ORCHESTRATOR OF STORMS: THE FANTASTIQUE WORLD OF JEAN ROLLIN **** USA 2022 Dir: Kat Ellinger, Dima Ballin. 113 mins Narrated by Ayvianna Snow and with Benoit Carry voicing the words of the late filmmaker himself, this enthralling feature documentary adeptly captures the influences, passion and struggles of beloved French director Jean Rollin, while attempting to convey the unique facets that have garnered him a sizable following over the decades. Co-directors Ellinger and Ballin paint a vivid picture of “one of the few authentic independent filmmakers”, who made cinematic poems about dreams and memories existing in some netherworld between horror and…
Author: Steven West
EVERYONE FORGOT *** UK 2022 Dir: Theo Kai Marlow. 18 mins Editor / producer / writer / director Theo Kai Marlow follows his 2018, April Fools’ Day-based short THE MOST SAVAGE WEDDING EVER with this effective meld of dark humour and pathos. It opens with a microcosm of loneliness and desperation in our social media dominated world: first seen in a dressing gown dragging on a fag, Lily (Anwen Bull) has turned 40 but only has a self-made chocolate cake (“I’m 40 bitches” it screams) and zero “happy birthday” notifications to show for it. Resigning herself to an unsatisfying “People…
INCREDIBLE BUT TRUE **** France / Belgium 2022 Dir: Quentin Dupieux. 74 mins Here’s the 11th feature film from electronic musician Mr. Ozio, a.k.a. writer-director-cinematographer-editor Quentin Dupieux, who makes high-concept sort-of sci-fi / horror comedies about murderous tyres (RUBBER, 2010), malevolent jackets (DEERSKIN, 2019) and giant flies (MANDIBLES, 2020). These, and his latest, are an acquired taste for sure – but never dull and, at his typically brief running time (under an hour and a quarter), seldom outstay their welcome. This one is a characteristically strange hybrid of quirky time-travel story hook, absurdist sub-plots, observational humour and pathos. Alain Chabat…
PUSSYCAKE (aka Emesis) ** Argentina 2021 Dir: Pablo Parés. 82 mins PLAGA ZOMBIE / I AM TOXIC director Pablo Parés returns with this busy, eager-to-please splatter movie indebted to 80s gore flicks like THE EVIL DEAD and DEMONS, and with a mostly female cast. “PussyCake”, which sounds like something that might be shoved in your face during a stag night in Amsterdam, is an all-girl rock band keen to snag a record deal and hit the big time – and fronted by Elle (Macarena Suárez), who has one of those abusive-ex backstories that the film tries hard to make us…
THE LEECH **** USA 2022 Dir: Eric Pennycoff. 82 mins Writer-director Eric Pennycoff’s second feature, after 2018’s SADISTIC INTENTIONS, reunites its (since-married) stars Jeremy Gardner and Taylor Zaudtke for a suitably cynical and darkly amusing Christmas-set tale of religious hypocrisy and mania. It has a career-best performance from Graham Skipper as a celibate priest, first seen preaching at length about gifts in all their forms and the notion of bringing people face to face with God by helping them…all set to sarcastically tinkly sentimental music before a cutaway reveals a miniscule number of people in his congregation. The appearance of…