SAS Red Notice: Ruby Rose Finally Gives A Good Performance

Written by Luke Barnes

SAS: Red Notice is a British action thriller film directed by Magnus Martens, based on the book of the same name by Andy McNab. The plot sees the British government turn on a family of mercenaries in their employ when one of the many atrocities committed runs the risk of being traced back to senior figures. A cat and mouse game ensues.

This seems to be a week of humility for me, first I was wrong about the Snydercut and now I am wrong about Ruby Rose- well partially. So, as some of you may know I have strong doubts about Rose as an actor, in that she can’t act or emote with her face. However, the one thing she can do is be a convincing action star and this film proves that. She commands the screen as the unhinged psychopathic villain intent on making the world pay and manages to sell herself as an action presence.

However, Rose is easily out acted by veteran performers such as Noel Clarke and Andy Serkis. By and large the acting in this film is good. The lead performance from Sam Heughan is a little weak, but maybe that was on purpose as the film reveals his character to also be a psychopath and to struggle with emotions.

The film does focus a lot of its time and energy especially in the third act on psychopaths and how they differ from everyone else, and whilst I think it is a fascinating aside that I would love to see more explored elsewhere, it does steal focus away from the film and derail it a little bit.

Though for the most part I enjoyed this film my main issue with it would be that it reduced Hannah John- Karmen, a very gifted actor (who has appeared in Netflix’s The Stranger, as well as playing Ghost in Antman And The Wasp), down to basically a damsel in distress/ girlfriend character, which feels incredibly reductive.

Overall, a strong action film with a few interesting asides, sadly these asides derail the plot and from that position the poor performances are even more visible.

Pros.

Rose as an action star and not as an actor

Some good action/ thrills

Clarke and Serkis

The ending

Cons.

Derailment

Poor acting from some of the cast

4/5

Don’t Listen: Talking To Daddy From The Otherside

Written by Luke Barnes

Don’t Listen (Voces, the original Spanish language title), is a Spanish horror film directed by Angel Gomez Hernandez. The plot sees Daniel (Rodolfo Sancho), lose his son. After the death Daniel becomes a wreck and becomes convinced he can hear his son’s voice trying to communicate with him through electronic means. As such Daniel enlists the help of German (Ramon Barea), an established paranormal investigator to try and make sense of the goings on.

I have to say as far as ghost stories go this film is chilling. I did not expect too much for the film going in, as the premise seemed quite generic, however, I can say after watching it that I was pleasantly surprised as the scares and the atmosphere definitely make an impact and are both very effective.

The scares themselves are the standard haunted house, Conjuring esque scares, grabbing’s and night time shenanigans. However, here it feels more real and raw. I can’t quite put my finger on why that is, but what would feel played out in other films actually works quite well here. As such, I am pleased to say this film made me jump several times and left me feeling uneasy after watching.

There is a twist at the end of the film, that I won’t spoil, but this twist works wonders for the film and not only feels natural and needed but also helps to bring the whole film together to strengthen it as a whole.

Overall, a creepy ghost story with a clever twist.

Pros.

The scares

The performances

The twist

The atmosphere

Cons.

You have seen similar films before, slightly contrived.

4/5

Friday The 13th Part 2: The Sweater With The Power Of Mind Control

Written by Luke Barnes

Friday The 13^thPart 2 is a slasher film directed by Steve Miner. The film takes place 5 years after the events of the first film, except for the opening or at least that is the implication, and sees yet more camp councillors head down to Crystal Lake to try and reopen the summer camp once more. The wild parties and near constant sex soon turns ugly however, as a new killer begins killing councillors once again.

In my mind this is superior to the first film. Firstly, we get to see Jason not as a little zombie kid but as the killing machine we all know him as, yes in the space of 5 years Jason goes from a little kid to a huge fully grown man- don’t question it. Admittedly, he is minus his signature hockey mask, but it is still nice to see him in action.

Moreover, this film confirms the ending of part 1 was in fact real as Mrs Voorhees’ (Betsy Palmer), head is shown in the fridge of the final girl from part 1, she is then quickly killed by Jason. It is nice to get the closure, and finality to this plotline as it was a detriment of part 1.

Moreover, the teens of part 1, even Kevin Bacon, are all fairly forgettable and meh. However, Amy Steel’s Ginny Field is a terrific final girl; easily contending with other genre greats like Nancy and Sidney. The final showdown scene when Ginny becomes Mrs Voorhees, at least in Jason’s mind, is so well done and is actually quite creepy. On that note I also like how this film adds to the wider magic of the series and showcases the voodoo that is at play, again during this showdown scene in the form of dressing as we can see Mrs Voorhees’s severed head on top of a voodoo alter.

Overall, an improvement on the first film with an interesting final girl, a strong showdown and everyone’s favourite mask wearing zombie making his first proper appearance.

Pros.

Jason proper

Tying up the ending of the first film

Amy Steel

The showdown

Cons.

The ending feels a bit weak and too open ended.

4.5/5

Friday The 13th: Pitching Your Tent At The Cite Of A Brutal Murder, Because Why Not?

Written by Luke Barnes

Friday The 13^th is a slasher film directed by Sean S. Cunningham. The plot sees a group of teen camp councillors head down to Crystal lake, the site of a grizzly murder years ago, to reopen a summer camp. However, as they do someone starts picking off the campers one by one.

So I have visited Elm Street and played a game with Jigsaw and now it is time to go camping at Crystal Lake and explore the Friday the 13^th series. So, in the past I have seen many of the films in this series, but I’ve never really taken them in, or looked at the series as a whole.

I think of all the slasher film franchises this series might be the most fun, sorry Freddy. There is something so campy and almost silly about this series, and this film, that just cant be ignored. Whether it is the camera angles and editing techniques that seem straight out of the modern youtuber playbook, or the preposterousness of the villain.

This is the only real entry in the series, apart from V, that doesn’t feature Jason as the villain and instead has Mrs Voorhees (Betsy Palmer). Mrs Voorhees makes for an interesting antagonist, and her motivations make her a believable threat.

Personally, I don’t think the end scare of having zombie Jason coming up out of the lake to attack the final girl works, and I think her surviving it, and it being played off as ‘oh maybe it was just a dream’ work even less.

Overall, a fun slasher film that benefits from being a little goofy, albeit unintentionally, and from having a strong antagonist.

Pros.

Mrs Voorhees

The goofier elements

It does slasher horror well

The kills are well executed

Cons.

The teens are very forgettable

4/5

The Tangle: Bleak Visions Of An AI Future

Written by Luke Barnes

The Tangle is a science fiction thriller film directed by Christopher Soren Kelly. The plot sees two agents investigate the death of one of their own in a futuristic setting.

I admire the worldbuilding of this film, they really do paint a picture of their version of the future; despite the fact that we don’t actually see a lot of it. I thought the story as a whole felt rich and ready to be explored with enough depth to keep you engaged throughout. I would say an issue on the writing side of this film is that a lot of the twists and turns were fairly easy to guess, and I could easily predict what was coming next.

However, despite this I still found the ending satisfying. I thought the ending of the film, that I wont spoil here, answers a lot of the films questions in an interesting way and opens up the door for a lot more fun in sequel films, that I would be very here for. Personally I enjoyed the characters and would like to see them come back in future films either prequels or some kind of sequel.

Overall, a very interesting high concept science fiction film that could have done with tighter writing.

Pros.

The concept

The world

The characters

Cons.

The predictability

A little cliché

3.5/5

Hostiles: A New Draw For Westerns

Written by Luke Barnes

Hostiles is a revisionist western film directed by Scott Cooper based on a story by Donald E. Stewart. The plot sees Captain Joseph J. Blocker (Christian Bale), and his squad of soldiers escorting a Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their home in Montana during the final months of the Indian Wars.

This film really does feel different within the western sphere. It has familiar genre constructions that will be easily recognisable, but it also has a lot more nuance and depth going on under the surface.

The thoughtfulness of this film is best shown in it’s characters, we see Blocker start the film as a racist who hates Native Americans based on his own experiences from the war, right from the off he is not portrayed as a good or a bad character rather as a grey reflection of reality. As the film goes along Blocker forms a begrudging respect with the war chief he is protecting and the relationship furthers, and we see it from another dimension. Though this storyline has been done before, here it is used in a way to contextualise the western as a genre and show the evolution.

Moreover Rosamund Pike plays Roselee Quaid, a frontiers woman who loses it all. Through Quaid we are presented with the lived reality of frontiers life rather than the romanticised version we often see in westerns. Bad things happen to Quaid fairly regularly, and they are treated with a normality that becomes more and more troubling progressively, this causes you to think about other western films and characters therein and view them in a new light.

The film itself is very, very bleak, but the ending does bring with it a degree of hope that I think nicely compliments the film.

Overall, a pallet cleanser and recontextualised form for the western genre that feels incredibly honest and fresh.

Pros.

Bale

Pike

The character work and ambiguity

The ending

Cons.

It is incredibly bleak

4/5

Thirteen Ghosts: The Devil’s Fun House

Written by Luke Barnes

Thirteen Ghosts is a horror film directed by Steve Beck. It serves as a remake of the sixties film of the same name, and sees a family move into a house they gain through inheritance, only to realise that the basement is housing angry spirits.

I love the creativity of this film. Each ghost feels unique and has an established backstory to go along with them, which creates this feeling of love towards the monsters of the film that really runs throughout. Likewise the creature design of each ghost is also terrific, not only is each distinct and memorable in its own way, but the look of these characters gives off a sense of personality without them even having to say anything which further enhances the world and the wider lore.

The performances are also fairly good, Matthew Lillard plays the rogue with a heart of gold well and has several moments that feel like peak early noughties gold. Similarly F. Murray Abraham, is milking the hell out of his role as the main villain, getting every single ounce of evil fun out of the character that he can.

In terms of horror I would not say this film is all that scary, yes there are some strong horror moments, but as a whole it feels a bit light. Maybe suggestive of tonal problems, as there are comedic moments and scary ones trying to compete against one another for our attention here.

Overall, a fun thrilling ride with an excellent performance from Matthew Lillard.

Pros.

Lillard

Abraham

Elizabeth

The care, love and strong design work that goes into the ghosts

Cons.

Slight tonal inconsistencies

4.5/5

Devil In The Woods: A Film Studies Project Brings More Kids To The Woods

Devil In The Woods is a British horror film directed by Terence Elliot. The plot sees several film studies students go out into the woods to shoot a project however, as they go about their business they soon realise that they are not alone, and that something other worldly is in their too.

An aside, this film takes me back to my days as a film studies student in college, though I am still one now at University level, when I would be doing very similar things to the characters in this film- the only difference is that no monsters were stalking me. Still, there was a lot of fun reminders of my own experiences in this film.

Setting to one side my own life experience this film reminded me quite a bit of films like The Blair Witch Project and another British horror film The Borderlands, I saw this as a compliment as not only does this film manage to live up to those, in some ways it improves on them.

The acting from across the cast is quite strong, you believe these are real people, real students and as such you become that bit more engaged in the film. Likewise, as things start to turn sinister you can’t help but root for the characters to survive as they feel like you’re friends.

Personally, I have always found woods creepy, and this film manages to perfectly capture that as it brings to the forefront that quiet feeling of dread and silence that is never too far away on any visit to the woods, or maybe that is just me.

I applaud this film for building its scares through atmosphere rather than forcing in jump scares, it is always more effective, and that is shown here. I think the quietly increasing oppressive nature of the atmosphere is what makes this film unsettling.

Overall, a strong effort that highlights a primordial horror in nature through an oppressive atmosphere that never lets up.

Pros.

A strong cast

A relatability, especially if you are a film student

Good scares

Well-paced

Tapping into the horror of nature, the silent unease

Cons.

None

5/5

Body Swap: Switching Places For Love?

Written by Luke Barnes

Body Swap is a comedy romance film directed by Timothy Morton. The plot sees CJ (Ella Jordan), a powerful business woman and Casey (Jimmy Kustes), a slacker switch places- hijinks ensue.

Whilst this may not be the most original premise, there is still a lot of fun to be had here. Body swap films are quite rare these days, yes you have your Freaky’s and your Princess Switches’ as recent examples, but when you look at the genre as a whole there really haven’t been a lot recently. I for one am glad to see any film bring the concept back, it always makes for great fun.

Fun would be the word I would use to describe this film, as though it is not side splittingly funny it does provide a few laughs and more than enough smile inducing moments: from start to finish I had a smile on my face. I think both the comedy and romance elements work well, and nicely compliment the film.

Moreover, I thought both Jordan and Kustes played their respective roles with enough charm and awkward comedy that they sold it, with each making their character feel likeable.

However, my biggest compliment has to go to the writer as this film knew how to use the body swap premise to its fullest.

Overall, a fun film that is a blast to watch.

Pros.

Body swapping madness

Strong leads

Very easy to smile at

A wholesome romance elements

Cons.

We have seen this before

4/5

Beware The Slenderman: A Look Into The Dark Heart Of The Internet

Written by Luke Barnes

Beware The Slenderman is a documentary directed by Irene Taylor, centring around the internet creepypasta figure of Slenderman, and the real world nightmare that saw two young girls stab one of their classmates multiple times in an effort to appease the fictional being.

I remember when I was a teen and Slenderman was all the rage, it was a huge moment in internet folklore history. I think the idea of a shared communal myth is so fascinating, and that is really what Slenderman is, an idea added to over and over again and turned into something much bigger than it began as.

This documentary is very bleak, but you knew that coming in. Tragic is the word I would use to describe the events that this documentary highlights, it raises questions around how does the content we view affect us on a psychological level and, where is parental accountability when it comes to policing what your kid watches and doesn’t watch?

I think the documentary does quite a good job in explaining what Slenderman is, they also have folklore experts as talking heads to talk about the idea of building and creating myth which I think is a truly strong choice in this regard.

I think using the girl’s families as talking heads to explain the events that transpired is both a pro and a con, it is a con in that there will inevitably be a degree of bias there especially when it is parent child as it is here, however, it is also a pro as it allows us to have a uniquely personal view into the incident.

Overall, a strong documentary that raises a number of good points and provides a thorough and well thought out investigation into internet urban legends.

Pros.

The personal access to the case

A good explanation of Slenderman and the internet urban legend

A number of thought provoking questions are raised

A solid pace throughout

Cons.

Bias creeps in

4/5