“Blaze Of Glory” by Jon Bon Jovi (from YOUNG GUNS II)
- Bede Jermyn






Dir: Adam Deacon, Daniel Toland
Starring: Adam Deacon, Femi Oyeniran, Ollie Barbieri, Jaime Winstone
The Film:
Anuvahood is an odd film, and it really isn’t something easy to write a review about. On the one hand it is a really silly and just all over the place kind of film but on the other hand it has its moments of humour and it works as a strange spoof. It reminded me of The Ali G Movie the most, whether or not that was any kind of influence I don’t know. Co-director and star Adam Deacon has made a name for himself in films such as Kidulthood, Adulthood, Shank and 4.3.2.1. This is a huge departure from those, whereas they had a serious tone and this aims to make people laugh and obviously not to be taken seriously.
The plot (if there even is one?) is paper-thin, we have Kenneth aka Kay who is a wannabe bad boy, he wants to become an actual gangster. Is this his coming of age? Is he really worthless and hopeless, can he over come adversity to achieve his dreams? Yes, this is the film, and even then I am not sure I have really described it.
It is all over the place, the start of the film especially is quite confusing. It took me a while to settle in and understand what was going on. I also had trouble understanding what was being said, it’s mostly because I am not used to that type of lingo and I’ve always had a few issues with it. The way the film kept bouncing around and was poorly structured really kept it down, it was often confusing and hard to understand. Which is a shame because there was a lot of potential there, and some scenes worked really well and were quite funny. It is disappointing when elements can’t quite come together properly.
Acting wise, the cast was so-so, no one really stood out and no one was overly awful. They were all just there, and did what they could to make it work. Adam Deacon honestly was fine, and I didn’t have any issues with him. It was obvious this film meant a lot to him and I could see his hard work, which is why I want to mention him. The man is funny, and he has some great ideas, they just weren’t fully realised here. It is a fair effort and I applaud him for taking a chance with something so off beat and trying to make it work.
This film wont be for everyone, some will get it and others wont. As I mentioned it reminded me of The Ali G Movie and that worked a lot better despite how insane that was, it at least had a clear plot and it flowed really well. Yes Anuvahood is hit and miss, I don’t think it was quite the disaster some critics have said, and there was some effort involved and it was entertaining in parts.
The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality.
Rating:

DVD details here.
Thanks to Bill care of Curious Films for the copy.
Dir: Koen Mortier
Starring: Sam Louwyck, François Beukelaers, Titus De Voogdt
The Film:
22nd Of May will certainly go down as one of the more unique films I have seen recently. This is an art house film through and through, which may or may not turn people away. I mean I certainly hope not because this is worth giving a shot but it wont be for everyone.
The story is about a mall security guard, who goes into work one day and a bomb explodes. He tries to save people, but he then runs off and finds himself in a type of purgatory. There he is confronted by those affected by the blast, and whether or not he was at fault for what happened.
It sounds strange and it really is, it takes awhile to really engage into what is happening after the blast. The first 10 minutes of this film are almost without dialogue, and it is beautifully shot and we get a sense that something is going to happen. After the blast it takes such a strange turn and it takes awhile to take all of this in and adjust. It isn’t quite clear at first what is going on, but as we begin to meet these victims we kind of ease into it. I mean this is what I understood, I am sure others may have a different interpretation.
The film goes through a slew of different characters; there are different stories to be told and different views to be seen. It eventually takes a turn, which I will not reveal here, and while some of the in-between lost me, this turn really struck me hard. The way the film ends is quite beautiful in a way, and its slow motion and artistic expression is amazing. It is an extraordinary visual to experience, and it is in a way the perfect way to wrap the film up.
The performances here are on and off; the one person who remains on throughout the entire film is the star Sam Louwyck. He carries the film and remains a constant, we are with him from the beginning and he really never lets up. The victims are the ones who are either good or they aren’t, this has a lot to do with how their part was written. Some have rather bland roles and stories to tell and they just can’t work it above that written level. Some of them lost me, others didn’t it, it was just a really big mixed bag and depending on how others feel it will either be something that doesn’t bother you or you’ll find it irritating.
This film is directed well and just beautifully shot, it was edited well and it is a real piece of art. The film has a kind of strange Lynchian feel, which is partly why I was drawn to it. It is about life, death, decisions, regret, and it will certainly leave the viewer pondering these and more for quite some time after watching this.
The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality.
Rating:

DVD details here.
Thanks to Bill care of Accent Film Entertainment for the copy.
Dir: Brad Ellis
Starring: Matthew Stiller, Rachel Miles, Allen C. Gardner, Rachel Kimsey, Clare Grant, Kim Justis, Dennis Phillippi, Michael Gravois.
The Film:
You know what type of film that disappoints me the most? It’s a film that has all the elements to be great but unfortunately the end result becomes a rather mediocre. It’s a shame because DAYLIGHT FADES shouldn’t have been one of those films. I didn’t know anything about it when I was sent to review it but after reading what is was about, it peaked my interest right away. First off it’s an indie film about vampires, which is pretty good because I enjoy a vampire film but what sold me most about it was that the film plays more like a drama than a horror film. For me the best types of horror films are ones that have a lot of emotional dramatic elements to them (examples include THE SIXTH SENSE, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, THE EXORCIST, HEARTLESS etc.), so I was very much looking forward to watching and reviewing this film, sadly the film ended up being pretty average.
The film tells the story of Johnny (Matthew Stiller), a shy sensitive young man with a good heart, and Elizabeth (Rachel Miles), a jaded young woman who’s had a very troubled life, meet one night at a bar and right away begin a relationship with each other. While it starts off really good, everything begins to fall apart when Johnny wants to take their relationship to the next level by admitting that he is in love with her. Elizabeth feels that this is too much for her and she tells him that she can’t commit to him. Johnny is devastated by this news and he breaks up with her. Later on while driving home with a friend, Johnny gets into a car accident. When Elizabeth gets to the hospital, the Doctor tells her that Johnny’s injuries are really severe and that he might not last the night. However a mysterious, quiet man named Seth (Allen C. Gardner, who also wrote the screenplay), sees Elizabeth’s pain and decides to help her by saving the life of her boyfriend. But the only way that he can do that is by turning Johnny into a vampire.
After reading the synopsis, you can definitely see why this film appealed to me. It had a story that could have had made it unique and different that in the right hands it could have been a terrific film that could easily stood along one of my favourite vampire films LET THE RIGHT ONE IN. It’s sad that the script, the pacing and the cast are all what stop it from being a truly great film. The cast try their best with their performances but most of them were just average. Rachel Miles was one-and-off as Elizabeth (especially during some of her character’s big emotional moments), Allen C. Gardner was wooden as Seth and some of the supporting cast were pretty awful. Also even though the film is 90 minutes, I think it would have benefited with a longer running time. It should have been 15-20 minutes longer because the pacing in the 1st half of the film was too rushed for my liking (it didn’t help that didn’t give us enough time to invest in Elizabeth and Johnny’s relationship. They basically get together and then break-up within 5 minutes ). While the film does bring up some very interesting themes and ideas, but it didn’t quiet explore them enough (although it starts to in the last half of the film). Also there were some scenes and characters that were either pointless or poorly constructed.
However despite all the negatives, there were some aspects of the film that I actually did like. While he did have the occasional on-and-off moment in the beginning, I thought that Matthew Stiller was solid as Johnny for most part. His performance definitively had my attention though out the film. But for me the best performance in the entire film was Rachel Kimsley as Raven, an evil vampire who tries to bring Johnny over to the dark side. She is definitely without a doubt one of the best things about the film and I enjoyed every scene she was in. You can definitely tell that she relished playing the part. Also the despite the film’s clearly low budget feel, director Brad Ellis does a solid job with his direction. He gives the film a visually stylish and moody flair that hides its indie quality quite well. As strange as it may seem but I have a feeling that he might have been influenced by David Fincher when it came to his visual approach to the film. The way it was shot and lit it felt a lot like a David Fincher film. Plus the cinematography was really good, the score was nicely done and there are actually a couple of scenes that were sprinkled though out the film that I found to be quite affective (especially the ending, which was done pretty well. also I loved the final shot that film ends on).
So while DAYLIGHT FADES does have its good qualities, it’s still unfortunate that overall itself film was pretty average. Like I said before, it definitely had potential to be a great vampire film but doesn’t quite get there. However will give the filmmakers credit for at least trying to make something that was much thoughtful than most vampire films. I just wish it could have been a much better film.
The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality
Rating:

DVD details here.
Thanks to Bill care of Accent Film Entertainment for the copy.
- Bede Jermyn
Dir: Ed Gass-Donnelly
Starring: Peter Stormare, Aaron Poole, Martha Plimpton, Jill Hennessy
The Film:
I really liked Small Town Murder Songs, the small town with a mystery setting, a main character whose past still haunts him, a murder to be solved, what isn’t there to draw in the audience? Sure these elements are not new, but the way writer/director Ed Gass-Donnelly tackles it is. This kind of felt like something you might see the Coen Brothers attached to but there are certain elements that make this one of a kind.
We have a police officer Walter (Peter Stormare), living in small town Ontario, he has a past to hide and he’s a mysterious presence. He soon finds there has been a murder of a young woman, and everything he finds out has strings to his former life, including a former flame Rita (Jill Hennessy).
I really hate to divulge too much information on the plot, because watching this all unfold is quite fascinating and there are many mysteries within this layered piece. It is held together by a strong script, solid direction, great performances, really fantastic editing and an absolutely haunting score by Bruce Peninsula. There are so many ingredients with this film and they all blended together to perfectly, which made this such a beautiful watch.
As I mentioned the film boasts some great performances, led by the always-watchable Peter Stormare. This is one of the most layered and stunning performances I have seen from the man, he always delivers trust me but there was just something about his role as Walter that really hit hard. If you are a fan of Stormare’s you owe it to yourself to see this film and watch the man ooze his talents. He disappears into the role, and I honestly forgot I was watching a performance; it was so raw and natural. The combination of this character, the script and Gass-Donnelly’s direction was perfect for Stormare, and I hope somewhere down the line these two can work together again.
Everyone in this film was impressive, but I particularly was taken with Martha Plimpton in this as Sam, Walter’s girlfriend. She is a great actress and she can disappear into any role whether it be dramatic or comedic, and this was no different. There was a certain type of vulnerability she showed with this character that worked, but there was an inner strength as well, things that you could really see in her eyes as she delivered her performance. I was extremely impressed by her, and again I would love to see her work with the director and Stormare again.
This is a great film, a really stunning piece and I was most impressed with what Ed Gass-Donnelly crafted as a whole. If you see this sitting on the shelves or online somewhere, you really need to check this one out, you wont be disappointed.
The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality.
Rating:

DVD details here.
Thanks to Bill (Gryphon Entertainment) care of The Analogue Titles for the copy.
“Hard Sun” by Eddie Vedder (from INTO THE WILD)
- Bede Jermyn