Review No.24: The Woman in Black

Though I sort of knew it was half term it didn't strike me till I got to my local multiplex and saw the hordes of families and unescorted teens littering the entrance way. I did think though that they'd be going to see something more family appropriate and not my choice of the creepy chiller The Woman in Black. How wrong I was it seems that a lot of families and teens had decided to see this purely because it had Harry Potter in it while in fact this film only made the 12A certificate after the distributors agreed to cut down some scenes and the BBFC then dropped their original 15 rating presumably so more money could be made. The film itself sees Radcliffe play Arthur Kipps a widower with a four year old son who is tasked with handling the final affairs of Alice Drablow including dealing with the property of Eel Marsh House. When Kipps travels to the small town where the house is located he gets a frosty reception from the locals who try to get him to leave a soon as possible but its not until he spends the night at Eel Marsh House that he finds out why.

Any more than that I fear would spoil the story but what spoilt it for me more was the constant interruption from the young audience whether it be light pollution emanating from their mobile phones or the slurping of drinks and crunching of popcorn. I do think that the BBFC should've kept the rating at a 15 not because of anything gory, kids today are desensitised to a lot of graphic images, but because this film relies on moments of silence and character development in order to get its thrills however the young generation has no patience and got bored very easily. As for the film itself it was an enjoyable low-key chiller which really benefited from its small town setting casting Kipps as the outsider and the townsfolk as a judgmental bunch. In the lead Radcliffe is better than I expected but I feel he was miscast as a widower of four years as despite a small bit of stubble he still looks very young though on the positive side I never felt like I was watching that kid who played Harry Potter. There is also a nice little performance from Janet McTeer as a mother who lost her son but has never got over it and this fits in with the rest of the story. Talking of the story Jane Goldman, wife of Jonathan Ross and scribe of Stardust, does a good job with the script making us wait for those jumpy moments however I never really found myself scared the gathered masses in the cinema did so possibly the only plus point of the whole cinema experience was gauging a response from this young audience. However though I really never got into the film which wasn't a fault of those on and behind camera but rather of those sitting in the general vicinity of my cinema seat.

Verdict: For the film a solid 7 out of 10 for an old-school horror film but 0.5 for the cinema-going experience as a whole.

Review No.4: Albert Nobbs

At this time of year the majority of the films being released in the UK are seen as awards contenders and that is true of Albert Nobbs the second film I've reviewed to be directed by Rodrigo Garcia. It seems that Albert Nobbs was in fact a pet project of Glenn Close who starred in the stage version of the story and has since been trying to get it made as a film. Obviously Close is in the lead role of Nobbs a butler working in 19th Century Ireland. However Albert is not all he seems and is in fact a woman posing as a man in order to get a more prestigious job in various houses and hotels in the country. Albert's secret is discovered by Hubert Page a person in Albert's situation but a woman posing as a man who has found a wife. Hubert gives Albert the confidence to pursue Mia Wasikowska's young maid Helen to be his wife and work alongside him at the tobacconists shop that he wishes to run but Helen's head is already turned by Aaron Johnson's roguish Joe who wants to use Albert's affections for his own gain. Things get in the way of Albert's plans including disease, unwanted pregnancies and death but it would be spoiling it to reveal any more than that.

One thing I can say about Albert Nobbs is that it looks lovely and everything about the period detail has been carefully researched. Fans of Downton Abbey will love the look of the hotel, the Irish streets and the upstairs-downstairs feel this has. Close is the main attraction here and is likely to be the biggest threat to Meryl Streep's Oscar win as she is doing both an accent and a gender-swap if only Nobbs was based on a true story she'd have it in the bag. However it is Janet McTeer who gives the best performance as Hubert Page someone who, to me at least, is more convincing as a man and is the most multi-layered character here. The main problem for me was the story which never was sure what it wanted to be and ended up being over-cluttered with the sub-plot involving Joe and Helen seeming incredibly clichéd and I also thought their was an over-abundance of characters with Jonathan Rhys Meyers coming off the worst with his dashing cad only appearing briefly. Though this film looks great for me I thought there was some sloppy storytelling which is surprising seeing as this was on the stage first but then again not all theatre work translates well to the screen.

Verdict: A sumptuous cinematic treat is slightly tarnished with a crowded cast and uneven script so I will give it a very respectable 6.5/10