Smothermoss by Alisa Alering - Book Review

 

'Ferns grow knee-deep along the shoulder, laced with briars and unripe raspberries, so thick they could hide a bear. Could hide anything, really.

'In 1980s Appalachia, life isn’t easy for Sheila. She endures relentless taunting and bullying at the hands of her classmates; she takes care of her great-aunt, the garden and home, and the rabbits; and forages for mushrooms in the forest, all while her mother works long, back-breaking shifts at the nearby state asylum. But it’s her peculiar little sister, Angie, who worries her the most. Angie is obsessed with nuclear war, Rambo, zombies, a Russian invasion of their community, and the ominous, tarot-like cards that she creates that somehow speak to her. As if all that weren’t enough, Sheila feels an unexplainable weight around her neck. Is it the ancient and strange mountain that they live on that casts its shadow on her, or something or someone else unknown? Unseen?

'When a pair of female hikers are brutally murdered on the nearby Appalachian trail, Sheila and Angie find themselves inexorably drawn into the hunt for the killer. As the ever-present threat of violence looms larger, the mountain might be the only thing that can save them from the darkness consuming their home and their community.'

Appalachia is a place where I'm used to seeing horror; it's a creepy setting that writers have returned to time and time again over the years. And whilst I'm used to seeing it in a historical setting Smothermoss surprised me by being a more modern Appalachian horror; though the 1980's is now classed as a historical setting and that alone feels like something that should elicit horror.

Smothermoss tells the story of two teenage sisters, Sheila and Angie. Sheila is the older of the two, seventeen years old, and lives with her thirteen year old sister Angie, their great aunt, and their mother. Whilst their mother is out working every hour she can get at the local asylum Sheila has to step up and run the household. Added on top of this, the family is poor, struggling to get by, and Sheila is the target of relentless bullying by her peers. Life isn't great for her. When two young women are murdered close to their home on the remote mountain trail, Sheila and Angie set out to find out what happened.

Despite having a relatively short length of just over two hundred and fifty pages, Smothermoss never feels light, and Alisa Alering packs a lot into the pages of her debut novel. However, there are times where there was so much happening within the book that I did on occasion feel a little lost, and wondered if perhaps I was missing some details or two. This could also be down to the fact that there's a lot of strangeness in Smothermoss, the kind of horror that blurs the lines between real and the bizarre, and leaves you questioning if what you read was real, or simply the strange imaginings of our central characters.

The book is very dark too, and there's a heavy tone to it from the very first few pages. The atmosphere is bleak, and at times outright oppressive, and despite our characters living out in the beuatiful nature of Appalachia it feels more claustrophobic than you'd think. Nature is less something of beauty here, and more of an oppressive and even brutal force that shapes the lives of all those who live within in. There are few moments to be found where our characters get a chance to smile or joke around, and the joy that does happen is so fleeting it almost feels like it doesn't happen. This somewhat plays into the imaginary worlds that play a large part in the narrative, ways in which Sheila and Angie are able to escape from the horror and misery of their everyday life.

Magic realism is a bit part of the story, and because of this it can sometimes be hard to discern if things are real or not. Is there really an invisible, magical rope around Sheila's neck that ties her to the mountains, or is this just her imagination conjuring a metaphor for her situation? The book doesn't really provide an answer, or at least one that I picked up on, and as such leaves a lot down to the readers to decide. You can come away from Smothermoss having experienced a story steeped in the magical and mystical, whilst another person can read the book and dismiss a lot of those moments as simply not being real. It's a novel that each reader is going to get something a little different from. 

The novel also has a lot of themes for growing up, for navigating teenage life, and exploring queerness and gender identity and expression. But it also feels a little like Alering was a bit reluctant to fully explore this in any great depth. Again, much like the supernatural side of things, readers can come away with different reads on the characters and their journeys, and the reluctance to take a firm stance means that some important themes can likely be easily brushed off, seen more as audience projection that actual content within the book. 

I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about Smothermoss. There are a lot of parts that I really liked, whilst there were others that I failed to connect with and didn't really understand. Despite being a short book it felt like a long, heavy read at times, and there was certainly a lot going on within the pages. Smothermoss might really connect with you, however, and the fact that it didn't with me is by no means a condemnation of it. I'm probably just not the ideal reader for it; but there will absolutely be readers out there that are going to love it. 

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The Double-Crossers - Blu-ray Review

 

The Double-Crossers is the latest Hong Kong action movie from Eureka Entertainment to receive the Blu-ray treatment, offering fans of the genre the chance to discover this lesser known film. 

The movie begins with the brutal murder of the father of police officer Lung (Shin Il-ryong), who's found stabbed to death in his shop. Unsure of why anyone would want to kill his father, Lung is shocked when he finds a cassette tape left for him, one in which his father explains why someone would come to kill him. It turns out his father used to be a major criminal before Lung was born, that he and two of his partners were into some very questionable things. Having left his life of crime behind to be a husband and father, he's sure that one of his old partners would one day come for him. 

Angered by the news, Lung swears to get revenge against the man who ordered his fathers murder. Lung publicly resigns from the force, but secretly goes undercover as a cop turned criminal, and set out to Hong Kong to take down Wang (Chao Hsiung), his father's former partner and head of a criminal empire. With the help of a smuggler named Chang (Chan Sing), and a young woman that Lung begins to fall for, a plan is formed to bring Wang down for good. 

At the time of The Double-Crossers release, 1976, Bruce Lee was a huge cinematic draw, and everyone was trying to cash in on martial arts movies, and was trying to find the next Bruce Lee. It's not too hard to see how The Double-Crossers fits into the 'Bruce-spolitation' mould. Despite this, the film has it's own identity, and very shortly into the movie you begin to forget about the time in which it was made and simply start to enjoy it for what it is; largely due to the film just being a lot of fun.

One of the things that the film has going for it is that it moves at a pretty fast pace, and goes through a number of different plots that could in itself be their own movies. For example, there's a point early in the movie where Lung and Chang rob an armoured car filled with cash from Wang's men, posing as cops to do so, in order to disrupt his operations and get the cash they need to enact their further plans. This could easily have been the main focus of the film, a heist movie where getting the cash was the end goal to bringing Wang down. Instead, it was the warm-up act, the things to get you into the rest of the story, and to showcase our protagonists as competent. The film moves on quickly, but it doesn't feel rushed, none of the plots in The Double-Crossers does. Instead, the film feels well packed, with a number of different plots and characters that all get their chance to shine.

The cast does a great job throughout too, and Shin Il-ryong proves to be very charming in the lead role. He often comes across as quite cold and intense, trying to keep to himself whilst on his quest for revenge, but as the film progresses you see him opening up to more and more people, letting his guard down and finding moments of happiness despite everything that's happening to him. Come the end he's even laughing and joking. I can't help but feel that it's rare to see a revenge movie where the lead isn't just depressed or angry the whole time, and as such Shin Il-ryong absolutely stands out to me here. 

The new Blu-ray release features both two versions of the movie (the original Hong Kong release version, and the English language export cut) and brand new audio commentaries for both. Frank Djeng provides the commentary on the Hong Kong version of the film, and anyone who's familiar with the Eureka releases will know to expect the usual insightful and jam packed commentary from Djeng. The other commentary covers the export version, and features mainstays Arne Venema and Mike Leeder, who take on a more relaxed, conversational approach to things. Unfortunately, other than the commentary tracks the release is fairly light, and only offers a trailer to go along with things. 

Despite not having many extra features, this new release absolutely offers a lot for fans, with two versions of the movie and two in depth commentary tracks there's a lot here for fans of Hong Kong cinema to sink their teeth into. Whether you're a fan of The Double-Crossers, or this is your first time with the movie, this new release is a great experience. 

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Message From Space - Blu-ray Review

 

Fans of Japanese science fiction movie and the tokusatsu genre will likely have heard of Message From Space, even if they've never been able to see it. As a fan of Japanese cinema I understand how hard it can be to find ways of watching some of these old films, movies that had very limited runs outside of Japan, and almost never had home media releases. Message From Space was one of the films that sat in my 'I need to see this some day' list of stuff I was never sure I was going to track down. As such, I knew as soon as Eureka Entertainment announced the new Blu-ray release that it was a film I absolutely had to get hold of.

Message From Space begins far beyond the bounds of Earth's solar system, on the distant planet of Jillucia, a peaceful world that has fallen victim to the evil, metal skinned Gavanas, whose empire has conquered their world and enslaved its people. The leader of the tribes of Jillucia gathers his remaining people and promises them that heroes will come to save them, and casts out eight magic seeds into the universe to find their promised warriors who will come and free them of the Gavans rule. The granddaughter of their leader, Princess Emeralida (Etsuko Shihomi) and her guardian, Urocco (Makoto Satō) set out after the seeds in hopes of finding the heroes.

In Earths solar system a pair of roughriders, space racers, called Shiro (Hiroyuki Sanada) and Aaron (Philip Casnoff) are flying their ships through dangerous environments, getting into trouble with the law, when their ships are damaged and forced to land. The two of them discover that their ships were harmed by strange glowing seeds. Needing to pay for their repairs they get jobs at a local club, where they comes across a low level criminal named Jack (Masazumi Okabe) and their friend Meia (Peggy Lee Brennan), who get caught up in their schemes. When they come across the Jillucian ship adrift in space, Emeralida and Urocco near death, they bring the two aliens back to their shack to recover, a shack where a retired military general named Garuda (Vic Morrow) is sleeping off his hangover. Emeralida learns that Shiro and Aaron have two of the seeds and tells them of her people's plight and how they've been chosen to help. This story prompts Jack and Garuda to come forward, each of whom have their own magic seeds. With four of the eight chosen warriors found, the group must set out to find the others and defeat the Gavanas Empire. 

You can take one look at the cover of Message From Space and the date in which the film was released, 1978, and very easily come to the correct conclusion that this is Japan's answer to Star Wars, which was released the year before (though Message From Space would beat it to the Japanese screens). The film was made quickly, made to cash in on the hype that Star Wars was generating and to put Japanese cinema on the map, but that doesn't mean that it was made cheaply, or that there's not a good movie to be found here. Yes, the film is a bit more corny that Star Wars, and doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's still a fantastic example of 70's sci-fi.

Message From Space features a fairly weird plot, one that's filled with tangents, unneeded complexity, and extra twists that bog things down in ways that just aren't a huge help. The above two paragraphs describing the set up and several characters is the first twenty minutes of the movie, doesn't include everyone important to the story, and skips over a lot of stuff that happens. The film is dense, and there are a few times you find yourself wondering if perhaps certain plots and characters could have been trimmed down or cut altogether. But despite this bloat the film has a huge amount of charm, and you find yourself continuing to watch, even if it's just to see what weird stuff they do next. 

Despite the odd plotting, the film manages to have a lot of excitement scattered throughout, scenes that use extensive special effects work to put on a bit of a spectacle. The movie has some fantastic miniature work, with the scenes of the space hot rods flying around in the asteroid fields and diving towards the planet surface showcasing the filmmakers skills (and foreshadowing the films finale in some ways). The sets are also fairly lavish at times too, with the throne room of the Galvanas command centre being spacious with dual levels in which our heroes get to fight at the end of the movie. There are even some full scale spaceships made that look pretty well put together for what amounts to background details in a couple of scenes.

Where the film feels most odd is in its marrying of the unusual and the mundane. With this being set around our own solar system the film features a lot of details that feel more recognisable than the film its aping. There are cars driving down streets, recognisable food being eaten, and the people inhabiting the nightclub we visit are either wearing over-the-top space fashion or the kinds of clothes you would expect to find in a 1970's nightclub. The effect is somewhat jarring at times, where the more anachronistic elements remind you that this isn't some remote location in the far future, but a more near future where a lot of stuff from our time still has a presence. Which certainly sets it apart from some other sci-fi of the era.

Whilst it's easy to call Message From Space a Star Wars rip-off (because it is), the film is also creative in its own way, and there are a few things that they do here that pre-date their presence in other Star Wars films. The fight between the decent Galvans warrior, Prince Hans, played by Sonny Chiba, has a sword fight with the evil Galvanas Emperor Rockseia XXII (Mikio Narita) in a large throne room with a huge window looking out into space that is strikingly similar to the Vader and Luke fight at the end of The Return of the Jedi. Another element from that film that Message From Space does first is our two hotshot space pilots flying their ships through a series or tunnels to destroy the Galvanas power source and destroy their station. The film even has the Galvanas turning the planet Jillucia into a weapon, something that would be done decades later in The Force Awakens. So whilst Message From Space absolutely steals some stuff it seems like they had enough original ideas of their own that perhaps we can say Star Wars stole some stuff in return. 

Alongside the new restoration of the film, which looks fantastic, the new Blu-ray includes a number of extra features for those who've been waiting for a chance to finally get a copy of this film for their home collection. There is both the original Japanese version of the film, and and English dub, both of which are presented well. Patrick Macias presents a short appreciation of the movie that gives some background information on the movie, as well as his lifelong love of the movie. There's an archival feature that interviews Sonny Chiba and Kenta Fukasaku, which delivers some great behind the scenes details and insights into the movie. And there's a new audio commentary by Tom Mes, who manages to pack in a ton of detail and behind the scenes information that will bring a whole new level of appreciation for the movie and proves to be just as entertaining as the film itself.

I can see why people might argue that Message From Space isn't a good film, as it certainly has its flaws and is a bit silly in places, however, it's never a boring movie. There's a lot of silliness and fun to be found in this film, and finally getting to watch it after wanting to do so for many years proves to be an absolute delight. Eureka continue to offer some amazing films for fans of cinema, and I certainly loved this addition to their catalogue. 

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A Bittersweet Life - 4K UHD & Blu-Ray Review

 

I was still in my teens the first time I watched A Bittersweet Life, a time when I was expanding my movie watching beyond the realms of British and American film for the first time. I would walk into my local film shop and look through their world cinema section to see what new movie took my interest. I discovered a lot of amazing movies that way, and one that became one of my favourite films in both the gangster and revenge genres was 2005's A Bittersweet Life, directed by the renowned Kim Jee-woon. Despite having my DVD copy still on the shelf I jumped at the chance to watch it all over again with this new release, getting to experience this stunning film in a whole new way.

A Bittersweet Life tells the story of Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun), a high-ranking mob enforcer who lives a decent, respectable life. Dressed in expensive suits, eating in fine restaurants, and doing everything his boss asks of him, he's the model gangster, even if his home life is that empty that he hasn't even unpacked the boxes in his apartment. When Sun-woo's boss leaves the city on an important business trip Sun-woo is given the important job of watching over his mistress, Hee-soo (Shin Min-ah), who he's worried might be having an affair with someone else.

Sun-woo spends time with Hee-soo, learns more bout her life, and even watches her at a music recital, where he is enthralled by her playing. He begins to develop feelings for the young woman, so when he catches her and her lover together he goes to perform his duty, attacking the man. However, when he takes out his phone to call his boss he can't bring himself to do it, swayed by Hee-soo's pleading. Having gone against his boss, however, puts Sun-woo directly in the crosshairs, and begins a brutal and bloody series of events.

The plot of A Bittersweet Life isn't the most surprising or original, and it's easy to predict early on where things are going to go. Someone tasked with guarding or watching someone they fall in love with and breaks the rules for is a classic story trope. Despite this, A Bittersweet Life never feels boring, and its sense of style, the quality of acting, and the beautiful presentation throughout make it an enthralling film.

Lee Byung-hun is the centre of the movie, and his performance is nothing short of stunning. When the film begins he's cold, detached, and stoic. It's hard to get any read off him, he keeps his cards close to his chest and presents a cool exterior that even other members of his crime family find hard to see through. However, as the film progresses we begin to see the humanity underneath. Despite his character not displaying much emotion you can see the moments where he's falling in love, you can see the subtle shift behind the eyes, the slightly lessening of the hard expression. Lee Byung-hun could easily play up these choices more, could make things more obvious, but it's the subtlety that makes him such a captivating watch.

The latter half of the film, when Sun-woo is turned on by his crime family, marks a stark shift in the almost beautiful tone of the first half. Where once we were watching a man with no real human connection learning to love and feel we see him pivot back into the violent, brutal enforcer that he used to be; albeit this time as a rogue agent out to survive and get revenge. Lee Byung-hun is frightening in these scenes, and the moment when Sun-woo quietly buttons up his suit jacket before heading to murder the people who betrayed him sends chills down the spine.

A Bittersweet Life is, as the name suggests a somewhat tragic movie. We watch Sun-woo come so close to discovering humanity, to understanding what love is, and it's brutally taken away from him. He's forced to become a brutal, even sadistic animal by a system that has shaped his entire life. And whilst you sit there watching it, urging him on to get his revenge, you can't help but feel like something beautiful has been lost. A Bittersweet Life is labelled as a ganger movie, a revenge film, and it's certainly those things, but it's also a tragedy, a film with way more heart and pathos that you first expect. Because of this, it's a movie that will appeal to so many different people. Those looking for a slick gangster movie will be happy, those wanting a brutal revenge film get that, and those who want to have an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you wanting to cry absolutely have that experience. 

The new release from Second Sight comes with both a Blu-ray version of the film, as well as a 4K UHD disc. The movie, as well as all of the extra features, are available on both formats, and the picture quality has never been better. Having watched the film on DVD before there was still a noticeable difference in quality here, and the HD version of the movie looks so much crisper and sharper. There is also a couple of audio commentaries available for the film with cast and crew, one with Director Kim Jee-woon, Director of Photography Kim Ji-y and Set Designer Yoo Seong-hee, and another with Director Kim Jee-woon and Actors Kim Young-chul and Lee Byung-hun, both of which goes into the making of the film in a ton of detail. A third commentary features Pierce Conran and James Marsh who discuss their experiences with the movie, its impact on them, and on the cinema landscape in broader terms, along with going into the careers of those involved. All three commentary tracks are informative and entertaining to listen to, and each brings something different to the table. 

Alongside the commentary tracks are archival featurettes that go into the music, sound, action, special effects, and other parts of the film that those who have had previous releases of the film will likely be familiar with. There are also a number of deleted and alternate scenes, which come with commentary too. A music video and trailers round out the rest of the on-disc extras. However, alongside this, the new release also comes with a number of new collectors art cards, and a slipcase featuring new art for the film; along with a 120 page booklet containing a number of new essays on the movie from experts in the field.  The new release is packed full of extra features and things to discover that new and returning fans will have hours of content to discover. 

It's a shame that A Bittersweet Life isn't more well known. Yes, it did exceptionally well outside of South Korea, and has a lot of international fans, but because it's a subtitled film it's still criminally overlooked by a lot of moviegoers. It deserves to be one of the most respected crime movies of all time, spoken about in the same conversation as The Godfather, Goodfellas, and Scarface. Hopefully, this new release will give more people a chance to discover this amazing piece of cinema. 

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Thine Ears Shall Bleed - Film Review

 

Horror tends to be a genre that sticks to the present day for the most part. Horror writers often want to say something, and use horror as a way of highlighting issues in the world around them, just look at how many essays have been created about the evolving social commentary in the George A. Romero zombie films for an example of how a surface level simple horror can say so much more. As such, the only times you tend to get historical horror films is when a pre-existing work is being adapted, such as Dracula, and the works of Lovecraft and Poe. Truly original horror set in the distant past are a rarity; and often tend to be some of the more original horror films I've come across. Thine Ears Shall Bleed definitely falls into this category.

Thine Ears Shall Bleed introduces us to the Thatcher family, Reverend Ezekiel (Andrew Hovelson), his wife Sarah (Hannah Caball), his son Luke (Duke Huston), and daughter Abigail (Lea Zawada), who are travelling through the American West during the 1860's. Set within an isolated landscape, the family are travelling in their single wagon, looking for a place where they can establish a new church, one where Ezekiel can finally have his new organ, make sweet music, and spread the world of god to his new flock. The family reach a crossroads up in the mountain, and their choice of path leads them to a strange part of the forest, one with bizarre sounds in the distance.

When they lose their horses during their first night in the forest Ezekiel sets out to try and find them, following the strange noises. He eventually comes to a cliff edge, one that shows the full beauty and majesty of their surroundings. Assaulted by a noise so intense that is causes his ears to bleed, Ezekiel is convinced that he's heard the voice of God, and that this is where he is supposed to build his new church. As the family are blessed with miracles, such as Luke gaining his sight for the first time in his life, and terrors, such as the frightening visitations in the middle of the night, the family must decide if they are indeed being blessed by God, or haunted by a much darker force.

The plot of Thine Ears Shall Bleed is fiendishly simple, a small family trapped in a remote location with strange things happening to them. It's a very common story archetype yet Ben Bigelow, debut director and co-writer alongside William Bigelow, manages to inject enough originality to keep the film from feeling dull or unoriginal. The setting also helps a lot with this. As mentioned previously, it's rare to get horror in this time period and place, and the beautiful, remote locations used for filming are both gorgeous, and hauntingly isolated that even the daytime scenes with nothing overtly frightening happening leave a sense of unease within the viewer.

This is perhaps the best way to describe the horror that the film uses the most too, unease. There are moments of more overt horror, and even violence and gore to be found her, especially towards the final act of the film, but for the most part it's the rising tension that takes centre stage. The ever increasing manic belief that builds within Ezekiel, seeing him leaving his family to sit on the clifftop transcribing the 'word of God', forgoing cares like how they'll find food, or the injuries his children suffer puts you on edge as you begin to wonder when he'll finally snap. The madness that creeps over Ezekiel is hard to watch, as it's both part religious belief and part outside influence, and you begin to question where the line between madness and faith is drawn, and how little this force had to nudge him in order to push him over the edge. Hovelson is fantastic in the role, going from kindly father to madman so slowly that it's hard to pick out the point where it happened. He has an intensity about him that's surprising based on the early scenes, and it's great to see him play through a whole range during the film. 

The rest of the cast are decent too, with Caball doing a great job as the wife trying her hardest to keep her family together as the voice of reason. Her desperation feels genuine, and she seems to be the only sensible voice amongst all of them, the only one who does the smart thing of questioning the divinity of the bizarre events going on around them straight away. Lucas Near-Verbrugghe makes a surprise addition to the initial cast as a botanist stranded in the same twisting forest as the Thatcher family, and you have a hard time trying to figure out exactly who he is. His performance is very guarded, and you're not sure if he believes as Ezekiel does, whether he's agreeing with the man for fear of what Ezekiel's reaction would be otherwise, or if he sees the same 'miracles' around him. He shifts around a lot, being a figure of sympathy, interest, and worry more than once, and he plays the role well. He's an X factor thrown into the movie at the mid point that helps to keep the audience on their toes.

Thine Ears Shall Bleed has some interesting ideas, it tries some new things, and it doesn't feel beholden to the tropes and conventions of the genre. Much of the movie plays out in the bright daylight, in the beauty of nature, it plays around with time and space and becomes almost dream-like at times, and at times it doesn't even feel like a horror film. There are some fantastic moments where you feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you as you figure out what's really going on, and you become so engrossed in the mystery and the story of the Thatcher family that you want to keep watching. The performances are very strong, particularly from a largely unknown cast.

As someone who loves seeing horror stories in less common settings, particularly historical ones, Thine Ears Shall Bleed felt like an absolute treat. In a world of slasher movies and modern day haunted house films it's fantastic to find something that stands out like this, that isn't afraid to try something new and to be bold in its difference. I hope we see more films like this. 

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Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle - Book Review

 

'Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he's pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―"for the algorithm"―Misha discovers that it's not that simple. As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what's right―before it's too late.'

The phrase Bury Your Gays will mean a lot to people who spend some time learning about media, especially for the queer community. A writing trope that began thanks to the Hays Code and their mandate that all forms of homosexuality must be portrayed as evil, and those who engage in it must be punished, fiction has become filled with examples of queer characters being killed off. Even today, with very different approaches to queer representation, where you can find mainstream film, television, and other entertainment that puts queer characters and their stories at the forefront you still often find numerous examples of queer love and life being seen not only as expendable, but needing of punishment. As such, a book by a notable queer author, who has engaged in parody, pornography, and the profound across their career certainly makes you pay attention. 

Bury Your Gays is the latest book from Chuck Tingle that leaves the more humorous side of his writing behind, engaging in 'serious' writing. It tells the story of Misha, a writer who has managed to make it big in the world of LA film and television, having created a number of hit horror films, and being the lead writer of a popular television series. He's even in consideration for an Oscar for a short film he made. His star is very much on the rise, and he's a voice that the studio he works for wants to keep; as such, he's somewhat taken aback when he's called in for a meeting with the head of the studio and is told that he needs to remove the kiss in the season finale. Not only is Misha angry that he's being told what direction to take his story, but he's outraged because the lesbian love story he has spent years building to is about to be cut down. He's presented with two choices, make them straight, or out them and kill them. 

As any good writer who has a clear vision of their story and the nerve to stick to their convictions would do Misha tells the studio to go to hell, refusing to bury his queer characters. Knowing that he could face serious legal action for this due to a breach of contract, Misha has a week to either do what the studio wants, or to hold true to his heart. However, his week is not filled with opportunities to think deep on the issue or to try to write his way out of the problem, as strange events begin to happen to Misha. When people dressed as some of the monsters he's created in the past start to show up in his everyday life, tormenting him and making threats, Misha's already frayed emotional state gets worse, leading to him being smeared in the tabloids as an unstable writer. But when things become harder to explain away, when more bizarre and horrific things start happening, Misha must face up to a truly terrifying realisation, his monsters are real, and they're coming for him.  

Bury Your Gays is a number of different books rolled into one. It's a horror story about a man being chased by some truly twisted monsters, creatures that are out to kill him in terrible ways and aren't afraid of hurting others to do so. It's also a critique about queer erasure in media and how outdated values and misconceptions are still held in place by those in power in the quest for wealth. It's a story about trauma, how it shapes you as a person and how that can be transformed into art. It's about rainbow capitalism and how false support and empty representation can be meaningless. And it's a warning about AI being used in creative fields in order to replace writers and artists to cut costs and further maximise profits. All of this, wrapped up in a story about a man having to deal with his past traumas, his feelings of self doubt about being openly queer, and his desire to help others in similar situations. 

This all sounds like a lot, and it is a lot to fit into one book, especially one that's only 350 pages, and you'd expect it to feel messy and bloated, yet Tingle manages to not only make it all work, but to make it work wonderfully. Bury Your Gays is an incredibly easy read, despite the often heavy subject matter because first and foremost you're made to care about Misha. One of the ways in which Tingle does this is with a number of flashbacks to key points in his life, moments of trauma that shaped who he is today. We see him learning to understand his queerness, in a time and a community where it was unacceptable. We see how these moments caused him pain that would ripple on for decades to come. This pain not only becomes the seeds of his creativity, with creations from his career tying directly back into these moments, but it also shows why he's afraid to live openly.

These are moments that I think most queer people will recognise. There are numerous moments from my life that stick out in my mind, moments tied to having to deal with homophobia and transphobia, long before I became an openly queer trans woman. They left a mark on me because it was people around me telling me that those feelings I had were wrong, that I shouldn't talk about them, that they were something that I should feel ashamed about. It kept me in the closet for a long, long time, and I recognised a lot of that struggle and pain in Misha. It's uncomfortable, and these scenes are often more horrific than those with monsters and ghosts in them, but that's because it's true, and it's tied to a lot of real trauma. I think with Chuck Tingle having become famous for books such as My Pool Gets Me Wet in a Completely Platonic Way and Now We Are Close Friends, and This Handsome Sentient Bowling Pin Splits My Ass Also He Is A Ghost you can easily come to think of him as a writer who can only do comedy, but these scenes prove that he's more than got the skill to deliver heartfelt, hard hitting scenes too.

There's a lot more that I could say about Bury Your Gays, a lot more story and characters that I can talk about for a lot longer than I already have, but doing so would spoil a great deal of the book. Bury You Gays is a twisting narrative filled with surprises, so it needs to be experienced yourself, and as such I won't say much more about it other than if you love queer fiction, biting commentary, pop culture references, and horror, then this is absolutely a book for you. Don't miss out.

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Sons of Summer - Film Review

 

Sons of Summer appealed to me for one reason, and one reason only, Temuera Morrison. I'm a Star Wars fan, so of course I'm going to be interested in the actor who has played numerous characters in the franchise that I adore. However, not even my love of the iconic bounty hunter could keep me entertained throughout this oddly disjointed movie.

Sean (Joe Davidson) is a surfer dude with a troubled past. His father was murdered thirty years ago, leaving a young Sean to grow up in the care system, and he's got a history of theft and petty crime. Despite this, he's trying to put his life on the right track with his new girlfriend Katie (Isabel Lucas). He's even planning to go on a surfing road trip with a group of his friends, whose fathers were all surfer buddies with his own dad. They'll be visiting all of the spots where their fathers used to surf as a tribute trip to Sean's father.

However, Sean just can't stay away from his past, as a criminal acquaintance of his, Rick (Alex Fleri), needs some help paying off a debt to Sean's surrogate father figure Pete (Steve Nation). Rick has a plan to steal a shipment of drugs from a local gangster, Dom (Christopher Pate), that will pay off his debt in full and leave some extra cash too. With Pete backing the idea, Sean agrees to sneak into Dom's house during a party and steal a car filled with drugs. However, when Dom sends his enforcer, Frank (Temuera Morrison) after the thieves it puts Sean and everyone he cares about in the crosshairs. 

Sons of Summer feels like it's trying to be two movies, one is supposed to be a heart warming movie about friends reconnecting, celebrating a father's memory, and doing some cool surfing. The other is a crime thriller filled with murder and violence. It's absolutely possible to marry two stories like this and for them to be successful, but Sons of Summer doesn't really manage that. The tones between the two stories are very different, and they can sometimes clash, such as when Frank is brutally murdering someone one minute, and the then we cut to two minutes of surfing footage and upbeat music. 

It also doesn't help that the script feels pretty lacklustre in a a lot of ways too. The plot is fairly standard, and feels more like the writer is ticking off a series of points that they want to hit that they feel are expected, rather than trying anything particularly new. The dialogue is somewhat stilted and unnatural at times, with some very clunky exposition drops and shifts in emotion that don't always work, and the delivery of this is made even worse by a cast that feel a little out of their depth. The most competent member of the cast is absolutely Morrison, yet he's still playing the arch, stereotypical henchman character, so even though he's the best in the movie he doesn't exactly shine as his is a role that's not designed to be the focus or heart of the film. 

There are also some leaps in logic that even after thinking about it after the fact I just can't really figure out. For example, Katie happens to be at the party that's going on when Sean steals the drug shipment. She's not in on it, it's just a coincidence. However, Frank finds security footage of her acting a bit odd at the party and comes to the conclusion that she's connected to the thief. Well, she is, and he's right about that, but the reason for her acting strange that way is never explained in the moment. Katie doesn't know that that's Sean stealing a car, so why is she acting odd in the moment. It's a complete random chance that this happens and puts Frank onto the right trail to go on his violent mission and it feels like the writers knew they needed to get Frank onto this thread but didn't really know how to do it. It's these kind of unexplained leaps in logic that really lets the movie down in a lot of ways, and it's clear the best way to really enjoy the movie is to never actually think about what's happening on screen.

Those coming to Sons of Summer for a fun surfer movie about friends reconnecting will likely be upset by the ganger story that takes over, those coming for a crime thriller will get bored during the several minutes of surfing montage, and those hoping to see Temuera Morrison kicking some arse and being a bit Boba Fett will likely regret taking that risk. Sons of Summer is definitely for someone, but I'm not really sure who.

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Herald of Ruin: The Sanford Files by Tim Pratt - Book Review

 

'The enigmatic Carl Sanford is the master of all things occult in Arkham, until a charismatic newcomer threatens to take everything away from him in this dark mystery set in the world of Arkham Horror.

'Carl Sanford's mastery of the Silver Twilight Lodge gives him unbridled power and influence, but unforeseen turmoil is coming to Arkham... A new occult curiosity shop in the city, opened by newcomer Randall Tillinghast, draws Sanford's ire, challenging his formerly unrivalled authority. Sanford expects to crush the newcomer like an ant and take what he wants from the wreckage, but Randall Tillinghast isn’t quite as humble and harmless as he seems. In possession of an array of magical artifacts, Tillinghast begins to subvert Sanford’s reputation in more ways than one, forcing Carl Sanford to call all the monsters and magic at his disposal to stop him. Will it be enough?'

Last year I read The Ravening Deep by Tim Pratt and found it to be one of the most engaging and entertaining books in the Arkham Horror series, with some great characters, superb world building, and a plot that kept me hooked throughout. I was surprised to find out that the book wasn't a stand-alone adventure, however, as Herald of Ruin sees the return of several of the characters that made the previous entry in the series such a delight. Whilst this return was a surprise, it was a thoroughly pleasant one.

One of the biggest changes is that this time round one of the antagonistic figures from the first book, Carl Sanford, who became something of an unwilling ally to our protagonists, steps into a lead role; forcing the audience to have to fully embrace the moral greys that make Arkham its home as you begin to root for a character you really shouldn't.

Carl Sanford runs the Silver Twilight Lodge, a secret society that makes Arkham its home, and whose study into the occult and the mystical can be considered dangerous at best, or downright evil at worst. Sanford is a man who is used to power, both in the world of men and in the world of the occult, and uses his position to gather as much as he can. As such, when a new occult book shop opens in the city it adds a wrinkle into Sanford's carefully crafted world. The shop owner, Randall Tillinghast, gives one of Sanford's followers an item that Sanford has always wanted it begins to form cracks in his carefully created kingdom. 

It's easy to paint certain characters as truly bad, especially in works of horror where people tend to fall onto one side or another in moral alignment. Carl Sanford would absolutely be evil in the hands of a lesser writer, a character who would be almost cartoonish in his quest for power and dominance. However, Pratt has managed to craft a surprisingly layered character here, one who you absolutely wouldn't trust, but one that you can enjoy spending some time with. The same can be said for another returning character, Ruby, who was on the opposite side of Sanford for much of the first book in the series. A thief by trade, Ruby has come to work for Sanford, despite knowing what kind of person he is, both for the thrill of the work and the obscene amount of money that she can make working for him.

Whilst the book spends a great deal of time making you cheer Sanford on, much to your own surprise, you also start to lose some respect for Ruby, and she does some stuff during the book that makes you wonder just how many of her morals she's going to have to go against whilst on this path. It's an interesting journey to go on, seeing a villain from the last book become your protagonist, whilst one of your previous protagonists starts to lose her way more and more. Despite this, it's still great to see both characters return, and they make for some truly enjoyable additions to the Arkham Horror universe, and now that we've had one sequel I hope that this leads to more books featuring the two of them.

Much like the first book, the Silver Twilight Lodge is a great excuse to explore some fun parts of the universe, and there are a ton of tiny easter eggs and lore nuggets scattered throughout the book that grab your interest. Thanks to Sanford being a voracious collector there are a number of times throughout the book where you learn a little about the things he has in his private collection that could be the star McGuffin of its own story and you find yourself wanting to learn more about them. It's not just Sanford who brings this wealth of lore with him, however, as Tillinghast's shop is a plethora of cool items and interesting books that make this feel like a bit of a cameo-fest in the best possible way.

Pratt doesn't just fill the pages with these small treats and hints at bigger things though, as he also crafts a wonderfully enjoyable narrative. The story has twists and turns, surprises, betrayals, and plots that feel like they'd be at home in a gangster story as much as they do here. Sanford almost operates in a world of organised crime, just with dark magic, and Pratt really seems to know how to convey this on the page. You get small mentions of things early on in the book that come to matter in big ways later on, and expected tropes get subverted in surprising ways. 

Fans of the Arkham Horror game series will get a lot out of this entry in the novel series, but it will absolutely appeal to non-gamers too. The story works well as a stand-alone too, and knowledge of the previous novel isn't vital to enjoy this one, meaning that anyone with a passing interest will be able to pick it up and have a brilliant time with it. Hopefully this won't be the last time that Tim Pratt gets to play in this universe, as he brings some fantastic things to the table when he does.

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Scarred by Jon Richter - Book Review

 

'Scarred is an epic fantasy story set in a mist-shrouded and desolate world. The denizens of the Enclave are trapped inside their crumbling city, tormented by the terrible plague that swirls within the fog beyond its walls, utterly reliant upon the kindness of their inscrutable god for survival. But when their deity's mysterious, food-bearing emissaries cease to appear, the Enclave threatens to descend into chaos and starvation. 

'Now Freya, a brave but lowly servant, must journey across the barren landscape in search of salvation for her people. Her adventure will bring her face to face with courageous knights, terrifying dragons, monstrous giants and enigmatic wizards, and ultimately with her god himself. But nothing will prepare Freya for the truth about her scarred world - or for the shocking revelations unearthed from her own past. Evoking classic quest sagas such as The Wizard of Oz and Stephen King's Dark Tower series, with a dash of Kazuo Ichiguro's The Buried Giant and Hugh Howey's Wool, Scarred balances stirring prose with a fast pace and gripping narrative.'

Jon Richter is an author I kind of found by chance, having been invited to take part in a blog tour for one of his horror anthologies, John Richter's Disturbing Works Volume Two, back in 2020. Since then I've read several of his books, and have been impressed with his ability to turn to any genre he sets his hand to with great skill. I've read horror, science fiction, and murder mystery written by him, but Scarred presented the first time that I'd be reading a fantasy book he'd written; and I was very much looking forward to seeing what he did with the genre. And of course, as with his other works, it wasn't at all what I expected.

Scarred begins within the walls of the Enclave, a small settlement hidden behind thick walls, hiding away from the horrors and the monsters that exist out in the ever present fog that surrounds their home. Killing any who approach for fear that they might contain the deadly plague that sees those infected wither away, weakened and aged, they rely on the help of the Angels to stay alive; huge, armour clad figures who bring regular deliveries of food to the citizens. The best of these supplies goes to the highest in society, the lords, knights, and priests who keep the Enclave together. Freya is a servant to these powerful lords, living within the castle, feeding those who squander the precious supplies, forced to eat scraps to survive. 

When a murder is committed, Freya's life is forever changed as she's implicated in a wider conspiracy by those who wish to keep a tight hold on their power. As this happened at the same time that their deliveries of food stopped, it's decided that Freya can choose her punishment, tortured to death within the castle, or venture out into the disease filled fog to find answers. Choosing to leave the only home that she's ever known, Freya sets out into the deadly and dangerous wastelands beyond the walls of the enclave, hoping to survive against all odds. 

To call Scarred a fantasy story would be simple, because the book contains a number of surprising other genres, the foremost of which being horror. Richter is great at evoking disgust and disquiet in his writing, and both are very present here, especially in the early parts of the book. The description of the waste pit deep within the castle are stomach turning, and the torture that happens to those that step out of line is genuinely horrifying. Despite having been told that there are numerous horrors out in the fog it's clear that horror is everywhere in this world, that the cruel and sadistic are the ones who ultimately thrive here, and that Freya will find little escape from this in her journey.

However, Freya doesn't have to face the horror and wonder of the world beyond the Enclave walls alone, because as with any good fantasy adventure, she finds companions along the way. Whilst Freya is something of a blank slate in a lot of ways, thanks to the mysterious element of memory loss that seems to hang over many, the others that she meets along the way are all vibrant and unique. Errick, the ageing and infected knight who puts honour and duty first is a wonderful addition of kindness in Freya's world of cruelty and despair that goes on to change her heart in a lot of ways and helps her to become a better person, and is one of the best characters in the book. Victor, a character that I can't really talk about too much without spoiling a huge surprise element of the book, is a wonderful character, one who makes the core trio of characters complete.

There are other people that Freya meets along the way, some kind, some cruel, who fill this at first empty world with character and history in ways that you don't expect. The world that Richter has crafted here is an interesting one, one that you come away from the book wanting to learn more about and wish that you could spend more time in. There are wonders and horrors everywhere, and each location we visit feels like it has a ton of stories that it could tell. I really hope that this is a world that Richter returns to one day, perhaps with another anthology, this time focusing on all of the stories that shaped this world into what we find here. 

As I said, I've come to really enjoy Jon Richter's work over the last couple of years, and am delighted whenever I'm offered the chance to read another of his books. And every time I read one of his book I think to myself 'well, this is definitely the best one so far'. At the moment, Scarred is sitting on the top, but I expect that whatever Richter creates next will take over, as this is an author whose work I find hard to do anything less than love. 

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Don Coppola by Amazing Ameziane - Graphic Novel Review

 

'Following the story of the man behind the movie, Don Coppola shows the insight behind the critically acclaimed director Francis Ford Coppola and takes a look at both the impact of his movies and his life from a cinematic narrative. Created and illustrated by Amazing Ameziane, Don Coppola is the second instalment in the author’s Cine Trilogy, illustrating the behind-the-scenes stories of some of Hollywood’s biggest hits.'

There are certain films that everyone has heard about, and that a lot of people have heard the praises of, even if they've never seen them. The Godfather trilogy falls into this category. I don't know when I first heard about the movies, but I remember being ready to watch them and having been told repeatedly that they're some of the best films ever made. My partner has never seen them, but every time we mention about needing to watch them together at some point she's super excited for it because she's heard that they're amazing. And this kind of hype is pretty well earned, as they are indeed some of the best films put to screen, and deserve all the accolades that they get. 

Amazing Ameziane began their Cine Trilogy, a set of three graphic novel biographies focused on great filmmakers, with Quentin Tarantino, a figure whose films can sometimes be divisive, but who most people will have at least one film of his in their list of great movies. Even before it was announced who else would be featured in this series it felt like something of a forgone conclusion that Francis Ford Coppola would have to be a part of it. Whilst I love Tarantino's films I'd put them on a different level to The Godfather and it's sequels. So it is perhaps fitting that Coppola goes second in this series, so that much like his iconic movies we can say that perhaps the sequel outshines the original.

The first book in the series, Quentin by Tarantino, uses some trickery and stylistic choices to tell its story, with an older Tarantino talking to his younger self at points, and an introduction with the titular director working as a barman telling stories about a strange bottle of alcohol. It fit the tone because it's the kind of unusual filmmaking that Tarantino is known for. Here, however, things take on a little bit more of a traditional structure, as the book follows Coppola through his life in chronological order, with little to no subversion or surprise taking place; and for me I think the book works better for it. 

We get some insight into the directors early life, including some interesting details about his family and their connection to cinema and performance, with his grandfather having played an important part in the development of films behind the scenes. After a childhood bout of Polio, the young Coppola began exploring his creativity, and soon decided that filmmaking would be the way that he could bring his stories into the world. It's amazing to see how he started his journey, with cheaply produced movies with scantily clad women that feel very far removed from what I picture when thinking of him. The dive into his early career proves to be really interesting, and the connections he had with other well known figures in the industry came as a surprise to me.

It's somewhat inspiring to see such a world renowned and well respected creator having ups and downs in his career, making mistakes and having to fight against a system that seemed to be against his way of doing things. Studio executives not buying into the vision and fighting a creator the entire time is something of a trope in fiction, but it seems to have become one because it's just the way that things have played out for so many others. Coppola isn't the only person to receive that treatment in this book, with even the legendary George Lucas having had the same, and it really does show that sometimes greatness can not just be overlooked, but people can fail to respect it at all until it's directly profiting them. 

A large bulk of the book deals with the making of the first two films in The Godfather series, and is likely one of the main draws to the book for many readers. These are the films that Coppola is best known for, the films that won him multiple awards and made him world famous, so of course we'd spend a great deal of time on them. The behind the scenes stories and small facts that Amazing Ameziane has managed to bring together for this book are fantastic, and you find yourself getting sucked into the making of the movie and wanting to learn every tiny detail about it. By the time the book moves on to other stages in Coppola's life you end up feeling a little disanointed because you were enjoying it so much. Thankfully, there's another epic saga he was involved in that we get to dive into after that.

Apocalypse Now is a film that you've likely heard a bad thing or two about; not the film itself, but the way the cast and crew talk about how it was made. For a film that's telling you war is hell it seems like making a film about war being hell is also hell, as the stories that we're told here are nothing short of astonishing. Military engagements with rebel forces in the same jungle as the shoot, actors being rushed to hospital, boats sinking, cast being drunk and on drugs, typhoons hitting and destroying sets, and recasts mid shoot seem to be the norm for Apocalypse Now, and it's a wonder that Coppola didn't go mad making it, let alone came out of the process with one of the most celebrated war movies ever made. Plus the most respected adaptation of Heart of Darkness too.

Things wrap up with some small segments of on both The Godfather III, and Dracula (the second of which I wanted to have much more on if I'm honest as I really do love the book) and some final thoughts from the director on the state of modern Hollywood that feel a little bit hypocritical in places (hating movies that adapt pre-existing material for example), but I also think Coppola has earned a bit of a right to be a grouchy older filmmaker who doesn't like what's being made today. 

I find it hard to describe the two books that Amazing Ameziane has put together here. They're graphic novels, absolutely, but they're not really what you think of when hear that. They're part comic, part prose, with entire pages of text sometimes present, whilst others rely on pure visuals to tell the story. The book blends a regular biography with the comic book medium to create something that feels really unique to this experience. It also helps that Amazing Ameziane produces some really interesting pieces of art. There are pages where we have some fairly standard talking heads, with Coppola addressing the audience directly, whilst others will have images recreated from his films, often incorporated into the silhouette of the director, or merging into the real world in some way. 

Ameziane isn't just trying to tell a story here, but seems to be crafting an experience. The early stages of Coppola's life are presented in black and white until we reach The Godfather as some artistic way of showing it wasn't until that point that Coppola had really made it as a director, and that his career had taken off. The art choices help to inform the story, and whilst things aren't too interpretive or weird in their presentation as Ameziane is telling a real story there's still a lot of thought and time gone into how to showcase that in interesting ways. 

I enjoy biographies and history books, I have a love for learning things, especially when its in areas that interest me. And whilst I love The Godfather trilogy they and Dracula are the only films from Coppola's catalogue that I've ever seen so I wouldn't call myself a big fan of his work by any means. He's not a person I'd go out of my way to learn more about. So I was pleasantly surprised with how invested in this story I got. I loved all of the little stories and details that filled the pages, and could have read a book twice as long to get more of them. I also came away really wanting to watch The Godfather films over again, whilst also knowing that I need to watch Apocalypse Now, a film I've never seen. And I think that's a perfect experience to have with a book like this, one that makes you want to learn more, that gives you a new appreciation for the person being talked about, and one that makes you want to go and watch some great movies.

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Cash Out - Film Review

 

Sometimes it's more fun to root for the villains than it is the heroes. John Travolta headlines the cast of Cash Out, a new heist movie where things go wrong for a group of con-men and robbers when they get caught inside a carefully laid trap.

Cash Out begins with Travolta, playing the kindly criminal Mason Goddard, flying into a private jet sale along with his beautiful 'wife' Amy (Kristin Davis) on their own private plane, sipping champagne and living the high life. However, the two of them are not part of the one percent as their host believes, and they manage to talk their way into being shown their hosts private car collection. With the help of their support team, they're able to steal some hugely valuable vehicles and make a daring getaway. However, it turns out the FBI are waiting for them, and that they knew about the job because Amy is an undercover agent. Whilst the group are able to escape, the damage has been done as Amy's betrayal breaks Mason's heart after their two year romance.

Jumping forward a few months, Mason is approached by his brother Shawn (Lukas Haas), who has a plan to rob a Miami bank. Mason tells him to forget the job, but when he gets a call from another of the crew he realises his younger brother has gone ahead with things. Rushing to the bank to try and stop his crew from making a mistake, Mason and the others are forced to take everyone hostage when Shawn messes things up. Now, trapped inside the bank, they have to figure out a way to escape whilst dealing with the FBI negotiator, Amy.

There's a degree of charm to Cash Out that keeps the movie from being bad, and it's chiefly down to the interactions between its main leads Travolta and Davis. The two of them have an easy energy, a casual way of talking to each other that makes it feel like there's an established relationship between them, and you can buy that they were together for two years. The way that they slip into easy conversation despite the circumstances of the situation is almost comedic, but the film never veers into full comedy territory with it, and instead it ends up bringing a small smile to your face. This same charm follows Travolta throughout the movie in the way that he bonds with the other members of his team, as well as how he deals with the hostages. 

The downside to this easy energy is that the film often feels like it lacks any real punch. Travolta is sometimes a bit too relaxed, and almost feels like he's phoning it in at times. There's a point in the movie where he has to run down an escaped hostage to prevent them getting out of the bank and ruining everything and he never goes beyond a mild jog. Considering that losing this key hostage would potentially lead to either prison time or being shot by law enforcement you'd think he'd be running as fast as he could, but instead Mason looks like he's jogging to catch the bus rather than running for his life. 

This is something that happens elsewhere in the movie, this feeling of lack of any real tension. Things escalate towards the end of the film, with a twist in the tale that takes things from a simple bank robbery into a more dangerous territory, and we're told that the crew's lives are in more danger than ever before. But I never really felt it. We're told that it's life or death, but the film didn't really show that. Now, this does mean that Cash Out makes for some pretty easy viewing, it's low stakes and low violence for much of the time, but it also means that you never feel that the main cast are in any degree of danger, and that does neuter the film a little.

There's also a heavy use of drone filming present throughout the movie that's used to such a degree that it does feel like the filmmakers had a new toy and were desperate to use it. There's a sequence where police cars are arriving outside the bank, cops getting out the vehicles and taking up position, and the camera is flying from one car to the other, briefly zooming in on the cops, then flying off to the next vehicle. It's pretty disorienting, with the camera moving a little too fast and things looking just off enough that the main feeling in the scene was a sense of nausea. The already mentioned scene where Mason ahs to run to stop a hostage also uses some drone photography, with the camera flying around a large office space indoors that was incredibly jarring and disorienting in the moment too. Drones have opened up filmmaking in a lot of great ways, but their use here feels more like a gimmick than anything else.

Despite these flaws, the film proves to be entertaining enough for its relative short runtime, and there's nothing overtly wrong or egregiously bad to be found here. It's enjoyable, there are some cute moments with the cast, but there's nothing particularly exciting either. It's a decent film that I'm happy to watch the once, but not one that I'd be rushing back to watch again. 

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