Film Reviews by NP

At first, I wasn’t at all sure about this. The orchestral swirls and rolling countryside seemed to be ushering in a bigger budget episode of ‘The Waltons’. It’s a slow burner for sure, the thin plot taking second place to mood and atmosphere, which director/writer Sergio G. Sánchez ensures is rich and haunting.

An independent venture, this boasts some excellent performances and never looks like it has skimped on its budget – in fact the locations and set design are reminiscent of a Guerro De Toro production: a haunted house straight out of a child’s nightmare.

The terrific cast includes the mighty Mia Goth, so good the following year in the ‘Suspiria’ remake; Anya Taylor-Joy, equally convincing in 2015’s ‘The Witch’; and Charlie Heaton, from ‘Stranger Things’. But it is George MacKay who really nails it, rising to the challenge of having the most interestingly written role.

Things become distinctly murky in the telling toward the finale, the effect of which doesn’t measure up to what has gone before it. A twist that doesn’t quite work. However, ultimately, this is a highly effective slice of period horror. My score is 7 out of 10.

At first, this seemed to be unfolding as a typical American teen thriller, with everyone you meet being bland and casually attractive. There are times when such films are perfectly entertaining, so I was inclined to continue watching.

Gradually, things became far more interesting than that, and then more interesting still. Just when the viewer is given every reason to believe they know where the plot is going, a twist occurs – and very skilfully, the story takes on a new and unexpected angle. When even that is absorbed, another new development hits out, and once again we have to adjust our expectations. Director Mark Tonderai – who has built up a fine resume since this film, including a couple of episodes of Doctor Who – and writers David Loucka and Jonathan Mostow really know how to manipulate audience expectation, and tease out the truth gradually and expertly. The players, including Jennifer Lawrence (Elissa) and Elisabeth Shue (Elissa’s mother, Sarah), are excellent and invest in their roles wonderfully, underplaying certain scenes and letting things rip when the opportunity arises – and it does!

Not that reviews really matter – mine less than most – but I was surprised to see that this film has received a less-than-stellar reputation in some quarters. Opinions vary as well they should, but I found this so very well done, that it amazed to me that more found it so difficult to enjoy. The twists are wonderful, and they don’t let up, even at the very end. There are reviews assuring us that ‘The House at the end of the Street’ is full of plot holes and doesn’t make sense. Well, as far as I could see, there are no real plot holes (we are teased to think one thing is happening, when the reality turns out to not be what we expect) and it does make sense (at least, within the ongoing instability of the villain). It’s as well to give this film your full attention.

My score is 8 out of 10.

Misleading packaging isn’t anything new. ‘Dark Path’ is a good example of this. On the DVD cover, we’re treated to a close-up of a snarling, multi-fanged creature. The monsters in the actual film, however, don’t appear to be of the same stock. This may explain a lot of the drubbing this production has had from some reviewers, which is fair enough. What isn’t so easy to take seriously, however, is when reviewers watch a low-budget independent film and then slate it for not having a huge amount of money spent on it.

While the monsters themselves my lack bite, a lot else is well done. On the technical side of things, the mostly night-time scenes are well lit and moody, and the sound design – so often a problem in projects of this nature – is perfectly balanced. The characters are mostly well-played and defined, although main player Abi (Makenna Guyler) is relentlessly acerbic; although we find out the reason for it, her spikiness could have done with being dialled down a bit. She and wayward sister Lily (Mari Beaseley) enjoy a kind of ‘ladette’ banter which for the most part works well.

The story was engrossing enough for me not to have noticed that this is a mostly all-female cast until the simpering character of Peter turns up. Played by Jimmy Essex, his involvement is a brief one.

I quite enjoy the way the film is left open-ended; Abi does everything right, and yet her fate doesn’t look promising. Again, some reviewers have decided the film ‘just stops’, which isn’t fair. We’re left at a pivotal moment, which is clearly a deliberate creative decision.

Associate producer is Lucinda-Rhodes Thakanacker, (along with husband Jeet Thakrar) who people may remember for her performances in ‘Harry and Cosh’ and ‘Cavegirl’ among other things. Her recent career seems to have steered her toward the horror genre, which is good to see.

‘A Dark Path’ doesn’t try and reinvent the horror film. Rather, it provides 75 minutes that I found enjoyable, cheesy, absorbing and well produced. My score is 7 out of 10.

There’s no doubt about it: mobile phones have made life so convenient, it’s impossible to imagine being without one. For horror story writers though, they must be a nightmare. If you can get a signal, you’re never truly alone, and help is always a distinct possibility. That’s why in many films, so many explanations are given as to why a phone has no reception, or the battery has died – it doesn’t often ‘ring’ true and makes it improbable that characters are truly isolated.

So it is good to see a horror thriller that makes such a virtue out of a mobile. Here, both the heroes and villain ensure this film’s fast pace by conducting much of their business with their phones – business that is fairly central to the plot, too.

It’s difficult to hear David Tennant’s American accent without thinking, ‘this doesn’t sound as naturalistic as his Doctor Who’, before recalling that his Doctor also spoke in an accent that wasn’t David’s own (excepting the story ‘Tooth and Claw’, where circumstances determined he use his own Scottish brogue). As a UK viewer, I have no problem with his accent as Cale Erendreich, other than perhaps why the character needs to be American at all.

With so much attention heaped on Tennant’s terrifically arrogant Erendreich, it would be unfair not to mention the other performers, all of whom are very impressive, especially Robert Sheehan as Sean Falco.

I really enjoyed this. It might have been gorier, but some will disagree. In this age where, thankfully, the good guys don’t always win, it remains uncertain, right until the final frame, who will come out of this intact, or come out of it at all. My score is 7 out of 10.

Airwolf Series 4 gets a rough time from fans and general viewers, even now. Well, I loved it.

To quickly go through the details - due to the expense, behind-the-scenes issues and sinking ratings, Airwolf was laid to rest at the end of Series 3, only to be resurrected again with a diminished budget, all-new cast and no access to the original Airwolf helicopter. This latter restriction was the biggest problem for me - the sequences involving the 'copter flying were either used from earlier series, or from previously filmed unused footage. The weather in these sequences is bright and sunny, and beautifully filmed, whilst the newly recorded footage for Series 4 was filmed in a different location (Vancouver) in often cold, rainy conditions. The contrast remains jarring throughout.

Only original cast member Jan Michel Vincent remains for the first episode. He puts in a great final performance, despite looking a little haggard, and his character String is written out in such a way that the viewers don't know whether he lived or died - which is a detail I rather liked. Ernest Borgnine is represented by a body double filmed from behind, who perishes minutes into 'Blackjack', the first episode - Alex Cord and Jean Bruce Scott don't appear at all.

'Playing' with established continuity, String's brother Saint John Hawke appears and becomes the new lead character. Barry Van Dyke is big and beefy with a jawline to die for - he looks as if his character might be an arrogant posturer, but he isn't. He and the other three new regular cast members are appealing and well-played.

It's true to say not all of the special effects work - Airwolf's new laser looks very cheap, for example, and a couple of the stories are unnecessarily slow-moving. This could also be true of earlier series, however - and I enjoyed the majority of these episodes a lot. Intrigue, a bit of romance, camaraderie, explosions, jeopardy - it's all here, not packaged in as polished a way as previously perhaps, but there's still much to relish. Possibly my favourite episode is 'Malduke', featuring Dick Van Dyke, Barry's dad, as the titular villain. It's as a good as anything under the 'Airwolf' banner.

Reading some online reviews of this film, you would think it is the worst thing ever made, and that top-billed Kelly Brook is the worst thing in it.

I found ‘Black Magic’ (otherwise known as the more memorable ‘Santet’) well-made but run-of-the-mill, with a succession of unexplained horrors afflicting each member of the central family one by one. In-keeping with its rather generic title, there is little original here, but the setting of Indonesia for its main location gives the production a look unlike most other cursed family horrors of this type. Kelly Brook makes a fine job of the constantly horrified wife and mother Laura, and only Marcelino Lefrandt as her husband Rendy lacks a certain gravitas as the main male lead.

Well orchestrated twists and turns abound here, the only problem is that the succession of characters being mortally injured and then fighting fit before being mortally injured again, acting as if possessed and then coming round before being possessed again, has a certain repetition about it – but I’ve seen a lot worse than this.

Written, produced and directed by Richard John Taylor, ‘Vengeance’ is the story of Eric Williams who returns to his home town after spending 27 years abroad, after his estranged daughter has been involved in a brutal attack.

Featuring two of the naughtiest boys on television, Billy Murray and the late Leslie Grantham, this production gets so much right, yet doesn’t quite achieve greatness. A lot of the acting leaves something to be desired, and the thugs on display are distinctly unthreatening. Yet, the cinematography is terrific, taking in sweeping panoramas of a respectable city gone to ruin; the storyline contains some good twists, although some key moments happen too abruptly – including, sadly, the finale.

For its flaws, I really enjoyed this. There’s always something magnificent about watching Murray and Grantham growling at each other in ill-gained upper-class apartments.

Released two years after Grantham's death, this was previously known as 'Acceptance' and originally made in 2012. My score is 7 out of 10.

‘Alone’ (AKA ‘Antidote’) is an independent film, that features a small number of main players stuck in a basement, shouldn’t be this compelling. This slow-moving study on how a global pandemic can affect one couple, when the man becomes infected, is unnerving and grim - with occasional toe-curling scenes of physical disintegration, of course.

The acting, from main players Kate Flanagan and Michael Izquierdo as Teresa and Matthew is extraordinary throughout, going beyond simply recreating emotions, raw and desperate. This is human endurance gone further than it should, several times over.

By the end though, if there is a lesson to be learned, it is probably this: if things appear to be hopeless, that’s because they are. My score is 8 out of 10.

This is one of those films that threatens to slide into the ‘is there something supernatural going on, or is it all in the minds of the main characters?’ category. Not that there’s anything wrong with that – however, it is a plotline that has been done so many times, it would need to pull out all the stops to avoid feelings of repetition.

As I watched this, I hoped it would ultimately prove to be something more, because it is so solidly made and well acted. The scary moments are well staged, and the atmosphere of deteriorating relationships is palpable. When the ending comes, it is a relief that there is no open-ended cop-out. The explanations were cursory, but enough to satisfy.

As babies go, the little fellow in this film proves to be annoying indeed; his constant crying for attention would be unbearable were he not so well cast. A cuter child I don’t remember seeing in a film.

So I need not have been so worried on any level. ‘Nightmare’ (what a shame they didn’t stick with the less generic title ‘Dark Circles’) is a film that is this good, that doesn’t drop the ball at any time, even during the final moments (which have a genuine poignancy to them). My score is 8 out of 10.

Billed as just over 80 minutes, ‘The Appearance’ is almost certainly about 20 minutes longer. More than likely, had that actually been its running time, it might have emerged as something more impressive.

That sounds unfair. There is so much that is good going on here – the lighting, the sense of atmosphere, soundtrack, acting and direction are all hugely impressive, especially considering this is a fairly low budget production. The story contains many good moments too, but there aren’t enough of them to justify the running time.

Set during medieval times, a young inquisitor is called to a suspected case of witch activity. Quite without reason, the inquisitor declares the young girl at the heart of the situation totally innocent, much to the ire of many of those around him. Whether she is or not is for the story to tell, but why he should be so sure of her good name is unclear. What transpires are many events, some supernatural, which either prove or disprove his claim: I’m not telling.

‘The Appearance’ is almost a really good film, but lacks a certain something that would have been partially improved by some generous pruning. My score is 6 out of 10.

What a uniquely strange and haunting film this is. Billed as a horror, which it unquestionably is, it is also a truly heart-wrenching tale of longing and impossible love.

Nina, the titular siren (Margaret Ying Drake), mute outsider Tom (Evan Dumouchel) and lonely Al (MacLeod Andrews) are the three main characters, and with them we spend the 80 minutes of this story’s running time. Inspired by the legend of The Rusalka, director and co-writer Perry Blackshear has these three guide us through a myriad of emotions – loss, friendship, distrust, suspicion and love. Interesting that Tom is a man of deep faith, and it such a refreshing change that faith isn’t used as any kind of catalyst for anything else – it is simply part of his character and it gladdens us that he isn’t totally alone, even after all that transpires.

Al is bereft after his husband – seen only briefly in flashback – is taken from him. When Nina appears, things change slowly. In fact, most things happen slowly, which will ensure this film isn’t for everyone – but I found myself genuinely moved by it.

Terrific, intense performances all around – Ying Drake especially is creepy, sorrowful, alluring and endearing, sometimes all in one scene – allow ‘The Siren’ to stay in your mind long after the credits, and the haunting music, have finished rolling. My score is 8 out of 10.

It’s very difficult to see a film these days without being bombarded with spoilers. Well, I’m giving nothing away here, other than to say that it’s based on Jane Rogers’ acclaimed novel of the same name and is highly recommended viewing.

The story is told slowly and is not just drenched in atmosphere but positively dripping with it. Bleak, blustery and poignant, there are four main players – Natalie Press and Nikki Black, Colin Morgan as Calum, Janet McTeer as Phyllis and the titular island itself. Rolling and rocky, dotted with Calum’s dens festooned with items he’s collected (“You’re like a magpie,” Nikki says at one point). It is beautifully filmed but bitingly cold to look at.

Phyllis’ home may be more heated, but there is little warmth there; secrets, isolation and fearsome independence despite a gloomy future. The friendship that grows between Calum and Nikki is steady charming – but can it survive? The stories that they share betray a real connection, and her illustrations take on a new poignancy during the end credits - look out for them.

Be prepared for a slow-burner, but one that draws you in and keeps you there until the story decides to end leaving you to wonder … what next? My score is 7 out of 10.

Often, I will watch a film because of the actors. With Tom Ford, I will watch a film because he directed it. The fact that such terrific actors as Colin Firth and Julianne Moore are in it is a huge bonus. The story, about a gay man coming to terms with age, mortality and life after his partner dies, is not necessarily what I’d usually choose to follow. And yet such is the talent on display here, it is a really ‘easy’ watch – in that it all seems so effortlessly stylish, heart-felt and real, it takes no effort at all to be sucked into the drama. Really effective music too.

The story could be described as thin, but that doesn’t matter when Ford guides us through the day-to-day life of George (Firth), superficially uptight and distant but privately more playful and open. His wonderfully bored rich friend Charley (Julianne Moore) is very watchable too – so much money and beauty, but so listless, her only excitement is at the bottom of a bottle.

Stylish and without the need for huge spectacle to move us, the ending is truly touching. My score is 8 out of 10.

This hugely impressive horror hangs on the success of young James Quinn Markie, who plays Chris O’Neill, son of single parent Sarah (Seána Kerslake). Often in these films where a child’s behaviour suggests he may or may not be under the influence of something demonic, the effects of the possession border on the bratty and petulant in place of a truly believable transformation (this is an understandable side effect of using unpractised performers). Happily, young Chris only fleetingly comes across as merely spoilt, which is just as well given his mother’s disinclination to scold him, and provides a very convincing focal character.

The story stands up very well too for the most part. At times, it seems to be veering on the often-used ‘is the horror real or in the mind of the pill-popping central character’, and at times we wonder if Chris really has been taken over by some evil entity. That things pan out quite differently and unexpectedly is a testament to a well-weaved plot, despite things going a little crazy during the final act.

The locations are stunning, and beautifully directed by co-writer Stephen Shields. My score is 7 out of 10.

Wild alternative comedian Charlie Chuck, Laurence R. Harvey who played Martin in 2011’s ‘The Human Centipede 2’ and Seamus O'Neill who had played deeply perverse David in 2011’s ‘Inbred’, all play some of the titular characters in this bizarre low budget horror comedy/satire. With cast-members like that, as well as other faces that may be recognisable from television, you would think a wild ride was on the cards – but none of them are encouraged to contribute as much custom insanity as you might hope.

“Effenbe. B – b – buckets!”

Is this something that desperately wants to be a ‘cult’ film, is it a satire on ‘the establishment’ or simply creators having fun with a grotesque selection of gore, excrement and pigs? As events become bigger and more spectacular and the most interesting characters expire, it threatens to lose that spark of madness, but remains a convincingly perverse, grotesque world. My score is 6 out of 10.