Taking a look at the UK Box Office chart, The Conjuring : Last Rites seems to be dominating proceedings. However, in our “Movie Men” WhatsApp group, my chum Will Chalk writes: “It’s a big ol’ meh from me. Doesn’t ever build any tension, and is so OTT. It’s more like a sketch show of jump scares... some of them quite decent. It’s also too long”.
This is frequently the case with films nowadays, with a recent poll concluding the ‘ideal’ movie running time is 92 minutes. I’d say 90-100 minutes is perfect, and I still can’t quite believe I spent almost four hours watching The Brutalist, but here we are.
Elsewhere in the Box Office chart, the excellent Weapons has now made over £11 million, and it’s definitely a contender for one of my favourite films of the year. A good concept, delivered well, and enjoyably creepy, but not a movie that relies on cheap jump scares (even though it does contain a couple that made me leave my seat!). Freakier Friday has also made over £8 million, and is far better than I expected it to be as a sequel to the 2003 smash.
That leaves The Roses, which is currently the second biggest film in the UK, and a brilliant pairing of Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch. The humour rarely lets up, with awkward silences, veiled and not-so-veiled insults, and a brilliant portrayal of a marriage simmering with tension that threatens to erupt like Mount Etna at any time. Ivy (Colman) and Theo (Cumberbatch) were superbly played, with first class acting, barbs that were delivered faster than serves at Wimbledon, and some nice supporting characters played by the likes of Kate McKinnon. I laughed out loud several times, and this is a classy remake of the 1989 film, which itself was based on a book. Apparently, despite most of the story taking place in California, the whole movie was shot in the UK. Don’t tell the orange manbaby, with his daft film tarriffs. I had a great time watching this.
Finally this week, squishy body horror Together sees Tim and Mille (Dave Franco and Alison Brie) move to the countryside and stumble into a cave, where it turns out the water is very much not safe for drinking. As strange forces begin to take over their bodies, they find it increasingly difficult to spend any time apart, despite their best efforts to give each other a bit of space from the tension of their new living situation. I had to look away a couple of times, but the gore was nowhere near as graphic as Demi Moore’s The Substance. It’s occasionally absurd, but frequently enjoyable, with flashes of humour to break up the tension of their situation. Moral of the story - don’t drink from random ponds in the woods.
Next week, my verdict on Honey, Don’t!, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Caught Stealing and The Long Walk, based on a story written six decades ago by Stephen King.
Alex Cann's weekly film blog - 9th January
