Raindance Film Festival: Another Earth

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.

Have you ever wondered; what if there was another you out there? Is there a parallel version of you somewhere in the Universe? If so, what are they like? Are they a better or worse person than you are? Have they made the same mistakes, or taken the opportunities you missed?

This is essentially the premise of Another Earth. As I find myself frequently contemplating how many potential alternate versions of me may exist in the Multiverse (one sleepless night, I wondered about the possibility of there being a parallel Universe for every single decision everyone makes... Blimey, that's a lot of potential realities!) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend the UK premier of the film at the Raindance Film Festival opening gala.

Another Earth follows the story of Rhoda Williams (Brit Marling), an intelligent young woman who has just been accepted into MIT's astrophysics program. On the evening of the discovery of a mirror Earth (dubbed Earth 2), and after an injudicious night out, Rhoda inadvertently alters her life and that of brilliant composer and family man John Burroughs (William Mapother), and their shattered lives become irrevocably intertwined...

Written by Brit Marling and Mike Cahill, Another Earth's exploration of the possibility of a replica of our world takes the audience on a journey of introspection. Rather than exploring the parallel Earth in a literal sense, the narrative focuses more on the inner torment of the characters, using the appearance of Earth 2 as a backdrop for what is at it's core a story of human drama, and the lingering question – might things have turned out differently on Earth 2? The subtlety with which the SciFi premise is dealt with means it never goes over-board with trying to explain things, or being too 'showy' with the concept behind it, giving most of the attention to the story of Rhoda and John, which could have easily felt cheapened if the idea of a parallel Earth had been used as a gimmick rather than the intriguing framing device it is.

Marling's portrayal of the guilt-ridden Rhoda is a sublime insight into the character's tortured and self-deprecating soul. Throughout, she provides a wonderfully natural performance, bringing a very real essence to the role. Although Brit Marling is only really known in independent film circles, I wouldn't be surprised if in the years to come she will become a bigger contender in the industry.

Of course, bolstering Marling's superb performance was William Mapother as John Burroughs. Burroughs is initially depicted as a positive man, but he's soon left in a pit of depression and apathy, and this was something Mapother portrayed brilliantly. The chemistry between he and Marling felt as if it developed as the bond between the characters grew, from the awkward interactions at the beginning to their burgeoning friendship as the film continued. As the only two characters really driving the plot, it was remarkably engaging to watch their relationship develop.

It's incredibly easy to forget that this was an independently produced film, made on a shoe-string budget with minimal crew. Having been directed, produced, edited and co-written by Mike Cahill, he's evidently a man of many talents, bringing the brain-child Brit Marling and himself to life on such a grand scale. It's clear to see why Fox Searchlight Pictures thought that investing in this film and distributing it would be a good idea!

Several months ago, Dylan Spicer wrote this article about the trailer for the film, suggesting that it could prove to be this year's Moon. Having never seen Moon, I can't actually comment, but for those who have I'd be interested to know if you feel it is! Several people at the after party remarked that it was also similar to Monsters, another film I have not seen (makes you wonder if I'm in the right job, really, doesn't it?!), but they seemed to know what they were talking about, so I'm inclined to trust their opinion!

Overall, Another Earth is a brilliant personal drama set against the intriguing backdrop of a mirror Earth. It is a cinematic and narrative triumph, and for something that was produced on a low budget this is certainly an outstanding piece of cinema. It is not overtly Science Fiction (aside from the planet Earth hanging in the sky...), but I think that's what makes it such a success – a SciFi premise, but with a human drama at its heart.

What would you do if you met a parallel version of yourself? I think I'd be overjoyed to be in the presence of such brilliant company!

Doctor Who - Closing Time Review

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.

During the final days leading up to his imminent death, the Doctor pays a social visit to his old friend, Craig Owens. But things are never quite that straight forward when the Doctor comes knocking on your door...

In Closing Time, the sequel to series five's popular episode The Lodger, Gareth Roberts continues with the story of Craig Owens. Now a father and living in Colchester, Craig's living an idyllic (if average) life with now-long-term girlfriend Sophie and their son Alfie. Left to care for himself and Alfie for the weekend, Craig's determined to prove he can cope on his own – that is, until a certain Time Lord turns up. As part of his farewell tour, the Doctor drops by for a quick 'hello' and 'goodbye'. But strange things are afoot in a local department store; with electrical fluctuations and missing people, this is a mystery the Doctor can't pass up...

In a similar vein to The Lodger, Closing Time has more of a sense of the comedic about it. Playing largely with the character dynamic of Craig and the Doctor (and the James Corden/Matt Smith double-act), the story revolves around their interactions with each other and Alfie (who would rather be called Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All). With equal parts joyful-eccentricity and morbid-brooding, Smith's delivery of the Doctor acknowledging his final days was brilliant. Despite still being physically quite young compared to former Doctors, Matt Smith has the ability to appear both young and yet impossibly old at the same time, and that was remarkably prominent in this episode – he is quintessentially the Doctor!

Providing the framework of Closing Time's narrative were the Cybermen, and the welcome return of their rodent-like cybernetic helpers, the Cybermats (and as I hypothesised their return in my review of A Good Man Goes To War, I'm rather pleased about that; I do like being right!). Re-energised by the laying of power cables in the area, a small and dormant group of Cybermen try to rebuild, dispatching Cybermats to harvest more energy, whilst one by one the staff of the shop are abducted and taken for Cyber-conversion. Despite this brilliant set up, the Cybermen's role felt somewhat lacking, only really appearing towards the end of the episode and in a fairly weak state. For a once fearsome and powerful foe, the Cybermen posed little-to-no threat, with the Cybermat proving to be the more lethal of the lot!

That's not to discredit the Cybermat – it was as deadly and 'bitey' as the Yorkshire terrier that lives down the road from me (and that thing's bloody vicious!), but it's creators were much less of a threat. The only stage in which the Cybermen felt like a legitimate danger was in the climax of the episode, with Craig and the Doctor caught in what appeared to be a no-win situation, but the Cybermen were ultimately defeated by an overload of emotion when Craig's fatherly instincts kicked in. Closing Time saw the Cybermen at their weakest, and it felt as if more could have been done with them, but that didn't get in the way of an otherwise excellent episode.

It's interesting to note (well, interesting to me anyway!) that in this episode the sonic screwdriver appears to have had a couple of modifications made to it – namely a laser-like function accompanied by a high pitched tonal oscillation, reminiscent of the three-button-press sound on the sonic screwdriver toys of last year (I guess that means I've just revealed I have – and occasionally piss about with – a sonic screwdriver toy...). Could this somehow be connected to a brief glimpse of a screen on Demons Run in A Good Man Goes to War which reads: “Remember: 1. It's not sonic 2. It's not a screwdriver”? This function certainly felt distinctly more weapon-esque.

As the penultimate episode of the series, Closing Time answered a couple of pertinent questions leading in to the finale; namely, where the Doctor got his stetson from. Secondly, we can now be quite sure that River Song is the astronaut in the lake – largely because we see River Song dressed as an astronaut submerged in a lake (bit of a give-away, really!). On that topic, back in Let's Kill Hitler the Doctor whispers something into Melody Pond/River Song's ear – is it possible that perhaps, with the foreknowledge that he was going to die, he could have planted a suggestion or a message that will prevent his death? Or at the very least, make the Doctor's demise not-so-permanent as a way of tricking the Silence into thinking him dead? 

Overall, Closing Time was an enjoyable adventure with a brilliant story. However, as the first penultimate episode to not be the first half of a two parter, it'll be interesting to see how the final episode, The Wedding of River Song, will pan out. Now off to meet his fate, the Doctor is ready for his date with destiny on the shore of Lake Silencio...

If you missed Closing Time, it's available on iPlayer Here.

Doctor Who - The God Complex Review

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.


The God Complex, written by Toby Whithouse (probably best known for writing Being Human, and two other episodes of Doctor Who – School Reunion and Vampires of Venice), is a surreal adventure in an infinite hotel of nightmares. Again, we're presented with an episode which explores the emotional bonds between the characters, and continues to build on the darker aspects of travelling with the Doctor.

Arriving in a rather traditional looking hotel (and one I'm relatively certain I've stayed in before...), the Doctor and co encounter a small band of people who too have inexplicably found themselves there. With no apparent way out and the TARDIS suddenly absent, the Doctor endeavours to find a way to escape the endless, shifting maze of the hotel. But for every guest there is a room, each containing that person's worst nightmares, and an even more deadly threat marauds the corridors of the labyrinthine hotel...

Although the pre-title sequence seemed to be setting up for an episode of frights, The God Complex focussed primarily on the personal fears and faiths of the characters involved. These were often mundane manifestations, such as a sad clown and a berating father, but things like the Weeping Angels could have had a larger impact if their threat had been made more prominent. Each fear was meant to be a trigger for the person it was intended for, to fall back on their core faith, be it religious, superstitious or, in Amy's case, the Doctor. Of course, these faux-monsters and nightmares were the set-up for the actual threat – a Minotaur-like creature who feeds on faith. Specifically, a faith in it. As such, when each character was presented with their fears, they revealed their faiths which were slowly superseded by an involuntary faith in the Minotaur – caught in the rapture of it's presence in their final moments.

One of the most interesting aspects of this episode was the parallel it drew with the Doctor. An ancient creature, drenched in the blood of the innocent (a link the Minotaur itself made with the Doctor), which feeds on people's faith in it. It could be argued that, although he doesn't do it intentionally, the Doctor requires his companion's faith in him to satiate his vanity, which more often than not puts them in unnecessary danger. This is something that's not fully realised until the final scenes of the episode.

The moment in which the Doctor de-constructs Amy's faith in him was fantastically executed. The incorporation of Caitlin Blackwood depicting young Amelia Pond worked wonderfully, illustrating how despite her many adventures in the TARDIS and her marriage to Rory, she's still that little girl who idolised the mad man in the magic blue box. Continuing with the theme of the Doctor's guilt, and the dismantling of his Universal acclaim, this followed on well from the events of The Girl Who Waited and the Ponds' growing realisation that you can't always rely on the Doctor. Although Matt Smith was on top form throughout, it was during this and the final scene that he shone the brightest, revealing a glimpse into the Doctor's inner torment and vulnerability.

Concluding with a sombre farewell to the Ponds, the Doctor goes off to travel on his own once again. With the guilt of putting so many companions at risk just to feed his vanity, he leaves them with the best life he could give them outside of travelling in the TARDIS - an ideal townhouse and Rory's dream car.

Again, though, the River Song situation has been somewhat brushed over. Perhaps Amy and Rory have gone through the grief of their baby being abducted, growing up alongside her as a childhood friend without realising who she was, off screen. It just feels a little disjointed to me that the only mention of River since Let's Kill Hitler is Amy saying “if you bump into my daughter, tell her to visit her old mum sometime.”

Is this the last we'll see of Amy and Rory? I doubt it. If it is, then the departure Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill will be a sad loss for the series, and personally I think they deserved more of a send off than a slightly teary goodbye...

But that's fine, because they'll be back (he said, confidently)!

If you missed The God Complex, it is available on iPlayer here.

Raindance Film Festival: Hollow

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.

Generally speaking, the things that scare me most are unexpectedly high utility bills and Janet Street-Porter, but I do have a weakness for psychological horror films. Not the in-your-face horrors of films like Saw, but the kind of fear that lurks at the back of your mind, nudging and prodding your unconscious, much like walking home alone late at night down a hauntingly empty alleyway. This is the kind of horror that Hollow achieves.

The first thing that strikes you about the piece is that it’s filmed entirely from the perspective of a video camera. It’s a bold move, one which has worked well for the likes of Cloverfield, and certainly feels like the perfect way to convey Hollow's narrative. Depicting two couples embarking on a weekend trip to the countryside, the story takes a sinister turn, embellished with ominous folklore and the complex character dynamics of the foursome. Scripted and produced by Matthew Holt, Hollow is an incredibly atmospheric film that draws you in from the outset.

As both a psychological horror and a character drama, the piece hinges strongly on the believability of the cast. With the combination of superb acting and sublime dialogue, along with the video camera perspective too, Hollow absolutely excels in portraying this group of friends in a chilling and engrossing narrative that's guaranteed to unnerve you. It takes a fair amount for something to scare me (I blame this relative immunity on my father for introducing me to the Alien films when I was eight! Having said that, though, I was terrified of the goblins in Noddy when I was four...), and although I can't profess to being truly terrified, I was definitely aware of a lurking sense of uneasiness throughout, a sense that grew more and more prominent towards the end!

It's exactly that kind of tantalising horror that I enjoy – the fear of knowing that something's going to happen any minute now, but it just keeps maliciously not happening. There's no release from that impending fear, and the tension continues to mount...

It's no mystery, then, as to why Hollow is nominated for Best Feature Film at Raindance Film Festival - an accolade it's more than deserving of. As I remarked immediately on exiting the auditorium, grinning moronically at Michael Axelgaard, director of Hollow, “thank f**k it's still light outside!”

If you're attending Raindance this year, this is one film you absolutely must not miss! For more information of Hollow, please click here.

Raindance Film Festival: How to Start a Revolution

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.

With the recent struggles in Syria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, it is now more than ever evident that people oppressed by dictatorial regimes have the power to claim back their lives and their freedom from their rulers. These primarily non-violent revolutions (Libya excluded) have reshaped the face of many nations across the globe and, whether people know it or not, these movements bear the hallmarks of the writings of Gene Sharp.

How to Start a Revolution documents the work of Gene Sharp, founder of the Albert Einstein Institute and author of From Dictatorship to Democracy, a thinker who propagates the dream of freedom to otherwise oppressed nations. His ideas and theories of non-violent protest and civil disobedience have helped bring this freedom to former dictatorships, inspiring revolution and unity among the oppressed, and bringing about new found liberties.

Sharp's ideas have been incorporated across the globe, reshaping oppressive governments and bringing power to the people through peaceful means. With his work being linked to the revolutions in Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus Lithuania, and more recently in Syria, Tunisia and Egypt, it's clear that Sharp's influence has the power to change the face of the Earth. His writings have even gained him notoriety with many of the politicians they seek to overthrow, to the extent that two print shops that had dared to publish his writings were burnt down. Despite this, his word finds a way of reaching those who desire change, and help to inspire and galvanise revolution.

From the disturbing images of undue violence under dictatorial regimes and clips from the Korea and Vietnam wars, to the inspiring footage of tens of thousands of people in non-violent protest against their governments and snippets from interviews with Gene Sharp and his associates, How to Start a Revolution is a powerful and moving piece about the struggle for freedom that so many people face, and how the non-violent alternative is the best approach to bringing down dictatorships.

His 198 methods of non-violent protest literally are revolutionary, indicating that the fight for freedom needn't be fought with weapons, but with unity and justice. Gene Sharp is truly a shining exemplar for humanity, and although his work is not fully appreciated in our time, I hope that his legacy will one day go down in the history books as the man who helped liberate the oppressed and reshaped the civilisations of the world.

If you get a chance to see this documentary, I would highly recommend it. For more information on How to Start a Revolution, please click here.

Doctor Who - The Girl Who Waited Review

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.

Amelia Pond, the girl who waited... In this highly emotional episode, Tom MacRae's The Girl Who Waited took us to a weird world of parallel time streams, lethal doses of kindness, and a difficult choice for Rory...

Arriving on Apalapucia - voted number two planet in the top ten greatest destinations for the discerning intergalactic traveller – the Doctor, Amy and Rory are set for a spot of sight-seeing, only to discover that the entire world is under quarantine due to a virulent plague that only effects species with two hearts – not a brilliant start to a holiday! If the Doctor were to set foot in the facility, he'd be dead within a day, and although this infection won't harm either Amy or Rory, the well-meaning Handbots' attempt to medicate them almost certainly would. Adding to the problems, soon after arriving on Apalapucia, Amy is separated from Rory and the Doctor by a quirk of the Apalapucian Kindness facility, and finds herself caught in a parallel time stream. In a bid to rescue her, the Doctor and Rory attempt to break through the time barrier and find Amy before the Handbots do.

Having successfully breached the parallel time stream, Rory ventures out into the facility to locate his wife, whilst the Doctor stays in the TARDIS – away from the plague. It's not long before Rory finds her - or rather, she finds him - but she's now 36 years into her future, still trapped in the Kindness facility, and less than pleased that she'd been abandoned there. However, it becomes clear that there's still a chance to save Amy before her 36 years of hell, and Rory is left with a difficult choice: To save the older Amy now after her time in the facility, or to try and rescue her past-self shortly after she got caught in the time stream, essentially killing the other Amy and erasing her from existence...

The Girl Who Waited is another prime example of a strong stand-alone adventure, and for a relatively Doctor-lite episode it had an engaging plotline. There were chances throughout for it to become overly complex and convoluted, but it maintained an easy to follow narrative without unnecessarily over-complicating things. As the episode contained only a handful of Handbots and the facility's interface, the story was purely driven by the relationships between the three main characters, exploring the unbreakable love between Amy and Rory, and how travelling with the Doctor can often go awry. This, as with Let's Kill Hitler, followed on nicely from A Good Man Goes To War, with the Doctor having to face his demons and come to terms with the guilt of how travelling with him has effected his companions.

As the main focus of the episode, Karen Gillan provided an absolutely fantastic performance as the older Amy. Wrought with the bottled-up emotions of being left to fend for herself in this facility for 36 years and the bitter resentment towards the Doctor for leaving her behind, she was a far cry from the Amy Pond we're familiar with, and certainly stands out as one of her best performances to date on Doctor Who.

As with Night Terrors, there was very little in the way of the overall series arc in this episode with no mention of River, or the Silence, although I do wonder if the Doctor saying “sometimes knowing your own future is what enables you to change it,” will somehow be pertinent to saving him from his fate on the shore of Lake Silencio.... 

Overall, The Girl Who Waited is an incredible blend of Science Fiction and personal drama, packed with sublime characterisation and a wealth of emotion. If you missed the episode, it can be seen on iPlayer here.

Doctor Who - Night Terrors Review

This review can also be found on Step2Inspire.

Scripted by Mark Gatiss - the brilliant mind behind other Who stories such as The Unquiet Dead, The Idiot's Lantern, and Victory of the Daleks - Night Terrors sees the Doctor return to contemporary Earth, investigating the scariest place in the Universe... The bedroom of an eight year old boy; George. Filled with humour, tension and a constant sense of uneasiness, Gatiss's adventure is certainly best described as bizarre and creepy!

After receiving a mysterious psychic distress signal, the Doctor and co travel to present-day Earth in search of whoever – or whatever – sent the message. The sender turns out to be George, a haunted child who's terrified of almost everything, including a rather sinister cupboard (which does not contain Hitler). Everything George is ever afraid of goes in the cupboard, and is subsequently the place where most of the terrors manifest themselves.

With Amy and Rory suddenly separated from the Doctor and trapped in a dark and foreboding house, they are left to fend for themselves as they're hunted by the creepiest dolls since Pipkins was on the air (and that ended about a decade before I was born; such is the potency of Pipkins' terror!). Meanwhile, the Doctor and George's dad, Alex (Danny Mays), endeavour to find out what it is that makes this little boy's cupboard so terrifying, and bring an end to the nightmares...

Night Terrors keeps you in suspense throughout, preparing you to jump at any second, but it just keeps you waiting in anticipation... With a continuous sense of uneasiness lurking in the back of the mind, every moment felt as if there was something hanging in the air waiting to pounce, exuding an atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat. My favourite kind of fear!

Of course, bringing this fear to life was George, played by Jamie Oram. Given his incredibly young age, Oram produced a fantastic performance and – judging by footage from behind the scenes – is full of energy and enthusiasm, completely in his element on set. A natural actor and certainly one to watch out for in the future.

After the recent story-arc based episodes, it was a pleasant change to have something that felt like more of a stand-alone adventure. With the exception of the very last minute, which foreshadows the Doctor's imminent death with a rather haunting nursery rhyme, Night Terrors is very much a one-off episode without any ties to the current arc. However, it did seem a little odd that Amy and Rory were more interested in exploring time, space and a weird doll-house than what has happened/is happening/will happen to their daughter. This isn't actually a fault with the episode, but more with the schedule, as Night Terrors had originally been billed to air in the first half of the series – prior to the revelations of River Song. Episodically, this probably would have been better off in it's original slot, but that's just a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent episode.

Overall, Mark Gatiss provides a marvellous stand-alone narrative with a genuine sense of the surreal and sinister. Ranging from the haunting exploration of George's fears to the touching finale (which may or may not have made me well-up...), Night Terrors was a return to the traditional staple of Doctor Who – an enjoyable 45-minute adventure, where even the most mundane and domestic of objects can be scary. If I were still eight (and to an extent, I still am!), I would have certainly been having a sleepless night after that!

If you missed Night Terrors, it's available on iPlayer here.