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The Woman In Black (12)

Daniel Radcliffe’s march away from the shadow of Harry Potter continues in this impressive Hammer Horror release.

Here he takes on the role of young solicitor, Arthur Kipps who is instructed to travel to a remote village and finalise the estate of a recently deceased client.

Working alone in the isolated house, Kipps begins to uncover the dark mystery behind a mysterious woman dressed in black who appears to be terrorizing the villagers.

The film is polished and eerie, delivering scares-a-plenty of the “don’t look behind you” variety and rattles along at a decent pace, so as never to labour.

It might not offer the hack-n-slash thrills younger audiences have come to expect but this is nevertheless an entertaining film that is the best of the movie releases this week.

The Woman In Black is available now on Blu-Ray, DVD and download.

Carnage (15)

Parenting values come under the spotlight in this battle of two couples who come together to discuss a physical altercation between their respective children.

Jodie Foster and John C Reilly invite Kate Winslet and Cristoph Waltz to resolve the issue but before long matters descend into disagreement and rage.

A strong cast - aided by an amusing and intelligent script - deliver rounded performances, with the actors clearly relishing the opportunity to let their hair down a little.

Parents will recognize elements of themselves in the narrative and Carnage boasts a stomach-turning vomiting scene that would make Lynda Blair from the Exorcist proud.

Carnage is available now on Blu-Ray, DVD and download.

Cheryl – A Million Lights

The release of her third solo album see’s Cheryl Cole drop her surname and delve into Rhianna territory with rather unsuccessful results.

Not an artist blessed with the strongest voice – here she sounds desperately weak – she is further let down by substandard material that does not do justice to the writers involved. The likes of will.i.am, Calvin Harris and Taio Cruz do very little to give her any measure of credibility.

Stripped down to the bare bones what we are left with is little more than a pretty face trying desperately hard but ultimately failing to prove that the material can match the eye candy.

With so many gifted female artists emerging onto the music scene right now perhaps it’s time for Cheryl to embrace reality and accept that her musical failings mean she’s never going to be the A-List artist she craves to be.

A Million Lights is available now from Polydor on CD and download.

Gravity Rush

Released exclusively for Sony’s embattled Vita handheld, Gravity Rush sees players manipulate gravity in an effort to save an endangered planet from destruction.

You inhabit the role of Kat, a headstrong girl looking for a way to safeguard her future as the world about her crumbles away beneath her feet.

Success is built upon tilting and moving the Vita, in an effort to take gravity in your own hands and deliver powerful attacks, all the while trying to uncover the secrets of your past.

All of this is achieved with the minimum of fuss and the intuitive control mechanisms allow you to get into the game simply and effectively.  If only more games could be made this way.

The general standard of Vita releases to date has been pretty high and Gravity Rush is right up there with the best of them.

Gravity Rush is available to buy or download now.

George R Vaughan

Women Talking are offering a copy of The Woman In Black on Blu Ray for one lucky subscriber.

To enter simply answer the following question:

Name the author of the original Woman In Black novel?

Send your answers to competitions@womentalking.co.uk ensuring you place the words Woman In Black in the subject header and also including your unique username with the submission. This competition is only open to Women Talking subscribers and any entry with a valid username will not be accepted.

This competition has now closed.

Posted Sun, 06/17/2012 - 13:37 by George Vaughan