Clifton Hill

Disappearance At Clifton Hill: Abby (Tuppence Middleton) returns to her home town on the death of her mother; against her sister's wishes she tries to keep the family motel running. Abby also has dark memories of the kidnapping of a boy she witnessed 25 years before. The problem is that Abby is a pathological liar so unsurprisingly the police and her sister are reluctant to believe this late report. Abby meets up with a local Conspiracy podcaster Walter (David Cronenberg) who believes that a local rich family were behind this and other disappearances. The supposed conspiracy also involves animal trainers. You will begin to question conflicting narratives as this tale unfolds. Some great scenes. we first encounter Cronenberg as he rises from a river pond beneath Niagara Falls, he's also a sort of mudlark diver. Directed/Co-Written by Albert Shin. On Netflix. 7/10.

This wasn't very good. The acting was fine. The beginning was good and had me expecting something great but it went downhill. It was a little confusing, very unbelievable, comical and I'm not sure if it was meant to be.

The twist made no sense either.

It supposed to be a thriller about a boy being kidnapped. But it's tonaly all over the place. There's moments I'd swear were going for comedy. The ott magicians are too light for a thriller. The shockingly dodgy wigs and facial hair trying to deage people back to the 90s and then having a young guy playing an old guy in a wheel chair. David Cronnenbergs whole performance was a laughable mess too.

The lead actress is fine though, she does what she can to make it all seem at least coherent, only just though.

This movie kept my interest and attention for the entire duration so that's a positive thing. However I like mystery movies with a clear ending, an ending where I don't have to guess what really happened. I want clear answers on every question I have and unfortunately this was not the case with this movie. It felt like they couldn't be bothered to make it a nice ending, there were also some elements they completely neglected by the end and you start to wonder why they even brought them up during the movie. So to me whilst it was entertaining it clearly could and should have been better. Mysteries should start with an intriguing beginning, continue with a suspenseful middle, and end with the mystery completely solved, that's how a mystery movie is the most effective and that's how the gems in this genre are made. All in all the acting wasn't bad, the story was interesting, the cinematography was also okay but still it's a missed opportunity to make it a movie that stands out from the rest.

Having moved away from Niagara Falls, Abbey returns in adulthood, to confront a childhood memory.

It's quite a good movie, it's an interesting premise, and nicely executed. It's almost very good, but it's let down by some muddled strands and a less than great ending.

I really did enjoy the music, some enjoyable tracks throughout, giving it a bit of a vintage vibe. Some of the eighties VHS segments look a little bit naff.

It's boosted by some good acting, Tuppence Middleton is excellent, what a talented actress she is.

Nicely shot, atmospheric, I'd recommend it, 6/10.