maatmouse-1 Reviews

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Some humour underlines a dark tale of male separation

[9/10 · 6 February 2023]

The Banshees of Inisherin is one of those films about male friendship and what happens when one of the party decides that they no longer want that friendship to continue. In some ways it's heartbreaking and also not well understood.

Brenda Gleeson plays the older party of the friendship who decides for whatever reason that he's bored with his friendship with Colin Farrell's character. A number of reasons are speculated but the truth is, no-one really knows.

The pair live on an island off the west coast of Ireland. The island life produces the room for eccentric behaviour with its rugged beauty, beaches and hard going roads. Both men live separate to each other. Colin's character, Padraic lives with his sister. Brendan's character, Colm lives with his border collie for company and also his music.

The two's separation affects the entire community and it also grows, until the party who instigated it considers quite an extreme act. Once this begins, things go from bad to worse.

This is not a film for the faint hearted. It also gives an insight into the Irish/Gaelic culture with its religion and superstition moving beside each other, sometimes at odds. Other brilliant performances come from Kerry Condon who plays Padraic's sister who is looking for a different way of life from the one offered on the island. Also equally superb is Barry Keoghan, whose performance is a delight.

Smile (V) (2022)

Creepy and scary

[9/10 · 1 February 2023]

Came to Smile after watching a trailer of it and thought, at last a horror movie which might live up to the hype.

Sosie Bacon's psychiatrist sees a young, clearly psychotic woman who claims to be seeing an entity everywhere who is smiling. The episode does not end well and Dr Cotter, clearly shaken, resorts to drinking when at home awaiting her fiancé. On the surface Cotter's life is good. She has a responsible job, a beautiful home and a supposedly supportive partner. As the film progresses, predictably, things go to hell as does Dr Cotter. The jumps and shocks continue at a pace and get worse, if anything until the film reaches its climax.

A good horror movie with plenty of jump scares which owes many of its ideas to The Shining (the madness of the situation and cinematography), It Follows, Insidious and The Ring. The use of rather subtle music cues and voices is clever.

Us (II) (2019)

Good if you can ignore the plot holes

[7/10 · 18 September 2022]

With any Jordan Peele film, some of the movie is explained in the first few minutes. No different with this. The first few minutes witness an event called the Hands Across America which went on in the eighties, but more about that later.

The start of the film concerns a young girl who goes missing and ends up in a fairground hall of mirrors type of attraction. There, something happens which changes the whole course of the film. Scroll forward to the present day and the Wilson family are off to Santa Cruz on holiday.

All the way through to the mid part of the film, Adelaide feels uneasy. Her husband dismisses it as jitters but then her fears are realised when a family turns up on their driveway. After explaining who they are, it becomes apparent that strange things are at work here.

Peele does a good job of introducing the premise quite well, but it falls flat in the second half of the movie when we delve into familiar run and hide/being terrorised territory. This is not a bad film if you can overlook the obvious plot holes going on.

Nope (2022)

Nope - a fresh look at common themes

[8/10 · 18 September 2022]

I've watched Jordan Peele's movies for a while and one small piece of advice with all of them is to watch the opening moments with a lot of interest. Like Us and Get Out, Nope's opening moments point to the terrible tragedy of a chimpanzee which is let loose on a live TV show. This is essentially what we're dealing with here, the idea that some predators cannot be controlled.

OJ and Emerald are siblings and have the responsibility of looking after a ranch which loans out horses to the film industry. Their tagline is that they are the only ranch owned by POC. After their father is killed in mysterious circumstances, both have to take on the workload, but Emerald is very reluctant to do so, leaving the normally reticent OJ to do the hard work.

Add in to all of this, a plot about a something airborne which plays havoc with the ranch but leads both of them to try and make their fortune proving aliens exist and you have the recipe for an interesting film with a plot that has a load of nods to film makers like Spielberg and also a massive nod to the Independence Day movie.

Men (2022)

Strange and imbued with much symbolism

[7/10 · 18 September 2022]

Not often does a film come along which promises much from every review done about it. Men is about Harper who is on a much needed holiday away from the troubling death of her ex-husband and their horrible divorce. Flashbacks offer us an insight into Harper's views on it and the way she was treated by her soon to be ex-husband, with his threats of suicide.

Harper's holiday rental is an old, very large house in the middle of England in a fictional village of Cotson. The first of the men she encounters is Jeremy who is an overbearing, rather traditional, country gent. She settles in well enough but is followed by another curious man, who intrudes on her peace of mind.

From there, things pretty much go downhill. A visit to the local church with its incredible font, with images of the greenman and Sheela Na Gig on it slip slowly into the film's psyche. Added to that, a lot of verdant, bright greens of nature. Lots of symbolism everywhere in this film, with apples being consumed, the inclusion of the men who don't believe Harper when she visits the local pub and in the church where a vicar, having heard her business with her husband, implies that she was somehow to blame for his problems.

I won't spoil the ending for you. Its pretty dark, though, like much of this film Jessie Buckley is good as she always is, Greg Kenear proves he can do several roles at once and the imaginary in this film is complex and challenging as it can be.

The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)

Different from the Swedish movies but in the same spirit

[8/10 · 24 November 2018]

Was surprised as any fan of the books that this particular book was being made into a film. This book differs from Stieg Larrsson's original trilogy having not been written by him but using characters he created.

In 2011 we were introduced to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, American style with Rooney Mara in the main role. For me, this remake worked. However, having seen the Swedish movies and being hugely impressed with both the interpretation of Lisbeth by Noomi, I did wonder whether Claire would pull this off.

If you're watching this because of the book, then abandon that straight away. This film is NOT the book. The characters are the same ones but there, the similarity ends. We are introduced to Lisbeth and her sister Camila's relationship with their father from the first moment. Lisbeth Salander has become a computer hacking female vigilante hell bent on teaching errant men a lesson. She also lives, at least in this film in a disused converted warehouse in Stockholm and has a casual attitude to sex. She crosses paths with Frans Balder and his son August. Balder has developed some kind of online programme aimed at activating nuclear missiles. Salander moves it and attracts the wrong kind of attention, most of it connected with a group called 'The Spiders' which is run by her sister Camila. After that, everyone is out to get Lisbeth and kidnap August. She also enlists the help of her former lover journalist, Mikhail Blomvist.

Visually, this film is dark. It is also very fast paced and doesn't let up from the word go. Salander as portrayed by Foy is not as feral or wildly dressed and pierced as either Rapace or Mara. She is certainly not as distant as either of them. Her performance adds more dimensions to the troubled character and the film gives a better insight into why the character is as she is. It is not a film you can afford to rest on your laurels with. You have to pay attention, but its worth it.

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

Surprisingly funny addition to this trilogy

[8/10 · 26 December 2017]

Never has a sequel to The Force Awakens been more eagerly anticipated as this one, if only for the answers to some questions.

Last Jedi opens with the familiar 'what has happened so far' and straight into a space battle: this time, between the growing totalitarian First Order, who are trying to re-establish the Empire in the galaxy once again, and the Rebellion who are trying their damn best to stop it happening. Loads of action in the first 20 minutes with General Leia pitting her wits against the orders of Supreme Leader Snoke. Some humour too as Oscar Isaac's ace pilot teases General Hux.

Very little seems to have moved on in this saga. Rey has gone in search of Luke Skywalker, now playing Jedi hermit to try and persuade him to come back and help the Rebellion, which he refuses to do. She also wants him to give her some answers (the usual ones - who are her parents and why is she strong with the Force and what should she do about it) and maybe train her in the ways of the Force. Although Skywalker does reluctantly show Rey something of the Force, he doesn't decide to train her, despite her being v strong with it.

In the background, Finn finally wakes up from his coma. He also realises that the Rebellion are in more trouble than ever and tries to get away from that and find Rey to warn her, but instead gets roped into some crazy scheme to get onboard a First Order cruiser and disable something to help the Rebellion escape.

It is at this point that the story does the same as Empire did and splits off into different sections. We have Rey and Skywalker, General Leia and Poe and Finn and friend on a mission. In the midst of all of this, is Rey's link with Kylo Ren which is exploited or created by Snoke and Ren's overwhelming desire for revenge. There are one or two familiar moments. Ren's wearing of a helmet and his occasional bouts of temper, Finn's ability to throw a spanner in the works in almost every moment and Rey, who seems to be getting more comfortable with her abilities as she goes on, bar a few odd moments.

The big stand-out in this movie is Mark Hamill, reprising his role as Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion and wannabe Jedi Master who has gone into exile on a remote island being looked after by strange 'keepers' and admitting defeat after trying to train Ben Solo/Kylo Ren to become a Jedi. Fearful of having created a monster, he has become disillusioned and refuses to either get involved with the Rebellion anymore or train Rey. It is also about General Leia who maintains a quiet dignity throughout the film as the movie leaves more questions than answers.

I enjoyed it. There is more than enough action and flashes and bangs going on to satisfy the most ardent fan and more than enough faux mysticism for the Jedi wannabes out there.

The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (2015)

Superstition and abandonment mar family's lives

[7/10 · 14 August 2016]

Saw The Witch on Blu Ray rather than cinema as felt that the cinema's public setting would ruin a film which relied heavily on the right atmosphere in order to effectively tell the story. I was right. For this film, you need silence. It is silence which lends this film its menace, rather than showy special effects.

The Witch is set in the New World of the Puritan fathers. The main family of this film are mother and father, eldest daughter, younger brother, twins and a baby, newly born. Having been cast out of their puritan community for going against the community's teachings, in some way, the father takes his family to leave on the edge of a dark wood. He builds enclosures for goats and sets about growing corn to feed his family. His family pray regularly and look to God for forgiveness of their sins regularly. They are in all senses of the phrase, God Fearing people.

Within this close and claustrophobic environment, tensions start to mount. The youngest member of the family disappears and is thought to be stolen by a creature in the woods who is seen as using the child for its nefarious ends. The baby is not seen again and with no idea of what happened to him. All this leads to the mother of the family (Katie Dickie, fresh from Game of Thrones) crying and accusing family members, mostly the eldest girl (Thomasina - played by Anya Taylor-Joy) of theft of a silver cup. Then there is the eldest boy, Caleb and his father going hunting in the woods looking for venison. They find a hare which is not killed and lose their dog in the process. More lies to the mother about the nature of their trip.

Thomasina is ordered to clean her brother's clothes at the river on the edge of the wood. She does this and notices her younger brother taking a interest in her body. The twins join them and start joking about there being a witch in the woods. Thomsina holds the little girl down stating that she is the witch and she has made a pact with the devil etc. More upset and shouting.

Naturally, things go from bad to worse. Caleb goes into the forest with his sister to find the family dog and she loses the only horse they have and Caleb finds the family dog dead with its entrails hanging out. He also discovers the woodland house of the 'witch', a seemingly young, beautiful woman who kisses him and 'bewitches' him. Thomasina discovers him after a terrible night and he is naked and feverish. He babbles deliriously, then dies. In that moment, Thomasina is accused of being a witch by the twins, however, she also tells them that the family's black billy-goat - called Black Philip has been talking to the twins. Their father locks all of them in the goat shed whilst he buries his son and considers going back to the plantation /community for help.

It is at this point, after much slow burn and build up that the film gains a greater pace. The mother 'sees' her precious dead children returned to her and 'breastfeeds' her lost baby. Unbeknown to her, a raven pecks at her breast, leaving it bloodied. The father then wakes up and goes to see how the children in the goat shed are. He finds the goat shed destroyed and the black goat running wild. The black goat then goads him repeatedly and painfully and he dies. Then the mother accuses Thomasina of sin and tries to kill her. Thomasina then kills her mother by stabbing.

There is nothing left in the farm for Thomasina. Her father is dead, her mother dead, her brother has died of fever (presumably) and its not known what has happened to the twins. It is at this point, that it is likely that Thomasina will die too of hunger, exposure or madness.

Thomasina withdraws to the goat shed following Black Philip. She asks Black Philip to speak to her as he did to the twins. Almost at the point of giving up, Black Philip answers and tells her how to get the things she wants - in this case the taste of butter (being properly fed) and a pretty dress (being a Puritan, wearing pretty dresses was considered vain and sinful). Black Philip tells her to remove her clothing (a bit of a cliché) and sign the book offered (presumably, offering her soul to the devil in exchange for a better life - again a cliché). He also helps her to sign it.

This is at the point where the film enters superstitious nonsense territory. I shall not disclose any more of that as it belongs to the realms of nonsense in the vein of Denis Wheatley Hammer House of Horror film. It is the only part of the film which let it down, unfortunately.

If you watch this film as an attempt to portray witchcraft in a realistic light, I wouldn't bother. You ain't going to find that here.

As a fictional account in which superstition, isolation and religious mania can play havoc with the mind, it excels in that nicely. Lots of symbolism abounds in this film, from ravens, goats, hares and the use of colour within the forest (the 'witch' has a red cloak). Much of the symbolism is about suppressed lust having no outlet within a religious household. The presence of the 'witch' as an older woman naked and milking one of the goats is loaded with metaphor and symbolism.

It is not a particularly horrific film. There are some shocks and surprises but nothing really jumpy, just a slow burn.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

JJ Abrams delivers a good one.

[9/10 · 19 December 2015]

*** Please don't read on if you don't want spoilers****

From the first few words, and the title, we are on familiar but different territory. George Lucas has handed over the reins, once again, to another director in a bid to bring the final films to a satisfactory conclusion. I don't blame him.

The film begins with the news that Luke Skywalker has disappeared and gone into a sort of exile. Desperate to find him is a former apprentice and now big bad guy of the remnants of the Empire ie The First Order. The First Order, who are the Empire but under a different leader are hunting for a map that shows Luke Skywalker's whereabouts. However, the map has been separated into several pieces, to be sure, and one of them is held by a village on the planet Jakku. To retrieve the final piece, Leia Organa, now General Leia, head of the Resistance dispatches her best pilot, Poe Dameron, Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac is a determined and very good pilot. He arrives on Jakku and talks with the head of the village and retrieves the piece, but before he is able to get it back to Leia, the First Order turn up and destroy both village and the leader, played by Max Von Sydow. Poe, before being captured, puts his piece of the puzzle into his robot BB8, a smaller, very agile version of R2. Poe is then captured by the new Darth Vader, or a Sith by the name of Kylo Ren. On the way, a stormtrooper by the name of Finn removes his helmet and realises he doesn't want to kill anymore. He goes back on-board his ship but realises that he has no place among the First Order stormtroopers.

We leave both Poe and Ren and meet the other new member of the cast, namely, Jakku scavenger Rey, played by Daisy Riley. Rey, in the course of picking up scrap and the remains of dead Empire spaceships on the desert planet of Jakku runs into BB8, captured by another scrap hunter and befriends him. Despite temptation, she decides not to sell the droid. We learn that Rey is waiting for someone to come back and she's been waiting a long time. Like Luke before her, she also doesn't seem to have much of a life outside of her hard work for little reward.

Back on-board the First Order ship, Ren tortures Poe to find the missing piece but gets nowhere. Finn helps to get Poe out and they fly off to Jakku. Sadly, it appears Poe hasn't made it and Finn is on his own. He finds Rey by helping her from being robbed in a market in Jakku. Chaos ensues when the First Order turn up and destroy a space ship. Finn and Rey unknowingly get aboard a ship kept for junk, only to find they have piloted the Millennium Falcon.

Both get away with BB8 and find themselves being sucked into another ship, a scavenger. Looking to hide out, the pair hide in smugglers places, only to find they are found by the original former owners of the Falcon, Han Solo and Chewbaca the Wookie. They tell both of their plight and Han tells them that all they've heard about the Force, Luke and the Rebellion is true. Rey tells them they need to go to the Resistance and hand over BB8 who's information is valuable. Solo pilots them to another planet where they meet another alien but Rey leans something more about Luke.

Finn decides that he has to go with others and leave Rey. After all, she is now with Han Solo who can get her to Leia and the Resistance. Its not as easy as that.

There is a lot more going on. The true identity of Kylo Ren's family is revealed and Ren himself is unmasked. There is also one big upset but enough of that. I daresay once you've seen the film and know the reasons why it has happened, it becomes obvious why it was done and a sensible decision of Abrams to do it as well.

The Force Awakens has plenty of the things which made the first Star Wars films so good: action and beautiful locations, which, for a change, look real, rather than the CGI'd to death backgrounds of the Lucas prequels. It has some strong characters, Kylo Ren is a character needing to find his place in the saga, Domhail Gleeson's General Hax adds a clear note, if slightly over-acted, Gwendoline Christie is heard rather than seen, residing in the Stormtrooper costume of Captain Phasma and Oscar Isaac and others bring some much needed fresh blood to a saga which was in danger of getting long past its sell by date. Its also nice to have Han Solo on board to bring some balance to the rather tiresome mythology which had gone overboard in the prequels.

Shame (2011)

Edgy and yet tantalising

[7/10 · 25 September 2015]

From the moment where you see Michael Fassbender's wealthy thirty something bachelor lying in bed with his genitals barely covered, you realise what this film is about and where its liable to lead. Steve McQueen's film Shame is an exploration of one man's inability to deal with both his sexual addiction and his feelings about his sister, who turns up in his life like a turbulent whirlwind with her neediness and her own emotional problems.

Brandon's life is about work and play mostly in the form of meaningless sexual congress, be it with one prostitute, online with various chatrooms and with two prostitutes. The sex in this film is, at times, quite graphic and borders almost on the pornographic; Fassbender doesn't seem to mind showing off his body whereas many actors couldn't cope with the nudity required of the role. At one point in the film, he is seen using the toilet and that scene is done for real.

Carey Mulligan, in this film, shows a glimpse of what could possibly be. She acquits herself very well, playing Brandon's troubled sibling, Cissy, and the relationship between the two of them seems to hover around inappropriate behaviour. At one point, she climbs into bed with him, although nothing sexual occurs between them and another point, the first glimpse we see of Cissy is her nudity in Brandon's bathroom taking a shower.

If you're watching this film purely for the nudity and sexual content, then fair enough. There's plenty of that, if it interests you. This is not a film for prudes or people uncomfortable with frequent full frontal nudity or the sight of a man's genitals. Yet the film's strengths are not in its graphic nudity but in its character build up. McQueen is an economical film-maker who allows his characters to tell their story rather than dress the film up with messy circulating camera shots and shaky camera work. Bravo to him! I wish other film makers would follow his lead. His film is also well lit and not too dark or light which makes it easier to watch. He allows his viewers to follow the story. The film is ultimately, a good one. A good film. As a study of one man's slide into a well known addiction, it delivers but it isn't an easy watch, especially right at the end.

Ex Machina (2014)

God in the machine indeed!

[8/10 · 1 June 2015]

Eagerly awaited for this to come out on blu ray as I'd missed its cinema run. Glad I waited as this is a thoughtful film which requires a quiet cinema in order to avoid missing crucial plot details.

Domhnall Gleeson plays Caleb, a nervous yet highly intelligent 26 year old coder within the Blue Book company who 'wins' a week long trip to his boss's home set in a remote, mountainous area. Having no commitments of any kind, Caleb packs his bag and flies out to the location which spans many hundreds of miles of incredibly beautiful scenery. There, he checks into boss Nathan's ultra modern bunker type residence and is issued with a card which limits him to certain areas in the house. This card is a crucial detail in the film.

Nathan turns out to be a seemingly easy going contradiction in terms guy. One minute he is working out and keeping fit, the next, he is drinking quite a lot of beer, wine and vodka. He is also a loner, like Caleb. Both men are not in relationships with women or men and seem to not have significant family ties with anyone.

Nathan shows Caleb to his room and points out the need for his brand of security. A non- disclosure agreement is signed and the 2 can now get down to business. In Nathan's case, business involves a project of enormous secrecy and intrigue. In Caleb's case, it is getting over the initial shock of being considered a 'lab rat'.

Caleb is introduced to Nathan's work in the form of a highly sophisticated robot called Ava. Ava is beautiful in a child like way, having an eternally youthful face and the profile of a young woman, complete with breasts and buttocks albeit covered in a grey mesh. Caleb finds Ava fascinating and compliments his work, comparing him to a god.

One evening, whilst seemingly observing Ava through screens in his room, the whole room is plunged into a red light and the bunker is put into a lock-down whilst the system repairs itself. Caleb becomes understandably worried but is told by Nathan that power blackouts are quite common.

Caleb gets more time to interact with Ava. She asks him questions and also dresses up for him, putting on a pretty dress and a top along with a wig to make herself seem more 'girlish and less robot'. It works, until the red light comes on and Ava tells Caleb not to trust Nathan and points out that when the red light comes on and the blackout occurs, Nathan can't see them on the bunker's cameras .

So Caleb is drawn into an intrigue with Ava. He also spends his evenings watching Nathan getting drunk and insulting the Asian servant who apparently speaks no English and doesn't say anything anyway. Ava makes clear that Caleb is being manipulated on both sides as he is.

At one point, Caleb gets Nathan so drunk, he manages to steal Nathan's entry card. The revelations are terrifying. Nathan has not only created Ava but a score of robot prototypes, designing them all as women which he then imprisons as he figures out each time where he's been going wrong. The end results all end up in Nathan's closet, like Ironman suits or bat suits in these particular films. Caleb also discovers that Nathan's non speaking Asian servant is also a robot, albeit one designed to offer silence and obedience to Nathan's emotional/physical needs. This leads to Caleb questioning whether he, too, is a robot as he cuts his arm deeply in one moment to try and reveal any hidden circuitry.

In another moment, Caleb tells Ava that he will programme the doors to release during a power cut situation but only when he has gotten Nathan blind drunk. Nathan refuses to get blind drunk and tells Caleb that Ava has, too, been manipulating him for her own ends. Caleb states Ava has passed the Turing test.

In the end, Caleb is left to watch as Ava and the Asian assistant both conspire to get rid of Nathan and gain freedom. Nathan's Asian assistant 'dies' in the attempt but Ava manages to re-cloth herself and leaves the bunker and Caleb to make her way in the world.

This film is very clever. It uses the veneer of sci-fi to ask some difficult and unanswered questions about this generation of men and their relationship with women. Caleb and Nathan are two men who seemingly have no meaningful relationships with women (or anyone else). Their intelligence has somehow made them both separate from the common ebb and flow of masculinity. Both are looking for the first steps of replacing human beings (for that, read women) with compliant, obedient A.I. Unfortunately, Alex Garland has turned it on its head and the robot outsmarts both the master and his servants. The message is clear: Only by sorting out their relationship with women will men be liberated.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Not as bad as its been painted but not great

[5/10 · 14 February 2015]

We all know the story. Nervous college student Anastassia Steele goes to interview billionaire Christian Grey after her flatmate gives her the job owing to having a bad cold. The interview doesn't go too well. The questions she asks are frankly lousy and she's too nervous and extremely uncertain around the rather good looking young man in his incredibly modern office. After being ushered out by him, they say goodbye at the elevator and Ana breathes a much needed sigh of relief.

Not long after, Grey visits her in the DIY store where she works on the precursor of buying DIY supplies. After several minutes of stumbling around and eyeing each other, Grey leaves but gives her his business card.

Ana then finishes her exams and accompanies her friend Kate on a drinking session out. During the course of it, Ana phones up Grey in a moment of drunken bravery and admonishes him for giving her a set of Thomas Hardy first editions. He questions her quite frankly about her drinking and then she hangs up. She then goes outside and finds herself the object of her photographer Jose's unwanted attentions, but Grey is there to save the day.

After all this, Ana finds herself waking up in a lovely hotel room being watched by a sweaty Grey. Again, he repeats his insistence that his tastes are rather singular but seems to be more drawn to her, this time, biting some of her toast in a playful manner.

Grey then agrees for her to come to his apartment for a 'date'. She is picked up after her work and whisked by helicopter to Grey's home, an elegant apartment which is more hotel looking than home. After drinks and explanations, he gets her to sign a nondisclosure agreement then comes the big reveal.

Ana is taken up to Grey's 'Playroom'. Naively, she believes this to mean a place where he stores his Xbox but it certainly isn't. What it is, is the elegant, opulently coloured and designed for purpose room for sexual bondage, domination and Sada-masochist activities. After showing her floggers, paddles, whips, canes, a frame system for restraint, a bench for spanking, a bed complete with more rings and restraints and a couch, he explains that this is what he enjoys and that he doesn't do conventional relationship type stuff.

All of this seems extremely overwhelming and Ana is understandably shocked. She reveals to Grey that she has no experience of sexual matters as she is a virgin and he looks at her with new eyes. With no further ado on his part, he seeks to 'rectify' the situation and has sex with her.

From this moment on, the film becomes very much about how their relationship is a to and fro. Grey tells Ana why he is the way he is in a forest walk and explains the influence of Elena, his 'Mrs Robinson' and why he was her submissive for some years. There are long moments where Ana researches the role he wants her to play, that of a sexual submissive and, with the help of a laptop given to her by Grey, begins to realise that she isn't sure this is what she wants. There is no doubt that she is enjoying sex with Grey but there is also that other side and its a difficult one. Eventually, Ana jumps in the deep end and decides to go into the playroom and gets involved. Prior to this point, the sex has been interesting and rather romantic, but then things get darker. Grey is in his element here and knows what he's doing.

Yet all things have to come to an end and the end is heart rendering. Ana asks how 'bad' the punishment can be and Grey responds by beating her 6 times with a braided leather belt. Ana's horror at what he's done echoes and their story ends as it started: her in an elevator.

Firstly, this film isn't the book. Yes, it shares the same characters as the book but that is where the similarity ends. This is a stylishly lit, well edited, beautifully rendered film.Even Grey's playroom is a work of art, both beautiful and intimidating. This is how you imagine a billionaire would conduct his BDSM lifestyle.

The problem with this film is not the way it looks or the characters. Jamie Dornan is okay as Christian Grey but always looks as if he is fighting with the script and wants to say more meaningful things. Dakota Johnson's character of Ana is far better depicted in the movie than on the page. She is self-possessed, sure of what she wants and less naive than her book character, who looks very different in comparison. The Ana of the film is, for some parts, calling the shots. The Ana of the book is too nervous to know what she really wants. Again, the script does neither of these characters any favours. There are too many unintentionally funny moments there.

Neither is the film depicting, as some have argued, domestic abuse. Christian Grey, at some points in the film, tells Ana that he is not right for her. Prior to showing her the playroom, he tells her that his helicopter is ready for him to take her home if she really wants to go. Ana is not forced or tied up against her will.

The Avengers (2012)

Mad and crazy stuff super hero stuff

[9/10 · 11 December 2014]

Having enjoyed Thor and also the Iron Man films, I felt this combination should be mind blowing. I wasn't disappointed.

First of all, if you haven't seen Thor, then don't watch this film. You won't follow the set up. Its this which holds the film together and explains much.

The film starts with SHIELD'S discovery of something called the Tesseract. The Tesseract contains some kind of intense energy and SHIELD employs Dr Eric Selvig to try and understand its energy. Hot on the heels of Selvig's investigations is Loki of Asgard, a super villain and brother of Thor with breathtaking ambition. Loki comes in, uses the Tesseract to enslave both Selvig and Hawkeye and gets both on his side. Cue Nick Fury who has to get together the other members of the Avengers group. These include Natasha Romanov, Dr Bruce Banner, Captain America Steve Rogers and Iron Man Tony Stark. It also includes Thor who comes along in hot pursuit of Loki to try and bring him back to Asgard and face justice.

Cue lots of thrilling set pieces. There is Stark's extraordinary tower, based on his clean energy ideas, Thor and Loki's humorous verbal sparring parodied by Tony Stark and Tony Stark and Steve Rogers' verbal sparring. All play nicely off against each other. There is Natasha's moment with Loki, the team coming together on board SHIELD's ship and finally the incredible attack by the Chitari on New York, led by Loki.

As is usual with these dazzling things, much of the plot flies out of the window amidst the extraordinary visuals. Tom Hiddleston's Loki has a nicely subtle play out and seems to be more than comfortable in his role. Chris Hemsworth wears his Thor well. Robert Downey Jnr is as wonderfully wisecracking as ever, Chris Evans gives his elder statesman Captain America a well rounded character as totally different from his jack-the-lad role as one of the Fantastic Four, Scartlett Johansson plays Romanov with coolness and Mark Ruffalo adds a sharper performance to Bruce Banner than I've seen in a long time. Jeremy Renner is a bit too quiet for Hawkeye. Combined that with Nick Fury and the other members of SHIELD and you have experience which rises out of what could be a very overwhelming movie experience.

Maleficent (2014)

Not your conventional fairy tale

[7/10 · 11 December 2014]

Having seen the original Sleeping Beauty, I really wondered what this film was going to be like. Previous reviews had been glowing, but I wanted to judge for myself.

Maleficent starts out with the young winged girl of the title establishing herself as a 'Guardian of the Marshland' in a land dominated by a somewhat unpleasant King, played by Kenneth Cranham. Maleficent meets up with a young man wandering around in the forest and they become very friendly but other matters are calling the said young man and he soon leaves the Marshland and Maleficent behind. That is the crux of this story: how people grow and change, not always for the better.

King Henry decides to wage war on the Marshland but is defeated and his pride sorely bruised by Maleficent, who leads her land and its strange mixture of creatures against his army. In anger and brutal retaliation, Henry declares on his death bed that anyone who can kill or maim Maleficent will win his kingdom. Cue: the young man and Maleficent's former friend, now an ambitious fella. He capitalises on his friendship with Maleficent and strikes her a terrible blow, failing to realise what an enemy he has made in the process.

From this point on, we are on familiar territory. Wronged fairy woman is waiting for her chance to get back at her former 'friend'. It comes in the form of the King Stefan's new daughter, the beautiful Aurora. Maleficent, who has not been invited to this particular presentation, arrives anyway and puts a 'curse' on the child which is that on her 16th birthday she shall prick her finger and fall into a deathlike sleep until true love's kiss wakes her up.

Angered by what Maleficent has done, Stefan takes preventative measures. Aurora is moved to the forest to be taken care of by 3 fairies who grow to normal human size. All the spinning wheels in the land are put in a room and locked away and Maleficent is to be found and killed. Maleficent, her power much stronger than ever, responds by building a wall of thorns around her home.

The rest differs from Disney's interpretation of this tale, quite a lot. Maleficent stays around Aurora and starts to help with her growing up and education, unwittingly. In time, Aurora grows up and Maleficent starts to realise that the baby she once cursed is not a bad person and shouldn't be blamed or held accountable for her father's terrible deeds.

The ending to this film is not what you'd expect. Yes, Prince Charming comes along but he doesn't figure very highly in this film at all. It is Maleficent who realises that she is really Aurora's friend and true guardian.

Once again, Angelina Jolie dominates this film from the start. She is beautifully cast and the script lends her character a wonderful, dry sense of humour. She revels in the good fairy wronged and 'gone bad' role. Sam Riley is also very good. The only sour note in this film isn't the women at all, but the way the film makers have made the men quite unpleasant. Sharlto Copley plays Stefan with a terrible purpose of violence and Kenneth Cranham makes a fairly horrid King. The only 2 better male parts in this are Prince Philip who doesn't do much and Maleficent's shapeshifting helper.

Iron Man Three (2013)

Ironman 3 - as much fun as the other 2

[8/10 · 1 December 2013]

I've read a couple of the reviews of this film and been disappointed. Whats not to like here? Its Ironman back for another movie and that means a lot more fun.

Ironman 3 starts off in the past long before Tony Stark, millionaire weapons maker and playboy ended up with an arc-reactor in his body to deal with his shrapnel problem. It starts in 1999 and the night before 2000 when Stark is attending a conference and has a beautiful, intelligent woman present her idea to him. He also meets and brushes off another man, Aldrich Killian who eventually may prove to have had a good idea.

Cut to the present day and Stark is trying to make a go of his company, his relationship to Virginia 'Pepper" Potts and his life generally. His company is doing fine, his relationship and life not so, partly due to his dealing with anxiety attacks after the New York business referenced in the Avengers Assemble. He has also made friends with another armoured character called Iron Patriate or War Machine, played quite nicely by Don Cheadle.

All this continues onward as Stark has to deal with The Mandarin. The Mandarin appears to be a shadowy terrorist who strikes on American soil, in particular one attack which destroys the Mann's Chinese Theatre. He takes it upon himself to investigate further and finds that the Mandarin and the forces behind him are not all they seem.

Stark goes out on a limb and challenges the Mandarin to bring the fight to him, in an act of rather crazy bravado. The Mandarin reciprocates affording Stark and us the opportunity to see his new designs in action as one of the most complicated action sequences occurs.

After seeing his house destroyed, Stark takes himself out to the wilds and finds more about Killian. Killian is not all he seems. The end of the film is a blaze of action set pieces and loose end tie ups, including Stark's operation to rid himself of the shrapnel trying to kill him.

Whether Tony Stark returns or not is up to the producers. I disagree with many of the reviewers of this film. Ironman 3 is a load of fun. It has a crazy plot and humour, which is so often missing in super hero type movies particularly in the Batman ones. Downey Jnr is such good fun and all the cast do a brilliant job. Ben Kingsley's Mandarin is an especially nice touch, whilst Guy Pearce continues to show us what a fine actor he is.

This only managed an 8 cos I want more films.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Darker and deeper than before

[8/10 · 1 December 2013]

Having seen the first movie and been scared out of my wits over it, I have come to the conclusion that James Wan is probably one of only a few directors who can actually do what horror movies are meant to do and scare people. Except he doesn't use loads of gore and torture to achieve this aim.

Insidious 2 literally begins where Insidious ended. Dalton Lambert is back with his family after coming back from the Further. Unfortunately, he appears to have brought back with him whatever plagued Josh Lambert's childhood i.e. The Old Lady. Insidious 2 deals with her and her attempted slow possession of Josh.

The Lambert family move back to Josh's mother's house which is quite old. No sooner do they move and settle in, than strange things happen again. A piano plays randomly late at night, the baby of the family cries for no apparent reason, toys are thrown around rooms and an angry ghost in the form of a violent, white dressed woman starts physically abusing Renai Lambert.

Renai is at a loss. She discusses what is going on with Josh's mum and decides to delve deeper. For this, they need help. They turn to the 2 helpers of the previous film who filmed Elise the psychic.Both of these men turn to Elise and appeal to her from the Other Side for help. Elise directs them to Carl, a talented psychic who communicates with the dead via scrabble letters in which the dead spell out what they want to him.

The film then takes a dark journey back to Josh's past and to the ghost lady plaguing the family. It turns out the ghost lady was involved with another of Lorraine Lambert's patients and Lorraine, 2 helpers and Carl go through dark, disused hospitals to find out the truth which is more unpleasant than they realise.

Added to that, is the knowledge that Josh is slowly being taken over by the Old Lady from the previous film. He changes very slowly but its quite recognisable how much he is being taken over and chilling. Carl realises early on that he has to enter the Further to find the real Josh and try and help him. What follows is pretty much part of the first film shot from a different side. Carl meets Josh who is trapped in the Further while the Old Lady is taking over his physical body. He follows Josh around in the Further and encounters Ellise who helps them. This part of the film is pretty terrifying as we discover the reasons why the door would open for no reason and why creepy characters are wandering around the house.

In the normal world, however, Renai is dealing with a husband who seems to be out to kill her. This part of the film is probably the most harrowing, especially for women who've suffered domestic violence. Renai, however, is not a passive victim and fights back quite strongly to the extent of locking herself down in the basement with Dalton whilst Josh does his very best to imitate Jack Nicholson's character from The Shining.

However, it is Dalton who saves the day. He calls Josh back from the Further after entering it to find his dad and brings both his father and Carl back. Ellise bids them farewell. All appears to be well in the Lambert's world finally but Ellise's spirit returns to help her 2 former assistants. She goes to the house of a young woman troubled by something and finds something there so horrifying its going to cause even more trouble.

Fans of the first movie will note that the Red faced Demon of the first is not in evidence here. If you're expecting him, prepare to be disappointed. It does look as if there will be another movie however, and he's likely to turn up in that. This film is pretty frightening but it is more 'jumpy' shocks than anything else. The trip into the Further that Josh, Dalton and Carl make is chilling and grim stuff. Lorraine and friends trip around the derelict mental hospital where she worked is grim enough and ghosts abound everywhere. This is not a film to watch alone or if you're easily afraid.

The Purge (I) (2013)

America's drastic solution to crime

[7/10 · 31 May 2013]

The year is 2022, not too distantly into the future and America's crime levels are at an all time low, as is unemployment and the economic problems it has been suffering are almost a bad memory. The drastic solution which produced these results is something called The Purge. Each year, for 12 hours from 7pm to 7am, all crime is declared legal and the police and security services are suspended. In short, for 12 hours, America has become a state of anarchy.

Cue: idealised American family the Sandins. Father Ethan Hawke is a security system salesman, Mother Lena Headley is a homemaker and mother. Along with their 2 children, Charlie and Zoe, this family seem the ideal. They all live in an exclusive community in beautiful, massive homes and surrounded by gossipy neighbours.

The film begins just shortly before The Purge. Ethan is coming home and Lena is preparing a family meal and chatting with neighbours. Everything is as it should be. Nothing afoot. The couple's family is also joined briefly by Zoe's older boyfriend, who her father disapproves of. A family meal erupts into a feast of rude comments then the idealised family go into the communal security room and wait for the sirens to go off, signalling the beginning of the yearly Purge.

As the family home becomes a Sandin fortress, Charlie wanders around and tries to settle down. Zoe makes out with her boyfriend and both adults talk about the benefits of The Purge, safe in the knowledge, that they won't be affected by its problems.

All is well, until Charlie the son spots a fugitive pleading for help within the community. He's in deep distress, being shot at by a crowd of 20 something masked anarchists complete with smart suits, white dresses and horrid masks. Charlie decides to help the man and disarms the fortress system to let him in.

Thus does the dynamic of the story change. Both parents don't know what to do with the stranger. To make matters instantly worse, his assailants are right behind him, a bunch of masked anarchists hungry for his blood, lead by a smartly dressed young man. Said young man wants them to hand over the fugitive so that he can be slaughtered and hey can be left alone. Easy choice really?

So begins a real tale of moral dilemma on a par with films like Straw Dogs, Panic Room and The Strangers, a French movie on similar lines. Anarchists continue to taunt the family and ask them not too politely to turn 'the swine over. Family struggles trying to tie him up, preparing to throw him back to his assailants. It is at this point that the film descends into familiar territory. Still, matters not. It is a good idea which may have been better added to but doesn't suffer for not straying away from its main premise. There is an element, particularly at the end where you realise you don't know who your friends are.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Dark as night Fincher remake of Swedish thriller

[8/10 · 4 January 2012]

I made the decision to come to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - the film right after finishing the book and I'm glad I did, partly because in order to understand the way the film moves around, you really need to have read the book.

Firstly, there are the main characters. Daniel Craig is brilliant as Mikael Blomkvist, the disgraced financial journalist whose libellous actions find him out of popular favour and put him right in the arms (and money) of the Vanger family and Corporation. Here, he is tempted to indulge Henrik Vanger's obsession with finding out where lost family member Harriet is. His chief motivations are pressed flowers which come each year from who knows where or who and a sense of closure he desperately craves as an old man. In short Craig's journo has to turn detective to satisfy the old man's curiosity.

As Blomkvist leaves his magazine behind in the capable hands of his married lover Erika, he travels to the colder north of Sweden to the heart of the Vanger family in Hedestad. He deals with cold weather, a family of dysfunctional people, some with 'nazi' tendencies and, in the latter stages someone trying to kill him. No mean task this.

Playing parallel to Blomkvist's adventures is the story of Lisbeth Salander. Salander, played very ably by Rooney Mara, is a punk, goth, rather brilliant loner with her own values/opinions on sexuality. We first meet Salander as she emerges from her motorbike, wearing a distressed black leather jacket, spiky black hair, extreme make-up and facial piercings which scream 'leave me alone'. Salander is a woman who dresses her own way with little thought as to her perceived attractiveness and desperately wants Swedish society to leave her well alone to do her job and not be hassled by anyone. Of course, this is not the case. After one social welfare guardian suffers a stroke, Salander is taken into the 'care' of another who just sees a way to exploit and control the free spirit, abusing his power by coercing Salander in a series of horrifying sexual assaults, each more severe than the last. This makes for very hard watching, as Salander is bound to his bed and is raped, all because he believes she should be more 'sociable' and friendly. His comeuppance is just as brutal, but also deserved as Salander zaps him with a tazer then dishes out some of her own treatment.

Thus do the paths then cross. Blomkvist appeals to Frode, his employer's solicitor for help in researching details and Frode points him to Salander. In the most uncomfortable of meetings, Salander begins to help Blomkvist in his journey to find Harriet alive or dead. It is this journey that continues to take darker paths, as Blomkvist reveals whats at the heart of the Vanger family and it really isn't pretty. Salander also initiates a sexual relationship with Blomkvist and in the course of the film, finds solace and a sort of brief peace in his care. In return for that, she manages to save his life after he is assaulted at the hands of another Vanger family member.

Fincher makes this adaptation of the film something to look at and a challenge to follow. For women there is a strong female lead to watch in Salander, a woman who tries to live her life by her own rules (but doesn't always succeed) and Blomkvist whose own love life is a bit of a mess in the book has it rationalised slightly in the film by only managing 2 lovers. And there's the brilliant mostly British cast, who include Craig, Geraldine James, Christopher Plummer, Stephen Berkoff and Joely Richardson with grand turns from Robin Wright and Stellan Skaarsguard (who else),but its Craig and Rooney Mara who make this film with likable, believable characters, not merely parts which could have ended up as caricatures.

Insidious (I) (2010)

First film ever I've seen to deal with astral projection

[25 October 2011]

I had wanted to see this for a while, based on the trailer, which looked pretty scary and I wasn't disappointed, having bought it on Blu-ray DVD. It certainly lives up to its name. The idea of an insidious threat is one that grows, as the growing sense of unease with which this film plays out, highlights. Even the opening credits are very unsettling.

Patrick Wilson's character and his lovely, very hard working wife and 2 young children move into a new home and almost from the word go, strange things start happening. House alarms go off, one of their children meets with a nasty accident and ends up in hospital and intruders seemingly come into the house. Neither Patrick nor his wife Rose want to admit whats going on.

Its only until they call in a psychic (with much persuasion on Rose's part) that it becomes apparent that there's 'something' badly wrong with both their son and the house. The use of astral projection as an explanation is a brilliant one and adds a real flavour and purpose to the film, but its the sense of real, genuine menace that sets this scary movie from almost all others. There's a touch of the Excorcist going, Poltergeist, the Others (quite a big nod to that) and Paranormal Activity. No gore, but then it doesn't need it . A brilliant movie which does what it says on the tin.

Ironclad (2011)

Visceral actioner based on historical siege

[8/10 · 4 March 2011]

Ironclad is the story of the Rochester Castle siege, set during medieval times as King John is forced to sign the Magna Carta by the barons. Angered at having to do it, he decides to take out his frustration on England and also wants to take Rochester Castle, a strategically strong point in England, in case of possible invasion from France.

Preventing King John from doing that is the team of Brian Cox, James Purefoy, Jason Flemyng, Jamie Foreman, Aneurin Banard, Mackenzie Crook and castle owner Derek Jacobi and Kate Mara. It is James' character of Marshall that receives a huge amount of attention as he struggles with his blood lust against John countered with his vows and his conscience dealing with Kate Mara's somewhat bold aristocrat.

What makes the film is its action and what action it is! Bold, visceral, with the viewer very much in the middle feeling what the actors are feeling. At times, it can be sometimes very intense although a criticism I have is this tendency towards steady cam and giving the camera movement. It is all well and good but if the camera was moved a bit wider to accommodate the action more, it would have been a better film. That said, perfecting steady cam and utilising hand held cameras is quite an art and mastering it takes time and experienced camera men.

Yet these steady cam issues are minor niggles. What emerged from those months in Wales for Jonathan English and his superb cast is a brilliant film, nicely rendered and balanced with some good, real balls to the walls action interplayed with a good mix of romance and scene setting. It was also nice to see some of my buddies in the film, doing their thing. Hopefully more work coming their way after this.

Go along and watch it. You won't be disappointed.

Flash Gordon (1980)

High Camp but so good looking

[7/10 · 30 September 2010]

Of all the sci fi films which didn't take themselves way too seriously in the eighties, this is probably the best. Okay, it doesn't have the quasi-religious undertones of Star Wars nor the 'we want to be taken seriously' tone of Lord of the Rings or the cgi'd to hell and back look of nearly every sci-fi film since the 1990s, but it does have one thing: Sam Jones in tight black leather briefs. And that is the whole point of the film. You don't take it seriously.

There is also the plot. Quite simple. Ming the Merciless of the Planet Mongo wants to invade/destroy earth. And Flash, Dale Arden and Doctor Zarkov are the only ones who can stop him. However, they must first negotiate the mad, high camp of Ming's court with its highly coloured and very extravagant costumes, the ridiculous dialogue, moments of rather adult (although I didn't know it at the time) humour and, of course, Max Von Syndow as Ming. Who looks perfect.

Yes, the special effects are interesting and superseded by better stuff, but the high gloss look of the whole thing somehow makes you think it doesn't matter. And the rest of the cast play along admirably, even Tim Dalton, delicious as Prince Barin and the wonderfully, over the top, Brian Blessed playing Vultan.

Its good fun, very silly and makes you feel good. What more is there. This film is why you went to the cinema in the first place.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Everyman encounters aliens

[9/10 · 5 August 2010]

Close Encounters is one of those films that you grow up with, having appreciated it when you were younger and re-visit it occasionally, when you're feeling miserable. It is a nice reminder of better times, when you visited the cinema, as I did, with your Dad.

This is the first Spielberg film I was old enough and fortunate enough to see on the cinema. At the time, I was too young to watch Jaws and Steven was not as 'huge' as he has now become. This was a fairly hyped up movie at the time and given a lot of attention by the media.

Close Encounters opens innocently enough with an encounter by a UFO with an airplane, seen from the air traffic controller's perspective. Spielberg wisely used real air-traffic controllers for this scene as they would know what procedures to use when dealing with scenarios like this. The scene is a useful build up for what happens next. Elsewhere, investigators are alerted to an airfield in Mexico where a group of fighter airplanes are found. These airplanes haven't been seen since the second world war and the investigators are curious to know why they've turned up, in extraordinary circumstances. The legendary film director Francois Truffaut is first seen in this section, being chatted to by Bob Balaban who plays a cartographer who turns French translator to help Truffaut in later scenes. Only one clue to this happening remains: an elderly man who claims the 'sun came up and sang to him'.

It is now that we are transported to the world of Roy Neary, the grid engineer and everyman of the story. Roy is a likable, if slightly crazy father trying to steer his children through school and keep his marriage ticking over. Then an electrical blackout occurs which changes Roy's life altogether. What causes the blackout is a minor UFO invasion by several brightly lit and very fast moving UFOs. Roy is sent to investigate and sort the blackout out and gets a close encounter and gains a sunburnt face and erratic behaviour into the bargain. He also meets Gillian Guiler and her son Barry, who are also part of the UFOs scrutiny, particularly when her house is invaded by the mad electrical interference the visitors bring and her son is eventually 'kidnapped'.

After some time, playing out the distress Roy's unusual behaviour has inflicted on his long-suffering wife and family, the film switches to Roy's obsession (as does Gillian's) with a vision both were given by the aliens. This vision is Devil's Tower in Wyoming and both need to get there before the military invade. Both abandon families and everyday situations to pursue the vision and what it means to them both, in Gillian's case, her son Barry and in Roy's case some meaning to his life.

This is where the film's real magic begins as Roy and Gillian deal with both the uncaring military, who've put out a 'gas' warning to scare off the locals around the Tower and their own obsessive curiosity. After being captured by the military and almost shipped off home, Roy and Gillian make a bid for freedom (and answers). They find both at the base of the Tower where the military awaits the 'coming' of the visitors by setting out a landing platform in preparation for their visit. The film's finale is both breathtaking and surprising. Roy and Gillian watch as first the smaller ships herald their arrival, then the moment. In a dazzling array of lights and cloud/sky effects, the mothership arrives and disgorges some of its cargo: a bunch of missing airmen from various wars and other public and, finally Barry. Barry, with a child's curiosity and fearlessness goes back to his mother in a lovely moment of relief. But the mothership is not finished yet. After more musical interludes, the aliens themselves make their appearance and Roy realises his dream: to join these visitors back among the stars.

It has to be said that if this was the first film Steven had really made, all those years ago, it was a career breakthrough. The wonder, the imagination and none of the cynicism normally associated with science fiction comes through beautifully. Unlike ET, Spielberg takes this through the everyman's eyes, rather than through a child's. You can sympathise with Roy's frustration and anger at what has been thrown at him. An brilliant film, which doesn't grow old.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Blair Witch style video drama with scary moments

[7/10 · 17 July 2010]

I decided to watch this on Blu-Ray, having heard and read about it on the internet. This has been billed as one of those rarities: a genuinely frightening film with lots of shock moments. To some extent, it doesn't disappoint.

This film is in a similar vein to the Blair Witch Project and utilises sophisticated 'home video-ing' involving the protagonists of the movie - a young couple living together in a comfortable family home, enjoying a relatively normal lifestyle. It is the man of the movie - Micah who does the filming and his girlfriend, Katie who provides the film with some of its more scary moments, with her erratic behaviour.

The film starts off innocently enough with the couple using the video-camera and scene setting. It transpires that the couple have been having haunting/ghost problems with their house, most of the haunting centred on Katie. Apparently, she believes that a demon is operating in the house and it has been focussing its attentions on her.

The filming builds up gradually. The couple include both daytime filming and filming done while they 'sleep' in the bedroom. It is the bedroom filming which provides the most worrying moments. Minor moments include the bedroom door being opened slightly then one night it is banged shut. Other things include lights being switched on, a picture being smashed, heavy breathing on Katie, powder put down and 'footprints' appearing in it, a picture from Katie's troubled past cropping up in the attic and even an ouiji board being used and burned.

Both actors do a marvellous job, convincing us completely that there is something going on in the house and in the process involve us in their problem. There are no dramatic solutions, as in films like the Exorcist where priests come in and attempt to solve the problem. Both people approached seem powerless to do anything.

The film ends as we expect. With a dramatic moment followed by an address to the camera.

Robin Hood (2010)

Russell's medieval followup to Gladiator

[7/10 · 16 June 2010]

Much has been made of Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe's third collaboration together. There have been high expectations, certainly after Gladiator was released and Crowe got his Oscar. This film has had a difficult birth.

It is fair to say this film IS about Robin Hood. There is very little known historically about Britain's most famous archer. Some might say he was a nobleman turned outlaw due to circumstances beyond his control and others believe he was simply an outlaw. It doesn't really matter. It is always good material for a reasonable story.

The film starts off interesting enough with action and establishes Robin's place in the story. We learn he is not a noble man but a jobbing archer, like so many men at war in these particular times. We also learn he is no relation to Robin or Robert of Loxley. That comes later. We also learn he fought with Richard the Lionheart, played commendably but short-lived by Danny Huston. Lionheart dies by arrow wound and Robin and his men decide to leave the army in search of spoils and pay. They quickly run into trouble in the form of an envoy taking Richard's crown back to England and cross paths with the real troublemaker of the film: Sir Godfrey. It is here that Robin, known as Longstride until now, discovers Sir Robert Loxley and vows to tell his father about his son's death and return his sword to him. To do, Robin and his men practise subterfuge and 'become' nobles with all the trappings they find. The group sail back to England and right into trouble. Robin, who has now taken the identity of Loxley, returns the crown to Eleanor of Aquitaine, played brilliantly by Eileen Atkins, who gives it to her sullen and sulky son and his french wife. En route, Robin meets William Marshall who has no inkling of who he really is and briefly glimpses Sir Godfrey. At this point, things become complicated.

It is at the half way point in the film that the history goes to the wall and Robin heads off to Nottingham, sword in hand. Over the next hour or so, we find Robin gaining the entry into the household of Loxley and gaining the trust and friendship of both Sir Walter and his daughter in law Marion, the wife of Robert Loxley. He briefly spars with Marion and learns more about the family he's been brought into. A lot is taken on trust here, something which a suspicious nobleman wouldn't have probably done. Meanwhile Godfrey is trying to bring the French over and divide the northern lands of England by sending his troops around, collecting taxes. By setting the northern barons against the Crown, Godfrey hopes that they will fight against him and make it easy for a french king to gain control. In the process of defending his adopted territory and new love, Robin briefly fights against Godfrey but in the process, somehow manages to become the outlaw of legend.

It is fair to say that this film's history is all over the place and would have been much better had most of the plot about Loxley and politics been dumped over the side and trimmed down. A film detailing the conflict between Robin and his adopted town and the Sheriff of Nottingham, without any of the politicking which was dubious anyway, would have been much tidier. The outlaw's life was sketchy at best, why complicate it? That said, Scott's film is not a total mess. It looks about right. A nice touch of Kingdom of Heaven combined with the less clean approach to shooting medieval England. Most of the cast do a sterling job. Cate Blanchett works and looks the part, even lumbered with the terrible accent; Crowe is good as ever and nearly all the British end of the cast look and sound right, even if some of them could have been given more to do. Max Von Syndow is good as ever as is Eileen Atkins and William Hurt. This is a nicely cast film, although I hope Mark Strong will stop being offered bad guy roles as he's done enough of them.

All in all, a good film if you don't look too closely at the historical anomalies.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Guy's nice turn at an old classic

[8/10 · 26 May 2010]

It can't be easy coming to something like Sherlock Holmes and trying to find a new angle on it, without completely throwing out the essence of what Holmes is all about. However, Guy Richie manages to do just that.

The plot is a tangled one. Holmes and Watson are called to a mysterious house where a ritualistic ceremony is about to take place. Wielding the knife is the mysterious Lord Blackwood, played in very dark fashion by Mark Strong. Blackwood is finally arrested by Lestrade as usual and taken away.

After a trial, Lord Blackwood is deemed to be guilty and subsequently hung. Before his death, he has a visit from Holmes. It is Doctor Watson who pronounces the man dead. Apparently. A few days later, Blackwood apparently rises from the dead and begins a reign of terror. It turns out that Blackwood is a member of some weird and wonderful Masonic style cult who are intent, on domination of the government and country. It is down to Holmes, Watson and a mysterious associate of Holmes to stop him.

I came to this film, having read one book (A study in scarlet) and seen a number of TV series, including the Jeremy Brett Holmes. Initially, the trailer was very misleading, making this out to be an action film whereas it is one part action and mostly establishment of plot and delving into Holmes' relationship with Watson, who has moved out of Baker St and is trying to have a relationship with Mary, his fiancé.

Downey Jr gives Holmes a nice, edgy performance, befitting with the character's upper class origins and intelligence. He also affords a glimpse into Holmes' experience as a bare-knuckle fighter which some purists feel is not in keeping with the character's origins at all. I personally felt Jude Law was good as Dr Watson, although the book makes Watson out to be an older man, dealing with the terrible consequences of fighting abroad and being world- weary in a way that Law doesn't quite manage to convey. Other characters are interesting but not particularly well realised.

All in all, a nicely done movie. Plenty of good plot exposition and some fine moments. Richie has managed to give us attention to detail which is always nice and hasn't gone overboard with CGI, which has a tendency to happen when you're dealing with a London which really, for the most part, no longer exists.