Goodbye Solo (Axiom) is the latest indie drama from Ramin Bahrani, the director who has already achieved widespread plaudits for movies such as Man Push Cart and Chop Shop. His latest gem charts the unlikely friendship between Souleymane (AKA Solo) a cheerful Senegalese taxi driver working in North Carolina and William, an elderly curmudgeon who hires Solo to drive him to the Blowing Rock mountain range in two weeks time.

Despite his passenger’s reluctance to interact with him, Solo draws the taciturn pensioner out of his shell, and the duo build up an easy rapport. However, when Solo realises that Blowing Rock is a notorious suicide spot he charges himself with dissuading William from taking the drastic course of action that he has planned. Solo (played by the charming Souleymane Sy Savane) urges William (played by former Elvis bodyguard-turned-stuntman Red West) to hang out with him and his drug dealer buddy, and the posse drink beer and shoot pool together.

When Solo discovers that William is harbouring a troubling secret, he increases his efforts to prevent the old man from killing himself – only to drive a wedge between their burgeoning friendship. But can Solo win over his stubborn companion before it is too late? Goodbye Solo is a bittersweet gem of a movie, that reclaims the ‘buddy movie’ template from Hollywood’s tedious world of mismatched cop movies. Absorbing stuff.

Based on James Lee Burke’s acclaimed novel In the Electric Mist with the Confederate Dead, In The Electric Mist (High Fliers) is an intriguing but ultimately flawed cop thriller that will struggle to win over anyone outside Burke’s loyal fan-base. World-weary Tommy Lee Jones stars as Cajun cop Dave Robicheaux, a reformed alcoholic with anger management issues. An investigation into the murder of a mutilated prostitute leads Dave to suspect the involvement of his former high school buddy-turned-Mobster ‘Baby Feet’ Balboni (John Goodman), but Dave’s efforts to solve the case are complicated by the discovery of a long-dead corpse in the Bayou, by alcoholic Hollywood actor Elrod Sykes (Peter Sarsgaard). Unfortunately, the atmospheric visuals and rich sense of place can’t disguise the muddled narrative, and the top-drawer cast struggle with a convoluted plot that crams too much information into its brisk 90-minute run-time. All in all – despite some great flashes of Robicheaux brutality, In the Electric Mist feels a lot like a Southern-fried TV movie. Frustratingly average.

After winning over horror fans with the depraved double-whammy of House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects, Rob Zombie has devoted his energies towards re-booting the seminal Halloween franchise. His new pet project is undeniably a labour of love, and although Zombie hit pay-dirt with his first offering, this dubious sequel makes for a far less enjoyable visit into the director’s freak-show of an imagination. Although it seeks to examine the shared psychology between murderous Michael Myers and his surviving victim Laurie Stroud, for the most part Halloween II (Entertainment in Video) feels like a particularly gruesome dirge. Although the gore-streaked body-count is firmly in place, Halloween II lacks the warped humour of Zombie’s earlier work, and feels like a misjudged career move. Fans craving visceral blood-loss will find their appetites sated by this full-on sequel – just don’t expect too much entertainment along the way…

Kamikaze Girls (Third Window Films) is dizzying, madcap excursion into the surreal head-space of Japanese director Tetsuya Nakashima, a man whose work has been widely compared to the likes of Tim Burton and Baz Luhrmann. Based on a cult novel-turned-Manga by Novala Takemoto, Kamikaze Girls follows the antics of Momoko, a day-dreaming 17 year old with a penchant for Lolita clothing and Rococo aesthetics. In order to fund her all-consuming obsession, Momoko’s starts selling off her father’s stockpile of bootleg leisurewear. Her first customer is Ichigo, a rebellious biker chick who is instantly dismissive of Momoko’s bizarre lifestyle.

However, the duo quickly forge a close friendship, and decide to tackle their teenage alienation head-on. Nakashima’s movie is impeccably pieced together, but rather draining in its entirety. What begins as a cheerful satire on the Japanese infatuation with pop culture, quickly descends into a glib mess. Although fans of Japanese kitsch will find plenty to enjoy here, I didn’t have the stomach for a concoction quite as sickly as this!

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Plymouth extras of Alice in Wonderland take a gander at the trailer which featured during the Superbowl (Superbowl XLIV, no less) – it’s only short, but at $2.8 million for 30 seconds or airtime, it kinda needed to be.

There have been reports that people have spotted themselves in previous trailers, so take a glimpse and see if you can recognise anyone – they’ll win bragging rights to say they were on the same bill as The Who, and that can’t be bad.

• Plymouth extras, let us know your experience of this Hollywood Blockbuster and Plymouth – plus we’d love to know which bits of the limelight you’ve stolen for yourselves. Comments below, please

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With the British Animation Awards coming to Exeter, Plymouth, Falmouth, Totnes in the next couple of weeks, we thought we’d give you a bit of heads up.

The British Animation Awards Public Choice tour makes a trip to 27 venues throughout the UK. There are four such venues in the D+CFilm stamping ground: The Poly, Falmouth; the Exeter Phoenix, Exeter; Peninsual Arts Cinema, Plymouth; and The Barn, Totnes.

One of the bonuses for the region is that Cornish animator and Falmouth School of Art graduate Petra Freeman is up for an award.

Petra’s film Tads Nest, the story of a place where eels mature before being compelled to return to a location using only memories of sensations to guide them, is part of the Programme 2 of the BAA public tour circuit and is shortlisted for Best Sound Design.

Pop along to the British Animation Awards site for more, and visit the venues for tickets and times.

Exeter, Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre
Box Office: 01392 667 080
Prog 1: Fri 12th Feb
Prog 2: Sat 13th Feb
Prog 3: Sun 14th Feb

Falmouth, The Poly
Box Office: 01326 313 388
Prog 1 Tues 9th Feb
Prog 2 Thur 11th Feb
Prog 3 Tues 23rd Feb

Plymouth, Peninsula Arts Cinema
Box Office: 01752 585050
Prog 1: Mon 15th Feb
Prog 2: Tue 16th Feb
Prog 3: Weds 17th Feb

Totnes, The Barn, Dartington Arts
Box Office: 01803 847070
Prog 1: Mon 15th Feb
Prog 2: Tues 16th Feb
Prog 3: Weds 17th Feb

(image: Tads Nest by Petra Freeman)

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From cute guinea pig in latest project Petrified to three-headed hell hound Cerberus, award-winning Gwenhyver Davies writes stories with a twist. We find out more

What’s your background, how many films have you made, and how would you describe them?

When I’m asked to describe myself I tend to say, “I’m a Screenwriter with a background in Philosophy.” Aside from the few people who say things like “Philosophy? Is that to do with stones?” Most people will ask “Why Philosophy?” Well, since you ask…

I became interested in screenwriting at about the age of 15, so when it came to the question of what to study at university, screenwriting was something with which I felt in tune. What I lacked, I felt, was substance in my writing. I had this urge to write, but not much to say. So, I chose to study Philosophy because what’s better than three years of exploring ideas? There. That is why I studied Philosophy.

In 2008 I won the American Gem Literary Festival with a 16-page short script titled Immortality, the story of a teenage boy who wants to achieve fame by any means necessary. In 2009 I won the International Screenwriter’s Festival Script_1 Competition with Grounded, a thriller about a young woman who returns to her family home in the country to find a loved one has died.

Last year I teamed up with director Gareth Allen and editor Chris Dewar and made (with kind help from Exeter Phoenix Media) Discommunity – a 90-second short which showed at the Cornwall Film Festival and Two Short Nights in 2009.

I am currently working with animators Andrew Clift and Bradley Purnell to create Petrified – an animated short about a Guinea Pig who’s afraid of the dark.

I challenge myself to write stories that hopefully have meaning beyond the film, but at the very least I aim to be entertaining!

Your latest project, Petrified, is an animated story, is this a departure from your other films

This is my first – and hopefully not last – venture into the field of animation. We’re describing Petrified as a mild house pet horror. We’re placing a cute-scared-of-everything guinea pig into a suspense-filled scenario.

Petrified is my first script/ film that has ‘cute’ as its focus. I have elements of cute in my other work. A feature length I’m working on called Crooked Arrows – which sees the famous Greek god Eros living in the modern world and only able to inspire animosity – features Cerberus the three-headed hell hound as a King Charles spaniel with self-image issues. The ‘cute’ here is part of the Crooked Arrows landscape, in Petrified the cuteness of the character is the focus.

Andrew Clift and Bradley Purnell are two very talented animators and they’ve done a brilliant job in creating the characters. The scared-of-everything guinea pig is definitely cute. Well, up to a point… but you’ll have to wait for the finished piece!

What interests you in a story – and do similar themes run through your work?

It is the ideas behind the story and the human (or guinea pig…) interactions within the story that interests me. Even in Crooked Arrows, these so called ‘gods’ are really human at their core. They have the same insecurities, the same issues. Even when there’s a bit of melodrama I like for the situation to be rooted in reality. When a family breaks up, it can feel like the world might end. Only in the land of Crooked Arrows, this is somewhat more literal than metaphorical!

There are a few themes that I see running through my work. The first is that of communication. It intrigues me how we can miss what’s right in front of us (and I’m guilty of this too!). We live in a world where people talk, but don’t listen and where people interact with technology more than they do each other.   Discommunity explored how we are out of touch with those around us through the means of two neighbours being unaware that the other held the solution to their problems.

The concept of immortality really intrigues me. In Crooked Arrows we have individuals struggling to find meaning within a never-ending life. In Immortality (the clue is there in the title!) our lead character Toby struggles to find a way to be remembered beyond the looming deadline of death – a deadline that is often not of our own choosing. It’s similar in Grounded where our lead character Grace finds herself returning home to her family after years in the city, only to find she is too late.

I like to give reality a little twist if I can. It’s our world but… Greek gods do exist. It’s our world but… the angel of death is after your loved one. It’s our world but… well, you get the idea!

What are your influences?

I’m influenced by each film I watch and every script I read. I don’t limit myself to watching only ‘good’ films. Watching the so-called ‘bad’ can only serve to make me better as a writer by understanding why and how something did not work. (This is how I justify my somewhat varied DVD collection!)

I have a supportive and creative family. My dad is a business coach, my sister is an artist, my mum was always incredibly supportive, and my dog likes to chew things – creatively. So, I’ve been lucky to grow up in an environment where I too can be creative.

You put a call out for an animator to work with you on Petrified, how successful was the process and what are the biggest challenges of collaboration?

The first challenge was in finding the right people. I put a call out for talented animators on various sites – South West Screen, Plymouth Media Partnership, Shooting People etc. All the individuals who applied were very talented. When I saw Andy’s work I was incredibly impressed. His careful use of colour was particularly appealing to me. I felt he had the right style for the project.

After that, it is then down to work ethic. Andy and Brad (brought on board by Andy) are hard workers and, as a result, the project is taking shape.

From a writer’s perspective, the other potential challenge is in ‘letting it go’. It’s something I’ve written and can see clearly in my mind – so the difficult part is to take a step back and let the animators work their magic. However, this is made easy when you know your work is in capable hands.

Now, while Andy and Brad are busy doing what they do best, it is my task to plan ahead to ‘what happens next?’ – which festivals and competitions we will aim for.

Is there anything you’d like to add?

Along with local screenwriter Jenny Day, I have recently set up the South West Screenwriters’ & Storytellers Group. We will have our first meeting on Tuesday February 9 in Plymouth. After which the intention is to meet on the second Tuesday of the month.

The aim of the group is to provide a place to gather and a platform to discuss all things screenwriter and story-related. The focus of this group is on screenwriting, but will offer the chance to explore storytelling in various forms.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list, or would like further information, feel free to contact me: gwenhyver_davies[at]yahoo.co.uk

Gwenhyver Davies, thank you

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First up this week – Tony: London Serial Killer (Revolver) – an enjoyably strange serial killer thriller from novice writer/director Gerard Johnson. It focuses on Tony, a terminally unemployable loner who lures unsuspecting men back to his flat for company. Unfortunately for them, Tony isn’t just a disturbed loner who craves attention, he’s also a murderous psychopath!

If the premise sounds underwhelming, Johnson’s set-up is rich in detail – not least Tony’s obsession with dodgy VHS action movies. The sordid London backdrop is a seedy blur of brothels, gay clubs and job centres, and gives the movie a bizarre Nil By Mouth-meets-Taxi Driver vibe! Weird? You bet! If you thought that Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was too glum, check out this irreverent gem!

When a local boy goes missing, Tony (dubbed a ‘Nonce’ by the geezers on his estate) starts to attract all kinds of unwelcome attention, and the dismembered skeletons look set to tumble out of his dirty closet. Grisly and hilarious in equal measure, Tony is a real triumph, and points towards a bright future for director Johnson. If he plays his cards right, Johnson could do for London what Shane Meadows has done for the Midlands, and leading man Peter Ferdinando could yet prove to be Johnson’s answer to Paddy Considine. Although Tony grinds to a halt just as it threatens to lurch into even darker territory, it is still an arresting debut movie that richly deserves its inevitable cult status.

Originally shown on Channel 4 back in 2007, Boy A (Optimum) is a riveting drama that follows Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield), a young man who is let out of prison after serving a 14-year sentence for a murder he committed as a small child. With the help of his tireless social worker Terry (Peter Mullan) Jack edges back into society and quickly acquires a job, a girlfriend and a new set of mates – all of whom are utterly oblivious to his disturbing secret. After he rescues a young girl from a car crash, Jack begins to attract local media attention, and worries that his long suppressed secret may come spilling out after all, and destroy his painstakingly constructed new life.

Boy A makes for utterly gripping viewing throughout, and the well-judged cast fleshes out the all-too-plausible storyline with aplomb. The uncomfortable parallels with the James Bulger murder are there for all to see, and Boy A drags the viewer to some seriously dark places in its quest for answers. That said, it avoids easy answers throughout, and Garfield’s terrific lead performance imbues the film with a genuine sense of emotion. Bleak but brilliant, Boy A presents viewers with a moral maelstrom that forces you to confront issues that you may not want to confront. Impressive stuff.

Nick Love has made a career out of documenting the grubby lives of shifty London males, and his latest stab at probing the modern male psyche is The Firm (Warner Home Video), a loose remake of Alan Clarke’s notorious 1989 TV movie. The original starred Gary Oldman as Bex, a charismatic estate agent who, along with his well-to-do friends, gets his kicks out of weekend hooliganism. If Clarke’s movie was a subtle social commentary, then Love’s version of events is about as subtle as a Stanley knife to the face! (In fact, the only subtle moment comes when it is revealed that Bex’s estate agency is called ‘Hunter, Ashton & Clarke’ – a welcome nod in the direction of original writer Al Hunter-Ashton and director Alan Clarke.)

Rather than concentrate too heavily on Bex’s behaviour, Love’s movie focuses on impressionable youngster Dom, who is utterly in thrall to the older hooligan, and worms his way into the Top Boy’s affections, only to realise that it isn’t quite so easy to back out again. The rise-and-fall narrative may be well-worn, but Love’s movie comes into its element when it pushes its 80s period details to the fore. With its delirious blend of 80s leisurewear, impenetrable Cockney slang and enjoyably naff music, The Firm is a triumph of style over substance, and represents something of a return to form after Love’s hideous vigilante thriller Outlaw. Love’s next vintage television remake project is an overhaul of The Sweeney starring Ray Winstone and Michael Fassbender. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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We’ve got more news of Devon and Cornwall films in the Dorset Cereals simple pleasure competition with Brett Harvey’s Max’s Simple Things.

The 60 second film needs your vote to get to the top 24 and into the next stage.

The eventual winning film will get a cash pay out of £5,000, with the filmmakers getting a week’s work experience at a top film production company. The two runners up will receive £2,000 each. There’s also a special prize for the video that receives the most votes from the public – and the winner of this will get £2,000.

And if you vote you could win a crate of Dorset cereal.

Here at D+CFilms, we’d just like to see as many Devon and Cornwall films in the running as possible.

Pop along to the Dorset Cereal’s Simple Pleasure site to cast your vote.

• Read Brett Harvey’s Q&A with D+CFilm

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Friends and family of the renowned filmmaker and two time Cornwall Film Festival director Laura ‘Loz’ Hardman, who died last summer, have rallied together to pull together a unique, one day live event – Lozapalooza.

Lozapalooza will take place on Sunday, February 21 at the Acorn Arts Centre in Penzance.

The day is split into two sections – between noon and 3.30pm there will be a family tea party, featuring games, workshops, cakes and treats. Entertainment will be in the shape of Magician Betty Stoggs and a puppet show by Penwith-based Squashbox theatre. Tickets are £5 per child and a donation from adults.

The evening event runs from 7pm to midnight and will be an eclectic extravaganza of music, comedy and live performance. Performers include Mary Ann Bloomfield, Trifle Gathering productions, Cscape Dance Company, Dalla, Ruarri Joseph, Damian Edwards, DJ Calamity James and members of o-region, Miracle and Kneehigh theatre. Several of the acts are especially created for the event and will not be seen before or after anywhere else!

Tickets for this part of the event are £10 and available from Lozapalooza website or the Acorn Box office: 01736 365520.

The evening also features a raffle and auction with a host of amazing prizes.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to The Max and Jasper Trust Fund, which has been established to provide financial support for Loz’s two young sons.

“Loz was an exceptional person, a real one off,” said Simon Harvey part of the festivals organizing team. “She was dedicated to the arts sector in Cornwall, through her work with the Cornwall Film Festival, FEAST and as an individual film maker. She made a huge impact on so many people – she is sorely missed. We wanted to come together and do something suitably fun, unique and irreverent in dedication to her, while raising some money to help support her sons.”

Tickets for this one off event are limited and guaranteed to sell fast so book early to avoid disappointment.

For the latest news, ticket booking details and line-up announcements check out the Lozapalooza website

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Torbay Film Club are hosting an evening of the finest West Country short films at Torquay Museum 7.30pm on Tuesday, February 2.

Films featured include Carrion Films’ latest animation Hairy Hands about the Dartmoor legend, Ashley Wing’s Robbing Peter, and Index, directed by Simon Davis and filmed at the Blue Walnut in Torquay.

Emmeline Gee of Torbay Film Club told D+CFilm: “Our last short films screening was a huge success and we’ve been really impressed again with the quality of the submissions this year. We’ve chosen an eclectic mix of drama, animation, documentary, horror and comedy. It promises to be a very entertaining evening.”

“There’s so much local talent that deserves to be seen by a wider audience, especially on the big screen.”

In keeping with the local theme, the museum cafe is serving a pre-show meal of West Country sausages, mash and onion gravy for only £5. (Reservations for the meal are essential, call the museum on 01803 389605 to book a table.)

Torbay Film Club show films once a month at the Torquay Museum. Screenings are open to non-members – tickets on the door cost: £5.50 adults, £3 for under 18s.

For more information visit Torbay Film Club website.

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In a career crammed with highlights, Vincent Cassel weighs in with what might prove to be his finest role yet in Mesrine (Momentum). This breathless story – inspired by the life and times of notorious French criminal Jacques Mesrine – has been divided into two complementary movies Killer Instinct and Public Enemy #1, which chart Mesrine’s development from nervous soldier to petty hoodlum to hunted international criminal.

Both movies play fast and loose with the truth, skipping through Mesrine’s improbably dangerous life story with a casual disregard for anything that be could be considered dull! Slick and violent, and peppered with impressively psychotic interludes, these two trigger-happy flicks are genuinely hard to fault.

Mesrine himself is a fascinating anti-hero, and his story is told with the appropriate verve by director Jean-Francois Richet, whose previous claim-to-fame was the dubious 2005 remake of John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13. The movies seemingly unfold at the cinematic crossroads where gritty 70s crime movies meet Quentin Tarantino’s post-modern gangster fables. It is a credit to Richet that he can channel his well-worn influences into a biographical movie and still concoct something that is more than the sum of its parts. Of course, Cassel helps, and his brooding blend of brains and brutality is fascinating to watch. Four hours in the company of a charming scumbag with a jaw-dropping reckless streak could easily be a draining experience, but Cassel’s ice-cold amorality keeps you gripped. Heavily recommended.

Park Chan-Wook carved himself a fearsome niche with his disturbingly effective Vengeance Trilogy, and now he’s back with another dose of cinematic blood-loss. Thirst (Palisades Tartan) tells the story of Sang-Hyun, a priest who volunteers for a secret vaccine research project intended to eradicate a deadly virus. Unfortunately for him, the experiment goes awry, and Sang-Hyun finds himself in need of a blood transfusion. Even worse, the new blood is infected and the priest ends up a vampire! Sang-Hyun quickly succumbs to his all-consuming desire for bodily fluids, and before long his erratic behaviour attracts the attentions of his best friend’s wife, who begs to join him in his new-found life of vampiric lust. When he relents, the duo embark upon a rampant sex ‘n’ blood binge that is destined to end badly.

Thirst pushes Park’s twisted sense of humour and distinctive visual style to the fore, and although it isn’t as immediate or disturbing as Oldboy, it is strangely compelling, and subverts vampire mythology to satisfying effect. That said, its ponderous pace may well alienate viewers with a taste for more visceral thrills. If lacklustre teen-fodder like Twilight makes you thirsty for something a bit more offbeat, you should dip into Thirst. Believe me – vampire movies don’t get any stranger than this! At the end of the day, as long as Park Chan-Wook carries on making movies as aggressively strange as Thirst we can all happily ignore nonsense like the upcoming Oldboy remake starring Will Smith!

Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz have forged one of the most enduring cinematic partnerships of recent years, and the fruits of the pair’s latest collaboration can now be seen in Broken Embraces (Pathe). Considering the duo’s history of mutual motivation, it is no surprise that Almodovar’s new movie focuses on the perils facing a love-struck artist and his muse. Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar) is a renowned writer-director with a string of successful movies to his name. His world is thrown into turmoil when he meets Magdelena (Penelope Cruz) a secretary-turned-call-girl who is eager to escape from the demanding clutches of her wealthy but demanding lover Ernesto Martel (Jose Luis Gomez). Generous Ernesto finances the movie, only to grow frustrated by his girlfriend’s increasingly distant behaviour. He sets his maladjusted son on their trail, and the teen exposes the pair’s affair. Suffice to say, things go downhill from there!

The twisted, flashback-fuelled narrative is pure Almodovar, and his sordid plot strands entwine like naked bodies throughout. No one makes corrosive melodramas quite like Almodovar, and Broken Embraces adds a dose of Hitchcock-style intrigue to his vivid brew. Broken Embraces urges viewers to peel away the layers of the movie and see what lurks beneath. Unfortunately, the answer is ‘not much’. Almodovar’s sensual filmmaking is a joy to watch, but as it meanders towards its underwhelming conclusion Broken Embraces feels like a missed opportunity. Unfortunately, by the end, the sly narrative has swallowed itself whole, leaving little behind for more discerning viewers. All in all, effortlessly watchable, but nowhere near Almodovar’s best.

Last, but certainly not least, this week is The Army of Crime (Optimum), a thought-provoking World War 2 drama that follows the exploits of an intrepid band of Jews, Hungarians, Poles and Armenians in German-occupied Paris. Missak Manouchian (Simon Abkarian) is a poet and factory worker who spearheads the resistance fight-back alongside his wife Melinee (Virginie Ledoyen from The Beach). Their quiet rebellion quickly swells into something more aggressive, and their fight against the encroaching Fascist dictatorship earns them the attentions of the French police who are more than happy to do the Nazi’s dirty work for them. As Manouchian’s rag-tag army grows, so do the risks, and the level-headed leader struggles to manage the clashing philosophies of his followers. The Army of Crime is an unusual, absorbing movie that illuminates a corner of 20th century history as yet untroubled by the Hollywood spotlights. Furthermore, director Robert Guediguian eschews flashy theatrics in favour of good, old-fashioned storytelling. With a story this intense he was always bound to come up trumps.

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The 4th Oska Bright International Film Festival came to a close at the end of last year, and among the winning filmmakers was Ian Braund from Plymouth, who picked up one of the Oska Bright Bursary prizes.

The Oska Bright Film Festival is the world’s first film festival run by, and for, people with a learning disability. The Big Film Night, was a truly international affair, with entries – and winners – from North America and Eastern Europe.

The Oska Bright Committee said of Ian’s Dinosaurs film: “A lot of work has gone into making this film… there are so many good ideas here.”

Ian has been supported by Scope to make films, and is now an independent filmmaker. He won the Bursary Award, and will get two days of training in filmmaking from Osaka Bright for this.

A spokesperson from Osaka Bright said: “We can’t wait to see how this will inform Ian’s next film – he is busy working on several story boards at the moment, and has told us about his great ideas and shown us his preparation pictures.

“He is supported by a Plymouth-based film maker without a learning disability, Pat Murphy, who worked with Ian at Scope and is carrying on supporting Ian now he has moved on from there.”

Read more about The Big Awards Night

• Got any stories about Devon or Cornwall filmmakers? Drop us a line. Comments below, please

(images: top the Osaka Bright awards. Above Ian Braund receiving his award)

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Cornwall Media Resource is offering two more short courses this February in Redruth. Spaces are limited so they can be as hands-on as possible.

There’s the Documentary Short course on the weekend of Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21. You’ll spend a weekend creating and shooting short documentary. It is a course for those who want to learn the basics, work with a group and shoot a short documentary film.

The second course is called Editing for the Inexperienced, and runs from Monday, February 22 to Thursday, February 25.

The blurb that accompanies this says, ‘each participant will attend on Monday, February 22 evening session and one other evening.

‘Using material shot in the documentary weekend, these will be  sessions exploring editing principles, with some hands- on experience.

New short film courses for 2010 from Cornwall Media Resource

‘We will begin by all contributing to a paper edit, followed by three further evening small group sessions to ensure maximum participation. It is not necessary to have done the Documentary Short course to participate in the Edit course but it is possible to do both if you wish. We will edit using Adobe Premiere Elements software.

Course are £10 each. If you would like to apply email George J Greene at george@greene.fsbusiness.co.uk  with a mini cv and your level of filmmaking experience (if any).

You must be available on the dates stated to participate. You must be 18 or over to apply. Both courses will be held in Redruth.

(Image: Karl Binder / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

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Flying the flag for Latin American cinema is Sin Nombre (Revolver), a gritty, twisted drama that recalls the hey-day of Amores Perros and City of God.

Sayra is a teenage girl from Honduras who sets off with her father and uncle in search of a better life in America. El Casper is a Mexican juvenile delinquent who runs with the vicious Mara Salvatrucha gang. His allegiance to the gang is sorely tested by his love for local girl Martha Marlene, and he finds himself on a collision course with cruel gang-leader Lil’ Mago. El Casper finally snaps during an attempt to rob a train full of immigrants (including Sayra and her family) and his subsequent actions have grave repercussions for everyone involved.

Sayra and El Casper grow close on the long journey North, and it isn’t long before she abandons her family and sets off with the hunted El Casper. Novice filmmaker Cary Joji Fukunaga injects the movie with enough visceral thrills to distract you from the movie’s melodramatic heart, and the terrific lead performances from Paulina Gaitan (Sayra) and Edgar Flores (El Casper) imbue the movie with a riveting sincerity. Not just a superb debut movie, but a superb movie full-stop.

Anyone who thinks that they don’t make ‘em like they used to should check out Blood & Bone (Momentum), an unsophisticated but brutally enjoyable fight movie that recalls the halcyon days of Jean-Claude Van Damme! Upon his release from prison, Isaiah Bone (Michael Jai White) immerses himself in the vicious world of bare-knuckle street-fighting, taking on all-comers and busting them open without breaking into a sweat. His success earns him the attentions of James, a suave hustler with an eye on the lucrative international fight scene. James makes no bones about his interest in Bone’s fighting skills, but it gradually becomes clear that Bone has a vested interest in James and his hoodlum empire, too.

Michael Jai White’s debatable acting skills fall well short of his fighting skills, but he coasts through the movie with a blank-faced sincerity that Van Damme himself would be proud of! Eamonn Walker (Kareem Said from ‘Oz’) adds a touch of class as chief villain James, but the real pleasure comes from the muscle-bound carnage perpetrated by the unstoppable White. This isn’t high art by a long stretch, but it will delight anyone who craves a dirty dose of bare-knuckle trash.

Just when you thought that the zombie movie sub-genre had reached its creative limits, along comes Pontypool (Kaleidoscope), an inventive psychological horror movie that unfolds at a radio station in the small town of Pontypool in Canada. Irreverent DJ Grant Mazzy is in the midst of presenting his early morning radio show, when his laconic flow is interrupted by a spate of weird phone calls reporting people babbling in nonsensical speech patterns and committing horrific acts of violence on one another.

Initially, Mazzy and the radio team suspect that someone is playing an elaborate hoax on them, but it quickly becomes apparent that something genuinely sinister is afoot. With claustrophobia gnawing away at them, the radio team try not to unravel, and the rest of the town gets swallowed up by a sinister zombie plague. Stephen McHattie (Nite Owl in Watchmen) excels as sceptical disc jockey Mazzy, and his running commentary injects the tense set-up with an appealing vein of dark comedy. Although the movie loses its edge as it reaches the final third, it remains a distinctive, intriguing exploration of the dynamics of horror.

At the end of a month in which Britain has been plagued by sub-zero temperatures, Whiteout (Optimum) is timely if nothing else! Kate Beckinsale stars as Carrie Stetko, a US Marshall who is struggling to conquer her demons whilst stationed at a desolate military base in the Antarctic. Three days before she is due to fly back to the United States, the discovery of a dead research scientist throws the base into chaos, and Carrie is forced to investigate.

Despite a handful of interesting set-pieces – not least a blizzard-wracked fight scene towards the end of the movie – everyone seems numbed by the cold, making for a suspiciously low-key adventure. Coming after the labyrinthine conspiracy theories generated by hit TV show ‘Lost’ the deserted bunkers and crashed plane full of secrets feel decidedly lame. Despite a neat premise, the meandering pace renders Whiteout curiously underwhelming, and very difficult to recommend. With boring characters, sloppy plotting and weak twists, Whiteout is a desperately average piece of work.

Another week goes by, and another one of Quentin Tarantino’s favourite movies rears its ugly head. This week it’s the turn of Hannie Caulder (Odeon) – the notorious rape-revenge Western that influenced Kill Bill. When her husband is murdered by a posse of vicious bank-robbers – who subsequently turn their degenerate attentions towards her – Hannie Caulder (Raquel Welch) persuades enigmatic gunslinger Thomas Price (Robert Culp) to teach her how to shoot, so that she can track down her attackers and wreak revenge.

The radiant Welch makes for an engaging focal point throughout, but her steely-eyed determination is at odds with the comic behaviour of the Stooge-like villains lead by Ernest Borgnine. Despite sporadic smatterings of snappy dialogue and regular splatterings of bloodshed, Hannie Caulder is a weirdly half-baked affair. The fact that it veers between slapstick, smut and existential angst undermines its poise somewhat, and it never quite rises above the B-movie benchmark. Any cult cinema fans with a hankering for some QT-endorsed exploitation should make a bee-line towards Hannie Caulder. Casual fans should just stick to Kill Bill…

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Another Devon-based filmmaking team has a film in the Dorset Cereal competition and is calling on your vote!

Paul Morel has his film Beard, which is a facial hair adventure, in the competition, and he’s keen to get in the top 24 for a chance to win

Paul, who’s part of the Oddbodies company told D+CFilm: “The money, should we win, will go towards the production costs of our current film project which we hope to make this year –  Slug, a darkly comic and fabulously grotesque tale of greed, curiosity and fatal attraction.”

Pop along to the Dorset Cereal site, have a watch and pop a vote – you could win a crate of Dorset Cereal just for yourself.

• Check out more of Oddbodies’ films

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Are you a producer looking for a project to appeal to fans of experimental cinema and exploitation films – and who isn’t? – then read on. The successful filmmaking duo of Ashley Wing and Clayton Fussell are looking for a producer for their next project, Mirrors.

Ashley and Clayton, who are the kernel of Cottage Industry Films, are readying the ground for a collaborative relationship with a new producer which will extend into feature productions. Mirrors will be an ideal testing ground for this relationship, and they want to find someone who is not not only passionate about the film but wants to continue the journey with them into larger projects.

They told D+CFilms: “Ideally we need someone who already has contacts in the industry, to add to the contacts we have made ourselves, particularly when it comes to raising funding for our feature projects.

“We need someone who will share our passion for the films we want to make, but also provide advice and guidance where necessary.”

Cottage Industry Films latest movies have included the story of mobile phone agony OMG, and the Two Short Nights, D+CFilm award-winning Robbing Peter.

Read the D+CFilm interviews with Ashley and Clayton.

• If you are interested, or require more information, email info@cottageindustryfilms.co.uk. (Script available upon request.)

MIRRORS SYNOPSIS
Lisa and Ian sit down for dinner, Ian trying to engage in polite conversation, Lisa more interested in shoving her foot in Ian’s crotch. In the bedroom Lisa continues her seduction, tearing open Ian’s shirt and biting his chest. The drama is shattered when Lisa demands that filming be stopped. Now Lisa becomes Sarah and Ian becomes Neil.

We are thrust out of the reality of the story and into the reality of the film, and an erotic drama becomes a sinister documentary as Sarah is pressured to resume ‘filming’, which she reluctantly agrees to do. As filming recommences Sarah and Lisa become indistinguishable and the pressures they both face become amplified as they struggle to deal with the stories they are being forced to tell.

Mirrors (working title) examines the nature of the media. If you point a camera at something, does it automatically become a piece of fiction? Does the act of filming an event turn it from a reflection of reality to an interpretation of reality? Conversely, can a piece of fiction become ‘real’ if the existence of the camera is acknowledged?

Running Time
10 minutes (approx)

Style
The style of the film will reflect the duality of the fictional vs the real, employing a, cinematic steadiness contrasted with the raw handheld unpredictability and loose framing of reality TV.

Target Audience
Fans of experimental cinema, exploitation films.

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The Plymouth extras from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland are getting excited about the movie’s release, and there are rumours of a glitzy, Plymouth premiere event.

About 250 extras from in and around Plymouth joined the crew filming the Johnny Depp-starring film for the scenes at Antony House, near Torpoint.

The Plymouth Herald has been keeping its finger on the extras’ vibe – a source told them about a secret Facebook group that has been set up for extras only. “One member has written posts about organising an event. The group lets everyone who wants to keep in touch. A lot of friendships were made on-set.”

Roy Spencer, one of the South West contingent has already seen himself in the trailer, and there’s a strong push to make the most of the region’s connection.

Another extra, Amber O’Shea, said: “It would be great. Just getting to see the film with all the people we filmed it with would be really good.”

Read the full story on thisisplymouth.

• Were you an extra in the film? Would you like a glizty party? Comments below, please

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