Assassin Club: Give Noomi Rapace More Action Roles Please

Summary

An assassin, played by Henry Golding, must kill his fellow assassins before they kill him.

The premise is very worn, many films have been there before and this one doesn’t change it at all, who know right where it is going and every twist and turn is completely guessable.

However, the enjoyment of this film comes from its surprisingly good performances. Noomi Rapace steals the show as her unhinged villain Falk, but the real power of her performance comes from how well and distinguished Rapace plays both Falk and her day time persona of a government agent. The duality in her performance is palpable, and you really do feel as though she is playing two different characters. Moreover, Daniela Melchior is also a very welcome addition to the cast. After impressing in The Suicide Squad a few years back I like what she did with the role here, and think that she elevated it beyond simply being the girlfriend in distress. Golding of course was a capable leading man, but I would say that Rapace acted circles around him at every turn.

Another thing to give this film credit for is it’s fight scenes. Though at times they were a little choppy the fight scenes were well done throughout and some of them felt really quite intense and bone breaking which is nice when thinking about the sea of mediocre fight scenes that exist within the action genre.

Overall, don’t watch this for something new because it isn’t . Instead it takes the familiar and repackages it in a fairly enjoyable way with good performances and strong action. Not a must see.

3/5

Pros.

Solid action

Rapace

Melchior

Cons.

Familiar

Easily guessable

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Interview With Writer/Director Harry Wells: Clockwork

Written by Luke Barnes

I recently had the chance to interview Writer/ Director Harry Wells about their new anthology film Clockwork. In this interview we discuss, script writing, making the most out of what you have and the wonders of the iPhone headphones mic in low-budget filmmaking.I hope you enjoy.

Q: How did you get started as a filmmaker?

HW: I started out as a screenwriter, for around two-three years I was entering the screenwriting competitions and getting some wins along the way and then last year I was able to secure two write-for-hire jobs which eventually sold and will hopefully find their way into production this year. I always loved the idea of making a short film, and filmmaking as a whole is an avenue that I’d always wanted to go down, plus I really wanted something out there with my name on it – just to effectively give me another advantage within the industry.

So, around Christmas time last year I was watching (yearly tradition) It’s a Wonderful Life and I really felt inspired to make something similar to that and really catch that feeling of warm nostalgia along with the importance of family around Christmas. So, I sat down and wrote the script for Clockwork. I sent the script around to some trusted friends and they all said the same thing – “you have to make this.”

With that, I decided, with barely any knowledge on filmmaking nor any idea where to really start, that I was going to make my first short film.

Q: How would you describe micro-budget filmmaking?

HW: A challenge, but a fun-creative challenge. You have to be strategic in all aspects, as you’re working with barely any money, cast, or crew. So everything you do, has to fit within them standards. Even when writing the script, you have to keep in mind what you’re realistically going to be able to shoot. I didn’t really follow the “set rules” of shooting a film – there wasn’t so much a schedule nor a fixed timescale – it was about as amateur as filmmaking can really get, but in a way, that made it rewarding, because we ended up something great for virtually nothing. I just believed that if I had an iPhone, some trusted friends and a good script, we could make a good amateur film.

Q: Would you say that micro-budget filmmaking is better or worse than filmmaking on a larger budget?

HW: Having never really had the experience of large-scale filmmaking it would be unfair of me to really compare the two. But I could throw the positives and negatives of micro-budget filmmaking forward – there’s less pressure, as you’re making something with nothing. It’s a massive learning experience and pure trial and error. I done SO many things wrong but you need these mistakes to learn, and they can only improve you ready for the next film. I really do think it can only help you once you step up to large budget filmmaking, as you’ll have so much more people working with you and having a big team together can only push you in the right direction. For example : I wrote, directed, shot, and edited Clockwork, the writing and directing was fun. But I am not an editor. To say I struggled with it would be an understatement and I definitely feel for my next film hiring an editor will be an essential. Where-as, on a large budget project, an editor will already be in place.

Q: What are some of the trails and challenges you have had to face as a filmmaker?

HW: Oh, there were many – around the time of shooting, there was a nasty storm heading over the South East, strong winds, heavy rain, etc..etc… and we were shooting in the loft of a local theatre, so the sound of wind and rain clattering against the roof made the audio unusable. We also happened to have a power cut just as we finished setting up the set ready for filming! Thankfully, the power cut didn’t last too long, but safe to say I was fearing the worst.

Then, on the outdoor shoots, we were shooting by a church and the scene was set in the 50s, something we couldn’t avoid was people walking within the shot. And obviously a person in jeans and trainers holding an iPhone was not something you’d normally see in 50s, so although they had every right to be there they also naturally were curious as to what was going on – we had to politely ask them to step out of our shot… some took it better than others!

Another big issue – sound. We originally had a boom mic, which was perfect, until I started to realize it wasn’t picking up any sound. Great. So I bought two cheap mics online… everything seemed to be going smoothly until I (the foolish amateur filmmaker) got home and looked over the footage – the mics had broken early doors and our actors sounded like two robots having an argument in the middle of a malfunction, again, something you didn’t really get in the 50s! So, we done it again with non-other than an iPhone headphone mic wrapped around the boom-pole and kept on with some sellotape! Sounds laughable when I look back at it now, but believe it or not, it actually worked pretty well!

Q: Do you have any tips for someone starting out in filmmaking?

HW: My advice would be just to do it. Pick up a smart phone, get some friends together and go out there and shoot something. You will learn so much about filmmaking, and you really never know where it could take you. I think filmmaking is more accessible to everyone now than it ever has been. So pick up on the momentum and just make something great.

Q: How did you shoot and make Clockwork with no budget or backing?

HW: I wrote the script knowing there would be no money towards it, so kept that heavily in mind. And then it was just asking for favours. I went around a few clock shops in my local area, none of them wanted me filming in there, which was fair enough. Then, my good friend at the local theatre said I could come along and check out the loft – it was perfect, a cosy little corner to build a clock workshop. Then it was purely just friends coming along and helping out with filming. We had some late nights and early mornings, but it was all worth it. I really hope the film can be seen as an inspiration to anyone wanting to make a film, but not having the budget or backing – Clockwork has now picked up multiple awards – it’s entirely possible to make a decent film with nothing!

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Evil Dead Rise: Some Books Are Better Left Unread

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A new family find the Necronomicon.

This was a sore disappointment for me. I had been excited for this film for a while, it was certainly one of my most anticipated of April, if not the year, but after watching it I have to say it wasn’t very good. I want to state up front that I am a big fan of the original trilogy of Evil Dead Movies and Ash Vs The Evil Dead, but I wasn’t taken with the remake from a decade ago and this I found had a lot of the same mistakes.

I think the problems of this film fit broadly into four key areas. Firstly, there is way too much fan service and nods back to the previous films, if you are going to do another quasi reboot then you have to have it stand on its own, by having all the call backs it makes people compare it to the original trilogy of films, and that is not in the films favour. Secondly, the opening sequence by the lake is dumb and should have been cut out, it has no relevance on the main plot of the film and just serves to tie up an ending tease, the book ended approach to the storytelling but done in reverse really doesn’t work. Thirdly, the first act of the film is a mess and is awfully paced. The first act feels like it goes on forever introducing us to all of these characters, who we don’t care about, it takes way too long to get into the deadite action and by that point you have stopped caring. Fourthly and finally, a lot of the scares and horror aspects of the film no longer feel fresh, they might have done had this come out a few decades ago, but there wasn’t anything here that I hadn’t seen already done to death in other films.

All that said I will give the film props for being fun and a good time from the second act onwards. Once Alyssa Sutherland’s character turns into a deadite and things start to go off the wall and into a gory spectacle things get a lot better and become more entertaining. I still wouldn’t say the scares land in the way the film wants them to but the gory spectacle of the film is at least good for a laugh.

Overall, I would leave the series here, it feels very much out of steam, if they have to do another film they should bring back old man Ash, played by Bruce Campbell.

2.5/5

Pros.

The gore

Fun with the deadites

It is watchable

Cons.

The first act is horribly paced and way too long

There is too much fan service for something that is supposed to be its own thing

You don’t care about any of the characters

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Beef: Season One Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Two random strangers, played by Steven Yeun and Ali Wong, get into a road rage incident that changes their lives forever.

I think this is one of the best shows Netflix has made in years. Why can’t we get more like this and less angsty teen shows that get cancelled after one season?

The show works so well as a series of escalations wherein each episode tops the drama of the last, and does so in a way that both makes sense and feels organic. At no point in this series did I think it strayed into the territory of the unbelievable.

Adding to this Wong and Yeun both have really great chemistry together and deliver fantastic performances. I particularly liked Wong’s performance and how it comments on depression and past trauma and shame, speaking off the monster that speaks to her as a little girl in one of the last few episodes is genuinely quite terrifying. It was clear to me from the off that the show was going to end up with Wong and Yeun’s characters getting together and in a sense it did that, but it just works as they are so good together.

Moreover, some of the more abstract elements of the show such as the previously mentioned monster and the crows that talk to one another in the final episode really add a nice different dimension to the realism of the rest of the show and perfectly juxtapose it.

Overall, if you haven’t already seen it you should binge this show the next time you have time to spare.

4.5/5

Pros.

Wong

Yeun

The drama and the escalation

The fun abstract elements

The ending

Cons.

The pace of the show is a little off and could be cut down by an episode which would also help to reduce the Netflix bloat.

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Renfield: The Role Nicolas Cage Was Born To Play

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Renfield, played by Nicolas Hoult, must do battle with both his toxic boss Dracula, played by Nicolas Cage, as well as with local mobsters.

I liked this film for the goofy fun ride it was. I appreciated the focus on Renfield and Dracula’s relationship and the ins and outs of it. I thought framing the whole thing through this idea of unhealthy co-dependent relationships was both funny and also able to generate some real insights. I have never really thought of the Dracula Renfield relationship like that before but I suppose that I haven’t really thought about it at all.

Moreover, both Cage and Hoult are terrific, Cage is as hammy and as campy as you would want him to be, he is very much playing the Bela Lugosi Dracula and that comes across in the costume design as well. Whereas Hoult really turns Renfield into a multi-layered character that you end up caring about, being both sympathetic but also heroic in equal measures. I must say however, thought I like Awkwafina in other things I thought she was miscast here. I say this because she has terrible chemistry with Hoult which would be less noticeable if the film was trying to ship them off into a relationship for most of their screen time together. Moreover, her being the straight man to all the on screen silliness just doesn’t work, what we want is for her to be reacting more to the craziness as her reactions could then be a stand-in for the audience, but instead she just keeps being stoic.

Furthermore, I don’t know how I feel about the films action. It is a horror comedy film and not an action film, yet the film does feature a lot of Wick esque fight sequences which honestly get a little tried after a while. Worse yet with the whole cockroach power up mechanic the fights end up feeling like generic superhero battles and then become lost in that sea of generic special effects. However, I do like how gory the confrontations get that makes for some good gross out moments and gags.

Overall, fun and with a good message of being your own person, but Awkwafina is sorely miscast.

4/5

Pros.

Hoult

Cage

The gore

The message about relationships

Cons.

Awkwafina is miscast

The action becomes boring after a while

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Record Of Ragnarok: Season 2 Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The fight between Gods and Men continues.

In my mind this first half of the second season is both good and bad. Fairly split down the middle. Unlike in season one where all the fights were interesting, this time around it is decidedly more one sided.

The fight between Shiva and Raiden did little for me, even when the backstories of both tried so hard to get you to care about them. I thought Raiden’s death made little sense, though I did like the fact that he and his Valkyrie found love before they died. However, the fight between Hercules and Jack the Ripper on the other hand was fantastic, easily the best of the series so far. Jack the Ripper as a character is so downright sinister that he is a treat to watch, I like that the series has dipped into his origins and brings him back in the very last episode as there is so much more they can do with him. Likewise I really enjoyed how his episodes have almost a horror quality to them and feel a lot darker than the rest of the show.

I like that with each new season, or halve season in this case, the show is deepening the mythology of its own world and I hope next season dips into more about the Valkyries background and motivation.

Overall, still a very good show and one to watch.

3.5/5

Pros.

Jack the Ripper

A deeper mythology

The fights are entertaining

It manages its tone well

Cons.

I didn’t care very much about the Raiden and Shiva fight

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RRR: The Sun Sets On The British Empire

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Two Indian revolutionaries, played by N.T Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan, wage war on the British Crown.

I think this film has a little bit of everything. It has epic action scenes that are both intense and beautifully shot, it has fantastic and surprisingly catchy musical numbers and a good message about standing up for what you believe in and staying true to yourself.

I think the most impressive moment of the whole film comes within the opening act wherein Charan’s character is tasked with arresting a protestor who has just smashed a picture of the King with a rock. What follows is one of the best uses of slow motion I have seen in recent cinema, coupled with the fact that the fight gets gory and isn’t afraid to let the hero get hurt, it is incredibly effective.

I also think that the two leading men have great chemistry which is really important as basically throughout the film their character become metaphorical brothers and as such the bond needs to be believable. I thought each played off the other really well and both had moments of action hero prowess as well as relatability.

The one area where I had an issue with the film, and I know that it is fairly predictable, is with the pacing and the length of the film. I understand that the film is supposed to be an epic and that entails a certain scope and runtime, but I think also that the film has a lot of filler which could be cut out in order to make it a more streamlined and enjoyable viewing experience. Take a lot of the strange romantic comedy esque moments that are placed into the second act for example they could be removed and it would better the pace of the film by a lot.

Overall, the film is fun and has a lot to enjoy in it, however, the incredibly slow pace does hurt it.

3.5/5

Pros.

The action

The two leads

It is a lot of fun

The songs

Cons.

The pacing

Sometimes there are tonal issues

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Qorin: Is Your Teacher A Demonic Summoner?

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A boarding school is turned into a portal to hell when students begin performing black arts and summoning their demonic doppelgangers.

I have a lot of love for Indonesian horror cinema, and I think that in many ways Muslim focused horror films make for a nice break away from the same old Christian tinged horror films that play every week at the multiplex. As such, I went into this with high expectations expecting another May The Devil Take You, but boy was I wrong.

This film isn’t the worst possession film I have ever seen but it is also in no way good. I would say the biggest issues the film has is that despite is premise being just different enough that it feels a little bit fresh, the way the story plays out is anything but. You have seen this film many times before and know exactly where it is going. Indeed this film clings to tropes and worn out characters as though it is too afraid to show an ounce of originality.

Additionally, the low-fi scares of the film don’t prove effective at all. Now I am not saying that low budget films, which this clearly is, can’t be scary really the opposite is true, but they do have to make an effort to do more with less and to make every shot count. This becomes an issue here as a lot of the time the effects just aren’t good enough and don’t lead to a scary scene, again it comes back to the fact that it is the same old same old, their demonic doppelgangers are in no way different to how a character from a Blumhouse movie would be and that is boring.

Overall, there is so novelty to the idea and trace amounts of originality, but the film really shoots itself in the foot by sticking far too closely to tired characters, scares and storylines.

2/5

Pros.

Traces of originality

It is unintentionally hilarious at times

Cons.

It relies way too heavily on cliches

It is bored and predictable

The scares don’t work

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Paradise PD, Was A Man Killing Cats Ever Funny?

Written by Luke Barnes

I want to use this piece to talk about the latest season of Paradise PD and the idea of mean spirited humour.

I want to open this up by saying humour is totally subjective so what works or doesn’t work for me might work or not work for you, I am not saying my opinions on what is and isn’t funny are definitive this is simply an opinion piece.

Recently I sat down to watch the most recent season of Paradise PD on Netflix after having watched all of the previous seasons, however, unlike with those seasons I was barely able to make it more than one episode into the new season.

Now why was that? Well though the show has always had mean humour in a similar vein to something like Family Guy and I found with this most recent season that all the characters are just so unlikeable and hateable that I find it hard to watch. There is no reason to watch something when you hate every single one of the characters, is there?

Worse yet in a lot of the cases I find that the characters are hateful for no other reason than to be edgy. That complaint has been levelled against this show since day one and for the most part I ignored it, but now it is too much to ignore, this show is edgy for the sake of it and rather than be cool as the creators probably want it to be it just feels try hardy. Look at a recent adult animation like Little Demon it had a lot of gross out gags and edgy humour but it also had an engaging story, deeper themes and characters you didn’t hate. It didn’t have the character living in the anus of an inbred baby for a joke.

I don’t know dear reader, I don’t know whether this season is any worse than the last few but I do know that it was finally the time wherein I saw the worse side of this show and stopped watching. Maybe I have changed or maybe it is simply the fact that watching a man kill cats and then do a musical number with them isn’t funny.

Hopefully Netflix cancels this show soon.

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Living With Chucky: A Love Letter

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A documentary about the people who have brought the Child’s Play franchise to life over the years and what the films mean to them.

I thought this was a sweet film, especially in the later stages when the documentarian reveals herself and what her connection is to the franchise.

What I liked the most about this film is that you can tell it was a labour of love, and more than that you can tell how much the series means to all of the people being interviewed and as a fan of the series, I don’t understand why you would be watching if you weren’t, that spoke to and connected with me.

I liked the deeper insights the documentary gave into the behind the scenes production of the films and the fact it gave a voice to some of the lesser known people who have been involved with the series and allowed them to talk about their experiences as well. It was fascinating.

My one complaint and this is a very nit picky one if I do say so myself is that this film felt incomplete. Whilst I understand it was probably shot a few years ago and only being released now, it feels incredibly remiss to not talk about the Chucky tv series that is currently airing within it. All of the films get a mention but the series isn’t name checked once which feels like a noticeable admission at least on my part. I would like the thoroughness of having the documentary go through everything to do with the franchise but again I see that is hard when it is on-going perhaps they will do a follow up down the line.

Overall, a lovely documentary and if you are a fan of the franchise one that you simply must check out.

4/5

Pros.

The real sense of love

The look behind the scenes

It brings back a lot of happy nostalgic memories

The sweet connection of the documentarian to the franchise

Cons.

They don’t mention the show

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