DVD review: Another Round

June 30, 2021September 26, 2021 Garry Arnot1 Comment

Writer and director Thomas Vinterberg reunites with actor Mads Mikkelsen for their latest effort which studies binge drinking in Denmark. Comedy drama Another Round, also known as Druk in its native language, follows old pals who work together at the local school. Whilst out celebrating at birthday dinner, Martin (Mikkelsen), Tommy (Thomas Bo Larsen), Peter (Lars Ranthe), and Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) discuss psychiatrist Skårderud’s theory that maintaining a low but steady blood alcohol content helps us live more creative, fulfilling lives. Willing to give this unconventional lifestyle a try to shake up their middle-aged existence, they embark upon a social experiment.

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: In the Earth

June 24, 2021October 25, 2021 Garry Arnot1 Comment

After earning a reputation for his unique brand of violent, satirical films, writer and director Ben Wheatley went off-piste for a couple of years to make a Shakespeare-inspired family drama and a glossy, Netflix-produced romantic thriller. His directorial tangents have been met with mixed critical response but for his latest effort, he returns to his indie horror roots with a point to prove and an axe to grind.

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: Nobody

June 8, 2021September 13, 2021 Garry Arnot1 Comment

Indie musician turned filmmaker Ilya Naishuller debuted as a director with Hardcore Henry in 2015, an inventive sci-fi film which riffed off of first-person videogames. His sophomore effort Nobody is more traditionally conceived in style, yet surprising in its casting, pitting seasoned comedy actor Bob Odenkirk at the centre of an action thriller. The preposterous plot centres around mild-mannered family man Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) who works at his father-in-law’s business. When his home is broken into in the middle of the night, a chain of events is set off which reignites his penchant for violence and results in a rivalry with Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksei Serebryakov), a dangerous mob boss.

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DVD & Digital

Film review: Flashback

June 2, 2021February 5, 2026 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Back in 2014, actress Maika Monroe emerged as the ‘next big thing’ after brilliant performances in back-to-back indie hits It Follows and The Guest. Strangely, aside from the odd supporting role here and there, she has all but vanished into cinematic anonymity. We witness art imitating life to some degree in the latest feature from writer and director Christopher MacBride. Previously titled The Education of Fredrick Fitzell, the plot sees Fred (Dylan O’Brien) revisits his youth to explore the disappearance of Cindy (Monroe), whom he remembers as the coolest girl at school. With the help of old pals Sebastian (Emory Cohen) and Andre (Keir Gilchrist), he must unravel the mystery of his past.

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DVD & Digital

DVD review: Here Are The Young Men

April 14, 2021May 10, 2021 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Based upon Rob Doyle’s novel of the same name, model turned actor and filmmaker Eoin Macken writes and directs coming-of-age drama Here Are the Young Men. Set during the Celtic Tiger period of Ireland’s economic boom, the story treads the well-worn territory of a group of teenage friends having their last hurrah summer before entering the real world. Matthew (Dean Charles-Chapman) is the naïve and impressionable protagonist, led astray by Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and Kearney (Finn Cole) who have an insatiable appetite for drug-fuelled rebellion. As his relationship with Jen (Anya Taylor-Joy) begins to blossom, Matthew is forced to reckon with his increasingly reckless behaviour.

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DVD & Digital

Film review: Silk Road

March 18, 2021May 17, 2021 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

Director Tiller Russell is well versed in documentary filmmaking but for his latest feature, he has crafted an amazing true story into crime thriller Silk Road. Based on David Kushner’s Rolling Stone article Dead End on Silk Road: Internet Crime Kingpin Ross Ulbricht’s Big Fall, the story centres around the conception of the notorious website that gives the film its name. Seemingly disillusioned by the stranglehold the US government has on their citizens, philosophical whiz-kid Ross (Nick Robinson) has a bold vision to create what he calls an ‘Amazon for drugs’. Before long, the site is an underground success and soon attracts the attentions of Rick Bowden (Jason Clarke), a wizened DEA agent who is struggling to adapt to the modern methods of policing.

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DVD & Digital

Film review: Sir Alex Ferguson: Never Give In

March 6, 2021June 28, 2021 Garry ArnotLeave a comment

In 2018, legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson suffered a brain haemorrhage which left him fearing that he would lose his memory. Whilst in recovery, he began telling stories of his past to prove to himself and his family that he could. His son, Jason Ferguson, used this as an opportunity to craft documentary film Never Give In, which charts the illustrious life and times of his father.

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Film review: American Badger

March 4, 2021March 31, 2022 Garry Arnot2 Comments

Kirk Caouette has a wealth of film industry experience in a multitude of roles, most notably as a stuntman and fight choreographer. With hitman drama American Badger, he writes, directs, and takes on the leading role, playing ruthless gun-for-hire Dean. When he is assigned the task of befriending call girl Velvet (Andrea Stefancikova) and then subsequently ordered to take her out, he is faced with a dilemma that challenges his immoral attitude.

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DVD & Digital

Film review: Shorta

February 28, 2021March 31, 2022 Garry Arnot1 Comment

Police corruption stories have emerged as their own sub-genre of crime films of late, and due to the actions which reignited the Black Lives Matter movement last year, these reactionary tales are unlikely to stop anytime soon. The writer-director duo Frederik Louis Hviid and Anders Ølholm join forces to address some of these societal issues in Danish drama Shorta, a common Arabic word for police.

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DVD & Digital

Film review: The Toll

February 25, 2021March 31, 2022 Garry Arnot1 Comment

“The expert in battle moves his enemies but is not moved by them” is just one of the phrases slightly misquoted by the stationary anti-hero in black comedy The Toll, the first time feature from director Ryan Andrew Hooper. An extension of his 2019 short film Ambition, the crime caper centres around an unnamed toll-booth operator (Michael Smiley) who appears to enjoy the simple things in life. His peace is shattered by various incidents occurring in and around the nearby small Welsh town, meanwhile traffic cop turned detective Catrin (Annes Elwy) is looking for answers.

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