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!

  • Short Film Review: Boldly Gone

    Short Film Review: Boldly Gone

    Two estranged brothers are brought together to launch their father’s ashes into space.

    Boldly Gone delivers two great performances in an adeptly crafted short that is neither twee nor overbearing in its sentimentality. It’s refreshing to see such a simple concept brought to film with an accomplished balance of humour and emotional heft. Their relationship is believable and for the small amount of screen-time they share, you really get a sense of their characters.

    With a couple of lovely touches in the soundtrack, Boldly Gone will put a smile in your heart without leaving a saccharine taste in your mouth.

  • Review: Bone Tomahawk

    The western is still rather popular first Hateful Eight and now Bone Tomahawk. This is the type of film destined to become a cult classic as it takes all the essential parts of the western genre and has a bit of fun with them and even throws in a few zombies in for good measure. Yes, zombies! So in fact it doesn’t matter whether you are good or bad in Bone Tomahawk you just want to make sure you don’t get eaten.

    What are the basic elements that make a good western? It is usually set in the untamed, ungoverned wild west where the good guys wear white hats and defeat the bad guys in black hats and as a consequence the untamed west becomes civilised. However in Bone Tomahawk directed by Craig S Zahler, he throws a spanner in the works. We have all those elements however there are a spectrum of bad guys: the petty thieves who kill the unsuspecting and rob them right through to zombies. Say what? Yes, zombie like cave dwellers who aren’t Native Americans but some other race. The glorious aspect of the film is that it works because Zahler respects the western genre and doesn’t stray so far that it becomes ridiculous.

    The opening scene is a mixture of gore, razor sharp dialogue and excellent sound effects. We learn that there are reputedly 16 major veins in the neck and it important that you cut through all of them otherwise your “dead” victim might well shoot you. That shot awakens the zombies that we catch a brief glimpse of. The story then jumps forward 11 days and we arrive at the town of Bright Hope – already governed and kept in order by Sheriff Hunt (played with deadpan humour by Kurt Russell supported by his second deputy Chicory (the constantly excellent Richard Jenkins). We meet the broken cowboy, quite literally with a broken leg, Arthur (Patrick Wilson) married to Samatha (Lili Simmons) and the very vain and very machiavellian Brooder (on good form Matthew Fox).When Arthur’s wife as well as the prisoner and Deputy Nick (Evan Jonigkeit) are taken by the zombies the four set out to rescue them.

    Bone Tomahawk is gory and what befalls Deputy Nick (Evan Jonigkeit) at the hands of the zombies will haunt you for a few days afterwards. However, gore aside the humour’s wonderfully thick and dark like molasses will have you chuckling throughout. The characters are well drawn including the female character which is a welcome trend in modern westerns.

    This film reminds me of The Big Lebowski. It is the type of the film that may not do well at the cinema but later goes on to become a cult classic. Even for those of you who aren’t a huge fan of westerns this feels fresh and different.

    Bone Tomahawk opens in cinemas across the UK on Friday 19 February.

  • Review: Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyôshitsu)

    Review: Assassination Classroom (Ansatsu Kyôshitsu)

    When an Octopus like artificial being takes a huge chunk out of the moon, and threatens the Earth, what happens next? Thats right! The creature becomes the firm teacher of a bottom set Middle School class in Japan! Held by a promise, ‘Korosensei’, the creature that threatens the very existence of the planet works to craft and mould a classroom of teenage assassins with the sole aim of killing him (and passing their exams).

    Featuring a plethora of J-pop talent including the unforgettable voice of Arashi’s Kazonari Ninomiya as Korosensei and Ryosuka Yamada of Hey! Say! JUMP as the unlikely hero Nagisa, Assasination Classroom is everything you’ve come to expect from both family friendly Japanese cinema as as well as any port from book to film. It’s real hindrance is a typical product of any adaptation. The speed with which the story has to progress progress and the glut of story arcs throughout don’t allow for the steady build up featured in the manga, and some of the references will be confusing and difficult to understand for the first time viewer but remain and gracious easter egg for fans of the manga. Nonetheless, the changes made work well and the film firmly stands on it’s own two feet, and I think, with a great sense of pride. The acting performances are good but not outstanding, the backstory works for the most part and I was undoubtedly left with a yearning for more, which for me, is the the sign of any good movie. Ultimately, that’s what this is, a fun and enjoyable film, and for me, that’s what makes it great. It’s not award winning, but it’s enjoyable a fun, with a good story, reasonable effects, OK acting, and brilliant characters.

    Based on the manga series of the same name, Assassination Classroom is as fun and playful as it’s counter-part. Full of interesting characters, classic Japanese expression and everything that makes light hearted Japanese cinema great. This is a fantastic chillout film, with lots to enjoy, it’s nonsense personified in parts, the story is crazy and so are the characters. I think you’ll love it!

    I’ll be watching again!

  • Review: Noble

    Christina Noble grew up in the slums of Dublin and with a gift and a dream she changed not only her life but the life of countless children in Vietnam and Mongolia.

    You could be forgiven for suffering from biopic fatigue, I know I am a sufferer, however this is one biopic that is worth seeing. It is inspiring even in some of the bleakest scenes and keeps a sense of humour throughout. Impossible means everything is possible if you’ve got self belief, love in abundance and an iron will as our Christina has.

    Stephen Bradley’s film biopic of Christina Noble’s life does at the start feel formulaic. It starts off with a little girl running from the school inspector, her mother dies and that rips apart the family. Christina steps into the mother role given her father’s alcoholism. The children are all separated and Christina is sent off to the convent. The film only really picks up and becomes interesting when Christina makes it to Vietnam and as she puts it “became obsessed with a country I couldn’t show you on a map”.

    The adult Christina is played by Deirdre O’Kane and she does a fine job. After meeting the woman that inspired the film Deirdre really captures her charisma, zest for life and most of all her determination. The supporting cast: Ruth Negga cast as the best friend and Brendan Coyle plays Gerry Shaw are both excellent.

    The biopic mercifully steers clear of melodrama as it shows Christina helping children regarded as the “dust of life” and taking on the role of Mama Tina to all these children. What was unique and different about this biopic was that I left thinking this woman found her salvation. Too often with biopics I think that’s great the person overcame adversity and became great but did they feel content or happy once they got to that point. Stephen Bradley’s biopic left me with the abiding impression that Christina found her salvation and that’s rare, after all isn’t that we’re all striving for: salvation whatever that means.

    Noble opens across cinemas in the UK on 12 February.

  • Review: Exhibition

    Review: Exhibition

    Exhibition is definitely not a Joanna Hogg film…

    This film is, in fact, a 1975 documentary from Jean-François Davy about French pornstar Claudine Beccarie.

    Mixing interviews with Beccarie and graphic scenes from the hardcore erotic films that she stars in, this character study reveals a bright, articulate and outspoken woman, who holds fierce opinions about her profession.

    Beccarie speaks frankly about the struggle to reconcile her work with her family, fiancé and Christian faith, and as the film delves deeper and darker, she seems less convinced of her own certitudes. This is especially evident in this version’s sour epilogue that has been tacked on to the 1975 original.

    The film is perhaps at its best when Beccarie is wielding her superior intellect and assurance to make men look rather stupid and scared, whether it’s instructing her nervous co-stars in how to pleasure a woman, or questioning patrons outside a porn cinema. That said, the film wastes little opportunity to be plenty pervy, and it’s unfortunate that the sex scenes are shot with the kind of dispassionate yet lingering gaze she vocally disapproves of.

    There’s no doubt that this rare film would have made quite a splash at the time of its original release – and Beccarie is certainly an engaging personality – but in the Internet age, where adult actors like Stoya are writing for the New York Times, Exhibition isn’t showing us anything we haven’t seen before.