Unfriended Review
The Plot
A group of friends gather online on the anniversary of their friend, Laura’s, death. But things turn dark when Laura starts contacting them online in search of the person who killed her.
The Good
One of the most interesting aspects of this latest sub-genre of the found footage film, which uses a computer desktop as the films ‘setting’, is the idea of an online profile being used as a portal for the dead to communicate. No more ouija boards, now we have message boards or, in this case, Facebook walls, YouTube and Skype profiles for ghosts and ghouls to scare us with. While it doesn’t sound very scary at first, Unfriended occasionally gets under your skin, particularly as Laura begins to message the main character, Blaire.
The Bad
Unfriended is the first widely released film in this new format of desktop based found footage horror, after previous smaller attempts in films such as Open Windows and The Den. And considering it’s cheap budget of $1 million has already been reclaimed (and then some) in its opening weekend, it won’t be surprising to see more like this pop up from now on. It’s just a shame that the novelty intrigue and excitement of watching a film unfold on a computer screen will already be lost by the time the credits roll in Unfriended.
Part of the problem with this format is the sheer size of the screen. Sure, it’s easy enough to watch a computer screen for 80 odd minutes, but when it’s projected onto a cinema screen, everything seems far too big and at some points, far away. Throughout the film, facebook notifications pop up in the top right hand corner which, on a normal laptop is easy enough to flick your eyes to, to quickly read. When it’s in the cinema however, you almost have to crane your neck sideways to catch a glimpse of it, which somewhat takes you out of the action which for the most part, tends to unfold on one particular area.
Then there are the characters. For the first 20 minutes or so, they’re nothing too engrossing, but as soon as one piece of (potentially spoilerific) information is revealed, any interest or even sympathy for the characters will instantly vanish. Suddenly you’ll probably start to take Laura’s side…
Ultimately Unfriended’s worst crime is that thanks to a tiny budget and low production values it’s obscene box office success will cause an inevitable and utterly unwelcome flood of unnecessary sequels and lazy imitators. But then it’s hardly the first time low budget horror films have inflicted that on audiences thanks to a little undeserved box office success.
The Ugly Truth
Unfriended is undeniably one of the most gimmicky gimmick’s to ever gimmick. While Open Windows has some fun with it’s desktop setting, Unfriended strips all its potential away and leaves behind a bare storyline that offers some interesting ideas but never delves deep enough into them, instead settling for the usual lazy jump scares that we’re so very accustomed to.
Downton Abbey Centerpoint Charity Ball
The cast of Downton Abbey joined former co-star Allen Leech last night in London at the world famous Savoy Hotel to raise money for homeless charity Centrepoint. The cast took time out form filming the sixth and final series of the beloved period drama to celebrate and support the work of the charity which helps give young people a safe home and the best start in life.
Red Carpet News spoke to the cast about the importance of the work the charity does and about how filming is going on the new series. Check out exclusive video interviews below including Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Allen Leech, Matt Barber, Samantha Bond and Sophie McShera.
The Emperor’s New Clothes Review
The Plot
Russell Brand brings his successful viral video series The Trews to the big screen with the help of director Michael Winterbottom, as he tackles the complex subject of the financial crisis in a mere 100 minute documentary.
The Good
Anyone who’s viewed a video on Russell Brand’s The Trews Youtube Channel will know just how passionate a man he is when it comes to politics and finance. You need simply view a couple of minutes of any of his videos to figure out instantly, how this, his latest documentary will turn out.
Opening with Brand reciting the classic titular story of the Emperor who is fooled into wearing invisible clothes, The Emperor’s New Clothes moves swiftly on for the remainder of its surprisingly short runtime (given its extremely tough subject matter) with Brand throwing an alarmingly dense amount of information in his usual jovial manner. And yet, it still manages to keep you informed, entertained and most importantly, interested. While the financial status of the world today is an incredibly tricky subject to present in a way that doesn’t bore audiences, Brand, for the most part, manages to pull it off.
At no point are we, the audience made to feel stupid as he rambles on and on about the 1% in between various case studies (for want of a better phrase) that shows just how the current financial state is affecting the average Briton.
Praise must also be given for pulling off an impressive collection of information and statistics in such a small amount of time. Brand certainly has a knack for presenting his ideas in a mostly coherent way.
The Bad
Unfortunately, with Brand presenting the entire documentary, his characteristics become quite important to how audiences will react to the information given. At one point he even takes a dig at himself when he admits that he is essentially part of this 1% which he constantly reduces to an act of a typical antagonist, which sends an impression that perhaps he isn’t to be trusted completely when it comes to this subject. However, he becomes much more tolerable as the film goes on.
It’s also a shame that nothing particularly new comes to light at any point in the documentary. The impressive, fanciful way in which he gives his presentation is indeed entertaining, but ultimately falls flat when his conclusion is the same as anyone else’s really. No amount of interviewing the general public or trying and failing to infiltrate and interview the big banking bosses is going to change anything it seems. And if it does, Brand most likely won’t be the person who does it.
The Ugly Truth
Russell Brand brings his usual comic self to some good use but ultimately fails to produce anything particularly groundbreaking with it. At its true essence, The Emperor’s New Clothes is simply an extended episode of The Trews, and we can get that easily enough by just making a playlist on Youtube now…
BAFTA TV Craft Awards Winners 2015
Red Carpet News TV spoke to winners backstage at the BAFTA Television Craft Awards 2015, where Sherlock and Penny Dreadful were among the big winners. Stars Mackenzie Crook were among the other winners on the night.
Check out the videos below for interviews with every winner and some of the celebrity presenters:
British Academy Television Craft Awards winners in full:
Special Award - Hilary Briegel
Breakthrough talent - Marc Williamson (The Last Chance School)
Costume design - Phoebe De Gaye (The Musketeers)
Digital Creativity - Live From Space: Online
Director, factual - Dan Reed (The Paedophile Hunter)
Director, fiction - Julian Farino (Marvellous)
Director, multi-camera - Paul Mcnamara (2014 FA Cup Final)
Editing, factual - Jake Martin (Grayson Perry: Who Are You?)
Editing, fiction - Yan Miles (Sherlock)
Entertainment craft team - Dave Davey, Robert Edwards, Falk Rosenthal (The X Factor)
Make up and hair design - Enzo Mastrantonio, Nick Dudman, Stefano Ceccarelli (Penny Dreadful)
Original music - Abel Korzeniowski (Penny Dreadful)
Photography, factual: Marcel Mettelsiefen – (Children On The Frontline, Dispatches)
Photography and lighting, Fiction - Mike Eley (The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies)
Production design - Jonathan McKinstry, Philip Murphy (Penny Dreadful)
Sound, factual - Mike Hatch, Kuz Randhawa, Matt Skilton (Messiah At The Foundling Hospital)
Sound, fiction - John Mooney, Douglas Sinclair, Howard Bargroff, Paul Mcfadden (Sherlock)
Special, visual and graphic Effects - MILK VFX, REAL SFX, BBC WALES VFX (Doctor Who)
Titles and graphic identity - Mark Roalfe, Tomek Baginski, Ron Chakraborty (Winter Olympics 2014)
Writer, comedy - Mackenzie Crook (Detectorists)
Writer, drama - Sally Wainwright (Happy Valley)
Avengers Age Of Ultron Review
The Plot
The world’s greatest heroes the Avengers find their unity and the safety of mankind once again tested when they inadvertently unleash an unstoppable artificial intelligence determined to control the world and destroy them.
The Good
Marvel has carefully transferred their astonishing universe of heroes and villains to the big screen with a consistent success that left long term rivals DC comics embarrassed and hopelessly outclassed. Avengers Age of Ultron rests comfortably on the laurels of the past nine Marvel big screen adaptations, again doing justice to the high standards of the studio and director Joss Whedon.
An all-star cast, past success and an unlimited budget is never a guarantee of quality of course, but in Whedon’s capable hands the billion dollar franchise continues to strut nicely towards another inevitable box office triumph.
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans all clearly enjoy reprising their now well established characters. However, it’s actually Scarlett Johnasson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffao who benefit most from an opportunity to add depth to Black Widow, Hawkeye and Hulk respectively. Largely without the benefit of a solo movie, these characters still have the most room left or exploration and development. In particular the chemistry between Ruffalo’s tormented Bruce Banner and Johansson’s catsuit clad Black Widow is satisfyingly both subtle and surprising. Combined with Hawkeye’s unexpected revelations it provides the film with some genuine heart amongst the CGI mayhem.
James Spader is a particularly welcome addition as the voice of titular villain Ultron. His gravel voiced performance is suitably menacing and breathes considerable life into an otherwise two dimensional villain. The film also boasts a few crowd-pleasing action set pieces, most notably the much anticipated fight between a rampaging Hulk and Iron Man in full Hulk Buster armour.
The Bad
The first Avengers film was the culmination of a decade’s preparation, launching a billion dollar franchise with the near perfect blend of comedy, action and convincing comic book drama. Matching those standards and meeting fans sky high expectations was always going to be a near impossible task for any sequel, even for Marvel’s accomplished creative team.
Age of Ultron largely follows the formula of the first Avengers adventure, but ultimately feels like a holding point as Marvel gears up for even bigger and more spectacular storytelling in the already announced sequels. Comic fans and those familiar with the Marvel cinema universe will already have a good idea of what to expect for the Infinity Wars films and Marvels ultimate villain Thanos. Particularly for comic fans there may be some impatience at how slowly Marvel is building towards that heavily foreshadowed climax.
Though James Spader is an excellently villainous actor, Ultron is a fairly generic threat with the usual army of evil robots. Those that found the climactic battles of Avengers Assemble to be a little repetitive and lacking in real danger will likely feel much the same about the seemingly endless battles with Ultron’s easily disposed of minions. Outside of notable set pieces like Iron Man’s Hulk battle the film’s action often lacks a little variety.
While the film does add depth to some characters, particularly those who haven’t had solo films like Hawkeye and Black Widow, the more established heroes have a considerably less room left to grow. Iron Man, Thor and Captain America have already had much of their issues resolved across eight films. Amongst the increasingly crowded cast new characters Scarlet Witch, Vision and Quicksilver also don’t have nearly enough time to establish themselves. It must be admitted that the most recent X-Men film Days of Future Past which also featured super-fast hero Quicksilver embarrassingly upstaged Marvel’s own lycra clad version.
Overall Age of Ultron takes the predictable path of making things ‘darker’. Ever since Star Wars took this route with Empire Strikes Back, it seems to be acknowledged as the only way to surpass or match auspicious first films. Unfortunately the film is forced to increasingly sacrifice humour to make more room for more angst and inevitable brooding.
The Ugly Truth
Avengers Age of Ultron is another satisfying slice of comic book escapism featuring all your favourite Marvel heroes. It continues to introduce new faces and lays the groundwork for amazing things yet to come. Less ardent fans may find the non-stop action a little repetitive during the film’s lengthy second half but it’s hard to deny the undoubted quality of Marvel’s work. The real challenge for the future will be how the studio maintains its accessible mass appeal as the cinematic universe become as increasingly complex as their vast and complex comic book world.