The Ides of March, Chronicle and The Woman in Black

I missed "The Ides of March" first time round, another film that avoided Aylesbury. So I had to wait until last weeks single showing on Wednesday morning's Senior Screen. A packed audience as usual, and with a long queue for tickets, I only just made the start. In the end, a pretty decent political thriller from director George Clooney, who also stars as the presidential candidate in a typically fraught (and topical) nomination campaign. Ryan Gosling is his usual proficient self in the leading role as the cool, dynamic aide. His scenes with Philip Seymour Hoffman (up for the supporting actor Oscar) and his counterpart on the opposing side Paul Giamatti, crackle convincingly. The main flaw for me was the introduction of the female intern, well played by Evan Rachel Wood, as the catalyst for the final act. That was not convincing.

I was equally surprised and thrilled with "Chronicle" as all the critics seemed to be. An unattractive sounding movie where three teenagers acquire superhuman powers, turns out to be a witty and poignant take on coming of age for three very different boys. The use of "found" video footage similar to films like "Cloverfield" works well, as the outsider played by Dane DeHann, captures their antics on his new camera. Mike Landis has used his small budget superbly, and the sharp editing keeps us interested all the way to the inevitable climax.

I was almost put off going to see "The Woman in Black" as it had Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role. Whilst his acting still teeters on the edge of wooden, his presence in nearly every scene is not as bad as I had predicted. He looks, and acts,  like a young father who has lost his wife, and for much of the time he is on his own. His movement and reactions are OK. He is lucky that co-star Ciaran Hinds is on top form (not always the case) and their relationship is almost the best thing about the movie. Fortunately, the spooky scenes in the old mansion are never too long, and boy are they spooky. It's quite clever how the music fades and we are left in silence, that is apart from the noises in the house. James Watkins and writer Jane Goldman have obviously had to adapt the book by Susan Hill to make something that suits the cinema, and overall this is quite successful. The biggest compliment I can give is that I have ordered the book to read now I have seen the movie. I cannot remember having done that before.