film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

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!

  • A BRWC Review: Kicking Off

    A BRWC Review: Kicking Off

    Robert Faquhar’s and Matt Wilde combine to bring us Kicking Off taking us on a journey of obsession as we follow the efforts of two obsessive football fans deal with disappointment in a unique and…ever so slightly, criminal manor as they see fit to kidnap the referee who’s decisions forced their beloved team to suffer humiliating relegation.

    As star Alistair Petrie (Anthony Greaves) rightly stated in 2015; Kicking Off is not a football hooligan film. Far from the stereotypical trend of films like Green Street (yet, thoroughly enjoyable) and Football Factory (less enjoyable), Kicking Off is a more about passion, friendship and how far natural and deep set allegiances can go when pushed to their limit.

    Winner of Best British Feature at Raindance, Kicking Off is unique in the world of football storytelling in that it’s characters are forced to bear a plethora of emotions rather than just the one. Even more so, this film is far from the usual extremes of sports films, without either a rising natural talent or simplistic violence, Warren Brown (Wigsy) and Greg McHugh (Cliff) are able, through a well-written and thoughtful script, to produce complex characters with complex motivations (though they often can be misconstrued as simple).

    Its style is interesting and exciting, with all the tricks thrown in from freeze frames, jump cuts and flashbacks. Although the continual breaking of the forth wall with background story-telling does get tiresome as you progress, I felt that as a whole package it worked. It matched well with the tone of the script and the tone of the presentation, which was tongue in cheek throughout. Well directed and incredibly well edited, albeit only a small cast, Kicking Off is a fun and interesting film. Not 100% sure if it’s Raindance quality, and it’s sure to split opinion, but ultimately Kicking Off is worth a go if you like good old British comedy.

  • Review – Arabian Nights: Volume 1 – The Restless Ones

    Scheherazade told the King bedtime stories to save her neck. In Arabian Nights Volume 1 – The Restless One, Migel Gomes tells stories to show the destruction of his beloved Portugal over a period of a year to show the devastating effect the European austerity measures had on Portugal. It is an inventive, surreal, visceral and surprising use of visual storytelling. The question is will you beguiled enough to sit through just over 2 hours of it. Not only will you be beguiled, you’ll want more, never fear, there are two further volumes.

    This is the first in the trilogy of films from the writer and director Miguel Gomes. The writing was a collaborative one and when I interviewed Miguel he said all the stories in these films are all true, when you have watched the whole ensemble you question can that possibly be true but it is.

    The Arabian Nights trilogy and I think you have to talk about them as a whole concentrate on a one year period from 2013 to 2014 and were filmed in that same year. So the action happened and then a week later the writing team led by Gomes sat down to write down the storey ahead of filming. It was shot over the year so part social commentary, part observation and a call for action – the laid off ship workers, the plague of wasps wiping out beehives. There are so many metaphors and symbols – foreshadowing what is to come. For Miguel Gomes, Scheherazade is the ultimate storyteller and though he’s never finished the entire Arabian Nights he liked the format showing the truth but in a a cinematic format. The story of the cockerel, the capitalists and their hard ons and then the scene of the unemployed going on their New Year’s Day swim are all moving.

    Some of the stories told in Arabian Nights volume 1 are so visceral and all the more poignant given the social background. The absurd shown with the actual people not actors aside from the story of the men with hard-ons. It is Fernanda Loureiro who was taken to Court because her rooster was noisy and disturbed the peace of her neighbours that recounts the story in the story of the cockerel and the fire.Whose fault was it that Portugal found itself in this position: the government, individuals, the people or a mixture of the all of the former? Did people just not want to see the signs and hope they would disappear. Gomes leaves it to the viewer to form their own opinion.

    Just as the real Scheherazerade would stop in the middle of the stories so does Gomes – it leaves you wanting more of some of the stories and less of others. It is a clever concept. As I said this is a surreal, surprising and inventive piece of filmmaking and something that should be watched. I enjoyed some stories more than others but isn’t that the magic of the original 1001 nights not all the stories are engaging and some are there to jolt you to action. Volume 2 is my personal favourite out of the trilogy and you should try and see each one. There’s no right way or wrong way to watch these films but remember each chapter within that particular volume is a vignette not a completed story but a spotlight on a moment. Just as we in the UK consider Brexit on 23 June, this is a timely and interesting observation on the effect that Europe had on a country told by the ordinary people of that country.

    Arabian Nights – Volume 1 is released on 22 April across cinemas in UK.

  • Short Film Review: INFINITE (2016)

    Short Film Review: INFINITE (2016)

    Lowkey Films, created two years ago by three filmmakers shooting short films in their back garden, has produced Infinite, a 15-minute film written and directed by Connor O’Hara. Using a simple and interesting premise, O’Hara has filmed an unusual subject.  A group of five long-term friends gather together to make their memories and experiences of each other symbolic and memorable.

    Cementing their friendship in the universe, if you like. Showing young men as vulnerable as well as capable of expressing affection is unfortunately rarely seen on screen. O’Hara has successfully done both, as well as integrating a conversation about the often avoided subject of death. Infinite managed to attract a great cast and crew, and the film reflects this.

    Have a look at Lowkey Films site for more of Connor O’Hara’s films. www.lowkeyfilms.co.uk

  • Review: Adira

    Review: Adira

    During the Holocaust, a young Jewish girl flees from the grasp of the Gestapo and finds herself stranded on an abandoned farm.

    Aside from the tense and infrequently frantic opening scenes this WWII drama manages to traverse the usual trappings of its contemporaries. As Adira is secreted to a new location there is a noticeable shift in tone, the young girl must fend for herself for the first time and her journey becomes something akin to a coming of age tale. Watching this young woman survive in the isolated wilderness managed to evoke Robert Zemeckis’ Castaway in a way I hadn’t expected.

    The visual language of Adira resonates with the often-dreamlike narration while the ramshackle setting offers a damning serenity that looks set to engulf the lonely girl at a moments notice. A richly resonant score punctuates the imagery throughout and would be well deserving of an isolated soundtrack release.

    Lead actress Andrea Fantauzzi displays some deft character flourishes as she grows on screen, from forager to hunter, quarry to survivor. As the film progresses Fantauzzi seemingly runs with the YA heroine mantle and becomes an amalgam of numerous empowered protagonists. Even when a young male figure enters her world (with all his Dick Van Dyke’isms) she barely breaks her stride.

    When a more prevailing threat emerges in the final third the pacing shifts a gear that comes close to dashing the energy earned up to that point. The focus realigns and the harshness of the film’s opening tone do well to remind the audience of Adira’s plight, however, the use of emotive imagery is a little heavy handed at just feels unnecessary at times. The final reel’s returning threat ramps up the suspense and resolves satisfyingly enough, although I personally could’ve done with one more brush with darkness before the credits rolled.

    With elements of everything from The Book Thief to Castaway, and YA themes in its DNA this is a sturdy first feature from Irene Delmonte and Bradley J. Lincoln.

    Adira is released on May 5th

  • Review: 11 Minutes #KINOTEKA2016

    Review: 11 Minutes #KINOTEKA2016

    11 Minutes written and directed by one of the titans of Polish cinema Jerzy Skolimowski and is 81 minutes long. Skolimowski who attended the opening night gala showing of his film said it was inspired by a very dark period in his life during which he suffered loss but wouldn’t be further drawn on that. You hear the adjectives bold, surprising and refreshing to describe the film and all of those would true.

    What is the film about? Well in his own words it tells the stories of 8 different people and somehow all these lives are affected by an event that also happens to be the culmination of the film. Before the screening Skolimowski recounted Roman Polanski’s reaction after seeing the film as follows:

    “When I watch the films in recent years I’ve always got the feeling 10 to 15 minutes into the film I know the plot. Seeing 11 minutes I had no fucking idea.”

    Polanski is right you don’t what the fuck is going on but you are transfixed. Strap yourself in and enjoy the emotional rollercoaster ride this films takes you on – you won’t be bored. One thing is true this film will make you want to live to the max as it reminds you life is short. It is gutsy piece of filmmaking displaying Skolimowski’s skill as a storyteller and director, in the wrong hands this could have turned into a jarring mess.

    11 Minutes opened the Kinoteka Polish Film Festival.
    The 14th Kinoteka Film Festival runs from 7 to 28 April 2016, full details click here