The House of Last Resort by Christopher Golden - Book Review

 

'Across Italy, there are many half-empty towns, nearly abandoned by those who migrate to the coast or to cities. The beautiful, crumbling hilltop town of Becchina is among them, but its mayor has taken drastic measures to rebuild—selling abandoned homes to anyone in the world for a single Euro, as long as the buyer promises to live there for at least five years. It’s a no-brainer for American couple Tommy and Kate Puglisi. Both work remotely, and Becchina is the home of Tommy’s grandparents, his closest living relatives.

'It feels like a romantic adventure, an opportunity the young couple would be crazy not to seize. But from the moment they move in, they both feel a shadow has fallen on them. Tommy’s grandmother is furious, even a little frightened, when she realizes which house they’ve bought.

'There are rooms in an annex at the back of the house that they didn’t know were there. The place makes strange noises at night, locked doors are suddenly open, and when they go to a family gathering, they’re certain people are whispering about them, and about their house, which one neighbour refers to as The House of Last Resort. Soon, they learn that the home was owned for generations by the Church, but the real secret, and the true dread, is unlocked when they finally learn what the priests were doing in this house for all those long years…and how many people died in the strange chapel inside. While down in the catacombs beneath Becchina…something stirs.'

One of the things that I immediately loved about The House of Last Resort was that so much of it felt incredibly familiar to me. Not the story, or the characters, but the setting. I have family in Italy, my grandparents come from a small mountain village filled with old houses and old residents. Life is slow, people work hard but live full, and there's a wonderful sense of family and community surrounded by beautiful, remote countryside. And this book had that in spades, to the point where I didn't really feel like I had to imagine much, but instead simply remembered.

The House of Last Resort tells the story of Tommy and Kate, who leave their lives in the US behind to move to the small mountain town of Becchina, where Tommy's family originally came from. The mayor of Becchina, seeing the exodus of younger people from the town and fearing that the town might die out, takes part in a scheme to sell houses in Becchina for a single Euro. Enraptured by the idea of buying a house and furnishings for such a low price, Tommy and Kate move across the world, happy to invest the required money in renovations and years living in the house that the amazing bargain requires. Tommy has family there after all, so it's bound to be good.

However, Tommy and Kate decided on another house at the last minute, a house grander than the others, that sits alone at the end of it's street, staring out over the valley below. Sure that they've gotten the best new start in life, they're surprised when Tommy's grandmother admonishes them for buying the house. As they learn more about the house they begin to uncover a sinister past, and when strange occurrences start happening Kate becomes convinced that there's something in the house with them. 

As I said at the start, this book absolutely spoke to me thanks to the setting. I felt like I could see Becchina so clearly in my mind, the old houses, the tight, steep mountain streets, and the gorgeous countryside that surrounds it. Christopher Golden did a wonderful job at not only capturing that, but making it feel very real and alive too. The mass family get togethers that happen, the small local shops, the cafes on the piazza where the local men sip coffee and play cards. He brought the location to life wonderfully, to the point where I not only found myself thinking about returning to my family's village at some point, but being actively jealous of my parents being on holiday there whilst I was reading it.

But, this isn't a quite read about a young couple making a new life for themselves in Italy, unfortunately there's something much more sinister brewing. Golden takes it somewhat slow with the horror, sprinkling tiny elements here and there through the early chapters of the book. There's hints at something sinister going on, something that's just outside your field of vision, creeping away in the corners. It's done well enough that you find yourself wondering if what the characters are experiencing is actually real, and it happens so infrequently that you end up getting sucked back into the setting and the character interactions, forgetting the horror you've just witnessed. You can understand why the characters are slow to pick up on it, and them getting in too deep feels kind of reasonable.

Whilst the slow burn horror at the start of the book might put some people off it absolutely gives readers the chance to become fully invested in these characters and their story. Yes, Kate and Tommy do come across a bit annoying in some ways, having barely moved to this town that they hardly know and believing that they, and the others who've moved to Becchina, know the exact way to save the town and start coming up with plans to turn the quiet sleepy mountain village into a tourist trap; but this also works. They're not perfect, they kind of fall into the brash American's not assimilating well but having a good heart stereotype, and it's this attitude that does lead to some bad things happening. For a haunted house story the characters are complex, flawed, interesting, and ultimately very charming; and that's what you need for this kind of story.

The House of Last Resort isn't perfect, there are times where I was thinking that perhaps there should have been a bit more horror, and whilst I adored the setting I know that's going to be down to my own personal experiences and likes. But, I do believe that this is a thoroughly enjoyable horror read that will send chills down most people's spines. 

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Two Taoist Tales - Blu-ray Review

 

Hong Kong action comedy films are an interesting genre of movies. There are some that have become quite beloved in the west, having made their way over here in the 80's and 90's and shared round on VHS as something unique that folks would talk about. But a lot of them never really became that big, some never even made it to the UK and US, and some are so downright weird that other than the most avid fan of the genre I find it hard to see most people making it through them.

Eureka Entertainment's latest release, Two Taoism Tales, collects together two such movies, a pair of films that at times feels more akin to a fever dream than anything else. That being said, they're not bad movies, and there's a lot of fun to be found with these unusual, unique films.

The two films collected in this release, Taoism Drunkard and Young Taoism Fighter are the second and third part of what's considered to be something of a loose trilogy alongside Shaolin Drunkard. Whilst none of the films share any real story or characters it's the fact that they were all produced by the Yuen Clan that ties them all together; and those familiar with the Yuen's work will see their fingerprints all over these two. Not least because both Yuen brothers appear in them. 

The first film in the set, Taoism Drunkard follows an old monk (Yuen Cheung-Yan) with an addiction to drink. The monk causes mischief in his temple, riding around in a weird wicker mouse go-cart type contraption (it's actually quite amazing), and manages to break a sacred statue; which gets him kicked out by his brother. Tasked with finding a young virgin boy to take part in a ceremony to fix things, the monk heads out into the world. During his search he stumbles across Chiu (Yuen Yat-Choh) a young man who fits the bill. However, Chiu is destined to become the protector of a sacred scroll that his grandmother (also Yuen Cheung-Yan) is currently guarding and can't go with the old monk. When an evil sorcerer 'Old Devil' (Yuen Shun-Yi) arrives on the scene hoping to get the scroll, it makes matters even more complicated. 

The second movie, Young Taoism Fighter, also stars Yuen Yat-Choh, though in the different role of Ko Sang, a Taoist student who wants to become the best fighter there is, but doesn't want to put the work or effort into things. To do this he's stealing the training manuals and sacred techniques from any and all rivals so that he can cheat and get a leg up on them. Unfortunately, this is happening at the same time that the evil Tien Wu Clan master (Yen Shi-Kwan) is also trying to become the best by any means, but usually by kidnapping and/or killing anyone who might pose a challenge to him. Looking to get revenge for the death of her master, a young female fighter (Hilda Liu Hao-yi) joins forces with Ko Sang to stop the evil Tien Wu Clan master.

Both of the movies in this set are something of a mixed bag. There is a lot of great action to be found throughout, with some superb martial arts and stunt work, and some of the comedy is quite fun if a little slapstick. However, the plots can be a little convoluted at times, some of the comedy is a little lost in translation, and some effects are quite cheap looking. These negatives aren't always bad, such as the weird cheapness of the melon monster in Taoism Drunkard being so bad that it spins round into delightful. But, if you're looking for something a bit more serious, a bit more grounded, then these two movies might leave you feeling a little confused at times.

Alongside the movies, both of which have had brand new 2k restorations allowing them to be released in HD for the first time, there are brand new audio commentaries on both film from Frank Djeng, and another by Arne Venema and Mike Leeder. The three names will be familiar to those who know the Eureka martial arts releases, and will know what to expect from them. They offer different things, with Djeng giving a more detailed breakdown of the film, the people involved in its production, and the actors on screen, whilst Leeder and Venema take a more conversational approach, bouncing comments and stories off each other. There's also a brand new interview with actor/director Yuen Cheung-yan, and filmmaker and critic James Mudge.

For those looking to find unusual martial arts movies that you've likely not seen before, or for fans of the genre wanting to build a robust collection, this new release offers a pair of movies that you're going to want to check out. Even if this isn't your favourite kind of movie they're worth a watch just to see how wild and bizarre they get at times.

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Dragonkeeper - Film Review

 

Dragons are creatures that have enchanted the world for generations, and some form of the mystical creatures have appeared across most of the globe at one time or another. As such it's not surprise when they appear in fiction. It feels like recent years have given us some great dragon related media, such as the adaptations of How to Train Your Dragon and A Song of Ice and Fire on both the big and small screens, as well as subsequent spin-offs and live action remakes that have come our way. Animated movies seem to be a perfect realm for dragons, however, and Dragonkeeper joins these ranks as a fun, easy to enjoys, and beautiful new addition to this genre.

Based upon the book series of the same name by Caroline Wilkinson, the story takes viewers to Han Imperial China, where a young orphan girl named Ping (Mayalinee Griffith) has grown up in a remote shrine where she helps her grandmother gather food for offerings at the shrine. However, when the evil Diao (Anthony Howell) arrives at the shrine Ping learns what lays within; two dragons. 

With Diao nurturing a hatred for dragons, and wanting to harvest them to help grant himself immortality and power, Ping finds herself caught in the middle of a battle. With only one dragon left alive, Long Danzi (Bill Nighy), and a dragon egg stolen by Diao, Ping joins up with the wise and ancient dragon to save his child.

The plot for Dragonkeeper is fairly simple, it's about a young girl helping to rescue and egg from some villains whilst learning about the world from a wise old mentor. And this make the film wonderfully accessible for viewers of all ages. Whilst the movie is clearly aimed at younger viewers it absolutely entertains and holds the attention of people of all ages (everyone who was watching the film with myself was very much an adult as we had a great time). Whilst the film might not have a huge twisting narrative or multiple layers, there's enough to keep you interested, with double crosses, secret plots, and ancient mysteries that Ping and the audience discover together.

Visually, the film is a delight to look at, and is the first thing that drew me to watch it. The film is filled with gorgeous, bright colours, with locations that have a lot of care and attention put into them. Every location feels different and unique from each other, and whether it's the Imperial Palace, Ping's home, or Diao's sinister underground lair, you know where you are immediately thanks to every location having a unique look to it. It makes the film easy to follow, and whilst these locations all have their own look it very much feels like a coherent, thought out world.

Perhaps the stand out of the movie is Long Danzi, who looks absolutely gorgeous. He feels regal, ancient, and wise at times, yet also has a lot of playful energy to him, and his interactions with the young Ping are a delight to watch. Every time he engages in action, moving around the screen in a fluid way, almost like he's swimming through the air rather than flying, it makes you want to see more of him. The fact that Bill Nighy is voicing him is just the cherry on top of what's absolutely going to become some kids favourite dragon.

Whilst the film isn't short, sitting at just shy of an hour and forty minutes, it moves as a decent pace, and come the end of the movie I was surprised the time had gone by as quickly as it had. You end up getting swept away in the story, becoming enthralled in the narrative, marvelling at the visuals. With the book that the film is based upon being a part of a six book series, and the film ending in such a way that it feels like there's more to come I'm very much hoping that Dragonkeeper finds the audience that it deserves so that we can get more.

Dragonkeeper is a delightful, visually lovely movie. It's got a lot of heart, some great moments, and mixes heartfelt drama, comedic moments, and adventure well. Whether you're looking for a film to watch with your youngsters, or just want some easy going viewing that you're going to enjoy, Dragonkeeper will be a great choice.

Dragonkeeper is released in UK cinemas from 27th September 2024.

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Kill - Film Review

 

Kill sets it's stall out pretty early, and within a few minutes of the opening of the film it's clear exactly where things are going to go, but even without much mystery in the set up, the film absolutely commands your attention.

Kill tells the story about three brothers, Henry (Daniel Portman), John (Brian Vernel), and Vince (Calum Ross), who join their father, Don (Paul Higgins), on a hunting trip into the Scottish countryside shortly after the death of their mother, Kate (Anita Vettesse). But this isn't a trip for the four of them to bond, nor are they going into the forest to work through their collective grief. Instead, the three younger men have hatched a plot to murder their father, and leave his body in a pre-prepared, shallow grave. Violence ensues, and Don is shot through the chest and killed. And this is just the first five minutes of the film.

The brothers bury their father and return to the family farm, where they drink the night away on his expensive booze, coming to terms with the violence that they've just inflicted. It's during this that we learn that Don was incredibly abusive, that he terrorised his family for their entire lives, and the recent death of their mother can be laid squarely on him. Waking the next day, the three of them prepare to use the key taken from Don's body to open the family safe and divide out the hoard of wealth within. However, when they realise they accidentally threw the key into the grave with Don they must head back out into the woods to dig him up. Upon doing so they make a startling discovery, Don's body is gone, replaced with the stag they used as bait in their murder of him. Now the brothers must ask, is Don still alive, did someone else find his body, or has one them the three of them turned against the others?

Kill is a film that handles suspense well, and most the of the scenes have a strong undercurrent of unease and tension running through them. Whether it's the opening scene of patricide, the flashbacks to the abuse Don put his family through, or the question of who seems to be following them through the forest, there's always some kind of looming threat present in Kill. Because of this, there are times when the film feels quite uncomfortable, especially in the flashbacks. The scene in which Don, angry that his family did something as simple as paint an egg together, forces his terrified wife to eat the boiled gee whole, shell included, is perhaps one of the most skin-crawling in the film. Kill manages to capture the feel of an abusive household well, and the scenes in which we peer into this family history are made all the more impactful because of his. 

Whilst the strong writing from director Rodger Griffiths, alongside his co-writer Robert Drummond, is absolutely a selling point for the film, it's the performances from the central cast that elevates things. Best known for his role as the every kind and helpful Pod in Game of Thrones, Daniel Portman feels very different here as the older of the three brothers. Perhaps the most like his abusive father, his character of Henry carries a lot of anger with him, and he's the first to make threats and give orders. There are times when you wonder if the brothers might turn on each other, and that more often than not comes from Henry's reactions in any given moment.

He contrasts well the the other two brothers, who offer very different approaches. Calum Ross is very subdued as Vince, delivering a quieter performance where you wonder if he feels much of anything. As his two older siblings are quick to argue, or first to make plans, Vince seems happy to fade into the background, to keep things to himself. It's perhaps something of a thankless role, being the one of the four leads who feels like he does the least, but it never feels like Ross is not trying, and even in his quieter moments you can see the thought and emotion that's being quietly conveyed behind his stoic façade. Brian Vernel makes for a nice middle ground between the two. He feels the most rational, not as quick to anger as Henry, and containing some of the more thoughtful qualities of Vince. Vernel is the most 'normal' of the three, and I think more embodies what most of us would be like in this situation. He gets afraid, he doubts himself, and he seems to be the one of the three who tries to think things through the most.

Rounding out the core cast is Paul Higgins, who's absolutely terrifying as the vicious and cruel Don. In the very first scene of the film he finds himself with his son pointing a rifle at him, and instead of being afraid he mocks and belittles him whilst urging him to pull the trigger. He's a man to whom fear comes first, who feels like he's important because his family respect him through fear of what happens if they don't. There's a moment in the film where he talks about how cruel his own father was, and how his sons should be happy he's nowhere near as bad, and it's an interesting throwaway comment. It raises questions of generational trauma, and plays into how we see Henry as being the most like Don and if this is a passed down trait. But it also gives an insight into Don as well, showing us that despite clearly being a bully and a tyrant he sees himself as a decent man, and this comes through in Higgins' performance. You do absolutely hate him in every scene, but he never comes across feeling arch, or two dimensional. He feels as nuanced and well rounded as you're likely to get for a film such as this.

Alongside the strong performances Kill also looks extremely pretty. The film is set on the backdrop of an unnamed part of the Scottish Highlands, with much of the films runtime being set within the forests that cover the hills there. And it's absolutely gorgeous. The locations chosen for the film have a beauty to them, yet thanks to the remoteness, the lack of light, and sweeping morning fog this beautiful landscape often also feels sinister and oppressive, which ties into the themes of the film well. Despite being out in the open you feel like the characters are in danger as you can't see very far, and you begin to wonder if danger is lurking behind the next tree, or is stalking towards them through the thick fog.

Kill begins with a very simple premise, but over the course of the film things spiral out of control in a number of ways. The characters get pushed and tested, relationships get redefined, assumptions are challenged, and the story of this abused and broken family becomes the focus of everything. You not only come to wonder if everyone is going to make it out alive, but if the family and their love for each other will become a casualty as well. The film deals with anger, abuse, and feelings of family loyalty in some surprising ways, and it's brutal honesty is absolutely its biggest strength. 

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So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison - Book Review

 

'Sloane Parker is dreading her birthday. She doesn’t need a reminder she’s getting older, or that she’s feeling indifferent about her own life. Her husband surprises her with a birthday weekend getaway—not with him, but with Sloane’s longtime best friend, troublemaker extraordinaire Naomi.

'Sloane anticipates a weekend of wine tastings and cozy robes and strategic avoidance of issues she’d rather not confront, like her husband’s repeated infidelity. But when they arrive at their rental cottage, it becomes clear Naomi has something else in mind. She wants Sloane to stop letting things happen to her, for Sloane to really live. So Naomi orchestrates a wild night out with a group of mysterious strangers, only for it to take a horrifying turn that changes Sloane’s and Naomi’s lives literally forever.

'The friends are forced to come to terms with some pretty eternal consequences in this bloody, seductive novel about how it’s never too late to find satisfaction, even though it might taste different than expected.'

Rachel Harrison explores the story of a woman discovering that her nice, quiet life isn't everything she wanted it to be, and realises that as she's growing older her chance to break away and actually be happy may be long behind her. However, thanks to a series of extra-ordinary events she might just get what she never knew she needed. 

Sloane Parker is a woman whose life looks good on the outside, she's married to a caring, successful husband, she's got a great job at a food company with security. She has everything she might need. However, her husband is a serial cheater, she's bored in her work, and she's slowly watching the signs of ageing creeping in when she looks in the mirror. She desperately needs to break out of the rut that she's found herself trapped in, but doesn't know how to do so. 

When her husband arranges a trip away for Sloane, along with her best friend Naomi, it offers Sloane a break from her life. Naomi, who she's been friends with her whole life, is an almost complete opposite to Sloane. She lives a wild life, travelling the world, sleeping with a lead singer, attends parties and does drugs with celebrities. She's living the other ideal, the wild fantasy that very few get to have. Despite their differences, however, the two of them are fast friends, and their trip away is the perfect opportunity for them to spend some much needed time together. 

However, when the two of them meet Henry, a charming gentleman who doesn't hide his attraction to Sloane, it introduces the two women to a frightening new world, one that might offer Sloane the escape she needs even if it comes at a great cost.

I've been a little coy so far in talking about one of the main subjects of So Thirsty, but with this being a horror book, having a title that references thirst, and the cover of the book depicting a goblet overflowing with red liquid I don't think I'd be accused of spoiling things too much to say yes, the book has vampires in it. Vampires have often been a sexual creature, and there are much smarter and more articulate people than myself who can talk about this topic; but vampires are about sex, they're about breaking taboos, and focus on transgression.

Because of this, using vampires as a way of breaking Sloane away from her quite, boring life fits perfectly. Henry isn't just a vampire offering someone a new life (un-life), he's the handsome stranger seducing someone into an affair. The vampirism is an obvious vehicle to talk about cheating, to question if Sloane is seeking freedom from her old life or simply excitement, and if it's right for someone to cheat on their partner if it breaks them free of a miserable life and opens up a new one to them. And it gets to do all of this whilst being wrapped in a nice horror packaging. 

Harrison using the vampires as a vehicle to focus on Sloane does mean that they're used somewhat as a device, rather than being the focus. What I found this meant was that there were times where Harrison slipped into the traditional and the expected. Having in the past done some new and interesting things with the realms of the paranormal and the horror genre I was waiting for some new twist on vampires here, something that made them stand apart from the others. But they were fairly normal, things happened the way you'd expect them to, and the history and lore doesn't really feel hugely inventive. And whilst this is a little disappointing it's not a tragedy, as there's still a lot in this book to keep your attention, and perhaps not doing something with the vampires that would draw all of your attention there means that your focus can be kept on the true heart of the story; Sloane. 

The friendship between Sloane and Naomi plays a big part of the book, and this is something that ties into Harrison's writing. Her books tend to have a focus on women, to the point where they're often labelled as feminist writing. Whether or not they're feminist pieces, or simply get called that because the female characters get treated like real people and have well rounded characters isn't up to me, but a female writer telling stories about women do tend to be more reliable and impactful, and Harrison certainly fits into this mould. I very much enjoyed the fact that our two female leads didn't quite fit into the expected for two life long female friends. They're incredibly different, and as such don't always gel well together. There are times when their friendship feels a little toxic, and there are others where you can see the deep love they have for each other. It felt messy, heartfelt, annoying, and very, very real.

Whilst So Thirsty is a horror book, and it doesn't shy away from the vampires and the blood and savagery that comes with them it's also very much a human story, one that puts its lead character at the heart of everything. So whether you're looking for a story about blood sucking monsters, or about the struggles of a woman trapped in a life she doesn't want, So Thirsty will quench you. 

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Fitting In - Film Review

 

As the world seems more and more focused on 'biological sex' thanks to the rise of transphobia in the world, with those who say they 'defend women' trying to whittle people's identities down to reproductive abilities and the body parts that they have, it's important to remind people that not everyone fits into nice, neat little boxes; and that the idea of a strict sex binary isn't actually real. Fitting In tackles these ideas, mixed with a charming coming of age story, in a way that doesn't feel preachy, and instead quietly educates viewers about the fact that human biology is incredibly diverse, and that whilst not everyone is going to be the same or fit into what society declares to be 'normal', we're all perfect the way we are.

Fitting In begins the way most teen movies with an emphasis on sex do, by introducing us to our lead character, Lindy (Maddie Ziegler), a teenage girl who's trying to figure out where her and her crush currently are in their relationship, and building herself up to take the step into sleeping with him. Her best friend Vivian (Djouliet Amara) is giving her advice and trying to help her out, whilst her mother Rita (Emily Hampshire) is doing her best to be a supportive single mother whilst trying to get back out into the dating world after recovering from breast cancer. Whilst getting ready to take the plunge with her maybe boyfriend Adam (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) Lindy decides to get herself on birth control, even though she's not yet had her period.

The fact that she hasn't had a period yet grabs the attention of her doctor, who decides to check Lindy over. After going through a series of tests, some humiliating and painful for the young girl, Lindy is given some incredible news. She has MRKH syndrome, an intersex condition that means that whilst Lindy was born with ovaries and external genitals she's entirely missing her womb, and her vaginal canal is more of a 'dimple'. The news hits Lindy hard, especially as she wanted to be a mother some day and now can't give birth. As she deals with this news, and the fact that she'll have to take medical intervention if she ever wants penetrative sex (such a dilating or vaginaplasty) her personal life begins to suffer. We watch as Lindy navigates through the trauma of her experience and witness how it begins to change her life.

On the surface Fitting In sounds like a typical teen sex movie, another in the long line of films about teenagers just wanting to lose their virginity. However, this is just the set-up for Fitting In, and the film ends up going in a completely different direction. It becomes less about Lindy having sex, and more about her figuring out who she in and what her life will become. The film is partially inspired by the real life experiences of writer and director Molly McGlynn, who herself has MRKH, and you can feel that in the movie. The times where Lindy begins to lose it, where the rage, frustration, heartbreak, and self destructive behaviour becomes too much for her and bleeds out onto the screen feel informed by experience, rather than being created by a writer just approximating those events. 

Lindy is an incredibly engaging character because of this, and Ziegler plays her wonderfully. In all honestly, with my only experience of her being having seen an episode or two of Dance Moms, and knowing about the incredibly controversial Music, I was unsure what to expect from her going into this. This is not an easy role to play, and it would be easy to make the character or the situation feel too unbelievable. However, thanks to McGlynn's own experiences helping to guide her Ziegler makes Lindy feel very alive. I think that anyone who's gone through some kind of life changing event, especially one that comes with trauma, will appreciate that Lindy isn't watered down, that the film shows her getting angry at what's happened to her, and that we see her channelling this in ways that are bad for her at times. 

It helps that there are other characters in the film who are comparable to her in a few ways, and it's not just Lindy as the sole 'different' person. Her mother, Rita, is a cancer survivor; something that is slowly explored throughout the movie. At first she talks about how she was sick, and how it was tough for her, but it's not until she really breaks down in frustration, where she shows her daughter her true feelings on it, on how frightening it was, how much it changed her, even going so far as to remove her fake breast and casting it aside, that we, and Lindy, understand that whilst their experiences are vastly different, the trauma that they share brings them together. 

There's also Jax (Kai Griffin), another teen that Lindy meets briefly shortly before her diagnosis. When we first meet them Jax is introduced to us as being non-binary, having they/them pronouns. however, it's when Lindy visits an LGBTQ+ support group at the advice of one of her doctors that she learns Jax is intersex, and was forced into medical procedures to 'fix' them as a child. Jax becomes an important figure in Lindy's life, someone who she can open up to about what's going on with her as Jax will likely understand. Whilst Lindy is at the beginning of her journey, still trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to do, Jax is something of an old hat at it. They've come to accept themselves, they've had years to learn about and come to terms with both being intersex and the things that were done to them without their consent. They represent where Lindy will likely be one day, a person who has learned to see themselves as normal, as beautiful, despite not fitting into the strict rules that our society says they must. They're important as they're kind of the ultimate message of the movie, that no one is normal, that we're all different and varied and wonderful, and no one needs 'fixing' to fit a system that has never even been true to begin with. The fact that Jax is played by an actual intersex actor is also a wonderful decision by McGlynn, and gives some very real representation.

Lindy's journey across Fitting In is far from smooth, there are some ups and downs, some tragic moments, and some times of joy. It's a film that doesn't sugar-coat this subject, a subject that needs talking about more are intersex conditions and sex variances are a lot more common that people would want to think. And at a time where any deviation from this is being politicised negatively, where people are being hounded and abused for being different, or even perceived as different (Imane Khelif being a prime example) telling these stories has never been more important. Come to Fitting In for the coming of age drama, stay for the very real heart and the special story it's telling. 

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Knock Out Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story - Film Review

 

2024 is a frightening time to be transgender. I speak on this with experience. I see daily 'think pieces' about us in the papers. News media report on us using sensationalised, or outright lying, headlines. Trans people are abused and hounded on social media, as is anyone who speaks up for us. The government is rolling back our rights and limiting our ability to exist. Transphobia is that widespread that one of the Conservative Party leader hopefuls announced her campaign off the back of David Tennant telling her to leave trans people alone in some kind of defiant act of monstrosity that seems to hint that she's planning to be even more bigoted. And in the world of sport, something relevant to this new documentary, a cisgender woman is hounded across the world because JK Rowling, one of the worst transphobes alive, decided that she was a man and began a smear campaign so virulent that legal proceedings have followed. Hell, she even decided to keep going and went after an actual trans athlete in the Paralympics the day before I wrote this.

Trans people are living in fear. There's a sense of general unease to the community that I've seen, and even experienced myself. In the last several years there's been a huge spike in anti-trans hate and hate crime that just daring to live as the person you are is an act of defiance and bravery. So to do so in the public sphere takes even more determination than I can imagine. I have largely stepped back from being more vocal about trans issues compared to how I was in the past as I got so tired of the constant death threats, harassment, and deluge of depression (even though this was when things were relatively better for the community) that I couldn't imagine putting myself forward in the way that Kellie Maloney has.

Knock Out Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story takes viewers through the life of the titular subject, a life that some people, particularly here in the UK, are probably somewhat familiar with. Born in a very religious and conservative household, Kellie seemed to have a somewhat normal childhood, one that wouldn't hint at the kind of journey she would go on later in life. There are a lot of sensationalised stories of younger trans people in todays media that it's refreshing to see a story focused on someone who did not come out as trans until later in their life. Though, as Kellie and the film makes very clear, that doesn't mean that this was not something that was always looming over her, a spectre from which she could not escape.

Most people would be familiar with Kellie as the manager of boxer Lennox Lewis, who would become one of the greatest boxers in British history. The film briefly covers Kellie's time as his manager, detailing the travel and stress involved in the job, how it put the spotlight on both her and Lennox, and how it affected her personal life. But this isn't a film about boxing, and even when dealing with this part of her life the film continues to discuss her journey as a trans woman, whether that be learning about trans people for the first time, to speaking to trans sex workers on the other side of the world, or hearing first hand about the violence inflicted on trans women by her peers in the boxing world. 

This part of the film is interesting, and gives a very honest insight into what it's like living in the closet as a trans woman. For those that haven't been through it themselves there's no real way of comparing it to other things, but Kellie manages to convey a lot of the emotion of this period of her life, the way it was always with her, how it consumed her thoughts, and how the fear of what she might lose and how society would treat her kept her from living her authentic life for so long. She speaks about it very simply and honestly, and I think that a lot of people who've likely never thought about what this might be like will come away with a better understanding of it.

When the film comes to the time when Kellie came out things take a bit of a shift. Watching through the footage of Kellie pre-transition there's something about her that feels off. She's subdued, seems very quiet and lonely, and there's a look of sadness in her eyes a lot of the time. But as soon as she gets to be herself you can see a wonderful change come over her. And I'm not talking about a simple physical change of presenting herself as a woman, there's a change in the way she holds herself; she's no longer seemingly trying to fade away into the background, she's smiling more, there's a light in her eyes, and she genuinely seems happy to be alive. I've seen this change with people, I've been through it myself, and anyone who knows a trans person and is even slightly open and understanding will be able to tell you that a person becomes immediately happier and freer when they come out, and viewers can see that first hand here.

It helps that Kellie had a decent support network around her, and we see this from her eldest daughter Emma, who supported her through every stage of her journey. Seeing footage of the two of them together, or listening to Emma talk on the topic, it seems clear that she was Kellie's biggest supporter. Kellie's younger daughters also make an appearance in the film, and discuss the difficulty that they had at the beginning of Kellie's journey, but how they ultimately came to accept her. 

Sadly, Kellie's ex-wife, Tracey seems less of a supporter. She appears in the film only as a talking head, never in footage with Kellie or the rest of the family, and spends the entirety of the film deadnaming and misgendering Kellie. And before anyone comes in with comments like 'but she was talking about Kellie before she transitioned so it's okay', that's not a reason to do that and is still wrong, but also misgenders and deadnames her for every part of their story. The fact that she also expresses opinions like wanting Kellie to stay in the closet and suffering for years to 'make it easier for the kids' makes her come across as horribly bigoted, and her inclusion in the film, able to express such sentiments, feels rather gross. But then again, this does showcase the kind of negativity and disgusting attitudes trans people can experience from the people who are supposed to love them.

Despite this one inclusion, everyone else in the film showcases the beauty of Kellie's new life now. Her conservative, religious mother accepts her fully, and loves having a daughter. Kellie's brother, who at one point admits that in the beginning he wanted to kill Kellie for transitioning not only uses the right name and pronouns for her, but appears on camera with her, showing his support and love for his sister. The film shows that whilst transition is not easy, it doesn't have to end badly, that most people will see that it's the best thing for the person going through it, that it allows someone to live, to be happy, and that ultimately it doesn't hurt anyone.

I've seen some reviews of the film mentioning how the film stretches itself out, or becomes self indulgent, and even some that claim it 'overstretch itself as it proselytises for the transgender cause' (but that's the deeply transphobic Guardian, so they can fuck off straight away). I can't help but think that perhaps these publications are coming to this from the point of view that any discussion on trans people, especially trans joy, is too much. With the loudest voices around trying to monster a minority group anything that shows them as people is going to get some pushback. Perhaps I'm a bit too close on this subject, and I may get accused of giving the film a free pass because I'm trans, but I honestly think that it's a well put together, deeply honest story about the trans experience and one woman's journey. And whilst Kellie's story is very, very different from the average trans person, it's still one that is worth hearing.

Trans people have always been here, and we'll always continue to be here no matter how many laws are passed against us, or how many of us you kill. Our stories deserve to get told, and Knock Out Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story does that with care and grace.

Knock Out Blonde: The Kellie Maloney Story is available in select UK cinemas, and on the IFC Channel today with a home release available on 7th October,

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Subservience - Film Review

 

I'm sure that we could all use a little extra help in our lives, another person who can give us a hand with the laundry, can pick up the toys scattered around the house, and get the kids off to school on time. People have had a complex relationship with 'the help' across history, with many cultures, if not all of them, using humans as slaves at one time or another. As society has grown and bettered ourselves we've begun to leave that practice behind and pay people to do these jobs instead; though often in ways that's barely above the absolute minimum they're entitled to. So of course, it's not a huge leap to believe the when humanity finally figures out how to make machines do it for us we'll use them as mechanical slaves, things that we own and would feel no shame in making do every job that we hate. 

Subservience is set in an unspecified near future, one that is very similar to our own, with recognisable smartphones and cars, but with very subtle differences, such as every vehicle being electric, and computers being much more advanced than they first appear. We're eased into this new time as we meet a family going through a crisis. The mother of the family, Maggie (Madeline Zima) falls ill suddenly, and is rushed into hospital where she has to stay whilst waiting for a heart transplant. Her husband, Nick (Michele Morrone) is left to manage the household, including his young daughter Isla (Matilda Firth) and baby Max (Jude Allen Greenstein). 

Having to hold down his job as a construction foreman, as well as taking care of both kids and the house, Nick decides to purchase a Kobol android, a robot that looks exactly like a person, but can perform any task that the family needs. With the help of Isla, Nick picks out Alice (Megan Fox) from the showroom, one of the most advanced models on the market with smart learning AI. As Alice settles into the family home things go well, with her cleaning up after the children, making the family dinner, and tucking the kids into bed at night. However, when Nick messes with Alice's program just a tiny amount, to get her to forget the plot of Casablanca so that she can watch his favourite movie with him, it opens the door for things to start going wrong.

As Alice begins to learn her core programming of doing what's best for her primary user, Nick, puts her at odds with the wellbeing of others. She sees Nick as her sole focus in the world, and when she learns that sometimes you have to do something people don't like because it's what's best for them in the long run Alice sets out down a road that will lead to murder. 

Subservience is a mixture of domestic drama with a dash of The Terminator thrown into the mix. For much of the film's runtime we're spending out time with Nick and the family, watching as they adapt to life with Maggie in the hospital. There's added drama such as Nick's construction crew being replaced by machines and how he has to navigate the guilt of being kept on, and Maggie's recovery having ups and down, but for the main part it's a very normal kind of movie. You could easily replace Alice with a human character and the film could follow many of the same steps in its journey.

The main thrust of the movie (no pun intended) comes when Nick has sex with Alice. Alice does this as a way of lowering Nick's stress to keep him and the family safe and happy, whilst Nick does it because he can't stand by his sick wife without cheating with the help. Again, a very common trope for this kind of story which isn't at all surprising in large part due to a large percentage of husbands leaving their wives when they fall sick (some studies has this as high as 20%). Substitute in the maid becoming obsessed for her boss with a robot whose wires have gotten crossed, and we've got the core plot of subservience. The problem is, even when a human goes crazy and wants to be with another person to the point where they do terrible things they can be stopped, but a robot is much more dangerous than a person. And this is where the film takes on an almost Terminator-like approach.

Whilst we spend a large part of the film focusing on family drama the latter half turns into a fight for survival as Alice will stop at nothing to remove Nick's burdens that would allow the two of them to be together, namely his wife and kids. Whilst this portion of the movie doesn't take up a huge amount of the runtime it's very entertaining, and the shift in tone works well thanks to the foundational work that went into the first half. It's easy to believe Alice takes this turn, and some of the more uncomfortable moments in the film are before she becomes and out and out villain as you have to witness some very tense domestic scenes.

To this point, the main cast all do a fantastic job throughout. Fox has perhaps the hardest task in the movie, playing a character who can't really show emotion for most of the film. She plays machine well, with the kindness and care she displays to the family having this sense of fakeness to it that sells the fact that she's not human. As Alice becomes more and more of a 'person' you can see cracks starting to form, and you end up watching her performance very closely, waiting to see the mask slip for just a second to reveal the obsessed, murderous robot beneath. 

Morrone and Zima are great throughout too, with Morrone going through a huge range of emotions as Nick's life falls apart in multiple ways. There are times where he feels like a man on the brink of a complete breakdown, but the tenderness and care that he shows towards his wife in the quieter moments are some of the best. Zima is relegated to spending much of the first half confined to hospital rooms, or recovering at home, but as the film progresses ant it becomes clear that her family is at risk she shows a strength and drive to protect her children from the murderous machine that would make Sarah Connor proud. One of the best scenes in the film sees her and Nick verbally sparring over the fact that he slept with Alice, not least because it feels like his excuses and reasonings absolutely deserve to be shot down, and Maggie goes for it full force.

Director S.K Dale does a great job at building an interesting world, and whilst the focus on the family always keeps you interested you keep finding yourself wanting to learn more and more about this world with all of the small peeks at it we get scattered throughout. There are a number of scenes where things seem very recognisable to our own world before you realise that someone in the scene isn't actually human, and that these machines have become enmeshed in almost every part of people's lives. It's a world you want to spend more time in, you want to know how far this goes, and the final scene of the movie will likely have you wanting more; even if just so it can answer the question of if the robot uprising began because a man put his dick in something he shouldn't have.

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The Group - Film Review

 

People are quick to demonise those that transgress against what society considers normal, and people with addiction are very susceptible to this kind of hate and preconceptions. How quickly are people with drug problems labelled as 'junkies' who are undeserving of help, for example? Those who fall into the trap of drug addiction are often left to sink further into it, as society deems their problems to be self inflicted, something that they chose. This largely ignores how addiction is considered a disease by most major medical associations, and how societal inequality is often a factor for those with drug addiction ending up in situations where they need to turn to crime to fund their addiction. Drug addicts are painted as monsters, as people who failed and turned to a 'lifestyle', and who deserve to suffer. 

The Group takes a more nuanced approach, and whilst it never talks about how addiction is a disease, or how people are driven to crime to fund their addiction, it does treat its cast of drug addicts and recoverees as real people, with varied stories and experiences. The film, from first time writer and director William Higo, makes audiences uncomfortable as these people trying to make their lives better become the victims of a twisted and vicious man who sees them as nothing more than junkie scum deserving of an awful fate.

The film begins by introducing us to Kara (Evangeline Burton), a young addict who ends up in hospital when accidentally overdoses. As soon as she's out of the hospital she heads to the local addiction support group, needing the help of her peers in order to figure out what she's to do next. However, it quickly becomes clear that Kara has some sour history with the group, and that her presence there isn't fully welcomed. Despite this, the group allows her in, and the small collection of people present settle in for an uncomfortable, at times almost adversarial, night.

Shortly into their meeting a man named Jack (Dylan Baldwin) arrives, having gained access to the building and locked the exit behind him. Jack is clearly there for trouble, and when the group attempts to leave he pulls a gun and shoots one of them. Tying the others to their chairs, Jack begins to torture them with the skeletons in their closets, forcing them to confront the things they did whilst at their worst, making them reflect on the lives that they damaged. With their lives on the line, and Jack willing to kill any of them, the group have to come together in order to try and survive. 

The Group is a small film. Other than a couple of brief scenes set in a hospital room and a shitty looking flat everything takes place within the confines of a local community centre, the kind of hall that most people will have been to for a party or event at some point or another. It's a non-descript, banal location. And the singular, ordinary setting helps to hammer home the terror that Jack brings with him. It's violence and fear brought somewhere where you would least expect it to rear its head. The sole location channels the focus of the film onto the central cast, all of whom seem to be actors who've had small roles in the past, appearing in a few scattered episodes of British television and independent movies.

However, despite being made up of a cast of relative unknowns everyone here is on top form. Independent and small scale films tend to get looked down upon, especially by people who think that a film will be bad if they don't recognise any cast names in the credits. And whilst there are a lot of small films out there that do have some bad acting in them, The Group absolutely shines due to the central cast. The various members of the titular support group each have a well thought out backstory, with each of them having different reasons for being there and different ghosts haunting them. As the night progresses, and Jack moves from one member of the group to another, each of them get a time in the spotlight.

Jennifer Aries plays Charley, a young mother who's two years sober, working towards getting her son back after her neglect whilst on drugs led to her losing custody. She has a desperation to her that the others don't, a need to make sure that she never goes back to drugs so that she can be the parent her son deserves, and you can see how her past actions weigh heavily upon her. Mike Kelson plays ex-cop Dave who looks at the others as being beneath him, hating them for being 'junkies' where he sees himself as a man with an addiction, thinking that they're somehow not the same. Despite putting out the most 'normal' front there's things in his past that makes him one of the worst people in the room, and discovering that makes for a great moment that has you wondering if out of all of them there he perhaps deserves what he's going through.

Tom Coulson's Henry is a complete dick. He's a businessman who thinks his wealth and power makes him better, makes him important. He doesn't see his drug use as an addiction, just a fun part of the business life that got him into a bit of trouble. He has no desire to better himself, and just wants to tick off the required number of meetings to get the courts of his back before returning to his old ways. Nobuse Jnr plays Eddie, the member of the group who seems to be at his lowest. He's clearly struggling to get by, barely able to pour himself a cup of coffee at one point, who sneaks off to the toilets to shoot up. He's the one who needs the most help, and so it's beautifully ironic that he ends up as the only member of the group not captured by Jack, and so the only one who can help the rest. Alicia Novak plays Ellen, the person leading the recovery group, and perhaps the one we know least about. She plays the part of overly nice by slightly judgemental group leader well, and you're never sure if she's going to have words of encouragement or if she's going to chastise.

Seth, played by Luke Dayhill, is the person who at first seems to be the most put together. He's recovering from his addiction, making amends and fixing his family life, but there's also hints that there's something darker going on beneath the surface. He seems to be the first to want to try and do the right thing, but as the film progresses you start to question the motives he has. Kara, our lead, is perhaps the ideal of the stereotypical drug addict. She's a person who fell on bad times, but isn't a bad person, she's had to turn to crime to fund her addiction, but is trill trying to get better. She ticks a lot of the boxes when it comes to drug addict tropes, but she never feels like a trope thanks to the way that Burton plays her. There's a sense of vulnerability to her, and you feel like her sarcasm and quick comebacks are a defence mechanism designed to stop her from getting too hurt. She's incredibly human, and it makes her the ideal candidate to be the focus.

And then there's Jack, played by Dylan Baldwin. As soon as he's first on screen there's an edge to Jack that makes him uncomfortable, to the point where you can see the rest of the group getting immediately defensive, ready to deal with someone who seems like an asshole. However, he's much more sinister than just being a dick, and when things take a turn it's not too unbelievable. He has an intensity to him that even shines through in his calmer moments where you can see he's a man ready to snap at any moment. He's frightening because he feels so realistic, and will likely remind you of someone that you've probably met at some point.

The Group is a tight, personal story, one with minimal set and cast that makes the most of these limitations. Thanks to a tight scrip from Higo there's not really a moment to be bored, and you end up being drawn further and further into the awful events taking place on screen. Sitting at just an hour and fifteen minutes long, the film flies by, to the point where I felt a little disappointed that it wasn't longer. I found myself so engrossed in these characters and this story that I wanted more; but the film doesn't outstay its welcome, leaving me happy with the experience that I had, which is often more than can be said for some big budget blockbusters.

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