The Woman in Black

****
UK Release Date: February 10th 2012

A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.

Director: James Watkins (Eden Lake)

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe

My initial verdict when watching The Woman in Black is 'how can this film only be a 12A? For those who have already seen it, you will know. 

Based on a book and then a play shortly after, TWiB is scarey, creepy, jumpy. You name it, it has it. It piles on the horror cliches, but they are done so well they are instantly forgiven. The film's low lighting, reputable production and spot-on camera-work are combined to frighten the living daylights out of you. Anyone close to the age of twelve should rethink watching it though! 

Whenever lawyer turned investigator Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) enters the old manor we become cannon fodder for the ghost's surprise attacks (or frights). Every scare is unexpected and even more powerful than the last.

The Woman in Black is Radcliffe's first film since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. His acting is superb. He has a brooding, unemotional presence. Nothing phases him since the death of his wife.

His age is an odd one. Arthur has been through a lot for someone who's in his early 20's, He's the only young adult in a town full of older residents. Set against the locals, Arthur is the only fresh faced human not effected by the ghost.

It's fantastic to see Radcliffe breaking out of the Harry Potter mould and in to a different genre. This horror is chilling to the bone. If you scare easily, make sure a pillow or cushion is within reach.    

Boyhood

****
UK Release Date: July 11th 2014

The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to age 18.

Director: Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise Trilogy, A Scanner Darkly, Bernie)

Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater

Boyhood is like nothing you've ever seen before. It is an impressive filming project that spans over 12 years. The authenticity cannot be criticised as Richard Linklater manages to meet and shoot with the same cast once a year until its completion.

The film follows Mason (Coltrane) from ages 6 to 18, from childhood to young adult life. Ethan Hawke is his father, Patricia Arquette his mother, and the director's very own daughter Lorelei is his sister. Some age well overtime whilst others grow either out or up. 

Being with this family through the highs and the lows is both horrifying and heart warming. Boyhood gets you as close to fictional character's lives as it can. It's real and gripping within a relaxed environment, even with the coming and going of Patricia Arquette's boyfriends and their drinking problems.

What stops Boyhood having the perfect finish is its running time (close to 3 hours) and the young starlet's acting. Both Coltrane and Lorelei Linklater have moments where they falter. As time passes one shines and the other becomes a whiney anti-semetic teenager who would rather question everything in life than live for the moment. Our on-screen parents are well practiced in their forte, so 12 years is plenty of time to take a leaf from their books.

Boyhood is a fantastic piece of art that most will appreciate, but with its slow pace and long running time, it wont entice all. 

Get Smart (2008)

***
UK Release Date: February 3rd 2009

A highly intellectual but socially awkward spy is tasked with preventing a terrorist attack from a Russian spy agency.

Director: Peter Segal (Anger Management, 50 First Dates, The Longest Yard)

Starring: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin

Get Smart is basically the American version of Johnny English. Both are are as mindless as each other, a no-brainer that's great fun all the same.

Steve Carell's Maxwell Smart is an intelligent agent who's a fountain of knowledge, but a complete oaf when out on the field. He's forced to be a field agent when the agency's head office is compromised.

Carell's awkward demeanour and a steady dose of action make a healthy mixture that's worth watching. Supported by other talented actors, Get Smart is fun for its antics, not for its plot. The plot is a little slapdash and loses itself as time goes on. 

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Anne Hathaway are cracking supports. The former (as Agent 23) can be as humourous as he is hawkish. The latter (as Agent 99) hates Smart but has no choice to work with him. Their love-hate relationship is an instant profound partnership. 

The Two Faces of January

***
UK Red on a con artist, his wife, and a stranger who flee Athens after one of them is caught up in the death of a private detective.

Director: Hossein Amini

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac

Set in 1960's Athens, it fundamentally draws us in to the lives of three people; Rydal (Isaac) an American ex-pat and con-artist who attaches himself to mysterious couple Chester (Mortensen) and Colette MacFarland (Dunst). For the most part this iffy love triangle are on the run. Rydal is caught up in Chester's dodgy past, and the more infatuated he becomes with Colette, the harder it is for him to escape the crimes that surround him.

The Two Faces of January is supposed to be a suspense thriller, but lacks any real suspense. There's plenty of depth and backstory to the trio, but you never quite feel the pain they go through. They not the easiest characters to relate to, as a con-artist and a murderer deserve whatever fate comes to them. Colette is the most innocent of the three. Rydal and Chester's trust is always questioned, whilst Colette is the unaware catalyst.

When the story finally starts to heat up, our minds are already wondering what the outcome of this film will be. There's a few surprise twists, but no time for grief, as director Hossein Amini decides to take a different turn and lead us on a cat and mouse chase. Hitchcock fans will love this especially, as by the end we are left out of their plans as they shape the course of the finale with actions rather than spoken words.

The Two Faces of January doesn't quite grip you when it needs to. The cast is faultless, it's just missing the response from the audience that you grow to expect from a suspense-thriller.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

***
UK Release Date: June 27th 2014

A mechanic and his family join the Autobots as they are targeted by a bounty hunter from another world.

Director: Michael Bay (Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers: Dark of the Moon)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz

There's more to Michael Bay than just explosions and major destruction. The previous Transformers movie, Dark of the Moon, lacked character. Age of Extinction has brought it back with its completely new cast.

Shia LaBeouf definitely bought an awkward character to life (he's the only human character that held plenty of interest) in the first film. Little should be said about Megan Fox's acting. Bringing in acting veterans Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci this time round has helped push the humans in front of the almighty robots. Even the Dinobots can't save the day as by the time they arrive it's too little too late.

Cade Yeager (Wahlberg) and his daughter Nicola (Peltz) have a lot to lose. They're struggling to keep up the payments to their home. Stumbling across Optimus Prime (voiced by the legendary Peter Cullen) is about the best thing that could have happened to them (in some ways). Getting caught up with the Autobot's problems is their buy-out clause. Risking their lives for a cause they aren't too sure about is far better and more entertaining than seeing them lose their house. I say near death because we all know Michael Bay's films are predictable. Who's likely to kill off a main character in a film aimed at kids?

Age of Extinction will take up a huge part of your day. This gargantuan film clocks up nearly three hours of time, and it feels even longer than that. The story is mediocre. It's quite rudimentary and mundane when we've already seen plenty of robot fights in the previous outings. If anything the humans are far more captivating than what's rendered by CGI, but at the same time it is hard to knock how glorious and slick everything is.

AOE is an epic blockbuster that will keep the youngsters entertained. It succeeds. That's all it sets out to do.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

*****
UK Release Date: July 17th 2014

In the wake of a disaster that changed the world, the growing and genetically evolving apes find themselves at a critical point with the human race.

Director: Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In)

Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell

10 years have passed since the events inRise. The virus that made apes intelligent has decimated the human population.

A group of apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) have built a settlement on the edges of San Francisco. They are aware that humans live in the city, but have no desire to interact with them.

In the heart of the city, the remaining survivors are running low on resources and must find a way to get the city's power back up. In order for that to happen, a small group led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) must enter Caesar's territory.

Peace is fragile, and both sides have everything to gain, and so much to lose. We spend just as much time with the apes as we do the humans. There's no good vs. evil, only two factions trying their best to get along. Well, most of them try...

Koba, second in command to Caesar, is the apes' dark horse, whilst Drefus (Gary Oldman), the rallying leader of the humans, will do anything he can to save them, even if it costs them dearly.

Now the greatest aspect of Dawn is how heartfelt and emotional it can be. For a film that's up to its eyeballs in CGI, it's absolutely gob-smacking how easy it is to relate to the apes. From the guys at Weta studios to the staff who design the creatures from scratch, you can't help but focus on the small details, like how coarse their hair is, or the different expressions on their faces. Dawn goes to show that CGI can be used wisely.

Dawn keeps you on tenterhooks until the very end. You know there's going to be an all out war sooner or later, but the build up to it is the best part. The unrest within both races is felt throughout, and when the (spoiler) battle finally arrives, it's hard to digest as we can't separate our feelings for them both.  

One standout set piece has a camera attached to the turret of a tank, just after an ape has taken control of it. The turret spins continuously and we are in the thick of the battle with him. This is blockbuster cinema at its most powerful.

Rise gave us a fresh intake of a legendary saga that started over 35 years ago. Dawn has pushed the envelope further by introducing the struggle between man and ape. It will be interesting to see what direction the untitled  third film will take, whether it falls in line with the original, or takes its own path. Either way, I can't wait.