The Witch (2016)

The Witch (2016) (UK)

Directed by: Robert Eggers

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Harvey Scrimshaw and Kate Dickie 

In my opinion, it takes a lot of effort to make a good, original and scary horror film and of recent years the quality of good horror films like "The Shining", "The Exorcist" and "Halloween" have been absent. I also think they're is an audience divide in horror. Theres an audience who look down upon more psychological horror films and end up disappointed because, "there aren't enough bits that make you jump", the others on the other hand like a good horror film with meat to it, some substance, rather than 90 minutes of cheap scares.

I consider myself a Horror Film Buff, I always try to go and watch the new horror film that's out as often as I can but of recent years, not a lot has stood out to me in these frequent viewings and gradually I started not bother any more because the content just didnt grab me enough with every critic under the sun slating recent releases or the fact that "Paranormal Activity 7" or however many there are had just been released with is purely a commercial hook. 

"The Witch" directed by Robert Eggers, which is in fact his film debut, astonishingly, is a story set in 1630's in New England based on Folktales of that time which historically was influenced by the myth of Witches. I am glad to say that this isn't a stereotypical horror film and I loved it. 

The story initially startes with a Puritan family who are exiled into the isolation of the rural areas of New England as the Father of the family speaks down upon the way that religion is being looked upon and not followed in the way it should be. After moving, the family begin to live amongst themselves, growing their own crops and following their own rules and how religion should be looked upon. 

Whilst looking after the baby in the family, the eldest child, Thomasin, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, suddenly realises that the baby has been taken off into the woods, and whilst the family grieve, the idea of a witch taking the baby circulates around the family causing disruption amongst the different personalities presented in each family member. As days go by, strange things start to happen and it becomes more certain that there is a witch that lives out in the woods. 

Judging from just the synopsis, the film sounds a bit stereoptypical and to be honest doesnt sound like a great film however this film is being considered as a horror masterpiece. Stanley Kubrick-esque, (according to some critics).

This film is an extremely uncomfortable viewing and one that I have found deeply disturbing whilst watching it in the dark, quiet cinema at 11pm at night. This film is not only uncomfortable to watch in the pure fear factor, some of the imagery in this film is very disturbing which I will not spoil. 

After watching this movie, the best point for me was that it didn't use these cheap scares in modern horror films. It isn't plagued with jump scares from start to finish, like a slow intense scene leading upto an anti-climax like a rat crawling out of a dark space. Throughout, this film slowly depicted its scary moments making it, in my opinion, a lot more intense than these loud noise jump scares. I sat in my seat after the credits started scrolling in deep shock of what I had just witnessed, especially after the finale. 

Another point to mention is that this film is definitely not a typical horror film, it is an acquired taste. The whole film is in Old English, which I thought was simply beautiful to listen to, but some people may find hard to follow which is understandable. However, the main reason why this film is an acquired taste is the deeper connotations of the film. It's not just a 90 minute film of horror that you and your friends can watch as a laugh, it has substance, it is a very clever film that portrays human sin and how that plays on the mind. 

Final words, the look of this film as well is outstanding, it has been criticised to look very dull with the colours used in the presentation of the visuals however I thought that matched the severity and eeriness of the setting and events. This film was also shot in the now rare 1:1:66 aspect ratio by cinematographer Jarin Blaschke to give the picture an added height to the film and to make the trees in the forest to look more looming and the house to look more claustrophobic which is very notable. Actor performances as well were incredible too, in particular, Harvey Scrimshaw who has a breathtaking monologue in one scene of the film and especially Anya Taylor-Joy is was the star of the film. 

If you're a fan of horror and you don't see this review too late, try and go and see "The Witch" in cinema, as unfortunately I personally dont think audiences at home will feel the same effect as I did in the cinema viewing as you are in a submerged nature when watching the film.

Pros: 

Original, clever idea
Very disturbing
Acting
Cinematography

Cons:

Can be considered an acquired taste that not everyone will like
Cinema viewing is probably the most effective way to watch this film

Rating: B+ 

Short Term 12 (2013)

Short Term 12 (2013)

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring: Brie Larsson, John Gallagher Jr, Kaitlyn Dever, Keith Stanfield

Certificate: 15

Genre: Drama - Indie

Short Term 12 is a low budget indie film based on the namesake short film written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. This film follows two main characters, boyfriend and girlfriend, Grace (Brie Larsson) and Mason (John Gallagher Jr) who are supervising staff members at a local residential treatment facility for children from troubled backgrounds.

As we see Grace and Mason working at this facility we can see the friendly, supportive connections these two have with the children in particular a new girl called Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever) and a teenage boy who is soon to leave called Marcus (Keith Stanfield) whose problems mirror the issues of Grace and Mason themselves and what they have been through in their past. Throughout the film we see the development of the relationships between these four main characters and the relationship of Grace and Mason.

I had never previously heard of this film before today, but I came across it on Netflix and have not regretted watching it one bit. This film has you cycling through facial expressions and emotions throughout the whole narrative, from smiling with happiness, to laughing at the comedy, and being in tears at the more upsetting themes in this film which are very tense to watch.

One of the many strong elements of this film is the characterisation of the different personalities on the film from the adults to the kids. As an audience, you care for the people in the film, you become emotionally attached, you care about characters actions and emotions throughout the exposition which epitomises the excellent job Destin Daniel Cretton has done with portraying these characters.This sense of realism of the film was also created by the frequently use handheld camera which makes the audience feel like were there spectating on the unfolding events and following the drama as it happens in real time.

The other predominant element in this film is the acting. Keith Stanfield and Kaitlyn Dever were incredible as the their teenage roles showing and most of the emotional scenes in this film came from their performances however Brie Larsson stole the show. This film was her breakthrough film and there is no surprise that this feature got her noticed, in which she recently won an Oscar for her role in Room (2016). Her incredibly realistic representation of this character was sensational, showing effectively her psychological trouble that has controlled her life from the past to showing heart warming emotion in her connections with the kids showing great chemistry with each member of the acting cast.

Despite only ever watching this film once, this film has truly had an impact on me this film and I would highly recommend people to watch this indie gem.

Pros:
Emotional storyline and script
Characterisation
Acting (In particular Brie Larsson)
Directing

Cons:
N/A

Rating: A

Locke (2013)

Locke (2013) 

Directed by: Steven Knight
Starring: Tom Hardy
Certificate: 15
Genre: Drama

A film which captures an hour and twenty-five minutes of a car journey in which Tom Hardy's character, Ivan Locke, a construction site manager, faces a battle with his conscious after making decisions which will heavily impact his life as he knows it.

After watching this film, the most notable point to make is the success of how the film was put together and filmed. About 98% of the film was shot in just the main characters car using different angles and ranges of shots from the exterior and interior. Much like 12 Angry Men in the aspect of the restricted location of filming, this whole film focuses on the character development and progress of Ivan Locke who gradually has his normal life destroyed from start to finish of the car journey, as each phone call he receives and makes, furthers the characters anger and regret.

Tom Hardy, has one of his most underrated performances capturing the emotions of this character following some excellent script writing which had me hooked from start to finish. The editing and direction of this film was also to a very high standard as it was pieced together perfectly and the characterisation of Ivan was almost realistic and portrayed so well and feels as if we, the audience, are looking into an account of a real persons private problems. The incidental music throughout the film maintained an eerie and tense atmosphere to the car journey in between each phone call.

The only downsides I could pick from this film were just minor flaws. After watching the film I felt like there was very little re-watch ability, I would recommend somebody else to watch it but for me I couldn't sit down again and have that same engaged feeling I did in the first viewing. The ending as well, I thought, was a little empty, I'm not one for having entire closure at the end of films but the last scene left me a bit unfulfilled, however I shall not spoil what happens.

Rating: B-

Pros:

Tom Hardy's performance as Ivan Locke
Character Development
Script

Cons:

Little Re-watch ability
Ending

Introduction

I am a film student currently in my second year of Film Studies at College with intention to go into Filmmaking/Film and TV Production at University. This blog is to be taken lightly, I will be reviewing films with my own opinions and thoughts and due to my raw knowledge of the industry, the reviews will not be entirely accurate as other professional reviews. I hope to post regularly, probably after every new film I watch, just to put my thoughts into black and white print. Feel free to make any comments or contact the blog page on Twitter @therawreviewTR. Thank you.