Double Feature

October 2017 - Here's a tip. If you ever find yourself in England, in a mansion, in the middle of nowhere – run. Run away. As fast as you can. Why? Look no further than these two movies.

Not only should Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead and The Vampire Diaries) have run away from the house featured in The Boy, she maybe should have run away from the movie altogether. This PG-13 film from 2016 also stars Rupert Evans and James Russell.

Cohan is Greta, an American who's agreed to go to England to be a nanny for a boy named Brahms. I gather the interview process was very informal because, when Greta arrives, she is surprised to find out that Brahms is really a doll. But, the gig is only for a few months and Brahms comes with instructions, so Greta decides to stay.

Soon enough, she's blowing off Brahms to flirt with the handsome delivery guy. That changes, however, when enough weird things happen that Greta decides maybe she should be following the instructions after all. So, Greta reads to Brahms, prepares food for him, plays music for him, and kisses him good night. And that's when things start to go really wrong.

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. The Boy starts with an interesting premise, but Greta is not interesting enough to make me care if she lives or dies. There's nothing special about her, and she falls into the horror movie stereotype of consciously doing things that she shouldn't be doing. And, despite its interesting start, the movie itself ultimately falls into this same trap.

An isolated home in England also provides the setting for The Others. Nicole Kidman and her light-sensitive children live there, but it seems someone is trying to invade their space. The supporting cast includes Fionnula Flanagan and Christopher Eccleston. Tom Cruise has an executive producer credit, and the PG-13 film hit theaters in August 2001, just as he and Kidman were finalizing their divorce.

As the movie opens, it's 1945. Grace Stewart (Kidman) lives in a big, remote house in Jersey. Because the servants have just up and gone, Grace and her two children are alone as they wait for their husband and father (Eccleston) to return from the war. Soon, three servants show up looking for work. Grace tells them that they'll have to find their way around in the dark. No problem, says Mrs. Mills (Flanagan). They've worked in the house before.

So, life carries on with Grace schooling her children by candlelight. Meanwhile, Mrs. Mills and Mr. Tuttle, the gardener, whisper between themselves that things can't go on like this and Grace is going to have to deal with the changes. And those changes appear to be coming soon once Grace's daughter starts "seeing" a boy and a creepy, old blind lady.

Overall review: Liked it. The pace seems a little bit on the slow side, maybe because the movie is pretty self-contained in terms of setting and characters. But, the story is interesting and Fionnula Flanagan is always a pleasure to watch.