Moonlight
2017
Director: Barry Jenkins
Starring: Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders, Alex R. Hibbert, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae, Andre Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner
Words: Josh Senior
You’d like to hope that Moonlight is remembered for the genius piece of film-making that it is, as opposed to being the subject of all the Academy Awards controversy it attracted.
Barry Jenkins’ Best Picture winner is a knockout punch of a tale that focuses on ideals of sexuality and familial bonds.
We follow the life of Chiron, a young black homosexual man, through three chapters in his life each focusing on a different phase of his youth and adolescence; starting out around the age of ten in Little, then into his high-school years in Chiron, finally rounding things up in his early twenties in the final chapter entitled Black.
Chiron suffers throughout as he not only has to deal with his Mother’s drug abuse, but also with his sexual preferences which see him isolated and bullied for being homosexual. As the film progresses we see how he deals with both of these issues and how they shape his life as he gets older.
Moonlight is a visual delight, shot in majestic fashion, and is fully deserving of its Awards recognition.
Must See Movies: December
At Reel Steel we want to make sure you’re getting the most of your cinematic enthusiasm, so each month we put together our short list of some of the best new releases, from popcorn munching explosion fests to the often weird and wonderful.
Take a look at the trailers below and see what you think to this month’s recommendations!
Blade Of The Immortal
released Friday December 8th, 2017
The 100th feature by legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike – who previously brought us 13 Assassins, Yakuza Apocalypse, Ichi The Killer and Audition – Blade Of The Immortal is based on the popular manga series.
Cursed with immortality, a highly skilled samurai in feudal Japan promises to help a young woman avenge the death of her family. Their mission leads them into a bloody battle with a ruthless warrior and his band of master swordsmen.
In typical style from this veteran director, expect a crazy blood-filled journey with master swordplay.
Brigsby Bear
released Friday December 8th, 2017
The show “Brigsby Bear Adventures” is a children’s television program produced for an audience of one.
When the series abruptly ends, James (Kyle Mooney) suddenly finds himself having to deal with the realities of a world he knows nothing about, so to cope he decides to finish the storyline himself.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
released Thursday December 14th, 2017
Following the events of The Force Awakens, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order, while Rey develops her newly discovered abilities having taken her first steps into the Jedi world.
With a return from Luke Skywalker – appearing to fulfil a role similar to Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy – the second film in this intergalactic story looks set to unlock the mysteries of the Force and the secrets of the past.
With a final turn on screen from the late Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.
– SPECIAL EVENT –
The Village Screen
Saturday December 16th
The Village Screen brings a special Christmas event to Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House, with film screenings including Gremlins, Home Alone and Elf, supporting the Cathedral Archer Project charity.
Celebrate the festive season with some classic movies in a fantastic setting.
More info here:
www.facebook.com/events/1956009584678991/
Mudbound
2017
Director: Dee Rees
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige, Jason Mitchell
Words: Christian Abbott
There is a moment in Mudbound, one that would seem impossible for the post-war Mississippi setting, in which a friendship is born.
One man is black and the other white; the two find mutual understanding through trauma. It is trauma that is ever present in Dee Rees masterful exploration of prejudice, hate, heroism and life in a time that seemed unliveable.
This adaption of the Hillary Jordan novel is a sweeping multi-character study. Inner monologues bleed over the narrative, reminiscing on a time best forgotten to them, but an ever present warning to us. There isn’t a set voice to follow, rather, several characters coming forward to offer their perspective. This is a choice that would often not work, but this is a vast story to unfold and the balance in opposing voices offer a more dynamic view.
In the first third, time and place jumps around often, seemingly unconnected, but through Rees’ direction the various plot points slowly coalesce into one emotionally harrowing finale. A strong theme of the narrative is how the times may change but people stay the same – the landscape of the modern world may be profoundly different, but this small slice of history should never be forgotten.
The world we are brought back to is one of division and struggle. Racism still permeates the culture of the land here but this isn’t background storytelling.
The film follows two families living on neighbouring farms, one black and the other white. The families share much in common, a member of each going to war, but it is their differences which are made stark.
What is surprising is how this isn’t all just melodrama, the characters are all one’s we have seen before but it is all written so well that they are truly their own. Scenes of war in land and sky help to break the plot up, keeping it from devolving into relentless emotional turmoil. The filmmaking overall is outstanding, brilliant visuals elevate what is already one of the best movies of the year.
Often at times this is a hard watch, sometimes looking back at how we once allowed things to be is hard, but it is necessary.
Also, it is the little moments that make this such a memorable experience, the scenes of quiet conversation that don’t advance the plot make these characters come alive.
It’s the little details that remind us that we are all human, equally.
The Death of Stalin
2017
Director: Armando Iannucci
Starring: Jason Isaacs, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko, Steve Buscemi, Rupert Friend, Jeffrey Tambor, Paddy Considine
Words: Christian Abbott
Armando Iannucci has once again proven that he is the master of contemporary political satire.
With his widely celebrated shows “The Thick of It” and “Veep”, as well as the film “In the Loop”, Iannucci dismantled the farce of government in the UK and US. Now he is looking to the East at one of the darkest points of 20th Century history, following the manic bewilderment and delusional workings of the elite inside the Kremlin in the hours and days after the death of their leader – Stalin.
Based on a French grahic novel by Fabien Nury and Thierry Robin, it brings together comic eccentrics and Iannucci’s gut-punch of reality.
Iannucci has always brought intensity to his writing, having middle aged men sprinting down corridors, shouting every expletive known to man at each other like it’s the end of the world. He often sets up scenarios that continually become more nonsensical as they go on. It is only through his writing and direction that any of this works, and does so wonderfully. There is something darkly pleasurable about seeing a politician’s worlds collapse around them, a feeling only amplified by the weight of the entire Soviet Union in their unprepared and feverish hands.
The added bonus to all this is the outstanding cast, each member of this long list of talents bounces off each other perfectly. Often they blur the line between caricature and reality but it is that which makes them so memorable. They all cruise from disbelief, to finger pointing, to scheming against one another at such a speed you nearly experience whiplash.
Jeffrey Tambor’s performance as Georgy Malenkov is classic of Iannucci- the sort of limp, ineffectual, damp rag politician that is in way over his head. Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev also brings his usual charm, he works so well this this fast paced, snappy dialogue that it’s just perfect. Jason Isaacs’ was a personal favourite, his performance as Georgy Zhukov brings to mind every stereotypical Russian you can imagine. Each and every member of the cast though was a pleasure to watch, picking some out only undermines the brilliance of the others.
Some have said that this particular event is not a topic for satire, but with writing as sharp, fierce and venomous as this, it just proves that anything is open to comedy when done right. Iannucci continues to reveal the political world for the farce it is and once again it is a pleasure to see unfold before you, you’ll only wish you could see more.
Thor: Ragnarok
2017
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hiddleston, Tessa Thompson, Mark Ruffalo, Idris Elba, Carl Urban, Jeff Goldblum, Anthony Hopkins
Words: Christian Abbott
You can’t help but feel sorry for Thor; he has never really managed to find his place.
It’s widely agreed that his first two outings are not the highlights of the now labyrinthine MCU. Marvel have often seemed embarrassed at the concept of the character, making the first movie a romantic comedy and the comic relief of the Avengers films. Second time wasn’t so lucky either when they decided to go dark. Literally in The Dark World. Finally however, they have done it, they made him work.
How best to reinvent a struggling franchise? According to Marvel you should make it a parody of itself. Surprisingly it actually works. Over the years we have seen Marvel become more outlandish in their ideas and here it has gone to the next level. The change is almost jarring. Watching these films back to back you’ll assume you conjured this one up in some strange half-remembered dream.
Taika Waititi of What we do in the Shadows fame has taken the reigns here and it shows. His usual off-the-wall, awkward slapstick humour is here and then some. He appears to have directed this with a blunderbuss – destroying the foundations (quite literally on some stages) of the franchise and starting afresh. Gone are the stilted romances, gone is the forgettable subplots and gone is the overly dramatic, forgettable villains. The romances are engaging, entertaining and full of life. The story is a riot, a cosmic ballet of nonsense. The villain has weight and menace.
The results are simple, what was good has stayed and what was bad is long gone. What’s new? Thor fighting to the sounds of Led Zeppelin in the aesthetic of a Trevor Something album – price of admission right there.
After a film like this, Marvel seem to be becoming that parody of themselves, but honestly that doesn’t seem like a bad thing at all.
Must See Movies: November
At Reel Steel we want to make sure you’re getting the most of your cinematic enthusiasm, so each month we put together our short list of some of the best new releases, from popcorn munching explosion fests to the often weird and wonderful.
Take a look at the trailers below and see what you think to this month’s recommendations!
The Florida Project
released Friday November 10th, 2017
Set on a housing project that lies in the shadow of Disney World, The Florida Project follows six-year-old Moonee and her mother Halley over the course of a single summer.
We follow Moonee and her friends during their endless afternoons of mischief and adventure, while the adults around them deal with the struggle of everyday life.
From director Sean Baker (who previously brought us the outstanding Tangerine), The Florida Project is a warm and deeply moving portrait of childhood.
Justice League
released Friday November 17th, 2017
Following the phenomenal success of Wonder Woman earlier this year, this latest feature from the DC Universe takes place following on from the events taking place in Batman v Superman – where Bruce Wayne found a new ally in Diana Prince.
After the world faces uncertainty following the death of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman set out to recruit a number of extraordinary individuals in a call to action when the world is under threat, in what becomes the birth of the Justice League.
Directed by Joss Whedon – who previously brought us Marvel’s The Avengers, this feature will mark a new phase in DC’s Cinematic Universe.
Beach Rats
released Friday November 24th, 2017
This story follows Frankie, an aimless teenager suffocating under the glare of his own family and a toxic group of delinquent friends.
Frankie faces a struggle within himself, in this visually stunning and evocative character driven story that explores identity.
– SPECIAL EVENT –
Alien and Predator
double-bill screening
Saturday November 11th
We return with another special event to Sheffield’s Abbeydale Picture House, where we previously brought you Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon, the horror classic Evil Dead 2 and our sold-out double-bill screening of The Thing and Big Trouble In Little China.
We’re marking the 30th Anniversary of the cult sci-fi action classic Predator, in a double-bill feature with the groundbreaking sci-fi horror Alien.
More info and tickets available here – http://bit.ly/2yezFap
for our retrospective look at Predator, see here –
and for our feature review of Alien, see here –
Celluloid Screams 2017
Celluloid Screams Horror Film Festival is an annual event taking place in Sheffield that celebrates new and classic horror films from around the world.
We attended this year’s festival and caught some of what was on offer – click on the film title to see our review.
Two brothers who escaped a cult as teenagers return after receiving a mysterious message, discovering that the group’s beliefs may be more true than they once thought.
written by Manon Peyralade
After being fired from his job, Derek is trapped in his quarantined office building after an airborne virus breaks out – now he must fight to the top of the career ladder, and also for his life.
written by Manon Peyralade
A subversive and darkly comedic modern take on the slasher horror film.
written by Manon Peyralade
A revenge thriller that takes on relevant issues around sexual assault.
written by Carly Stevenson
More info about Celluloid Screams can be found here –
Mayhem
2017
Director: Joe Lynch
Starring: Steven Yeun, Samara Weaving, Dallas Roberts, Kerry Fox, Steven Brand
Words: Manon Peyralade
After Derek Cho got unfairly fired from his job in a law firm, a virus that pushes people to act on their most primal impulses breaks out in the building.
Derek and his co-workers are all trapped in quarantine for 8 hours. Derek will have to fight to survive this chaos, and he also has another objective in mind.
What starts as a kind of zombie-survival film quickly turns into a quest for dignity and revenge that hides much deeper and darker meanings.
Who is Derek Cho? A man who is deeply unhappy in his job. Surrounded by sociopathic lawyers in a depressing office, he obsessively holds on to his mug, a gift by his sister, the only thing that keeps him going.
Joined by a woman named Melanie Cross, Derek goes on a quest of finding the “final boss” in the headquarters. To do so, they will have to fight for their lives floor by floor, boss by boss, until finally reaching the head of hierarchy.
The scenario, almost scripted like a video game, shows the contrast between those at the bottom of the social ladder, and those at the top. The headquarters of the law firm is accurately depicted as rich people making poor people poorer in order to get richer, while getting high on expensive cocaine.
The microcosm depicted in the film undeniably paints an allegorical representation of our current society, and the virus present in the film can easily be replaced by money, notoriety, drugs, or anything that drives people to insanity.
The script is efficient when introducing characters, especially Derek, giving more and more information throughout the film, but never too much. The clever characterisation allows us to get to know the protagonist, enough to be able to relate to him, but never drowns us in too many useless facts. There is a balance of pure action and in-depth portrayal of our protagonist, which absolutely serves the final fight and ultimate goal.
As a modern metal Robin Hood, Derek Cho will fight to give people what they really deserve.
Mayhem is no doubt a must-see of this year’s new horror.
Tragedy Girls
2017
Director: Tyler MacIntyre
Starring: Brianna Hildebrand, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Hutcherson, Nicky Whelan, Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand
Words: Manon Peyralade
This feature follows the story of two girls running a Twitter page documenting a killing spree in their hometown.
After the pair manages to catch the local serial killer, they figure out that starting their own murder spree could make them more than internet famous, but simply legends.
Entering the large group of meta-slashers, this millennial horror piece does not bring anything new to horror fans.
The film deals with the youth’s obsession with social media and the obsession with fame, aka “likes” online. Twitter is mentioned roughly every two minutes, in case we forgot what the film was about. Ironically, this social network overdose drowns the subject in itself, and the initial point of the film is quickly forgotten for more jokes and references.
The killing for frame trope was a feature of the Scream saga, including the social media aspect of it: Tragedy Girls seems like the long version of the ending of Scream 4.
In terms of meta-slasher with pop references and witty humour, Detention (dir. Joseph Kahn, 2011) did this much better. Trying to twist the slasher genre, but failing at doing so as the subject is not developed in depth, the film does not succeed in lasting memories. It seems that what we are left with is wondering what it all means, or if it even means anything at all.
The depiction of teenagers is stereotypical, and as a consequence none of the characters are really relatable. One flaw of the writing, which is likely on purpose, is that all the characters are stock characters. If pushed to the limit this technique can work, but in this case it only conveys a sense of shallowness and lack of authenticity.
Although, the film works as an entertaining comedy-slasher, and as a pastiche of horror films (Final Destination, Carrie, Saw, Scream and many others), and is a good choice if you’re in the mood for something light and easy to watch.
Tragedy Girls feels more like an imitation of popular horror films with a quite judgmental view of young people and social media.
One can also wonder how relevant this film will be in a few years once Twitter is dead and gone.
The Endless
2017
Directors: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead
Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Callie Hernandez, Tate Ellington, Emily Montague, Lew Temple
Words: Manon Peyralade
Among all the films about cults that have been done, The Endless is probably one of the most interesting.
The film follows the story of two brothers, Aaron and Justin (played by the film’s directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson), who ten years after having been rescued from a cult, decide to come back for a night after receiving a mysterious videotape. As Aaron is eager to come back to what was a family to him, Justin is more reticent, but accepts when he realises how miserable his brother is in his ‘normal’ life.
Although Justin only agrees to spend a day and night, the retreat insidiously turns into two days, and two days becomes three, until they seem to be stuck in the cult. Again.
What differentiates The Endless from your average movie about cults is that there seems to be something beyond human comprehension, something much darker controlling the cult.
Many signs and red flags can be found throughout the film. Clues hidden in creative shots show the precision and attention to detail given by the directors: for example the symbol of the circle can be seen at the beginning of the film in a clever mid close-up shot of a sauce pan. The idea of circles – referring to the title – is omnipresent throughout the film, and its meaning only gets clearer as we learn more about the mysterious force hovering.
Such details in cinematography are often left behind for on-the-nose dialogue, but not in The Endless. In this script written by Justin Benson, each line is necessary and not only moves the story forward but also greatly serves the characterization of the two protagonists. The relationship between the two brothers is clearly established as protector-protectee, and humour remains present without ever disturbing the creepy atmosphere: a perfect balance.
What separates The Endless from other films about this subject is that the creepiest aspect of the film isn’t the cult itself. It’s nothing palpable, nothing that you can see or prevent.
Watching the film you constantly jump between Aaron’s opinion and Justin’s, and you find yourself caught in the mysterious atmosphere.
The intimacy and chemistry between the two leads (who are friends and collaborators in real life) serves the relationship between the two brothers, and the script paints a realistic, relatable and insightful representation of brotherhood and family.
The film opened the 2017 Celluloid Screams Horror Film Festival, and set the bar very high for the following films.
REEL STEEL 
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