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!

The BRWC Review: Departure

Departure follows a British family to their rural French holiday home, where they prepare for its sale, in the midst of their struggle with changing relationships, sexuality, and loss. It is the debut feature from director Andrew Steggall.

The story revolves around a mother and son, played by Juliet Stevenson (Truly Madly Deeply, 1990), and Alex Lawther, who recently appeared as the young Alan Turing in the Imitation Game (2014). Proving to be one to watch, he is listed in the BAFTAS ‘Breakthrough Brit’ scheme. Lawther is faultless as Elliot, striving to break free from his mother’s stifling embrace. He longs so be sophisticated. Leaning, not so casually, in his little-drummer-boy jacket, he cites poetry at every opportunity. Though still too much of a petulant teenager to be particularly likeable, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for the boy when his declarations of fact (designed to impress) unravel in front of him. GCSE French no doubt serving him well in his pursuit of the mercurial Clément, played by Phénix Brossard.

Juliet Stevenson’s performance is poignant. Her Beatrice is in a state of refusal – unable to accept the reality that she is losing those whom she holds dear: husband, home and son. The brooding nature of all the male characters serves to highlight her behaviour: emotional, irrational, and grasping.

Visually, Departure is absolutely beautiful. Each scene is framed to create the impression of an exquisite painting, whether landscape, portrait or still life. Cinema audiences will be rewarded with these immersive scenes. The pace is gentle, and dialogue halting as characters pick their way through awkward encounters, yet Departure makes for compelling viewing. The enjoyment lies in reading the characters during their silences, recognising their moments of realisation.

I recommend Departure for fans of Pawel Pawlikowski‘s My Summer of Love, which covers similar ground with regard to sexual experimentation, and dysfunctional family units.

1st November 2016
Bench: Review

This short four-minute film produced by Brighton-based collective Red Kite Films is directed by Christopher Laws and filmed by Joe Kaufman.

Chris (Christopher Lawes) engages in hesitant conversation with the stranger (Jack McKenna) who has suddenly appeared next to him, sitting on a park bench, the type that has an affixed memorial plaque. Full of remorse and regret, he attempts to resolve the major issues impeding his life – how to forgive himself for the death of his friend. Jack, who has been watching Chris’ downward slide, provides a way back.

Bench

The combination of the story and soundtrack creates a slightly cloying melancholia, and Christopher’s manicured eyebrows don’t suggest self-neglect, however, these are minor distractions. The film cleverly presents a conversation that most people dream of having with a person who has left, disappeared, or died. Seeking resolve is a universal theme that the filmmakers have treated well and the premise is one that stays with you long after the film has ended.

Have a look at Red Kite Films’ website for more of their diverse film productions: redkitefilms.co.uk

From their website –

‘We are a group of creative professionals, fascinated by technology, light and colour, based in the sunny seaside coast of Brighton.

We create cinematic films, telling the stories of the brands, companies and individuals we work with. We specialise in art house, lifestyle and documentary film making – it is our job to tell the real story behind your brand.

Red Kite Films offers a full range of filming and post production services, so can work on any aspect of your project.

We shoot on 4K Cinema Cameras and use high end audio gear to give your project the best quality possible. Our office in Brighton has two editing stations with the full adobe creative suite.

Please have a look at some of our work on the project page.’

1st November 2016
What To Watch Over Halloween: The BRWC Ghastly Guide!

By Last Caress.

HALLOWEEN! It’s almost upon us, and whether you’re raising a goblet of blood-red claret to the occasion this Saturday or on the night itself – this coming Monday – you’re going to need something to put you in the spooky spirit, and keep you there. So the graverobbers at BRWC have set their most fiendish crypt-kicker, Last Caress, the task of guiding you through the choicest seasonal cuts, grouped loosely by type and/or suitability so you can pick a couple of late chillers or plan a full “Halloweekend” of fearmongering! Come inside, guys and ghouls; we won’t bite… much! BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAAAAAAAA!

1. FILLER MATERIAL: 100% FRIGHT-FREE

SpongeBob SquarePants: Scaredy Pants/I Was a Teenage Gary (1999)

Nothing says “Halloween!” to me more than an animated frolic or two, and this episode from the very first season of SpongeBob SquarePants back in 1999 ticks every box. We even get treated to Californian surf act The Ghastly Ones’ take on the SpongeBob theme.

What’s New, Scooby-Doo?: A Scooby-Doo Halloween (2003)

Is there a cartoon more suited to Halloween than Scooby-Doo? No sir! My pick for the season is A Scooby-Doo Halloween from 2003, in which Velma, Shaggy and the gang attend a KISS concert. KISS!

The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror VI (1995)

There are of course a good couple of dozen Treehouse of Horror episodes to pick from at this point in The Simpsons‘ long – some might say overlong – run, but my favourite comes from season seven back in 1995. You know the one: The giant billboards come to life, we’re treated to a terrific A Nightmare on Elm Street parody starring Groundskeeper Willie and, finally, Homer stumbles into the third dimension!!

2. FAMILY FUN

ParaNorman (Butler/Fell, 2012)

From Laika, the stop-motion people who brought us Corpse Bride (Burton/Johnson, 2005) and Coraline (Selick, 2009) – either of which would also make a fine Halloween-time feast – comes this tale of a boy who, like Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999), sees dead people.

Frankenweenie (Burton, 2012)

Hankies at the ready for this remake of director Tim Burton’s own 1984 short about a boy who uses electrical current to resurrect his dead pet. It’s a warm, funny family film, but it’s a tearjerker too.

Goosebumps (Letterman, 2015)

Self-aware meta-fun abounds in this movie based on the children’s book series by R.L. Stine, starring Jack Black as R.L. Stine himself, doing battle against the very monsters he created.

3. RETRO THRILLS

Ghostbusters (Reitman, 1984)

“I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost!” Could there be a more iconic piece of cinematic ’80’s nostalgia than Ghostbusters? Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis’ tale of scientists starting up a ghost-capturing company amid a ghost explosion in New York City still delivers the goods to this day. Oh, and whilst the 2016 reboot isn’t a patch on this one, it’s nowhere near as bad as you might have heard, either. You could do a lot worse than giving both a whirl this Halloween.

The Frighteners (Jackson, 1996)

It’s another poor soul (Michael J. Fox) who “sees dead people”, except this guy uses that to his advantage, befriending a couple of dearly departed and getting them to haunt peoples’ houses so he can come along and “exorcise” them, for a fee of course. All good fun, until the spirit of a serial killer (Jake Busey) decides he wants to continue his murderous spree.

The Monster Squad (Dekker, 1987)

Kids do battle with the Universal Pictures monsters in this kiddie classic from 1987, in a battle for a magic amulet which could spell the end for the monsters or the end for the rest of us! In truth, this isn’t the greatest movie on Earth – it’s my least favourite on this list, in fact – but its “Monster Mash” aesthetic goes down brilliantly with the young ‘uns and it looks great at this time of year.

4. SPINE-TINGLERS

The Cabin in the Woods (Goddard, 2012)

Here we have another monster mash-up, this time with a smart nod and a wink to modern horror tropes. A typical band of jocks, chicks and assholes led by a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth repair to a cabin in the woods for a saucy weekend but end up getting not only more than they bargained for, but considerably more than we bargained for, too.

1408 (Håfström, 2007)

“It’s an evil f*cking room.” So warns Gerald Olin (Samuel L. Jackson), manager of the Dolphin Hotel in NYC, in trying to convince mythbusting skeptic Mike Enslin (John Cusack in the form of his life) not to spend so much as an hour in room 1408, site of scores of unexplained deaths. Mr. Enslin doesn’t heed the warning however, and we all get to see how that turns out for him. (sings) We’ve only just beguuuuuuuuuun….

The Conjuring (Wan, 2013)

Positing the exploits of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren – specifically in this movie, the Perron family haunting of 1971 – as genuine supernatural events, I really didn’t expect much from this big studio effort, but The Conjuring is the real deal, with horror maestro James Wan ratcheting up the tension with impeccable timing.

5. ALL HALLOW’S EVE

Trick ‘r Treat (Dougherty, 2007)

Starring Brian Cox and Anna Paquin among others, Trick ‘r Treat is an anthology of five loosely related tales, all happening in one town on All Hallow’s Eve. Perfectly capturing the Halloween vibe, if you can only fit one movie in over the Halloween period, make it this one.

Tales of Halloween (Various, 2015)

Starring Barry Bostwick and Sam Witwer among others, Tales of Halloween is an anthology of ten loosely related tales, all happening in one town on All Hallow’s Eve. Perfectly capturing the Halloween vibe, if you can only fit one movie in over the Halloween period, make it… hang on, haven’t we been here already? Well, yes, but Trick ‘r Treat and Tales of Halloween are very similar in terms of their sense of fun and occasion (although Tales of Halloween might be a shade cheaper and gorier). Oh, and if you really can only fit one film in over the Halloween period… squeeze some other facet of your life and find the opportunity to watch both of these! What’s wrong with you?

Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)

There are better horror pictures. There are better John Carpenter pictures. There are better slasher pictures… Hell, there are even better Halloween pictures. But THIS one is the grand-daddy, Halloween, and it’s as much a part of this time of year to me as Brussels sprouts are to Christmas so, let’s all take a trip to Haddonfield, eh? (NOTE: I don’t actually permit Brussels sprouts at Christmas – or at ANY time – anymore, but you know what I mean.)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Wallace, 1982)

See, a movie franchise by the name of Halloween should have been able to spread its wings past the humble slasher genre, it really should. John Carpenter certainly believed so, and that vision almost came to pass with this, the third film in the franchise and the only one not to feature Michael Myers. Instead, we have a typically Halloween-like tale of a sinister company making Halloween masks which will kill their wearers upon a trigger to be broadcast on Halloween night. It’s a bit silly and, if you’re a big Michael Myers fan (no, not that one. Schwing!) you probably didn’t appreciate how this one stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the franchise, but I think it’s a great slab of camp Halloween fun. Masks on, everyone! Happy, happy Halloween…

6. NIGHT TERRORS

The Lords of Salem (Zombie, 2012)

Probably the most unusual of Rob Zombie’s films, this tale of an ancient coven of witches returning to Salem to play havoc with a local disc jockey (Sheri Moon Zombie. Who else?) is also possibly Zombie’s most restrained picture too, until it takes a swan-dive off of the edge of reality towards the end. Still, it sticks with you, this one.

The Exorcist (Friedkin, 1973)

Spawning an entire franchise of its own – including a TV series which only debuted last month – with degrees of success ranging from “Yeah, that’s not too bad at all, really” (William Peter Blatty’s own The Exorcist III, Paul Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist) to “Sh!tting bumwrong! What the fudding fud was THAT?!?” (John Boorman’s Exorcist II: The Heretic), The Exorcist nevertheless remains one of the most outstanding movies ever made, not to mention among the most terrifying to this day, taking horror and ancient, biblical evil just about as seriously as cinema ever could or ever will take it. A must-see for anyone who loves film.

The House of the Devil (West, 2009)

From young pretender to the horror crown Ti West comes this glacially slow but gloriously intense and retro love letter to the Satanic Ritual pictures of the late seventies/early eighties, in which a babysitter accepts a gig to watch a strange older fellow’s ailing mother while he and his wife go out to observe a lunar eclipse.

So, those are my tips for your cinematic entertainment over these final few days of October. Enjoy, guys and ghouls, and I’ll see you all safe and sound on All Saints Day… those of you who survive the night, that is. BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAAAAAAAA!!

28th October 2016
Train To Busan: The BRWC Review

This film has all the tropes you would come to expect from a modern zombie movie. It has an unexpected, and largely unexplained, outbreak early on, it has an enclosed space as it’s main location which results in many survival complications, it has a group of strangers as it’s protagonists who have their differences but must come together for survival, the list goes on. So with all these cliches in place then why does this standout as one of the best zombie films we have seen in years???

The answer, in my opinion, is that this is a film driven by human relationships and it just so happens to have zombies in it. By the time the carnage commences on the titular train, and it does commence in a big bad way, we have met a Father who has thrown everything he has into his career. He is a successful fund manager and he provides for his mother and young daughter by giving them everything they need except his time. We have met his precocious daughter who is a sensitive soul and as a result of her Father’s absence has nothing but time for others. We have also met a couple who are expecting their first child. The expecting father, who is a mountain of a man and a proud and protective figure, watches over his wife like a hawk and she both welcomes his protection and is perturbed by the sheer extent of it. We have also met a high school baseball team, about 10 strong, and specifically spent time with one batsman who has the affection of the team’s cheerleader only he is embarrassed by her public displays and struggles to show her how he feels in a way that respects her and gets his team off his back. We also meet a couple of sisters who are late in life and are still wonderfully close despite a complicated upbringing and many particular hardships along the way. We also have met a multitude of train attendants, drivers and conductors, all with their own backstory and motivations, and I believe at this stage you can see my point. These are not carbon copy characters and I genuinely cared and hoped for their survival.

As great as the character development is, I mustn’t forget to talk about the actual zombie side of things. This is top level stuff! The zombies are fast, jittery, unpredictable and actually scary! The makeup artists and motion actors do a superb job and some of the movements these zombies make are incredible! More than a few times I found myself thinking “That must have hurt so much!!!”. Another thing to mention is how high-end the visual effects are. There are some truly stunning set pieces along this 2 hour train journey and they are all breathtaking. Whether it is huge waves of zombies crashing through sheets of glass or explosions lifting train carriages into the air in slow motion with people flying around inside, everything looks immaculate!

I have thus far neglected to mention that this is a Korean film directed by Sang-ho Yeon, who I have not been familiar with until now. He has also directed an animated zombie film last year entitled “Seoul Station” which is getting a lot of praise as well so he will certainly be on my radar from now on. This film is released in UK cinemas October 27th and I heartily recommend you see it on the big screen if possible. You won’t regret it!

27th October 2016
#CamFF 2016: Manchester By The Sea – Review

Over the years we have seen Casey Affleck develop from Ben Affleck’s goofy little Brother to a brooding and brilliant screen presence and I can honestly say that right now I consider Ben to be the lesser Affleck! It was only a matter of time until he worked with Kenneth Lonergan as he specialises in brooding and sombre and it has resulted in his most powerful performance to date. An oscar nomination is surely on the horizon after what he brought to the table here.

Lonergan is best known for his success as a screenwriter for such polar opposite movies as the Robert De Niro/Billy Crystal vehicle “Analyse This” and Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York” however as a Director he is somewhat of an indie legend. His debut “You Can Count on Me” back in 2001 showed us an understated masterpiece about family relationships and the fragility of taking it for granted. He then followed this 10 years later with “Margaret” which was an emotional character study about life going on after sudden tragedy. Luckily we only had to wait another 5 years for his third feature “Manchester by the Sea” and what we have here is an understated masterpiece about family relationships, the fragility of taking it for granted, and a deeply moving character study about how life goes on after extreme and devastating tragedy.

I won’t beat around the bush, I absolutely adored this movie! It is shot with a sombre, steady, confident hand and is constructed so expertly that it can literally have you laughing one second and crying the next. The story is so powerful and I believe you should try to go into this knowing as little about the narrative as possible. The way Casey Affleck’s character Lee is revealed to us, and the bigger picture becomes clearer, is exponentially heartbreaking and a huge part about why this film works so well.

The supporting cast are uniformly fantastic. Michelle Williams plays Lee’s ex-wife and is a revelation! She has always been a great talent in my opinion and this just goes further to prove that point. It will be interesting to see her go into more leading roles in the future as she obviously has the chops. Kyle Chandler is reliable as always as Lee’s Brother Joe and C.J. Wilson brings in a tender and loyal performance as Joe’s best friend and business partner but the real standout is Lucas Hedges as Joe’s Son and Lee’s Nephew Patrick. So many scenes revolve around Lee and Patrick going toe-to-toe and they are never anything less than exhilarating. I completely believed their relationship, their bond, their resentment, their love, and it is something that so easily could not have worked. It is testament to the actors, and the screenplay and the direction that this all comes together so effectively.

I have already gone on too long so I will begin to wrap this up. It is a story that has been done before yet due to Lonergan’s masterfully subtle writing it is without cliche and it’s themes resonate through it’s sincerity. It is Kenneth Lonergan’s best film to date, it is Casey Affleck’s most powerful performance yet, and it is another film that has proven 2016 to be a truly wonderful year for cinema. I cannot recommend it enough!

26th October 2016