Sundance 2015 Review - Christmas, Again (2014)

Genre:
Drama, Romance, Indie
Venue:
Sundance 2015
Rating: 15
Director:
Charles Poekel
Cast:
Kentucker Audley, Craig Butta, Hannah Gross,Andrea Suarez Paz
Ever been dumped at Christmas? If so, Charles Poekel’s yuletide misery tale Christmas, Again will prove unfortunately familiar for you. Give it time though, and it might just teach you a thing or two about the grieving process.

Kentucker Audley delivers a tender portrayal of festive alienation as Noel, a young man working the streets of New York selling Christmas trees. Amidst stupid customers and lazy co-workers, Noel is simply trying to survive without breaking down, but after bringing an unconscious young woman home one night, his December starts to take a different direction than previously anticipated.

Commendable for realistically dealing with flirtations and passing friendships, writer/director/producer Poekel has a tight hold on this tender character piece.Audley is superb, but his consistently miserable performance can be a bit much until you start to share his headspace. The few moments of staunch emotion are apt and perfectly placed to articulate Noel’s pain and the point of the film as a whole. Poekel wants us to think about encounters we try to cling to, putting a hand on the viewer’s shoulder to assure us that its ok, friendships are sometimes doomed to end just as abruptly as they began.

Oddly this film feels like its for anyone who’s worked in retail or the service industry during the festive season too, proving itself a sharp satirical work whenever Noel is forced into awkward encounters with awful, pernickety, and downright infuriating customers. Keeping the script light means that the focus is elsewhere, on the performances and the camera work. Sean Price Williams keeps the project sedate and lacking in a flashiness that might have proved overbearing on the tight character work. Shooting on film gives the feature a depth and substance that might otherwise have been lost in the polished veneer of digital.

Christmas, Again is a muted affair, balanced precariously on the line between intriguing vignette and wide-scoped essay on capitalism, Christmas, and love. The film’s finest flourish comes in the form of the fantastic Kentucker Audley who channels an ocean of pain in an honest portrayal of heartache in the festive season.

★★★★
Scott Clark

V/H/S Go Old School With Special Video Rental Store Screening

The anticipation around the upcoming 18th January cinema release of the horror anthology V/H/S is at fever pitch with Dread Central describing it as “A phenomenal piece of work. 5 out of 5.” and Fangoria urging “Horror fans need to see this movie at their earliest possible opportunity, because it’s a contender for best of the year.”

In the movie a small group of misfit friends and petty crooks are hired by a mysterious man to break into a derelict suburban house with the sole purpose of finding and stealing a rare VHS videotape. As they search through the tapes, playing them in turn, they are treated to a succession of graphic and apparently genuine video recordings, each one more shocking and bizarre than the last.

Momentum Pictures are proud to present a one-off early screening of V/H/S where for one night only you can go back in time to the glory days of VHS! Come join us on Wednesday 16th January at 6.30 at the one night only that ‘Cellar Rentals’ will exist at the Blackhall Studios in London for a pre-drink followed by an exclusive screening of the film at 7pm complete with popcorn. Should you survive this portion you'll then be able to join us in our loving tribute to the days of VHS as we're building an old-skool rental store for one night only. Look through the covers, enjoy complimentary drinks and other fun items in this rare chance to go back to the heady days of choosing tapes. The best bit of all - you'll get to leave with a rental big box VHS tape of V/H/S! Only 300 exist and they're numbered and this will be the ONLY SURE WAY to get hold of one of these rare collectors items.

Don't miss out - this will never happen again…To book tickets visit: www.agmp.co.uk

V/H/S is released in UK cinemas on 18th January 2013 and on DVD and Blu-ray on 28th January 2013 by Momentum Pictures.

EIFF 2012: Sun Don't Shine Review

★★★1/2☆

Amy Seimetz's debut feature film, Sun Don't Shine recently received its international premiere at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. This indie picture feels like a fusion of a road movie, psychological drama and thriller - proving to be an impressive feature debut and stirring watch.

Two young lovers, Crystal (Kate Lyn Sheil) and Leo (Kentucker Audley) go on the run in rural Florida, the pair both haunted by a dark secret that bounds them together. With a gun in the glove compartment and ever growing paranoia - their relationship begins to hit new extremes.    

Seimetz creates a tense and brooding atmosphere, using the humid Florida landscape as a canvas for this paranoia-infused drama. Sun Don't Shine is a film shrouded in mystery, the opening thrusts us into one of the couples' heated disputes, immediately spurring the question what have they done? Seimetz screenplay is a slowly unravelling puzzle which eventually reveals to us that Crystal stabbed her abusive husband, whose body lies in the car trunk.

Once this crucial detail is revealed Seimetz amps up the tension with the inclusion of encounters with suspicious passers-by or simply by reflecting an ever-recurring police presence. The fusion of this brooding atmosphere, combined with Seimetz's grainy, dreamlike direction produces a completely stirring, haunting film.

The dreamlike direction of Sun Don't Shine bares resemblance to the issues of one of the central characters, Crystal. Crystal seems completely unaware of her actions or the effect that her behaviour has on others - baring an almost childlike presence throughout the film. The character is somewhat of an enigma, who she herself does not even understand. Kate Lyn Sheil's performance mostly reflects  this, but some flaky line-delivery means that she does not always convince.

Kentucker Audley's performance as Leo is perhaps one of Sun Don't Shine's strongest assets. The actor always gives us an insight to the gears turning in Leo's head, as he attempts to fix Crystal's problems. No sooner has one issue been dealt with, then another arises - as he is slowly becoming bound to her by their dark secret. Audley's performance gradually unveils the effects that these mounting problems have on Leo as looks for release from an old flame.

Sun Don't Shine is a thoroughly impressive feature debut from Amy Seimetz. The director's haunting fusion of genres results in a tense, atmospheric drama with strong performances, most notably from leading man, Kentucker Audley.

Andrew McArthur

Stars: Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley, AJ Bowen
Director: Amy Seimetz
Release: 23rd June (EIFF)

SUN DON'T SHINE Teaser from David Lowery on Vimeo.