wideopenvision Reviews

Evil Calls: The Raven (2002)

Interesting film

[6/10 · 2 April 2008]

Very Random cast for a horror film, but that's kind of what made me want to see it in the first place.

Not a typical slasher film, far from it. It's more a slow burning psychological film really.

Rik Mayall is on top form! And Jason Donovon puts in a good performance as a sleazy internet hermit. Richard Waters is very good too.

Got the typical qualities of a horror movie, in nudity and gore! The plot is quite complex, but it does get you thinking which is never a bad thing.

Good film, worth a watch...

Zombie Diaries (2006)

Good attempt

[6/10 · 2 April 2008]

Yes this film has problems, but I did enjoy it and thought it showed promise from the film-makers. At times it gets a little confusing with the shaky cam style, but it is interesting.

I thought it would have been better to see more of the zombie action, rather than the build up. The acting isn't great, but all in all I did find the film enjoyable and interesting. Would be interested to see what the film-makers could do with a bit of a budget.

Not an amazing zombie film, but better than some of the reviews on here in my opinion...

Worth a watch

Sorted (2000)

Surprised I enjoyed it

[7/10 · 2 April 2008]

Didn't have much aspiration for this film, but was pleasantly surprised. Very well made film, very well cut, doesn't really get to the height that Human Traffic did, but it's a very good effort. Well directed, and I thought the lead actor put in a superb performance! In fact the only really bad performance in the film was from Tim Curry, who is supposed to be the name.

Cool Film surprised it hasn't done better than it has. I'd never heard of it until I saw it at a mates.

I'm not a raver, but I imagine people who are will really like this film.

Footsteps (2006)

Original, brave and sharp

[8/10 · 15 November 2007]

I read the previous review, and I thought I'd have my say.

For me footsteps, is an excellent film. If Hollywood violence and sexy performances are what you're after then possibly this film isn't for you. What footsteps delivers is one mans journey through darkness.

I commend Gareth Evans for this film, I don't quite understand what the previous comment meant when they said it was amateurish, for me this is one of the best films to be shot on DV. Excellent in style, and while the pace of the film does start quite slow, it does draw you in, I thought Nicholas Bool was fantastic in it. If your expecting Tarantino Esq dialogue and charisma then yes you'll be disappointed, but Evans has clearly not set out to make that sort of film and I thought he got an excellent performance out of Bool.

It has some heavy violence, and no its not pretty its horrible, but Mr Evans is clearly not setting out to make an exploitation picture here, he presents this dark world as, well dark. I believed I could have been in the scene, it was that realistic.

The film has won awards and rightly so, while everyone is entitled to their opinion I personally believe the last review was a poor one and that this is a film to be commended.

The Bond (2006 Video)

Jones' directorial debut is superb!

[10/10 · 18 January 2007]

Eevn though the film only got released on DVD in 2006, I first saw the film at a screening at Winchester University in 2004. From there it's gained a bit of a cult following. An excellent debut from Jones, in this film we see a lot of Jones' style developing. Some wonderful tracking sequences, and very cool dialogue. The script mixes darkness with humour very well. Stuart Brennan and Joe Daniels really work well together, an excellent partnership, Brennan's subtle character works brilliantly alongside Daniels' far more extrovert character.

A really enjoyable film, excellent direction, a cool soundtrack and brilliant performances. The Bond shows that big budget movies are no substitute for original direction, a good strong script and superb acting.

The Innocent (I) (2006 Video)

Jumps all the way through

[10/10 · 28 November 2006]

Actor Stuart Brennan takes the directorial chair for the second time in this dark horror film. Shot in Devon the film does what so many micro budget independent films fail to do and thats portray the characters as believable people avoiding the cheesy lines associated with many inde horror films. Slow paced yet never boring, always on edge with the tense atmosphere, not gory yet still very scary. Fantastic score from Alan Deacon, and superb animated credits, good performances all round and a cool cameo from Brennan himself. Burn Hand Film Productions again show that massive budgets are not needed for good strong entertainment. Well worth a watch.

Tenderness (2005)

Very Moving

[10/10 · 28 November 2006]

A very interesting film, it made it to Cannes and opened the second day at the Winchester International Film Festival. A moving story of a young girls battle to move on from her troubled past, really interesting direction and fantastic performances from Bond and Rieger, produced as part of the New Directors Intiative under Burn Hand Film Productions, this is a very strong debut from actress turned director Charlotte Rayner. Excellent locations and sharp cinematography make the film look beautiful. It gathered quite a bit of local press after preview screenings of the film, bold and provocative Jones and Brennan produce another brave film.

The Fifteenth (2006 Video)

Fantastic! A brilliant boxing film

[10/10 · 27 November 2006]

Great little short film. At last a short film which actually has a narrative. A beginning a middle and an end! Which is now rare for a short film! Screened at Cannes a fifteen minute film which spans 50 story years, and does it well.

Very different to Jones' last short film Group Dynamics, he's really showing he can mix it up when it comes to genre's. Excellent photography by Louis Fonseca, fantastic score from Alan Deacon, and Stuart Brennan portrays the boxer excellently. Another strong picture from Burn Hand Films! And their making a feature on the boxer with the same crew and some exciting star names.

A great boxing film!

Group Dynamics (2005)

Dark, funny, and frighteningly thought provoking!

[10/10 · 21 November 2006]

I first saw this short film at a screening at the 2005 Cannes film festival, I'd seen Jones' debut feature The Bond, and liked it, but this is a very different film. All set in one room, with a script written by Jones you expect some action some long winding tracking shots, but you get neither, instead you get fast, funny, political dialogue thrown at you, extreme close ups and POV shots. You really feel like you're there in the room, and while the content matter is thrown at you, there are always counter arguments in the dialogue which makes the film very political but never exploitive. A very brave piece of film-making, worth watching on where Jones decides to put the camera alone. Shots I've never ever seen before, and never thought possible.

The Lost (I) (2006)

remarkable way to shoot a film

[10/10 · 17 November 2006]

THE LOST is a low budget film (almost nil)when I watched this film at a preview screening I was told that it was shot entirely in 48 hours. I was amazed at the result, very strong performances, gritty direction amazing production values, and to top it off a Peter Cushing Recording! Fantastic. Brilliant example of how to shoot an independent film. 48 Hours! Amazing!

Neil Jones works wonders on the budget he gets, Stuart Brennan again shines in the lead role of a Neil Jones film, they're fast becoming like a DeNiro, Scorsese partnership! Fantastic supporting performance from Edward E White and Joe Daniels.