Ryan is in beautiful (cough) West Virginia for work but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t go and watch movies. So he has seen two and since his voice cannot be heard on this weeks podcast he has decided to do it the old fashioned way, writing.
A Dangerous Method: Michael Fassbender stars as Dr. Jung a young psychologist who studies the work of Dr. Freud. He dreams of meeting him but doesn’t have the courage, that changes when he meets Sabina Spielrein. By using a method devolped by Dr. Freud, Jung is able to help Sabina, and talk to his idol about his findings. Sabina not only gets better but Jung learns that she is a natural pyschologist as well. He soon starts an affair with her and comes into conflict with Freud about each others analysis of Sabina.
Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen give very good performences and it is essential as this is a really talky script depending on them. Keira Knightly is also very good as the troubled Sabina in what could not be an easy role. Its very interesting the choices of movies David Cronenberg has chosen to direct lately but I have enjoyed them all. He knows where to put a camera and how to keep scenes from being boring.
Grade: B+
The Woman in Black: Daniel Radcliffe stars as a young lawyer Arthur Kipps who must travel to a remote part of England and find the will of a woman who has recently passed away. When he arrives he is told that there is no reason to go because all the legal documents have been found. Kipps however must stay, his job depends on it. His first day there he sees a woman in black and when he returns to town a young girl dies in his arms. A mystery soon unravels and it has to do with…
This movie is beautifully shot and has atmosphere to spare. Being a horror movie fan I enjoyed seeing the Hammer logo before this movie. Ghost stories are always hit or miss with me. Sometimes I can’t get pass the goofy set up. When they work however they are very effective. This movie does work for me. I loved the Gothic look and the mystery while not too shocking was intriguing. Radcliffe also proves he doesn’t need Harry Potter to be successful he can carry a movie. I like how the movie was slow to build up tension and used some tricky camera work to always make you glance at the dark corners. Sometimes there’s something there.
Grade: B