malcolmrogersfilm Reviews

Her (2013)

Watched it so many times

[9/10 · 13 February 2019]

This is pretty much a flawless movie. I almost can't write anything else about it as why would I need to? Except IMDB makes me keep on writing...

If you haven't seen it you're in for a beautiful piece of filmmaking that will stay in your heart for a long time to come.

The Isle (2018)

Great movie maybe not for Millenials!

[7/10 · 11 February 2019]

I love the team behind this movie, I saw their last one, and this did not disappoint. It's a really well put together old school movie that perfectly blends many layers to create something really quite special.

It's not a big budget movie and someone compared it to some big budget thing and complained that it wasn't as good. But the filmmakers have done an awesome job with the little money they had, the acting is terrific, and it reminded me so much of movies from my youth.

BUT if you're of a younger generation that is used to quick movies with lots of gore, you need to pick something else. This is a drama with many layers, one of which happens to be sometimes supernatural.

They could have done with a bigger budget, yes, but you can hardly blame the filmmakers for that... I'm sure they would have liked more too.

Lady Bird (2017)

Perfection

[10/10 · 11 October 2018]

I don't feel I need to write too much here except to say you must watch this movie.

I am a middle-aged man and yet I still felt I knew exactly how Lady Bird felt. It's so well written and crafted that everyone I was with imagined themselves back in their childhood.

Exquisite filmmaking and absolutely well worth a watch.

The Nice Guys (2016)

Old fashioned romp

[8/10 · 11 October 2018]

This is by no means perfect, or what I was expecting, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. They could have taken things further and I sometimes feel that things just didn't quite land, or they'd missed a beat, but that's just being overly critical, and because it was so near being perfect that I wanted more.

Will absolutely watch it again soon now that I have my pre-conceived ideas out of the way. Worth a watch.

The Humpersnatch Case (2012)

Excellently observed comedy homage to Film Noir

[10/10 · 20 February 2016]

After being fortunate enough to see these filmmaker's feature, Two Down, at a festival last year, I decided to track down some earlier work (it's my job and was happy to put the time in to hunt them down), and have been steadily making my way through Fizz and Ginger Films' earlier shorts.

The Humpersnatch Case, yes it is a ridiculous title, is a very well put together and observed homage to that great genre of filmmaking, Film Noir. It's exactly what you want from this genre; the hard-boiled private detective, the femme-fatale and the crime that must be solved. Very simple, but very well executed.

You can see the work that has gone in to make this a modern comedy but perfectly in the Noir style. I read that the team were making these 'genre' pieces (see also their Claude et Claudette from the French New Wave) to learn their craft and why certain periods of film did what they did. This short is a year after Claude et Claudette and you can see how much they have learned in a short space of time and for those of us who spend our days studying film for a living and who understand the nuances here, it is a joy to watch.

Yes it's a low budget affair, but what they can do with tiny budgets should be a lesson to young filmmakers. They take chances to learn and to grow and it is a pleasure to be on this mission to follow the progress of these people.

On to the next!

Stage Beauty (2004)

Hugely underrated film

[8/10 · 20 February 2016]

I saw this years ago and thought it was really good, but have recently seen it again and it's interesting to watch it again in a new cinema climate.

It is a film with heart, intelligence and genuinely brilliant storytelling. I think I took that for granted as to what a film should be when I saw it ten years ago, but these days when every film is a remake, a sequel, a prequel it is an honor to watch something that reminded me of what film is suppose to be like.

Yes it has its flaws, what film doesn't, but it more than makes up for that in grounded, clear, insightful storytelling. The acting is great and the actors are allowed to use their talent to the best of their abilities with a really good, well thought out script.

It has made me wonder what other films from that period I over-looked and now should be held up as a beacon of great filmmaking.

Miss in Her Teens (2014)

A hidden gem

[10/10 · 20 February 2016]

I have recently become aware of these filmmakers, Matthew Butler and Tori Hart, after seeing their latest feature, Two Down at a festival in L.A. I was blown away by it and have steadily tracked down more of their work including short films and this period piece based on an old play from the 1700's.

It's a tricky job adapting a play which is so designed for the stage and they've done a good job. I feel this script could have been worked on more so as to work more for screen, but I can see that they were also trying to keep as much of the original material as they could, which I feel is refreshing from an adaptation.

But the filmmaking is great and the performances are magnificent. Mostly unknown actors are used, apart from a bit of narration from Ian McKellen and a small scene from Simon Callow, but it goes to prove that you don't need names to make a film good. It only runs at 70 minutes but I would happily have watched these actors do their thing for much longer.

I think it wasn't a huge budget, but they have really made their money work. The location and costumes are spot-on and it all goes towards giving it an historical, but theatrical, feel, which the material really needs.

The film was made a few years ago, and now that they have clearly improved their skills, I would love to see Fizz and Ginger Films tackle a period comedy again.

I would happily watch this film again and again. Some of the performances are really something to see. And after you've watched it, go and watch the latest feature, Two Down and see how far along the filmmaking road they have come in a few short years.

I've become a big fan of the Fizz and Ginger Films' team, if you haven't guessed!

Brick (2005)

Excellently observed Film Noir

[10/10 · 18 February 2016]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this film and I had put it off for years. I am a huge fan of Film Noir and that world and was worried about people updating or confusing the why's and why nots of the genre.

Film Noir was dictated to by the film code of the time, which influenced the stories themselves.

Thankfully the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing and it is a delight to watch. Yes, it can be a little too self congratulatory but then they have worked hard at creating this movie, so why not.

I'm finding it hard to write about it without giving away a ton of spoilers; not just from a story point of view but from how they've done this film. It needs to be watched, not read about.

So go and watch it.

E'gad, Zombies! (2010)

Great debut short

[10/10 · 18 February 2016]

I found Fizz and Ginger Films through they're latest feature, Two Down, and was blown away, so I started to dig around trying to find what they had done before. This started with Egad Zombies! and I was not disappointed. Yes, it's crude and obviously early work (seven years old in fact), but the same style, wit and intelligence lies behind it as it does in Two Down.

It's a take on a classic genre, zombies, but placed in a world that you would never expect it, the 18th century. With the recent release of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I thought this would be similar, but it's a whole different world (not just from the fact that it's an entirely different period of time), but also that they've seemingly re-written history and created a part of Britain that doesn't exist. So that means the rules have been changed and I love that. It's bold filmmaking, and shows that the team have great promise.

It's not a perfect film, what is?, but it is well made, well told, well acted and on the whole very well executed. It's fun and brash and a great peek into that period of time. And it has Ian McKellen in bed with a zombie; what more could you want from a movie?! And you can see the hard work that has gone into this, and for me that counts for a lot.

I'm now off to see what other shorts of theirs I can unearth (pardon the zombie pun) as I know they did a few before making their way to features.

Claude et Claudette (2011)

Great homage of New Wave

[10/10 · 18 February 2016]

Continuing my look at Fizz and Ginger Films' work (after seeing their recent feature Two Down at a festival) I managed to find some of their early shorts, much to my delight.

Claude et Claudette is a fun, accessible homage to the French New Wave of the 1960's.

As with all of the films that this team produce, it's slick, well made, and you can visibly see them becoming stronger filmmakers.

Yes, it is silly, and strolls into parody but after reading why Matthew Butler and Tori Hart made it, to learn more of the whys and hows of their craft, I can see the work there. And when you see their more mature work, like Two Down, you can see that this exploration into different genre's of filmmaking has paid off.

There is another review here of the short, and I completely disagree with the writer. This was not made as a parody, but a gentle comedic homage from which the filmmakers wanted to learn. And in this day and age of everyone thinking they're a filmmaker and that every film is a treasure, it is inserting to see young filmmakers trying to better themselves.

Give it a watch if you can track it down!

Two Down (2015)

Astounding Low Budget Debut

[10/10 · 10 September 2015]

I was fortunate to stumble across this at a festival, The Artemis Women in Film Festival in California, and loved every minute of it. As and Englishman living in L.A it was wonderful seeing London again but without the gritty gangster feel that seems to come from most UK films of this sort, nor the glamour that Hollywood tends to see the city through. From the classy opening scene with credits I could see the filmmakers had taken great care to create a film to span decades but set in a modern world. It told me that this was going to be a very well crafted film indeed. And I wasn't disappointed. The script, shots, editing, music is stylish, well thought out and brilliantly executed. And the acting is sublime. Not one bum note in the 88 minutes that the film runs for. The pacing is perfect, allowing us into the strange world of 'John Thomas', a very British joke!, but never feeling as if it should be faster. It's a low budget affair to be sure, but for a debut feature it sings of promise for the filmmakers and I'm intrigued to see where they go from here. Bigger and brighter things I'm sure.