brianstynes

The lo/no budget film is a business card for the director, if you scour youtube, you can find the early work of Shane Meadows and it was clear to anyone watching those one location, no budget short films that this director should be given the means to expand his stories, so rich are the characters and narrative.

Gateway could just as easily be so considered, this is the tale of a crew of petty criminals looking to break into the big time but choosing the wrong house for their plan, the characters are well fleshed out and dialogue sounds authentic coming from the individual players in the story. If I could point out just one thing for any future work, and this is completely subjective, something I wondered about while watching, would be the blocking, I felt that such an intricate meshing of two storylines would have been much more dynamic if the characters moved about a bit more during dialogue scenes, but as I say, completely subjective, they may have been static to add to the sense of powerlessness that they gang were experiencing as they struggled to get a grip on the supernatural happenings in their hiding place.

The intensity was extremely well executed, there is a very effective, surreal sequence where the main protagonist is unable to move as he witnesses his own history playing out in front of him, it really hit the mark, anyone who has considered their own historic deeds or words will identify with the scene.

Overall the film was engaging, believable dialogue, I'd love to see what Niall Owens could do if freed from the restraints of a limited budget, I'd say, watch this space.

Charming Men Part One - Julie It's possibly difficult to watch Charming Men Part1 - Julie without comparing it to the tale of red riding hood, both stories tell a grim story of the dangers of walking through the woods and the desperate characters found therein.

It also asks the question, how far are you willing to go to find a missing loved one.

Mia Maria Hauge Wadsworth is a revelation in the title role with screen presence to rival any of the greats, she is surrounded by a very impressive cast all of whom are visibly taking the narrative very seriously as indeed they should, hat is tipped to the director for selecting the cast carefully.

I was a little worried that I was going to be watching a film with a "man hating" agenda, but this film steers well clear of any of that, instead, I was treated to well crafted independent film with a powerful story, nuanced performances and impeccably photographed.

I'll be keeping my out for what this director gives us in the future.

It's a dazzling blend of animation, imagination and an obvious determination by all involved to make a thought provoking sci fi epic.

The design and art direction are front and centre, you will no doubt spot the many influences from myriad sci fi classics as you follow the odyssey of Serena, a young girl surviving in a future of devastation and enslavement. The visuals are testament to the ambition of the director.

The film relies heavily on 3D modelling and digital compositing to blend flesh and blood characters with computer generated backdrops, it's cyberpunk, it's Orwell, it's trippy as hell and I get a sneaking suspicion that we will be seeing more incredible work from this artist.