PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

DANIEL MANCHESTER I was in a second hand DVD shop and so this - The cover looked intriguing, the notes looked good and for a quid... You have to say nothing ventured nothing gained.Wrong! This is slow, badly acted, badly directed, badly shot and a complete waste of a quid! The plastic for the DVD and box must have cost more than I paid for it and all that is in that is a waste of energy. The chap who made this, directed and starred in this gave not a single chance to any actor in the production to show if they can really act or not.The trouble is if it wasn't for the advent of DV and the fact that anyone can now make a movie, the film industry may not of progressed at all and Hollywood would still be only churning out cannon fodder. But sadly when you see an indie like this, regardless of how much it costs, it's a shame such shambolic drivel. I'm sorry to say this it went in the bin where it belongs.

madjacktorrance A year after his pregnant wife was brutally murdered, Chris (Russ Diaper) returns to the hotel that they both owned and ran. Not only is the hotel his home and his business, it is also where his wife's murder – at the hands of a psychotic guest – took place. It's not surprising, therefore, that Chris is less than certain that he wants to stay and it quickly becomes apparent that the main thing keeping him here is the encouragement – bordering on pressure – from his brother, Mark (Rami Hilmi), who is keen to see Chris start to rebuild his life.Not right in the hotel, however, and Chris' initial discomfort at being back starts to give way to the feeling that someone – or something – else is also living in the building… Spirits of the Fall takes a bit of time to get going, largely because of the very exposition heavy dialogue in the initial scenes. A fair chunk of time is spent early on explaining both the set-up and backstory and, given that the nature of the film is also heavily hinted at, much of this explanation feels both leaden and redundant.That said, the acting is competent throughout and both of the leads do a good job of maintaining the believability of the two brothers at the centre of this film and the relationship between them. And it's this relationship that provides both the initial impetus of the film and the veracity for the characters' reactions.Where the film really scores strongly, however, is with its atmosphere. The big old hotel (it certainly feels both big and old) in which the film is set is superbly oppressive and this is expertly enhanced both by the darkly ominous cinematography and the excellently chilling soundtrack. When all of this comes together – and it does for most of the running time – the film becomes a genuinely gripping experience that really does take on a life of its own.Although the plot of Spirits of the Fall relies a little too heavily on convenient characters turning up to explain what is going on, this is a competently told ghost story. But to focus overly on the storyline would be to miss the point which is that this is a film that sets out to unnerve its audience and, when it lets rip with the sounds, the sights and the glimpses of things that shouldn't be there, it succeeds spectacularly.Writer/director, Russ Diaper has a very strong visual sense and an excellent grasp of how to build a genuinely chilling atmosphere. On the strength of this film, he really is a talent to watch out for.

Devokees So instead of going out to see Saw V when it did, me and some friends decided to head to watch this film, which was being held at my house, I had received the DVD in the mail, after asking for it. I have known russ for some time, and loved his earlier stuff. So I went into this film with my friends with High expectations.I was not disappointed, yet there are somethings that make you wonder... so... Watch out there are spoilers!SPOILERS!!!!!!!!For one near the end of the film you begin to wonder what exactly happen to the brother... not giving anything away he kind of just vanishes... not sure if he dies or not... he was a likable character, and you kind of feel lost when he vanishes.One thing I liked a lot were the camera angles... which added to the dark and eerie atmosphere. There are a lot of close ups which add a bit of claustrophobia to the viewer to kind of show what the main character is going through. There are some great scares in this as well, especially the key hole. The music really builds up tension, and reminds me a lot of the halloween films. One listen to the sound track and you will feel that the music was inspired by John Carpenter. It is very subtle, but when it is time for a scare it really jumps on you.Some characters were not needed, and are only there for one scene, you sit there hoping they will come back to be a larger part of the film... but they don't which was my only disappointment. At one point where you think a female is going to be the new love interest of the character which could add problems, due to he is trying to get over his long lost love.... and moving on at the same time, thought it would of added a nice twist. but who knows, there is always room for a sequel.Being a fan of indy films, and maker... you have to go into movies with an open mind. Some reviewers will slam an indy film because it doesn't have a larger budget than some films, or has no well known actors, or doesn't have charlie clouser scoring it. And some indy films are just... well crap. But they try is what I am saying. You have to know all the pain and troubles a director goes through, and I could relate with Russ on this. By watching you can tell they might have run into problems, which makes me respect the film more.Some of the acting might be a bit stale in some parts, but other than that, it was a really good movie, with some great effects, and one hell of a crazy ending. Keep it up man, this was great! Keep bring horror back where it belongs! I give this film 9 skulls. Will Hartman

cody_perkins88 It's been a little while since I had the chance to view this little gem at a special screening so if I forget some things it's OK. I can come back and fix it later.Being a follower of young, and very well accomplished, director Russ Diaper, I could not wait until I got to view this long-awaited film and boy did it not disappoint.Like his previous film, Deadly Pursuit, this film is shot entirely professional while still retaining some of its proud low budget attributes. The film is basically about this guy (once again it's been a while so the names aren't fresh in my head) who has lost his wife and as a result closes down the hotel that he runs. A little while later he decides to open shop much to his uncertainty. Like every film of this genre he opens the hotel and begins to see some, and I say this with all sincerity, pretty scary things. There is one moment in the film that actually caused me to jump right out of my chair. I won't ruin it for you but it involves a crying baby in the next room, a guy in the other, and the guy goes to investigate the sound and he puts his eyes to the keyhole. Enough said. By far the scariest scene in the whole movie but that's not to say it's the only scare.I need to re-view the film in order to grasp the full details of this film but the ending was honestly flawless. The scene with the old man speaking to the main character in a room, pitch black, with only the light reflecting off of the old man's eyes as he's explaining everything that is going on is by far the CREEPIEST scene in the movie. There's just something about two characters in the dark revealing all the events of the film with only their eyes showing that give me the willies. The scene, however, with the old man (at least in the cut I watched) chanting to rid the hotel of the evil did run on for a little too long with no cutaways, just a single shot of the old man chanting nonstop. That is my only gripe with the film.The acting does kinda start off at the beginning a little sluggish with some obvious newbies to the acting world but that doesn't last for very long. I found myself easily drawn into the story because once the very mildly sluggish acting in the beginning evaporated I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.Now my favorite part of any movie is the score. The score for this film is very very well-done for a guy who wrote, directed, produced, just did about everything for this film in such a short time. I had a rare chance to speak with the director of this film who advised me that the music was done in one or two days. With what was presented in the film I don't see how it was done. There's so many layers and beautiful music pieces in there that should have but didn't take days and weeks and months to complete.Overall I rate this film an 8/10. This film was definitely an improvement over Mr. Diaper's first directing debut which was very impressive for a first film, but because these are totally different genres and I prefer the horror genre over the whole cop drama genre I prefer this film more. Both are very well-shot and directed so either way you can't go wrong.Last thing I'd like to note is that the somewhat lacking in realism CGI from DP is missing from this film and that is definitely a godsend because this film does not need it to make it amazing.If you see this film in stores, online, or wherever, check it out. It's definitely worth a look.