Intruders (15)
HH
Dir: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
With: Clive Owen, Ella Purnell, Carice Van Houten
Running time: 99 minutes
JUAN Carlos Fresnadillo's Intruders ambitiously attempts to fuse conventional horror scares with psychological drama but ends up suffering from a bad case of split personality.
The film sets up an intriguing scenario as two children living in different countries are visited each night by a faceless intruder with seemingly supernatural capabilities. In Spain, the boy and his mother seek answers in religion, while in England, the girl and her father (Ella Purnell and Clive Owen) attempt to tackle the intruder head-on before enlisting the help of the authorities.
Early on, Fresnadillo has fun mixing the classic elements of The Exorcist and Candyman with the more revisionist leanings of Spanish fare such as Pan's Labyrinth and Julia's Eyes. Things fall apart during the last act revelations, which fatally undermine the film's logic and feel like scant reward for the patience required in reaching them. Horror fans, especially, will feel cheated.
Reviewed by Rob Carnevale.
Like Crazy (12A)
HHH
Dir: Drake Doremus
With: Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin
Running time: 89 minutes
ALMOST in time for Valentine's Day and young lovers of whatever age is Drake Doremus's endearing drama, a double prize-winner at Sundance.
When Anna (Felicity Jones) meets Jacob (Anton Yelchin) at university in Los Angeles, sense and finances should dictate their romance fizzles out when the course finishes. Logic and visa regulations go out the window for a while as love takes hold.
Shot in a hand-held style with an improvised vibe, Like Crazy is as hip as young furniture designer Jacob's trendy designs. The way Doremus concentrates on the mundane details of a long-distance relationship, the awkward reunions and the strained phone calls, keeps the piece tethered to a reality that many will recognise. It's the terrifically natural performances of the two leads that seal the deal and keep you interested in how it all turns out. Watch out too for Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) in a supporting role.
The Grey (15)
HHHH
Dir: Joe Carnahan
With: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo
Running time: 117 minutes
JOE Carnahan returns to the type of gritty filmmaking that he first exhibited in Narc with The Grey, a man-versus-wolves survival tale that displays genuine bite.
Inspired as much by Spielberg's Jaws as it is a short story called Ghost Walker, the film finds Liam Neeson attempting to lead a crew of oil rig roughnecks out of the Alaskan wilderness after their plane crash lands close to a pack of hungry, territorial wolves.
Carnahan keeps a tight grip on the tension while managing to balance the expected gory encounters with existential debates that serve to endear viewers to the men in question. And he displays a nice line in gallows humour to offset some of the horror, while ensuring that the clearly inhospitable locations heighten the mounting sense of desperation. A haunting yet fitting climax also maintains the film's integrity, which is only really compromised by occasional moments of silliness.
Reviewed by Rob Carnevale.
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