The Boy

Cast: Lauren Cohen, Rupert Evans, Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle and James Russell

Director: William Brent Bill

Release Date: 2016

Genre: Thriller

Running Time: 1hr 37 minutes

Rating: 15

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

Greta (Lauren Cohen) is an American nanny who comes over to England to look after a young boy, or so she thinks, he's actually a 8year old doll, that the parents care for as there way of coping for the loss of their real life son 20 years ago. After Greta violates a few strict rules given by the parents, a few disturbing things start happening? Is all as it seems?

Greta (Lauren Cohen) is an American nanny who has come over to England to look after a young boy Brahms. The thing is, Brahms isn't a real boy, he's an eight year old doll. Greta finds herself looking after a doll as if it were a human being. This is a very clever film, believe me you'll never guess the ending, this film will have you believing for most of the film that it's a horror. Believe me when I tell you that this is not a horror film. William Brent Bill has done a fantastic job at directing, he's not once given away the ending, he doesn't even allow the audience to guess the ending, it really will take you by surprise. Don't even try to compare it to John R. Leonetti's "Annabelle" this is something else.

Most will probably recognize Lauren Cohen from the hit TV show "The Walking Dead" her performance in this film is absolutely fantastic, it can't be too easy pretending to talk to a doll, what's impressive is through watching her on screen, your convinced there is a living being inside that doll. This movie could easily have gone incredibly wrong and looked absolutely ridiculous. The relationship she shares with Brhams parents is a pretty interesting one, both of his parents are extremely sinister characters. They too will convince you, that Brahms is a real boy, sound a little bit like Pinocchio? Don't fool yourself. Rupert Evans has a small performance in this film, but it's an important one, the chemistry on screen between Cohen and himself is very good. The characters themselves don't give a lot away.

William Brent Bell probably isn't a director you are familiar with, with "The Boy" being his fifth film to his name, none the less, this is a very impressive movie and will put most thriller's to shame. Screenwriter Stacey Manear has conjured up a beautiful and unique storyline. It's very well written and makes sense. There's nothing worse then watching a movie that you don't understand because it's been poorly written. The dialogue between characters is really great, all be it very creepy, especially what is said between Brhams and Greta.

The Boy is set in a gorgeous old English country house, with narrow corridors, wooden walls and doors and dark creepy basements. The production department haven't gone to great effort to make the set look amazing, it is what it is, but it works well with the storyline and the actors use it well in creating a creepy atmosphere. Cinematographer Daniel Pearl has managed to create a very nice looking movie. I absolutely love the close up of Brhams in certain shots, they are incredibly creepy, you think "Annabelle" is scary, wait till watch this! What's brilliant about this movie isn't necessarily in the way in which it's shot, but the camera angles that director William Brent Bell has chosen for certain scenes. Close ups of Brhams from behind, aerial shots of him sat up against a bed. It's perfect in creating a scary atmosphere. Editor Brian Barden has chosen to fade out scenes, the pacing of the film flows much nicer because of this, there's nothing worse then watching a poorly edited movie, where each scene is cut so quickly you can barely tell what is going on. The fact that Barden has chosen to fade out scenes really adds to the tone of the film.

You'll find yourself asking plenty of questions with this film? Have they all gone mad? Is the doll possessed? Is there someone inside the doll? You'll have your questions answered in the end, and believe me it'll blow your mind! The fact that there is next to no score in this film really adds to the tone of the film, making it even more creepier then it already is. A lot of movies rely on a good score and the clever use of jump scares together to scare their audiences. William Brent Bell manages to scare his audiences purely through the clever use of shots in this movie, mainly just close ups of Brhams. By far one of the best thrillers I've seen in a very long time. Cannot recommend enough.

5/5 stars

Alice through the looking glass

Cast: Johnny Depp, Helen Boham Carter, Alan Rickman, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Director: James Bobin

Release Date: 2016

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

Running Time: 1hr 53 minutes

Rating: PG

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

Alice returns to Wonderland once more, this time to help the Mad Hatter, before it's too late.

Making a sequel is a very big risk for a director to take. Directors, naturally have proven over the years that they are capable of producing magnificent sequels and trilogies with the likes of "Back to the Future" and Marvel's "Captain America", however there have been many over the years that have simply not worked. One could say that director James Bobin took a risk with making this film, after Tim Burton's terrific adaptation of the beloved story "Alice in Wonderland", however Bobin did a magnificent job in recreating "Through the looking glass", it's full of imagination and beautifully creative. Alice finds herself in Wonderland once again, only this time she must travel through time in order to save The Mad Hatter's (Depp) family from the Red Queen. Finding herself in the arms of Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Lucas), Absolem (Rickman), Bayard, Mallymkun (Windsor), Wilkins and Mctwisp (Sheen) once more.

Johnny Depp returns as the fantastic Mad Hatter. Hatter Tarrant Hightopp believes that only Alice is person who can bring back his family. Johnny Depp as always delivers a tremendous performance, beaming with characterisation and imagination. A lot wasn't really explained in the first film about his character. I really love that James Bobin has dived deep in showing his emotions, his family life, his beliefs. Time isn't a thing, but simply a person. A character that wasn't originally in Lewis Carroll's books. It is however mentioned in "Alice's adventures in Wonderland" during one chapter. Time is played superbly by Sacha Baron Cohen. Marvellously funny and full of emotion, Cohen really steps up the mark with his performance. Proving that he is more then just Ali G.

Although we saw a lot of the Red Queen (Carter) in "Alice in Wonderland", we did not learn how she became the evil queen that she is now.  I always look forward to seeing Helena Boham Carter in a film. Carter's performance really is excellent. I love that we learn more about her childhood and the relationship that she shared with her sister Mirana (Hathaway), of whom also delivers a terrific performance as the White Queen. Australian actress,  Mia Wasikowska, returns to our screen as the adventurous and impossible Alice Kingsleigh. Although she is not your typical leading lady, she delivers a great performance. The characters work brilliantly together, forming deeper and more meaningful relationships as the film goes on.

The intricate details shown in each and every scene are magnificent. Colourful and euphoric, James Bobin hasn't missed a beat in allowing you to see something different every single time you watch it. I love how much it resembled the novel, or in my case I suppose my imagination. The beauty of film is that it can recreate our imagination in so many incredible ways. Going into more detail and creativity than our brain can withstand. I love that unlike the first film, Alice wasn't consistently seen in her typical blue and white petticoat dress. The costume department really worked with her eccentric personality and put her in something fantastically colourful. It's unfortunate that a few scenes didn't particularly work, one in which Alice wakes up in a mental hospital could easily have been left out, audiences would have been none the wiser. It was almost as if it was put in simply to make up time. The special effects really are superb.

Composer Danny Elfman returns with a terrific score. I love the use of contemporary music too in the very creative closing credits. Avril Lavigne produced a great track at the end of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" that described the film beautifully. Although Pink's song "Just like fire" doesn't necessarily explain the film, it works excellently alongside the animation used in the closing credits. It's catchy, fun and works really well with the storyline. It's certainly now a firm favourite of mine. I find myself watching this time and time again. A great film for the whole family.

4.5/5 stars

Signs

Cast: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin and Cherry Jones.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Release Date: 2002

Genre: Sci Fi/Thriller

Running Time: 1hr 46 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening is to come. 

M Night. Shyamalan's "Signs" was quite possibly one of the most anticipated Sci Fi movies of 2002. Shyamalan was unique in his approach to directing an alien film, he made sure not to show too much to his audience. The story really allows you to think about what is happening. Shyamalan was very similar in his directing style to Steven Spielberg when he directed "Jaws", Spielberg made sure not to show the shark to his audience until almost an hour into the film, in order to build suspense and excitement. You don't know what these alien creatures look like until the end of the film, it adds a fantastic sense of mystery to the story and allows audiences to really remain gripped.

Father Graham Hess (Gibson) is still desperately trying to come to terms with the death of his wife when crop circles appear in his corn field. Believing it to be a hoax, he soon realises that crop circles are appearing all around the world, not just in Pennsylvania. Graham must protect his brother Merrill (Phoenix) and his two children Bo (Breslin) and Morgan (Culkin) from a possible alien invasion. The storyline really focuses on the fight for survival, single parenting, death and faith. The story categorises two types of people, those who believe they will be saved in times of great need and those who believe in fate. Is the invasion a miracle? Or is Earth simply just doomed?

Mel Gibson delivers one of his best performances as Graham Hess, a single parent who lost his faith in God when his wife was killed in a car accident. Now relying on the support from his brother Merrill, played excellently by Joaquin Phoenix. The two of them must bring up Graham's two challenging children Bo and Morgan. It becomes apparent quite early on that Bo is gifted, despite there being an alien invasion she appears almost fearless. Almost as if she knows their purpose for being on Earth. The interaction that we see between characters is very real and genuine, humans naturally become frightened of the unknown. A lot of physical emotion is shown through the actors performances, Gibson and Phoenix are particularly good at showing emotion simply through good facial expressions. You can really see the fear in their eyes.

Beautifully shot in Pennsylvania, USA, the setting works exceptionally well with the storyline. The film primarily focuses on the Hess family and their own fight for survival. What really makes the story stand out the most from other end of the world/invasion films is simply M Night. Shyamalan chose not to show you the world in chaos. You don't see people looting shops for last minute supplies you don't see wars breaking out across the globe. You simply see one family fighting to stay alive during an alien invasion. It allows room for surprises. Shyamalan's choice to not use CGI during the open crop circle scene works excellently. It looks genuine and gives off a fantastic effect. The incredible score by James Newton Howard is not only emotional but tremendously thrilling too. It coincides with each scene beautifully, really bringing the story to life.

A tremendous alien film that will allow you to come away thinking and questioning.

5/5 stars

The Conjuring 2: Enfield Poltergeist

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Madison Wolfe, Frances O'Connor, Lauren Espotito and Benjamin Haigh.

Director: James Wan

Release Date: 2016

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 2hrs 14 minutes

Rating: R

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

In 1977, Paranormal Investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren traveled to  Enfield, London, to see single mother Peggy (Frances O'Connor), who believes that something evil is in her home. When Peggy's youngest daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine attempt to help her, only to find themselves targeted by the evil spirits that lurk inside the house.

This is a story about one of the most haunting incidents that took place in a small council home in Brimsdown, Enfield, England from 1977 - 1979, involving two sisters aged 11 and 13. In August, 1977, single mum Peggy called the Police after her four children reportedly claimed that furniture was moving around the house. Reports of further incidents in the house attracted a lot of media coverage and was covered in British newspapers, The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror. Before this incident took place Ed and Lorraine Warren had just finished investigating another case The Amityville Haunting!

Peggy and he four children, Janet, Margaret, Billy and Johnny live in a small council estate in Enfield, London. Peggy is struggling to keep up with the rent as her ex husband won't pay any child maintenance. Like most mothers she tries to do the best for her children, bringing up four children is quite the challenge! It doesn't take long before spooky thing start happening in their house. This isn't your typical horror movie. People don't hide behind white sheets and a serial killer doesn't come running out from a nearby alleyway. James Wan wanted his audience to use their imaginations with this film. Janet, Margaret, Billy and Johnny are clearly very close to one another. What's astonishing is that James Wan has really captured the characters beautifully, in comparison to the documentary that the BBC did on the real life events years ago, actress Madison Wolfe is a dead ringer for real life Janet Hodgson.

Wan made sure he captured everything accurately right down to interior of their house and the fashion of each individual. It's very rare these days you see a movie based on a true story where everything is so accurate. Most filmmakers choose to make stuff up to make it their own. The majority of this movie is not what you see, but what you don't see, allowing your imagination to go wild! The storyline is captivating and will have you on the edge of your seat from the get go! Vera Farmiga delivers once again a beautiful performance as Paranormal Investigator Lorraine Warren. Patrick Wilson who also starred in James Wan's hit horror movie "Insidious" has proven once again that he's a very good actor. He's really dived into the character of Paranormal Investigator Ed Warren. Actress Madison Wolf steals the show as Janet Hodgson. Her performance isn't amazing but she captures the characteristics of real Janet Hodgson perfectly!

The only thing that is a little bit disappointing is we are introduced to so many intense scenes, the storyline is really great then suddenly there's a drop, the film goes from being this wonderful horror movie to almost that of a cheesy B-movie, minutes later it's back again. Personally it was the choice of music used that for me just didn't work with the scene at all. There are a few moments that I think could have been shot a lot better. I'm no filmmaker but these scenes do look cheesy at times. It isn't the actors or the cinematography but moments of direction that are a bit poor. It's honestly the only thing through out the whole movie that annoyed me slightly. I love the realism of the production design, the house, the street and how realistic it is to the documentary shown with the real Hodgson family.

One of my favourite horror movies, it's highly entertaining with a very good storyline. I'd love to see James Wan direct a few more films based on Ed and Lorraine Warren's paranormal investigations. A really great horror movie if your into the supernatural!

Blu-Ray Special Features:

Crafting The Conjuring 2: 

An inside look into the making of The Enfield Poltergeist and an  introduction to the real Hodgson family.

The Enfield Poltergeist, Living with the Horror: 

A fascinating featurette on the real Hodgson family and what they witnessed, interviews with the Janet and her sister Margaret Hodgson.

Creating Crooked:

A wonderful look into how they created the crooked man. Showing storyboards, production design and costume design.

The Conjuring 2, Hollywood's Haunted Stage:

A paranormal investigator looks into one of the most haunted stages at Warner Brothers Studio.

The sounds of scary:

An inside look at the composers for the soundtrack.

Deleted Scenes:

Self Explanatory

5/5 stars

National Lampoons Vacation

Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall and Dana Barron.

Director: Harold Ramis

Release Date: 1983

Genre: Family/Comedy

Running Time: 1hr 38 minutes

Rating: R

Synopsis: 

The Griswolds are at it again, this time they have planned a great Summer vacation, or have they? This time on their way to Wally World Fun Park in California, everything has been planned perfectly...apart from you know a few...minor distractions.

Firstly, if you have never seen a National Lampoon movie, you are seriously missing out! You may have seen National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, seriously one of the best Christmas movies ever! This one being just as good, only set in the Summer! We've got a fantastic cast here, unfortunately you don't really see any of them in anything anymore, Chevy Chase, made a brief comeback for the latest "Vacation" film, but let's talk about this one first!

Secondly, do you wanna know something that I seriously never really knew? Harold Ramis star of "Ghostbusters" directed this beauty of a movie! He's clearly a talented actor and a director, because this movie is fantastic, full of fun and humour! This is a great family film, it's one of those movies, that you can have on in the background, watch on a rainy Sunday afternoon or purely snuggle up on the sofa and watch with your loved ones! They don't make movies like this anymore and to be honest that's probably why they go down as classic 80's movies!

One of the things I love about this movie is how stupid it is, don't get me wrong, this isn't an awful movie, it's supposed to be stupid, the characters are mad as box of cats and they all work perfectly together! Clark (Chevy Chase) is obsessed with doing everything by the book, nothing is ever simple with him, you've got his wife (Ellen), she's a good mum, and sometimes she gives in to Clark one too many times, before she's had enough. Then of course you've got Eddie (Randy Quaid) Ellen's cousin's husband, sorry, but of a mouthful there, honestly he's just the best character in this movie, some of the lines he comes out with are absolutely hilarious! Don't go expecting Oscar winning performances, it's supposed to be a bit of fun and that's comes out through their performances. There are some more great characters in this movie, I'm not going to discuss them, purely because I don't want to ruin it for you!

Harold Ramis has done a fantastic job directing, this is honestly a very very funny movie, and not to mention a fantastic screenplay from John Hughes who also wrote the likes of "Home Alone" and "Miracle on 34th Street", so we've automatically got a fantastic writer here! A lot of movies can be let down, purely because of the script, some are just shockingly awful and boring and ruin the whole movie! This film does have a brilliant script, and I guarantee some moments will make you laugh out loud...rollercoaster scene.

The set design is pretty typical 80's, good old 80's fashion (it's definitely made a comeback, that's for sure), we see some gorgeous shots of Mississippi, Kansas, Arizona and of course California. Wally World it absolutely fantastic, I mean who doesn't love a great theme park? Overall the cinematography is really good, there's a few editing issues that I've noticed personally, particularly with the soundtrack, instead of fading a song out, just sort of cutting it off, to the point it sounds like someone shutting off a stereo mid song, as apposed to a nice fade.It's shot very well though, it's a simple film, but it's still very enjoyable.

The best thing about the National Lampoon movies are the classic soundtracks, it's a fun score with the likes of The Ramones, Lindsey Buckingham and The Pointer Sisters. There isn't a great deal I can say about this movie really, apart from it's a classic family film, and the National Lampoon movies are fantastic, seeing as we are close to December, I highly, highly recommend giving "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation" a go. If you just want a bit of fun, this is the perfect movie for you!

5/5 stars

Alice in Wonderland '51

Cast: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Sterling Hollaway, Jerry Colana and Verna Felton.

Director: Wilfred Jackson

Release Date: 1951

Genre: Disney/animation

Running Time: 1hr 15 minutes

Rating: U

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

Alice (Kathryn Beaumont) is a young girl who finds poems and learning literature rather boring. She loves stories with pictures and loves diving into her imagination. One day, whilst listening to her sister read some poetry, she spots a large white rabbit, dressed in a jacket, carrying a pocket watch. She follows him through the forest and down a very deep dark hole, that leads her to her biggest adventure yet!

This is Walt Disney's beautiful animated film adaption of Lewis Carroll's best selling book "Alice in Wonderland", can you believe this was only Walt Disney's 15th film at the time? This is definitely a classic and one your kids definitely aren't gonna want to miss! As always Disney has produced a stunning piece of animation. I think there's something very magical about a director if they can adapt a book into a piece of animation and make it very enjoyable. Disney actually took snippets from "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice through the looking glass" to create this unique story. I love that Disney was able to capture so many wonderful characters.

Wilfred Jackson also directed hit Disney films "Cinderella" and "Dumbo" too. At the time this was made, I'd definitely say this is the most stunning one. Kathryn Beaumont is definitely the star of the show, as the voice of Alice, Beaumont was also the voice of Wendy in Disney's hit film "Peter Pan" which went into production two years after the release of this film. I love the relationship she has with each character through out this film, each character helps to tell the story a little bit more each time, until finally she's face to face with the Red Queen who is absolutely terrifying. She's the ultimate bad guy. Verna Felton is absolutely fantastic as the voice of the Red Queen, her characterization is brilliant, you'll certainly love to hate her!

The animation is absolutely stunning, it's hard to believe this was actually made in 1951, I really love the use of colours,  I love how much detail there is in each and every scene, It really stands out on a Blu-Ray copy too. Alice's dress in particular really stands out from the standard DVD copy, on Blu-Ray, it's a gorgeous vibrant blue. I love the ideas that went into this movie, bread butterfly's, rocking horse fly's, I love how the flowers all have individual characters, some nice, some not so nice. Caterpillars and Dogapillars, it's brilliant. I love that Disney made up some characters too, for example the doorknob, who did not appear in the original books.

This movie is beautifully shot and you can clearly see that a lot of work went into it, it reportedly took 5 years to complete, It's not surprise when you can see how gorgeous it looks and the huge amount of detail that went into each and every scene to make it perfect. For a Disney film, it certainly has a dark side, which is much more rare these days with the likes of "Tangled" and "Frozen" being feel good films. I really appreciate how they were able to make the story dark, but not too dark, we are still able to see light at the end of the tunnel! It's hard to believe that when this was originally released it flopped at the box office, in recent years it's become a real cult classic and is a firm favourite among big Disney fans.

Of course it wouldn't be a Disney film without a brilliant score, Bill Hilliard got hold of this movie and produced a beautiful score for it, with popular songs like "The Unbrthday song" and "Painting the Roses Red" he really did do a fantastic job with the score, it's imaginative, magical and warm and explains the story perfectly. Beaumont proves she has a wonderful singing voice too as Alice. You'll find yourself getting emotional with the beautiful song "Very good advice" you'll find yourself feeling pretty sorry for Alice, I love that the film takes a sharp turn and we're introduced to the Queen of Hearts, through a secret tunnel. The film ends fantastically.

Creative, imaginative and magical! Perfect for those that want to get lost into a magical world!

5/5 stars

Ghostbusters "84

Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, William Atherton and Ernie Hudson.

Director: Ivan Reitman

Release Date: 1984

Genre: Adventure/Comedy

Running Time: 1hr 45 minutes

Rating: PG

Format: Blu-Ray 4K

Synopsis:

Parapsychology professors Peter, Ray and Egon set up a unique ghost removal service known to the public as Ghostbusters! 

Parapsychology professors Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler are failing to make ends meet when they are called to investigate an apparition at the New York Public Library in New York City. However before long, they find that their university will no longer fund them and are forced to move to new premises. Advertising themselves as Ghostbusters, their first customer is Dana Barrett (Weaver) who claims a ghost called Giza is hiding in her refrigerator. Will the Ghostbusters get there though before it's too late?

Directed by Ivan Reitman and brilliantly written by actors, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd. The storyline will appear quite ludicrous to some, although it may first appear that way, it's wonderfully entertaining and very addictive. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Bill Murray as the  Ghostbusters, each of them have very different personalities. Introducing Bill Murray as Dr Peter Venkman the ladies man of the group, is he in it just for the woman or does he really believe in ghosts? Dan Aykroyd stars as the ever so comedic Dr Raymond Stantz, an expert in paranormal activity, although ironically the scary cat of the group. Harold Ramis stars as the brains of the group Egon Spengler, a master of electronics as well as paranormal detection.

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis all deliver terrific performances, with impeccable comic timing. Dr Peter Venkman finds himself falling week at the knees for Dana Barrett after he investigates her fridge. Sigourney Weaver is excellent, her character is certainly full of surprises, as is Louis Tully who is played perfectly by Rick Moranis, who is hilariously funny. I really love the authenticity of the film, the creativity that has gone into creating the Ghostbusters, their uniform, the proton packs that they carry on their backs, Slimer who makes a terrific appearance as one of the spooky ghouls.

Although not a religious film, characters discuss Judgement Day and quote from the bible several times. Is it thought that director Ivan Reitman wanted to put a unique take on biblical implications? The soundtrack speaks volumes about the storyline and the characters, especially the song "Save the Day" performed by Alessi, that is used brilliantly in the city's time of need. Is the world coming to an end? Of course not, the Ghostbusters are here to save the day! The special effects are very impressive, although a little dated now, they look spectacular, particularly on the Blu-Ray transfer. Stunning cinematography that shows two sides to New York City, with a clever combination backgrounds painted by a matte artist and terrific special effects. Both really allow the story to come to life.

Besides the fantastically catchy theme tune by Ray Parker JR, Ghostbusters is a film that you will find yourself wanting to watch time and time again.

5/5 stars