Maps Review

"Be prepared, you won’t be logging on to the internet in such a hurry..."

Cerificate: 12a

Cast: Amy Lowes-Smith, Laura Armstrong, Bethan McCoy

Directors: Hollie Stokes

Running times: 103 minutes

We have seen may attempts at breaking into the modern psychological thriller, most of them have failed miserably and we only have certain exceptions such as Black Swan. Yet no one has broken into the teenage market. Everyone has heard of internet stalkers, and who does it happen to? Teenage girls. Seems like a gap in the market, doesn't it? So, in comes Maps, guns blazing, ready to kick start the whole genre. And boy does it.

The film prays on every ones fear, is the internet getting too private? Do we really know who is watching us? Main character Grace leads a normal teenage life, hanging about with her mates and just basically living life to the full. She soon becomes suspicious of someone following her during her long walks home. She confides in her friend Lydia, who soon shoots her down. Lydia soon turns everyone against Grace and her paranoia reaches new levels. Her facebook messages skyrocket and she becomes convinced that the stalker is using Google maps to follow her every move. However the question remains, is Grace just paranoid or is she just seeing what everyone else is missing out on?

 Lead actress Amy Lowes-Smith completely embodies the mentally unstable Grace; just one simple look of inner turmoil from Lowes-Smith says more than a full raving rant. Lydia, the friend turned enemy, is played by skins actress Laura Armstrong. Hats off to her, I don't think there was anyone in the cinema who didn't want to slap her, a testament to her acting skills and her found niche of playing 'the bitch' . Other performances such as Bethan McCoy, who is rarely seen as the mysterious stalker, deserves a shout out for her unmistakable air of creepiness.

Verdict: Maps has gone where no other film has gone before. Its use of youth’s modern fascination with the internet and social networking makes it stand out from other psychological-thrillers. Scary for parents, even more petrifying for teenagers.

    
                                                                            5/5 aces

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Submarine Review

All together now! “We all live in a yellow...”

RELEASED 12 September 2010
CERTIFCATE 15
DIRECTOR Richard Ayoade
CAST Craig Roberts, Yasmin Page, Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor, Paddy Corsidine.
RUNNING TIME 97 minutes

PLOT: Set in Swansea, Wales, 1986, precocious Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) falls for bad girl Jordana Bevan (Yasmin Page) in his class. Meanwhile, according to his hectic schedule of spying on them, his parent’s sex life has disintegrated. Which is not helped by the fact that his mothers first love Graham has just moved in next door.

Those of you who have seen Director Richard Ayoade in Channel 4 sitcom The IT crowd will fondly remember his character, super geek: Moss. Well who would have thought that Ayoade could have made such a fresh, quirky but ultimately funny indie teen flick. Submarine’s main protagonist Oliver Tate, is a gangly socially awkward teenage boy who struggles gaining popularity. However, due to his own disillusionment, imagines his own funeral with country wide mourners. Craig Roberts is perfectly cast as Oliver, just looking at his face during those uncomfortable moments of desperately trying to lose his virginity to his love Jordana is enough to make you squirm. The film’s (which is adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s novel) deadpan humour is instantly funny, is comes from Oliver’s voice over narration throughout the film and the brilliant chavtastic character Chip. Let’s face it. Every school has a Chip. Another brilliant performance comes from Paddy Corsidine, who plays the up-himself psychic and Oliver’s mother’s old flame Graham, with absolute ease.

Although the film is predominantly a comedy it deals with some heavy subject matters such as terminal illness, depression and marriage breakdowns. Each one of these issues is dealt with an uncanny kindness and honesty with a pinch of humour, without being offensive to the delicate themes. Submarine is also not afraid to break the fourth wall (watch out for Oliver’s talk about cranes and zoom shots) ala Ferris Buellers day off. It also tries its hand at some rather innovative narrative telling by the noir-film-style act breaks, adding a touch of 40’s Hollywood glamour over dull rainy Wales. So hats off to Mr Richard Ayoade for his seamless debut transition from actor to director, which many big screen actors have found out to be quite a tricky road.

VERDICT Full of humour, wit and unique stylistic devices. Submarine shy’s away from the typical sex-filled, gross-out teen films of recent times, and delivers us a meaningful and above all, realistic, story of first love.

4/5 aces

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