HairyMart1

It is a very low budget film, but although clearly limited with it's production options, the actual story and the effects are very well.handled. Avoids some predictable horror clichés and is clearly trying it's own thing, even with acknowledgement that it's inspired by a bigger budget 80s horror classic. Maybe reworking the story to be more UK based would help give it a few more options on the overall production. But you cannot deny the effort put in by all involved to deliver their best for this production. Would begreat to see what could be achieved with a much bigger budget for future efforts.

Not a horror at all but a slow burn character study of one man's struggle with loneliness. Set in late 80s David has been stuck at home caring for his mother who is suffering with dementia for nearly 10 years. The need for full-time care and lack of support from outside agencies, leaves David pretty much socially isolated, but in clear need of human companionship. Attempts at video dating have met with no success, so in desperation he picks up a video entitled Rent A Pal. This features an amiable young man Andy (Will Wheaton) who engages in a slightly stilled getting to know you conversation. At first dismissive of the whole endeavour, David does over time begin to establish a rapport with Andy to full the void of human companionship. For such an outlandish concept the film is remarkably effective in exploring the impact of loneliness, depression, and dementia. Never going for the quick and easy, unsubtle approach, it draws you into the hopeless mundanity of David's day to day existence, allowing you to understand why this very artificial construct becomes so important to him. All this works thanks to wonderfully heart-rending performances of Brian Landis Folkins as the never complaining David and Will Wheaton as his virtual video friend Andy. Even with the electronic distance between the two they manage to achieve a fascinating electronic companionship, that is the essential driving force behind the emotional heart of this sad insight into the lives of the abandoned and forgotten.

Liz and Jackson are planning the perfect party for a select group of friends, to allow them to break the news of their up and coming wedding. However there's an unwanted guest on the way from their past, who has decided to make an appearance, and who may well derail the whole thing, in a most unexpected manner. This is a great black comedy, with a sharp script that neatly uses the confines of the dinner party to tease out the past secrets and hidden resentments from the guests. With the wine flowing the carefully planned evening slow decent into bitter backbiting escalates in unexpected ways and an unexpected anarchic element to the film that just makes it so much fun. Full credit goes to the entire cast who create such a wonderful chemistry between them all, but especially credit to Nadia Collins as Liz who has to witness her carefully laid plans slowly unfold, but not let things get the better of her.