Disclaimer; as a long time fan and supporter of the project, this may not be the most unbiased review but i still wanted to share my thoughts.

‘Shooting Clerks‘ is a biopic of writer/director Kevin Smith which focuses on the production of his 1994 debut hit film Clerks as well as looking into the events that preceded and followed it. From writer/director Christopher Downie and producers Brett Murray & Ryan James the film stars Mark Frost, Chris Bain, Jay Booton, Tom Sullivan, Stephanie Price, Brett Murray and features cameos from several original Clerks cast members including Brian O’Hallaran, Scott Schiaffo, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Ernie O’Donnell & Kevin Smith. 

After several preview screenings and festival appearances in the USA & UK the film had its UK Premiere at The Prince Charles Cinema on Tuesday 16th January 2018 followed by a Q&A with cast & crew.

The film follows Kevin Smith’s journey from leaving high-school through his brief stint at film school and the production of his hit debut film Clerks. This approach gives us an intimate insight into how he came to make his own independent film and how family and friends helped shaped his journey along the way. That is the core of the story; however the film-makers also managed to latch on to one of the best aspects of the original film – the comedy! This film is an an un-ashamed laugh riot with constant perfectly delivered one-liners and visual gags that make it a very enjoyable audience experience; it even creates it’s own cut-away gags which are used as a framing device to great effect. I would go as far as to say that the comic skill shown here is on a par with the original film. That being said, the film pulls it punches and does provide a few more moving and intimate moments that contrast well with the comedy.

It was always going to be a tall order to create a biopic of a living director and getting a cast to play living actors & actresses as well telling a story that has already been well told in various podcasts, books & live shows through the years. Add to this that the principle setting for the story is New Jersey and the film was mostly shot in Scotland with Scottish and English actors and what the film-makers have managed to pull off here is nothing short of remarkable. However the film delivers from early on and you soon forget the actors and focus on the story; that being said some of the portrayals and accents are chillingly accurate and all managed to capture the essence of the characters. Mark Frost as the lead plays Smith in a very human and straightforward way and manages to lead the whole film. Chris Bain’s performance as Jason Mewes is a sensational embodiment of the character that gets a great reaction from the audience from his first scene on screen to the last. There were also some great performances through-out the cast, I was blown away by Nick Cornwall‘s performance as Bob Hawk (no small feat – as Bob Hawk himself cameo’s in the Film).

Visually we stay some-what true to the original and the film switches from Black/White & Colour as best fits the story. There are some graphical and effect elements that are used sparingly to add some flavour and separate different chapters of the films. The film was actually shot digitally but some grainy VHS style effects have been added in post for that nostalgic feel. There is even a re-creation of the Quick Stop set as well as re-created scenes from the original film which shows the level of attention to detail and love for the subject matter that is presented on screen.

In the pantheon of film-based bio-pics this is a worthy addition. It would be easy to draw parallels to the recent The Disaster Artist (which, co-incidentally was screening at the same cinema) and I think this stands up very well (and made for a much lower budget).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AV1aSmVjG4

It is a fitting tribute to creative mind of Kevin Smith that spawned Clerks but more than that it credits all the people that played a part in that story while being highly enjoyable, hilarious and offering plenty for both Kevin’s fans the un-initiated alike. – Highly Recommended! 

NB: This was not the final cut of the film and further editions and edits are likely before release

Details of further screenings and release of Shooting Clerks can be found below!

Keep up-to-date with Shooting Clerks:
www.ShootingClerks.com
Facebook.com/ShootingClerks
Twitter.com/UppieDownie

Vika Evdokimenko’s BAFTA nominated short film ‘Aamir’ follows a 13-year-old boy fleeing his home and family in Iraq, only to find himself in one of the largest refugee camps in France.

It’s a brilliant piece of work, delivered with confidence by Evdokimenko (herself a child immigrant). Her maniacal editing style and speedy direction come together to create an intense atmosphere, as we begin to feel the effects of the situation, and the pressure that Aamir is under.

He’s fled one helpless situation, only to find himself in another. On the face of it, this camp’s purpose is to provide for these refugees, offering food and shelter, but it is not without its limits. He befriends Kaitlyn, a volunteer who explains that there is no government help, but simply volunteers praying for donations that just aren’t coming. He never asks for more than he needs, and it really hits home just how dire this whole charade is, when a young, innocent boy’s hope lives and dies with such simple yet imperative things.

The environment feels very real. Large portions of the film were shot on site, and it shows. Nothing about this has been made to look cinematic or even remotely clean. The camp is brutal, and this is the image that Evdokimenko is showing her audience, thanks to a smart use of hand-held camerawork and a very dense colour palette. There is a real sense of verisimilitude here, with the images reminding us more of recent news stories than any contemporary productions. We are treated as a fly-on-the-wall to this horrific camp, put in place to help but simply creating more victims.

There is also a very minimal use of dialogue, here. The film embodies the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule.  We don’t need to be told what is happening and what it all means, when the performances and the imagery combined are more than revealing enough.

The story is brought to life with two terrific lead performances. Alan Asaad is in nearly every frame as Aamir, and his wonderfully human performance only adds to the film’s authenticity. He comes across as genuinelly tormented; a boy who has seen and suffered through far too much for someone of his age, and has developed a pessimistic view on even the most positive of people.

Jasmine Blackborow gives a subtle yet touching performance as Kaitlyn. Her optimistic outlook encourages Aamir among many others, but we can see that inside she is becoming increasingly frustrated at how difficult it has become to provide the help she promises.

It’s quite clear that Aamir feels no safer here than he did at home. He’s far more alone, and without the support he so desperately needs. In the film’s opening minutes, Aamir was shown as a boy with no hope, and the story does little to convince us that his circumstances will change any time soon. Evdokimenko isn’t interested in telling a story about hope, but simply presenting a harsh reality to the world.

It’s not hard to see why this film has received BAFTA buzz. It’s an extremely affecting piece of filmmaking that is also relevant and timely. In just 16 short minutes, ‘Aamir’ presents the most vivid portrayal possible of real life in this camp. We have thousands of refugees fleeing a life-threatening situation, with no real clue of what they’re running towards, and volunteers who want nothing more than to help, but who lack the support to make any real difference. It’s messy and pessimistic, and that’s exactly what we’re shown. The terrific performances, along with strong editing and direction from Evdokimenko and outstanding sound design from Roland Heap and Simon Haupt, work together to create a film so close to reality that it leaves a sour taste in our mouths, and one can only assume that’s exactly what the director was hoping for.

Activism takes many forms and usually requires breaking the law at some point. Put simply The Post tells the story of how one man’s decision to copy classified documents and leak them to the Press.

But it is much more than that. The Post tells the story of how during the period of Nixon, the Washington Post together with the New York Times went to Court to defend the independence of the Press and expose the fake news that a number of administrations that preceded Nixon and the ended with him about America’s involvement in the Vietnam war.

Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) was a US military analyst and started to feel disaffected by all the news reports about the lies being told about the success of the Vietnams War. So, whilst working for RAND he took some of the Pentagon Papers and copied them. He then sent them to the New York Times and the Washington Post. The parallels with today are stark – Wikileaks anyone?

Back in 1969, the world was much smaller and women had a place and it certainly wasn’t running a newspaper. Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep) is the owner of the Washington Post and together with her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) go to battle against the Nixon administration. A good battle is like going into battle and boy did they go into battle. The interesting sub-plot is that of how women were viewed. Yes, Graham owned the newspaper but only because her husband died. Even though she is the brightest person in the room, in the boardroom the men ignored her opinions. Little by little, we see her find her voice. This is the story of how the provincial post became The Washington Post that broke Watergate and how a woman found her voice in a male-dominated world. Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee was a joy on screen albeit briefly.

What The Post will make you do is lament the quality of the news we have today and the fact that no one seems interested in a long read. The Pentagon Papers took up the first 6 pages of the New York Times – can you imagine that today.

The Post is all about sweeping themes, the bigger picture. There are moments where this is poured on too thickly. I would have liked to see more of the supporting cast.

The Post is good and has a decent pace. Surprisingly, the standout performance is from Bob Odenkirk as the bedraggled, seen it all journalist, Ben Bagdikian. Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg also gives the film a bit of meaning as the man who had the courage to originally leak the Pentagon Papers.

This is a film for now. Steven Spielberg at the European Premiere explained that 10 months ago he hadn’t even received the script. This film was shot in record time, edited and released just as Trump comes to the end of his first year as President. It’s definitely well intentioned but it does feel rushed in order to get it out within the first year of this presidency. Only the first 15 minutes of the film are classic Spielberg, the rest is just good. There are grittier and meatier films about journalism – this is no All The President’s Men. However, this is not the message of this film. The Post’s central message is beware of fake news. Ultimately, Spielberg does achieve what he set out to do and that’s to provoke critical thinking – what is truth and what is fake.

The Post opens on Friday 19 January 2018 in cinemas across the UK.

Admit it, you hadn’t even heard of All the Money in the World until that whole mess with Kevin Spacey started. I know I hadn’t. I didn’t even see a trailer – just heard out of the blue that Kevin Spacey has been replaced after filming had finished in Ridley Scott’s new film. It actually makes it kind of fun. It’s nice to compare the two performances from the trailers. But, as fun as that is for us, it must have been rough for the film makers. Does it show in the finished product? That’s the biggest concern.

Based (although after doing some research, I’d say very loosely) on the true events of J. Paul Getty. When his grandson, John Paul Getty III, is kidnapped in Italy he is held for the random of seventeen million dollars. Getty is the richest man in the world and has enough money to pay the ransom and not notice a difference. So, what will he pay for the release of his grandson? Nothing. It falls to the boy’s mother to help save her son, with or without the billionaire’s help.

For true events, this is a pretty good one to pick. And, although Scott plays very fast and loose with events to help dramatise the film more, he does manage to reach some of the potential of the story. There is no hiding that the performances are what carry this film. Michelle Williams as the mother was excellent. I don’t think that she has given a bad performance to date, and that trend is carried on here. You feel for her as you should a mother who wants to save her child. Mark Wahlberg reminds us of how great he can be in films. This is especially refreshing after seeing him last year playing, ugh, Cade Yeager in Transformers: The Last Knight. I must also mention Romain Duris as one of the kidnappers. He is so charming and yet menacing in his performance that he succeeds at doing exactly what he is meant to be doing. You fear him when you need to, and you feel for him when you need to.

Let’s get to the big news now. Kevin Spacey was cast in the role of Getty. He had on a lot of make-up and was putting on a voice to sound more like the actual Getty. It looked silly and I’m not sure if it’d work or not. But that doesn’t matter now. After certain issues were brought to light about Spacey, Scott cut him from the film. Filming was finished, so they hired another actor and reshot all of Getty’s scenes with the new actor – all in under two weeks! Who did they hire? Christopher Plummer. A man who gives us one of the best performances I have ever seen him give. It’s amazing. Plummer steals the show – and because he looks like Getty and is already the right age, there is no distracting make-up. And you honestly wouldn’t tell that these scenes were not filmed at the same time as the others. Wahlberg is noticeably bulkier in some scenes and there is one bad green-screen shot. That’s it, everything else is perfect about the reshoots.

This is a Ridley Scott film, and true to form it looks very nice. It’s strange, because with the style taken for this film, you half believe that it was a Spielberg film – in the vein of Bridge of Spies and Munich. This was one of those few times that Scott held back on style and allows his actors and the dialogue to do most of the work, and it is better for it. Something I’ve been noticing about Scott’s directing is that he feels very workman like with his films. He gets them done with an artistic eye and the best actors, crew and equipment that money can buy. All the while, he gets them out in a hurry – which would answer how he can make one or two every year. It’s certainly admirable and gives us some great pieces of work. Sadly, it usually becomes his film’s Achilles heel.

I’ve had the feeling with most of Scott’s recent works – barring The Martian – that they were all one more script draft away from greatness. It’s the same here. Getty’s scenes are the best in the film, and I get the feeling that’s because they had more time dedicated to them – being reshot and all. The others are not bad, but there are a number of scenes that feel unnecessary. The ending in particular suffered for this. I was looking at my watch for the final ten minutes of the film. It was about fifteen minutes too long. That mostly comes down to what feels like padding out the runtime. It also ends a little too cut and dry for me. I feel that ten minutes of the end could have been removed and some ambiguity kept in. This would have made the ending all the more effective for me. Ridley Scott is one of my favourite directors, and I will always see his next films. But this is becoming a very noticeable trend to me.

All the Money in the World is a good film. But it could have been a great one. I love the performances, the smart dialogue and Scott’s over all direction. But it is a little too long and missing an impactful ending. It’s a hard one to recommend going to the cinema for, due to it’s length and some pretty intense moments. But I do recommend seeing it on DVD or TV when it’s released. It’s an interesting and tense thriller that follows some interesting characters well played by great actors. It’s by no means the best, but you can still find some enjoyment here.