A Goofy Movie (1995)

Far from amazing, but there's

something special

 about this one.

Here's a question. Can a few great scenes make a dull and totally forgettable kids film something more? I'm pretty sure that everybody would have a slightly different answer to that, with different requirements and definitions, but that is the question I asked myself repeatedly after watching this goofy little movie.

There are a handful of conversations scattered throughout this film between Goofy and his son Max which, to be blunt, do not belong in this film. They tap into something really pure and real, they feel like conversations that real teenagers have when trying to connect to their actual fathers. This doesn't just come through in the dialogue, but also in the animation. Goofy's face is draw differently than usual, there is more emotion than usual. Pain, confusion and disappointment at the rift that has formed between him and his son. I genuinely believe that these scenes tap into something incredible and a really worth looking at.

So sad that the rest of this film is forgettable tween-cartoon crap that has basically no substance to it. Peppered with terrible and obnoxious musical numbers and a pointless climax. The only other thing of note are that the conversations between Max and his love interest almost seem to tap into a similar things that the scenes with Goofy do and are also very nice and heartfelt.

Overall this film is barely worth talking about and is horrendously dated. Somehow though a few incredible moments snuck through and they are worth something. I do not think the film is overall worth much, but although the answer to the above question is no I still appreciate that it got me to ask it.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review

My Favourite Films (Part 6)

Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki)

Much like Martin Scorsese, Miyazaki is a beyond legendary director who's filmography I obsessively consumed in a fairly short span of time. Also like Scorsese, it has been a fairly long time since this phase of obsession so I feel uncomfortable putting many of his films on this list despite my love for them.

Spirited Away is different however, my history with this film goes back further than probably any other film, having watched it around half-a-dozen times since I first watched it as a child. 

I love everything about this film, to the point to where it has become more a part of me than anything else. I see this film everywhere, I can't even describe how differently I would have developed as a person if not for this film.

Nothing more to say about this majestic film, other than you should watch it.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003, Satoshi Kon)


A fast, wild and totally engrossing comedic-adventure. A masterpiece of an animated film which manages to combine the amusing antics of a film like Blues Brothers with deep and touching character and heart.

I adore films that are able to turn their settings into breathing characters, and this film is one of the strongest examples of this that I can think of.

A beautifully told story, topped off with one of the best climaxes in any animated film.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
(2004, Michel Gondry)

This film is hard to talk about. It has more power over than any other film I can think about, with simple images and sounds from the film being able to reduce me to putty.

If Rashomon isn't my favourite film then it has to be this one, I simply adore everything about it. From Charlie Kaufman's utterly perfect script, to the stunning and heart wrenching script, to the amazing performances from the entire cast. Everything in this film works. Even the soundtrack, quite possibly my favourite soundtrack of all time, can reduce me to a whimpering fool if I  am exposed to it for too long.

To sum up my feelings for this film, I was once so enraptured by it that I watched it twice, back-to-back, in one night.



Enter the Void (2010, Gasper Noe)


This film kind of scares me a little. It is a voyage into a a dark, dirty and blurry world which does not hold back in any way.

One of the most ambitious and gloriously pretentious projects in the history of cinema, yet despite it's pretensions it is able to tap into something very human and touching.

A true technical triumph in both the craft of film, and the art of cinema.



It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012, Don Hertzfelt)

Don Hertzfelt is easily my favourite film maker working today. I can't do his work anywhere near justice in words so I can only beg you to watch some of his short films, easily available on Youtube. Seriously, get out of here, go now.

If you want to hear what I think about his (currently) only feature film, here it is. It is basically the antithesis of Enter the Void. Not pretentious or technically extravagant in any way, the main character is a damn stick-figure for christ's sake! However the film still manages to be one of the most touching things I have ever seen, and Hertzfelt does things that I have never seen before in my life with some basic B/W photography and some line drawings. In fact, this is another film that manages to contest Rashomon as my favourite feature film of all time.

I am utterly obsessed with Hertzfelt, and if there is a single artist on this list that I recommend you check out it has to be this one.

By Jack D. Phillips

My Favourite Films (Part 5)

Schindler's List (1993, Steven Spielberg)


A beautifully shot and emotionally tender portrayal of the greatest tragedy in modern history. Spielberg directs this gigantic film with the care and delicacy that can only come from a director with his amount of experience. Not a single shot is wasted in this film, the craftsmanship is truly amazing.

Aside from the the excellent direction, the performances are universally excellent, the soundtrack is one of the greatest I have ever heard, and the pacing beggars belief. Perhaps the most engaging three hour film ever made (although I would need to rewatch Seven Smaurai to confirm that).



Fargo (1996, The Coen Brothers)

The Coen's are such inventive filmmakers, I doubt that there is any genre that they could not turn there skills towards. This film in particular is one of the cleverest uses of the noir format, a charming and deeply subversive take on one of the most influential genres of all time. 

The thing that makes this film so wonderful is its overall message and purpose. Despite their cynical worldview, the Coen's show an incredible optimism in this film, a belief in the good nature in humanity that comes though the main character (played by Francis Mcdormand) so incredibly strongly.

This is basically a film that makes me feel happy to be alive, through an amazing lead performance and some excellent writing from the Coen's.



Boogie Nights (1997, Paul Thomas Anderson)

Paul Thomas Anderson is a shining god. Every single film I have seen of his has been a masterpiece. This film in particular is one of the most poignant and engaging multi-character epics I have ever seen, and proof positive that a great artist can make any subject compelling.

Within the confines of the California porn industry during the late seventies/early eighteen PTA fills his story with humour, tragedy, heartbreak and heart. In terms of sheer strength of narrative, this is one of the absolute greatest films I have ever seen.

Also, the performances and dialogue are both incredible across the board.




The Big Lebowski (1998, The Coen Brothers)

The most quotable film ever made. Just...beyond fascinating in every way, I just want to dissect this film and rewatch it endlessly because absolutely everything about its frantic and wild story is spot-on perfect. Not a single scene fails to connect, and I genuinely think I could watch this film on an endless loop.

I don't even think I can articulate this film any further, it has just become a part of me in a way that no other film has.



By Jack D. Phillips

Openings: The Visit (2015)

M. Night Shyamalan is a very easy person to make fun of. For the past decade he has helmed a series of cinematic bombs, eroding his once acclaimed reputation, to the point where most people associate him more for his recent failures rather than his past successes. I am certainly amongst this group, I have seen many of his recent films and have been shocked by their bafflingly bad dialogue, wooden acting and moronic plotting. The Happening in particular is so bad that I find it truly hilarious, perhaps the greatest so bad it's good film in recent memory.

However, although Shyamalan's failures can often amuse me, they can also enrage me. The Last Airbender is a film based upon the animated show Avatar: The Last Airbender. I have a fondness and affection for this show that is difficult to match and my love for it goes back many years. Shyamalan failed to do even a single element of this world that I adored justice and created what may very well be the most anger inducing film I have ever seen. So along with being a punchline in my book, Shyamalan also created what I consider to be my least favourite film of all time.

So with all of that prior baggage concerning this filmmaker, I was surprised when I actually enjoyed his most recent film, The Visit. It is far from great and it is deeply flawed, however there are some elements of it that I found quite admirable. The opening sequence was one of these elements.

The Visit is a found footage horror film, found footage currently being one of the most overdone and tired styles in mainstream western cinema. It has been this way ever since Paranormal Activity revived the genre eight years ago. However Shyamalan decides to base his film far more on the template established by the Blair Witch Project the previous leader in the genre. This means that, although The Visit is still highly derivative, it at least derives itself from something less tired and currently overused. 

One of the key elements that the film derives from The Blair Witch Project is basing the narrative around the production of an fictional amateur film, a film within a film. The Visit takes the amateur element further however, by making the fictional film the pet project of a single teenager. This is quite important to the film overall, as the idea of scaling down personalising pre-existing tropes and concepts is central to the tone and atmosphere of the narrative.

In the opening scene we watch an interview being conducted between the teenager (Becca) and her mother. By opening  in this way we instantly learn several things about the fictional pet project Becca is conducting. Firstly we assume that this interview will act as the opening of her film, giving us a connection and understanding of the structure of the fictional film and therefore putting the audience in a better position to follow the production throughout the narrative. Secondly we learn from the direction Becca gives her mother that this is a documentary, crating a sense of realism within this entirely fictional aspect of the story. It gives grounding to the film's world at large. Thirdly, by actually going through the effort of setting up a professional style interview, Becca is established as an organised and mature character (or at least filmmaker). This separates Becca from the amateurish characters from The Blair Witch Project, who despite being older conduct interviews with far less direction in less professional locations (usually outside on the street). Probably the best way to summarise the distinction between the character's in Blair and Becca is that Becca's film actual looks like it would be a decent documentary in it's own right, whilst the film in Blair seems roughly shot and repetitive. A trait which sadly carries into the Blaire's actual opening.

All this information is conveyed within three or four seconds of the film beginning and establishes a tone and distinguishes the film from it's direct predecessor. I would argue that despite being highly derivative, this opening improves upon that of  Blair due to it's ability to quickly establish the film's tone and character. The opening of Blair is comparatively overly long and repetitive, spending way too much time in the town repeatedly interviewing passers-by with little to no relevant information. Although I would by no means call The Visit a superior film to Blair, it is a great example of how brevity and efficiency can greatly improve a film's opening. After it's clunky opening, Blair has to struggle to make up for lost time and reignite the audience's interest, where as The Visit is able to continue building upon what was established within it's first scene.  

The actual contents of Becca's interview gives further details into the character's and establishes the story's themes. We learn of her mother's turbulent relationship with her own parents, as well as Becca's disdain for her deadbeat and absent father. Parallels are immediately established and the inner workings of this family are pushed as important. The film will continue to build upon and add complexity to these familial themes and relationships in future scenes, however those scenes would fall flat if not for the solid groundwork laid down here.

The Visit is also an excellent example of a bookend formatted film, where the beginning and ending exist to wrap up the narrative and are noticably destinct from the main meat of the film. The ending scene is almost identical to the opening, Becca is interviewing her mother about the same topics (the past with her parents) in the exact same location. However in this ending the Mother is willing to divulge far more than before, as a result of the events which occur during the main body of the narrative. This ending brings closure to the narrative and ties up the themes of the film nicely, as well as being another example of how the film bases almost all of it's drama upon the simple foundation established in the opening interview.

The opening scene of The Visit is a very strong example of how an opening scene can make or break a film. If the narratives engaging and fairly moving themes of family and forgiveness were not established so well here, along with the roles and basic personality of our lead character, the entire film would have fallen apart completely. This scene is probably the strongest piece of filmmaking Shyamalan has helmed in over a decade and if we are incredibly lucky, it may signal a new stage in the career of the once crowned Prince of failure.

By Jack D. Phillips
Openings #1

Billy's Balloon (1998)

I am now going

 to attempt to

discuss Don

Hertzfelt.

Wish me luck.

I am a colossal fan of Don Hertzfelt. I have been attempting to muster the courage to talk about his work for a long time, and so far I have been unable to figure out how I can do him justice. Consider my review of this short film a practice run for a larger project in the future. I decided to cover this film do it being one of his lesser known early shorts, and also one of his more controversial works. All you need to do is read the comments of the Youtube release of this short (linked at the bottom) to see how it has managed to upset many people.

I do not share the opinion of these people, and I will discuss why later in this review, however for now I will look at the film on it's own terms. The film features the familiar style of animation employed through most of Hertzfelt's films, and I am still amazed by how expressive and funny it can be despite it's simplicity. In my opinion, Hertzfelt has managed to do more to validate stick-figure drawings as an authentic artistic style than Tim Burton did for stop-motion in the 80's and 90's. Hetrzfelt is also notable for his limited use of colour, only colouring objects or characters in for comedic effect or to highlight it's importance. The only element of this film which features colour is the titular balloon, which is bright red.

This leads me to an interesting facet of the film which may have been lost on the various angry commentors on Youtube. This film is a parody, specifically of the classic children's film The Red Balloon (1956). The original film, aside from being a wonderful fantasy adventure for children, is pretty much the epitome of childhood innocence and wonder and in the film, the red balloon acts as a symbol for this. By taking such a simple yet effective symbol of innocence and perverting it, Hertzfelt is able to make something truly hilarious and wrong. Billy's Balloon is a floating tormentor, a sadistic bully and so do to my predisposition to see red balloon's as friendly and innocent in film, the subversion is hilarious.

The humour is aided by the incredibly punchy sound design, which if Hertzfelt himself is to be believed, is one of the most important aspects of his films in his eyes. In this case I would totally agree, as the dark slapstick would simply not work without the quality of those sounds.

Overall I disagree with the assertion that this film is too mean spirited. It exists as a darkly comedic counterpoint to a sweet and heartfelt children's film from the fifties and a hilarious subversion of a symbol of innocence and goodness within the world of film.

Original Video Here

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review

Duck Amuck (1953)

Why you should

all know the name

Chuck Jones.

  

The great Tony Zhou created an excellent video essay on Chuck Jones which I recommend you watch as soon as you finish reading this, but I suppose I should tell you who the guy is first. Chuck Jones was an American animator who basically wrote the book on animated visual comedy. After effectively creating the Looney Toons, he went on to continue topping himself in one of the most remarkable careers in animation history. Although I am yet to revisit What's Opera Doc? which many consider his crowing achievement in comedic storytelling, however for now I feel comfortable in calling Duck Amuck a fairly spectacular achievement in it's own right.

This film is both an excellent example of the comedic style that Jones gave birth to, as well as an intelligent deconstruction of the basic principles of animation. In this short we see Daffy Duck battle against the cartoons animator himself, so the audience is literally watching Jones screwing around with his own creation. Not only is this premise hilarious due to the unexpected nature of it (the short begins as a simple Muskateer themed cartoon), but also because it follows the well established structure of a Daffy Duck cartoon; he is pitted against a more intelligent or powerful opponent and the comedy comes from the constantly increasing anger and frustration of the arrogant character.

This mixing of the expected and unexpected is what makes this short so amazing. We expect to see a silly cartoon in which Daffy is comically abused due to his own flaws and vices, which this short delivers on generously, however we do not expect the omniscience of the director/animator to directly influence the narrative, we especially do not expect this fourth wall breaking to be the driving force of the entire film.The short is also especially funny to those with an interest in filmmaking, as it mixes in some fairly intelligent references to the technical side of cinema and particularly animation.

I cannot describe how Jones is able to make me like Daffy so much, and yet like laughing at his expense so much as the same time. Seeing him desperately attempt to get the narrative that never happens to start is funny in more ways than I can possibly list. The fact that the entire universe that he exists within is being controlled by this entirely uncooperative force is the height of what any Daffy cartoon, and I doubt any other short featuring him can match the conflict seen here.

If you watched Loony Toons as a kid like I did, then I highly recommend revisiting some of Jones' work. I grantee that they exceed your expectations.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review

The Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945)

Although rather weak

compared to his later

 work, this

early period piece shows hints of what would

come for the great artist.

It is fair to say that I am huge fan of director Akira Kurosawa. This however marks my first foray into the director's early work, perhaps the least discussed period of the filmmaker's entire career. Despite being ignored by many, from what I have read almost every film in this period is subject to polarising opinions from fans and critics alike. This film for example has been called Kurosawa's weakest film by Tony Zhou (a Youtube film critic that I am a huge fan of), and one of his best early offerings by Stuart Galbraith IV, the author of a highly extensive biography of the director. So now it is time for me to offer my own thoughts on this polarising film.

For a start it is worth noting that this film was made at the height of the second world war, and as such amidst terrible working/living conditions. This sadly shows in the final film, which was clearly filmed entirely on a fairly cheap sound stage. Furthermore, the audio quality itself is sometimes quite poor. Holding these shaky elements against the film feels unfair, however it does still negatively impact the film's attempt to create an authentic period setting.

To counter the films weak technical elements, it boasts a simple yet elegant screenplay. The story is one of honour, loyalty and the lengths one must go to in order to fulfil their duty. It is a compelling tale, and it held my interest throughout. However this may have been aided by the film's slim running time, so short that I doubt it is even possible to lose interest before the end. I do give the film credit for telling a fairly epic story despite this limit running time, establishing the backstory efficiently in an opening narration and leaving just enough breathing room to establish some personality within the characters, although it is still fairly minimal in the scheme of things. Overall, I feel this film's narrative is one of it's better elements and I praise the film for it's efficient, although far from spectacular, storytelling.

The film's cinematography is quite fantastic in my view. This early in his career Kurosawa had already learned how to keep a film engaging through simple camera moves and story enhancing shot compositions. Alongside the film's phenomenal editing, which is beautifully paced and constantly interesting from start to finish, I would certainly recommend watching this film in particular if you want to know how to enhance a film's impact through cuts and shots alone.

So far I have described some of the film's strongest elements, however things fall apart in when I move onto the subject of the lead performances. For some strange reason, although the narrative has a clearly defined main character, the film adds a comedic relief character

who was not present in the films source material. This character dominates the screen for huge chunks of the film, and I found him insufferable. The actor mugs and overacts in way which I did not even think possible, and is clear to me that Kurosawa did not know how to integrate this guy into the story properly. This comedic character legitimately ruins parts of the film for me, his presence is truly baffling.

Outside of the terrible comedic elements, Denjirô Ôkôchi is excellent as the lead despite being pushed aside, and his ability to hold the viewers eye is really quite remarkable. Furthermore, Takeshi Shimura and Masayuki Mori appear in two very minor roles. They do very little, however it is nice to see two of Kurosawa's greatest collaborators lending their talents in the background. To be bold, one could even call Shimura's performance here a very early prototype to his work on Seven Samurai, as I saw the same gravity and dignity here that made that performance so sublime.

In the end, this film should probably best be remembered as an interesting little experiment from Kurosawa's early career. Many of his talents were honed in this film, and judging by the relative lack of comedic relief in his later films it is safe to assume that the director identified some of his weaknesses. Hardly a masterwork, but still certainly worth seeing for hardcore fans of Kurosawa.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review

Minions (2015)

 

An intensely funny

animated romp 

through one of my

favourite periods

in modern history.

It is sad to see the length to which Universal's corporate scumbags have gone to ruin my enjoyment of this film. It's disgusting over-marketing, the intense focus on brand awareness and the appearance of the minions in literally countless advertising campaigns. These little guys have been packaged, sold and forced into every cranny of the media and I swear to have seen some reference to the franchise in every film I have seen in the past seven-eight months. It makes it very hard for me to recommend this film, because I do not blame people for being burnt out and irritated with the entire ordeal.

Recommend it I do however, for I feel this is one of the funniest films to have been released in the past few years. It is clever, fast and was basically everything I could have wanted from a family oriented comedy. It was a genuinely a wonderful surprise. I am not sure if I would call this or Cinderella the biggest surprise of the year, but 2015 is shaping up to be a year of broken expectations for me, in a good way.

So why does this film work? By far the biggest component of it's success is the animation. The visuals are always moving, always preparing for a new joke while the current one plays out. It never feels like there is a comedy dead spot or a missed opportunity for humour and literally every frame works to either deliver or set-up a joke. The comedy very much follows the Looney Toons methodology, and the same mixture of slapstick and verbal humour combined. Minions takes the formula further however, as the budget allows for dozens of clever visual jokes to crammed seamlessly into the background. I want to re-watch this film solely so I can hunt these background gags down one by one.

The film also has amazing comic timing. The slapstick in this film is of the highest quality, sold with excellent sound mixing, and the speed of the character's expressions is remarkable. Sandra Bullock and John Hamm's characters Scarlett and Herb Overkill are the best examples of this. They move and react so quickly and with such detail on top of both actor's exceptional vocal comedic timing, that I am prepared to call them the funniest characters I have seen in any recently released animated film.  They are that hilarious.

Can I also point out how refreshing it is to get a funny female villain who is not in any way subservient to a male character, and is also not portrayed as some kind of incomplete, single woman scorned by men? It is actually hard to think of many female villains who are not subservient to a man, and yet are also in a relationship. Seems like a weird thing to pick up on, but it was a refreshing thing to see, and it is also sad that I have not seen that particular character set-up more often.

The titular minions are also highly amusing, with the film being led by three characterised minions. They offer up a lot of great slapstick and Pierre Coffin is great as always in the role. I have to give him huge credit for giving the three leads such distinct, funny and likeable personalities simultaneously whilst also keeping the core minion humour and traits present within them all. This is all done without coherent dialogue by the way. I cannot imagine how much work this must have been and give the the man (who is should point out also co-directed the film by the way!) all the credit I can for what he has achieved largely single handed in this film. His work here is truly staggering. 

Possibly my most subjective positive about this film is it's setting. I adore the late 60's and find the pop culture and iconography of the period so enjoyable. I can tell that the filmmakers share this love with me, and they go totally bananas and submerge the film entirely in the setting. Much like how the film never misses a chance to do something funny, it also takes every opportunity it can to crack a joke or make a reference to the period. It does this through the excellent soundtrack, with many of my favourite tunes of the day, the aforementioned background humour and the surprisingly funny dialogue for the human characters. The film also shows surprising restraint in this department, playing it's big period jokes carefully and never over-saturating things. For example, The Beatles, Nixon, the moon landing and so many other period defining topics are only used once each, and all of these jokes are incredibly funny because of this restraint.

There are some minor flaws however. Not every joke works, and although the film's quick pace is able to sweep most of these groaners up without them lingering, it would still be unfair to say that every joke is funny. Also, the actual plot-line is weak and fairly ridiculous. This does not matter much do to the film's clear focus on comedy above plot, however it would still have been nice to get a strong and unpredictable narrative alongside our comedy.

Overall, this film is a true joy. Go see it if you can and don't let the obnoxious marketing discourage you. It is annoying, and I hate to support such egregious business tactics, however letting such a gem of a comedy pass you by would be far worse.

By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review

Inside Number 9: Episode 12: Seance Time

A creepy finale

to the season.

 One of the most

daring episodes of

 the series thus far.

Season two of the show has certainly been wrought with ups and downs. Some of the absolute best episodes of the series, mixed in with some fairly disappointing messes. So where does the season finale stand on the spectrum? Honestly, I think this episode can be seen as a microcosm for the season on the whole. A lot of amazing and daring good points, mixed with some groan-worthy low points. 

The most fascinating element of this episode is it's atmosphere. The tone and growing feeling of gnawing tension throughout the episode is top-notch and is up there with some of the best episodes of the series. Inside No. 9 has managed to capture a sense of palpable dread in all it's greatest episodes and it is this tone that I want to become the most remembered aspect of the entire show. Seance Time is notable for it's exceptional early twist, which throws it's audience off in ways that no other episode of the show has up to this point. This twist, along with the great set-design and the all-around great performances are what create the magical atmosphere of this episode, and I love every second of it. 

Despite the quality of this atmosphere however, and all the elements which contribute to form it, there are some glaring issues with this episode in my eyes. For a start, much like La Couchette and The Trial of Elizabeth Gadge, this episode suffers from misplaced comic relief. This comedic material serves to undermine the atmosphere in my eyes at points and does not server the episodes narrative in any substantial way, other than to hammer in some fairly one-note social commentary. If one compares the comedy here to the comedy in Nana's Party it becomes easy to see how much more substantial and integral to the atmosphere of the later episode the comedy is by comparison. Here, the comedy detracts for the most part rather than benefit, which is a shame.

Despite this however, we are still given one of Shearsmith's best performances of the entire season and a genuinely impress tone and atmosphere. On the whole I did enjoy this episode and, much like the season on the whole, find it more than worthwhile to dig through the flaws to find the duo's masterful achievement in televised horror which lies beneath.

By Jack D. Philips
A Zoom Film Review
Inside Number 9: Episode 12

Inside Number 9: Episode 11: Nana's Party

An 
uncomfortable

and deeply moving

episode. An 
emotional

high point for the series.

This is episode of the show is not for the faint hearted. Nana's Party is the ultimate culmination of he efforts made by episodes such as The 12 Days of Christine and Last Gasp, to create a fully satisfying and complex family drama in only thirty minutes. I honestly cannot say that I have ever seen such a potent and complex range of emotions in such a short space of time, this episode is simply triumphant over it's restrictive format.

The primary reason for this episodes success is the wealth of excellent performances on display here. Aside from our familiar duo, who are both equally phenomenal here and provide some of the most powerful moments of the entire show, Claire Skinner is our standout talent for this episode. The actress' greatest talent is without a doubt her relatablity, which makes watching such horrible scenarios happen around her quite uncomfortable from the beginning. It is worth noting that this is the second episode of the show to be directed by Pemberton and Shearsmith, and I am only growing to love them for the quality of performance they are able to get from their actors. Not a single line falls flat here, and I cared deeply for every single one of the main cast.

Before I ramble for too long about the acting, I must deliver some kind of praise at the script for this episode. If it isn't the strongest script of the entire series then it is certainly close, and I believe this episode sands as a primary testament to the duo's immense collective writing ability. The script here is absolutely wonderful in it's plotting, without a doubt the strongest of the series thus far and it is filled with a host of stunningly funny and heart-achingly potent moments. This episode's climax is a true marvel, perfectly built up and incorporating every character and plot point of the episode up to that point in one incredibly powerful (and surprisingly hilarious) conclusion.

Overall, this episode is a masterwork and stands a one of the show's newest highpoints. Although season two of the show is certainly less consistent than the first, I can say that it has certainly offered up some incredible television.

By Jack D. Phillips

A Zoom Film Review

Inside Number 9: Episode 11

Texas Chainsaw Massacre 4: The Next Generation (1994)

WOW....

I did not 

expect this film

to be such a 

complete failure.

Words fail me on this film. I usually begin my reviews with an overview of sorts, before going into the analysis, however in this case I will list every good aspect of this film. The poster is pretty cool, and it's climax is ridiculous and amusing. There, that is all I can say about this film on a positive note. It is that bad.

I am sure that all readers are familiar with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, one of the all time great horror films and a masterpiece of tension and intense atmosphere. his film bares almost no resemblance to that film, despite supposedly being a remake of it. It fails in literally every category that I could conceive and I am going to describe some of them to you now.

Firstly, the film seems to lack acting. There were credits at the end, however I did not really spot many performances within the film itself. It was instead filled with insipid 'teenagers' (aged around twenty-eight plus), mulling around and choking out some of the least convincing dialogue I have ever seen, with no emotion or realism to be found on any aspect of their being. Only Matthew McConaughey offers anything resembling a performance, and he totally embarrasses himself. It is safe to say that the man is a great actor overall, and has proved himself on multiple occasions, however here he is utterly ridiculous and difficult to watch. It's like watching a your friend choke on stage, you feel bad and disappointed for everyone involved. 

Beyond the lack of actual acting, the film's atmosphere is piss poor. The fact that the majority of the film is set at night baffles me, as the original was set in an oppressive and sun bleached environment. This may seem like a nitpick, however I feel that it shows a complete lack of understanding as to why the original worked. This is further emphasised by the inclusion of various familiar scenes from the original, again with none of the technique or imagery that made those scene so powerful. The utterly atrocious dinner scene in this film, meant to homage the similar scene from the original, is one of the most poorly executed scenes I have ever witnessed in all of cinema. I cannot emphasise how badly this film fails when compared to the original, it's a sad joke.

Overall, do not watch this film. I watched this on the urging of a friend, who was curious due to the presence of McConaughey, and it was one of the least enjoyable film experiences of my life. It isn't even funny, just stay away.

By Jack D. Phillips
A Zoom Film Review