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Righteous Villains directed by
Savvas D Michael in 2020.
"Before the apocalypse there will be a war".         
All images from the film.
Creation Stories from 2021,
directed by Nick Moran. The story of Alan McGee and Creation
Records, the independent label of Jesus and the Mary Chain, Primal
Scream, Oasis and many others. "“… raised in a violent Glasgow household, McGee was 19 when he jumped on a train to London with his mate and fellow punk-rock fan Andrew Innes. There, they formed the band The Laughing Apples, releasing three singles (one under their own label, Essential Records) over two years. Around the same time the band split in 1983, McGee quit his job as a ticket inspector at British Rail and co-founded Creation Records with Dick Green and Joe Foster… McGee was, in his own words, “a f***ing chancer”… McGee thought it would be funny if he turned up unannounced [at King Tut’s in Glasgow], as did Oasis, who demanded to play despite not being booked. McGee then intervened in a bust-up with the bouncers and convinced the promoter to let them play four songs. After they were finished, McGee marched over and offered to sign them on the spot. By then, Creation Records already had a reputation with growing successful rock acts including The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine. Noel Gallagher said yes" (Alan McGee interviewed by Roisin O’Connor, The Independent, 14 Mar 2021, click here). Mcgee as a youth is played by Richard Jobson and as an adult played by Ewen Bremner.  The young McGee feels stifled by family with his parents and sisters in Glasgow.  
The father (Richard Jobson) in his freemason costume,
tells McGee he looks ridiculous in his punk clothes.
 Perhaps a ticket inspector was not the best job for McGee.  In one touching scene his mother secretly gives him money saying "Get started, you follow your dream".   The film alternates between his upbringing in Glasgow to the discovery of bands in London and Manchester, and the glamorous but vacuous life in Los Angeles with an interview providing a framework for flashbacks.   Steven Berkoff appears on the television in a documentary as devil worshipper Aleister Crowley. 
Then he is part of
McGee's drug induced hallucination. He
provides McGee with advice (actually banal) and
disappears. The role is small and insignificant.
Berkoff previously provided the voice-over
as Crowley for the television film The
Wickedest Man in the World.
McGee reflects on the experience.
 "... the frenetic pacing, intended to sweep the audience along, can’t draw attention away from Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh’s platitude-riddled script. Their key message, to “be a rebel, always”, as underscored in a Trainspotting-lite speech that closes out the film, feels oddly generic" (Simran Hans, The Guardian, 20 Mar 2021, click here). Director Nick Moran previously acted in Rancid Aluminium as did Berkoff. Cinematography was by Roberto Schaefer and Film Editing by Emma Gaffney. The film has 26 executive producers (two of which are companies). To assist their heavy workload (!) there are three co-executive producers and one associate producer. There are only six producers. As a comparison Avatar had two executive producers, two producers, two co-producers and one associate producer.  All images from the film.
Alice Through the Looking, directed by Adam Donen, another first time director.
"Alice stumbles into a bizarre "post brexit" version of London in this provocative satire, inspired by Lewis Carroll's novels".
Images from the trailer of the film and the film website here.
Exorcist Vengeance from 2021 directed and produced by Scott Jeffrey and Rebecca J Matthews. Filmed on location in London and Surrey.
A cheap The Exorcist clone, with a particularly poor possession.
The victims pile up.
The classic Peter Cushing pose.
Robert Bronzi stars as the priest Father Josef. Bronzi speaks with a heavy accent but it lacks the clipped mysticism of say Bela Lugosi in Dracula ("children of the night"). He is also a Charles Bronson look-alike (Bronson right from a stock image) and the hair and moustache indicate it is something he cultivates. Father Josef uses a gun (is this useful against a demon?) and starts fist fights. He also does not say grace before meals- missed minor details in the script like this remove personality from the film.
He is also a surrogate Bronson in other films, look how he holds the gun (left from Robert Bronzi website click here, right Charles Bronson stock image).
Father Josef has a back story- here the grave of his wife- which could have been used more, instead it is glossed over. "For a possession film to be successful, it must have an original viewpoint, lest it be a poorly made carbon copy of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973). Whilst Exorcist Vengeance certainly seems to be an ode to Friedkin’s horror masterpiece, it unfortunately falls a little bit short when it comes to the actual demonic exorcist factor. Lacking any sort of demonic lore or factual rites of exorcism knowledge, it feels a little bit two dimensional" (Ygraine Hackett-Cantabrana, Ghouls Magazine online, 13 Feb 2022, click here)
Berkoff plays a Vatican representative Bishop Canelo who may or may not have ulterior motives. His brief appearances (presumably a days work) are good. The screenplay is by Matthew B.C. (sic) and Jeff Miller with some mechanical writing- "How long do you intend on staying" / "As long as it takes". As well as using a gun and initiating fights, Father Josef doesn't bother saying grace at meals. Missed details like these could have helped build up the character. Cinematography is by Callum Mills (his first feature film) and editing by Tom Bache and Gabriel Hunt.
Presumably they forgot fake number plates so had to remove the number post filming.
All images from the film unless otherwise stated.
Prizefighter- The Life of Jem Belcher from 2022. "James 'Jem' Belcher (1781-1811) was born in Bristol and went into the butchers trade before finding his true flair as a boxer. Despite his lack of training, he was a natural fighter and at the age of just 19 had defeated champion boxers to mark himself as one of the most admired prizefighters of the time. Famed for his speed ('You heard his blows, you did not see them'), he was unbeaten until he lost an eye playing at rackets in 1803. He was renowned for his handsome looks, impeccable manners and eccentric boxing style which involved telling jokes to his opponents at the bloodiest moments of combat" (National Portrait Gallery, no date, click here).
Left from The Prizefighter, right The Potato Eaters by Van Gogh
"Much is made of Jem’s good looks, so the fact that Hookings looks more like Zac Efron than Stallone is duly accounted for. In fact, the director Daniel Graham goes to great pains to make his movie look as pretty as the period will allow, with no shaft of sunlight overlooked. There is a plethora of filters, plunging the palette from ochre to sepia with a doggedness that would have made Rembrandt proud" (James Cameron-Wilson, Film Review, nd, click here).
"... everything about Graham’s film is stated in capital letters, so that the acting looks like acting and the dialogue sounds like dialogue. Pity poor Steven Berkoff who has to deliver a line like, 'embrace the sovereignty of your own mind!'(James Cameron-Wilson, Film Review, nd, click here).
Prizefighter passes through Belcher's life from childhood though of course boxing dominates the film. However though many scenes, such as training, have already been covered in the same way Rocky, in fact the film could be an artistic nineteenth century Rocky. "But despite the film’s historical interest, it plays like a Carry On film without the gags, and the way it is shot makes it look like a coffee commercial. Russell Crowe rumbles and grumbles and grins his way through the small role of Jem’s mighty grandfather Jack Slack, whose bareknuckle exploits inspire the saucer-eyed lad, and Jodhi May has the deeply thankless role of Jem’s sorrowing mum, disapproving of her son’s boxing destiny with a face like a wet Wednesday" (Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, 20 Jul 2022, click here). From a boxing perspective "For the most part, ‘Prizefighter’ has been well worth the long wait. The film has many virtues. It is well paced and covers the major beats of Belcher’s career with heart and a fair amount of style. The fight sequences are professionally executed and manage to convey the violent reality of boxing, while neither glamourising nor condemning the sport... The film’s biggest virtue – however – is its stellar and accomplished cast. Crowe perfectly captures the dangerous charisma, but also the drunken excesses, of Belcher’s grandfather Jack Slack, himself a former champion of England, while Winstone excels as Bill Warr, Belcher’s trainer, lending the role grizzled and earthy charm." (Luke G Williams, Boxing Social, 24 July 2022, click here).
All images from the film unless otherwise stated.
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