Actor Shaun Rose: Toga

I recently had the chance to interview Writer/ Director/Actor Shaun Rose about their new drama film Toga, which follows a videographer, also played by Rose, as his work brings him back to his home town. In this interview we discuss, home towns, sequels and the hate received from shortening a town’s name.I hope you enjoy.

Q: What was your message with this film?

SR: Overall I feel that with this film and its predecessor, “Upstate Story”, I’ve tried to show that change or personal growth continues even after our transition from childhood to adulthood. Being an adult isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination and we often find ourselves in tough spots or holes and we have to find a way out of them.

Q: Why is returning to a home town always such an emotional significant moment?

SR: It’s largely due to the memories you have in the sense of what you were, the things you did and what has happened since. All of the changes can really make for a highly emotional experience.

Q: How would you describe the lead character’s emotional journey during this film?

SR: In the beginning he’s largely in a better place than in “Upstate Story.” It’s a very large improvement for him by comparison. He still has problems though and he’s aware of them, but doesn’t have that drive to fix them. The journey to town changes all of that.

Q: What emotions were you hoping to illicit from your audience here?

SR: I’ve always tried to tell my stories as realistically as possible for the sake of connecting with audiences. Being able to relate to a character on deeply personal levels I feel makes for a more impactful viewing experience.

Q: What made you want to make this film?

SR: Doing an “Upstate Story” sequel was always part of the plan. Both films act as a reflection of who I am as a person and what I’ve gone through the last few years of my life. It’s tough to make a film, but I think writing what I know best has made the process a little easier.

Q:Do you have a favorite moment and or any funny stories from the production?

SR: Some of the local hate I’ve received over the title alone has been frustrating. At times, it has also been comical if you think about how pathetic it is. Shortening the town name from Saratoga Springs to “Toga” has brought me a lot of heat from others. All other things I’ve experienced will be covered in a “behind the scenes” documentary I’ve also been chipping away at. I don’t want to spoil too much of anything.

Q: What are your future plans, do you have another film in the works?

SR: I have a few in the early writing stages. Even another film in the Ellis Martin saga. If you want to call it that. In the near future and hopefully before the end of 2023 I’ll have the documentary “Not Saratoga” finished. I’m in no big hurry though.

Q: Do you have any words of advice for young filmmakers who might be reading?

SR: If you want to make a film, go ahead and do it. If you’re working on a no budget film be prepared to wear a lot of hats. Do your research on those roles too. Prepare yourself for many sleepless nights.

If you would like to check out Toga for yourself it is currently out now on Youtube

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h64_fy-bB-M

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Toga: A Return

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A videographer, played by Shaun Rose, begins scouting new locations for a filmmaker only to be brought back to his home town, going on an emotional journey in process.

I will open this review by saying that I haven’t seen Upstate Story which serves, I am lead to believe, as a part one of sorts to this story. As such I may not fully comprehend the character journey between films and my review can be seen as solely reflective of this film and not relating to the wider series or quasi saga.

I found this film to be quite effecting, something about the idea of home towns can and often do stir up both a sense of nostalgia but also haunting and as such returning to them after a long absence can be a very mixed experience. I found that this film really captured the emotional nuance of that, and had the home town itself almost function as a narrative act centre piece.

Additionally, I found the performance by Rose himself was simply captivating, throughout the run of the film I couldn’t look away in many senses I was transfixed by his life and journey, not necessarily because they were in any way fantastical but rather because they were so relatable and human. The writing of this film is truly magnificent.

Overall, very much an enriching watch.

4/5

Pros.

The emotional nuance

The writing

Rose’s fantastic performance

The pacing

Cons.

I felt like I was missing something, but likely that is because I jumped in at the sequel

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M3GAN: Chucky’s Competition?

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A new evil doll is born, Chucky has competition.

I went into this film with high expectations, after hearing all the praise for the film and seeing al of the decorated reviews I was expecting this film to be good and honestly, it was just okay.

I think the strengths of the film are M3GAN herself, she is both sassy and scary in equal measure, and the fact that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously and that there is a good amount of tongue in cheek humour throughout the film that will likely make you laugh.

However, my issue with the film is that the tone never really feels quite right, it wants to be scary, but also wants to keep the jokes in, but then also doesn’t want to fully abandon the scares and go full comedy either. In my mind if the film had committed more to being silly and had gone even more over the top then it would have been better, we have enough spooky doll films something more in line with Bride Of, Seed Of Chucky would have played better in my mind.

Another thing that bothered me was that it all felt very played out, and by that I mean that this film did not surprise me in anyway everything that I thought was going to happen did and it happened when I thought it would. Maybe this stems from the fact that I watch a lot of horror films and for someone who watches less they might not find it so familiar, but for me it was an issue.

Overall, certainly watchable and with potential if they ramp up the satire and silliness for the next film then I could easily see a new horror franchise be born, but as it stands it feels too derivative.

3/5

Pros.

M3GAN herself is quite funny

I enjoyed the comedy for the most part

It was very watchable

Cons.

The humour doesn’t go far enough and there are tonal issues

It felt very familiar

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Nanny: The American Dream Is Dead

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An undocumented Senegalese immigrant, played by Anna Diop, works hard to try and bring her young son to the US, but all the while something seems amiss.

I will say quite upfront this is not a horror film, there are vague supernatural elements that really never amount to much at all, but this is in fact a drama film concerned with notions of trauma and mental health rather than anything else. As such if you go in expecting scares, as I did, you will be disappointed as this film isn’t scary but is instead manically depressing.

I enjoyed the film for what it did with time, often moving around and back and forth between things without any notice to the audience, and also for the use of African themes and mythologies in its horror, often the genre gets very bogged down with western Christian themes and monsters and it is nice to see something else for a change.

I also thought the performances were strong across the board with Diop and Michelle Monaghan being particularly fantastic, both convey the darker aspects of motherhood well and bring a wide emotional range to their respective performances.

Overall, strong performances and fresh mythology clash against a deeply predictable twist and a lack of scares.

2.5/5

Pros.

Diop and Monaghan

The focus on African mythology

It tries to do something fresh

Cons.

The twist is incredibly obvious

It is depressing

There are no scares

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Star Wars The Bad Batch: Ruins Of War

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Clone Force 99 battle to get off world.

I thought that this second part of the season opener really delivered on what the first set up, we got far more action which was nice to see and also a greater sense of goings on in the Galaxy at that time and off Imperial intrigue.

I liked that this episode gave Tech a heroic arc, as often he is the forgotten about or overlooked member of the group usually only appearing to offer a Deus Ex Machina escape when things seem dire. I thought seeing him try to fight off the clones whilst being wounded was a nice little bit of character progression for him.

The one thing I didn’t like about this episode which will be very familiar to those of you who read my first season reviews for this show is how Omega and Echo interact. The whole thing of Omega trying to prove her worth and then making things worse and needing to be rescued isn’t endearing it is irritating. In many senses the show would be a lot better off without Omega, but Star Wars just has to have that adult child bonding these days so she sticks around.

Overall, a good episode that really delivered on the action front.

4/5

Pros.

The action

The ending

The wider world tease and Imperial intrigue

Giving Tech his moment in the sun

Cons.

The forced in Echo/Omega plot line and the cheap forced emotion of it

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Velma: First Two Episode Overview

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Mindy Kaling turns herself into Velma from Scooby Doo and creates one of the most grotesque vanity projects I have ever seen in my life.

Who is this for? It certainly isn’t for Scooby Doo fans, as the talking dog himself is not even in this, is it for new fans as it feels like a new show? Well maybe, but if that is the case then have the balls to call it something different and not attach it to the Scooby Doo IP. In my mind this is for fans of Harley Quin as this is basically just the same show, but set in a different fictional universe.

Where to begin with why this show doesn’t work. Frankly Scooby Doo as a franchise was never calling out for an adult take, we never needed to hear the gang talk about sex and drugs and for the most part here it just feels like the show is trying to be edgy. However, the issue is that in its attempts to be edgy it just feels desperate instead, and the comedy, if you can call it that, feels at least a few years out of date.

However, I think worst of all is Velma herself. Kaling takes the very worst aspects of her characters from her other shows and forces them all up to the max to create a truly irritating character that only gets worse. In the two episodes that I watched, and believe me I won’t be watching anymore, Velma went from stupid, to irritating to hateable really quick.

Overall, for once Zaslav should have used his axe for good and should have prevented us from ever having to be subject to this, it makes you truly thankful for and remember fondly the James Gunn films and that is saying something indeed. Truly a trash show destined to not find an audience and fail.

0.5/5

Pros.

It gave me a renewed appreciation for the James Gunn Scooby Doo films

Cons.

It is a vanity project and is in no way Scooby Doo

It is unfunny and the adult humour feels try hard at best

Velma is deeply irritating and unlikeable

There is no Scooby Doo

It feels like Harley Quinn but with different characters

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Unbreakable: Ageing Poorly

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A train crash survivor, played by Bruce Willis, realises that he has superhuman powers and then enters into a twisted power game with a disabled comic store owner, played by Samuel L. Jackson.

This is one of those films that a lot of people really like but that I have never been able to get into. When looking at Shyamalan’s wider body of work it is his forays into superhumans that really lose me, with the exception of Split, that and his dreadful After Earth.

My biggest issue with this film has always been that the characters don’t feel fully realised, in many senses they feel like someone has read a comic book and seen Batman, a purely random example, and has only understood one very basic aspect of his character and then has used that to create an inferior rip off character. To me the characters don’t feel in any way relatable and that is a big issue.

I also think the deeper question of do these people actually have powers, which gets turned up throughout the film and a lot going into Glass, is not actually as interesting as Shyamalan seems to think it is. Honestly after having the question asked for the hundredth time during the subtext of the film I begin to stop caring.

There are other avenues I could point to in my criticism of this film such as Bruce Willis being incredibly miscast but they are low hanging fruit and I won’t take them.

Overall, some of the worst aspects of Shyamalan as a filmmaker.

1/5

Pros.

It’s hard to not like a Samuel L. Jackson performance, he is a redeeming factor of the film.

Cons.

The characters are entirely unrelatable and feel alien in the worst way

It is far too long

Willis is incredibly miscast

It is not as deep as it thinks it is

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Puss In Boots The Last Witch: Don’t Fear The Reaper Fight Him

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Puss In Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, is back after a long wait and is facing the end of his life, is retirement on the cards or one last tale of glory?

I was very pleasantly surprised by this film, the first Puss In Boots was very much meh and on the duller side of meh at that and lived firmly in the shadow of Shrek. However, this film has so much going for it, whether it is the genuinely quite stunning at times animation, or the character of the Wolf/Death, voiced by Wagner Moura, who is downright menacing and is also a fantastic on-screen presence.

I thought the story did justify the need to come back and revisit these characters and that the tale on the whole was surprisingly mature and sombre, it was a reflection on life, love and making the most out of the time you have left. The ending was basically just a massive tag for Shrek 5 Now With Teenager Ogres, and though I should be angrier about how blatantly this is done I think I am fine with it.

The main area where for me this film let itself down is with the supporting cast, they bring back Selma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws, Puss’s partner in crime and love interest, but they give her little new to do and that is without getting into Florence Pugh’s Goldie and the massively wasted opportunity that was. In my mind a lot of the backstory and dynamic between Goldie and her Bear family was most likely left on the cutting room floor and that is a shame, no one would begrudge this film being a few minutes longer.

Overall, a surprisingly needed sequel that does some really interesting things with its animation.

4/5

Pros.

Death

The surprisingly adult tone

Puss’s arc and journey throughout the film

The ending

Cons.

The side characters are wasted

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Star Wars The Bad Batch: Spoils Of War

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Clone Force 99 are back with a mission that sees them return to the base of the infamous Count Dooku.

I enjoyed this episode through a nostalgic lens as it showed us Dooku’s castle from Clone Wars in a way it had never really been presented to us before and we saw new depths and layers to it.

I also liked the fact the Clones are talking about doing more and joining in more formally with the Rebellions efforts, I think in many senses this is the show setting things up for later in the season, but it is an interesting tease as it could go in so many different ways and could end up in a return of some of our favourite characters.

My criticism of this episode would come from the fact that it was a little slow, the action side of things definitely favours the part two of this two parter, but that is not to say that this episode is boring as things do happen just not as many as you would like.

Overall, a solid start to the season that opens a number of interesting doors.

3/5

Pros.

Talking about being involved in the wider Rebellion and teasing things to come

The return to Dooku’s castle

It is good to see the characters back in action

Cons.

It is a little slow at times and the action is a thin

There is some pacing issues with the episode as the relatively short runtime turns into a slog

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The Pale Blue Eye: Satan Riding Large In Rural New York

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A man, played by Christian Bale, investigating a string of grisly murders finds unlikely assistance from a young Edgar Allen Poe, played by Harry Melling.

There is plenty to enjoy about this gothic mystery film though I don’t think anyone would call it perfect by any means either. The atmosphere and central two lead performances certainly create an engaging world, and Bale as always delivers masterfully, however it is with the mystery that things begin to come unstuck.

The mystery itself is not bad, I didn’t see it coming and the twist did feel satisfying at the time it was revealed, however, since then the twist has started to feel far too familiar it is a twist common to this sort of film and narrative and though it does work within the context of the film I criticise it for its over familiarity.

Moreover, I think as with many films the greatest thing going against this picture is its pacing which is nothing short of abominable. The film feels very exciting in the first and third acts but the second feels like an incredibly long slog and becomes more of an endurance test than anything else. Though I will say you should stick it out as the third act is quite lively.

Overall, the cast, atmosphere and mystery do bring something special to this film, however, the familiarity of the twist and the awful pacing make it a taxing watch.

3/5

Pros.

Bale and Melling

The atmosphere

The mystery

Cons.

Though the twist works it feels far too overly familiar and lazy

The pacing is simply awful

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