THE QUIET ONES
Professor Coupland (Jared Harris) is a British professor hell bent on testing his theory that paranormal activity is caused by human negative energy by attempting to create his own poltergeist. He recruits his best students off the grid to take part in this dangerous project, enlisting a semi willing patient, pushing her to the bounds of her sanity, However while in their attempts to create a poltergeist they are unprepared for the horrific consequences that await them.
From the producer of Let Me in and The Woman In Black, The Quiet Ones is a British Hammer Horror Film which is being marketed as being based on a true story. Starring Sam Claflin, who you may know from The Hunger Games, this is guaranteed to make you jump out of your skin but can the Hammer studio bring back those armchair clenching moments so many horror films have been missing from recent years? I wouldn’t hold your breath. The only saving grace of this film is star quality acting from the leading actors.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: The Conjuring, The Woman in Black.
CALVARY
Calvary’s Father James is a good man intent on making the world a better place, unfortunately this just isn’t going to happen in this small town. The spiteful and constantly confrontational inhabitants do nothing but shock and sadden him. After being threatened during confession he finds himself battling the dark forces closing in around him.
Calvary is an Irish black comedy drama starring not only Brendan Gleeson as Father James but another very familiar face in Chris O’Dowd. This film will go down a storm in art houses across the country but don’t let that put you off. The film is rich in character drama giving it that depth of a real storyline which is so often lacking in most dramas on the scene these days. It isn’t all doom and gloom either with the black comedy laced throughout. With the examination of the religious faith those with a strong religious belief may be weary but this has all the hall marks of a pretty masterful piece of film.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: The Guard, In Bruges.
HALF OF A YELLOW SUN
Olanna (Thandie Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) are two glamorous sisters from a wealthy Nigerian family. Returning to a very privileged life in the newly independent 1960’S Nigeria after their very expensive education in an English school, they make very different choices in their life which shock their family. Olanna moves in with her revolutionary professor lover, Odenigbo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Kainene takes over the family interests and pursues a career as a businesswoman, falling in love with Richard, an English Writer. The sisters both get caught in the shocking violence of the Nigerian Civil war and a betrayal that threatens the family forever.
Half of a Yellow Son is a Nigerian drama, based on the novel of the same name and brought to us from the producers of The Last King of Scotland. Coming hot on the hills of his outstanding award winning performance in 12 Years a Slave, Chiwetel Ejiofor gives yet another stand out star performance, this man is certainly the golden one right now. Essentially being a love story, it bravely hits on the subject of the violence and brutality that hit this country hard. This has to be another powerful drama that will suck you in and tug on the hardest of hearts.
SEE IF YOU LIKED: The Last King Of Scotland, The Unbearable Likeness of Being.
MY PICK OF THE WEEK: HALF OF A YELLOW SUN
