We, alongside special guests Tracy Hutchings and Julien Neaves, celebrate the 10th anniversary of the brilliant MCU feature “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, and review the Ville Ventures short web film “Michelle: The Fall”, the Netflix sci-fi series “3 Body Problem”, the found footage horror film “Late Night with the Devil” and the Netflix biopic “Shirley” starring Regina King and Trinidad’s own Michael Cherrie.
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE
In this week’s episode, Matthew and Ricardo review the second cour of the “Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War” anime series, the first season of Netflix’s “Castlevania: Nocturne”, the first of four Netflix-released Wes Anderson short films “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”, the first 3 episodes of the “Boys” spin-off series “Gen V” and the sci-fi thrillers “No One will Save You” and “The Creator”.
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE
“Cicada” is the newest sci-fi/horror short film from Orlando actor, screenwriter, music video director and filmmaker Freddie Jarrett. This is his second foray into the two genres, with his first horror short being the wickedly fun, Halloween-themed “The Girl with the Pumpkin” (2018) and his first sci-fi short being the Black Lives Matter-themed, virtual reality-based “Woke” (2019). Interestingly, “Cicada” repeats the theme of ‘unreality’ from his prior works, where the protagonist (played once again by Freddie) finds himself in a bizarre, frightening situation that isn’t entirely explained or justified.
Similar to “Woke”, Freddie is paired with a lead actress – in this case, Roxy Rivera who plays his on-screen girlfriend Betty, a social media influencer within the travel/lifestyle niche. It’s funny that Freddie’s name in the film is Barney who, as we all should know from pop culture, is the husband of Betty Rubble in “The Flintstones” and the best friend of……you guessed it, FRED Flintstone! In actuality, the character names are based on the real-life American couple Barney and Betty Hill, and if you’re already familiar with their ‘true story’ (which I won’t mention for fear of spoilers), you should have a fair idea of what to expect here.
The story of “Cicada” is centered on Betty and Barney who book a 5 star-rated cottage for a weekend getaway. Upon arrival at the cottage, they notice a small cabin nearby where the incessant sound of cicada shrills emanate from. During their stay, the couple is exposed to the terrifying secrets that exist within that cabin. From both a thematic and narrative standpoint, “Cicada” feels like a continuation of the old-school horror tributing of “The Girl with the Pumpkin” and the contemporary social satire of “Woke” with its standard, horror movie setup (couple arrive at abandoned house, things start going ‘bump’ afterwards etc.) and direct emphasis on the artificiality involved with social media platforms.
But I’ll make the argument that comparable to “Woke”, the film also touches on American slavery and its after effects in modern society, albeit in an interpretative fashion. There’s one scene involving an attack on the couple that is easily the most disturbing moment in the film, and though there are visual suggestions of what might be happening, the psychological effects the event leaves on Barney and Betty makes it painfully clear that they’re being degraded and tortured by their attackers.
Without spoiling anything, Barney and Betty are essentially test subjects – slaves if you will – in an ‘experiment’. Yes, you can make the argument that it could’ve been someone else of a different ethnicity involved, and yes, the sci-fi category of the film implies that there’s way more to this experiment than race, but I think the mere choice of having the main characters be African-American (and not simply because of casting) is purely intentional. And while the objective of the experiment is never revealed, the sinister nature behind it and what it could mean for its potential victims going forward makes for a genuinely haunting conclusion to the film.
The cast is small but everyone plays their role well enough. Roxy is captivating as both the enthusiastic and tormented Betty and Freddie is quite convincing as the archetypal straight man who smells the BS the moment he arrives at the cottage, though I felt he could’ve been given more dialogue in comparison to Roxy. Shamon Williams plays a bit role as Roxy’s friend Fish, appearing in the film’s introductory scene in a Facetime chat. Cinematographer Graham Zielinski creates a series of effectively ominous images throughout the film, from the eerily dark exterior shots of the cottage to the unnaturally bright interior of the secluded cabin. And Kathleen Enriquez, who provided additional music to “Woke”, delivers an appropriately creepy score that brilliantly compliments the film’s unsettling use of actual cicada shrills in its sound design.
As for flaws, I did notice a couple of ‘rough’ transitions from the camera lens into the screen of a smartphone, and there was a particular VFX shot during the abovementioned attack on the couple that I felt could’ve been improved. But thankfully, those moments didn’t take me out of the film and overall, I found myself appreciating and enjoying it way more than I expected! Despite its short runtime, there’s a significant number of topics and themes to unpack and examine from “Cicada”, many of which will leave you thinking long after the film ends. This is yet another impressive showcase of Freddie Jarrett’s acting, writing and directing chops, and here’s hoping we get more great films (hopefully a feature) from him in the near-future!
OVERALL RATING: 8 out of 10
“Cicada” will be hitting the festival circuit (in-person and online) this summer. Subscribe to Freddie’s newsletter for announcements, updates etc.
“A Boat Time” is the latest comedic short film from New York-based actor, screenwriter, filmmaker and stuntman Jim Ford. One year and one month ago (my oh my, how time flies), I reviewed his previous film “Small World” which made a successful, award-winning journey through the film festival route during a worrisome yet innovative time for film production, distribution and exhibition.
Similar to “Small World”, “A Boat Time” centers on two main characters: a fisherman (Jim) and an elderly man played by prolific stuntman, stunt driver and stunt coordinator John Mason. And I will admit: I did find it a bit hilarious when his name showed up in the closing credits that he shared the same name with Sean Connery’s (RIP) character in Michael Bay’s sophomore film – and arguably the best thing he’s done in his career – “The Rock”.
On the subject of action movies, John’s entry into “A Boat Time” – which I absolutely WILL NOT spoil – is very action movie-inspired. And as someone who went into this film as blind as possible, that moment caught me COMPLETELY by surprise – which is the same way Jim’s character reacts to that moment as well.
The rest of “A Boat Time” (again, keeping things spoiler-free) focuses on how the fisherman ‘handles’ that surprise. And here, similar to “Small World”, its conclusion may make or break one’s overall enjoyment of the film. In this particular case, it’s the feeling that there should be a punchline of some sort to bring the film to an uproarious note.
However, I’d make the argument that Jim isn’t concerned about ending the film on some grand final line or comedic action, or even making his film overly complex or character-driven than it needs to be. Instead, he concentrates on the unexpectedness and overall absurdity of the situation, and the awkwardness Jim’s character feels afterwards. And this is where, on a narrative level, the film truly shines.
Both Jim and John display great comedic timing, with Jim delivering a majority of the film’s visual gags – one of which is an appropriately gross-out moment – and John being a literal gag himself with his startlingly ‘offbeat’ demeanor and personality. Their dialogue is simple yet very well-written and, backed by the actors’ magnetic on-screen chemistry, adds some much-needed realism to this relatively ‘unrealistic’ story.
On the production side of things, this is yet another VERY superbly-made film from Jim Ford. Along with the exquisite cinematography handled by Tony Xie and Dan Guillaro (who also worked on “Small World”), it utilizes clever, and dare I say, MASTERFUL sound design, evident in its incredibly effective opening moments. Filmed entirely in Greenwood Lake, New York/New Jersey, “A Boat Time” also has a bright, summery vibe to it, emphasized by the catchy-as-hell surf rock instrumental which plays during the film’s closing credits.
As a whole, A Boat Time” is smartly-written and sharply-executed, with just a bit of dark, absurdist humor to keep things entertaining throughout its roughly 3-minute runtime. I was quite pleased to see Jim act alongside a fellow stuntman, and honestly, I will love to see John Mason do more comedic on-screen performances in the future. Ultimately, this is another win in Jim’s filmography, and here’s hoping he blesses us with more great shorts AND FEATURES in the future as well. In short, “A Boat Time” is a great time to be had by all!
OVERALL RATING: 8.5 out of 10 stars.
“A Boat Time” will be hitting the festival circuit this summer. For more info, go to Jim’s website: www.jimford.com
“Small World” is the newest short film from Massachusetts-born, New York City-based writer, director, actor, Screen Actors Guild nominee and occasional stuntman Jim Ford. I say occasional stuntman because while he has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies over the years (from CBS’ “Blue Bloods” and CW’s “Gossip Girls” to Dennis Dugan’s “Grown Ups 2” and Anthony Gallivan’s “Revenge of the Green Dragons”), he also served as a stunt performer and stunt double in movies and TV shows like “Knight and Day”, “Central Intelligence”, “Law & Order” and “The Sopranos”.
Quite recently, he handled stunt duty in a pivotal scene in Netflix’s epic crime drama “The Irishman” (one of my favourite movies of 2019, and dare I say, the 2010s), directed by Martin Scorsese. And while you may think Jim is the next stuntman-turned-filmmaker in line to unleash the next action movie extravaganza to the masses (a mere week ago at the time of this review, Netflix released “Extraction”, the debut feature from stuntman-turned-filmmaker Sam Hargrave), he’s an actor first and foremost.
Having done my research prior to watching “Small World” (thanks largely in part to his official website – jimford.com), I could tell Jim was a person who not only loved acting, but loved telling stories driven by competent acting. Most times, those stories (like the incredibly hilarious, award-winning shorts “Fight Scene” and “We Have Your Wife”, both available on the Forestfire Productions YouTube channel and Jim’s Vimeo page) will take all-too-familiar scenarios we’ve either experienced in real life or seen in a TV show / movie and carry them to unexpected yet ultimately logical conclusions.
Which leads us to “Small World”, which tells the simple story of a brief encounter between two Americans – John (played by Jim) and Katie (Hannah Sloat) at a bar in an unnamed country. If you’re familiar with romantic dramas like Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation”, you’ll either be pleased or a tad bit surprised to see how quickly John and Katie hit it off. Without getting into spoilers, things get a little too convenient when they realize how ‘similar’ they are to each other. And…..well……we get a slightly expected yet ultimately logical conclusion.
While that conclusion may make or break one’s overall enjoyment of “Small World”, the strength of this film lies in its relatability. Even if you’ve never travelled outside of your home country, anyone can relate to being in a new environment and experiencing new things for the first time whilst hoping to find someone to confide in and sympathize with your temporary, fish-out-of-water predicament.
Filmed entirely in one room, “Small World” is remarkably well-made. Its cinematography, handled by Tony Xie and Dan Guillaro, is quite impressive, along with the lighting (also handled by Tony) and set decoration by Ismerida Lopez. For some odd reason, I couldn’t help but focus on – and admire – the unique décor of the bar itself, with its shades of brown and window-like grooves on the walls. The ‘exotic’ nature of this set is accentuated by the film’s incredibly chipper background music – a traditional Chinese melody that will work its way into your brain – and stay there!
There’s even a brief animated sequence at the beginning of “Small World” that sets up both the relatable and slightly dark nature of the film. Narrated in a faux-British accent (the ease of imitating an accent of that nature is repeated later in the film), this sequence, animated by Serge Volsky, simply and quite effectively emphasizes the distance Americans will travel to discover new cultures, experiences and people. In the film’s logic however – once again without getting into spoilers – the less similarities you have with the people you meet in your travels, the better. Until they get to know you better, that is.
Jim Ford and Hannah Sloat have great on-screen chemistry, and thanks to their seemingly endearing characters, one can easily get swept up in their casual, friendly conversation (which takes up a majority of the 3-minute runtime). And while its outcome – or should I say the lingering threat of it – was indeed expected, the open-ended nature of its conclusion made my overall viewing experience of “Small World” all the more satisfying.
In the end, I left “Small World” with a smile on my face. It’s well-written, well-acted and well-executed, in addition to being charming, concise and quite hilarious in a slightly dark sort of way. Jim Ford truly showcases his talents in writing, acting and directing, and I’m curious to see what quirky, offbeat story (with or without the incorporation of stunts) he delivers next. If you like your comedies with a little dash of gallows humour, and if you like films with relatable situations carried out to weird, unpredictable but still logical conclusions, then I highly recommend giving this film a look.
OVERALL RATING: Decent 4 out of 5 stars.
“Small World” is currently an OFFICIAL SELECTION at the Austin Comedy Short Film Festival, Marina Del Rey Film Festival and Northeast Film Festival.
“19” is the first quarantine horror short film from Trinidadian filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, special effects make-up artist and fellow UWI St. Augustine Film Programme colleague Steven M. Taylor. With a midnight premiere on April 12th, “19” was released amidst two genuinely inspired efforts at providing entertainment during this distressing COVID-19 pandemic. The first was the latest edition of the Instagram Live hip-hop event series “Verzuz” where two legendary East Coast producers (DJ Premier & the RZA) did friendly DJing battle from the comfort of their respective residencies. The second was the NBC TV special “Saturday Night Live at Home” which was presented as a standard episode of the long-running SNL sketch comedy series, but with everything being filmed from the homes of the cast members, presenter (a coronavirus-recovered Tom Hanks) and musical guest (Chris Martin).
I bring these up not in an attempt to compare a DJ battle and sketch show with a 3-minute short film, but to emphasize the innovation and simplicity that went into all three. YouTube, Instagram, Twitch and Zoom, among other online platforms, have not only given creatives more venues to make and promote content, but presented bigger opportunities for them to connect with a wider audience. Soundstages, music venues and exterior filming locations are currently replaced with living rooms, backyards and bedrooms (more on that in a bit).
Steven is no stranger to exploring the dark side of human nature in his films, whether it be the TT Film Festival award-winning short “Buck: The Man Spirit” or the recently-released music video for soca artiste Erphaan Alves’ “Soca Global”. And even with its home-quarantined backdrop, “19” is no different.
The story involves a young woman named Rose (played by Steven’s wife Rheem C. Taylor) who, late one night, receives a series of messages on her phone from a supposedly-unknown sender. She plays one in her bedroom, and we hear a creepy male voice on the other end expressing needs for Rose, avoidance of quarantine and a ‘place to hide’. While I wouldn’t ruin what happens next, what I can say about “19” is that it does everything a horror short film should do: present a familiar scenario, albeit in a macabre fashion, introduce a mysterious, usually malevolent, presence into this scenario, have a relatable character to root for and to project our fears onto, build just enough tension through music, dialogue (or lack thereof), sound and visuals, and of course, deliver a terrifying payoff that will linger with viewers long after they’ve seen the film.
Utilizing an iPhone 8, flashlight and mobile selfie light, Steven incorporates underexposure and spotlighting to great effect in “19”, making its darkly-lit bedroom setting more unsettling than it actually is. The frightening tone of the film is amplified by its fantastic sound design and spooky musical score (both provided by Trinidadian musician/composer/producer Navid Lancaster), Rheem’s captivating performance and some appropriate …..ahem……’special effects’.
After my second viewing of “19”, I was instantly reminded of a 2013 horror short which not only matched the criteria I just mentioned, but eventually became a commercially-successful, full-length feature: 2016’s “Lights Out”. As a fan of both the short and feature, I won’t be surprised if the Taylors were inspired by “Lights Out”, mainly because of how inexpensive, simplistic and incredibly effective the original film was. And I’ll confess: off its effectiveness alone, I would love to see the story – and dare I say, THREAT – of “19” explored even further in a movie! (It should be noted that the role of actress Lotta Losten, the wife of “Lights Out” writer/director David F. Sandberg, in the short film is similar to that of Rheem’s in “19”)
Among the many quarantine-associated thoughts on my mind, I did contemplate the possibility of Caribbean filmmakers writing, producing, directing and DISTRIBUTING content during this pandemic. Of course, this content could be expanded into more fleshed-out, bigger-budget projects in the near-future, but to me, what matters is the distribution. Not only reaching out to a wider audience, but giving people a healthy distraction from what’s currently going on in the world.
Thankfully, Steven (currently in Trinidad with Rheem) achieved this with “19”. It’s a concise, entertaining story, executed brilliantly and distributed to the world via YouTube. If you’re a fan of horror and low-to-no-budget film productions or if you simply want to be entertained for a few minutes, you should definitely give “19” a look. Hopefully, it’ll inspire you to use your talents and resources to provide value in these troubling times and in the process, put a smile on someone’s face. Or a chill down someone’s spine.
#STAYHOME #STAYSAFE #BECREATIVE #QUARANTINE
OVERALL RATING: Decent to strong 4 out of 5 stars.
BBB RADIO 