Review Roundup - Bustin'

GHOSTBUSTERS AFTERLIFE (2021)

Another week, another soft reboot. Looking back, it seems as though the success of The Force Awakens is a deeply cursed moment in box office history. Now you can never escape the likes of another psuedo-sequel to Jurassic Park or yet another time-shifting Terminator movie. Even a series like Halloween that was already weighed down by remakes can't escape. And so we come to Ghostbusters, a one-time affair in which sarcastic humour and 1980s special effects wizardry came together to create real movie magic. The second instalment was a hit and miss affair depending who you ask. Then a lot of years went by and Harold Ramis passed away. How could a part three ever happen? 

Review Roundup - Dodge This

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021)

The Matrix was a film that came out in 1999. A film that borrowed liberally from the Eastern kicks of Hong Kong cinema, as well as the cyberpunk aesthetics of Japanese animation. An almost perfect distillation of various influences that changed Hollywood action movies, and the career of a certain leading man. But it was one film. The one, if you like. Two sequels, some video-games and even several comic books later, and it remains a stand-alone movie in many respects. There was no lasting impact after the 'Year of The Matrix.' There were no pop culture changing repercussions as a result of the swamp of multimedia projects that were released. In some ways the sequels drained any impetus the whole thing had. The same is still very much true today.

Weekend Retrospective - Beware of Scorpio

WEEKEND WITH CLINT

This originally started out as a fresh look at the Dirty Harry series. One of those slow grey sort of weekends where a whole movie series just kind of watches itself. However, along the way there ended up being a slight detour and a kind of post viewing epilogue, which I will get to shortly. My memory was pretty fuzzy on some of the sequels, so it was interesting to see how much (if any) of it had stood the test of time. As you can imagine certain elements don't quite hold up, while others are always a treat. So to get things started let's join the original loose cannon himself, Harry Callahan, as he reels off a few good lines and a hits a few road bumps on the path to the Scorpio killer.

Scorecard

NOVEMBER

FILM OF THE MONTH - Evil Dead II ☆☆☆☆

Weekend Retrospective - Walk Without Rhythm

DUNE (1984)

Oh David Lynch you old eccentric. He once described the production of Dune as about 'seventy-five percent nightmare,' but even without knowing the whole story his lack of creative control is often apparent on screen. This isn't some overlooked classic, or even an underrated gem. It's certainly an interesting movie, but is it a good one? The answer is no. Still, there are bits and pieces throughout its running time that are compelling for one reason or another. The first half isn't too bad, the second half is a truncated mess, and the conclusion is all wrong. But it's still a film that I often go back to, even if I can never really confirm why as the credits roll. However, since the new adaptation is here I guess this is the time for a fresh examination.

Review Roundup - Ring Out

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (2021)

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe constantly shifting to include magical dimensions and space travel, it was inevitable that they'd try to incorporate genre elements from Wuxia cinema. Kung-fu had been toyed with in their television shows after all. But this time it's definitely aiming for less realism and more fantasy. There's no longer any reason to make this grounded, and they have the budget to go beyond Luke Cage and Daredevil. This is more in the vein of Doctor Strange. For better or worse this is a movie which starts with hand-to-hand combat and ends with dragon-on-dragon monster action. It's hardly on par with the kind of action sequences from the classic days of Golden Harvest, but it's not entirely without merit.

Review Roundup - Double or Nothing

NO TIME TO DIE (2021)

Daniel Craig's 'tenure as James Bond', as they call it, has been less than stellar. There have been many highlights, but beyond the franchise reviving first instalment things have been rather shaky to say the least. Which isn't just a jab at the second unit camera work in Quantum of Solace. It seems at every turn there was a writer's strike or a long production delay of some kind. But this is a definitive conclusion to the rebooted series, for better or for worse. Does it go out on an all-time high or is it just a patchy affair? Unfortunately while this is a major step up from the laughable Spectre, the results reflect a lot of what has come before. Which is to say it includes the best, and worst, of Craig's time in the tuxedo, behind and in front of the camera.

Scorecard

OCTOBER 

FILM OF THE MONTH: The Shining ☆☆☆☆

Horror Bites - They're Creeping Up On You

IT FOLLOWS (2014)

A lot of modern horror these days falls into the category of bland, with the likes of Insidious and Sinister blurring together not only in terms of their homogeneous titles, but the generic supernatural plot elements. They have forgettable casts of family units and there's an overall lack of charisma. Elsewhere the lingering smell of the Blair Witch Project and its found footage ilk remains. The type of haunted house jump scares these projects are littered with replace any really imaginative elements, which is a shame. And don't get me started on all of the remakes out there. It's understandable that the old-school slasher movie won't get as many theatre seats filled, thanks to the age rating problem. But still this is a disappointing state of affairs. Luckily there are those who try something new, which is to say they borrow from other sources.

Horror Bites - Ninety-Nine Red Balloons

IT CHAPTER TWO (2019)

Well boys and girls, here were are with the conclusion to Stephen King's It. Again. The ending to the original TV movie is one of those memories many viewers share similar feelings about. The adult actors aren't as good, the pacing is off, and the internal logic of the story quickly falls apart. Particularly during the final battle with unspeakable horror, and that whole shoe-string budget spider set piece. It sets a clear template on what to avoid, with all the pitfalls mapped out. Surely nothing can go wrong this time, right? 

Horror Bites - Evil Within

HALLOWEEN SEQUELS (1981 & 1988)

Time for a few spooky sequels. Depending on who you ask, the original Halloween series has a selection of highlights to choose from. Some enjoy the first direct follow up, while others prefer the zanier aspects of part four. Others are adamant that the whole thing was a mistake and only the original is worth sitting through. Perhaps you enjoy some of the later remakes and reboots. Or perhaps you're in one camp or another regarding the perennial debate surrounding part three, with all of it's Silver Shamrock silliness. Personally I'm more of a fan of the music in most of these cases than the films themselves. So let's take another Autumnal jaunt into the world of Michael Myers and his singular wardrobe choice.

Review Roundup - Thank the Maker

DUNE (2021)

Long delayed, and coming after multiple prior adaptations that never quite hit the mark, this latest excursion to the desert world of Arrakis has been somewhat anticipated. There were several good omens during the wait. Director Denis Villeneuve was a fan of the material. His work on science fiction thriller Arrival proved he had the chops to delivery a narrative involving precognition, and other big concepts, without laborious dialogue. The film itself would be allowed to breathe since the plot would be split into two chapters. But would other pitfalls be avoided? Could the story be executed faithfully in a modern blockbuster? Would the characters have emotional depth and charisma, or would it be another Blade Runner 2049? With part two being give a green light the results are certainly worth examination. 

Scorecard

SEPTEMBER

FILM OF THE MONTH Kelly's Heroes

Monster Bites - Clash of the Titans

PACIFIC RIM (2013)

Guillermo Del Toro's work has a particularly nice texture, thanks to his special blend of horror and beauty. There's a creepy magic, a certain atmosphere of melancholy. It elevates the stock elements like vampires, or ghosts. But he also makes films in English occasionally. I shouldn't be too harsh, as the enthusiasm for the craft is clear. But while they are generally solid something gets lost in between a masterpiece like Pan's Labyrinth and a popcorn flick like Hellboy. The trade paperbacks of Mike Mignola's anti-hero are worth reading. The art and the writing seems simple but has a lot of depth, and the characters are done well with a subtle sense of humour. However, on film it becomes a teen melodrama, and the weight of doomsday is swapped out for Hollywood clichés. So you understand I went into Pacific Rim with some anxiety.

Weekend Retrospective - A Wizard Did It

THE MIRACLE OF DYNAMATION

There are a vast number of old school movies to sit through on a miserable wet Sunday afternoon. Or perhaps even when the sun is shining. After all some films are worth staying inside for any day of the week. There's a certain cosy mood generated by some of them. This is certainly the case with the swashbuckling adventure stories featuring the creations of effects wizard and artist Ray Harryhausen. 'Harry who?' I seem to recall asking as a youngster, when the day's television schedule was being discussed. But realising it was the film with the Cyclops battling a fire breathing dragon, I would undoubtedly spend the next few hours mesmerised. Some decades later and it seems that little has changed.

HCF Review - The Reptile

THE SNAKE GIRL AND THE SILVER-HAIRED WITCH (1968)

Director Noriaki Yuasa isn’t exactly well known for his work on projects with a great deal of atmosphere. This is thanks to his involvement with the original Gamera series, a franchise that became increasingly absurd as it went on. These were often nonsensical low budget stories aimed squarely at children after all. The same could be said of Daiei Film in some cases, although their output does include the original Yokai Monsters and the Daimajin movies. But while this story of rival sisters and spooky attics does feature a child star, it certainly packs in several sequences that will make most giant turtle fans do a double-take.

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Scorecard

AUGUST

FILM OF THE MONTH: The Holy Mountain ☆☆☆☆

Review Roundup - Edge of the Axe

THE GREEN KNIGHT (2021)

While a lot of fantasy films have tried to be the next Lord of the Rings, few have gone in another direction entirely. In this case there is a quest and there are various sinister portents. But the result isn't any kind of grandiose spectacle or crowd pleasing action. In fact there's a certain amount of hero deconstruction at work in David Lowery's eerie Arthurian tale. What makes a man a hero, or a myth? His true actions or the fiction left behind in his wake? What exactly is a knight? On top of this the story often falls into the horror trappings of a ghost story, or a movie about witchcraft. It's a nebulous adventure to say the least. But it's certainly worth examination.

Review Roundup - Expendable Assets

THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021)

Another year, another reboot. While the exact nature of this film's continuity is fairly tangible, it does start to become annoying when the same-but-different title convention rears its head. Luckily while this is an area deeply lacking in creativity, the rest of the movie makes up for it. For the most part. Although David Ayer's prior film has been buried (at the time of writing) in place of a studio cut, it seems as though directorial voices are back. Zack Snyder got his four-hour spectacle. James Wan and David F. Sandberg got to flex their horror credentials where it was appropriate. And in this case the product is another weird, crass and often disgusting James Gunn movie.

Monster Bites - Moon Runes

NIGHT OF THE DEMON (1957)

Special effects from older films are often the subject of debate. Is less always more? Did they have the time and money to achieve what was original planned? Should the monster be teased in only brief glimpses, until a third act showdown? The eponymous demon in this case wasn't even supposed to be in the film at all, and the makers had a more mysterious story in mind. However, in the end the creature is shown immediately. It loses any sort of psychological element of course, but I think the results work for the most part. It's usually tough to side with studio interference. This time around I'm going to side with whoever built the glorious rubber monster.

Scorecard

JULY

FILM OF THE MONTH: Castle in the Sky ☆☆☆☆

Synth Cinema's World Tour

PART THREE: COLOURS IN THE DARK

It was close to midnight when the movie madness began. A friend of mine wanted everyone to watch something called Suspiria. I recalled the title being a story about witches, and imagined something like The Witchfinder General. There would at least be cauldrons and black cats involved, surely? But watching Dario Argento's masterpiece was like entering a dream state, and as Jessica Harper walked through the airport doors reality began to crumble both in the story and for the audience. Someone laughed, someone joked about the murders having a shade of blood red called 'Dario Magento,' but I was hooked. Like the previous chapters in this vagary there are certain films that felt like discovering not only new directors, but entirely new genres. 

HCF Review - Magic Rocks

SILENCIO (2018)

Stories about strange meteorites usually come in one or two flavours; the kind with cosmic horror or the schlock filled variety. Lorena Villarrea’s sci-fi drama on the other hand has something far more ambitious in mind, with a story that spans several decades. The film also branches into multiple genres as it goes on, from the appearance of a kidnapping subplot to the inclusion of a character that thinks they’re a spirit medium. It’s an unwieldy end product to say the least. But there’s a solid amount of heart in the narrative and at least one or two interesting ideas. Does all of the time hopping and tonal inconsistency eventually come together in a satisfying way, or is this just proof that sometimes less is more?

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HCF Review - More Machine Than Man

TETSUO: THE IRON MAN (1989)

One day I hope to enjoy life with even a small amount of the insane energy found in the 16mm films of Shinya Tsukamoto. This same kind of passion can be found in his early festival shorts, The Phantom of Regular Size, and The Adventures of Electric Rod Boy. The former is more or less a rough test run for his feature length debut, and it contains some of the infamous effects scenes but little narrative. The latter meanwhile is a surprisingly light story about an outcast boy who finds himself in a distant future ruled by vampires. Both movies contain the DNA of what would follow, including the actors, the frenetic camera angles, and the stop motion racing effects. But neither will prepare you for the fully realised nightmare of Tetsuo.

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Scorecard

JUNE

FILM OF THE MONTH: Branded to Kill ☆☆☆☆

HCF Review - Tokyo Blues

A SNAKE OF JUNE (2002)

One day I hope to enjoy life with even a small amount of the insane energy found in the 16mm films of Shinya Tsukamoto. In some ways this all culminates here in this claustrophobic tale of pouring rain and pouring emotions. There’s a whole lot of rain and a whole lot of questions about what it means to be alive, but make no mistake this is no soul searching Kurosawa picture. Instead the focus is on shedding inhibitions and breaking out of routines in an entirely different way. Whether the central characters want to or not. It’s a very blue movie in more ways than one, a story filled with struggles for control and for privacy. There may have been some elements of sexual transformation in his prior films but it’s all been leading up to this.

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HCF Review - Gun Metal

BULLET BALLET (1998)

One day I hope to enjoy life with even a small amount of the insane energy found in the 16mm films of Shinya Tsukamoto. Which is a strange thing to consider in a story like this which seems preoccupied not with the meaning of life, but that of death and destruction. To some readers the title may suggest an action film because of the way this phrase is associated with Hong Kong cinema, but the reality is less straightforward. It’s true that there are guns, there are gangs, and there’s an overall punk sensibility to many sequences. But this is also a melancholy drama about obsession, in which characters are frequently found meditating on the right way to die.

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HCF Review - Pumping Iron

TOKYO FIST (1995)

One day I hope to enjoy life with even a small amount of the insane energy found in the 16mm films of Shinya Tsukamoto. There’s no better example of this kind of kinetic electricity than in this fusion of sports and horror. You didn’t think a boxing underdog story and a series of surreal nightmares would be a good match? Think again. After flirting with the mainstream by directing the yokai adventure Hiruko the Goblin and making the first of two Tetsuo sequels, Tsukamoto returned to form in this brain smashing genre mash-up. In some ways it’s the true successor to the iron man concept, as two rivals punch their way through repressed memories and self denial.

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Scorecard

MAY

FILM OF THE MONTH: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ☆☆☆☆

Monster Bites - Déjà vu

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)

There's an inevitable sense of familiarity that sets in after watching a whole series of monster movies. The unsolved mystery, the men in white coats, the inevitable thrashing destruction. Or maybe that's just a description of my own fate after sitting through one to many creature features. However while the formulaic nature of the genre is one thing, the direct rehashes are something else. This is yet another story about new atomic power meeting prehistoric life, resulting in a lot of misery for the urban populace. But there's something to be said for the approach this one takes, even if it's clearly just a Beast from 20,000 Fathoms imitation. For once the monster is probably the least interesting part.

Monster Bites - Lunar Fringe

FIRST MEN IN THE MOON (1964)

There aren't really any movies involving the effects magic of Ray Harryhausen that can be considered bad. Some are more dull than others, particularly in the case of It Came From Beneath the Sea. But people are likely to remember a giant octopus, if nothing else. This on the other hand is far more forgettable for one reason or another. Perhaps it's because of the lethargic pace or the way it spends so much time on planet Earth. Maybe it's the flashback structure or the lack of real monster action even when things actually get moving. Or it could just be the fact that despite having so much screen time dedicated to the men of the title none of them are written with any consistency.

Horror Bites - Mr Driller

TETSUO TRILOGY

A tidy salary man in spectacles is sat waiting to meet his train at the station. There's a big plaster on his face, covering over a cut he made after finding a weird metal shard growing out of his cheek. He's really not having a good time for several reasons that soon become clear. Just as things seem to be normal a fellow commuter appears, but she's apparently lost her mind. The woman's arm has grown into a writhing mass of rusted scrap metal and junk, and she chases him through the station. After a bizarre confrontation in the depths of the building he manages to escape. But later that day his own body starts to turn into a similarly grotesque collection of tubes and wires. Why? Well why not I guess. Afterwards the really weird stuff begins.

Monster Bites - Us and Them

THEM! (1954)

While the reality of giant insects is something inherently silly given the biological needs of their massive size, there is something compelling about the whole thing. It's probably a bad idea to have a long running story end with a giant bug confrontation out of nowhere. But building a sense of dread around mutant athropods can be done effectively, as this proves. We could talk all day about monsters from the atomic age, since of course the release date of this film in particular is notable. Alongside The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms a lot of clichés are seeded here. But let's focus on why this works; even though the budget was cut and the special effects limit the amount of creatures on screen at any one time.

Scorecard

APRIL

FILM OF THE MONTH: Key Largo ☆☆☆☆

Monster Bites - Beast Wars

KING KONG (1933)

With so much popular culture surrounding a film like this it's hard to really break it down in an interesting fashion. There have been multiple remakes, films made in Japan and Britain, and dozens of other thinly veiled copies in all forms of media. But this is still a classic monster movie after all so it's got to be discussed. The most intriguing part of all this is how much of the story is often only half remembered. It's about beauty and the beast right? There's a sentimental element to all this somewhere in the memory of most people. King Kong is a loveable prisoner of circumstance, doomed because of animal infatuation. But it has more in common with the 1930s horror film trend than it first appears.

Monster Bites - Dino-mation

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953)

There's something incredibly enticing about a hyperbolic movie title, but I suppose that's the whole point. It's never just 'Monster from the Sea' or 'Monster from Planet Venus,' there has to be something overly grandiose about it. In this case changing the original title from the short story title The Fog Horn certainly does the trick for me. The film starts as it means to go on when the name comes shooting out of a whirlpool. It's flashy and dramatic, and so is the rest of the feature. It's a sci-fi story without much time being wasted for once, despite the obvious genre tropes being present and correct. In some ways it started a number of these clichés, but it certainly remains one of the best examples of the genre.

Monster Bites - Beast From Space

20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)

It's interesting to consider when the films of Ray Harryhausen started to feel the most like they belonged to him in terms of artistic style. Maybe it was right at the start with Mighty Joe Young. It certainly has a lot of personality and the technical wizardry is obvious. Perhaps the subsequent creature feature The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms is more your sort of thing. But despite their strengths the former feels like another Kong retread and the latter is too reptilian to have much charm. As a result I'd have to choose this later story idea, The Giant Ymir. Combing everything that came before in terms of monster pathos and sci-fi storytelling it's one last hurrah for the black and white era. A send-off before the Technicolor fantasies arrived.

Review Roundup - The Old Gods

GODZILLA VS. KONG (2021)

At this point it's hard to get excited about a series like this when it's all so heavily cribbed from past ideas. The original King Kong vs. Godzilla got by purely on nonsensical monster battles and a story that existed to parody the world of advertising. Here we're simply reaching the zenith of another extended universe idea that is missing the point. However there is some hope on the horizon with a story that relies on fun instead of doomsday cataclysms, giving the monsters personality again instead of just misplaced religious grandeur. The results never reach the eclectic style of Kong: Skull Island but they never plunge into the migraine inducing destruction of 2019's King of the Monsters. It's somewhere in between so your mileage may vary.

Horror Bites - Balls of Fury

CRITTERS (1986)

There have always been comparisons made between this and Joe Dante's Gremlins, and it's easy to see why. Both are horror comedy creature movies with a twisted sense of humour and a bunch of titular puppets on the rampage. Interestingly the makers refuted this and said it was written prior to its release. Which is sometimes the case with production periods overlapping and the release dates making it look like someone is copying. But there are some key differences and while the holiday favourite is clearly a supernatural adventure, this is pure science fiction schlock. Many of the funniest moments come courtesy of the intergalactic mercenaries sent out to stop the monsters, since their methods are often incompetent and excessive in equal measures. 

Scorecard

MARCH

FILM OF THE MONTH: Princess Mononoke ☆☆☆☆

Horror Bites - Control

THE INVISIBLE MAN (2020)

The classic James Whale version of this story is one of my favourites from the period, so it was with some anxiety that I approached this new adaptation. It's been done repeatedly in the years since and even the original film had numerous sequels. There have been comedies, thrillers and even war movies based on the idea. Why do it all over again just to add another marquee title to the constant stop and start failure Universal monsters franchise? The state of this whole thing was frankly embarrassing after all, whether you consider the recent Johnny Depp vehicle that never came to be or the earlier League of Extraordinary Gentlemen debacle. So imagine my shock when the film that finally showed up was actually really good. 

HCF Review - Family Feud

TRASH FIRE (2016)

The tone of a story can often be a problem when films are being touted as both bleak human dramas and twisted horror comedies. The balancing act needed to keep all those plates spinning requires a lot of coordination after all, and Trash Fire has a lot of elements to mesh as the story unfolds. While a few moments do manage to reach the dark laughs you might be expecting, a lot of it is often pretty inconsistent. The genre they’re going for is kind of vague and uncertain in the first act, but it becomes a mixed bag even after events come along.

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HCF Review - Teacher's Pets

THE LESSON (2015)

After twenty years of teaching Mister Gale has reached the end of his tether. Maybe it’s the school itself or his choice of methods but for one reason or another the students are all out of control and running wild. However instead of changing tact, working on his discipline methods or finding new ways to engage with young minds he’s about to try a radically different approach. Be warned there’s no heart warming coming of age drama to be found here, his new idea involves taking his frustration out on the teenagers themselves. It’s going to involve a lot of household tools and cable ties. 

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Scorecard

FEBRUARY

FILM OF THE MONTH: Subway ☆☆☆☆

Martial Arts Mix

FIVE ELEMENTS NINJAS (1982)

So many Shaw Brothers films and so little time to watch them all. But where to start with all of these for those who aren't sure? There are lot of obvious choices and I would say the likes of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin or Five Deadly Venoms good starting points. Come Drink With Me is also a great option. But personally it doesn't get much better than this kung fu fighters versus ninja clan epic. The best films from the studio all include colourful sets, outlandish costumes and a whole lot of crazy gadgets and weapons. Gallons of red paint to complete the experience is always a plus. Which is why it's always fun to revisit this multicoloured wire work extravaganza. 

HCF Review - Art through adversity

TABLOID VIVANT (2016)

This is a film which starts off with an offbeat jazz tune before diverting into brutal murder and then back to wacky rear projection car driving scenes, while occasionally throwing in a few graphic inserts of magazines and restaurant menus to add a little zest. You might think this sounds like some kind of wacky comedy caper about oddball artistic types shacked up in the woods together with a dash of horror just for good measure. But this is only partially true. Tone is a major issue here and while stories like Frank and Inside Llewyn Davis have tackled similar material on the nature of art and artistic temperaments recently, this doesn’t really have the same kind of focus. Instead they’ve opted to throw in all kinds of other ideas to see what will stick.

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HCF Review - In the Woods

ALL GIRLS WEEKEND (2016)

Alone and afraid in the wilderness, a panic stricken woman and a young girl finds themselves on the run from malevolent forces. The sort of unseen evil that makes spooky chanting sounds but is always invisible to keep the budget down. To nobody’s surprise the voices demand a blood sacrifice. I’ve always thought an autumnal forest setting offers all kinds of possibilities for a no frills production like this. But I guess it’s not a big shock when the same old clichés are utilised. There’s little in terms of creativity even though the makers seem a bit sure of themselves; after the prologue a poster for the movie itself is prominently displayed in an apartment. Avant garde forth wall break or weird vanity? You be the judge.

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Scorecard

JANUARY

FILM OF THE MONTH: Casino Royale ☆☆☆☆

Winter Horror-Thon

PART TWO - MISDIRECTION

Time for a little theatricality. And when I saw a little of course I mean as much as the Italian film-makers involved feel is appropriate. It's usually quite a lot. The shadows are dark, the blues are harsh, and the reds flow in gallons. While there's still time for one last look at a film by Michele Soavi it's also time to break away from the previous chapter of this little marathon. Although these are still all going to be murder mystery tales of some description. This time around there's one standard whodunnit and another story in which there's no mystery at all, but is bizarre nonetheless. But first a discussion of style over substance.

HCF Review - Bad Dads

WEST OF SUNSHINE (2017)

West of Sunshine is an independent drama from Australia about deadbeat dads and children who aren’t getting the right sort of attention from their parents. The sort of thing that sadly goes on in real life every day. Unfortunately for the central father and son duo they’re also in the middle of an increasingly dire situation that involves loan sharks and drug deals. Which sadly can also be a real situation. But this soon creates two disparate story threads. Does the whimsical family drama and the gritty gambling debt storyline come together to form a cohesive narrative? It’s more successful than you might think. But there are times in which the style of these two disparate genres begin to clash with one another.

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