06 | July | 2021 | Movie Reviews 101

Son – Creepy Sinister Film

Director: Ivan Kavanagh

Writer: Ivan Kavanagh (Screenplay)

Starring: Andi Matichak, Emile Hirsch, Luke David Blumm, Cranston Johnson, Blaine Maye, J Robert Spencer, Rocco Sisto

Plot: When a young boy contracts a mysterious illness, his mother must decide how far she will go to protect him from terrifying forces in her past.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Son starts as a young woman Laura (Matichak) goes on the run from a group of people before giving birth to a baby boy. Years later when her son David (Blumm) is 8, she sees a terrifying encounter and Dvid sudden starts becoming very ill.

As David continues to get worse, Laura is forced to dive into her past to look for answers that could help save her son’s life, while friendly police officers Paul (Hirsch) is trying to prevent anything dangerous happening.

Thoughts on Son

Characters & Performances – Laura was once part of a cult, one she escaped from before having her son, she is trying to build a new life for him, with everything being put together nicely until one night she believes the cult has found her and wants her son. She is left to try and protect her son, while showing us that she is unstable because of her past too. Andi Matichak does give us a character that is filled with confliction about what is happening, which is interesting to see through the film. David is the son that suddenly starts getting ill being is horrific pain, the doctors can’t explain why, but when he jumps between ill and better, we learn the truth about what is happening. Luke David Blumm must give us a strong performance for the pain his character goes through as well as the almost forgot it happened side of it too. Paul is the local police officer that starts investigating what might have been happening, always following Laura learning and exposing more about her past. Emile Hirsch is make a name for himself in the supporting roles of horror films nicely, he does everything right here too.

Story – The story here follows a young mother that is trying to build a life for her and her son, but her past comes back to haunt her, leading her to go on the run to try and save her child. This is a story that will mix the determination to protect a child with the uncertainty about what has happened in Laura’s past. The mystery about what happened is slowly revealed, which becomes more shocking and sinister, as well as balancing the idea it could be in her head. Paul side of the story doesn’t feel like it gets enough attention, with most of the snippets we see are just for reveals, rather than building his character.

Themes – Son is a horror mystery that uses the escape from a cult fear to create a world where Laura is always looking over her shoulder with creepy appearances in the shadows, with the opening shock appearance being the standout of them all. The locations used feel like a step back into the past, with each one always having something unsettling about them.

Son is coming to Shudder on the 8^th July 2021.

Final Thoughts – Son is a creepy horror mystery that will fill the screen with the dread of the unknown.

Director: Richard Loncraine

Writer: Meg Leonard, Nick Moorcroft (Screenplay)

Starring: Imelda Staunton, Celia Imrie, Timothy Spall, Joanna Lumley, David Hayman, John Sessions

Plot: On the eve of retirement a middle class, judgmental snob discovers her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is forced into exile with her bohemian sister who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate.

Tagline – Everyone Deserves a Second Dance

Runtime: 1 Hour 51 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Verdict: Delightful

Story: Finding Your Feet starts when Sandra (Staunton) all ready to live a retirement life with her husband Mike (Sessions) she learns that Mike has been having an affair and she is left needing to turn to her sister Bif (Imrie) who has been living in a council estate for her life, where she has friends around the community including handy man Charlie (Spall) and widower Ted (Hayman).

As the four spend more time together Sandra learns she needs to be more open to people in life, treat people with more respect, learning about problems other people will be going through and start to have fun in her life for the first time in years.

Thoughts on Finding Your Feet

Characters – Sandra has spent her life planning for her golden years of retirement with her husband, only to have this shattered when she learns about her husband’s affair. She goes from a luxury home to needing to move in with her sister in a council estate, here she does look down on people, which she needs to learn to shake if she is to be accepted, she learns that there is more to life than plans, taking each day at a time can open up more doors. Bif is the sister of Sandra’s who has always been more laidback in life, never taking too much seriously, but remained friendly with people, knowing friendship has more value in life. Charlie is a handy man and friend that is always around for Bif, he has given up the last few years of his life, while his wife suffered in a nursing home, who doesn’t remembering him, this causing him immense amount of pain in his life, where the friendship is most important. Ted is a widower that despite trying to become stronger will have the moments which will show the pain he has been through.

Performances – Imelda Staunton is fantastic in the leading role of this film, she brings to life the stuck up side of the character along with the vulnerable side of her. Celia Imrie is the ray of sunshine in the film showing all the positive required in the film, with Timothy Spall being a joy to watch as the man who has already given up everything in his life.

Story – The story here follows a woman who is about to retire with her husband only to learn that he has been cheating on her for years and needs to rediscover her life before it is too late, through her sister that has always lived a freestyle way of life. This is a story to show us that we are never too old to start enjoying our lives, no matter how much that has gone wrong, it is about treating people with respect, staying in contact with family and friends and enjoying your life to the best. We have well developed characters that are here to support each other, having their own problems and pain in life.

Comedy/Romance – The comedy in the film comes from how Bif sees the world, pushes her sister and the friendship she has in life, with the romance showing us just how you could find love in any stage of your life.

Settings – The film uses the settings to show us the different locations that Sandra lives, showing her well off upper class retirement home to the council estate where she must learn to live with.

Scene of the Movie – Rome performance.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – When does it ever snow in London at Christmas.

Final Thoughts – This is a charming enjoyable comedy that shows that you are never too old to start living the best most enjoyable life you can.

Overall: Charming.