FrightFest: Climbing the walls

Now in its 22nd year, London's FrightFest is one of the top horror film festivals globally, and features a number of world premieres among its lineup, plus filmmaker events. After last year's double virtual edition, this year's event was largely held live in Leicester Square, with a virtual element to help audiences outside London enjoy the fun. I don't usually attend the festival as a journalist, but I try to catch films where possible, and this year I saw more than usual, including a few very good ones...

Knocking
dir Frida Kempff; with Cecilia Milocco, Albin Grenholm 21/Swe ****
Cleverly shot with a focus on thoughts and feelings, this Swedish thriller has a slow-burn quality that inexorably pulls the audience into its web of unnerving fear. Director Frida Kempff, writer Emma Brostrom and actor Cecilia Milocco take us deep into the mind of an unhinged woman who feels that something around her isn't right. And she seems so convinced about it that she pulls us into the mystery... FULL REVIEW >

No Man of God
dir Amber Sealey; with Elijah Wood, Luke Kirby 21/US ***.
Based on transcripts and firsthand reports, this well-made drama explores the early days of criminal profiling in the mid-1980s. It's a brainy, talky film, largely featuring conversations between a killer and a federal agent. This makes it feel like a stage play, spiced up with visual flourishes by director Amber Sealey. It's a darkly intriguing film, expertly assembled and performed, even if the subject matter is a bit well-worn... FULL REVIEW >

Prisoners of the Ghostland
dir Sion Sono; with Nicolas Cage, Sofia Boutella 21/Jpn ***
Heavily stylised, this bonkers action horror is set in a colourfully dystopian version of Japan crossed with the Wild West and populated by an international cast of quirky characters. Sudden explosions of action, violence and song keep the audience on its toes. Director Sion Sono playfully indulges in outrageously overwrought imagery, sets and costumes, creating a deranged comic book-style atmosphere that feels far too haphazard to fully come together... FULL REVIEW >

John and the Hole
dir Pascual Sisto; with Charlie Shotwell, Michael C Hall 21/US **.
A coming-of-age drama with a sinister twist, this film retains an unnervingly hushed tone throughout its steadily paced narrative. The visuals are eye-catching, and performances are skilfully understated, echoing Michael Haneke in bleak outlook and Yorgos Lantimos in surreal-fable tone. Director Pascual Sisto deploys ominous horror-style elements to crank up the menace, and the script plays with some big ideas, but the minimalistic approach never offers much insight... FULL REVIEW >

The Show
dir Mitch Jenkins; with Tom Burke, Siobhan Hewlett 20/UK **.
With the look of a colourful comic-book, this offbeat British fantasy by Mitch Jenkins and Alan Moore is packed with playful stylistic flourishes. At the centre is a noir-style investigation that refreshingly defies expectations, spiralling through a series of encounters that play with some lurid connections between the real and spirit world. It's sharply well-made, and packed with terrific characters, but there's little going on under the gorgeous surface... FULL REVIEW >

When the Screaming Stops
dir Conor Boru; with Ed Hartland, Jared Rogers 21/UK ***
Dryly hilarious, this British horror comedy is packed with deadpan asides and nutty revelations in the mock-doc style of What We Do in the Shadows. Its entertainingly silly tone jars against the pitch-black premise, as whiplash shifts in tone and some obvious plotting undermine the clever premise. And without much character nuance, the mix of blood-thirsty murder with goofy jokes adds an awkwardness to the mindless fun... FULL REVIEW >

Bloodthirsty
dir Amelia Moses; with Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk 20/Can ***
With slick visuals and a detailed set-up, this is not your typical werewolf horror. It's also far too serious for its own good, even with twisted touches that add compelling observations about the aggression and sacrifice required for artistic success. It's grisly enough to hold the attention, but some earthy energy in the writing and direction would have allowed the story and characters to resonate much more strongly... FULL REVIEW >

Sweetie, You Won't Believe It
dir Yernar Nurgaliyev; with Asel Kalieyva, Danyar Alshinov 20/Kaz ***.
Loud and abrasive, this jumpy comedy from Kazakhstan has a lot of energy as it mixes Three Stooges-style slapstick with bumbling criminal action and some outrageous grisliness. With six credited writers, the script is a mess, piling random nonsense on top of corny plot points and lots of illogical chaos. But the gleefully gruesome approach and some absurd character touches manage to turn it into an entertaining guilty pleasure... FULL REVIEW >

See Shadows' FRIGHTFEST HOMEPAGE for a full list of films and links to reviews.

For more information, visit FRIGHTFEST

Stage: Death-defying spectacle

Cirque Berserk!
producer Martin Zippo Burton
production director Beau Denning; creative director Julius Green; movement director Dede McGarrity
sets Sean Cavanagh; costumes Dianne Kelly; lighting Mike Robertson; sound Matthew Bugg
Garrick Theatre, London • 25.Aug-11.Sep.21

The title is perhaps a bit hyped for what is actually a fast-paced circus placed on a West End stage. But this show features plenty of spectacle that holds the interest, with some gasp-worthy moments along the way. It's rare to see these kinds of death-defying acts in a proper theatre, and while the size of the stage puts limits on what is possible, it also adds a terrific sense of proximity and even danger.

The main focus here is acrobatics, including jugglers, clowns, tumblers, balancers and aerial artists whose ripped bodies bend in ways that defy belief. Running right through the show, the Timbuktu Tumblers provide several displays involving pyramids, flaming limbo poles and lots of kinetic energy. Also punctuating the space between acts is diminutive Brazilian performer Paulo Dos Santos, a charmer who has the audience laughing and sighing at his antics, which mix impressive gymnastics with expert comical timing. He becomes the show's star.

Spotlight acts include Elberel, an outrageously flexible archer from Mongolia who appears as a lady in a bottle before firing arrows from seemingly impossible angles, including with her feet. Toni and Nikol are a Czech couple who perform an heart-stoppingly fast knife and axe throwing act, which is properly thrilling when you can almost feel the whoosh of the blades flying through the air. And from Spain, Pablo and Vicky do a series of crazy aerial stunts from the very top of the stage.

Dominating the set is a massive steel globe, which the three Lucius Team riders enter on motorcycles to cap both halves of the show, riding around and up and over while somehow dodging each other. This is a big roaring act usually reserved for a giant tent in a field out of town: putting this on a stage is seriously impressive. And the show is expertly directed with smooth transitions that make sure there's always something going on.

There are a few less-thrilling acts peppered in between (juggling on an electric skateboard doesn't have quite the same kick as a unicycle), but each person in this show is skilled to a very high level. Even the seemingly simpler things they do are impossible for mere mortals. And it's great fun to cheer these performers on in a full-on circus that's been redesigned to fit in a theatre space. 

For details, visit CIRQUE BERSERK 

Photography by Piet Hein Out

Critical Week: Things are heating up

These strange times continue to challenge the film industry, as distributors keep shifting release dates, and changing the rules about attending press screenings (I had my first screening this week that required a negative covid test). But it's definitely getting busier, and it's great to be seeing the big movies on huge screens again. Let's just hope that hospital numbers don't rise again. As for the movies this week, one of the more intriguing was the English-language Polish thriller Mosquito State, which is very big on style (see above) even if the plot remains rather elusive. One of the most entertaining Marvel blockbusters yet, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a thrilling martial arts action adventure adeptly led by Simu Liu and Awkwafina. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II leads the identically named nearly 30-years-later sequel Candyman, a punchy political horror that's more darkly unsettling than scary. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Candyman
The Last Bus • The Nest
PERHAPS AVOID:
Mosquito State
The Pebble and the Boy
ALL REVIEWS >

A hit West End musical based on a true story, Everybody's Talking About Jamie has been adapted into a surprisingly emotive film. It's still exuberant and inspiring, but everything feels much more intense now. From Peru, the animated adventure Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon looks fantastic and features some lovely magical touches in its rather simplistic story. From Germany, the English-language futuristic thriller The Colony blends Waterworld/Mad Max-style imagery to say some intriguing things about humanity. And it was great to catch the restored 1963 Joseph Losey classic The Servant on a big screen. Still rivetingly deranged after all these decades, it's adeptly anchored by devastating performances from Dirk Bogarde and James Fox.

I'm also watching films as part of both Outfest (Los Angeles) and FrightFest (London) at the moment. These have included the award-winning nonbinary drama Firstness, the quirky autobiographical memoir Potato Dreams of America and the astonishing Swedish thriller Knocking. There are a few more of these to come, and they're being covered both on the site and in other blog posts.

This coming week I'll be watching more FrightFest movies,Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in Respect, the family drama A Wake, the British drama Second Spring, the British thriller Shorta, the German revenge thriller Plan A and the true boxing drama The Champion of Auschwitz.

Outfest: Connect your way

Each year as Outfest takes place in Los Angeles (this year a little later than usual), I get sent links to view some of the films that are part of the programme. And I also discover that there are several films I've already caught at other festivals. Outfest is one of the leading LGBTQ+ festivals in the world, and if features some great movies from top filmmakers. Here are short comments about seven terrific features with links to the full reviews on the site, starting with one of my favourite films of the year so far...

Sweetheart
dir-scr Marley Morrison; with Nell Barlow, Jo Hartley 21/UK ****.
Packed with jaggedly witty observations, this British comedy gets into the mind of a teen who thinks her life couldn't get any worse. Writer-director Marley Morrison tells a hugely engaging story about a character brought to vivid life by gifted actor Nell Barlow. The pacing may meander in the middle, but this is a breathtaking feature debut, and one of the most astute movies about adolescence in recent memory... FULL REVIEW >

Jump, Darling
dir-scr Phil Connell; with Cloris Leachman, Thomas Duplessie 20/Can ****.
This comedy-drama centres on a luminous, no-nonsense performance from the late Cloris Leachman, a lead role that feels like a gift. Writer-director Phil Connell tells an engaging story about people who find inspiration at opposite ends of their lives. While invoking the spirit of Hedwig as these defiant people refuse to be put into boxes, this is a complex celebration of how empowering it is to be honest with yourself... FULL REVIEW >

Boy Meets Boy
dir Daniel Sanchez Lopez; with Matthew J Morrison, Alexis Koutsoulis 21/Ger ****
Freeform filmmaking adds earthy authenticity to this German drama, which follows two young men over 15 hours. Filmmaker Daniel Sanchez Lopez assembles this mainly in visceral closeup, seemingly shot on a phone camera as characters take a loosely meandering journey. The approach gives the film a striking sense of intimacy. So if the plot feels thin, the attractive actors and sparky subtext make this worth a look... FULL REVIEW >

Firstness
dir-scr Brielle Brilliant; with Tim Kinsella, Allex Jording 21/US ****
Drenched in New Mexico sunshine, this offbeat drama takes a refreshingly open-handed approach that's easy to engage with. With her first feature, writer-director Breille Brilliant takes a premise that could easily seem a bit creepy and makes it something affirming and almost inspirational in the way it celebrates the wonderful variety in human expression. It's a disarmingly gentle film that challenges us without even a moment of preachiness... FULL REVIEW >

Firebird
dir Peeter Rebane; with Tom Prior, Oleg Zagorodnii 21/Est ****
Based on a true story, this Cold War drama traces a romantic triangle in a Russian military setting. Director Peeter Rebane keeps the focus on the characters as they navigate a perilous situation, pulling the audience into the story. This adds vivid personal emotions to the visually stylised filmmaking, and also adds wider resonance. Some earthy grit might have helped, but the film is strongly engaging and very moving... FULL REVIEW >

Potato Dreams of America
dir-scr Wes Hurley; with Tyler Bocock, Marya Sea Kaminski 21/US ****
Heavily stylised and hugely imaginative, this coming-of-age story unfolds with offbeat insight and witty observations. Expanding on his 2017 short doc Little Potato, writer-director Wes Hurley depicts his own experiences with cleverly inventive imagery, using a mix of stage-like sets and real-world locations. And the sparky characters are full of life, adding to the film's brisk pace and warm-hearted approach to topics that shouldn't actually be controversial at all... FULL REVIEW >

Knocking

dir Frida Kempff; with Cecilia Milocco, Albin Grenholm 21/Swe ****

Cleverly shot with a focus on thoughts and feelings, this Swedish thriller has a slow-burn quality that inexorably pulls the audience into its web of unnerving fear. Director Frida Kempff, writer Emma Brostrom and actor Cecilia Milocco take us deep into the mind of an unhinged woman who feels that something around her isn't right. And she seems so convinced about it that she pulls us into the mystery... FULL REVIEW >

I've also caught up with a few Outfest shorts at other festivals...

• Pure (Natalie Jasmine Harris 21/US) ****
• Eden (Sven Spur 20/Bel) ****
• Bodies of Desire (Varsha Panikar & Saad Nawab 21/Ind) ****
• Pool Boy (Luke Willis 21/US) ****
• The Night Train (Jerry Carlsson 20/Swe) ****

For more information: OUTFEST 

Critical Week: It's all coming back to me

The pandemic continues to affect releasing schedules. Even with twice as many movies in need of cinema slots, studios are being unusually tenuous in getting movies out to audiences. This week, the two biggest releases were only screened once to the press, a few days before the films opened. Even though the films are finished and sitting on shelves waiting to go into cinemas, studios are more protective than ever, which means they're effectively killing any chance at word of mouth. This is obviously why some major releases have stumbled recently, but no one is saying this. 

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Annette • Underground
Censor • Sabaya
PERHAPS AVOID:
Rare Beasts
ALL REVIEWS >

The biggest release this week is Reminiscence, in which Hugh Jackman uses sheer charm to sustain a futuristic plot that's full of gaping holes. And costars Rebecca Ferguson and especially Thandiwe Newton help too. The other big UK release is Snake Eyes, again rescued by its lead actor Henry Golding, even though the GI Joe action movie's script isn't up to much. A lot more intriguing, and much more challenging, is the darkly satirical show-business musical Annette, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. It's a movie that could only have come from the minds of musicians Sparks and filmmaker Leos Carax.

Less mainstream, Underground is a French-Canadian drama that astutely unpicks issues of masculinity, and Demonic is a gritty horror film from Neill Blomkamp that almost works. The American indie The Land of Owls is a sensitive, occasionally insightful look at relationships. A new French animated version of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days is very quirky, and more fun than it should be. And seven filmmakers contribute segments to The Year of the Everlasting Storm, exploring the impact of covid lockdowns in ways that are witty, pointed and hauntingly personal.

Coming up this next week, I'll be watching Elijah Wood in No Man of God, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in Powder Keg, sci-fi thriller The Colony, Beau Knapp in Mosquito State, and the horror films Bloodthirsty and Knocking.

Critical Week: Never grow up

Even with cinemas back open, this has been an odd week for press screenings: I've had none in actual cinemas, only the links to watch at home, reminiscent of those lockdown months. It's an odd lull, but then nothing is quite back to normal yet. Release schedules are getting back on track, although options for moviegoers don't feel quite as varied as they should be. Still, there are some good ones out there.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Coda • Free Guy • The Courier
Josee, the Tiger and the Fish
Misha and the Wolves
ALL REVIEWS >

The films I watched this week were the usual offbeat bunch. Wendy is a stylish, fantastical and oddly bleak spin on Peter Pan from Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Charming the Hearts of Men is a warm Southern drama starring Anna Friel and Kelsey Grammer, touching political issues with a low-key charm. Crime Story stars Richard Dreyfuss and Mira Sorvino in a fascinating true story that refuses to fit the formula. From India, Shershaah is an epic true-life war movie that vilifies the enemy but also has a cute romantic subplot. From Denmark, Wildland is a dry, edgy drama about a family that values loyalty over morality. From Ecuador, The Legend of Tayos painstakingly documents the search for ancient treasure in a cave system shrouded in mystery. And there are five well-made European shorts in the collection Boys Feels: I Love Trouble, each of which explores the fallout from breaking the rules.

This coming week, I'll be watching Marion Cotillard in Annette, Henry Golding in Snake Eyes, Hugh Jackman in Reminiscence, horror thriller Jakob's Wife, friendship drama The Land of Owls and an animated remake of Around the World in 80 Days.

Critical Week: Ray of light

I took thinks a bit easier this week, recovering from last week's intense film festival screening programme. But it's been cinema weather in London, so I've watched films both at home and at press screenings anyway. Two films this week were animated, both far from Hollywood. The Japanese drama Josee, the Tiger and the Fish is actually a remake, but has a fresh visual approach that blends traditional anime with simply gorgeous digital artwork to tell a remarkably grown-up story about friendship and love. And from Germany, Moonbound is also beautifully animated with an eye-catching attention to detail in its wacky space adventure story. But an over-complicated script lets it down.

BEST OUT THIS WEEK:
Pray Away • Sabaya
Never Gonna Snow Again
Ema • The Fever
PERHAPS AVOID:
Playing God • Moonbound
ALL REVIEWS >

As for the blockbusters, Ryan Reynolds is as charming as ever in Free Guy, a wildly entertaining action comedy that packs a nice punch. James Gun reboots The Suicide Squad, bringing back Margot Robbie and Joel Kinnaman plus Idris Elba for a riotously busy, loud, overlong and gleefully grisly caper. The perhaps too hushed coming-of-age thriller John and the Hole stars Charlie Shotwell as a tween who locks his family in an unfinished bunker to get some peace. Michael McKean and Alan Tudyk liven up the far too serious con-artist caper Playing God. And from Brazil, The Fever is a gorgeous observational drama about an indigenous man in an Amazon city facing big changes in his life.

Films I'll be watching this coming week include Benh Zeitlin's riff on Peter Pan with Wendy, Richard Dreyfuss in Crime Story, Kelsey Grammer in Charming the Hearts of Men, the Canadian drama Underground, the Norwegian comedy-drama Ninjababy and the shorts collection Boy Feels: I Love Trouble.

Stage: Be yourself tonight

Tommy on Top
by Chris Woodley
dir Bryan Hodgson
with Alex Hulme, Lucas Livesey, Chris Lane, Megan Armstrong, Bridgett Amofah, Becky Sanneh
Above the Stag Theatre, Vauxhall • 28.Jul-29.Aug.21

With a blissfully silly sense of humour, this farcical comedy is nonstop entertainment that's guaranteed to put a smile firmly on our face. And along with a stream of raucous double entendre, amusingly foul-mouthed dialog and physical slapstick, there's a sharp underlying theme that leaves us with something to think about later. This is another first-rate production from the talented team at Above the Stag, a snappy play staged with colourful flair an attention to detail.

The mayhem centres around Tommy (Hulme), an actor nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in the independent film Splash Mountain. In his Hollywood hotel room, he's preparing for the onslaught of red carpet media attention while also planning something special for the birthday of his stylist boyfriend George (Livesey). Then his hard-partying sister Molly (Armstrong) arrives, as does Tommy's attention-seeking agent Eddie (Lane), who wants him to remain closeted for the sake of both the Oscars and his future career. So Tommy decides to court high-profile agent Judy (Amofah) instead. But gossip blogger Kiki (Sanneh) is digging into rumours that Tommy might not be as straight as he claims to be.

Armstrong and Amofah

Jokes come at a furious pace throughout the show, with goofy punchlines, lacerating satire, asides to the audience, outrageous physicality and some hilarious technical gags. All of the cast members dive fully into the melee, with scene-chomping roles for both Lane and Armstrong. Eddie is a predatory slimeball, constantly ranting about everything to a room full of people who loathe him. That Lane makes him loveable is no mean feat. And Armstrong has the most crazed role, as Molly exuberantly makes everything better and worse at the same time.

At the centre, Hulme's Tommy is sympathetically hapless, keeping the show grounded with his hangdog expression and on/off costumes. His scenes with Livesey are perfectly pitched to provide soulful romance with a witty bite. And both Amofah and Sanneh add some razor-sharp edges. Another star of the show is the lighting (by Joseph Ed Thomas) and sound (by Paul Gavin), cleverly deployed by director Hodgson to inventively punch the comedy to even higher levels.

Hulme

While the general chaos on-stage makes the story feel a bit rushed, it also means there's never a dull moment. The cast and crew pack an astonishing amount of wordplay, sight gags, full-bodied farce, theatre references and rude surprises into the relatively brisk run-time. And it ends with a heartfelt plea for honesty and acceptance that feels urgent at a time when so many major movie stars are unable to be truthful about themselves in public.

29.Jul.21 • Photos by PBG Studios

Sundance London: Best friends forever

The Sundance Film Festival London is always a short, sharp shock, as it only lasts four days but features a flurry of acclaimed films. On the final day, I caught up with the short film programme and also attended the surprise film screening...

Zola 
dir Janicza Bravo; with Taylour Paige, Riley Keough 20/US ***
Based on a "true" story from a Twitter thread, this arthouse movie is loose and deliberately cartoonish. Director-cowriter Janicza Bravo keeps the story moving with chattering dialog that feels like a joke the audience can't possibly get. Meanwhile, the selective sound mix and swirling camerawork echo a leery male gaze. And as characters hit the road over a long weekend, what the story reveals about youth culture is chilling... FULL REVIEW >

Misha and the Wolves 
dir-scr Sam Hobkinson; with Misha Defonseca, Jane Daniel 21/Bel ****
This may be a documentary, but it has more outrageous twists than most mystery thrillers. Filmmaker Sam Hobkinson tells the story with range of inventive techniques, including firsthand interviews, archival photos and clips, dramatic recreations, animation and some movie-style trickery. And the people interviewed on-screen have a wonderfully earthy charm. What emerges is a riveting exploration of the power of storytelling itself, especially when sympathy is brought into play.

After last year's virtual festival, Sundance London's surprise film screening returned this year, only revealing the title once everyone was ready for it to begin. The film itself was a disappointing choice, as it comes from Sundance 2020 (all others were from Sundance 2021), and it also previously screened in the main programme for the London Film Festival 2020, where I first saw it. But it's a good film, and the awesome Harriet Walter was there to introduce it in person...

Herself
dir Phyllida Lloyd; with Clare Dunne, Harriet Walter 20/Ire ***.
Intensely personal, this Irish drama quickly gets under the skin as it centres on a woman who has been a victim of horrific domestic violence finds an inventive solution to her precarious situation. It's an intriguing mix of the happy and bittersweet, plus a few downright awful moments, beautifully directed by Phyllida Lloyd to catch internal feelings and earthy realism. And actor-cowriter Clare Dunne is terrific in the central role... FULL REVIEW >

Sundance Shorts
Sundance London brought seven short films from its January festival, a fascinating range of mini-epics. Each of these shorts has a singular perspective, exploring situations that centre on nationality, ethnicity and religion while inventively using drama, archival documentary and animation. Six were from the USA, often with international angles, while my favourite, Les Criminels, is a terrific drama set in Turkey. It's about as a two amorous young university students who are threatened with arrest and worse as they seek somewhere they can have a bit of privacy.

• For more festival information: PICTUREHOUSE: SUNDANCE
• Visit Shadows on the Wall's anchor page for SUNDANCE LONDON for links to all reviews.