REVIEW: MOVIEBLAST: Crimson Peak (15) & Mr Holmes (PG)

Double review time as we go to MOVIEBLAST and binge watch on streaming site Wuaki with EE Film Club...

Crimson Peak (15) is Guillermo Del Toro's latest foray into fantasy horror starring everyone's favourite Marvel MCU antagonist, Tom Hiddleston. Backed up with other talent including Mia Wasikowska and no less than two actors from a Foxy's Favourite movie Pacific Rim (which is also directed by Del Toro) is this gorgeously shot fantasy horror.

The movie starts with a well-to-do family in America. Their daughter, Edith (Wasikowska) is coming to terms with the death of her mother (which includes seeing ghosts) and dealing with her overprotective father. When well spoken Englishman Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) comes to America to try and get some financial backing for an invention, love gets in the way. Trying to woo her dad for cash and  his daughter for marriage, Sharpe uses his influence to try to achieve both aims. When disaster strikes. however, a love struck Edith returns to England with Sharpe and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain). Meanwhile her childhood friend Dr Alan McMichael (Pacific Rim's Charlie Hunnam) finds some unsettling news about these English visitors and goes to retrieve her from the ramshackled manor house in rural England.

Crimson Peak is a delightful film to look at using colour in such a lovely way. The sets, costumes and cinematography are fantastical and a pleasure to look at - however I found the movie to be a bit bland, unlike the scenery. I love most of Del Toro's works but this one just fell a bit flat. I feel maybe that it was to slow and took a while to say what it needed to. Hiddleston's look was far too similar to Loki in the MCU for my liking but his performance was strong. Alice in Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska was great in her role, even though some of her outfits looked like she raided Lady Gaga's wardrobe. The supporting actors were fab too.

Overall this movie looks the business but ultimately fails to deliver on time. It felt more like a paint by numbers horror movie; one for beginners - more fantasy than scary but it's ok nonetheless. Decent for a night in, but not much more. I loved the Johnny Depp fronted Dark Shadows, which is what I expected this movie to be like (from the DVD cover and look of the movie) but it wasn't. Not the strongest entry into Del Toro's collection but probably one of the prettiest to look at.

 

Crimson Peak is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

 

POPSCORE: 6/10

Mr Holmes (PG) stars Sir Ian "Gandalf" McKellen as the ageing Sherlock Holmes in his twilight years. Years later, after his final assignment, Mr Sherlock Holmes has retired to the country to attend to bees and live in a country house. Estranged from Dr Watson and never married, Holmes lives alone save for his housekeeper Mrs Munro (Laura Linney) and her inquisitive son, Roger.

Holmes befriends Roger who keeps him on his toes. Roger is similar to Holmes in a way and is impressed by his mental capacity to think logically and deduce problems and mysteries. However, here's the rub - and the interesting crux of this film - Holmes is diagnosed with dementia!

I have wanted to see this film for some time. The idea of having a literary character develop dementia - (especially for one such as Holmes who is famed for his mental capacity) - is quite a unique take on the mythos of Sherlock Holmes. As his mental capacity declines, with the help of the ever inquisitive Roger, Holmes tries to piece together his last assignment of which he has forgotten.

McKellan plays the younger Holmes and the ageing one well and brings a human side to the man who was almost robot-like in his reasoning and deduction. He infers the frustration well as you would expect from a character famed for his mental capacity. Roger is played well by the young Milo Parker and I can see great things for him in the future.

If you are looking for excitement, edge of your seat Sherlock you are so looking in the wrong place - that is the domain of Cumberbatches or Downey Jr's. This is a slow burning drama, chronicling his decline in mental health and all that goes with it. I would say it's a drama... no, it would be more of an exploration of an idea on film of how this premise would pan out. There is some semblance of story - but the most exciting parts are told in flashbacks. It's not the best film in the world but has such an interesting premise it is worth a watch on a cosy night in or a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Mr Holmes is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

 

POPSCORE: 6/10

REVIEW: MOVIEBLAST: Horns (18) & Maggie (15)

Double review time as we go to MOVIEBLAST and binge watch on streaming site Wuaki with EE Film Club...

HORNS (18) stars Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe as he takes yet another turn from his childhood acting roots to play somewhat of a demon in the horror/thriller Horns. The movie is an interesting one with a scattered narrative and a lot of it you have to try and follow. So what I gathered was this –

 

Ig Perrish (Radcliffe) is in a seemingly perfect relationship with the seemingly perfect Merrin Williams (Juno Temple). When she is found murdered in the woods and the small town mentality is to blame the boyfriend after an argument in a diner, Ig finds himself at the anger of the small town. Defiantly stressing his innocence even his own family do not believe that he is not a murderer. Things change when, inexplicably, he starts to grow horns and things take a turn for the weird. As the horns grow, the people become more strange, it’s up to Ig to prove his innocence and find the killer.

 

This thriller/horror is uniquely original, in parts inspired, but in parts totally out there. Some dark humour underlies the main story which is actually quite shocking. The endgame reveal is a bit of a twist and a bit crazy too. Like The Woman In Black, I was reading in too much Harry Potter references – like when he befriends snakes and wears a yellow hoodie with a maroon top (Gryffindor colours). However, the movie itself isn’t bad and is desperately trying to reinvigorate the horror genre. The narrative, splashed with a lot of flash backs and current time sequences, all jump about making it a bit confusing to follow sometimes.

 

However, overall the movie is one that would be good to watch if you are at a loose end, but I don’t think you could watch it more than once. One cool thing to happen is a small character appearance by the ever gorgeous Heather Graham, but, as usual, is typecast – this time as a slutty, fame hungry waitress. A strong performance by Radcliffe and the cast, Horns is a unique, if weird, take on the horror/thriller genre.

 

Horns is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

 

POPSCORE: 6.5/10

 

MAGGIE (15)  stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his return to the silver screen (or my console as I streamed this one through Wuaki) in Maggie. Backing up Arnie as the parent of titular character Maggie (played well by Abigail Breslin) is a strong cast with a surprise appearance by Joely Richardson.If I tell you what I would classify as a log line for this movie you would be quite excited.

 

Okay, here goes: When Wade Vogel (Arnie) finds out his daughter has been bitten by a zombie he goes all out to protect her until they can find a cure. Yep, like me, I bet you thought this would be The Terminator: Zombie Edition, but nope, it’s far from it.  The movie is based around a caring father who dotes on his teenage daughter, and when she is infected to become zombiefied, he protects her from going into quarantine and looks after her while she is going through the changing process. The film is a massive departure from the rough and tumble Arnie we know, and is about as curveball as when we found out he was doing Twins with Danny Devito back in the early 90’s. Having said that Arnie does a solid performance as the trouble father while the immediate supporting cast fulfil their roles well. The balance between Wade and his wife – the understanding, sympathetic father and the scared, misunderstanding mother is a delicate balance played well by Richardson and Arnie. Abigail Breslin’s Maggie (of the title) is played well too.

 

There is a lot of quiet or scenes with lack of dialogue in it which create a more pensive tone – and a lot of these scene seem to replace dialogue and if you don’t get it, or miss it, the film seems to jump to continue the narrative. As it’s a bit unconventional this way it seems that the film doesn’t say very much in words but more in pictures – which is good in some respects but, it’s a movie and I’d like a bit more talking as we, the audience, are the ones that have to be quiet. The most annoying thing with it though is that there is an awful lot of what I call “natural camera” (you know the type where it’s like someone holding it and a bit wobbly) which can be distracting at times, especially in important or heartfelt sequences.  It ends up giving the feel that there is literally someone following the characters with a camera – which would be okay if it was one of those found footage type movies, but it clearly isn’t.

 

Overall the movie isn’t fantastic but it shows Arnie has the potential to be a lot more than just an action hero, but now, in his later years, a serious actor too.

 

Maggie is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

 

POPSCORE: 6/10