Review: The Woman in Black

STAR RATING: *****

OK. I was really scared to see this movie.

Just the day before I had been queueing at the cinema waiting to see a different film, when my cousin came out of one of the screens, completely freaked out and shaking, telling me that the film she had just seen was completely terrifying!

The Woman in Black.

To be honest I was fighting two thoughts in my head. The first said 'it's a 12A... how bad could it be?' and the second voice said 'don't go and see it - it's going to be reaaaaally scary'. I mean, seeing my cousin's reaction wasn't the only time I had been forewarned about this movie - my other peers and official reviews also emphasised that it was probably going to give me nightmares for the next few weeks.

.... buuuuuuttt... I went to see it anyway ;)

I have to be honest, I wasn't scared as I thought I would be. I'm not sure if this was because the hype had geared me up so much that I was expecting the worst and it therefore seemed less scary when it didn't match my expectation, ... or if perhaps I was putting on a brave face whilst surrounded by other cinema-goers.
...But I wouldn't deny that it is very very creepy and very haunting. This movie is exactly the type of example that can be used to show the difference between a horror movie and a ghost story. It is definitely a ghost story, and although this label implies a lack of scariness, this is definitely not the case. I may not have been terrified, but I was definitely cowering into my seat for some parts.. and I did jump... a lot.

The story is based around Arthur Kipps, played by Daniel Radcliffe, who is called to a remote mansion called Eel Marsh House to settle the late-owner's estate. He arrives to the nearby oh-so-creepy village where he intends to stay whilst carrying out his business, only to receive very unwelcoming attitudes from the local residents, with the owners of the inn he is supposed to be staying in telling him they have no spaces, and the local solicitor telling him to leave town on the next train and he is not needed.

Yes, yes, very suspicious! We get the immediate feel of eeriness and a 'hidden secret'.

Spooky stuff.

Anyway so, Kipps ignores them and continues to the house the following day. Almost immediately after he walks through the front door of the old mansion, you begin to sense something is wrong. This feeling is probably encouraged by the haunting music and grey colours that seem to scream GHOST!!!!

After a few jumpy moments... the ones that make you think that something big is going to happen, Kipps begins to experience some ghostly happenings, such as noises and seeing things out of the corner of his eyes Once he even sees the Woman in Black herself, though at this point he knows nothing of her....

and then the story really begins...

... and that is where my general plot-overview ends. I really can't give anything away, you see ;)

To generally review the film, Daniel Radcliffe is absolutely brilliant. I was concerned about how young he is and looks... with Arther Kipps being a father and all, but if you think about it, in this Victorian era it was probably common to be a family man at such a young age, when old age was so uncommon. Nonetheless, his mannerisms really accentuate maturity and the way he acts with his on-screen son really makes you believe he is a father. I really did imagine I would be thinking "oh my god, it's Harry Potter" the whole time... but it didn't actually cross my mind once. To me, he was just Arthur Kipps.
Aside from Radcliffe's outstanding performance (in my opinion), I was so impressed with the general direction (James Watkins) and screenplay (Jane Goldman). The particular scene(s) in which Kipps stays in the house for an entire night, were exceptional. It wasn't until after the movie had finished that someone mentioned to me that, in this section of the film, there was about thirty minutes where there was no dialogue at all. I hadn't even noticed, and I think that really is a good sign, don't you think? To be so caught up in a story... it's what you really want out of a film.

Okay, so I know I keep giving movies good reviews... but I guess I have just seen some good movies lately. The Woman in Black is definitely one of the best films I have seen in a long time. It is a fantastic horror(ish) movie that also holds a great storyline, which I think is so hard to find.

A definite must-see.

Until we blog again,
x

Review: The Vow

STAR RATING: ****

In general, the films I tend to go for are 'the really good ones'. I like a good story line, with strong characters and that special something that makes me leave the cinema thinking 'I definitely just watched a good film'.

I have never been a fan of really, really cheesey films with a predictable storyline, but I do have a few exceptions, and one thing I can't resist is one of those soppy love stories. You know the ones like The Notebook, Dear John and Titanic. Mostly just Nicholas Sparks novels-turned-movies. They don't have a particularly deep plot, and are mostly just boy-meets-girl kind of stories, nothing to serious...

...but perhaps that's why I like them, and probably why I was desperate to see The Vow starring The Notebook's Rachel McAdams, and Dear John's Channing Tatum.

The film is about a married couple, Leo (Tatum) and Paige (McAdams) who are involved in a car accident which results in Paige's memory loss through which she fails to remember the last few years of her life, including the part of her life she shared with her husband.
With his wife not knowing who he is, Leo attempts to reconnect with his wife and make her fall in love with him all over again, at the same time trying to help her remember her life with him.

As far as the storyline goes, I didn't think it was that complex, if anything it was very simple. However, director Michael Sucsy really played on the emotions of the couple and their relationship rather than the cliché 'journey of the couple finally getting back to their old selves and falling in love all over again'.The story definitely played on the idea that one small event, or 'moments of impact' as narrated by Leo, really has the power to change your life completely and unexpectedly.

As much as I was expecting a completely cheesey Rom-Com type movie, and in places it almost reached this point, what I actually got was a movie that was very touching and thought-provoking.
Of course, we were always going to get the oh-so-predictable 'oops-you-walked-in-on-me-naked' type scenes, but I genuinely thought they added a light touch to a movie that is actually, quite depressing.

Channing Tatum, I thought, was fantastic. It wasn't completely different from that character he always seems to play (the tough guy with the cheesey grin and the kind heart), but he somehow managed to put so much more emotion into this role without overplaying it. It must be so difficult to play a guy who's wife has no idea who he is...

Tatum portrays Leo as, not a man suffering from unrequited love, but a man who honestly has no idea what to do with the situation that has been thrown at him. He loves his wife and seems to have such trouble understanding how isn't the same person she was, but also has no idea how to bring her back. You can really see how Leo is trying to stay calm and patient for his wife, but slowly losing hope for her, and it definitely made me feel for him.

Similarly, Rachel McAdams does an amazing job of playing wife Paige. It really can't be easy to play the role of a person whose accident has resulted in such unusual consequences. It would not have been good enough for her to just act like she didn't know her husband and have no connection with him what-so-ever. We have to take into account that, yes she has lost her memory, but she also has this man in her life that tells her that he's her husband and so she must be thinking 'well I must love him if I married him', and I really do think McAdams has taken this into account whilst playing Paige. You can see throughout most of the film that Paige doesn't just look at her husband and think 'who the hell are you?'... instead she sees a man that she is supposed to know and love, but doesn't know how to get that back. She is just as frustrated as Leo and doesn't want to hurt him, and I think that that is what makes her character more relatable in such a rare situation. (I used the word rare since it is noted in the end credits that the movie was based on true events).

OK so, I did go in to the movie expecting something very cheesey, and there was not as much cheesey as i had hoped for, but I wasn't dissatisfied. Without giving anything away, I was extremely please with how to story played out - in a way that i completely didn't expect.

If there a negative I could give this movie it would be that I would have liked a little bit less emphasis on Leo's emotions and a little more on Paige. I guess the story is partly told from Leo's point of view, but I would have like to have seen more of Paige on her own, or even Paige and Leo together, just the tow of them. Perhaps that's the romantic in me talking... who knows.

I wouldn't give this movie five stars, but only because compared to every other movie in the world, it doesn't exceed them all in terms of screenplay or originality, but I will give it four stars because the soppy-romantic in me really enjoyed it and I recommend it to anyone that likes that kind of movie :).


Until we blog again,
x

Review: The Descendants

Star Rating: ****

Directed by Alexander Payne, new movie The Descendants starring George Clooney tells the story of a father, husband and lawyer, Matt King (Clooney), who is forced to deal with the various consequences that arise due to his wife's unfortunate boating accident off Waikiki, where she now lies in hospital in a coma she is not expected to recover from.

From breaking the news to his two daughters, Alexandra (Shaileene Woodley), and Scottie (Amara Miller) to the discovery of his wife's affair before the accident and the search for her lover, this story is about how Matt has to step up to the mark as a family man and reliable father whilst learning to deal with all the emotions that have suddenly crashed into his life.

We learn early on that Matt is Hawaiian Royalty, owning a vast amount of land of which he inherited along with other members of the family in a trust, which they now intend to sell. This is also a common theme of the movie and also plays a large part in Matt's life at this time, as he alone is to make to final decision on who they should sell the area of land to. This is all added pressure onto Matt's life, along with the trouble-making of his two daughters (Scottie's "unusual" homework and bullying her peers, and Alexandra's rebellious teenage behaviour). We get the immediate feel that Matt's life is as complex as it can get, however, we also can tell that Matt is a strong character, and one we are probably going to like.

Clooney completely surprised me in this role. He stepped out of his comfort-zone and into an unlikely role which he plays fantastically. The fact, that he plays the role so low-key, really emphasises how normal this man's life is in terms of tragedy and stress (though we probably do not relate to his financial situation).

Woodley also deserves to be recognised for her outstanding portrayal of Alexandra, who puts her rebellious teenage mannerisms and attitude aside in order to help and support her father (along with her boyfriend Sid played by Nick Krause).

This story sounds simple and uneventful, but in reality it is fantastically portrayed tale of family, loyalty, friendship, trust and most importantly, acceptance. It doesn't need action, a huge twist or a fancy show to hide behind, just its story alone and the amazing actors that make it so touching and believable.

I went into this film expecting something mediocre, and came out feeling that I had definitely seen something that deserves to be recognised.

If I could, I would have told you more about the plot, but really, I just want you to go and see it for yourselves, without me giving away most of the story.

Until we blog again,
x