FILM REVIEWS:
825 FOREST ROAD (USA 2024) ***
Directed by Stephen Cognetti
The new Shudder original horror flick 825 FOREST HILL begins with a shaky and confusing start. It takes a while for the film to get its footing, which occurs once it is made clear to the audience the three main subjects of the story.
The story is told in 3 chapters, called Chuck, Elizabeth and then Maria, who are the names of the three principal characters in the story. The story unfolds with each of the character’s point of view of what occurs, with more missing information give to the audience as the film progresses.
The film centres on Chuck Wilson starting a new life after a family tragedy when he moves to the town of Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Elizabeth. But he quickly discovers that the town has a dark secret. The ghost of Helen Foster has terrorized residents for decades, since her own suicide back in the ‘40s. Finding Helen’s old home is key to ending the hauntings, but the address they have doesn’t match any of the town’s existing streets. When Chuck realizes his family might be in danger of Helen’s wrath, he takes it upon himself to locate 825 Forest Road before it’s too late.
The theory, which is quite the implausible one, requires that everyone believe that burning down the house on 825 Forest Road would destroy the curse and Helen Foster herself. Trouble is that all the street names have been changed and Chuck tries to locate whee the old 825 Forest Road is now located.
825 FOREST ROAD contains both strengths and weaknesses. The strengths include the director’s build-up of events and the scary set-pieces. Director Cognetti has proven in his previous feature, also with a haunted house theme, the HELL HOUSE LLC franchise, that he can do wonders with the house hallways, and open doors, dolls and creates or shadows that lurk in the shadows of the background.
825 FOREST ROAD, besides being a horror movie also works as a family drama since there are plenty of family conflicts in the story. The enmity between the wife and the husband’s sister is one. The husband has never informed the wife he had a sister but now they all move into the same residence. When things move around the house, like Maria’s mannequin, she immediately blames Lizzy. As predictable cliches go, the two females eventually bond to overcome the menace that is present in the house. The film has a strong female slant with Chuck seen often as an indecisive though supportive person. It is the females that make the decisions in the story. Even the menace is due to a mother and her daughter. The problem of bullying and not addressing the issue as well as mental health leading to suicide are two other current topics addressed in the film.
One complaint is the confusing ending, which matches the confusing opening.
825 FOREST ROAD has been touted as a scary horror film and Shudder managed to pick it up for streaming on April 8th.
Trailer:
GRAND TOUR (Portugal/Italy/France/Germany/Japan/China 2024) ****
Directed by Miguel Gomes
The story of Edward and Molly is the story of unrequited love, even though the two had met only a handful number of times after being engaged for a period of over 7 years. The idea pokes fun at the institution of marriage, which is always frowned upon and disbelieved in the stories of W.Somerset Maugham. (The narrative is based on the short story "Mabel" by W.Somerset Maugham, though no mention of it can be found in the credits.) It is not surprising that the film is based on his work ‘Mabel’ which follows the travels of both Edward and Molly. Edward is a coward, escaping marriage by running away from place to place while Molly doggedly follows him on, missing him at each corner.
The setting is 1917, colonial Burma. Edward, (Gonçalo Waddington) a civil servant for the British Empire, jilts his lovestruck fiancée Molly (Crista Alfaiate) the day she arrives to be married. As he escapes into an unexpected odyssey across Asia, from Singapore to Thailand to Japan and even Vietnam) she quickly follows suit amused by his moves.
The film features two subjects, Edward and then Molly, given equal screen time. Bot are annoying creatures - Edward the coward and Molly the obsessive finale who giggles as if she is spitting saliva. The story first unfolds from Edward’s side and then continues with the original timeline from Molly’s story.
The film works as a romance, travelogue and comedy-drama, with the comedy coming across as odd but workably funny. The director’s style might take some audiences to get used to, and its slow pace can get a bit testy. This is not a Hollywood-styled romantic comedy, that is for sure, and one must look at Gomes’s style as a welcome thing.
Period scenes were shot in a studio. Present-day scenes were shot live on location, without a script. There is one scene in which Edward takes the train from Bukit Timah station to Thailand through Malaysia. There is no Bukit Timah railway station in Singapore and there never was. The only railway station is the one close to the causeway going directly to Johore, Malaysia. Other than that, the period scenes of the ancient boats and sampans all serve to effectively create an authentic piece of filmmaking.
Also stunning and deserving of mention is the artistic and local Burmese puppetry (show puppetry) that has never been seen on the other side of the world. The musical selection ranges from Johann Strauss II's "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" (1866) to Charles Trenet's "La Mer" (1946), in a 1959 version by Bobby Darin, to Gabriel Ruiz Galindo's classic "Amor" (1944), are performed by a band of old Chinese jazzmen in the film. There is also a marvellous segment of a marching band playing in the rain as Edward arrives at a port.
Rendered in stunning black-and-white period visuals interspersed with modern-day documentary footage, Grand Tour–Portugal’s Best International Feature entry to the 97th Academy Awards®. The film also won its director Miguel Gomes (TABU and ARABIAN NIGHTS) the Best Director Prize at Cannes in 2024.
GRAND TOUR opens in theatres in Canada starting March 28th, in Toronto at the TIFF Lightbox on April 4th, and will be available for streaming on MUBI starting April 18th, 2025.
Trailer:
THE MARTIAL ARTIST (USA 2024) **
Directed by Shaz Khan
THE MARTIAL ARTIST is a sprites drama, with MMA as its setting, The drama deals with the protagonist, having to deal with himself as the biggest obstacle while his family also struggles.
When MMA rising star Ibby “The Prince” Bakran shines in a local fight, the world’s largest promotion company offers him a deal he can’t refuse. Now aligned with the sport’s top developing athletes, Ibby has a clear path to becoming great. Consumed with the limelight and all it has to offer, Ibby burns the candle at both ends and soon his fighting takes its own hit. As his star begins to fade, he points the finger at everyone but himself, becoming withdrawn and pulling away from his family who never wanted him to fight. Desperate to reconnect, his mother reveals the reason for her fear and the long-held truth about his father’s death. With nowhere else to turn, he travels to his homeland to find answers from his estranged grandfather. In the majestic mountains of Pakistan, Ibby works to find what he’s lost; but first, he must face his biggest opponent yet: himself.
THE MARTIAL ARTIST has similarities with Sylvester Stallone’s Academy Award Winning Best Picture ROCKY. Both films star, and are written and directed by one person. Shaz Khan co-wrote with Michael Ross Albert, directs and stars in THE MARTIAL ARTIST. That is clearly a hard journey and a passionate effort, undoubtedly. THE MARTIAL ARTIST is a messy and overdone effort, but not for want of trying. Still, THE MARTIAL ARTIST, at least it can be said, flaws and all, is not a boring watch for the actors who do their utmost best to make the film work.
When Ibby gives some money to a homeless man as he leaves a store, the homeless man returns the money. “I am only trying to help,” Abby says. To which the homeless says: “You are not ready.” Indeed Abby is not ready as the rest of the film shows,
Though the film is listed as an American countryman origin, the film has more of a Pakistani feel to it. The main actor is Pakistani and the first big action fight is supposed to take place in the desert mountains, supposedly in Pakistan, The film is largely in English with no Pakistani spoken.
The film falls into intense melodrama, especially in the family scenes. Shaz Khan acts as if he is the best actor on the planet. The flight scenes are violent enough and are exciting enough to distract the film from its flaws. The actress playing Ibby’s mother is the best of all and she tries her damnest best to make the film work. Whether the party of Ibby travelling to Pakistan to meet his grandfather works is up to the audience to decide but it makes the film lean more towards drama than action.
THE MARTIAL ARTIST opens in theatres on January 31st. A Pakistani MMA ROCKY? That is what the filmmakers hope but hope and expectations are all way below the film’s results.
Trailer:
