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Cinema Reviews

The Cinema Review: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Vacancy & Tell No One

Fantastic 4 - Rise of the Silver Surfer PosterFantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (PG)

The sequel to 2005’s adaptation of the comic book sees another Marvel character join the film with the arrival of the Silver Surfer. But his presence isn’t really enough to elevate what is another lacklustre outing for the quartet.

Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Jessica Alba return in their roles as the Fantastic 4 and we again see how they deal with their fame and powers whilst the mysterious Surfer starts to trigger panic around the world.

Like the original it is a bit too light and fluffy and the visual effects are not up to scratch. The exception is the Silver Surfer himself but even his character is largely wasted in an underwritten supporting role.


Vacancy PosterVacancy (15)

When a couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) break down in the middle of nowhere, they have to spend the night at an isolated motel. They switch on the TV and discover that the sinister slasher movies on the box were all filmed in the very room they’re in.

Continuing the trend of horror films that have been raining down on cinemas recently, this tries to mix low budget scares with a more mainstream sensibility.

The problem with this approach is that isn’t shocking enough to be truly scary and is too low budget to really impress on a technical level. Whilst it is watchable enough for about an hour it is too derivative (Psycho is just one of the many touchstones referenced) and outstays its welcome long before its time to check out.


Tell No One posterTell No One (15)

A smart and absorbing thriller about a Paris doctor (Francois Cluzet) who has to deal with the apparent murder of his wife and the mysterious emails 8 years later that seem to show her still alive.

Things are complicated by the police and a mysterious criminal gang determined to find out what he does (or doesn’t) know about the crime. He then has to solve the mystery whilst also avoiding getting killed himself.

Based on a bestselling US novel by Harlan Coben, director Guilluame Canet has done a terrific job of adapting the action to France, as the action ticks along with plenty of satisfying twists and turns.

Cluzet is superb in the title role and there are some notable supporting performances from the likes of Kristin Scott Thomas and Gilles Lellouche. The film deservedly won several Cesar awards earlier this year (with Canet scooping Best Director) and is certainly a cut above most thrillers Hollywood has churned out in the past year.

Listen to this week’s Review Podcast here:

[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2007-06-15-30892.mp3]

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