Plot: Playing out in real time, an elementary school teacher organizes a mixer of like-minded women, when she encounters a woman from her past, leading to a volatile chain of events.
Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Soft & Quiet starts when school teacher Emily (Estes) arranges a meeting for a like-minded group of women. The group includes Leslie (Luccardi), Kim (Millican), Nora (Jordan), Marjorie (Pienta) and Alice (Wiggins). However, what they are discussing takes a dramatic turn.
When they look to continue their night, they run into someone from Emily’s past. It leads to a much more disturbing series of events, from a group of unlikely psychos.
Verdict onSoft & Quiet
Soft & Quiet is a horror thriller following a group of women who meet up for their annual meeting. They discuss a series of disturbing subjects before their entertainment spirals out of control.
This is a movie that seems like it is going to start calmly, before taking the shocking turn of events. It shows a disturbing side to society and what people can secretly be up to. The unique approach of having it shot as if it was real time, shows how easily people can lose control and do something they will regret forever. In what is a wonderful piece of filmmaking by Beth de Araujo. She delivers one of the most disturbing movies you will ever see.
Plot: Two young Dublin brothers must navigate loyalty, honour and the dangerous world of republicanism as they fuel the Northern war machine – by any means necessary.
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Troubles: A Dublin Story starts when two brothers Sean (Malone) and Francis (Redmond) get drawn into the Northern Irish war machine. They grew up around the troubles in Ireland and wanted to do their part to fight back against British involvement.
However, as they get involved, they learn what it means and deal with criminal behaviour. It leads to them getting in deeper than either of them planned as they show the battle among the people in the city.
Verdict onThe Troubles: A Dublin Story
The Troubles: A Dublin Story is a drama following two brothers who get drawn into the Northern War Machine in Ireland. They see it as a chance to help their people before things get out of hand. However, it soon puts them in a spot where they are caught fighting for the wrong reasons.
This is a crime drama showing how easily people got dragged into the battle in Dublin. It focuses more on street war and criminal uprising over the bigger meaning of the battle. If you have seen ‘Belfast’, you would get a better sense of the turmoil going on between the innocents in the area. in the end, it feels like another typical crime story, rather than having the political message it should have.
Where to Watch
The Troubles A Dublin Story is released on DVD and digital on 26 February.
Final Thoughts – The Troubles: A Dublin Story follows a more traditional crime story away from the political message.
Director: David Caesar, Ben C Lucas, Mairi Cameron, Jovita O’Shaughnessy
Writer: Keith Thompson, Paul Bennett, Phillip Gwynne, Andrew Anastasios, Guila Sandler, David Hannam, Adam Zwar, Beck Cole,Ainslie Clouston (Screenplay)
Plot: Two lone strangers trekking on the road – a retired Australian policeman with a dog as his only company and widowed English nurse – meet each other and embark on an epic odyssey in the outback of northern Australia.
Runtime: 50 Minutes Episodes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict onDarby and Joan Season 1
Episode 1 (D. David Caesar)
This starts as Joan (Scacchi) learns her husband has died but is shocked to learn he was in Australia when it happened. 6 months later, she travels down under in an attempt to learn about his mysterious life. It doesn’t take long for her to meet local Jack Darby (Brown) and the two join forces on the travel. However, the pair meet a small group of people struggling with the sale of their property and when one is found dead on the beach the pair have a mystery to solve.
This is a great introduction to the characters, giving them a chance to meet and bond over a journey. While not looking for a case, they find themselves solving a crime. The two make a great partnership and Joan’s adventure for answers is only just beginning. (4/5)
Episode 2 (D. David Caesar)
This starts when Jack requests a detour to a friend’s banana farm. They meet up with farmers Declan (Bisley) and Felicity (Milliken) who have had a robbery of their gun supply. As Joan meets the family and workers, she uses a more personal connection to learn about answers. While Jack finds a bigger story going on between his family friends.
This is a very different episode than what you might come to expect. Instead of a murder, we have a robbery. This takes a lot of the more serious moments in life and ends up becoming one of the best episodes of recent years. (5/5)
Episode 3 (D. Ben C Lucas)
This starts when Joan learns about another secret from her late husband’s life. She learns he has a daughter leading Jack to need to help calm and reassure Joan. However, the next discovery opens up even more questions. Meanwhile, the camping site they are staying in has a theft, leading to the pair trying to solve the mystery.
This opens a bigger mystery for Joan to deal with, it becomes the central part of the story, which keeps us coming back for more. Elsewhere, the theft becomes a side story, which lets Joan learn more about the people who have their own problems similar to Joan’s. (4/5)
Episode 4 (D. Ben C Lucas)
This starts by showing why Jack was driving the way he was when he first met Joan. Meanwhile, Jack takes Joan to enjoy her first Christmas down under. They run into a newlywed couple on their honeymoon with friends and join them on a diving trip. However, an incident leads to one of the divers getting injured, with Joan saving their life.
This is a nice Christmas episode taking us to an Australian Christmas. It has a nice mystery to solve, but it is starting to add plenty of levels to the bigger mystery about Joan’s husband. This leaves us shocked by the reveal while showing more of Jack’s former life as a detective. (4/5)
Episode 5 (D. Mairi Cameron)
This starts with the pair getting standard for New Year’s Eve, forced to share a motel room. They must work at the motel for the night to cover the room when they find themselves in the middle of a mystery. It sees one of the staff members dealing with threatening behaviour from an outsider. All while dealing with the owner’s personal problems in the area.
This continues to prove the show has lighter mysteries going on. However, the main spotlight is placed upon Joan’s husband and his true identity. It opens more doors and now she wants to understand who he was and why he was wanted by the police.
Episode 6 (D. Mairi Cameron)
This starts when Jack gets a phone call from someone from his past. It leads to the pair travelling to a place from Jack’s past to help prove an Ironwoman failed a drug test costing her a championship. Jack must investigate the championship rival and friends to clear her name. All while tackling his past demons which still haunt him at night.
This does a great job at diving more into Jack’s past, it shows how people trust him with his criminal mind, but not his personal mind. It puts Joan in a difficult spot meeting people from Jack’s past, showing how isolated she can become in the area. On the mystery, we see one with plenty of suspects, being one of the most difficult to solve for the show. (4/5)
Episode 7 (D. Jovita O’Shaughnessy)
This starts with the aftermath of the shocking arrival of Joan’s daughter Rebecca. She wants to make sure she is doing ok and talk her into coming home. However, a strange case sees Joan and Jack getting involved with a family’s troubles. While Joan decides whether to break the truth to Rebecca, the three find themselves helping the family find a missing loved one.
This continues to bring the mystery life the husband had to life. All while remaining relatives deal with life after them. The case they get involved with has a nice approach, which handles a dysfunctional family and their problems. However, the bigger mystery about Joan’s husband is easily taking over the series. (3/5)
Episode 8 (D. Jovita O’Shaughnessy)
This starts when Jack and Joan find themselves tracked by a former friend Summer. It ends up with Jack lying in a hospital with his daughter taking the case. However, a former partner on the force Bill Carlton (John Jarratt) visits Jack. Elsewhere, Joan deals with another secret from her husband’s life and tries to help them deal with the loss.
This is a nice final episode, which completes the mystery about Joan’s husband. It also adds brings some more closure to the journey and Jack’s past. The mystery about Joan’s husband is the focal mystery and we get the answers needed to help overcome the uncertainty. (4/5)
Overall
This is a nice series following an unlikely pairing trying to solve the mystery of one of their husband’s deaths. It sees them travelling around Australia in search of for clues solving crimes. This is nice to step away from murders, by having more traditional crimes along the way. We get to learn mysteries about both characters as they bond after feeling lost in life. Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi are both fun to watch. We could easily return to see what the pair get up to next on their journeys. Meanwhile, nothing is too violent, gory or anything along those lines.
Where to Watch
It is coming to DVD on 26 February.
Final Thoughts – Darby and Joan Season 1 is a delightfully comfy journey.
Plot: A fashion model celebrity couple join an eventful cruise for the super-rich.
Runtime: 2 Hours 27 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Triangle of Sadness starts when fashion model Carl (Dickinson) and his girlfriend Yaya (Dean) join a super-rich cruise. Along the way they get to meet a host of colourful characters from around the world, all on the grew away from the world.
When the ship gets into trouble, the passengers and crew end up washing up a remote island. Here, things start to spiral out of control among the survivors that are left with difficult decisions to make.
Verdict on Triangle of Sadness
Triangle of Sadness is a comedy following a group of the super-rich that find themselves on a cruise gone wrong. This leads to them getting stranded on a desert island with limited supplies.
Triangle of Sadness is a movie that got Oscar nominations, and I am left wondering why. It takes too long for anything to happen and once it does, it doesn’t seem like much goes on. I could see the concept being interesting, but it feels like things are stuck up with people in a difficult situation. Most of the jokes seem to miss, the characters are odd and the main characters we meet seem to vanish in the middle act. This is an odd movie that I personally don’t understand the hype about.
Final Thoughts – Triangle of Sadness is an odd movie that never really gets going.
Plot: Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Women Talking starts in the aftermath of the latest attack on a woman in a religious community. The women must vote on what to do next, forgive, fight or leave. When the vote is tied, a select group of women Ona (Mara), Salome (Foy), Mariche (Buckley), Janz (McDormand), Agata (Ivey) and others must discuss the options.
This sees them clashing over what they want to be changed. The question of being treated equally and accepted into heaven become the biggest talking point. However, the decision can’t be taken too lightly, as it affects more than just them.
Verdict on Women Talking
Women Talking is a drama following the women of a religious community that must make a difficult decision. They have suffered years of abuse at the hands of the men and now they have a chance to escape or fight back against their abusers.
This is a movie with a big message about who gets the blame for sexual abuse. It also uses the religious mind control created by communities and cults around the world. The idea that the discussion looks at both sides of the decision is interesting and keeps the movie rolling along.
In the performances, we get some of the very best of the year, with an all-star female cast taking centre stage. It is clear to see why this is an award favourite for many.
Final Thoughts – Women Talking is a powerful demanding movie.
Plot: Inspired by true events. A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and squanders it just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Years later, with her charm running out and nowhere to go, she fights to rebuild her life and find redemption.
Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: To Leslie starts as we see how Leslie (Riseborough) won the lottery and has big plans. However, time has passed by and now her son James (Teague) is an adult struggling to make ends meet. He reluctantly lets Leslie stay with him after her life has spiralled out of control. She has become isolated from her family, an alcoholic and homeless.
Leslie finds her family rejecting her and most of the locals not wanting to accept her. However, a kind stranger from a local motel Sweeney (Maron) offers her a job and shelter. This is the first bit of help Leslie has had from a stranger in years and she looks to try and turn her life around.
Verdict on To Leslie
To Leslie is a drama that follows a former lottery winner who blow her fortune. She has fallen on hard times and nobody in her family wants to give her another chance. This follows her getting another chance to turn her life around.
The movie gets to show how an unexpected lottery win could ruin a life instead of making one. It shows the consequences that can come from this event and how she needed to turn around before it is too late. This is about giving somebody another chance in life and taking the one place in front of you. Andrea Riseborough got an Oscar nomination for this performance as she is incredible in the leading role.
Final Thoughts – To Leslie is a powerful drama showing the consequences of sudden fortune.
Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment are excited to announce that The Shift will be releasing on Digital Download from 25 March and on Blu-ray and DVD from 1 April.
A gripping sci-fi thriller from the studio behind breakout hit Sound of Freedom, starring Kristoffer Polaha (Wonder Woman 1984, Mad Men), Neal McDonough (Minority Report, Yellowstone), Elizabeth Tabish (The Chosen) and Sean Astin (Stranger Things, The Lord of the Rings).
The Shift is a modern-day retelling of the book of Job. Kevin Garner (Polaha) gets separated from Molly (Tabish), the love of his life, when a mysterious adversary known as The Benefactor (McDonough) sends him to an alternate dystopian reality. Will hope and faith be enough to find his way back?
First released in the US in December 2023 by Angel Studios, The Shift struck a bold chord with viewers, grossing $12 million domestically, as well as remaining in the box office Top 10 for two weeks running. Before then being released theatrically in the UK in January 2024 on over 150 screens across the nation.
Marking the debut feature from writer, director Brock Heasley, The Shift has sparked worldwide discussion with its unique blend of sci-fi, romance, and allegory.
The Shift will be available on Digital Download from 25th March & Blu-ray and DVD from 1st April
Plot: Two men with commitment problems attempt a relationship.
Runtime: 1 Hour 55 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Bros starts as LGBTQ+ podcaster Bobby (Eichner) has been campaigning for rights with his show, and finds himself struggling with love. His latest attraction comes from former sports star Aaron (Macfarlane) as they both have the same opinions on relationships.
The two find themselves putting their differences aside for a relationship. However, not everything is what they expected and they must learn to overcome their own personal problems about falling in love.
Verdict on Bros
Bros is a romantic comedy following two gay guys from different worlds that fall in love. They must look at their own lives and decide whether they are ready for a relationship. This sees them diving through different elements of what makes a relationship a thing.
The movie does get to dive behind the curtains of a gay relationship. It shows things can be different and they must overcome problems from the outside looking in. There are different things for them to overcome and because of certain people’s reactions toward them, they hold back from certain parts of a relationship. It does get laughs and does pull on love heartstrings. We might not get much different but we get a love story from a different angle.
Final Thoughts – Bros is an enjoyable romantic comedy.
Plot: For thousands of years women have been locked out of Taiko drumming. Not any more.
Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Verdict on Finding Her Beat
Finding Her Beat is a documentary following a group of women’s quest to break down gender boundaries to perform in a Taiko drumming performance. It has been a tradition that has only been reserved for men. Now a group containing Megan Chao-Smith, Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Kaoly Asano, Chieko Kojima, and Jennifer Weir have their own show.
They have gone on to have different lives in different countries, but they all share one dream, to compete in the best competition. However, their dreams get tested by the pandemic closing the world down. It becomes a race against time to make sure the performances happen.
This is an interesting documentary showing how people can help change the normal. It proved breaking down the walls could provide the same entertainment level required for the performances with their own spin on tradition. This is a great documentary for people who want to chase a dream and put in the work and sacrifice to make it happen.
Final Thoughts –Finding Her Beat is a documentary about breaking down the walls.
