Derry Herrera
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
bazookamouth-221-898097
Other than a particulary creepy turn by Timothy Spall and a decent lead from Erana James this really is very average. First half of the movie is encouraging when Spall (who is has some sort of mortality to maintain and possesses children to continue this) has the upper hand over Erana and the little boy but tails off badly from around the time Erana James starts the process to become a witch via a secret coven of her boyfriends family. The boyfriend is a witch apparantely? I didnt know guys could be witches Latter stages of the movie it gets batshit crazy. Spall gets dissolved with Erana using some witch trick. Anyone watching for Melanie Lynskey beware, she has limited screentime (15 mins). Lucy Lawless was in the movie, I barely recognised her. She played one of the witches.
ethanjames-16468
Have seen this three times, twice in theatres and once again at home and every time it feels like the first. Amazing lead with such potential, looking forward to seeing more from her. Timothy Spall was stellar as per and the duality of himself and Erana James on screen was as powerful as it was beautiful. A lovely film with such joys and gripping scenes, very refreshing!!!!
nzrkiwi
Dark hidden world of Witches and warlocks. The story is set in a gloomy backdrop of present day Christchurch, devastated by a Freak Earthquake a few years earlier. In these shadowy days, a child must be protected from a mysterious Evil. A Teenage sister (Laura) vulnerability is tested against the presence of this Evil conjurer, played by veteran actor Timothy Spall! Determine by events she does not understand or control. She is forced to search for her true self! Empowered she must be ready to battle for her loved sibling (Jacko) against a powerful mysterious foe, before it's too late. Highly entertaining film that can be enjoyed by all! Be prepared for a thrilling adventure into the the world of Darkness and Light. Where you are taken to the shallowest depth of human suffering and with the protagonist you must find your way back to the light of self sacrificing hope to free him.A brilliant performance by New comer, actress Erana James as Laura was top notch. Erana James didn't seem to be intimated playing opposite to veteran actor like Timothy Spall. Great direction by Co-Director Miranda Harcourt.The cinematography is Brilliant with visuals techniques, such as framing of actors, Angles and lens choices gave the visual narrative a strong presence. I loved the subjective camera and effects technique of Laura character transforming through the change over period.The Sound Effects where effective and hit you like a baseball bat. Combine with great editing and seamless transitional shots. The creative choices by Co-Director Stuart McKenzie was spot on!
anniwatkins
If I had to pick one, and only one thing about the movie, it would have to be cinematography. That movie was carried, emotionally, by stunningly skillful cinematography. The interaction between narrative and camera work was very close and very clever. It is worth seeing for the cinematography alone, but cinematography is not alone in making it worth seeing. It is magical. Magical realism. Totally believable, sensitively portraying the craft, but above all, simply, magical.Acting: You will love newcomer Erana James, and the chemistry between her and Nick Galitzine. But here I just want to pick out Timothy Spall for the fact that he can make you think, 'oh, come on, Carmody Braque's not so bad...' when you know full well that he is, he is that bad. Oh, and Lucy Lawless for command of silence. A big one, of course, for lovers of the book, is the screenplay. Yes, yes, yes, it absolutely had to be updated. It is a story about the craft in the now, so now it must be. This, I think, drove a lot of the decision making for the movie...? Of course it had to be Christchurch, the city is a character in the story. No, it is not 'the book' and I never expected it to be, nor should it be. It was tight, focused and tells the right story in the right way. What you experience is the emotional journey - a female story - told in emotional understanding and powerful imagery. OK, I am not a director and I don't know how to be one, but, like books and editors, I know when there has been one (or more)! The performances from the younger actors were surely created by the direction at least as much as by those actors themselves. That much is plain to see. What other magic was worked, I do not know, but I do know it was there from the result. And afterwards? What happened? I re-entered the world in a daze of sensitivity. Everything was hyper-real, every sound, every light ray, every colour, every sensation. I was.. in touch. Of course, it gradually faded, but I have not felt that alive in quite a while. Thank you.
