Why Haven't You Seen...? Nice Girls Don't Explode (1987)

Posted by Sam Inglis 

What's it all about? 

April (Michelle Meyrink) is 18 and she wants to start dating, like a normal girl. Unfortunately she's not a normal girl; when she gets excited, especially around boys, fires break out around her. This becomes a serious issue when her childhood sweetheart Andy (William O'Leary) comes back into the picture and begins to suspect that April's condition may have more to do with her mother (Barbara Harris) than any actual problem.


Why haven't you seen it? 

You could spend years trying to see as many 80s teen movies as possible (trust me, I have) and still only scratch the surface. This seems to have attracted only minimal notice at the time, and it's just fallen through the cracks rather than building a cult following in the years since it was released.

The Death of Louis XIV By Albert Serra

                             
Reviewed By Stuart Houghton


One the first day of September, 1715, Louis XIV died of gangrene, ending his record 72 years on the throne. This film by Albert Serra (The Story Of My Death, Birdsong) gives the audience an intimate, meticulous view of the Sun King's final days, as courtiers and physicians fuss over his frail body and the ailing monarch attempts to maintain both dignity and regality.

A Change In The Weather by Jon Sanders

                                Reviewed by Linda Marric 

Set in the heart of the French Cathar region, and directed by Jon Sanders (Back to the Garden, Painted Angels), A Change in The Weather is a rather curious little production which mixes improvised as well as rehearsed material to depict the complicated relationships between its deeply flawed protagonists. Featuring Sanders’ longtime collaborators Anna Mottram and Bob Goody as well as German actress and singer Meret Becker, the film makes a decent enough attempt at philosophising the intricacies of a failed relationship between two people who still care deeply about each other. With a realistic dialogue and fairly organic performances, A Change In The Weather manages to convey the devastation felt by the loss of love and intimacy, but is ultimately let down by a an overly wordy screenplay and theatrical style.

FrightFest 2017 To Open With Cult Of Chucky

By Linda Marric

Now in its 18th year, Horror Channel FrightFest will be back at the end of the summer with yet another exhilarating and gore-heavy programme which is set to thrill the festival’s diehard fans who keep on coming back for more year after year. After a short stint at Shepherd’s Bush in 2016, the festival is thankfully back to its rightful place at the heart of London’s West-End and will take place at the Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinema between Aug 24 and Aug 28.

Alone In Berlin By Vincent Perez

 Reviewed by Linda Marric

Adapted from Hans Fallada’s highly acclaimed 1947 novel, Alone In Berlin is a story based on real life events which took place in Berlin at the heights of Nazi rule. Staring Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson, the film delves into one of Europe’s darkest hours and addresses the everyday acts of quiet resistances by ordinary German citizens during that time. Alone In Berlin not only tells an important story about stoic resistance to a hateful destructive ideology, but it also allows these acts of rebellion to be shared with a wider audience around the world. Directed by actor turned director Vincent Perez, Alone In Berlin is expertly crafted visually and has more heart and urgency that you could ever wish for, even if it is ultimately let down by a less than perfect screenplay.

Why Haven't You Seen...? Jess + Moss (2011)

Posted by Sam Inglis

What's it all about?

Over the course of one summer, 18 year old Jess (Sarah Hagan) and 12 year old Moss (Austin Vickers) spend their time in an abandoned, derelict house. They hang out, play, talk, argue and grow up.


Why haven't you seen it? 

I may have missed this film on the festival circuit, but the first I even heard of it was when I stumbled on the DVD while looking through a sale on titles from the label it was released on in the UK. It's a fair bet that this just flew under your radar.


Why should you see it?

Mainstream coming of age cinema has been pretty uninteresting of late, dominated by YA adaptations, but in the background, in the indie scene, there has been a quiet renaissance going on in the genre. Jess + Moss ought to be seen at the very centre of that renaissance.

Hampstead By Joel Hopkins

                             

                                      Reviewed By Linda Marric

 It's no secret that Londoners have alway met any big Hollywood or British production based on a local landmark with a huge amount of suspicion, and sometimes even derision. Who could forget the locals' reaction to Roger Michell’s Notting Hill in 1999, and how the lack of representation of the area’s rich and diverse community was met with anger and disappointment by many. Granted, Hampstead doesn't exactly present the most subtle or even the most believable narrative, but if you are willing to ignore the blatant “touristic” aesthetics attached to it, you might find yourself rooting for this hugely completing, yet slightly flawed rom-com. Staring Diane Keating and Brendan Gleeson and directed by Joel Hopkins, the film centres around themes of gentrification and triumph over corporate greed in one of the capital’s most affluent areas.