Killing Gunther Review

The Plot

An assassin assembles a madcap team of killers with the purpose of taking out the world’s most elusive and notorious hitman ‘Gunther’, allowing him to take his place as the world’s best killer and settle a personal score in the process. In order to ensure they have proof of their accomplishment the team force a documentary crew to follow them at all times. But things don’t quite go to plan as the cameras keep rolling.

The Good

Killing Gunther follows the well-established mockumentary template, following a team of delusional and inept killers on an increasingly disastrous series of misadventures. While much of what happens is equally predicable and silly, there’s certainly no lack of screwball enthusiasm from the cast.

Writer, director and leading man Taram Killam clearly has passion for the project. His performance as chain smoking hitman Blake lurches violently between cool guy swagger and pathetic, with fairly amusing consequence. The film is populated by a fairly familiar host of villainous assassins with an eager cast doing their best to work frequent laughs out of their murderous misfortunes.

If you enjoyed John Cusack and Dan Aykroyd’s 90’s hitman caper Grosse Pointe Blank then it’s a fairly good indicator that you’ll enjoy the silly macabre tone of Killing Gunther. It’s easy to see how Killam’s emotionally fragile smartly dressed hitman, pining over his ex-girlfriend while doing battle with rival killers may well have been directly inspired by Cusack’s memorable performance.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the kind of iconic big screen star that can elevate any film instantly into something far more entertaining and fun than it really has any right to be. While his recent work has veered in more serious and subtle directions since his return to acting, fans will welcome seeing him cut loose in a bonkers comedy role for a change. Whether he’s butchering country and western music or shamelessly parading famous one liners and silly outfits,  he’s clearly having plenty of fun. Even if it is mostly at his own expense.

The Bad

Arnold Schwarzenegger fans may feel disappointed that while the action megastar does play the titular ‘Gunther’, his actual presence on screen is limited to such an extent that it almost amounts to just an ‘extended cameo’. In addition to being noticeably brief it’s also arguably one of Schwarzenegger’s most unashamedly silly performances, quite a feat in a career that has included playing a pregnant man. While some will enjoy this performance as self-aware comedy gold others might make the case it’s just authentically awful. Either way it’s certainly not the triumphant action hero return many fans are forlornly yearning for.

Aside from Schwarzenegger’s odd turn the film goes through the motions of a fairly generic mockumentary. By now audiences may be a little overly familiar with the predictable punchlines and the film never rises to the high standards of memorable cult classics like Spinal Tap or Drop Dead Gorgeous. The film lacks the quotable genius and quirky originality of those films, even if it does have more splashes of action mayhem.

The Ugly Truth

Killing Gunther should appeal to fans of screwball black comedy and dedicated Arnie addicts. Schwarzenegger’s unashamedly self-deprecating turn and healthy bursts of black comedy keep this cinematic oddity watchable. An undeniably acquired taste with an evidently modest budget, Killing Gunther is the epitome of quirky cult filmmaking.

Review by Russell Nelson

BAFTA Games Awards 2018 Nominations

Into Film Awards 2018 Winners

Young filmmakers from across the UK were recognised today as film education charity Into Film announced the recipients of its 4^thannual Into Film Awards.  The Awards pay tribute to outstanding 5 – 19 year olds from across the UK who have demonstrated exceptional achievements in filmmaking and film reviewing. Hosted by Into Film and supported by the BFI through National Lottery funding, the young filmmakers were honoured at a star-studded red-carpet ceremony at BFI Southbank.

Hundreds of young people from across the UK submitted their own short films and film reviews to be considered in the Awards, with nominations exploring a wide range of themes and issues including bullying, history, and immigration. The short films were created and produced by young people as individuals or as part of a wider group in schools, colleges or youth groups.  The non-filmmaking categories – the film clubs of the year, reviewers of the year and teacher of the year – recognised creative use of film as an educational tool in school.

Winners hail from across the UK, with young people from Wales, North Yorkshire, Devon, Scotland, Northumberland, Bradford, Northern Ireland and London being recognised for their achievements, encouraging them towards the development of their learning and future film careers. Finally, as voted by the young  reader’s of First News, the beloved bear from Peru scooped the First News’ Best Family Film of the Year Award for Paddington 2.

The Awards not only highlight the creative talents of young people across the UK, but also aim to re-address the gender and diversity balance within the film industry by activity seeking and encouraging young people from all backgrounds to immerse themselves in film and filmmaking, opening the door for a more diverse pool of talent to seek careers within the film industry.  Among the winners were two all-female groups of filmmakers – Swyn and Still Life, where the participants undertook a range of roles including director, producers, editors, screenwriters, cinematographers and costume designers.

The 2018 Into Film Awards winners are:

Best Live Action by 12s and Under, sponsored by Sony Pictures Entertainment - Presented by Gemma Arterton

Swyn - Dyffryn Nantlle Film Club, Gwynedd, Wales.

Best Live Action by 13s and Over, sponsored by Cineworld Cinemas - Presented by Martin Freeman

The Heart of the City - Adam – Westminster, London

Best Animation by 12s and Under, sponsored by Disney - Presented by Kevin Guthrie & Alexa Davies

The Great Escape by Willowmann Producations / Braunston Primary School.

Best Animation by 13s and Over, sponsored by Mr and Mrs Meyer - Presented by Georgina Campbell & Rosie Day

Ashta and the Dragon – Jude Rogers, age 13 from London.

Best Documentary, sponsored by Paramount Pictures - Presented by Susan Wokoma & Craig Roberts

Still Life - Amy, Rowan, Freya, Rebecca - Northumberland

Club of the Year – 12 and Under, sponsored by Warner Brothers Creative Talent - Presented by Katie Leung & Fionn O’Shea

Horton Park Primary School – Bradford, West Yorkshire

Club of the Year – 13 and Over, sponsored by United Agents - Presented by Will Poulter & Gwendoline Christie

Coleg Sir Gar – Camarthenshire, Wales

Educator of the Year, sponsored by Working Title Films - Presented by Justine Simons OBE & Tom Davis

Suzanne Cohen - Camden Summer University, London

Ones to Watch sponsored by EON Productions - Presented by George MacKay & Hermione Corfield

Krizzah Policarpio (17) from Belfast who was nominated by her teacher, Tracy Rossborough, for her directing, scriptwriting, camera work, editing, film reviewing, and film reporting
Ryan Ogden (18) from Tyne and Wear, who was nominated by teacher Daniel Clifford for his directing, scriptwriting, camera work, editing, and film reviewing
Emily Fisher (16) from Northamptonshire, who was nominated by her teacher Paul Balmer for her superlative skills behind the camera.

Review of the Year, sponsored by IMDb  - Presented by Rhianna Dhillon & Tomiwa Edun

Spirited Away by Fletcher, aged 10, from Fairview Primary in Gillingham

Best Family Film of the Year, in association with First News - Presented by Kevin Barron MP & Emily Berrington

Paddington 2

Into Film Awards 2018 Interviews

Red Carpet News TV spoke to winners and VIP guests at this year’s Into Film Awards ceremony in London at the BFI Southbank. The ceremony rewards young filmmakers from across the country in a range of categories including live action, documentary, animation and teaching.

VIP Interviews also include George MacKay, Susan Wokoma, Craig Roberts, Katie Leung, Georgina Campbell, Fionn O’Shea, Rosie Day, Hermione Corfield, Tomiwa Edun, Gemma Cairney, Rhianna Dhillon, Justine Simons and Tom Davis.

Check out the exclusive video interviews below: 

Peter Rabbit Review

The Plot

Peter Rabbit and his family of mischievous bunnies are determined to reclaim their vegetable patch from the evil McGregor family. But just when their daring tricks seem to have finally won their land back for good, a new McGregor arrives to spoil their fun.

The Good

Beatrix Potter’s animal creations are timeless childhood favourites that have spanned generations. Despite utilising the latest CGI effects this big screen adventure perfectly captures all of the whimsical beauty of Potter’s ironically illustrated tales. Perfectly clad in tiny jackets, pinafore aprons and dresses the animal inhabitants of Potter’s tales have retained every inch of their famous charm. The film’s bucolic English countryside setting likewise provides a perfect backdrop for a world quintessentially British and timeless.

James Corden continues his unstoppable meteoric rise by providing a sensationally well matched performance as titular hero Peter Rabbit. The actor turned talk show host manages to imbue Peter with just the right mix of naughty recklessness and genuine heart. Surrounding his star turn is a simply amazing supporting cast, with each familiar beloved character brought to life with note perfect vocal performances.

Special praise in particular goes to the all-star trio of Margot Robbie, Elizabeth Debicki and Daisy Ridley as the bickering bunny siblings Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail. It’s hard to imagine anything more relentlessly amusing and charming than this winning combination. Margot Robbie deserves special praise for doubling up with narrator duties in a flawless English accent. Daisy Ridley also goes a long way to proving her comic timing and establishing a character range wider than ‘too perfect’ Jedi heroes.

The film’s ‘human’ stars Domhnall Gleeson and Rose Byrne are both on magnificent form as the occasionally mean spirited Thomas McGregor and the Bunny family’s faithful friend Bea. Gleeson does a great job of adapting the high strung Mr McGregor into a nasty villain and a romantic hero as the story requires. Rose Byrne likewise effortlessly bubbles throughout with the kind of sweet natured charisma only truly found in the very best children’s stores.

As is seemingly standard for modern revivals of beloved children’s characters, this new version of Peter Rabbit incorporates a soundtrack of instantly familiar pop songs. While this might initially seem like a potentially jarring juxtaposition with Potter’s well defined world, in truth it actually works out wonderfully. Each song used is thankfully well chosen and integrated into the film in surprisingly effective ways.

Director and co-writer Will Gluck combines each well-chosen element of his cast, soundtrack and animation with a script that captures the true spirit of Peter Rabbit. The film manages to fuse every aspect of Potter’s iconic heroes with an irrepressibly funny and sincere script. Packed with genuinely amusing slapstick comedy, memorable one liners and gentle moral lessons this is a rare gift of a film.

The Bad

Judged within the context of a children’s film there is simply no flaw worth mentioning. This adaptation of Peter Rabbit simply could not be any better.

The Ugly Truth

A truly magnificent combination of modern animation, brilliant voice acting and joyously fun writing breathe new life into Beatrix Potter’s utterly beloved characters. Peter Rabbit is a perfect piece of cinema magic that will leave children and adults alike equally delighted.

Review by Russell Nelson