PaulDBrazill

Mateusz Rakowicz Mother's Day is a whipcrack, high-octane, ultra-violent, crime thriller that is laced with dark and decidedly offbeat humour. The film is grounded by a truly great central performance from Agnieszka Grochowska as Nina, who manages to be both down to earth and adrenaline pumping, And the supporting character actors also perform with great aplomb. . The actions scenes are as tight as hell and very well choreographed . The villains are vivid and gaudy, and just on the right side of over-the-top. There are moments of laugh out loud humour as well as tenderness, and the pulsating score keeps the energy level high.

Casting Kill. Which was shot super- quickly, with a small crew, and on a very limited budget, is a very stylish suspense thriller set in the underbelly of Hollywood filmmaking Nothing is ever quite as it seems and, indeed, Casting Kill has more twists and turns than a corkscrew. The whirlwind indie writer/ director team of Carline Spence and James Smith have been building a well=deserved reputation of late, and they are sure to have another micro - budget hit on their hands with CASTING KILL, a tense and stylish horror/ thriller hybrid with plenty of short, sharp shocks. Like a kick in the eye from a stiletto heel.

In THE STRAYS, an unhappily married woman leaves her family home and starts a kind of Stepford life in a bland and twee English suburb. To say any more would probably lead to plot spoilers. However, I will say that THE STRAYS is one of the most intelligent and off-kilter horror/ thriller/ dramas that I've seen in ages. It's gripping, odd, engrossing, chilling, sad, unnerving, thoughtful, and very bloody discombobulating. The acting is first class and the film's pacing is spot on. I loved it. The Strays us a highly recommended slice of off kilter film making with consistently strong performances.