The Woman in Black

 

Well, some would say that Daniel Radcliffe will forever be seen as Harry Potter and nothing else.  I think that this might be one of the rare occasions when an actor actually takes his job so seriously that he surpasses the media's low expectations of him.  That goes for all of the young Harry Potter actors.  

The Woman in Black, based on a novel by Susan Hill, is about a young lawyer who is asked by his boss to sort out papers on a property that is meant to be sold.  Little does he know that the property he needs to sort out is haunted by a vengeful mother longing for her dead son, taking her anger out on the children of the town.  

This film is your typical horror film.  You've got ghosts, shadows, black and grey everywhere, things popping out of corners.  This film totally relies on the power of sound at just the right moments, and shadows to keep everything eery.  The set design was really well done and the tone of the film was perfect. To top the horror tradition, you actually have a good actor leading the entire thing. 

Now, to transition from some positive to some negative.  Daniel Radcliffe does not really pull off a father or a widow missing his wife, for that matter.  I didn't feel the parental love I should have felt or the inner pain certain flashbacks were telling us he was in.  He may have taken a leap with that one.  As for the events, moving from one to the other, it seemed slow and slightly repetitive.  It took a while for things to get really interesting with the ghost and Radcliffe.  The ending was not satisfying and you don't quite get any closure.  

With a strong performance from the entire cast, all this film needed was more plot dynamic.  Because it lacked this, I give this film 6.8/10.               

Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol

This series is known as America's James Bond.  I prefer Britain's James Bond myself...

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol follows the ongoing spy life of Ethan Hunt, one of the top agents from the IMF agency, facing yet another mission.  Only this time he goes rogue.  His mission, which he chooses to accept, is to save the world, yet again, from some sort of bomb.  Really, what's the difference what he's saving the world from?  It's all the same...  This film stars the obvious Tom Cruise, the talented Jeremy Renner, the funny Simon Pegg, and the beautiful Paula Patton.  

So where was I?  Oh yes, the fact that I find it insulting when comparing Mission Impossible to James Bond.  The reason I say that is not because Mission Impossible isn't a decent film series.  In fact, Mission Impossible has always been a solid and reliable film series.  The reason I say it is because James Bond is about the swagger/charm of the character, where the audience connects and feels for the character on an emotional level.  It is not just about the story line and how much action they can fill it with.  The character of Ethan Hunt, on the other hand, does not possess characteristics worthy of a strong attachment to the audience.  In fact, he isn't what makes the films what they are.  It's the supporting actors that made this film and, if I look back, the films before.  Whatever spark there once was between Ethan Hunt and the audience, it has long disintegrated to relying on the supporting actors and the ridiculous, yet remarkable stunts.

As you can see, I have more respect for the strength of character, than for action and stunts.  That said, the scene where Tom Cruise climbs the Dubai building is impressive and terrifying to think about.  So I will give him credit for doing it.  I will also clarify, Tom Cruise is a decent actor.  It's not that he isn't.  He just hasn't bothered to develop his character more than by plot.

The writing for this film was well done and light.  Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg were as wonderful as always.  As for Paula Patton, other than being pretty and adding a female dynamic to the scenes, she wasn't impressive as an actress.  I would also like to point out the ridiculous fighting scenes.  I thought the characters fighting each other (particularly at the end with the cars, and when the bad guy gets in a car crash) was just plain stupid and unrealistic.  Usually, when a person is involved in a car crash, they can't get back up and start running within seconds... just sayin'.

Mission Impossible films definitely know how to capture your attention, but they don't know how to make that connection meaningful and with purpose.  Maybe they're supposed to be light and fleeting, but if that's the case, it is no James Bond.  James Bond is iconic and Ethan Hunt is... not.


I give this film 7.5/10 for being, if I could sum it up in one word - okay.