Would you hop on a plane and fly to a tropical paradise with someone you'd just met at a cocktail party? Blink Twice is best viewed not knowing much about the plot, and for once the trailer didn't give away all the best bits, as so often seems to happen nowadays.
There are vague echoes of Get Out, and I thought this directorial debut by Zoe Kravitz was pretty neatly done. Some decent plot twists, especially the ending, and a bit of a gear change from thriller to horror as Channing Tatum's guests begin to realise they may not, in fact, be having the time of their lives.
This is nicely shot, with a strong cast including Christian Slater and Sixth Sense kid Haley Joel Osment (now in his mid-thirties... yikes!). Reviews have been mixed, but I thought it had elements of Hitchcock and Kubrick, and it was a fun way to spend a Friday evening at the movies. I should mention a strong central performance by Naomi Ackie as one of the two waitresses whisked to the mysterious island by tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum). Ackie was also brilliant as Whitney Houston, and is clearly one to watch. A very versatile actor.
Meanwhile, The Crow arrives a little early for Hallowe'en season, and is a remake of a 1994 Brandon Lee classic that I confess I've never seen. There is some hammy acting, shonky dialogue, but on the plus side, a killer soundtrack (Cure, Joy Division, Gary Numan, and even some Enya) and a brilliantly choreographed fight filmed inside Prague's Rudolfinum concert hall with hundreds of extras.
The reboot was years in the planning, with lead actors coming and going, and Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise in the recent It films) makes a decent fist of the central role as Eric.. British singer/songwriter FKA Twigs stars as his love interest Shelley, and revenge is sought after their blossoming romance is brought to a bone crunching, gory, violent end. Eric soon discovers he can traverse between worlds, and as long as his love for Shelley remains, he can tie up loose ends and exact revenge on those who shattered his life.
It's ultimately fairly ridiculous, in truth, but quite enjoyable in spite of the occasionally clunky dialogue. My wife was worried it was going to be a horror, but it won't scare the horses (other than the poor horse in the opening scene). Gory, vampiric thriller is the pigeonhole I'd place it in. I may need to watch the original for comparison purposes. It's currently available on ITVX and Amazon Prime Video.
Another mention for It Ends With Us if you haven't seen it yet. Blake Lively really is very good in this adaptation of a globally successful Colleen Hoover book, and it's the best film I've seen at the cinema in August. Worst of the month definitely goes to Borderlands, which is an excellent insomnia cure! I'm still hoping to catch Alien Romulus too, as I've heard good things.
Alex B Cann weekly film column
