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From Life (2018)
Excellent Intelligent Short Ghost Story
This is very well made atmospheric 8 minute ghost story set in a historic churchyard in Hampstead, London. The story is clever and I did not work it out.
It is about an artist who likes to sit and draw in the churchyard. He (Tom Ashley) sees an attractive young lady (Emma Laird) from an earlier time-period and draws her. She fades in and out of the picture in ghostly fashion. Eventually she sees his drawings and speaks to him, and he is suprised when she does.
In the end, all is revealed and the film finishes with a pertient message putting the humanity into perspective.
For a lady dressed in 19th Century clothing, something I found odd was that she addressed him as Godfrey Williams, rather than the more formal Mr Williams. This may be technically correct if she, with her upper class dress and voice was talking to someone of lower class.
There are some Easter Eggs in this film which actually give away the timeframe, and which I completely overlooked. Carefully watch and listen when the gardener appears.
Well acted and well filmed. The atmosphere of the film is also enhanced by music from.Lindsay Wright and excellent drawings by Andrei Riabovitchev.
Future Boyfriend (2016)
Excellent short romantic science fiction film
This is a really nice romantic time-travel short film and one of my favourites.
We start by seeing Stuart take Kaylie to dinner at a restaurant. Some of his behaviour is rather strange, but as the story unfolds it all makes sense. I like some
of Emily Bell's facial expressions when she reacts to what he knows about her.
Imagine someone came from the future to tell you that all your hopes and dreams for your entire life would fail to materialise and would end up with a lonely existence, as happens to Kaylie here. An opportunity to change your future would be a preferable choice, no matter how bizarre.
The only thing I found silly was the 2D human hologram reminiscent of Quantum Leap, so less one mark.
If you like short science fiction films like this, another excellent one is "A Purgatory Story".
A Purgatory Story (2019)
One of the best Omeleto short films
This is an excellent short film. The plot is highly original although a little surreal, which means you are not quite sure which way it is going. One of unusual things about this film is that there are no words spoken at all, instead relying on just subtitles and moods set by an original music score by Charles Harvey Spears.
So, have you ever wondered what Purgatory is like? Gerard (Joey Long) has been there since 1903 and has a tedious commute to a dull callcentre job, in this case answering ouija board questions. He is not allowed to quit and promotion is very very slow. His day starts with the alarm clock going off (love the time on the clock!), same clothes, dreadful breakfast, stuck in traffic then spends most of his day waiting for something to happen. Basically, not much has changed since he was on Earth.
The turning point occurs when he establishes a relationship by ouija board with a lady called Claire (Joana Metrass). We don't know much about her, but presumably she is seeking communication with the other side because she has lost someone dear to her. This dialogue becomes key to them both moving forwards.
The only problem with this film might be if you have eyesight problems as reading the subtitles is key.
There are many good short films by Omeleto, and in my opinion this is one of the best. My other favourite is "Future Boyfriend".
The Perfect Date (2019)
Not earth-shattering but a pleasant Netflix film.
Here we meet Brooks (Noah Centineo), who agrees to take Celia (Laura Marano) on a date for money. This prompts Brooks sets up an app service to provide the "perfect date", who dresses, acts and speaks exactly to order. We see him play a number of diverse roles. I particularly liked him as one of the most unsuitable boyfriends you could imagine and every parent's nightmare!
This film does follow a similar plot to "She's All That", right down to the leading ladies' hairstyles. In that film, the bet was to turn the dowdiest girl in school, the very outwardly vulnerable Laney Boggs (played by Rachel Leigh Cook) into the prom Queen. By contrast in "The Perfect Date", the female lead Celia is very assertive and feminist, at least on the face of it.
Both Centineo and Marano are well cast in their roles. They are also very good at annoying each other, which provides scope for the intelligent script writers to insert sharp retorts. Going through the movie you see their relationship building in gentle steps and the realisation of his best friend Murph that they are in fact a close couple. The fake break-up scene is somewhat overacted by Centineo and Marano looks genuinely to be upset by his breach of confidence, perhaps recalling a real-life situation?
Although this is a rom-com, there are two serious themes behind this movie, the first being teenage insecurities and the second being true to yourself. These explain the behaviour of the protagonists and the resulting outcomes. I liked the placement of Brooks' young gay friend Murph. To be fair, I would not like to be a teenager again - so much media pressure and expectations, but not the experience to make objective decisions about your own future.
If you have seen Laura Marano in "Cinderella Christmas", her role here is much more serious.
Not earth-shattering, but overall a pleasant Netflix film. Look forwards to watching it again next year so can look out for the small details.
Jingle Around the Clock (2018)
Slow and Disappointing
Slow and Disappointing
For some reason, this movie does not seem to work, possibly because there are too many weak strands. After the usual stock shots of Chicago, it starts OK, but then seems to drag and feels about 15 minutes too long.
It stars Brooke Nevin putting forwards a marketing campaign with enforced last minute changes. She is also being interviewed for a Directorship. Michael Cassidy plays her East Coast competitor and love interest.We never find out if she did gets the job. It is all about work, not about Christmas.
At one point Brooke Nevin claims she cannot skate, which seems odd for someone who is Canadian.
Overall, slow and disappointing. Won't watch this one again.
The Perfect Christmas Present (2017)
One of the Better Christmas Movies
Most films begin with loads of titles, stock footage etc, all of which make you want to change channel. Unusually and to its credit, this film hooked me from the beginning with some interesting facts about snowflakes and an introduction into the leading man Tom's work. His job is to research and find the perfect present for the partner of his (clueless) client.
Not only is this film entertaining, but there is food for thought in terms of a serious theme. When buying a present for your other half, do you really know enough about them to get them exactly what they want?
There are only four principal players in this movie - Jenny, her unreliable boyfriend Paul, Tom and socialite Victoria.
Tara Holt is excellent as leading lady Jenny, demonstrating a wide range of emotions, facial expressions and matching body language. When she inevitably kisses Tom (this is Hallmark), it really looks like her heart is racing. When she is upset with Tom, she looks upset. I also liked her boyfriend Paul (Sam Guinan-Nyhart), who ropes his faternity buddy Tom into the job of finding a present for Jenny.
Leading man Tom (played by Sam Page) is trying not to get involved with Sarah for professional reasons, which means his chemistry with her is not quite as good as it could be.
Victoria (played by Emily Peterson) is comfortable as an attractive socialite who would like to sink her claws into Tom. My favourite scene comes at about 24 minutes when Victoria is telling Jenny and Tom about the history of her old house. This is a piece of unexpected, nicely written script.
In the end, Tom does find the perfect present for Jenny, but not something material like a car or jewellry, but is instead something personal to her.
The only negative I have is that I found the final scene to be cheesy and over-acted.
Overall, one of the better Hallmark Christmas films and will watch again next year.
Secret Millionaire (2018)
Very watchable and pleasant way to spend an evening
Steve Lund is good as Sean Payton, the son of a millionaire businessman trying for the last 10 years to avoid working for his forceful businessman father. Michael Kopsa is excellent in this role and when people call him Mr Payton, it is as if they wouldn't dare to call him William to his face.
Siobhan Williams plays protestor Alisson Johnson, who is active against the Paytons' scheme to level a park. Yes, she comes over well as being bruised and vulnerable, but I really struggled to find any chemistry between her and Sean. Perhaps it is because he is much taller than her, making interactions difficult?
On the other hand, Elise Gatien is convincing as the predatory female Candice, with matching body language showing she finds Sean attractive. There is a nice little twist near the end when we find out what her true motives are.
A distraction to the main flow of the plot is Alisson's housemate Beth (played by Allie Bertram) trying to make her mind up between the reliable Caden (played by Adam DiMarco) and the charming Pascal (played by Ben Sullivan).
I found Jaime Callica as Sean's best friend Jared to come over as not being serious enough for someone like Sean. Did like the scene where Alisson's boss Antonia (played by Karen Holness) lays into Sean. Yes, bosses do that.
However, for me, the best part of the film is the last 10 minutes where the father-son relationship and their motivations are explored, which brings the various strands of the film neatly together.
Overall, a very watchable and pleasant Hallmark film.