066 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
REVIEWS HOME FILM // TV
VFW
Retrofuturist siege actioner...
Release Out now
Director Joe Begos
Cast Stephen Lang, Martin Kove,
William Sadler
Distributor RLJE Films
Certificate 18
Format VODEach night, a group of ageing
American ex-army men gather at dingy
VFW Post 2494. They drink and share
old combat stories. Left behind by a
world that does not appreciate them, these men
are the title’s ‘Veterans of Foreign Wars’.
Joe Begos’ fourth feature shares a strong
sense of nostalgia, in his case for a certain era of
genre film-making; the late Seventies and early
Eighties, wherein characters had their mettle
tested by hyperviolent dystopian scenarios. TheBeyond
The Door
Bad baby
Release Out now
Director Ovidio G. Assonitis
Cast Juliet Mills, Richard Johnson,
Gabriele Lavia
Distributor Arrow films
Certificate 15
FormatWhen Jessica (Juliet Mills) finds
out that she’s pregnant she knows
something is wrong, but when she
says this to her husband, Robert
(Gabriele Lavia), he dismisses her. A mistake.
You see, Jessica has been impregnated by the
devil and her possession is only just beginning.
With more than a gentle whiff of Rosemary’s
Baby and a hefty dab of The Exorcist (Warner
Bros claimed copyright infringement against
the latter), Beyond The Door borrows ideas from
more successful films but doesn’t succeed in
reaching their lofty achievements.
This is partially because there is hardly any
tension. Its tone ranges too much to create
engagement and once the possession starts
to take hold it falls into a sequence of bizarre
scenes that are more odd than scary. Even when
the mysterious Dimitri (Richard Johnson) turns
up, we can’t help but feel that nothing is going
to steer the plot away from the course on which
it’s head ing.
Though Mills is good (managing to portray a
certain innocence as she’s violently spewing up
green vomit), Lavia and Johnson bumble around
her, and the decision to dub over the children’s
voices with what we assume are fully grown
adult actors is quite disconcerting.
With probably the funkiest soundtrack
we’ve ever heard, Beyond The Door has
moments that will stick with you, and fans will
likely delight in this restored two-disc release
from Arrow films which includes an interesting
documentary on Italian exorcism movies.
Rachael Harper
setting is a near-future whose urban outskirts
resemble the nightmare slums and ganglands of
yesteryear. It may be set in a fantasy tomorrow,
but VFW is always looking back to the past.
It’s retrofuturist and postmodern; barrelling
forwards despite having one foot in the grave.
The retired servicemen find themselves
sheltering fugitive Lizard (Sierra McCormick)
and being beleaguered by vicious dealer Boz
(Travis Hammer), his blade-bearing enforcer
Gutter (Dora Madison) and an army of addicts
hell bent on retrieving drugs Lizard has stolen.
The paradox of VFW is that it is so lovingly
crafted, and yet so nasty, as Fred once more
leads his men on a last stand of shooting,
axing and skewering against the zombie-like
encroachments of a younger generation. “Time’s
on their side, it’s not on ours,” he declares. What
ensues is an almost literally conservative film in
which history gets its revenge.
Anton Bitel
Doctor Who
Season 12
This time it’s personal
Release 20 April
Showrunner Chris Chibnall
Cast Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh,
Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill
Distributor BBC
Certificate 12
Format •After 2018’s series of Doctor
Who decided to go against the standard
formula and included many standalone
episodes rather than full arcs and few
classic Who foes, executive producer Chris Chibnall
has decided that this latest series should do the
complete opposite... and we think it’s all the better
for it. Bringing in classic villains like the Cybermen
and a fab cameo from a well-known face (we won’t
spoil it), the latest series of Dr Who feels like a comfy
blanket that’s had a wash – familiar but fresher.
This series has focused on making it personal
to the Doctor – bringing in long-term villain The
Master (played with just the right amount of crazy
by Sacha Dhawan) and taking her back to a
destroyed Galifrey where she learns some secrets
of her people. Throw in a curve ball or two with
the appearance of an unknown incarnation of the
Doctor, a couple of delightful historical episodes
and a dramatic finale, and you have the formula for
a consistently entertaining series.
Beginning with a brilliant riff on the Bond
franchise with an opening episode entitled ‘Spyfall’
the series includes a lovely episode focusing on
the often-overlooked historical figure, Nikola Tesla,before taking flight after episode five ‘Fugitive Of
The Judoon’ bringing in the harsh Rhino-esque
military police, The Judoon, and the brilliant Jo
Martin as Ruth Clayton who turns the Doctor’s world
upside down with a startling revelation.
Returning as the Doctor, Jodie Whittaker still
shines through this series, her down-to-earth
northern take on the character is a delight every
time she’s on the screen and the chemistry between
her and her companions is clear. Speaking of
her companions, they have all been given (except
perhaps Ryan) more chance to evolve this series
too, with Bradley Walsh able to flex his comedic
muscles as Graham, now enough time has passed
since his wife’s death in the previous series. But it’s
Yaz (Mandip Gill) who has really come out strong
this season – she has developed from being a rather
dismissive character to becoming entirely involved
and is becoming increasingly integral to the series.
With an explosive ending that reveals the secrets
behind the ‘Timeless Child’, Doctor Who Series 12
has finished on a high and we can’t wait to snuggle
under that blanket again for the (probable) festive
episode at the end of this year.
Rachael Harper
066_SFN_170 Home Film x2 TV x1.indd 66 18/03/2020 08:16066 | W W W. S C I FI N OW.CO.U K
REVIEWS HOME FILM // TV
VFW
Retrofuturist siege actioner...
Release Out now
Director Joe Begos
Cast Stephen Lang, Martin Kove,
William Sadler
Distributor RLJE Films
Certificate 18
Format VODEach night, a group of ageing
American ex-army men gather at dingy
VFW Post 2494. They drink and share
old combat stories. Left behind by a
world that does not appreciate them, these men
are the title’s ‘Veterans of Foreign Wars’.
Joe Begos’ fourth feature shares a strong
sense of nostalgia, in his case for a certain era of
genre film-making; the late Seventies and early
Eighties, wherein characters had their mettle
tested by hyperviolent dystopian scenarios. TheBeyond
The Door
Bad baby
Release Out now
Director Ovidio G. Assonitis
Cast Juliet Mills, Richard Johnson,
Gabriele Lavia
Distributor Arrow films
Certificate 15
Format
When Jessica (Juliet Mills) finds
out that she’s pregnant she knows
something is wrong, but when she
says this to her husband, Robert
(Gabriele Lavia), he dismisses her. A mistake.
You see, Jessica has been impregnated by the
devil and her possession is only just beginning.
With more than a gentle whiff of Rosemary’s
Baby and a hefty dab of The Exorcist (Warner
Bros claimed copyright infringement against
the latter), Beyond The Door borrows ideas from
more successful films but doesn’t succeed in
reaching their lofty achievements.
This is partially because there is hardly any
tension. Its tone ranges too much to create
engagement and once the possession starts
to take hold it falls into a sequence of bizarre
scenes that are more odd than scary. Even when
the mysterious Dimitri (Richard Johnson) turns
up, we can’t help but feel that nothing is going
to steer the plot away from the course on which
it’s head ing.
Though Mills is good (managing to portray a
certain innocence as she’s violently spewing up
green vomit), Lavia and Johnson bumble around
her, and the decision to dub over the children’s
voices with what we assume are fully grown
adult actors is quite disconcerting.
With probably the funkiest soundtrack
we’ve ever heard, Beyond The Door has
moments that will stick with you, and fans will
likely delight in this restored two-disc release
from Arrow films which includes an interesting
documentary on Italian exorcism movies.
Rachael Harper
setting is a near-future whose urban outskirts
resemble the nightmare slums and ganglands of
yesteryear. It may be set in a fantasy tomorrow,
but VFW is always looking back to the past.
It’s retrofuturist and postmodern; barrelling
forwards despite having one foot in the grave.
The retired servicemen find themselves
sheltering fugitive Lizard (Sierra McCormick)
and being beleaguered by vicious dealer Boz
(Travis Hammer), his blade-bearing enforcer
Gutter (Dora Madison) and an army of addicts
hell bent on retrieving drugs Lizard has stolen.
The paradox of VFW is that it is so lovingly
crafted, and yet so nasty, as Fred once more
leads his men on a last stand of shooting,
axing and skewering against the zombie-like
encroachments of a younger generation. “Time’s
on their side, it’s not on ours,” he declares. What
ensues is an almost literally conservative film in
which history gets its revenge.
Anton Bitel
Doctor Who
Season 12
This time it’s personal
Release 20 April
Showrunner Chris Chibnall
Cast Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh,
Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill
Distributor BBC
Certificate 12
Format •After 2018’s series of Doctor
Who decided to go against the standard
formula and included many standalone
episodes rather than full arcs and few
classic Who foes, executive producer Chris Chibnall
has decided that this latest series should do the
complete opposite... and we think it’s all the better
for it. Bringing in classic villains like the Cybermen
and a fab cameo from a well-known face (we won’t
spoil it), the latest series of Dr Who feels like a comfy
blanket that’s had a wash – familiar but fresher.
This series has focused on making it personal
to the Doctor – bringing in long-term villain The
Master (played with just the right amount of crazy
by Sacha Dhawan) and taking her back to a
destroyed Galifrey where she learns some secrets
of her people. Throw in a curve ball or two with
the appearance of an unknown incarnation of the
Doctor, a couple of delightful historical episodes
and a dramatic finale, and you have the formula for
a consistently entertaining series.
Beginning with a brilliant riff on the Bond
franchise with an opening episode entitled ‘Spyfall’
the series includes a lovely episode focusing on
the often-overlooked historical figure, Nikola Tesla,before taking flight after episode five ‘Fugitive Of
The Judoon’ bringing in the harsh Rhino-esque
military police, The Judoon, and the brilliant Jo
Martin as Ruth Clayton who turns the Doctor’s world
upside down with a startling revelation.
Returning as the Doctor, Jodie Whittaker still
shines through this series, her down-to-earth
northern take on the character is a delight every
time she’s on the screen and the chemistry between
her and her companions is clear. Speaking of
her companions, they have all been given (except
perhaps Ryan) more chance to evolve this series
too, with Bradley Walsh able to flex his comedic
muscles as Graham, now enough time has passed
since his wife’s death in the previous series. But it’s
Yaz (Mandip Gill) who has really come out strong
this season – she has developed from being a rather
dismissive character to becoming entirely involved
and is becoming increasingly integral to the series.
With an explosive ending that reveals the secrets
behind the ‘Timeless Child’, Doctor Who Series 12
has finished on a high and we can’t wait to snuggle
under that blanket again for the (probable) festive
episode at the end of this year.
Rachael Harper