UNDER THE SHADOW review

A big hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Under the Shadow is director Babak Anvari's debut feature film, drawing on his childhood experiences in Tehran for this claustrophobic tale of a mother trying to protect her daughter from a malevolent danger.

When Shideh (Narges Rashidi) is rejected from continuing her studies to become a doctor due to accusations against her, she retreats to her apartment building home with her husband and daughter, Dorsa. When her husband has to leave the city for work, she is left to care for Dorsa alone, who has begun to see strange things around the apartment and speaks of a Djinn; a malevolent spirit that is plaguing her.

Set during the Iran-Iraq conflict of the 1980s in a time of great social upheaval, the first half of the film is less about scares and more about keeping you on tenterhooks with the ominous threat, second guessing what it may show you next. However, as the film progresses it becomes clear that Under the Shadow is well aware of haunted house conventions and uses them for its benefit, playing with the audiences expectations.

Under threat of bombings at all times, almost the entirety of the film takes place within the apartment complex. It is Shideh's bunker (complete with taped up windows to protect from shattered glass), a place where she can feel safe and free from the oppression of having to cover her hair, and where she is able to watch her (forbidden) Jane Fonda workout videos.

Under the Shadow brings to mind recent horrors Insidious, It Follows, The Babadook and the best of the J-horror sub genre (Dark Water, Ring, etc) in its ability to present its story within the framework of a basic family drama. The film is largely a two hander between Shideh and Dorsa, and has smart comparisons between the way Dorsa is being treated and corrupted by this force, and the regime that has almost overnight changed the way Shideh is seen within society. The subtext is clear and palpable.

The camera is kept close and fluid, and like Insidious it creates tension from the things you think you might have seen, with glimpses of obscure shapes around the room. Something as simple as a child's coat hanging from a hook proved particularly nail biting for me.

An extremely promising debut from director Babak Anvari; tense, claustrophobic and extremely unsettling, Under the Shadow is a nerve shredding experience that won't be easily forgotten.

Verdict

4/5

LIGHT YEARS review

Now touring cinemas across the country is director Esther May Campbell's feature film debut, Light Years. When Rose leaves home in search of her absent mother (folk singer Beth Orton), her siblings leave the familiarity of their surroundings to try and track them both down and bring them home.

Expanded from Esther May Campbell's BAFTA winning short, this is a world where the children exist largely without adults. Beth Orton (best known as a folk singer who has occasionally collaborated with the Chemical Brothers) in her second big screen acting role, plays a character who exists as a spectre in the lives of her young children. They all know their mother is ill and that the cause of her issues may come into play in their lives as they get older, and although it would be unfair to categorise her as a bad parent, her illness has left an indelible mark on the lives and growth of her children. It's this fractious relationship that provides the backbone to the film, although the lack of clarity towards the direction of the film can prove frustrating to watch.

Shot by Zac Nicholson and Will Pugh, the film is a visual delight, with the drab greyness of an industrial estate representing adulthood clashing with the surrounding blooming countryside of childhood. There are moments when these two worlds collide for the young characters who have been forced into early adulthood by their parents, such as one scene on a motorway bridge that audibly expresses the thundering journey they are on, and another where teenager Ramona (Sophie Burton) finds young love as a train roars past. Rather than coming across as heavy handed or cod-philosophical, it's these moments of contrast that end up bringing the film to life, albeit fleetingly.

The most intriguing character in the film is a scrappy little kid on a bike called Levi, who appears to exist in a world that's somewhere between Harmony Korine's Gummo and This is England. On the periphery of the story but with a vocal romantic interest in youngest daughter Rose, when he inexplicably disappears from the narrative as the focus shifts onto Orton's character, his presence is sorely missed.

Light Years is a sleepy sunset of a film, and although there is an undeniably beautiful and lyrical quality within its photography, the visuals far surpass the performances and the family puzzle at the heart of the film is one that ultimately you may not care about seeing solved.

Verdict
2.5/5

THE CLOSER WE GET review

When Karen Guthrie’s mother Ann suffered a debilitating stroke, she returned to her hometown of Largs on the Scottish coast to help care for her with the rest of her family, including her father who had moved out of the family home fifteen years earlier.

Delivered from the point of view of someone trying to make sense of her parents’ relationship, the narration from Guthrie is often raw and poetic. As she talks of how she returned home when “the doctors couldn’t put mum back together again”, it’s impossible not to empathise with her and feel her pain. As the incidences that have shaped her family (including her father’s decision to change his career and moved to Djibouti for work for ten years) are recounted, it reveals an untied family unit.

Karen’s father is a delightfully interesting figure; often cantankerous, always pre-occupied, sometimes shouting at the televised sport he enjoys watching. He returned to the family home fifteen years after separating from his wife, bringing with him a number of additional secrets (that I won’t reveal here) that shook the foundations of the family.A complicated man with a number of contradictions on display, he as it once traditional with grand expectations of what his sons should achieve (with the French Foreign Legion touted as a viable career path) and the architect of this modern arrangement that falls under the umbrella of his family.

Guthrie has documented her family for a number of years, so the film is able to flash back to earlier years before Ann's stroke  made her a near silent observer, to when she learnt about her husband's time abroad and his reasons for leaving the family home. She is visibly chagrined at having spent many years as the dutiful wife, just to see him pursue his personal desires, so perhaps it's some sort of recompense that he returned to act as a companion to Ann.

There's a number of fascinating characters within the family, and although this was clearly a cathartic exercise for Guthrie herself, under explored is the effect this unconventional family set up had on her siblings (including her brother Mark who was a member of the 90s Britpop outfit The Supernaturals).

What works is the overwhelming normality of the situation. There's no huge dramatic outbursts, no accounts of fights and accusations. This is a family existing in the wake of revelations that could tear apart many families, and the entire bizarre tale is told with a great dignity. As Guthrie reveals every twist and turn of this unconventional set up, it's an honest and often raw portrait.

With echoes of Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell, The Closer We Get is a very personal account of family life, and an often heartbreaking, deeply affecting story.

Verdict

4/5

MATILDA - SCRATCH 'N SNIFF CINEMA review

Re-released as part of the Roald Dahl On Film season that celebrates the centenary of his birth, a special "Scratch 'n Sniff" version of Matilda is now touring cinemas.

I'll be honest that I've always been sceptical of this sort of 'stunt cinema'. I blame it on too many dodgy 3D films spoiling what could have been a pure cinema experience and a level of old man apathy. But on a quiet Bank Holiday Monday with a film that I already know I like, why not give something new a try?

Using a card with ten differently scented circles on it to scratch off throughout the film and a somewhat rudimentary process where a member of the cinema team sits at the front of the screen and shines a torch at the appropriate point of the film, we got to discover the delights of fresh pancakes and fish paste accompanied by the delighted chatter of little voices eager to take part.

Scratch 'n Sniff Cinema have previously created screenings for The Wicker Man and The Goonies, but this is by far the biggest film they have done to date. The often gross and gloopy works of Roald Dahl fit this medium extremely well, and DeVito's film is not only a delight to see on the big screen, but the ideal adaptation to undergo such a process. It's a curious array of scents with an unmistakable synthetic funk filling the cinema screen as they all got scratched away, and although there's a certain amount of suspension of disbelief needed to fully immerse yourself in the fragrances, the whole experience made for a wonderfully fun and smelly time.

Engaging young audiences with cinema is an incredibly important thing to do to, and this certainly did that. Captivating the young and old members of the audience alike, this newly scented version of Matilda is a family favourite made more fragrant.

If you're interesting in joining seeing where Matilda is showing next, visit the Film Hub Wales website, or for more information about all of the Roald Dahl centenary celebrations, visit RoaldDahl.com.

DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD review

Always dreaming of becoming a famous musician, David Brent has decided to use his life savings to take his makeshift band on tour. Stopping off at working men's clubs and student union "shite nights", he's hoping the chance of bagging a record contract is a "foregone conclusion".

It's been more than a decade since the British iteration of The Office left our television screens, and in that time its co-creator and lead actor Ricky Gervais has brought us other shows that tap into his 'comedy of embarrassment' style, such as Extras and Derek. Both proved to be popular shows, but neither managed to have anywhere near the same impact of The Office and Gervais's character David Brent. He's an indelible character who is clearly an exaggerated composite of some of Gervais's most unforgettable character traits, but is he one who warrants his own feature length spinoff?

Picking up the action a decade down the line, Brent's fleeting fame has now all but disappeared and he is back working as a salesman in an office whilst pursuing his musical aspirations in his spare time. He's willing to spend thousands of pounds to embark on this tour, hopefully become a rock star and regain that sense of camaraderie that's been missing from his life; something the film could desperately do with. There's a number of interesting additions to the cast including Roisin Conaughty and Diane Morgan (perhaps better known as Philomena Cunk), but their roles are far too small and a wasted opportunity. Thankfully Ben Bailey Smith (aka Doc Brown) has returned to Brent's world after appearing in a Comic Relief sketch a few years ago, and is able to provide a welcome break from Brent's bravado.

What's missing from Life On The Road is anyone else to take any heat off Brent. There's no Gareth to have his stapler put in jelly, so Brent has to relentlessly endure people's scorn and refusal to interact with him (reducing him to paying for the band's time to have a "social" drink with him). The constant battering of his character is hard to watch, as for all his faults Brent is still a likeable guy. Gervais is still a master at creating audience empathy when these incidences occur, but to see Brent treated this way doesn't always strike the heart plus comedy equation that it hopes to.

It's a disappointment that Gervais employs some unnecessarily broad comic situations with jarring and ill-fitting flourishes to tell Brent's story. A dodgy tattoo? The Hangover films did that. Driving down the motorway singing songs? Alan Partridge did that. Flashbacks to when the character was depressed and overweight? Yep, Partridge did that too. It's hard not to compare Brent's big screen outing to other recent sitcom expansions, and whilst the absurd siege scenario of Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa would not have fit with Brent's style, in comparison Life On The Road seems formulaic and disappointingly televisual.

Life On The Road does miss the old crew, and Gervais's direction misses the presence of Merchant's level head; but if there's one thing that Gervais has managed to master over the years it's the triumphant upswing at the end, and in that respect Life on the Road doesn't disappoint. However, when viewed as a whole journey with this character, it's a bit like sitting quietly in the passenger seat and watching whilst someone continually punches the back of Brent's headrest for 90 minutes. Devout fans of The Office will find moments to cherish, but they're also the ones who'll feel the most let down too.

Verdict
2/5

NERVE review

The premise is simple enough. People decide if they want to be a watcher or player of Nerve, performing increasingly stupid and dangerous tasks to gain money and followers until they're the last one standing.

Emma Roberts stars as Vee, a shy teenager who is too scared to approach the boy she likes at school and takes a passive role in life. When she is embarrassed by her Nerve playing friend Sydney (Emily Meade), Vee decides to sign up to Nerve as a player, quickly hooking up Ian (Dave Franco) a player with a mysterious past whose daredevil antics have seen him end up near the top of the leaderboard.

Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman who gave us the original Catfish film and later directed some of the Paranormal Activity sequels, this film unsurprisingly taps into a world where everything is documented on cameras and phones and put onto the Internet.

Tapping into that thirst for fame through exhibitionism that defines the snapchat generation, it's here that Nerve finds its strongest element. There's something that feels so very current about this film that even in this fantastical reality where things can shift from having no consequences to deadly consequences, Nerve barely seems like fiction. It's completely plausible that some of these stunts could happen, and that there would be people with camera phones lining the streets eager to document it and prove they were there when it happened.

It's not all about adrenaline junkies and exhibitionists, though. Whereas Limitless posited the idea that we only use 10% of our brains, Nerve finds its narrative by using the same statistics about the Internet. The shadowy world of the 'dark web' is casually explored here, digging into the sinister motives behind the entire Nerve game. The film also attempts to throw shade at the anonymity of the Internet, with some degree of success at highlighting the problems that give cause to issues such as Gamergate.

Largely the success of the film can be attributed to its two leads, as Emma Roberts and Dave Franco are an extremely likeable pairing that you want to see succeed. Both actors have previously been weighed down by familial expectations (a headline on Vee's laptop screen cheekily asks, "is James Franco too smart?"), but both are quickly coming into their own as charming and successful movie stars.

Liberally borrowing elements from The Running Man, The Game and Limitless (with a bit of Hackers thrown in), Nerve nevertheless manages to be a consistently entertaining romp through NYC.

Verdict

3.5/5

FILM4 SUMMER SCREEN AT SOMERSET HOUSE

Taking place over a couple of weeks each August, Film4 returned to Somerset House's grand courtyard for its annual series of Summer Screen films. With premieres of Pedro Almodovar's Julieta and Viggo Mortensen's Captain Fantastic alongside classics like Robocop and highly regarded future classics like Ex Machina, this offered something for all cinematic tastes. Personally, I opted for the Saturday night double bill of Galaxy Quest and The Final Girls, two films that encapsulate the self-referential film geekiness that I love.

We arrived at 7pm to find a DJ in full swing playing retro pop classics and a great atmosphere all around (the group next to us brought Uno and I saw Trevor or Simon, but I'm not sure which one) as people gradually turned up and slotted themselves into every nook and cranny possible on the seating area, like some sort of picnic blanket Tetris. The courtyard really is something to behold, and there was a bar area and appropriately themed print gallery to explore before the sun went down and the first screening started.

This was my first experience of Film4 Summer Screen at Somerset House, largely because I had no idea such a place existed right in the centre of London. Operating as some sort of stately home/art gallery for most of the year, it's also host to some incredible looking audio visual extravaganzas, such as the upcoming Bjork Digital virtual reality exhibition, and uses its unique space as an ice rink during winter. Frankly, it's a little bit amazing, despite the entrance to the toilets looking like the setting for a sequel to Hostel (they were surprisingly clean inside).

In attendance were The Final Girls (not named specifically after the film that was being screened that night, but more so the theory behind it), a film group aiming to highlight feminist texts within modern and cult cinema. They handed out cool little booklets that helpfully broke down the rules of surviving a horror movie, and had screened a collection of new short films before the double bill that explored the tropes of horror movie conventions.

Before the first screening, organiser David Cox gave a lovely tribute to Alan Rickman, who had long been a supporter of the Somerset House screenings and had previously appeared before the screenings of Die Hard and Sense and Sensibility. It was revealed by David Cox that Rickman had agreed to return to introduce Galaxy Quest should they screen it, and after his unfortunate passing earlier this year, it was decided that the film should be screened in his honour. And a fitting tribute to his immense talent it was.

I hadn't seen Galaxy Quest for a number of years but remembered it fondly (particularly when so many people chose to discuss and recommend it after Rickman's death), and it was a joy to see projected in 35mm onto Somerset House's giant screen. The film holds up incredibly well with top performances from Rickman, Sigourney Weaver and Tim Allen, and can rightly be considered as a forebearer to the meta-textual narratives that were to come, including The Final Girls.

It seemed that I was in the minority, but when this season of films was announced, it was the screening of The Final Girls that got me the most excited. A delightfully clever journey through horror movie tropes, I've been a huge fan of it since it arrived on demand late last year, and the chance to finally see it on the big screen was not one to miss. I say that I must be in the minority, as once the crowd had arrived en masse it became clear that people might make the stupid mistake of leaving before The Final Girls even hit the screen. Perhaps I was being naive, but it never crossed my mind that people would buy tickets to see a double bill and then skip out halfway through. Increasing the awkwardness was that director Todd Strauss-Schulson was on hand to introduce his film, and although he urged the audience to not leave and give his film a chance, large swathes did anyway.

I think it's great that so many people came out to celebrate the work of Alan Rickman on the big screen, but whether it was to catch the last tube or just due to sheer ignorance, those who left after Galaxy Quest missed out on a great film that played really well on the big screen. The audience laughed and jumped at all the right beats, and it was a rewarding experience for those that decided to take a chance on this little, under-appreciated film that I genuinely believe in fifteen years time will be held in the same regard as Galaxy Quest is now. Seriously, The Final Girls may not be the most widely known film, but it is the perfect choice for a double bill with Galaxy Quest, and with its subversion and celebration of what makes cheesy horror films so fun to watch, it is exactly the kind of film that is a joy to discover and brag to your friends about seeing it before them. I can understand how some of the audience would have a necessity to get home due to babysitters, travel arrangements, etc, but the entire Film4 Somerset House event has been carefully and lovingly curated. They wouldn't be showing this film unless it meant something.

Watching a film outdoors was a new experience for me, and seeing airplanes fly overhead is a distraction that makes for a nice change to seeing people play on their phones. Thankfully it didn't rain as I hadn't really planned for bad weather, but I was enjoying the screenings so much I don't think a torrential downpour could have shifted me from my spot (I'm basically cursing myself for next year now). Hopefully the introduction of the night tube will solve a lot of problems with early leavers (sadly, launching the weekend after this double bill), and I'm looking forward to finding out what premieres, re-appraisals and crazy double bills Film4 have to offer next year.

SUICIDE SQUAD review

After the events of Batman Vs Superman, government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) puts together a task force of criminals and sociopaths that she believes can do some good in the fight against these new unknown entities.

In the long fought war between Marvel and DC, two things have become abundantly clear; Marvel make the better cinematic versions of their characters, and DC have all the best bad guys. Put those two things together and Suicide Squad was always going to be a risky project. From the title alone this film was different, and the first of the current wave of superhero films to ask the audience to directly identify with the bad guys (Guardians of the Galaxy were always more charming rogues, so they don't count). Of course, bringing in film stars such as Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie all but guarantees a high level of exposure, but apart from the Joker, who are these characters?

Leading the pack is Will Smith's Deadshot, a deadly assassin with a code of ethics and a daughter who gives him a reason to live. He's not a widely known character outside of the comics, but provides Smith with enough internal conflict to make his choice of this film over the Independence Day sequel an easy one. The poster girl for the group is Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, delivering the first live action iteration of Joker's former Arkham Asylum psychologist turned girlfriend. All agreed, with her impossibly wide smile and manic eyes she's perfect casting for the role, and brings a lot to a character that is severely under-written.

Keeping Waller's team in check is Joel Kinneman's Rick Flag; a soldier who has been brought into the fold thanks to his romantic interest in Cara Delevigne's June Moon (aka Enchantress). Flagg is sadly quite a one note character, obeying his orders dutifully and having zero reaction to witnessing his employer murder a bunch of innocent agents; but he's Liberace in comparison to the other soldiers (including Scott Eastwood's GQ), who are so bland they could have been rolled into one character and still be lacking. The most interesting thing about Flagg is that he appears to stop and get a drastic haircut once the shit starts to hit the fan, although this may be explained away by the extensive reshoots and new material that make up the first act.

But, I suppose this is a film about the bad guys, and that it does have. There's something quite hypnotic about Leto's Joker, although that may just be that there's so much dazzle about his appearance it's hard not to stare at him whenever he is on screen, which isn't much. Unlike the much lauded big screen interpretations that have come before him Leto ups the gangster aspect of the character, depicting him as a crazy gangland kingpin/club owner. It kinda works, but the character needs to be better explored when he inevitably reappears to face off against Batman.

Joker's relationship with Harley Quinn provides ample opportunities for some lovestruck lunacy, but their scenes together are mostly limited to flashbacks (oh god, there's far too many flashbacks) and do little to flesh out their connection. It's a shame as there's clear chemistry between the actors, but little chance to let it develop. The same goes for Joker and almost all of the cast. For all the highly publicised disturbing artifacts and live rats Leto sent to his co-stars, he spends almost zero screen time with them. Again, it's a shame, as there appears to be an interesting dynamic between him, Harley and Deadshot that will have to wait to be explored another day.

As for the rest of the Skwad, they're a collection of poorly drawn caricatures and borderline racist stereotypes that know their place is to stand behind Smith and Robbie as they walk down the street in their (anti-)hero poses. Some characters are introduced purely to be killed off or be a walking weapon, whereas others such as Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang are left with nothing to do but tick a number of bogan stereotypes of the list. Boomerang is a jovial presence and is honestly the best Jai Courtney has ever been; but he's sidelined by the finale and not given much to do.

The most pleasant surprise of the film is Jay Hernandez's Diablo, who despite barely appearing in the trailers and also conforming to a whole checklist of unfortunate stereotypes, ends up being the best character in the entire film. He's the only one with any fire to him, and has a backstory that has given him real conflict about his abilities. The quiet man of the group, he has the depth that characters like Killer Croc and Slipknot could only dream of from their cells.

Having too many characters and not enough 'character' is not Suicide Squad's only issue. Once again the world is threatened by an underwhelming big bad that turns their mission into a game of capture the Flag as it descends into generic action (there are THREE separate helicopter crashes that people walk away from unharmed) and CGI madness. Edited to within an inch of its life, it's clear that Suicide Squad has gone through a few changes on its journey to the big screen; but with his background writing films like S.W.A.T. and Training Day and directing End of Watch and Fury, David Ayer seemed like the perfect director for this film. If he couldn't bring Suicide Squad to us unscathed by the negative response to Batman Vs Superman, no-one could.

Yet, despite all the negative reactions this film has garnered from critics and some audiences, it would be wrong to say I didn't still enjoy it as a generous helping of dumb popcorn entertainment. A masterpiece? No. A let down to everyone who thought this could be the film to put the DCEU finally on the right track? Undoubtedly. But it's still a fun but heavily flawed film, and without the weight of an entire cinematic universe on its shoulders, it could have been brilliant.

Verdict
3/5

AUTHOR: THE JT LEROY STORY review

Screened at last month's Sundance London Film Festival and now on general release, who was the real JT LeRoy? 

THE NEON DEMON review

Starring Elle Fanning as a young woman eager to make it in the cutthroat world of modelling, Refn's divisive commentary on the fashion world arrives in cinemas.

After receiving a reception at Cannes that can be described as mixed at best, The Neon Demon hits our cinema screens in typical Nicolas Winding Refn fashion; sharply tailored by master craftsmen and sealed with a monogram.

The Neon Demon begins with the startling image of Elle Fanning's Jesse lain across a chez lounge with blood across her neck. However, this isn't the scene of a gruesome murder; this is a fashion shoot. It's a cold, often heartless world we're introduced to. In the waiting room for Christina Hendricks' powerful executive, she points at a girl and tells her to go without any pleasantries, just an off hand dismissal that could destroy the hopes and dreams of a young girl.

Taking its cues from other slightly barmy, hyper stylised takedowns of their respective industries like Black Swan and in particular Showgirls, what at first appears to be all surface soon flips the page to reveal something much darker hiding in the centrefold.

Like Refn's Drive and Only God Forgives before, The Neon Demon uses a lurid colour palette to paint its picture. Among the reactions from Cannes was the accusation that this was little more than sumptuous wallpaper, but it's a truly beautiful film to look at with undeniable substance under the surface. Refn's influences are clear to see, with David Lynch's Lost Highway and Dario Argento's Suspiria being obvious touchstones.

Fanning has an almost ethereal quality about her, and exhibits beauty in an almost alien way. She deserves praise for creating nuance in her performance. With her impressively long, swan like neck and skin like milk, she could easily fit in with the more vacuous people this film depicts. Like the film itself, which could have been just shallow and pretty to look at, she adds layers and hidden depths to Jesse's seemingly innocent small town girl in the big city. When one of the more fragile of her contemporaries comments that "nobody likes the way they look", she takes her down with a simple "I do".

Among the supporting characters is Jena Malone's Ruby; a seasoned pro who's seen how the industry can chew up fresh meat and spit them out again. Malone is outstanding in the role, bringing forth a palpable sense of desire in an often cold and uncaring world.

There's gender politics at play here too. Although the cast is almost completely female, the roles occupied by men are those of abusive power. They are the photographers that demand that Jesse strips naked. They are the designers who refuse to watch some models as they walk for them. They are the motel owners who take advantage of people in a vulnerable situation.

One would assume this was a knowing wink to the audience from Nicolas Winding Refn about his role as director. After all, this is a film full of mirrors.

A poison pen love letter to the fashion industry with some beautiful imagery, as it pushes forward into its horror infused final act The Neon Demon is a hallucinatory nightmare that needs to be experienced to be believed.

Verdict

4/5