Oculus

Director: Mike Flanagan

Cast: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff

It's entirely fair to say that the horror genre has been going through a transitional period over the last few years. We could probably all point to certain films in the genre that remain game-changers but these have been few and far between lately with the exception of films from James Wan who just seems to completely get horror. Horror directors have been finding it consistently more difficult to scare audiences who are now just scare-savvy; we can guarantee most people can predict the scares in a film before they actually occur and when it has reached that stage, is all hope now lost?

Well, to be entirely honest, it really isn't. Sure, we haven't seen that much individuality lately in the projects but we have to remember that horrors like the genius that is Scream and the brilliant Saw changed everything when no one thought it could be possible. Until the next big game-changer however, we are just going to have to make do with films that come close to scaring the life out of you but never really make it. Oculus is certainly that type of film.

Unlike a lot of the gorefest films we witnessed after the release of Saw and Hostel and the return to the golden age of horror (the 1970's), Oculus is a good deal smarter than you would expect. The film begins with two children, Kaylie and Tim, trying to escape a house where they are obviously in danger. They cower in a wardrobe where a man who is obviously a threat chases after them and finds them. Fast forward to a few years later and we are re-introduced to the children as adults and the events of the night in question unfold throughout the story, events that began with the purchasing of a mysterious mirror.

Over the years, the mirror was passed from owner to owner with the same eventuality, someone always ended up dying in horrible circumstances. Although Tim apparently committed no crime, he was arrested for the murder of his parents, a murder his sister believes he didn't commit and decides to clear his name. Of course, to clear his name, Kaylie must prove that the mirror is controlling the house that they lived in and made her parents turn on their children.

For the most part, Oculus is pretty enjoyable if a little boring. There is no real layering of tension and the jumps, when they finally do make an appearance, are not all that amazing. However, the story itself is pretty smart and the entire film manages to hold itself together pretty well, even if the family are being controlled by what seems to be a crazy mirror possessed by an even crazier woman.

The performances themselves are pretty good, particularly from Karen Gillan, who plays the daughter Kaylie and Katee Sackhoff as the mother who is literally driven demented by the haunting mirror and her inability to harm her children.

There is certainly a case to be made for going to see Oculus but maybe don't expect to be so terrified you can't sleep. Although, you may begin to avoid big Gothic mirrors in the future.

Belle

Director: Amma Asante

Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson

The costume drama is one of the film genres that has barely changed over the years and with very good reason. Despite the fact that there is little or no difference in the story structure of the films, their tales of love, the sumptuous sets and restrained nature continue to win audiences over. To this day, films like the reworking of Pride and Prejudice and the Emma Thompson scribed Sense and Sensibility still work incredibly well at the box office, probably because there is something completely comforting in the safe bet, a film where you know the right couple will end up together and there are nice beautiful sights along the way. There’s nothing to be ashamed of with that, costume dramas hold their own special charm.

However, even though their female characters do always appear as strong women to the viewer, they are constrained by the times they live in; they must seek their parents approval for their marriages, they are always their husband’s wives and nothing more, they literally live in a man’s world. Although this is acceptable to an audience who know what they are getting themselves in for, it can become tiring to continue to witness women who are confined by their surroundings. Thankfully, Belle is one film that attempts to shake that tradition up a little, this is actually quite a modern storyline for what is a very traditional film.

Based on a true story, the film revolves around Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed-race daughter of a Navy Admiral who was taken in to her father’s family at an early age. Born to a black mother and living in poverty, Dido is rescued by her father who insists that she live a wealthy life and have everything afforded to her. Due to his career commitments, her father is forced to leave her with his family, the Lord Chief Justice (Wilkinson) and his wife. Belle is brought up as one of the family but finds that she is still an outsider when it comes to official events like dinner and ceremonies. When her father dies, Belle becomes a heiress but with little prospect of marriage, her family settle on the notion that she will remain the keeper of their house.

Although Belle becomes resigned to the life that she is forced to lead, she soon discovers that her beauty and her wealth makes her quite the catch. She accepts a marriage proposal from a good family but having already met John Davinier, a young ambitious lawyer who wants to change the world for the better, Belle needs to decide whether it is more important to marry for position or for love.

While Belle mainly deals with the romance of the lead characters and the advancement of Belle herself, it also deals with the serious issue of the Zong, a massive case from Victorian Britain which, when it was ruled on, began the end of the slave trade in Britain. The film likes to place these two ideas together, that Belle is a mixed race woman in a highly privileged background but must still face the harsh realities of what her race faced in Britain at the time, a point that doesn’t sit too well with this forward-thinking woman. Belle has a lot more substance because of this issue ensuring that it’s not just another costume drama.

The performances are amazing, Gugu Mbath-Raw’s turn as Belle proves that she is certainly one to watch while her cousin Elizabeth, played by Sarah Gadon is the perfect English Rose. However, Tom Wilkinson as her guardian and the Lord Chief Justice is the stand-out performance, the perfect combination of justice and emotion, he always attempts to do the right thing even if that right thing is not the popular one. There are occasions when their relationship will literally bring you to tears.

Although for the most part this is costume drama by numbers, there is a little more bite here with what seems like a very modern woman who strives to be independent living in a very stiff and rigid society. This makesBelle a pretty enjoyable watch.

For all those costume drama fans out there, the locations and wardrobe are just beautiful. It certainly won’t change your life but for the most part, it’s a good watch.