This month’s offering of Tiny Tapes Reviews is rather a mix of newer and older movies. Part of this is down to my current reading goal of getting through Stephen King’s bibliography and subsequent film adaptations of his novels (meaning more will likely crop up in future TTRs). So, please enjoy a round up of recent viewings (including forcing myself to watch Madame Web in spite of its critical and commercial failure…).

July’s TTRs consists of: Abigail, After Death, Apt Pupil, Carrie (1976), Hit Man, Madame Web, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, One Life, The Shawshank Redemption, Stand by Me, Twister and Wicked Little Letters.

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writers: Stephen Shields, Guy Busick
Cast: Alisha Weir, Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, William Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode

As horror movies go, this one is alright. It’s enjoyable, though true horror fans may be left a little thirsty. Abigail, the daughter of a rich man, is kidnapped and held to ransom by a group of criminals that do not reveal their names or backgrounds to each other. Little do they know, Abigail is much more than she appears. The twist of the story isn’t particularly original and comes quite early on in the film, which is fine, but the gore and Ready or Not style of hide-and-seek in a big house is rather fun (makes sense, as Abigail was made by the same people). The performances aren’t all that enticing, but lead actresses Weir and Barrera hold the film on their shoulders (particularly Weir, who you may recognise as having played Matilda in the musical film – quite a deviation in genre!). This film was also one of the final projects of the late Angus Cloud, and I would class it as a must-watch for his fans.

Directors: Stephen Gray, Chris Radtke
Writer: Stephen Gray

This documentary shares the stories of death/near-death experiences from multiple people of various backgrounds and vocations and what they believed to have happened to them after they had clinically “died”. No matter your stance on religion, atheism or what happens after we die, it’s certainly an interesting watch. Much of it does feel like its trying to preach something, but it’s not necessarily going to alter beliefs. Rather, it provides alternate points of view, including from those who were apparently agnostic before their own or others’ experiences. It’s probably not the best watch for those who often deal with feelings of existentialism and worry about death, however it could be comforting for others, particularly those who have lost loved ones or who are often thrown into dismay when death is constantly reported in the media.

Director: Bryan Singer
Writers: Brandon Boyce, based on the novella by Stephen King
Cast: Ian McKellen, Brad Renfro, Joshua Jackson, Ann Dowd, Bruce Davison, David Schwimmer,

While this film does deviate a little from the novella, it stands quite strong as an adaptation. Teenager Todd (Renfro, another young actor we lost too soon), discovers that his elderly neighbour is former Nazi and wanted war criminal Kurt Dussander (McKellen). Dussander lives under a different name to hide his past, but Todd, who is disturbingly fascinated by the atrocities commited under Nazi rule, blackmails him into doing whatever he asks in order to keep his secret. Even when reading the book I found it to be an interesting story from the angle of a Nazi having his identity discovered, but the warped mind of Todd was a lot to digest. Renfro did an excellent job of tapping into Todd’s psyche, and McKellen’s performance is a good representative of a frightening piece of unforgettable history. The story itself is a stark reminder of the warped minds that are still among us today, and perhaps something to keep in mind when voting someone into power.

Director: Brian de Palma
Writers: Lawrence D. Cohen, based on the novel by Stephen King
Cast: Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, John Travolta, Amy Irving, Betty Buckley, William Katt, Nancy Allen

It’s been some time since I read the novel, but this adaptation is known to be a classic. Teenager Carrie (Spacek) is an outcast at school and regularly bullied. On top of this, she lives with her religious zealot of a mother (Laurie) who often locks Carrie up in order to repent for her “sins” (her biggest sin being her existence, it seems). Carrie’s first period and general step into puberty causes her to start manifesting telekinetic powers. She is asked to the prom by the boyfriend of one of the bullies, and although they prepare an awful surprise for Carrie, they have no idea of the consequences of pissing off a powerful (aka hormonal) and abused teenage girl. The film would have been four stars for me if it weren’t for the gratuitous scenes of the teenage girls and general misunderstandings of the pubescent female experience by the writers and director. This isn’t the worst “male-gaze” film to have been made, but it definitely toes a big line for me. Adaptation-wise, it builds up just as well as the novel, and the pay-off is decent (especially the final scene). It’s worth a watch, if only for being a classic of horror cinema.

Director: Richard Linklater
Writers: Richard Linklater, Glen Powell, Skip Hollandsworth
Cast: Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao

Based (loosely) on a true story, Hit Man follows the story of university professor Gary (Powell), a regular joe who moonlights as a fake hit man in order to catch people who want to contract a killing. One such person is Madison (Arjona), an unhappily married woman who wants to hire Gary (going by the name Ron) to kill her husband. Gary begins to get caught up in Madison’s life, and trouble inevitably ensues. This film has been highly praised by critics and audiences alike, and as much as I applaud the plot and some of the humour, I don’t really see why it’s that highly praised. I was expecting another The Fall Guy, a film I didn’t expect much from but then was very pleasantly surprised, but The Fall Guy (a film with a fairly similar premise, actually) this film isn’t. It has its moments, and the ending was satisfying, but it lacked some real heart for me. (Also, randomly, I recently discovered Glen Powell is just five months older than me, when I was sure he was at least five years older. I’ll never get over this.)

Director: S.J. Clarkson
Writer: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, S.J. Clarkson
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O’Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott, Kerry Bishé

Why do Sony seem to think that, just because they have succeeded pretty well with their Spider-Man franchises, they can succeed with every character linked to Spider-Man? (Venom was a particular dud, and I have the poorly received Venom 2 and Mobius on my to-reluctantly-watch list). Madame Web (as it is rather misleadingly and poorly titled, in my opinion) tells the story of orphan Cassandra Webb (Johnson) and how she obtains the power to see into the future, a power that leads her to helping out three misguided teens and discovering the reason her mother died. This film was pretty tone deaf from the off, as Cassandra is a paramedic with some of the worst bedside manner and jokes that fall flat and that are, frankly, often inappropriate (you could argue she’s using humour as a defense mechanism, but even those kinds of people have a certain level of tact). The plot is choppy, the pacing of the story is all over the place, the performances are lacking and much of it feels rushed. The only thing that saves it is that I do consider it to be an interesting origin story, it’s just been very poorly executed. Better luck next time, Sony.

Director: Guy Ritchie
Writer: Guy Ritchie, Paul Tamsay, Eric Johnson, Arash Amel, based on the book Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of WWII by Damien Lewis
Cast: Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Eiza González, Babs Olusanmokun, Cary Elwes, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding, Rory Kinnear, Til Schweiger, Freddie Fox, Simon Paisley Day

Much like a denser, more British and smaller-scale Inglourious Basterds, The Ministy of Ungentlemanly Warfare takes us to an off-the-books mission during WWII in which a group of skilled soldiers led by Gus March-Phillips (Cavill) are recruited by Winston Churchill (Kinnear) to sabotage a Nazi operation on a Spanish island off the coast of Cameroon. It’s got good moments of humour (in particular Cavill’s chuckle and one-liners provide great comic relief at times) and the performances overall are top notch, however I found the plot itself to be a little dull at times. Perhaps it’s because these kinds of films aren’t always to my personal taste, with the espionage and male bravado that is often laid on thick in war-based movies, because I did find myself zoning out a good bit. The story itself is an important part of WWII history, and certainly is a tale deservingly told, but it’s not quite my cup of tea (also, the prosthetics and make up used to turn Kinnear into Churchill were… not the best). If James Bond and other such spy and/or war films are your bag, then this one may be just to your taste.

Director: James Hawes
Writers: Lucinda Coxon, Nick Drake, based on the book by Barbara Winton
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Lena Olin, Helena Bonham Carter, Alex Sharp, Jirí Simek, Romola Garai, Matilda Thorpe, Jonathan Pryce

There’s nothing that quite touches me emotionally than a film that goes in depth about the evil perpetuated by Hitler and the Nazis, and One Life is no different. It tells the true story of 29-year-old stockbroker Nicky Winton’s (Flynn) work, along with many people who helped him, to get hundreds of Jewish children out of Czechoslovakia just before the Nazis annexed the country, and how 79-year-old Nicky’s (Hopkins) story is revealed to the world on a TV show in 1988. The film is a slightly less devastating Schindler’s List, but that doesn’t diminish the importance of this story and Nicky’s deeds. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions, swinging between hate for the Nazis, empathy and sadness for the Jewish people (particularly the children) and the pride and hope that Nicky inspires.

Director: Frank Darabont
Writer: Frank Darabont, based on the novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King
Cast: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, Mark Rolston, James Whitmore, Jeffrey DeMunn

The Shawshank Redemption has to be one of the best King adaptations to date. Andy Dufresne (Robbins) is imprisoned for life, possibly wrongfully, for the murder of his wife and her lover. He suffers extreme torment but keeps his head held high. He meets the narrator of the story, Red (Freeman), and they build a close friendship. Over the course of twenty years, Andy’s story is told through Red’s eyes, a journey that tells more than meets the eye. The novella itself is hard to read at times, not because of any fault in King’s writing, but because the subject matter of what goes on in a prison is quite disturbing. The film isn’t so explicit, but it also doesn’t shy away. It all goes toward pushing the narrative of Andy’s story and how he holds a resilient defiance and impresses those around him, mainting his innocence right the way through. It’s a beautifully written, shot and acted story, and Robbins in particular provokes visceral emotions as Andy, emotions that are perpetuated further by Freeman’s expert storytelling.

Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Raynold Gideon, Bruce A. Evans, based on the novella The Body by Stephen King
Cast: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, Kiefer Sutherland, Casey Siemaszko, Gary Riley, Bradley Gregg, John Cusack, Richard Dreyfuss

Another top adaptation of a King novella, Stand by Me is one of the true coming-of-age stories to exist. Four pre-teen friends, Gordy (Wheaton), Chris (Phoenix), Teddy (Feldman) and Vern (O’Connell), hear about the discovery of the body of a missing boy and decide to make a two-day trip to see it for themselves before informing the authorities. The story is less about the reason for the boys’ adventure than about what they discover about themselves during and after the journey. It is seen through the eyes of an older Gordy, who became a writer and is writing of his experiences with his friends as a 12-year-old boy. Much like the novella, the story is very well written, the dialogue spot-on, and the young actors were perfectly cast to portray the boys. It’s a classic for a reason, and is sure to continue to be a timeless one. (It also features my first childhood TV crush, Wil Wheaton, and first actual teenage crush, River Phoenix, so the film is certainly held dear by my inner child/teenager.)

Director: Jan de Bont
Writer: Michael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin
Cast: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Lois Smith, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Sean Whalen

My reasons for watching Twister were two-fold: first, I haven’t seen it in some 20-25 years, and second, with standalone sequel Twisters releasing worldwide now, it made sense to check it out again. It follows tornado chasers Jo (Hunt) and Bill (Paxton) as they attempt to launch new technology aimed at tracking and understanding tornadoes, as well as navigating their relationship as a married couple on the brink of divorce. I remember enjoying this film a lot as a kid, and I did again, immensely, as an adult. It has withstood the test of time, although it can be considered vintage in some ways due to the visual effects (it was one of the last blockbusters to heavily feature practical effects before CGI began to really take over). Still, it does a fantastic job of recreating storm-like conditions. It has a fantastic cast with many familiar faces (including the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman), and there’s certainly much to say about the innuendo of a rocky relationship playing as the backdrop to chasing disastrous storms, but that’s by the by. I am hopeful that Twisters will follow suit with some good visual effects over too much CGI, but we’ll soon see if it can hold up to its predecessor.

Director: Thea Sharrock
Writer: Jonny Sweet
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Olivia Colman, Timothy Spall, Gemma Jones, Malachi Kirby, Anjana Vasan, Alisha Weir, Hugh Skinner

This was quite an enjoyable based-on-a-true-story romp. In the small village of Littlehampton, Edith Swan (Colman) starts receiving hate mail filled with insults and vulgar language that leave her father Edward (Spall) furious and her mother Victoria (Jones) seriously distressed. They lay the blame on their foul-mouthed Irish immigrant neighbour Rose (Buckley), and she is promptly questioned by police over the matter. However, woman police officer Gladys Moss (Vasan) feels that something is off about the blame being laid at Rose’s feet. Between Buckley’s terribly uncouth yet highly relatable Rose and Colman’s uppity and sickly sweet Edith, the story unfolds in an enjoyable and laugh-out-loud way, and is particularly fun for those of us that use curse words as part of our daily vernacular and enjoy watching people with sticks up their arses clutch their pearls. It is however a very basic story that relies upon the humour a lot, and the fun starts to mellow out around the half-way point. The does interest pick up again with Gladys as she navigates being the first female police officer in the West Sussex Constabulary, but it’s a strange tonal shift to have. Overall it is most enjoyable and certainly recommended for a laugh.