The Woman In Black

Harry Potter megastar Daniel Radcliffe attempts to shake off his alter ego and break into the Hollywood A Lister's in the Edwardian set 'The Woman In Black', a big screen adaptation of Susan Hill's 1983 novel.

Radcliffe is Arthur Kipps a young widowed lawyer who must travel to the village of Crythin Gifford and sort out the estate of the deceased Alice Drablow.
Kipps is reluctant to leave his beloved son Joseph behind but is under pressure from his boss to finally resolve the complicated estate.

Upon arrival in the village he is met with a frosty welcome by most of the locals with the exception of Daily (Ciaran Hinds) who offers him a room at this stately home he shares with his wife.
In order to complete his required task, Kipps must visit the Gothic mansion of Eel Marsh House and sort through the tonne of paraphernalia.
The house is were Alice Drablow lived with her husband, son Nathaniel and sister Jennet, and is situated on a causeway, when at full tide is separated from the village.

It's pretty clear when he steps into the house that all is not well. Besides the abundance of paperwork, there are many unrelated writings and drawings which seem to connect the deaths of the Drablow family.
The character that is most intriguing is the sister Jennet as she was deemed mentally unstable!
When Pitts ponders the view from an upstairs window and spots the figure of a woman dressed in black staring up at the him, he knows he needs to ask some questions.

Events go from bad to worse very quickly when some of the children in the village are killed in very sinister and mysterious circumstances.
To his dismay, the locals accuse Kipps for these killings, blaming his probing of the Drablow legacy and visiting the Eel Marsh House.
They demand he leave immediately.

Kipps shares his findings with 'Daily' - his only ally in the village, and Daily reveals the his son was also taken from him some time ago and that the village has been terrorised by the ghost of a woman seeking revenge on the local children.
Daily's wife is obsessed with her deceased son and is fully convinced that he channels messages from the dead through her regarding future happenings.
When she experiences one such vision she tells Kipps that his son Joseph is next to die.
Kipps is distraught and sets out to save his son but first he must find a way to make peace with The Woman in Black.

If like me, you've read the book or seen the stage play, you won't be disappointed with this version of 'The Woman In Black'.
The first half hour was always going to be slow but it needed to be in order to instill the eerie atmosphere required.
But don't worry, there are lots of screams and jumps ahead to please the masses.
The setting is spot on and thankfully there is more or less a C list cast which adds realism and an element of authenticity.
Daniel Radcliffe is more than adequate in the main role and although he's used to acting with inanimate objects and CGI effects, he still manages to bring a strong mature presence to the part.

Looks like Harry Potter has grown up at last.

Score: 8/10

Carnage

Roman Polanski's black comedy featuring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslett,
John C Reilly and Christopher Waltz is a clever observation of adult behaviour.

Two new york couples meet to discuss and clear up the details of a violent altercation between their schoolkids, which resulted in one of the boys being badly injured.

It's clear from the couples initial over friendly yet smug demeanour that there are issues simmering beneath.
Both couples are eager to stress how strong their relationships and home life are, thus insinuating that they are the better parents and in the clear for their child's behaviour.

After several attempts to come to a mutual agreement it's quite apparent that neither couple are willing to cave and admit defeat.
The mothers are both uptight characters at the forefront of the debate, leaving the more cordial minded husbands to somehow bond.

However, after the they open a bottle of whiskey to calm the atmosphere, all hell breaks loose.
All four of them loosen up and their real characters come out to play.
This leads to the adults losing all inhibitions, acting outrageously, leaving their children's actions looking tame.

'Carnage' is a screen adaptation of a play, which is obvious due to it's pace and setting.
Based in a new york apartment and set in real time, the two couples are the only actors on screen for the entire film with the exception of a snippet of the incident involving their kids.
The script and observations are very sharp, keeping the viewer interested and the acting is superb.

This type of movie making will not be to every ones liking but if your a Polanski or Woody Allen fan it will prove most favourable.

Unfortunately, I reckon 8 of 10 adults will actually relate to such intolerable behaviour


Score: 8/10

The Grey

Liam Neeson enhances his ever increasing billing as Hollywood's leading action man in 'The Grey', a movie adaptation of a short story.

Neeson stars as Ottway, an oil rig worker in Alaska who's role is to hunt the wolves that attack the drillers.
From the onset it's clear that he is a troubled man contemplating suicide and his only means of solace in such a lonely environment are his thoughts and mental images of his wife.
He is a loner and rather than mix with his fellow workers, he opts to sit alone struggling to complete a letter to his beloved.

Tragedy strikes for the crew on a flight home as their plane crashes into the Alaskan wilderness.
Ottway and a handful of co-workers miraculously survive the incident and immediately it's apparent that they are not alone.
The plane has landed in a territory inhabited by ferocious wolves and they see the survivors as intruders.
As Ottway is an expert at reading the wolves traits, he's the obvious choice to take on the role as team leader.
This comes with it's drawbacks!

The majority of the crew are fine with this - bar Diaz (Frank Grillo), who sets about immediately to defy all his orders.
After one near fatal incident involving a sudden wolf attack on the camp, Diaz sees the error of his ways and starts to respond to Ottway's mindset.

The crew (including an unrecognisable Dermot Mulroney) know that in order to survive they need to stick together and try move as far and as quick as possible from their current position to a more secure area beyond the trees.

And so begins a battle of wits between the injured, tired and hungry crew and the clever, strong and vicious wolves.
There are many obstacles ahead of them - torrential snow storms, fatigue, frostbite but most of all - Wolves!

What lies in store for the viewer is an edge of the seat thriller with plenty of action. The stunts and the CGI effects are excellent - plus the scenery is breathtaking.
The only time the momentum let's up is over a group bonding session where they discuss their personal issues, which is very corny but hey - they are human after all!

The Grey is a breath of fresh air as it's released at a time where the cinemas are full of Oscar contenders, which aren't always up to much.

Ultimately the real stars of the movie are The Wolves but Neeson gives them a run for their money?


Score: 8/10