Cherry Tree (2015) (18)

Set in a town in England the horror film Cherry Tree drawers vaguely upon the lore of Witches to create a modern day tale of the birth of a Demon child. The lead Witch and physical education teacher, played by Anna Wallton, probably best known for Hellboy 2 (2008) and Vampire Diary (2006), jumps at the opportunity to coerce one of her hockey players into giving birth to this daemonic child.

The teenage victim, whose father is gravely ill and has been promised his salvation, is played by Naomi Battrick, who potentially may be successfully making the cross over from TV to Film. She plays the lead role of Faith calmly and in some way this emphasises the tension of the film. Her approach is not to be overdramatic, more cool and calculated which fits in with the minimal stylisation and cinematography of the production.

Cherry Tree [DVD] [2015]

There are scenes of gore, especially sacrificial acts, and sex, but it's not over played. The underlying content of the film is pagan in a modern context and this blend seems to work effectively. The female characters weald the power and the male characters are ultimately doomed to a worse fate. This ties in with this paganism theme and taps the fear of smart women that was prevalent in the dark ages the resulting Witch hunts being well documented.

Overall the film directed by the relatively inexperienced David Keating is seemingly well crafted for the obviously low-budget and none of the actors seemingly put in bad performances. What it lacks is a solid script and just a bit more content and excitement. But overall for what it is the Cherry Tree does fairly good job.

54/100

You can pick up a copy of this film here at Amazon Cherry Tree [DVD] [2015]

Wreck-It Ralph (PG)

Wreck-It Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly who's tones are suitably rounded, is tired of being a bad guy. No one gives him a medal for a day's work so he decides to do something about it in this slick, 3D, children's film. On his mission he encounters Vanellope, sometimes called Glitch and wonderfully voiced by the Sarah Silverman, and they must work together to overcome the excess use of ice cream, biscuits, sweets and oh yes the unexpected villain.

Wreck-It Ralph is a Disney Movie. There is no mention of sometime partner Pixar and it is therefore designed to slot into the mighty cannon of the Disney Brand. It is arguably for Disney a break from the norm; no re-interrupted legend, fable or myth,  but it struggles with its identity.  There is obviously a massive Movie Game market this unashamedly taps into which is arguably current but the main characters are purposely retro. It darts from one type of game setting to the next, picking up action heroes, girly stereotypes, familiar bad guys and an alien invasion. We never feel at home in any of the environments, like the backdrop in Cars for example, although they are intriguing yet confusing.

It's also very American Centric, the featured sweet and biscuit products, characters and consol games are largely from the said country, which is not surprising but detracts from some of the entertainment for UK viewers. It would have been nice to have seen a custard cream with a spear rather than an Oreo. It did seem at times like a branding bonanza.

But perhaps the films biggest problem is it works on only one level; the children's, whereas most successful animations throw something in for the adults. The subtle jokes which only adults get are few and often aimed at computer geeks.

The fact is Wreck-It Ralph is trying too hard to be a Pixar film. It's not surprising that this should be the case as Pixar work with Disney on their most successful films of late. They should have known better and tried to bring us a great story rather than a selection of connected short films based upon made up computer games. It's saving grace is Sarah Silverman in the role of Vanellope. When she's on the screen her voice makes the character irritably cute which somehow engages a primitive part of your mind and makes you root for her.

61/100

Alex Cross (15)

Alex Cross is the second recent new release based upon a novel serialization, following on from the blockbuster Jack Reacher. But this film is very different on many levels, although it deals with a murderer and a hard to crack case which ultimately ends up with a series of additional murders as the cast falls away.

There are two main provocateurs in this story. The lead detective, Alex Cross played by Tyler Perry, an upstanding, ready for promotion to the FBI, type of guy is suddenly faced with a vicious criminal who he must capture before he kills again. Despite his amazing intuition, that at times extracts information from crime scenes which seems almost impossible to deduce, he flaps around as people die and his weaknesses are exposed. Perry struggles with the role never quite seeming comfortable, at times appearing to be between emotions, as if he might smile at the wrong moment.

The assassin, stupidly called Picasso, played by a very poor Matthew Fox of Lost fame, ruthlessly picks off his victims and is soon taunting Alex Cross who has the supposed cheek of tracking him down.  Fox has heavily hammed up the villain adding twitching, manic shaving and an ultra lean looking body frame which we see him punishing with exercise. This skewed image of a broken man does not sit well especially with the good guy we have come to know from the Lost series. This appears to be a role he has embraced as a new challenge, something different, but in the end it comes off as a badly chosen script.

We also meet the dynamic Rachel Nichols and the lack luster Edward Burns as detectives and they try and tug at the storyline but have minimal impact. Burns is particularly weak and Nichols more a tokenistic victim and love interest.

The main problem with Alex Cross is that the two lead figures are poorly cast and the film suffers because of this. Throw in the expectations of those who have read the books and there is trouble ahead. If you enjoy this type of thriller you might find some salvation in a chase that does have a few twists but it is best to go into this film with low expectations.

34/100

My Men in Black 3 DVD Review at the Herts Advertiser

Click this link to check it out....extended review to follow

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/what-s-on/dvd_review_men_in_black_3_1_1695550

Wrath of the Titans (12A)

The squeal to the 2010 remake of Clash of the Titans, Wrath of the Titans appears out of this first film’s success. The Director, Jonathan Liebesman, the relatively inexperienced director of Battle Los Angeles, has an extra 25 million dollars to play with, making a massive budget of 150 million. Like a Titan rising from a mighty fire it lurches into life but is consumed by the over use of visual effects and poor make up. It strings together a mish-mash of scenes based upon sections of the first film, using the same characters and similar ideas. 
 
Sam Worthington as Perseus and Liam Neeson as Zeus seem to be on auto pilot and largely stone like as if Medusa had been on set. The interesting Danny Huston, Poseidon, is quickly expelled, and the excellent Ralph Fiennes fails to impress partly because he appears in his theatrical Harry Potter mode. Rosamund Pike appears as Andromeda and here we feel she may be a foil for Worthington’s often shocked expression but she is not allowed to share out her class and we lose track of her.

The main problem with Wrath of the Titans is the plot; find the very powerful weapon and kill the angry mega god. There are no twists or surprises and it really lacks the mythical magic of the original 1980s film. We do not come to know Perseus’s son, played by John Bell, who had an acting break by winning a Blue Peter competition, or really feel that we understand much at all about the characters. 

Having said that if you love special effects then there are some great examples here, especially the two headed hell hound which Perseus single-handedly dispatches. This aspect of the film must have been the reason why it grossed over 300 million dollars.

42/100

The Cabin in the Woods (15)

There has been a lot of press coverage regarded this supposedly typical horror, with suitable name and twisted poster showing a grim cabin, where horror might commence. But this unexpected film is co-written by Joss Whedon,  sci-fi and fantasy master scribe, and so there was always going to be an added science fiction element. But where could this come from when dealing with your standard slasher in the woods horror?

From the beginning it is apparent that perhaps there is something quirky about Cabin in the Woods. Rather than the stereo typical 'teenagers preparing for a road trip' opening sequence we are confronted with some kind of science laboratory or technical institute. Then a hard hitting title sequence which smacks of a Carry on film rather than a gruesomely atmospheric frontispiece to a spooky horror. Not all as it would seem.

The group of young adults are in trouble. The little know Kristen Connolly steps up as the lead female, Dana Polk , and yet somehow steps back into the shadows her presence weak. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) as Curt does well, doesn't need a surname and can't help but dominate a group of lack lustre victims, yet is soon dispatched. Anna Hutchison and Jesse Williams appear and disappear, where as the geeky Fran Kranz is more memorable as the one who has enough brains recognise the trap the group have found themselves in.

There is plenty of gore and psychological terror in this action packed horror come thriller come sci-fi. Experienced TV Director Drew Goddard churns ups a cauldron of dark filmic references but surprisingly the strength of this story, other than its unpredictable nature, comes from the two control room operators Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. They're dead pan, unmoving behaviour followed up by high fives and slap stick moralistic judgements is hard to fathom until you realise they may well have the fate of the world in their hands.

68/100

Gone (15)

Amanda Seyfried plays the desperate Jill in this tense thriller which revolves around a simple but much travelled storyline of abduction. Jill believes that the man who kidnapped her years before has returned and taken her sister. Seyfield is convincingly paranoid and struggles to make the police believe her as her original abductor was never found and it is surmised that it is all going on in her head. Detective Powers, Daniel Sunjata (Dark Knight Rises), the man who takes Jill’s ear bashings, is tired of this apparent irate girl and fobs her off. Jill will not give up and takes on her own law busting investigation.  

This film is all about the beautiful Amanda Seyfield. She is on the screen for much of the time and the clues which make up her journey are carefully followed. We see through her eyes, experience her paranoia and pain as the dark secrets and the horrid ordeal, she went through, are revealed. She takes it all in her stride, at times battling with an unoriginal, drab script.

Gone could work on many levels though. We have a history which could introduce doubt over the state of the main character’s perceptions. Was she really kidnapped? Who is this mysterious and overly helpful Detective Peter Hood played by a creepy Wes Bentley (The Hunger Games)? Who is the villain? But ultimately the big build up has a disappointing ending, despite Seyfried trying to do her best to make something of it. By the time we arrive at this conclusion though we realise we have been gripped and that the relevantly inexperienced director, Heitor Dhalia, works well with Seyfried and delivers a marketable product.

65/10

The Three Musketeers (12A)

In this busy remake of the repeatedly remade The Three Musketeers we have a strong cast of recognisable genre actors. We have the trio of Matthew Macfadyen (Robin Hood, 2010) as Athos, Luke Evans (The Raven) as Arimus and Ray Stevenson (Thor) as Porthos and as a group they are excellent, each seizing upon the clichéd aspects of their fictional characters and not over doing it. Then comes the fourth musketeer Logan Lerman as the arrogant D’Artagnan and even after his experiences as Percey Jackson, in Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief, he fails to convince for much of the time, the fine gloss of this youthful American somehow out of sync with the rough to extravagant French setting.

The English Director, Paul W.S. Anderson, brings along a number of external influences to this film. His obvious casting of his wife Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) as villainess Milady de Winter, who excels at the action sequences but falls short on the acting, and his casting of English actors and notably the comedian James Corden as Planchet, who’s style of comedy sits awkwardly in the flow of the story. But this trusty and put upon side-kick follows the four Musketeers as they seek to recover a diamond necklace to save the Honour of Queen Anne and prevent war in Europe.

There are two problems with this updated version though, aside from the sudden invention of incredibly manoeuvrable airships. Orlando Bloom as the Duke of Buckingham fails at being a baddy and only achieves a poor imitation of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow and Christoph Waltz (The Green Hornet) as Richelieu is weak. Aside from this when the Musketeers are on screen they are entertaining and this just about holds the story together.

56/100