You’ve heard of a Harley Davidson, maybe even a Norton but have you heard of the Vincent? No? Well, this is the story of Philip Vincent and his motorcycle manufacturing company which made hand-made British bikes in Stevenage that would dominate the land speed records during the 40s and 50s. Speed Is Expensive will be available on Digital Download from 25th September.
This is a fascinating biography of a British motorcycling pioneer, Philip Vincent, narrated by Ewan McGregor, who brings a suitable amount of film star quality from the British motorcycle enthusiast’s perspective, piecing together the archive footage of Philip Vincent and his fledgling company along with his family’s home movies and interviews.
It’s a remarkable story of a prodigy who left an indelible mark on the world of motor racing, which could so easily have never happened. Philip was born in Argentina, the son of a colonial rancher and came to the UK to be educated. His academic prowess got him into Harrow and Cambridge, where he was basically asked to leave because he was spending too much time building and riding bikes.
After leaving Cambridge, he became the youngest owner of a motorcycle manufacturing company at the age of just 19 when he bought his racing hero’s company, Harold Raymond Davis (still the only man to win the infamous Isle of Man TT on his own hand-built bike).
Alongside another prodigal force of nature, Phil Irving, who travelled thousands of miles from Australia in an HRD sidecar to join the company, the two Phils would make a formidable partnership transforming the motorcycle industry with their inventions.
The stories and insights into a man and his legacy are made all the more perceptible because Philip Vincent was a keen camera enthusiast all the way back then. His family archive footage is combined with some well crafted filming of his bikes in action including the test drives from the warehouse and racing at the Isle of Man TT, all of which have in turn been lovingly put together by director David Lancaster.
The life of this eccentric British inventor is further imbued by the amusing stories of a bygone era from the people who were there, like when one of the test riders was caught speeding down a country lane only for the judge to throw the case out as nonsense because no motorbike could travel at 110 m.p.h..
Then there is probably the most iconic motorcycling photograph ever taken of a man riding a Vincent motorbike in just a pair of briefs and plimsoles whilst laying horizontally, perched on the back wheel arch, arms out stretched holding onto the handle bars. This isn’t any staged photographic pose for artistic endeavour, this is a picture of Rolly (Roland) Free breaking the land speed record at 150 mph on the salt flats of Utah in the USA. The story along with the photo has to be seen to be believed.
The fact that the Vincent bikes attract a following of the rich and famous is further testament of its place in history and its cult status confirmed by a quote from Hunter S Thompson. The bikes have been written about in songs, featured in books and have sold for millions at auctions with fans describing the Vincent as a mythical beast, and to hear its effortless mechanical purr captured on black and white celluloid is a sight well worth the watch.
Film: Speed is Expensive
Director: David Lancaster
Stars: Ewan McGregor (Narrated by), Jay Leno, Paul Simon
This is a bitter sweet drama about the lives of a pair of siblings and how a fateful school trip to see their favourite pop idol, the legendary instigator of glam rock Marc Bolan, led to life changing consequences. Bolan’s Shoes will be in UK Cinemas from 15th September.
The story begins on the school bus trip to see the glam rock star with their teacher played by Louis Emerick in his affable Liverpudlian accent, who unashamedly “Gets It On” in the spirit of all things glam rock wearing the signature glitter face paint, whilst air guitaring to T. Rex’s legendary riffs.
The children are larking about having a good time until we see the first signs of trouble as the kid sister (Amelia-Rose Smith) has to intervene to stick up for her brother (Isaac Lancel-Watkinson), planting a headbutt on another kid who has been bullying him. Then later on, after the concert the high spirits get out of hand on the bus again as the brother is egged on by the bullies to set a box of matches alight. The subsequent blaze distracts the bus driver, who veers off the road crashing the bus. Amongst the injured, the bus driver and the sister’s friend are pronounced dead.
From the bus crash we jump some 40 years later and see the sister’s (Leanne Best) love of all thing’s Marc Bolan hasn’t waned. She’s baking a Bolan cake and is planning a trip to London to commemorate the singer’s 75th birthday, ensuring she remembers to bring along the singer’s glittery platform shoe she was “gifted” all those years ago.
The London trip is to the Marc Bolan memorial at the sight of the car crash where the pop star lost his life and there is a gathering of people to commemorate the occasion including Bubble Man, who we discover is the sister’s brother Jimmy (Timothy Spall), now a reclusive street artist. He suffers a fit in front of his sister which has a traumatic impact on her and her sudden downward spiral culminates at her husband’s (Mark Lewis Jones) afternoon tea reception. Her secret past begins to unravel and she urgently needs to practise her elocution lessons to try to maintain her identity and keep up her appearance amongst a clicky crowd of Welsh vicar’s wives.
She seeks solace by returning to the memorial site visiting her brother’s camper van, which inside is a memorial to both the Bolan crash and the school bus crash. Reunited together after being separated since childhood, Jimmy’s been badly affected by the crash suffering with OCD symptoms and twitchy mannerisms, played with a gentle deftness by Timothy Spall. “I have schizoaffective disorder, easy for me to say, bi-polar schizophrenic, double whammy,” he declares to his sister in a light Scouse accent.
There’s a strange interlude in the night that disturbs an unconcerned sleeping Jimmy who is forced to entertain a group of midnight revellers in his camper van led by a delightfully obnoxious Mathew Horne, but thankfully his little sis comes to the rescue once again coming head-to-head with another bully of her brother’s. The next day, Jimmy’s guilt about the accident pours out to his sister, which is all the motivation she needs for them to pack up and go on a road trip back home to Liverpool to put the past to rest. But it’s little sis who has some explaining to do of her own.
Despite the lugubrious subject matter of childhood trauma and dealing with mental health issues there is a light heartedness running through the film created by director Ian Puleston-Davis. There’s a shared humour and a shared love of glam rock between the siblings even into their middle ages and with an upbeat soundtrack full of Bolan’s T. Rex hits like “Children of the Revolution”, “Light of Love” and “20th Century Boy”, it all helps keep the mood from dropping too far below whimsical and nostalgic in spite of the plot’s disturbing psychological twists and turns.
George Kane is a BAFTA nominee director, writer and a graduate of the National Film School in Dublin. His new film Apocalypse Clown, is a riotous end of the world horror comedy set in a post apocalyptic Ireland.
In UK and Ireland cinemas from 1st September 2023.
1. Could you please introduce yourself.
Kane. George Kane. I’m the director of Apocalypse Clown and such TV comedy gold as Inside No 9, Brassic, Wedding Season, Timewasters and Crashing, among others. Nice to meet you.
2. What’s a brief synopsis of the story?
After a solar flare event, four bottom of the barrel clowns and a clickbait journalist emerge into an Ireland that has lost all power, technology, and digital communications and has descended into anarchy in the space of 24 hours. In pursuit of their goals, the ragtag bunch traverse the country in a wind-up clown car, on a journey of self-discovery.
3. What made you want to make an end of the world clown comedy?
I’ve been part of the film’s development since day one. The writers had written and performed a hilarious play called CLOWNS and we decided to build an outlandish comedy adventure film around the 3 central characters. Initially, it was a Tropic Thunder/Three Amigos style romp in West Africa – then Covid and lockdown made us reassess the project and adapt it for a homegrown Irish shoot. The end-of-the-world idea emerged, made us all laugh and felt like nothing we’d seen before. So we committed, hard.
4. How did you meet the Irish Comedy Outfit ‘Dead Cat Bounce’ who wrote the script?
They saw me across a bar, dug my vibe and sent me a drink. One thing led to another…
What actually happened was that I was invited to see them back in 2008 by an RTE comedy executive, when they had just started performing as a comedy rock band. I loved what they did and got introduced. They soon met with me about a TV pilot they were making – that didn’t pan out for me, but we stayed in touch, became friends and were suddenly thrown together when our Discoverdale project sprang out of thin air in 2011. We clicked so well during that whirlwind that we decided to keep working together – and Apocalypse Clown was born out of that.
Send In The Clowns – Directed by George Kane – Photo by Ruth Medjber
5. What challenges did you face turning the script into a film?
The classic adversaries of time, funds, scheduling, Covid and trying to realise a 100 minute cross-country road-trip movie within a 30km radius of north Kildare. When you start prepping a shoot, somebody breaks down the scripts and estimates the number of days required to shoot the thing. If it’s not enough time, or a real squeeze, you need to get creative with script, locations and everything else to make sure you can achieve it in the time you have. Luckily we had a smart and committed crew and a fantastic cast who threw everything they had at it.
6. How did your previous film experience help prepare you to make this film?
My TV experience was crucial – I’m not sure I would have pulled this off 5 years ago. Since then, I’ve shot stunts, complex action scenes and shot around absent cast members during Covid – many pressurised schedules. All that experience fed into my planning and ability to adapt from hour to hour. Plus I’m an editor, so I plan like one – which helps! I’ve been directing comedy professionally for 15 years now, so I felt confident I’d be able to help the cast be as funny as they can be.
7. What were the most fun or difficult scenes to shoot? Why?
Anytime I had the three central clowns in one space, I had a blast. The prison, the crashed yellow clown car where Funzo has her existential crisis… The writers’ dialogue was so sharp and silly and David, Natalie and Fionn bounced off each other so well… they were a joy to watch and to direct. Also – all the car stuff where we also squeezed Amy and Ivan into the creaky old Renault 4. The funeral scene was great fun – and I had my Dad there too, dressed as a clown, sat in the congregation – so that was lovely!
Our first day was in the village of Ballymore Eustace, which we closed off. It was a very tough day to complete for our first one… and all the Big Top stuff was a real challenge. Jugglenauts, fire, gunge pits, stunts and fights… while also shooting around absent cast with Covid… Not quite as fun as it could have been! But generally, I was finally making an insane feature, with old friends, near where I grew up – sometimes in places I played as a kid – so the whole thing was very special.
8. How did you cast the film? What was it like working with the clowns on set?
I feel blessed by the comedy gods that we were able to assemble who we did. I had worked with David Earl in London years ago on some no-budget sketches and, having seen his excellent work on his recent film “Brian and Charles”, I knew he’d be ideal for Bobo. He took a little convincing though! Amy and Fionn came through the standard casting process in Ireland and were both perfect for us. Ivan Kaye had played a sinister patriarchal figure for me in “Wedding Season” on Disney+, and he had just the right kind of tone, energy and physical stature to play The Great Alphonso. Plus he can do his own magic. He brought his own top hat! And I don’t think there’s anyone around who could have played Funzo like Natalie Palamides – she says herself that it was as if the role was written for her. We didn’t know her outside of seeing her amazing live shows, but we just took a punt and sent this unhinged clown script to her in LA… She loved it and was in, no question. None of the central cast had worked together before – but they gelled beautifully, which made my life much easier!
9. What are your favourite comedies or comedians that influenced your film?
Our intention was to make a big, ambitious, joke-packed comedy like they don’t really seem to make anymore. Something deeply silly and twisted. Not that the style of comedy is the same, but I feel there’s a spirit of Mel Brooks in there… a little Father Ted… a little Monty Python… maybe even some Lonely Island… And I grew up as an enormous Marx Brothers fan. So there’s a definite anarchic comedy trio energy to Bobo, Funzo and Pepe… Funzo is like Harpo and Chico rolled into one – but with added psychotic violence. Style wise, I wanted to make a cinematic comedy with real richness and texture – shooting anamorphic, paying close attention to colour palettes, etc. I was inspired by the directing work of Ben Stiller, who’s made gorgeous looking and beautifully put together big screen comedies like Zoolander and Tropic Thunder. Albeit, he had about 80mil to make Tropic Thunder, I had about 2… but I did what I could!
10. What was it like filming in Ireland?
It was very nice for me as I’ve rarely shot anything at home. Most of my early TV work was in Northern Ireland and I’ve been working in London for 11 years or so. I got to recce my home town. We shot in the facility where my first ever video was edited for a school project… Donadea Forest Park was where we shot the Zanadu scenes, and where I played regularly all through childhood. The media office was across the road from my Dad’s childhood home… The list goes on. Considering this was originally written for West Africa, I did not expect to be sleeping in my childhood bedroom during the production of this film, but that’s how it turned out! The actors will disagree, but I love the vast desolate wilderness in the centre of the film, which is known in reality as The Bog Of Allan. Bleak, inhospitable and very spongey. I loved how the clowns looked, lost in the terrain.
11. How did you manage to get funding for the film?
Through the trojan efforts of our producers Morgan Bushe and James Dean. Screen Ireland backed the script development early on, and continued to shepherd us through with production funding. But the rest involved a long and challenged road of attracting (and holding on to) European co-production, private equity and tax breaks. Independent film production is a real house of cards, financially – and pulling together funding for such an unusual and ambitious clown comedy was no mean feat. But hats off to them – they did it.
12. Why do you think people will enjoy the film?
It’s a film made purely for laughs. It has practically no other function! If you’re not crazy about one joke, there’ll be another seconds later. The cast are so enjoyable in their roles, Funzo is unforgettable, and the plot is totally unpredictable. Some recent reviews have described it as “bonkers” or “the most bizarre thing I’ve ever seen” – so I think it’ll be a breath of fresh air, amongst all the typical blockbuster stuff. I miss the days of seeing a hilarious joke-filled comedy play in a room of 200 laughing people – it’s a rare thing in cinemas nowadays, and I think if people get into the spirit of the madness, they’ll have a fantastic night out.
Film: Apocalypse Clown
Director: George Kane
Stars: David Earl, Natalie Palamides, Amy De Bhrún
Adapted from the screenplay The Terminus this short film by Nigel Fair, Service No Longer Required, puts the spotlight on a homeless ex-army veteran sleeping rough at Waterloo station, in a tribute and call for support for the ex-servicemen and women who struggle with PTSD and homelessness.
Using a cast and crew of mostly ex-military artists, Tip Cullen (former Royal Marines Commando) plays the leading role of ‘Bootsie’ the homeless ex-army medic who is sat bearded and grey on the train station floor watching the commuters pass by. He begins a slow purposeful monologue appealing to anyone who might listen as he recounts the epitaphs and harrowing imagery of battles gone by. In the background we hear the boots of soldiers marching, which swiftly switches to the sound of London’s bustling commuters, from whom Bootsie receives varying degrees of sympathy, as he continues to hear the cries and explosions of the battlefield.
The opening slides of postcard sketches and photographs provide some historical background to the plight of the army veterans’ sufferings: injuries, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and homelessness. They highlight how the homeless and mentally sick have been harshly treated by society over time, but also the support they’ve received from the likes of pioneers such as Sir Oswald Stoll and the Royal Hospital Chelsea (and in the case of this film the Veterans’ Foundation).
The authentic postcards establish the long history associated with these problems going as far back here as the Tudor times and bringing them to the present day to Waterloo station and the obvious yet poignant link between the station and its namesake the battle of Waterloo. The closing captions at the end of the film make grim reading about the more recent conflicts of Afghanistan and Iraq where it says more servicemen and women took their own lives after their deployment than were killed in action.
Following the sombre slides we see images of the busy London traffic combined with a cheerful pop soundtrack, which lifts the mood momentarily, before returning to the subject matter of Bootsie and his homeless struggle. The passers-by highlight the range of opinions often associated with homelessness from the more kindly offerings of a cup of tea to the more disparaging and outright abusive. Meanwhile Tip Cullen’s performance as Bootsie is resolute and well informed in the face of his predicament delivering a steely glazed account of the horrors of his experience shared by his fellow veterans.
Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial
A hugely touching short directed by Nigel Fair and produced by Shaun Johnson the film is part of a campaign to raise money towards the full theatre production of the play ‘The Terminus’ from which this film’s poppy scene was taken, and to also continue the support for military veterans by helping them work in the theatre and film industries.
(Bootsie, Albert Lines, was a World War II veteran who lived rough on the streets of Kingston Upon Thames in the 60s and 70s. He is the inspiration for the charity and its theatre production The Terminus.)
Woolf Women directed by first time documentary filmmaker Marchella De Angelis follows Jenny ‘Jungle’ a downhill skateboarder on her epic odyssey across Europe with her fellow Woolf Women, a group of young female skateboarders seeking the thrills and spills of downhill skateboarding. In selected UK cinemas from 8th June.
We pick up Jenny Jungle’s story as a child growing up with her family in Bavaria. Her father was a ski instructor who passed away suddenly, which heavily impacted on Jenny’s mental health. As an art student in London at the time, her thesis on adrenaline had led her to discover downhill skateboarding. Soon she began competing, rising to number 2 in the world, but the news of her father’s death sent her mental health into a downward spiral.
Out of work, she left London and headed to the hills living in a converted van. Downhill skating was her salvation and out on the road she discovered the Woolf Women, a group of like minded girls from around the world living a similar nomadic lifestyle seeking a similar peace of mind from the extreme sport.
As part of her healing process and a way to commemorate her father’s passing Jenny ‘Jungle’ decides she wants to embark on an epic journey with the Woolf Women across Europe. Her target is an ancient monastery high up in the Pontic Mountains of Turkey on a trip that would cover 6,000 kilometres, across 8 countries, in 8 days.
In the build up to the road trip Jenny ‘Jungle’ suffers a sickening crash into a roadside barrier leaving her in hospital requiring multiple surgeries. Her road to recovery is spent at home in Bavaria convalescing with her mother as she races to be fit again to take part in her own documentary as Mama Woolf (and that’s if she even wants to skate again).
Downhill skateboarding has to be seen to be believed. Super-fast with speeds of up to 100 km/hr and super dangerous; how they stand up and race on a tiny board with wheels defies the laws of physics. With no actual breaks, the skaters use a perilous looking sliding technique to check their speeds as they throw themselves around corners, that leaves you with your heart in your mouth as they weave and bob down the roads.
The insane riding is caught on camera with some super close ups that provide a real sense of the speed and intensity; there’s some behind the scene insights into how the high speed action shots are captured and there’s also footage of the accidents that the girls have caught on body cameras, which makes for some wincing viewing.
A memorable road trip for a band of young girls with a shared passion for a unique outdoor sport. Their unique bond goes further than just skating and includes all things Woolf, mental wellbeing, female empowerment and an affinity for the environment (as well as skinny dipping) highlighted by their songwriter friend Karina Ramage who joins the girls on the road to sing some eco songs together.
Director Marchella De Angelis looks to have closely collaborated with Jenny ‘Jungle’ to bring together some nice artistic touches that include some funky edits and a grungy soundtrack all wrapped up in a positively affecting story of girl power demanding of respect.
The sparks certainly fly in this documentary as the Woolf Women show a bravery and skill only matched by the insanity of riding downhill without breaks or a steering wheel.
Film: Woolf Women: Now or Never
Director: Marchella De Angelis
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Jenny ‘Jungle’ Shaurte, Anna Pixner, Alejandra Salamandra
Hitmen is the latest film from UK gangster auteur Savvas D. Michael and it’s another signature feature from him with much to be offended by. A married couple from London, totally out of character, beat to death an obnoxious gap year student from America whose powerful family connections in the US put a $1 million bounty on their heads giving licence to a collection of hitmen to hunt them down. Available 5th June 2023 on DVD, Blu-ray, all VOD platforms and select cinemas.
Luke (Daniel Caltagirone) and Lauren Loveday (Lois Brabin-Platt) are a seemingly ordinary common married couple from London having a drink in an East End pub, owned by Lauren’s brother the physically imposing and East End gruff Tony (Charlie Rawes). Their 10 year marriage is at a crossroads with Lauren wanting a divorce saying they’ve grown apart since she was a young girl. Their conversation is interrupted by Jackie (Max Lohan) a young American gap year student who tries to chat up Lauren and the ensuing argument leads to a violent outbreak resulting in Jackie’s brutal beating.
The news of Jackie’s untimely death gets back to his beloved grandfather Michael Hero (Eric Roberts) in the US. Michael, a powerful self-made immigrant CEO of a blue chip company, puts the wheels in motion to get revenge for his favoured grandson’s murder. He sends his henchmen The Major (Nentley Kalu) and adopted son Danny (Elijah Rowen) (who incidentally narrates the film) to meet Don Salvatore Piazza (Marco Leonardi), a mafioso type character in Italy to make the necessary hitmen arrangements. Meanwhile Michael’s real son and Jackie’s father, Paris (Ronan Summers), is looking to get back into favour with his father by revenging his son’s death himself. Realising there is a ransom on their heads Luke and Lauren go into hiding and so ensues a farcical hide and seek with the pursuing assassins.
Put together under the Saints and Savages production, the clue is in the name here. What Savvas D. Michael does well is put together a stylised film with plenty of swagger but there is also an overt amount of bad mouthing tirades and political incorrectness that would have many a human rights campaigner up in arms.
The script, which has picked out some crowd pleasing genre themes of violence and revenge, is told with a Scorsese like commentary. Unfortunately here’s where the similarities end as Savvas D. Michael’s attempts at a profoundly poignant narration is bewildering at times with lines like, “A great man like Michael would see his resurrection or revenge.”
It has the makings of a good gangster film. The cast is an interesting ensemble of characters with the assassins having various murderous ticks and typically he introduces a headline name or two along with some of his regular cast members. The locations are established with cinematic aerial shots and the violence, gunfire and explosions are pulled off with Hollywood like effects; all emotively pieced together with his eclectic sound track of classical opera and world music.
A UK independent film with an ambitious script reaching out to an international audience, it’s a totally over the top mix of violent action and comedic farce; Savvas D. Michael is clearly on a mission to offend his audience while having a good time making movies.
Film: Hitmen
Director: Savvas D. Michael
Genre: Action
Stars: Lois Brabin-Platt, Daniel Caltagirone, Eric Roberts
Much Ado by Hillary and Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare (yes, their real names are Shakespeare, but presumably no relation) is a film version of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing set in the present day where a rugby team arrives for a house party in the Suffolk countryside. Much Ado will be available on digital download from 24th April.
Using the actual dialogue from the original Shakespeare play (albeit ever so slightly chopped and reformatted) a mini bus with the ‘Aragon’ rugby team breaks-down and calls in at the house of Leonato (Peter Saracen) for some well acquainted hospitality. Leonato welcomes them to his home with his daughter Hero (Jody Larcome) and niece Beatrice (Emma Beth Jones) by putting on a party. Close friends, the girls are looking for love and their affections for Claudio (Luke Hunter) and Benedick (Johnny Lucas) are coyly played out in tandem.
Pedro (James McClellend) is the confident leader of the arriving rugby team who says he will help cupid’s cause by wooing Hero for Claudio. This peculiar offer turns out well for the pair at first whose romance starts to blossom, but this is just the beginning as John (Jack Boal), the unreconciled and malicious bastard brother of Pedro, is hell bent on causing as much mischief as possible for the courting couple with the assistance of his followers Conrade (Ed Francis) and Borachio (Nils Behling).
Meanwhile Beatrice and Benedick are doing everything possible to show they are not interested in each other’s affections with their often scathing insults towards one and other. So it is again down to Pedro to give cupid a helping hand, concocting a plan to get each of them to believe the other is head over heals in love. The farcical conversations are then staged for Benedick and Beatrice to overhear in the hope of igniting their belief in one another’s love.
Set in a very big house in the countryside this one location provides a perfect backdrop with its extensive grounds for a posh teen house party complete with an indoor swimming pool, tennis court, sauna and roof top jacuzzi all put to good use, scene by scene, as the story unfolds through the course of the party.
Emma Beth Jones is in her element playing the feisty Beatrice working with Shakespeare’s dialogue that still fizzes and resonates despite its datedness. Generally you can’t win using the original Shakespeare script – too slow and deliberate it becomes stilted, too fast and naturalistic and the words get lost in the deluge of exchanges. The directors and cast have to be given credit here for the playful way they’ve brought the script to life and there’s even a role for Balthasar the singer (Joseph Emms) who plays his guitar adding a touch of boy band pop to ‘hey nonny, nonny’.
Film: Much Ado (2023)
Director: Hillary and Anna-Elizabeth Shakespeare
Genre: Drama, Romcom
Stars: Emma Beth Jones, James McCelland, Luke Hunter
A son’s return home to a remote Irish fishing village brings delight to his mother but when he is accused of a serious crime her loyalty to him tests her own sensibilities of right and wrong, which has devastating consequences on the local community. Opening in UK cinemas from 31st March.
A mother Aileen O’Hara (Emily Watson) is overjoyed at the return of her son Brian (Paul Mescal) to the family home in a small fishing village in Ireland, albeit he’s arrived during the wake of another young local fisherman lost to the sea, and so revealing the harsh tradition of the fishermen of not learning how to swim in case they try to save one another.
The son has returned home from his time spent in Australia and is now looking to start afresh back in the family business of oyster farming. He’s keen to get on, but it is clear he left to get away from some unresolved family strife between himself and his father, which lends to a troubled atmosphere under the family roof once again, despite his initial warm welcome.
The close knit community is centred around the fishing industry where Aileen fills another matriarchal role at the fish sorting factory, overseeing the workforce in a supervisory role. The largely female workforce show their close camaraderie and dedication to their jobs despite its unrelenting demands. The local pub is another focal point of the community bringing people together for some welcome relief from the daily toil with singing and dancing. It is here Brian meets up with Sarah (Aisling Franciosi), one of the factory girls who later accuses him of the crime that puts his mother Aileen in a scrupulous position. Her instincts make her side with the son she dotes on and in doing so cuts Sarah adrift turning the village on its head.
Produced by Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly and written by Shane Crowley both of whom hail from a similar remote fishing village in Ireland fictionalised here, they look to explore the darker side of life in a community, which may hold more stories and secrets far saltier than the sea they reside by.
Directed by two New Yorkians Saela Davis & Anna Rose Holmer, who were especially chosen to bring a fresh pair of eyes to the enchanting Irish coastline, they’ve conjured a stormy tale, which has been atmospherically enhanced here by a haunting musical score to match.
Paul Mescal who plays Brian has the air of the good son returning home but also has the physical presence and look to know he’s accustomed to handling the menacing conditions. Emily Watson bravely takes on the sea, willing to don the waders and get waist deep in the North Atlantic Ocean and is equally brave in taking on an Irish accent, which has benefited from some pronunciation coaching. Aisling Franciosi’s Sarah has a stoic look of resignation in the face of adversity, initially shown in her soft melancholic Irish folk ballad singing when she does a turn in the pub. The supporting cast include some local Irish characters too that maintain the Irish authenticity and fishery know-how throughout the film, which the production design team especially profited from when they needed to re-create the factory location in order to fit the camera movements in.
The Irish coastal village makes for an epic backdrop with its steep cliff faces, crashing coastal waves and lofty horizons. The action jumps quicker than a sinkhole from the accusation to the aftermath as the mother repudiates her son’s guilt and things quickly career out of control, but from the opening sequence until the end its the humbling continuity of the sea that giveth and that can taketh away.
Film: God’s Creatures
Director: Saela Davis & Anna Rose Holmer
Genre: Drama
Stars: Emily Watson, Paul Mescal, Aisling Franciosi
Jethica is a dark comedy horror about a young woman’s story, told retrospectively from the back seat of a casual lover’s car as she confesses how she killed someone. Jethica is available to own or rent in the UK & Ireland via AppleTV, Amazon, Sky Store, Virgin Media, Google Play and RakutenTV.
Elena (Callie Hernandez) has hooked up with a stranger in the back of his car and after some forced small talk begins to confess her story of how she accidentally kills someone and why she was living alone in her Grandma’s trailer in New Mexico. She flashes back to meeting an old college friend Jessica (Ashley Denise Robinson) at the gas station near there and after inviting her to stay at her grandma’s she discovers Jessica has her own confession to make.
Jessica has a stalker (Will Madden) who has been constantly sending her videos and letters obsessing over their non-existent relationship and when he turns up suddenly looking for her the two girls turn to Elena’s grandma’s mystic ways with the afterlife to get rid of him.
Directed and produced by Peter Ohs as well as being co-written with the leading actors there’s a shared albeit slightly discombobulated vision that comes through in the script as various different tropes are added. The relationship between the two female friends Elena and Jessica is done in a quiet but afflicted way as one advises the other on how they should deal with their stalker situation using some voodoo like witchcraft. All the while the stalker rambles on incessantly with a lisp and painted face not unlike a cartoon caricature as he attempts to get in contact with Jessica. He manages to pitifully evoke a sense of sympathy as his delusional longing for his victim goes undeterred by his absolute rejection.
There’s a morbid poignancy to the film with the wide shots of the arid dessert landscape and its long roads providing a spectacular cinematic backdrop, which also intensifies the loneliness of the characters searching for somewhere to belong as they deal with their own personal strife.
Jethica may not have you hiding behind the sofa but if you manage to watch it to its ambling end it’s the kind of movie that leaves a lasting melancholic thought not least for being the antithesis to the more typical gnawing for brains zombie horrors.
Film: Jethica
Director: Pete Ohs
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Horror
Stars: Callie Hernandez, Ashley Denise Robinson and Will Madden
A late night radio host has to think fast on his feet when a creepy stalker tries to blackmail him live on air after taking his family hostage. On The Line will be available on Amazon Prime from Friday 3rd February.
Featuring Mel Gibson who plays Elvis, ‘the legendary’ late night radio host, a likeable but difficult person with a reputation for pranking his colleagues mercilessly. No one is safe from his scathing roastings especially his fellow host Justin (Kevin Dillon) who he jibes with typical rants that aren’t without humour. Working alongside him is his regular radio show side-kick Mary (Alia Seror-O’Neil) and a new studio intern from London, Dylan (William Moseley), whose English sensibilities and accent are a prime target for Elvis’ pranking.
With 40 years’ experience at the station, he’s attracted his fair share of weirdos on the late night talk show, although he is more than cable of handling these using his smooth talking radio diplomacy but when his family is targeted by a caller’s (Paul Spera) vendetta against him, he finds himself in an all too personal hostage negotiation live on air. Unable to cut the caller off in fear of him harming his family he’s at the mercy of the caller’s demands.
From French Writer Director Romuald Boulanger, who is someone who knows a thing or two about radio broadcasting as a former radio presenter himself with his own popular comedy show, you might guess this isn’t going to be a straight-forward thriller. The tone is set from the very beginning as Mel Gibson sends himself up as a tortured captive and he fits the bill well as the radio station’s star name with his raspy voice and droll acerbic wit. The creepy caller played by Paul Spera has the sinister menace on the phone as the threatening omnipresent force, which builds along with the body count into a farcical parody.
Whilst the script stretches the levels of plausibility and the clichés become predictably leaden there’s enough at stake to carry the movie towards its live on air conclusion(s) in a pastiche tribute call to the late night radio show host.
The Language of Film 