Synopsis: Everyone knows the stories of Robin Hood and Maid Marian; robbing from the rich to give to the poor, daring escapes from the evil Sheriff, sword fights and adventures. They eventually culminate in the arrival of King Richard the Lionheart who grants the outlaw a royal pardon. Most of the stories end here. The Adventures of Maid Marian is the story of what happens next. Out of the shadows a legend returns to save her people from the tyranny of the disgraced Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood remains at war and Marian must put her own combat skills to the test, creating a new tale that will be heralded throughout the ages. This is her story. This is the story of Maid Marian. Starring Sophie-Louise Craig (Bulletproof), Bob Cryer (The Brothers Grimsby) and Dominic Andersen (The Crown), written and directed by Bill Thomas (Lockdown Kings).
Bite Me will be coming to Digital Download from 8th February 2022
Synopsis: When Sarah, a real-life vampire, gets audited by the IRS, the last thing she expects to get out of it is a date. But James, her hopelessly romantic IRS agent, thinks she’s other-worldly. As an unlikely attraction sparks between the two misfits, they are forced to confront whether they have the courage to commit the terrifying, radical act of falling in love.
Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Catherine Dyer, Jayson Warner Smith, Adam Boyer, Brad Carter, Luce Rains
Plot: After the disappearance of her husband, a struggling farmer in an isolated Appalachian community fights to save her son when the cold-hearted matriarch of the oldest family on the mountain demands payment of a debt that could destroy a decade’s old truce.
Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Devil to Pay starts as Lemon Cassidy (Deadwyler) raises her son in the Appalachian community, where she lives a peaceful life, until the matriarch of the oldest family Tommy Runion (Dyer) wants Lemon to pay a debt her husband left years before.
Lemon is forced to work with the other communities to clear the debt, which will see her needing to turn to the darker side of what the communities are capable of, to make sure her son remains safe.
Thoughts on The Devil to Pay
Characters & Performances – Lemon Cassidy is a woman living a calm quiet life with her son away from the world in a remote community, she is put in an impossible position to pay off a debt her husband left. She is pushed to her limits when her son’s life is put on the line, showing how far she will go to protect him against a strict matriarch. Danielle Deadwyler turns this shy, timid lady, into the ruthless figure over the cause of the film with ease. Tommy Runion is matriarch that has been using her family to maintain the power within the communities, using her calm demeanour to show her threatening behaviour. We don’t see much of this character, which helps the film because of the impact of the scenes. When it comes to the supporting characters, we get to meet the other members of the family, who filled the generic roles and the strange events of other communities in the area.
Story – The story here follows a woman that is expected to pay her late husbands debt, given little time and facing death is she doesn’t pay it. This will see the shy, timid woman that must fight back against a family that will look to take her out in an attempt of dealing the end of a truce between the families. It will create an interesting world, filled with strange communities, though it would have gotten more out of the story, if we had dived into the supernatural elements hinted at through the film. This is a story that keeps the pace slow for a reason, making you think about each moment and the impact it will have on the lives of the people involved.
Themes – The Devil to Pay is a thriller that wants to have a lot of horror involved, only for us to get the glimpses of what could be going on, while keeping everything on the time limit side of getting a job done. The film does rely on the location, using the mountain communities to show the isolation from everyday society created by them.
Signature Entertainment presents The Devil to Pay on Digital Platforms 17th January
Final Thoughts – The Devil to Pay is a slow deliberate thriller, keeping the pace with the guessing game.
Writer: Brian Baugh (Screenplay) Jenny B Jones (Book)
Starring: Rose Reid, Jedidiah Goodacre, Katherine McNamara, Patrick Bergin, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Judith Hoag, Fiona Bell, Tom Everett Scott, Vanessa Redgrave
Plot: Violinist Finley Sinclair travels to an Irish coastal village to begin her semester studying abroad. At the B&B run by her host family she encounters the gregarious and persistent heartthrob movie star Beckett Rush.
Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Finding You starts when violinist Finley Sinclair (Reid) finds her latest audition getting rejected, deciding to take the same trip her late-brother took to a small Irish Coastal Village for a semester abroad. Finley is staying with the same host family in their B&B Nora (Bell) and the overly excitable Emma (Jackson), only for the heartthrob actor Beckett Rush (Goodacre).
As Finley starts to get used to the village, she finds herself spending more time with Beckett, despite the different worlds they have come from, as we slowly get to see how the pair want something more from their current lives.
Thoughts on Finding You
Thoughts – Finding You continues the tradition of needing to move away from the place holding you back in search of finding yourself, travelling to see the world will give you a chance of the unexpected in your life. Finley is a delightful character that is trying to find herself, seeing her dreams pushed away from her, while feeling left out from what her brother once achieved. Beckett on the other hand is a young actor that has always been in the spotlight since he was a child, not having any control over his life. The unlikely pair find themselves drawn together, getting through the small-town environment, that is drawn towards traditions over the success of fame. The performances from Rose Reid and Jedidiah Goodacre are great in the leading couple, while the supporting characters are all bought to life in their own way. This is one of the sweet little romantic comedies that will have the charm needed to get through, saved from being too routine, by the beautiful Irish countryside.
Final Thoughts – Finding You enjoyable romantic comedy, filled with heart and passion.
Movie Reviews 101 