209. Kapoor & Sons (Since 1921); movie review

KAPOOR AND SONS (SINCE 1921)
Cert 12A
132 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, accident scene

Nobody does family dramas quite like Bollywood and Kapoor And Sons has all the elements of love, jealousy and betrayal.
And it also boasts Alia Bhatt among its cast.
I have been a fan of Bhatt's since her breakthrough as a young woman who fell in love with her kidnapper in Highway.
Since then I have admired how she injects an extra level of life into any project she tackles.
Here she plays an event organiser who flirts with two estranged brothers (Fawad Afzal Khan and Sidharth Malhotra) who have been called back from abroad to India after their grandfather (Rishi Kapoor) suffers a heart attack.
The family reunion around their ailing relative is a disaster, partially because the younger brother is disenchanted at the attention given to his older sibling.
Much of Sakun Batra's picture surrounds the verbal and even physical jousting of the two men but it also probes for skeletons in the closet of their parents (Rajat Kapoor and Ratna Pathak).
Despite it going over similar ground to many Bolly family dramas, Kapoor & Sons has a sting which kept me engrossed.
Khan and Malhotra are spiky as the two young men who sense injustice for completely different reasons while Kapoor and Pathak have their parental certainties whittled away as the film goes on..
But it is Bhatt and Kapoor who steal the movie. She is a wispy delight while he is elderly but impish.
Much of Kapoor & Sons' success might be down to its attractive cast and backdrop but significant credit should be given to its writers, Batra and Ayesha Devitre Dhillon.
They have created a film which surprises until its end.

Reasons to watch: Engrossing family drama
Reasons to avoid: It's a bit stretched

Laughs: none
Jumps: one
Vomit: yes
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 8/10

Star tweet

Karan Johar ‏@karanjohar  Mar 21

Overwhelmed with the response to #KapoorAndSons ...@shakunbatra is the man!! So proud of him and the entire cast and crew! Thank you to all

208. Colours Of The Alphabet; movie review

COLOURS OF THE ALPHABET
Cert TBA
80 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

In Western states we take it for granted that the native population has the opportunity to be taught in its own language.
But that is not the case for 40 per cent of the world's children.
And in some countries, lessons are taught in a combination of TWO languages which have to be learned.
Alastair Cole highlights the issue after spending a year with a primary school class in rural Zambia.
Cole focuses on three small children, Steward, Elizabeth and M'Barak who have to contend with the language issue as well as all of the usual social and educational challenges of first school.
The official language of Zambia is English and parents interviewed in Cole's film recognise that their offspring will only be able to aspire to significant careers if they understand it.
However, their teacher holds the lesson in English and in an African language which is different to their own.
Thus, schoolchildren are on the backfoot from the very first day and, understandably, struggle to maintain attention in classes in which they only initially understand a small percentage of what is being said.
During Colours Of The Alphabet, children have the usual tears and tantrums that would be expected of year one learners.
But it is clear their chances of progress are stunted because there is no opportunity to learn in their own language.
Cole's film shows the various different barriers they face by using subtitles of each language in different colours. It makes for a startling melting pot.
For centuries, it has been implied that people of the Third World are not as bright as those in developed countries but this documentary reveals the lie behind that presumption.
It is an important piece of work but it is quite repetitive. I felt that interviews with those who shape education policy and a quality narration would have helped give it depth.

Reasons to watch: highlights a world problem which has been below the radar
Reasons to avoid: repetition of the classroom scenes

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10

Star tweet

Alastair Cole ‏@TongueTiedFilms  Mar 12

Looking forward to presenting @AlphabetFilm Our presentation on multilingualism, filmmaking at #LSLive2016. 5.15 in the piazza!

207. Suburra; movie review

SUBURRA
Cert TBA
130 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Goodfellas is one of the favourite films of Mrs W and myself and the Godfather is another mob classic but nobody really makes mafia movies like the Italians.
During Suburra, Stefano Sollima carves apart the world of Italian politics, business and religion in just over two hours of brutal intensity.
He throws open a society of twisted morals in which there is a careless attitude to life and, subsequently, death.
Suburra is focused on connections between organised crime and politics and, in particular, on an MP (Pierfrancesco Favino) whose sexual appetites lead him on a road to ruin.
Sollima's film superbly weaves between the different factions, drawing together the strands of blackmail and betrayal which hold them together.
Its stand-out performances are from those playing the characters who are the most ruthless.
For example; Alessandro Borghi who stars as an wannabe mob leader, Claudio Amendola as one of the men he is trying to oust and  Adamo Dionisi as a ruthless head of a gypsy family
The latter adds a unusual and effective dimension to the dynamic between the various criminal elements in Rome.
Suburra is not for the sensitive. Its violence is extreme and regular and its language is riper than the runniest cheese.
But it is utterly compelling. If you are into gangster movies they don't come much more authentic than this.
The only downside is that I would have liked to have understood more about the background of the central characters.

Reasons to watch: a gritty Roman mafia movie
Reasons to avoid: its brutality

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Star tweet

stefano sollima ‏@StefanoSollima  26 Oct 2015

stefano sollima Retweeted Alessia Onorati

Dopo tanto tempo un film italiano primo della settimana al Box Office, grazie a tutti gli spettatori di #Suburra

206. Florence Foster Jenkins; movie review

FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS
Cert 12A
110 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language, mild sex references

I defy anyone not to laugh out loud while watching and hearing Meryl Streep sing out of tune.
The delusion of a 1940s socialite that she could belt out classical tunes like a diva may seem the most unpromising premise for a movie but, in the hands of director Stephen Frears, and the mesmerising Streep, it is hilarious.
But this is not a film which mocks the memory of the real-life title character.
It is put together with a tenderness which matches its great verve.
If the movie is to be believed, Foster Jenkins was allowed to indulge in her “very happy world” thanks to the tireless cosseting of her husband, St. Clair Bayfield, played by Hugh Grant, who keeps anyone with negative opinions of her singing onside with money or harsh words.
In my opinion, this is Grant’s finest big screen performance.
He translates Bayfield’s deep love for Foster Jenkins and yet somehow avoids it being incongruous to a flawed, wilder side.
Simon Helberg is bursting with nervous laughter as pianist Cosme McMoon who eventually accompanied Foster Jenkins at her famous one-off Carnegie Hall appearance.
But, while Grant and Helberg provide admirable support, there is no doubt that this is Streep’s movie.
She manages to inject a joyous naivety into a character who has been forced to fend off life’s slings and arrows and still emerge triumphant.
And, of her own questionable vocal talent, she remarks with a twinkle: “People may say I can’t sing but no one can ever say I didn’t sing.”

Reasons to watch: A force of nature performance by Meryl Streep
Reasons to avoid: Might be a bit too light for some tastes

Laughs: five
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 9/10 

Star tweet

Simon Helberg ‏@simonhelberg  May 6

My new film #FlorenceFosterJenkins w/Meryl Streep & @HackedOffHugh opens in UK cinemas TODAY! http://po.st/BookFFJ  #HearItToBelieveIt

205. Bad Neighbours 2; movie review

BAD NEIGHBOURS 2
Cert 15
92 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex references, drug misuse

Hot on the heels of the makers of Captain America, trying to squeeze every dollar from a giant franchise, comes a team attempting to do the same on a smaller scale.
In my opinion, the original Bad Neighbours was not funny enough to warrant a sequel but the size of the audience at the screening I attended at Nottingham Cineworld provided enough evidence that I was wrong.
Just to show out of step I must be, the movie begins with one of the most appalling vomit scenes I have ever witnessed.
Puke is horrible and yet scarcely a movie goes by without someone chundering - in this case all over Seth Rogen's face.
Actually, if this gag had to be made, Rogen would have been my perfect target.
He has made stacks of cash from playing the same useless stoner role over and over and here he is AGAIN, enjoying a giant pay day even if it does mean some carrots in his hair.
His unwarranted success is not his fault. It is yours, the paying public who keep watching his movies. The more you turn up, the more you will be delivered Bad Neighbours' sequels and their ilk.
I should add a little perspective: Nicholas Stoller's Bad Neighbours 2 is not Jack And Jill bad. In fact, it made me laugh four times.
But it is lazy. It takes a formula which made lots of money and adds very little.
Instead of boys in a frat house, driving Rogen's character and wife (Rose Byrne) mad, it is an all-girl house.
This time the mayhem is led by Chloe Grace Moretz rather than Zac Efron (who, nevertheless, does reappear) and the nuance is that she leads a group of girls who are fed up with traditional college partying.
In other words, they are kicking against the stereotype of drunken lasses wearing next to nothing and being the playthings of smart-ass boys. Bad Neighbours 2 making a moral point? Apparently, so -between the drug-taking and drinking.
Perhaps I might end up with more satisfaction in my life if I call this blog everyfilmforover50s and delete the likes of Stoller's movie from my schedule and leave the young 'dudes' to enjoy themselves.
Maybe but not...

Reasons to watch: if you are into stoner comedies
Reasons to avoid: goes over the same ground as the original 

Laughs: four
Jumps: none
Vomit: yes
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 5/10

Star tweet

Zac Efron ‏@ZacEfron  May 22

I'm hearing how much some of you are enjoying #Neighbors2, and it makes a so happy. Here's to everyone headed out there tonight!!

204. Captain America - Civil War; movie review

CAPTAIN AMERICA - CIVIL WAR
Cert 12A
147 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence

"Thank goodness, that is over, I spent the last half hour thinking about what I need to buy when I am at Tesco's"
Hardly a ringing endorsement from Mrs W for Captain America which had just blasted from the screens in glorious IMAX.
"But it was much much better than Batman v Superman, wasn't it? ", I offered, plaintively.
"Yes, but that was total rubbish and this wasn't much better."
On this occasion, I had to disagree with her who usually knows best. Captain America: Civil War stars Robert Downey Junior so it couldn't be nearly as bad as she was suggesting.
And, of course, the special effects are dazzling.
However, I know why she was prompted to mull over next week's shopping list. Marvel & DC films have begun to merge in my mind's eye too.
I thought this was a Captain America film but as far as I could see that it could have been labelled The Avengers Minus Thor and Hulk but with Spiderman and Ant-man.
Oh, it has the Winter Soldier, who it seemed was dead but obviously wasn't during the previous Captain America movie.
And this time the Cap (Chris Evans) sides with him as do a few of Cap's superhero pals while Iron Man (Downey Jr) and a few of his chums line up against them.
Behind it all is a fiendish Sukovian (Daniel Bruhl), who rather understandably has it in for the Avengers because his family were killed during one of their operations in his homeland.
So, who are the good guys and who are the bad? It seems as if the answer may be everyone and nobody unless your family and friends are caught up the collateral damage caused by the Avengers (and Batman and Superman for that matter).
Some might suggest that Anthony and Joe Russo's Captain America: Civil War is a fairly cynical attempt to lure bums on seats thanks to the impressive depth of its cast.
To be fair, Downey, Bruhl and Evans have the screen presence which matches the dynamic special effects (well, almost!).
And just in case the audience is worried about a potential paucity of A-listers, Scarlett Johannson, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany and William Hurt sprinkle some Tinsel-town excess.
I found it added up to decent knockabout fun and certainly more attractive than a trip to Tesco's. Mrs W disagreed.

Reasons to watch: Its staggering special effects
Reasons to avoid: The lack of character exploration

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10

Star tweet

Chris Evans ‏@ChrisEvans  May 8

Thank you to everyone who supported #CaptainAmericaCivilWar this weekend!! And for those who saw it twice...I owe you something special

203. Bastille Day; movie review

BASTILLE DAY
Cert 15
92 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, violence

If evidence were needed that an intelligent London Has Fallen-style movie, complete with chiseled hunk, could be made, here it is.
Bastille Day's storyline is not entirely convincing but it is plausible enough to enable it not to distract from the excitement.
And, with Idris Elba, Hollywood's flavour of the month, taking on the bad guys, there is brains behind the ass-kicking.
Elba plays an anti-terrorism officer who is brought in to catch a suspect (Richard Madden) after a bombing in Paris.
But his involvement is complicated on two fronts - firstly, his target is an unwitting participant and, secondly, he is under the wing of a covert CIA operation.
James Watkins' film is an amalgam of chases (yes, there is the inevitable hot-foot across the roofs of Paris) and twists.
Elba's testosterone overload is the glue which holds it together but, while I would accept his character is something of a cliche, he is more credible than many similar big screen heroes.
Meanwhile, Madden is disarming as conman who finds himself way out of his criminal league, and Charlotte Le Bon is suitably vulnerable as a naive young woman who is used by terrorists.
Bastille Day brings a decent-sized pinch of political intrigue to the action and that pushes it ahead of many movies of the genre.
Despite elaborate back-up, this is a vehicle for Elba and is evidence how just how far his star has risen.
However, whatever his admirers might think, even he cannot be a master of everything and proves the point with a truly ghastly rap which accompanies Fatboy Slim over the closing credits.

Reasons to watch: A well devised, intense thriller
Reasons to avoid: Idris Elba's singing on the closing credits

Laughs: none
Jumps: one
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Star tweet

Idris Elba ‏@idriselba  Apr 22

#BastilleDay in UK cinemas today! I made the end credits track with #NormanCook @FatboySlim, full track on Spotify

202. The Seventh Fire; movie review

THE SEVENTH FIRE
Cert 15
75 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, drug use

It wasn't that long ago that our main interaction with what we knew as 'Red Indians' was in Westerns or the toys that they spawned.
They were the stereotypical baddies who were polished off by chisel-jaws such as John Wayne in the name of freedom.
How ill-informed we were and how superficial our understanding was.
The robbery of Native American homelands and the disenfranchisement of its people is one of the greatest scandals of the past 100 years.
And if you don't believe how they have been tossed on the scrapheap then I invite you to watch The Seventh Fire.
Jack Pettibone Riccobono's documentary focuses on Rob Brown, a Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation. He is about to go to jail for a fifth time.
But the movie catches up with him just as he is beginning to realise his own negative force on the Ojibwe community in which he has grown up.
For example, his influence over people such as a 17-year-old called Kevin whose only aspiration is to fill Rob's shoes.
Native American gangs have now precipitated a crisis from which its communities see no emergence.
This leaves frighteningly little hope for the children who are growing up within them.
The Seventh Fire is an important film and I was engrossed but, yet again, I thought that it would have benefited hugely from quality narration rather than confining itself to the fly-on-the-wall style.

Reasons to watch: highlights the plight of a forgotten people
Reasons to avoid: needs narration

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10

Star tweet

1. 3 retweets7 likes
2. Jack Riccobono ‏@jack_riccobono_  Mar 25

   Jack Riccobono Retweeted Jesse Wente

   #TheSeventhFire at #TheWhiteHouse @jessewente thank you for coming!

   Jack Riccobono added,

   
   

   

   Jesse Wente @jessewente
   

   Panel for @TheSeventhFire film at the White House. Congrats to all! Film can change the conversation. Miigwetch.

   2 retweets7 likes

   
   

201. Evolution; movie review

EVOLUTION
Cert 15
82 mins
BBFC advice: Contains disturbing scenes

I wish I had a deeper understanding of art and a greater appreciation of beauty but I just don't.
I blame my parents. They brought me up in a world dominated by football and punctuated by westerns, thrillers and old-fashioned comedies.
This may also be the reason that horror movies seldom rock my boat.
Anyway, if I took either my mum or dad to the Tate gallery or the like they would simply say they don't get it.
Lucile Hadžihalilović's Evolution has won a glut of awards, particularly for its cinematography and I would agree that there are underwater scenes which are a sight for sore eyes.
But I am still wondering what on earth the movie was all about.
It centres on a young boy (Max Brebant) who lives with his mother (Julie-Marie Parmentier) in a seaside village which is populated only by children and ultra-strict strange pale women.
So, where are the men and is the boy correct when he claims he has seen a drowned lad in the ocean?
The questions continue to flow as the movie becomes more and more bizarre.
I shall say no more because I would give away key elements of storyline (not that I understood them).
To be fair, Brebant's feisty character tries to shine a light for any audience members who are as baffled as me but he fails to uncloak the mystery.
That means I am as wise now about what Evolution was all about as I was at the beginning.
I confessed this to the movie distributor's publicity agent and said I just found it weird. She replied: "Yes. Very weird but that's ok."
Clearly, it the eyes of many who have watched Evolution, she is right. I reckon I am too old to learn how to be on the same cultural plane.

Reasons to watch: its artistic beauty and underwater scenes
Reasons to avoid: because it is utterly incomprehensible

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: bloody vomit
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 4/10

Star tweet

Nick James ‏@filmnickjames  Apr 29

If you see one film only in what remains of this Spring, it should be EVOLUTION

200. Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum; movie review

KADHALUM KADANTHU POGUM
Cert 12A
135 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence

In my opinion, the element which sets Tamil and Malayalam films apart from mainstream Bollywood is that they tend to roam into the real India.
By that I mean that there are fewer scenes of obscene wealth, big houses, fancy cars and very beautiful people.
Movies such as  Nalan Kumarasamy's Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum are about flawed folk who are struggling to make ends meet.
Often this makes their stories more interesting - as is the case with Vijay Sethupathi's character Kathir, a miserable drunkard who, having been released from jail, can only down jobs as an enforcer for bosses of dubious repute.
His new neighbour is an upstanding young woman, Yazhini (Madonna Sebastian), who has left her traditional rural home to come to the big city to work for an IT company.
However, within a short time the firm goes bust and she is left scratching around to be able to afford to stay, not wishing to lose face with her family.
The two cross paths occasionally, having very different but difficult lives with Kathir inept in his 'bouncer' role and Yazhini struggling to find a new job.
After a hostile opening, there is a twinkling of romance between the two but I was rather pleased that this did not turn into the cliched naive girl and bit of rough storyline which as become so familiar in Indian movies..
Instead, there remains enough distance for the relationship to be real.
Both Sethupathi and Sebastian are engaging and convincing in the lead roles but the only reason that I have not marked the film higher is that, while it is enjoyable, it doesn't have a great deal of substance until its very end.
And, as is common with many Indian films, it is just too long.

Reasons to watch: a romance for the working classes
Reasons to avoid: the chemistry takes so long to build up

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6/10

Star tweet

Madonna Sebastian ‏@madonna_s  Mar 2

My first tamil film #KadhalumKadandhuPogum !! Thank you for all the love and support

199. Louder Than Bombs; movie review

LOUDER THAN BOMBS
Cert 15
109 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, nudity, scene of implied sexual violence

Crikey, there have been a lot of positive vibes surrounding Louder Than Bombs but I have to report that Mrs W and I found it painfully depressing.
I understand that it is an attempt to demonstrate how the death of a close family member can be the equivalent of a wrecking ball on those left behind.
In fact, I confess that the memory of the horrors of a few years back when Mrs W lost her mum and her sister within the space of a few weeks came to the fore,
But our problem was that we did not find the subject matter entertaining nor the characters engaging or likable.
That said, Devin Druid's interpretation of an uncommunicative teenager was bang on. However, despite my admiration for his performance, I did find his character irritating in the extreme.
Louder Than Bombs is set a few years after the death of a famous war photographer (Isabelle Huppert).
Her husband (Gabriel Byrne) is helping collate the images of a retrospective exhibition, seeing it as part of the closure of the grieving process.
However, he has a long way to go to help his sons (Druin and Jesse Eisenberg) through their long-standing crises.
And, of course, there are no easy answers because Joachim Trier's film wears its realism on its sleeve.
That means it is unremittingly downbeat and we struggled with that.


Reasons to watch: its high standard cast
Reasons to avoid: it is all a bit depressing

Laughs: two
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 4/10

Star tweet

Devin Druid ‏@DevinDruid  May 3

Extra big shout out to my amazing mentor, friend, colleague #gabrielbyrne for his lead actor #TonyAwards nomination.

198. Mapplethorpe - Look At The Pictures; movie review

MAPPLETHORPE - LOOK AT THE PICTURES
Cert 18
108 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong sexualised images, sex references, nudity

I soon discovered that this was not the most appropriate movie to watch on a train.
Fortunately, after the first explicit image flashed across the screen I was able to place my ipad at such an angle that I wasn't arrested for showing obscene images to the rest of the carriage.
Therefore, I was did not discover the modern-day answer to the question which surrounds the work of controversial photographer Robert Mapplethorpe - is it porn or is it art?
Mapplethorpe died after contracting Aids in the 1980s when it was at its most deadly.
His promiscuous sex life is one of the central topics of discussion during Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey's biopic.
With the exception of one dissenting politician, there is much love for the work of Mapplethorpe but it is very near the knuckle.
In common with many artists, the value of his photography has increased considerably since his death.
This film includes interviews with his contemporaries such as Debbie Harry and Fran Lebowitz but also sees a contribution from art experts who eulogise over the quality of his catalogue,
They seem unfazed by some of the harshness of the sexual images.
And that is typical of this documentary. I found it interesting but one-sided. Mapplethorpe's personal flaws are brought to the fore but his work escapes criticism.
Personally, I think his vindication comes in his beautiful photos of flowers. They demonstrate the quality of the artist. I was less sure about the pictures of the private parts of his many lovers.

Reasons to watch: plenty for those who appreciate erotic art
Reasons to avoid: some of the images are very graphic

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: yes
Overall rating: 6/10

Star tweet

Randy Barbato ‏@Randybarbato  Apr 3

HBO’s Mapplethorpe doc does the artist a big favor: It makes him naughty again.

197. Motley's Law; movie review

MOTLEY'S LAW
Cert TBA
85 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Kimberley Motley knows what she wants and she knows how to get it - even in one of the world's most violent capital cities.
Motley is the only foreign lawyer to have a licence to practice in Afghanistan where she dodges bombs and corrupt officials in almost equal measure.
Nicole Nielsen Horanyi's documentary follows Motley during her work and in her downtime back in the United States.
As the above poster suggests, she admits she took her post in Afghanistan for the money and intended to stay there for just a year. Five years later she is still dividing her time between home and a war zone.
In the meantime, she has become a philanthropist, offering free legal services to the poor and needy.
Motley takes threats against her much more lightly than her Kabul staff who appear to be constantly on edge.
And she has a disdain for the legal system which she sees as both inefficient and corrupt. It is really heartening to see such a strong woman take it on and win on behalf of the oppressed.
In common with many documentaries, I felt that a quality narration would have enhanced the message.
Motley's background is brought to the fore by Horanyi earwigging on interviews with the media but I wanted to know more.
Also, there are many scenes in which Afghans speak in their native language but, frustratingly, there were no subtitles on my itunes version of this film.
However, overall it is a movie which highlights the work of a very impressive woman,

Reasons to watch: Kimberley Motley - a credit to working women
Reasons to avoid - the lack of subtitles for native Afghans

Laughs: none
Jumps: none
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6/10

Star tweet

kimberley motley ‏@KimMotleysLaw  Jan 27

"As long as we have exclusion of women, we will never have stability." - Afghan President Ghani at the 2016 World Economic Forum in Davos

196. Anguish; movie review

ANGUISH
Cert 15
90 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong threat

I have deducted Anguish a mark because I cannot find any backing for its opening claim that the movie is based on true events.
Mind you, I cannot be too surprised because some of its many twists defy logic.
Nevertheless, I disagree with those who have claimed that this is a boring movie. It prompted me to jump four times and, for a thriller, that is pretty good result.
In fact, it was a bit of an embarrassment because I watched Anguish on my ipad while on a London-bound train.
Anguish begins with the shocking death of a teenage girl (Amberley Gridley) who had been stropping at her mum (Karina Logue).
It then follows the story of Tess (Ryan Simpkins), a girl bedeviled by apparent mental health problems which cause agony for her beleaguered mum (Annika Marks).
She tries various avenues to help her daughter and is near the end of her tether when it becomes clear what is behind her condition.
Simpkins is the star turn as a sullen teenager whose mood changes are swift and alarming.
And, thanks to some impressive use of sound, director Sonny Mallhi sporadically makes the audience leap from its seat.
But the reason that Anguish does not score higher marks is that its storyline stretches plausibility at times.

Reasons to watch: a thriller which makes the audience jump
Reasons to avoid: needed to know more about the so-called 'true events'

Laughs: none
Jumps: four
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Star tweet

Kenny D Eichenberg ‏@ToastedKennyD  Apr 3

Ready for #WrestleMania but gotta film for @AnguishMovie first...Time to kick ass then watch some Ass Kicking.