction of a hydro-plant in Bulgaria. The work is tiring, stressful and only adequately prepared for them – tensions are high enough from that alone. What doesn’t help is that the German and Bulgarian workers are constantly at odds. The culture differences and language barrier constantly put the groups at odds. When the Germans start getting a little too involved with the people within the village, the tentative peace between them threatens to break.

Much like the films that influenced it, Western is very much a slow burn story. But that is exactly how good tension is made. You have no real idea as to what the outcome will be. No, you don’t believe that this will end in a big showdown, guns blazing and long, epic faceoffs and stares. It’s made clear from the get go that this is not that kind of film. But you are tense nether the less because this does feel like real life. There’s very little gloss to what you see, to the point where it at times feels like footage someone shot on a handheld. I mean that in the best possible way – the same way that made such films as District 9 stand out when they were released. This alone is all we need to know how dangerous these prejudices can be, and how they could end.

https://vimeo.com/217995169

For a film that is clearly made on a low budget, it is very well shot and edited. Every scene lets the characters and scenery breathe. Bulgaria has some lovely buildings and landscapes to it and – while it doesn’t feel very tourist-y – it does add to the atmosphere. The hot sun, the rising tensions, and also the kind wonderment of its people and villages. The visuals are what tell most of this films story. Were they any lesser, then it wouldn’t have worked nearly as well as an overall film. The acting does help, with very good performances from its cast all around. Meinhard in particular worked as a nice nod to the days of Wayne and Eastwood, with a little bit of Robert Shaw in there for good measure.

At times Western does get really slow. And I do mean really slow. Moments like this are few, but they do happen. However, my biggest issue with the film came after having watched it. It didn’t really strike me until I was about to start writing this that Western is not a very memorable film. Despite moderately enjoying it at the time, there was very little about it that stuck with me. It’s a shame because I do feel that films like this deserve to be seen. Perhaps it’s because I am unfamiliar with the region, having never visited myself, or that I know little to nothing about German/Bulgarian relations, but the story didn’t feel like it was gripping me as well as it should do.

In the end Western deserves to be seen. If anyone is aspiring to be a film maker or has an affinity for those spaghetti westerns then I highly recommend it. It just wasn’t for me. It’s not so much because not much happens in Western – it’s more because it didn’t leave the impact it had intended to with me. There’s little more I can say, if you get the chance to see then do so. I just won’t be revisiting it.

8th April 2018
The BRWC Review: Tomb Raider

The tragic story of videogame adaptations continues with Tomb Raider. Not that anyone was really expecting much from this film. We’ve all heard of the games, even though I’ve not played a single one all the way through – they’re not bad, but I’m more of an Uncharted player. We’ve all heard of the two previous films starring Angelina Jolie – I’ve seen them. The second one, Cradle of Life was just trash. It was boring and not engaging in the slightest; typical of a videogame adaptation. But the first one is a pretty big guilty pleasure of mine. It’s stupid and not particularly good, but it goes about it with such fun and dedication that it has an irresistibly enjoyable charm to it. So, no the bar is not high for this one. But I will give it credit, it was better than expected.

Lara Croft is a fun loving, yet hard working young woman with little money and no real ambition for anything. Her father left and disappeared seven years ago and she never really recovered from it. Suddenly, clues to her father’s whereabouts pop up, and she decides to follow the trail and see where it leads. This lands her on an island surrounded by perpetual rough seas and home to a band of mercenaries and a cursed treasure. The thrill of adventure and hope of finding her father once again push her on, as Lara changes from the girl she is to the woman we all know her to be.

So far so generic. And that’s the film’s major problem. It is so basic that you can tell what will happen in it almost beat for beat. Even those moments that kind of stand out feel as if they were picked from another film. There’s a death-trap to the treasure that was clearly ripped from Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade; there’s a fun cycle chance that reminded me of Premium Rush; even a bit when the front is falling off of a rusted plane felt like the breaking glass scene in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. The only moment in the film that felt like its own was the pretty intense ship-wreck moment. This means that in the end, the story, characters and action are just basic. Not bad, but basic.

What does stand out, however, are the performances. For what it is, this is a weirdly well-acted film. Alicia Vikander fits the role like a glove. She’s a great actress who has a good number of great roles under her belt, and this is a role that she could have easily decided to slum – but no, she approached it with the same dedication as every other performance that she has taken. You feel for Lara in this one. Jolie engaged you with Lara’s sense of joy and the love of the thrill, which was intoxicating – but Vikander goes at it from the other direction. She engages you by bringing out Lara’s more human side, and succeeds in making what is ultimately a larger than life character feel relatable. Dominic West does well as her father, a man who loves his daughter very much, but is always off finding these treasures. Not to uncover them but to block them off even further, because he now struggles to separate myth from reality. Okay, that’s an interesting angle. I also liked Walton Goggins as this villain who is just tired of everything. He hates this island, he’s sick of looking for this treasure and he misses his family – so he’s going to let nothing stop him from achieving his goal. It makes him a weirdly fun and relatable villain.

The thing is that, outside of some story issues, most of which stemming from the film’s relatively short length and fast pace, there’s not much to really complain about. Yes, Lara’s sudden turn from young woman who is lost, scared and horrified after he first kill, to basically Rambo is very sudden and distracting. Some of the effects are great, some are bad, and there are a number of awful effects here and there too. It also has some pretty bad sequel baiting. It’s so obvious that they’re holding out for a sequel, and it feels a little premature and very silly. I’ll also say that, while this didn’t bother me, in-fact it helped me enjoy it more, this film may be rated 12 (or PG-13, in the US) but it is pretty violent and gruesome. This is stuff I’d see in a 15. But if Temple of Doom can get a PG with people ripping hearts out then what do I know.

In the end, Tomb Raider is a set in the right direction for videogame adaptations – even if it is a baby step. Being a mostly generic film does hold it higher than most in the genre. But that first Tomb Raider film with Jolie, while certainly a worse film, had much more personality to it that made it more enjoyable and overall memorable. Don’t get me wrong, there is enjoyment to be had here. At its core it’s a playing it safe, but competently made action film. Maybe not worth paying out for a cinema ticket, but certainly worth a go on a DVD or streaming release.

1st April 2018
Annihilation: The BRWC Review

Annihilation, what a sad story it is. Oh, not the film’s story, although that’s not something to perk you up either, I mean the film itself. It’s a mid-budget sci-fi horror film with acclaimed writer/director Alex Garland at the helm. It carries deep themes, is incredibly smart, features a great all-female and very diverse cast and is based off of the cult-classic Southern Reach Trilogy. And the studio had no faith in it what-so-ever. It was horribly marketed and then, after an extremely limited cinema run, was handed over to Netflix. So, the good news is that, if you own Netflix then you can watch this film anytime you want. The bad part is that it’s infuriating because this feels like a film that should be in the cinema.

The story is a little strange and heavily focused on twists and turns, so it’s pretty hard to describe. The basics is that a group of five woman are sent into the Shimmer. A meteor had hit the everglades and this wall of twisted light has been spreading outwards ever since. But the wall is not the problem – within the wall all DNA becomes the same in structure. This means that anything, people, animals, plants and fungi can mix with each other, causing huge mutations. The group wishes only to find answers as to what’s happening. But they soon find that they may follow the path of the previous team.

Alex Garland is one of my favourite writers working today. Having written films like 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Dredd and Never Let Me Go and directing Ex Machina, this is a man who has mastered the sci-fi genre. Annihilation keeps up his trend. Everything that made you love those previous films is here in full form. Garland has a good habit of making films that are smart and thought provoking, but also very entertaining. Annihilation is beautiful to look at, even at its most grotesque. And I don’t mean the effects, although they were great, with the exception of two quick but noticeable moments. It’s shot very well and the colours are used perfectly. It feels alien, yet familiar to us. At times like a fairy-tale, at others an unrelenting body-horror. Normally this might be a clash of tones, but it really works here.

This is because among the films many themes are the danger of beauty and the beauty of danger. There is a lot to debate about it thematically – yes, it’s one of those ones. But unlike, say Arrival or Interstella where you are asked to think about what you had seen and what you took from it, but it doesn’t really make you care enough to think on it anymore (or at least they didn’t with me), Annihilation does make me want to talk about it. One thing I definitely took from it was a theme of cancer. I’m sure not many would agree with me, but cancer does get brought up in passing at three moments in the film and the Shimmer itself does feel and in some ways act like a tumour to me. A tumour that’s affecting the planet.

So, yes it does get philosophical at times, but before it starts to feel boring and school-like it entertains you with a dramatic scene or an action or horror moment. There’s a bit involving a bear in this film – I’m not going to go too far into it, but I will just say that it will be my nightmare fuel for a long time. It was easily the most horrifying and haunting thing I have seen in a film in years. There are moments in this film that I can see as being off putting to a few people. The ending is bold and deliberately challenging, which does mean that some will just find it weird. There’s a pretty grim body-horror moment involving a dissection. But, for the most part I’d say it’s very accessible.

In terms of performances, all the cast do a great job. Natalie Portman is sympathetic as our hero. She’s very every-man like, but she she’s also smart and skilled with weapons, so it’s never unbelievable that she can do these things. Jennifer Jason Leigh did bother me at first with this very withdrawn, bizarre performance. But then we got the explanation as to why she’s playing it the way she is and it makes complete sense after that. The other women and Oscar Isaacs do very well too. They are all perfectly playing human, relatable and compelling characters. This is the feminist film that the public is asking for, forget Wonder Woman – a dumb, if entertaining action film with a woman in the lead. A challenging and subtle film that has a point beyond its cast. Which is even more infuriating considering that this film has been side-lined!

My only regret with Annihilation is that I never got to see it in the cinema. This is one of the best sci-fi horror films in years. I’m tempted to say that it’s the best since Garland wrote Sunshine back in 2007. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time and watching it again and again. It’s a slow burn at times, and very graphic in moments, not to mention out right terrifying in others – but it’s more than worth it. It is at least on Netflix, so I’d say give it a watch, at least once. If anything, Annihilation deserves the views.

1st April 2018
Haven: Review

A dark secret comes to light as a mother casually bonds with her young daughter.

This short film from writer-director Kelly Fyffe-Marshall stars D’evina Chatrie and Tika Simone, and has just screened at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

Fyffe-Marshall packs a lot into the film’s three minute runtime – the effect of media on young minds, the importance of providing a safe space for children to share their feelings, and how the simple act of brushing hair can strengthen the bonds of trust between parent and child.

The direction and cinematography create a creeping sense of unease without diluting the shock of the dark turn the story takes, while both mother and daughter are naturalistically and sensitively portrayed by Chatrie and Simone. The film’s short, sharp shock plays for maximum dramatic impact, but a bit more length and depth might have afforded greater emotional engagement with the characters.

Haven

Director and writer Kelly Fyffe-Marshall’s powerful short drama, “Haven”, received its North American premiere on at SXSW Film Festival, and stars Tika Simone and talented young actress, D’evina Chatrie.

We sat down with Kelly and the film’s female producer Tamar Bird for a chat.

Tell us about where this story evolved from. How long were you working on this story before you decided to start?

Haven evolved from a conversation I had with my good friend and DOP Jordan Oram. We spoke about making a powerful film that had just two characters in one room. That night I came home and wrote Haven. I thought about a picture that we don’t see in film, a black woman and her daughter getting her hair done. For black children growing up this is a safe Haven, I thought about what conversation would be born out of that. What deep secret would you reveal to your mother? From this Haven was born.

What makes Haven different or special?

Haven is three minutes long. It’s classified as a short short. In such a small timeframe, I am able to reel in the viewer, make them fall in love with the family and then leave them wanting more.

The rest of the interview is here.

30th March 2018
First Look TV Review: The Terror

The Terror tells something so terrifying that no one outside of naval circles speaks of it. In 1845, two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, set sail under the command of Captain Sir John Franklin and his deputies Francis Crozier and James Fitzjames, to try and navigate the Northwest Passage. Except, disaster struck when the ships became stuck in the ice. It is the greatest naval disaster the United Kingdom had ever witnessed. The Terror confirms that the golden age of television is here to stay.

At the premiere last Thursday, we were treated to the first two episodes and, what a treat it was. The Terror is not like anything else currently on television, it feels fresh and intelligent. This is a show that you will need to watch, not flirt with, but actually, engage so that you don’t miss the details or wonderfully nuanced dialogue that betrays the motives of the different characters above and below deck.

At the premiere Jared Harris explained what drew him to the script:

“[I was] sent the first episode and immediately recognised a master storyteller and not familiar [with the story]. It isn’t a reboot, remake or a prequel”.

The Terror

Ridley ScottThis is what makes this show refreshing but how does it make it engaging? One word, or possibly two, the writing. A great show is based on good writing, whatever show you are currently watching and enjoying its success is down to the writing. The Terror is and will be no different, the writing and character development is incredible. David Kajganich, creator of the show along with co-showrunner, Soo Hugh have managed to take a story where we know the ending and make it feel fresh and unknown. Also, they have added some mystical elements to give it the dramatic arc and this works wonderfully.

The Terror’s executive producer is Ridley Scott and of course, the production values are incredibly high. At the premiere, we were treated to two episodes and each of them could have been considered mini films in their own right. The cinematography and photography would not be out of place in a big budget film. The ships and attention to detail of how There is an actual terror – a monster but this is not done in that ridiculous way – oh my goodness quick hide there’s a monster – more a subtle, unnerving sensation that the monster and terror isn’t just in the form of a physical manifestation but also something far far worse, in everyone’s minds.

The Terror premieres 24th April at 9 pm on AMC on BT TV.

28th March 2018