Movie Review: The Woman In Black (2012)

Title: The Woman in Black

Director: James Watkins

Year Released: 2012

Running Time: 95mins

Classification: M

Genre: Horror, Drama, Thriller

After reading the book, I decided to give the 2012 The Woman in Black movie a try. The movie did not stay completely true to the book, however the changes made improved the process of the storyline and in some ways gave the audience a restful ending (or maybe just for me).

*I've also done a review on the book written by Susan Hill for anyone who is interested. I strongly suggest you read the book first before watching the movie.*

Unlike the book, the movie starts straight in the midst of the horror with the deaths of 3 children and the presence of the woman in black. The genre is set and the mystery begins.

Daniel Radcliffe portrays a convincing Arthur Kipps, characteristically. Thanks to Radcliffe’s previous movies (namely Harry Potter), appearance wise he looks too short to be a man and too young to have a child however as the movie progresses, his appearance is forgotten, replaced by his acting

There are some minor changes to the characters in the movie and some added surprises that, if you are the fan of the book, may or may not like. I personally thought the changes gave the movie more to play on and had to be done to make the movie longer and more visually interesting.

The biggest change is the existence of Arthur’s son. Arthur’s wife dies from childbirth and leaves him with their son. This happens at the start of the story and it is his son who propels the story further than the ending written in the book. (For those who haven't read the book, Arthur's son is not born until the end of the story).

In the book, Arthur lacks action and is left frightened; in the movie he attempts to solve the horror to save his son. To do this, the script writers included a thorough explanation of the woman’s history and existence and showed the consequences when one meddles with her. 

I preferred the changes. The book was brief and did not have as much death as a horror reader would have liked. I also preferred the ending. The ending can be considered happy depending on how you look at it. There is proper finish to Arthur’s story. As for the woman, it can not be sure what truly happens to her.

The actors, houses, locations are all perfect for the era and Eel Marsh House looks exactly as described in the book. Even the marsh lands look perfect. The colour of the movie stays dimly light and foggy, blending into the costumes.

This horror film plays heavily on noise. Without the sudden knocking, whispering and scary music, this movie would not be a horror. The noises were perfectly timed and will definitely make the audience jump in their seats. 

Just remember, if you are looking for something a bit more visually frightening you might want to skip this movie.

I spent most of the movie with my eyes under the pillow and hands clapped around my ears (I hate scary films). The reason I continued watching was to see why the woman did the things she did (even though I have read the book, the movie explained this more clearly with some extra touches) and how everything was resolved. I was much more satisfied with this altered story then the book. 

As much as I enjoyed the book, I preferred the altered storyline of the movie. The storyline in the book was simpler and was perfect for a short novel. For a movie, the changes enhanced what the book already had and added more dimensions.

This movie is not for everyone. For anyone who likes the more mystery horror stories, I suggest you give it a try but if you are looking for something fast-paced with more gore, try something else (you will most likely find this movie boring).

Terri's Rating: 3.5/5

I do not like scary movies, so the rating is based predominately on the storyline and the cinematic effects.

Book Review: The Redbreast

Title: The Redbreast (book #3 in the Harry Hole series)
Author: Jo Nesbø, English translation by Don Bartlett
Year Published: 2000, translation 2006
Genre: Crime, Historical fiction, Thriller, Mystery

Detective Harry Hole is a recovering alcoholic, reassigned after a rather serious mishap involving the US Secret Service. In his new role, he is asked to investigate neo-Nazis, but what really piques his interest is the fact a high-powered rifle has been smuggled into Norway. Interwoven with Harry's story is a story of a WWII soldier who fought for the Nazis at the Eastern Front. As both tales unfold, bodies pile up and it becomes a case of identifying the killer.

The Redbreast is the third book in Jo Nesbø's popular Harry Hole series but one of the first to be translated into English. Thankfully, it works as a standalone, though some plot arcs aren't resolved by the end of the book. Many of the characters feel “lived-in”, a result, I imagine, of having appeared in previous books, and it's great – you get the sense that they were people before the events of the story. At the same time, there's enough description so that new readers won't feel like they're missing out. Previous events are mentioned only passingly; phrases like “what happened in Sydney and Bangkok” are thrown in but what they refer to aren't necessary to the understanding of the plot. No doubt readers of the previous books will get more out of it, but as a newbie I found The Redbreast to be very accessible on its own.

I don't usually read crime novels and I picked this one on the basis of its Norwegian setting. Fortunately, a sense of place did come through – and not in a down-your-throat sort of way – and this adds to the book's charm. If you're looking for a change from the usual American/British settings then you might want to give Nesbø's Oslo a go.

The writing is simple and the chapters brief. The author gets to the point – no purple prose here – and delivers a healthy dose of humour at the same time. Characters are drawn with a deft stroke, their description precise and at times compellingly vile. Despite its length the book is an easy, comfortable read. The narrative jumps between different characters and time lines and the tension builds slowly throughout. I read the book intermittently, but I reckon it's better suited to being read at once – I found myself having to flip back and forth to keep track of who everyone was. As an aside, the WWII plotline starts in the thick of it – being woefully ignorant of WWII I didn't know what was going on at first and who the Norwegians were fighting for. If you're as clueless as I am, then a quick browse on wiki before you read the book might be helpful (basically, Norway was occupied by the Germans and there were Norwegians who fought both for and against them – though of course this is an extreme simplification).

Now I don't mind it when things take time to get going (indeed I prefer it to the common need to dazzle from the get-go), but the “nothing's happening” feeling at the start of the book may put off some readers. The plot and Harry's investigation feel directionless at times, but then I know nothing of being a detective so maybe that's just how it is. I found myself swept along with the book's internal logic and didn't think too hard on whether certain things made sense – which was perhaps for the best. The bits about Harry's personal life were fine, but as regards the crime aspect, I would've liked a bit more of a driving force. It's only towards the end that the book becomes more of a whodunit.

Crime tropes are in plentiful supply: there are Nazis both regular and neo (which the Norwegian angle rendered less off-putting for me), a long-suffering good-hearted boss, a psychologist who advises Harry on criminal minds, races against time, and a myriad of characters and plots connected in ways that are too neat by half. It can get a bit cliched and contrived, but overall the book is still enjoyable.

The Redbreast is a fun and diverting read. It's easy to see why the Harry Hole series is popular. There's nothing especially original going on, but that doesn't really matter. The writing style, the characterisation and the interweaving of plots are the book's main strengths. For those who haven't read Scandi-crime yet the setting might also provide a refreshing change.

Alex's Rating: 3.5/5

Reading order for the Harry Hole series (those marked with an asterisk are not yet available in English):

• The Bat
• The Cockroaches*
• The Redbreast
• Nemesis
• The Devil's Star
• The Redeemer
• The Snowman
• The Leopard
• Phantom
• Police* (upcoming)

Book Review: Cloud Atlas

Title: Cloud Atlas
Author: David Mitchell
Year Published: 2004
Genre: General and literary fiction, Historical fiction, Science fiction, Comedy, Drama, Thriller

After reading Virgin with Butterflies, I really needed to read something that was not shite. Cloud Atlas, being recommended by a friend and coming with a movie and accolades and prize-contender-y-ness, seemed the perfect candidate. It was also the opposite of shite.

It's a book that's hard to categorise or describe in one sentence, so I won't even try. What I found most novel about this novel is its chiastic form: it's comprised of six sort-of nested stories in an ABCDEFEDCBA sort of structure. Bar the middle story, all the stories are split into halves. So, for example, the book begins and ends with each half of “The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing”. I must say that I was very glad to see that the stories were completed as I would have been very dissatisfied if they were just cut off mid-way, never to be seen again, because I need closure in my life, yes I do.

The stories in Cloud Atlas cover a variety of genres and time periods. They are:

• “The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing”: an American faces the effects of colonisation in the Chatham Islands in the 19th century;
• “Letters from Zedelghem”: a destitute English musician finds work as an amanuensis to a blind composer in 1931;
• “Half-Lives – The First Luisa Rey Mystery”: a reporter in 1975 investigates suspicious goings-on at a new nuclear plant;
• “The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish”: a present-day man becomes an unlikely prisoner;
• “An Orison of Sonmi~451”: in the future, a Korean “fabricant” ascends to human intelligence; and
• “Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After”: a post-apocalyptic story about a boy who deals with both a strange visitor and attacks on his village.

The writing is strong across all stories. David Mitchell uses very different styles across all six – for example, Adam Ewing is meant to be reminiscent of Herman Melville, Luisa Rey like an airport thriller. Now, given the stylistic acrobatics and fancy novel structure, I can almost picture the author being all like “La! See how impressive and clever I am!”. But the the thing is, I can't even be mad, because I am impressed and I do think he's very clever. The Luisa Rey story definitely works as a thriller and the Sonmi story is a solid sci-fi tale. I even found “Sloosha's Crossin'”, with its pidgin-like English, to be very readable. I enjoyed all the tales despite having to reach for the dictionary a lot in the first two stories (because wtf is an amanuensis?? answer: a secretary who takes dictation – you're welcome, similarly vocab-challenged people out there). The only story I wasn't too keen on was Timothy Cavendish's – but that, I suspect, is because what happens to him is realistic enough to terrify me. All in all, there is great variety in the stories and it was almost like a mix-bag of lollies in that monotony was never a problem.

The six individual stories are explicitly interlinked – the Luisa Rey story for example features as a fictional manuscript in the Timothy Cavendish story. While the tales are separated in time and space, we have recurring themes and a recurring soul (the one with the comet-shaped birthmark) who reincarnates into the different stories. Those who have seen the movie or its trailer might be misled – I had assumed, given the use of the same actors in different roles, that the book featured a group of souls who kept meeting up across time. However, only one soul is clearly reincarnated in the book, and even then, the personalities of the reincarnations and other characters are all different. Further, from watching the trailer, it also seems that more interconnections have been added in the movie. I just thought I'd mention this to dispel any false expectations if you decide to read/watch both versions.

Depending on how you interpret things, you can link the tales in different ways. I personally am not too sure whether I liked this; it felt kind of like the author was trying too actively to make it ~deep~ and ~ambiguous~. Together, the tales cover a broad scope of human experience and a commentary on humanity emerges from the collection; it's definitely a case where the sum is greater than its parts. But thematic links aside, the actual literal and character links between stories don't seem to add too much to the tales other than a “spot-the-connection” game for the reader, which can be fun or infuriating, depending on your tastes. I personally thought this the weakest aspect of the book, as the lack of “proper” connections made me wish for more. To me, the hints were tantalising but ultimately unsatisfying.

The tales are thoughtful and work well as individual pieces; together, they are something else entirely. The ambiguity of the connections between them and the multitude of themes (the nature of the human race, oppression, free will, etc) make it a good book for discussing with others. It's epic and glorious and a wee bit frustrating. Cloud Atlas is clever and well-written but don't strain yourself too hard looking for connections and just enjoy it for what it is.

Alex's Rating: 4/5

Movie Review: Looper

Title: Looper
Director: Rian Johnson
Year Released: 2012
Running Time: 118 minutes
Classification: R (MA15+)
Genre: Science fiction, Action/Adventure, Thriller

It was the premise that hooked me: a hitman's next target is his future self. Will he kill himself or let himself go? Whatever the outcome, it's a great concept. Thankfully, it's also a concept done well. Looper is one smooth sci-fi caper and a welcome breath of fresh air in an era of sequels, prequels, reboots and remakes.

So the year is 2044 and Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who looks strange but fairly convincing in Bruce Willis-ifying make up with extra thick eyebrows) is a looper, an assassin who kills and disposes of mob targets sent from the future. The world is a grim place, with rampant crime and poverty, but it's also close enough to ours to seem possible. Life is pretty routine for Joe until he finds out that the future crime king, the Rainmaker, is “closing the loops” - that is, sending the loopers' future selves back in time for assassination. When Joe's future bad-ass self (Bruce Willis) is sent back, he escapes assassination. The various conflicts between young Joe, old Joe, the mob and eventually Sara (Emily Blunt) provide rich fodder for suspense and moral dilemmas, making for a smart and intriguing film.

If the time travel aspect seems daunting – don't worry; the film is easy to follow and explains what you need to know. As old Joe says, you can just figure out the diagrams and stuff later on. I'm just going to say that I love time travel stories and have noticed that there are usually two types (as depicted in fiction). First, there's the closed system kind (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Gargoyles), in which there is only one reality – any attempt to change the past is impossible, as it will just bring about the things that were meant to happen. Second, there's the infinite possibilities kind (Back to the Future, The Lake House), where you can change the past, but this creates paradoxes or alternate realities. Looper belongs in this second group and it has paradoxes. My advice? Don't think too much about it unless you're a fan of headaches or you like playing “spot the paradox” or “why don't they just do [x]?”. Whether this bothers you is a matter of taste, but I'll say that it's closer to Back to the Future than The Lake House in terms of making sense.

The film has a slick feel to it, but it's not like your typical Big Action Movie. Sure, it's fast-paced and most of Bruce Willis' scenes involve him being Bruce Willis (in a good way), but there are also slower moments and sparse-looking shots that bring an almost art-house or dramatic vibe to the movie. The world-building is solid as are the performances, including child Cid (Pierce Gagnon). I liked that all the characters had their own motivations, were interesting, and worked well with and against each other in the grand scheme of things. As an aside, one aspect I should warn you about is the violence and gore – the fate of Seth (Paul Dano) is the stuff of nightmares oh my god.

However, I get the feeling that Looper won't stick around in my consciousness for too long. Not sure why, but I felt like there could have been something more, or that something was missing – it felt a little cold, almost clinical. Despite the moral and emotional issues at hand, I didn't really connect with the characters. The plot somehow felt too straightforward at times, despite the time travel and the twists (only a few of which were obvious to me). I also feel like it's the kind of movie I don't need to rewatch any time soon. I can't put my finger on why this is so and am willing to chalk it up to subjective taste.

Looper is fresh, intelligent and definitely one of the better movies I've seen in recent times. I'm probably biased towards it since I've been craving some original high concept sci-fi, but I don't care, it hit the spot like a cool glass of lemonade at the end of a hot day. Rian Johnson's done a fine job and I'll definitely be watching out for his future projects.

Alex's Rating: 4/5

Book Review: Scarecrow Series

Title: Scarecrow Series
Author: Matthew Reilly

Year Published: 1998 - 2011

Genre: Action, Thriller

                                                      

Scarecrow series:

• Ice Station
• Area 7
• Scarecrow
• Hell Island
• Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves 

Before I start, I just want everyone to know that all these books can be read as standalones. But I recommend reading Ice Station first in case you enjoy the book and want to continue reading.

This series is based on a Marine by the name of Shane Schofield, call sign Scarecrow. It follows his missions and adventures which include:

Ice Station – Lieutenant Shane Schofield is introduced. He is sent to the arctic to secure an amazing discover under 100 million year old layer of ice

Area 7 - Schofield accompanies the President of the United States to a secret base were hostile forces await

Scarecrow - Schofield’s own head is on the line when a group of international bounty hunters search him out to kill him, the bounty being $20 million

Hell Island – four special force units, one lead by Schofield, are sent to an mysterious island where an experiment has gone horrible wrong

Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves – a group of terrorists and fugitives, who call themselves the Army of Thieves take over an abandoned base in the Arctic and threaten to re-activate a weapon powerful enough to wipe out half the world. Schofield is sent to stop the Army before it’s too late

My first thought when writing this review was: these books are AWESOME! They are action-packed!!! Gun slinging, hungry crazy polar bear tearing, bombs blowing AWESOME!!! Please excuse my excitement. As you can see I really enjoyed this series.   

From start to finish, you will be on the edge of your seat, holding your breath wondering what will happen next! I mean that for all 5 books.

(Ok, I admit I’m a big Mathew Reilly fan.)

Matthew Reilly writes with the sole intention of entertaining, and entertain he does. Every turn of the page you will be wondering how our hero gets out of this one. And when you get the answer, you will think “how is that possible?”, then reality hits, “it’s a book, that was cool, who cares if it’s possible or not.”

What I love about Matthew Reilly is, as an author he can translate complicated locations or items into more simple terms without them losing their integrity.

Example: a gigantic complex base. There will be a simple diagram of the base at the front of the chapter for you to use as a reference. The diagrams are simple enough to understand and do not compensate for the description written in the book.

When reading an action novel, there may be times when you lose track of where the characters are. These diagrams will help tremendously. It helped me a lot since I have the “memory of a gold fish” according to some friends of mine.

I’ve read some negative reviews on these novels. Most are about the “depth” of the books. It is an action/thriller novel.” Not a "dramatic family story expanding over 6 decades.” So don’t expect something emotional to change in you. Matthew Reilly does over use italics and exclamation marks but I believe it helps with the emphasis of every action and urgency.

   

Sure, we all know the hero will survive. Sure, we all know the hero will always save the world, but isn’t the fun part, the journey of it? Trust me, this journey is worth taking.

So I recommend this series to anyone who loves an action-packed adventure. If you’re into “dramatic family stories expanding over 6 decades” then I still say give it a try. You never know. You might want more after finishing the first book.

Just remember to breathe.

Terri's rating: 4.5/5