July’s viewings have been quite a range genre-wise, from the musical period drama The Testament of Ann Lee and the rom-com Voicemails for Isabelle to the psychological thriller Mother Mary and fantastical The Magic Faraway Tree, along with a couple of horrors thrown in for good measure. It’s been quite a rollercoaster, so buckle up for this month’s mini reviews!

This month’s TTRs includes: Exit 8; The Magic Faraway Tree; Mother Mary; Obsession; Ready or Not 2: Here I Come; The Testament of Ann Lee; Voicemails for Isabelle; Whistle

Director: Genki Kawamura
Writers: Kentaro Hirase, Genki Kawamura, based on the game The Exit 8 by Kotake Create
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Kotone Hanase, Nana Komatsu

I played the game right before watching this film, and it immediately became one of my all-time favourites. It’s short but fantastically executed in its atmospheric display of psychological fear, and perfect for those obsessed with detail. Unfortunately, the film adaptation doesn’t quite match up. We still have a man lost in a Japanese subway station, searching for Exit 8 but finding himself caught in loops unless he can successfully spot and retreat from anomalies in his surroundings, but in making it into a feature film, it had to be lengthened, given a plot, and add more characters. It succeeds in emulating the game’s vibe in the first act, even down to the set details mirroring the game, but then takes on a life of its own that doesn’t really know where it’s going (ironically?). It should have been a short film on a streaming platform rather than a full-length theatrical release.

Director: Ben Gregor
Writer: Simon Farnaby, based on the novel The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Phoenix Laroche, Billie Gadsdon, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Farnaby

When the Thompson family move to the countryside, much to the despair of the three Thompson children, they soon come to find that the woods nearby hold much more than your average trees. It very much reminds me of classic children’s adventure and fairytale films, especially those based on beloved books, such as The Borrowers, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The BFG. Although it’s a children’s fairytale, it feels very timeless and suitable for every adult’s inner child, particularly those who read Enid Blyton as children or generally lost themselves in fantasy worlds that had strong lessons to learn. Andrew Garfield and Clare Foy make a delightful set of parents who haven’t lost their whimsy and wonder, with Garfield appearing to have tons of fun in his role, and there’s a wonderful cast playing the fairytale creatures, with Nicola Coughlan feeling especially born to play a fairy. It’s a really nice film for the whole family, even if its “family first” message is a little strangling at times.

Director: David Lowery
Writer: David Lowery
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Michaela Coel, Hunter Schafer, FKA Twigs

As psychological thrillers go, this one probably tops the list for being the most convoluted and verbally dense. When mega popstar Mother Mary (Hathaway) reunites with her former lover and costume designer Sam (Coel), they both realise they have a common demon to put to rest. Although there is some uniqueness to it, including the costumes and the performances of Mother Mary, the Lynchian style employed by writer/director Lowery is overshadowed by dialogue that at times sounds poetic but then devolves into a sort of word-vomit, particularly in Sam’s case. Hathaway gives a fantastic performance that further demonstrates her versitility, and her chemistry with Coel gives the film some grounding through its dreamlike state, but the real stand-out for me was FKA Twigs in her small yet effective role as a fan who performs a séance  for Mary.

Director: Curry Barker
Writer: Curry Barker
Cast: Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Cooper Tomlinson, Megan Lawless, Andy Richter

Similarly to YouTuber Kane Parson’s Backrooms, fellow YouTuber Curry Barker’s Obsession, in which a man’s love for his female friend goes too far when he wishes for her to prioritise him and love him back, has been unbelievably successful, showing how original storytelling is still very much in demand, particularly in the horror sphere. Not only this, but the quality of the direction and overall design of the mise en scène makes every scene visually interesting, forcing the viewer to balance their visual and auditory senses to make the most of each scene but not overwhelmingly so. The balance of physical and psychological horror makes for a truly terrifying experience, and the pacing keeps things from getting too crazy. Johnston puts in a great performance as Bear, someone we may love to hate, but Navarette gave such an incredible performance as Nikki, the subject of Bear’s infatuation and victim of his dabbling with the supernatural. I really liked Navarette’s character Sarah when she was a regular on Superman and Lois, and it’ll be really interesting to see what she does next.

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Writers: Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy
Cast: Samara Weaving, Kathryn Newton, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Shawn Hatosy, David Cronenberg, Elijah Wood

As with the first Ready or Not film, the humour and performances are good, but the concept is not so original. Immediately after the events of the first film, Grace (Weaving) and her sister are hunted by five affluent families who seek to acquire the power the Le Domas’s had. Or something like that. This sequel also struggles with its plot, as it makes less and less sense as the film the progresses. It’s not clear why the ‘elite’ families are competing, and even when an explanation is given (sort of), it seems a weak motive. There are other aspects that don’t seem very well thought out either, in spite of the cast giving it their all. Weaving is just as charaismatic a lead as previously, and between her and Kathryn Newton, they make the film worth watching. It’s also fun to see Sarah Michelle Gellar and Elijah Wood in their roles.

Director: Mona Fastvold
Writer: Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott

This was a pleasant surprise, as presenting a rather serious period drama in a musical format was risky, but it was a risk that paid off. Based on the life of Ann Lee (Seyfried), the founder and leader of the Shakers religious sect in the 18th century, the story goes from Manchester, England, to New York in the U.S. as the Shakers attempt to free themselves from the confines of other religions and grow their following. The songs were mainly taken from original Shaker hymns, and their arrangements are woven almost seamlessly into the narrative and heighten the emotional moments superbly. Amanda Seyfried’s Mancunian accent is up and down (who’s to know what it actually sounded like in the 1700s thought), but she is a terrific Ann Lee, leading a strong cast through a tumultuous time in colonial history.

Director: Leah McKendrick
Writer: Leah McKendrick
Cast: Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Ciara Bravo, Harry Shum Jr., Lukas Gage, Toby Sandeman, Nick Offerman

Normally these kinds of romance films are pretty much all the same: you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Voicemails for Isabelle sees Jill (Deutch) struggle to come to terms with the death of her sister, continuing to send voicemails to her sister’s number, unaware that the number has been reassigned to Wes (Robinson), who finds himself drawn to Jill through the voicemails. The film differs to others in that it was actually well written, genuinely funny, emotional, well cast, lacking in awkward scenes and even the cliches somehow felt fresh. Both Deutch and Robinson make a good onscreen duo, with Deutch in particular shouldering the more emotional scenes while Robinson balances things out with humour and comfort.

Director: Corin Hardy
Writer: Owen Egerton
Cast: Dafne Keen, Sophie Nélisse, Sky Yang, Jhaleil Swaby, Ali Skovbye, Percy Hynes White, Michelle Fairley, Nick Frost

When Chrys (Keen) transfers to a new school, she and her new friends come across an ancient Aztec whistle that brings death to whomever blows it. Something about this film reminded me of Tarot (which was also not such a good film). Perhaps it was the formulaic plot of an entity killing off teenagers one by one, unoriginal and offering nothing new in how said entity is represented, that puts it in the same category of ‘meh’ horror films alongside Tarot. In spite of having a decent cast, with Keen in particular being a solid casting for any worthwhile film, the characters aren’t particularly interesting, not even with Chrys’s eventful past, sadly. It tries to throw in a couple twists, but we can see them coming for the most part.