The Woman in Black
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Tagline: What did they see?
This week’s lead review on Friday Flicks is brought to you by the letter H. The reason? Daniel Radcliffe gets his post-Harry (there’s the first one) Potter career going as the former Hogwarts (check) favorite teams up with the revamped Hammer (last one, promise) studio in this adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story. It’s actually been knocking ’em dead, if you will, in London’s theater district for ages, but Radcliffe provides undoubted star power to this big-screen version.
He plays the Victorian lawyer Arthur Kipps (which is a JK Rowling character name if ever we saw one), who is still in mourning over the death of his wife. But he must leave his young son behind in London, to head north to sort out the affairs of the late Mrs. Drablow, supposedly the sole resident of Eel Marsh House. Before he knows it, the supernatural begins to play its spooky part, resulting in jolts and jumps aplenty.
There’s definite good will from the critics. “Fittingly for the first film shot in England in 35 years to bear the Hammer banner, The Woman in Black competently resurrects that hoariest of horror-movie conceits, the haunted house,” writes Variety. “This unashamedly old-fashioned ghost story benefits from Radcliffe’s committed performance and Watkins’ willingness to do anything for a scare,” notes Total Film. And “This Victorian period horror tale is refreshing in that it makes no bones about what it is about – delivering gothic horror thrills pure and simple,” says Screen Daily. So long as Radcliffe can keep the post-Potter quality control up, his future looks bright.
MORE: TIME’s Full Review of The Woman in Black
Chronicle
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Tagline: What are you capable of?
What do you get if you cross The Blair Witch Project with Carrie, via Cloverfield, as imagined by John Hughes? Apparently the answer is Chronicle. First-time director Josh Trank, working from a script by Max Landis (son of John, the legendary director of, among others, An American Werewolf In London), tells a superhero-esque story about three high-school kids who make one of those incredible discoveries, leading to their developing uncanny powers beyond their understanding. Steve (Michael B. Jordan) is into sports, Matt (Alex Russell) is brainy but emotionally backward whereas his cousin Andrew (Dane DeHaan) is the classic outsider. But as they begin to control their abilities, using them to their advantage, their lives start to spin out of control.
Sounds like a blast, and at $15 million, almost certainly a blast representing value for money for the studio taking a chance on the newbies behind the camera. And, seemingly speaking with one voice, reviewers have been marveling at this movie, which has descended upon them like a bolt from the blue. “A stunning superhero/sci-fi that has appeared out of nowhere to demand your immediate attention,” notes Empire. “The summer’s incoming super-dudes should be feeling anxious,” concludes Total Film while Time Out New York says that “anyone who’s ever been in a teenage world of hurt can sympathize.” Looks like Spider-Man and co. have considerable cause for concern.
LIST: TIME’s Top 20 Worst Summer Blockbusters
Big Miracle
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Tagline: A family of whales trapped beneath the ice, one unforgettable rescue
What could be more adorable than a local news reporter and a Greenpeace volunteer, in conjunction with rival world superpowers, attempting to save a family of whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle? When you find out that said reporter and volunteer are played by John Krasinski and Drew Barrymore, the “aww” factor goes off the scale.
Krasinski plays Adam Carlson, who is oh-so-keen to swap the northern tip of Alaska for a bigger market. And isn’t it just typical that when the story of his career breaks, he has keen competition from the national press. But besides your oil tycoons, heads of state and fellow journalists, Adam is most concerned by Barrymore’s Rachel Kramer. Why? Because she isn’t just an environmentalist but – look out! – his ex-girlfriend.
The notices thus far aren’t necessarily going to result in Big Miracle knocking down Oscar’s door any time soon. “While rooting for the marine mammals … your heart will also go out to the cast, stuck even more pitiably in syrupy manufactured crises,” pans the Village Voice. “Like a whale itself, Big Miracle is large and unwieldy – but it also has its moments of splendor,” comments the AP far more favorably. And the Boston Phoenix is supposedly being upbeat, when noting that the movie “eschews black and white – even the Inupiat have ulterior motives – for shades of grey.” But with reviews like that, who needs enemies?
VIDEO: 10 Questions for John Krasinski
NewsFeed’s Flicks Pick: We never like to count Daniel Radcliffe out, but all the buzz this week is about Chronicle.