MIKE WARD’S SMALL SCREEN
TOMB RAIDER (12) (Download now, DVD and Blu-ray from Monday)
ALICIA Vikander’s Lara Croft is a woman whose life lacks direction. But not for very much longer.
Here’s the tale of how a legend came to be, as a video message left by her dad (Dominic West), a businessman and adventurer who vanished seven years ago, sets her a challenge.
Some very bad people, his message says, plan to start a global genocide. “You must stop them, Lara,” he declares. “Promise me.”
To which she replies: “I promise,” almost as matter-of-factly – as if he’d asked her to pop into Asda for some of their doughnuts.
Lara then goes on to risk everything – even though we’ve a sneaking suspicion she’ll be fine by the end – as she sets off to fulfil her mission, that is to save the world. IN DARKNESS (15) (Download and DVD) NATALIE Dormer stars in this slightly silly story as a blind pianist who gets caught up in all kinds of sinister goings-on following the death of the woman in the apartment above.
Turns out the dead lady’s daddy is a Serbian businessman linked to all kinds of unspeakable atrocities. CROWHURST (12) (Download and DVD from Monday)
A WEE bit strangely, this is the second film about ill-fated 60s yachtsman Donald Crowhurst to be released this year.
But while the first, The Mercy, which starred Colin Firth, told this tormented chap’s tragic tale fairly straightforwardly, this one seriously cranks up the bonkersness.
Justin Salinger steps into the title role, as the crazily optimistic engineer who, though hopelessly ill-prepared, sets off to circumnavigate the world, insisting he can win the lifechangingly big cash prize. Director Simon Rumley does a fine job of documenting Donald’s descent into madness. MOM AND DAD (15) (Download now, DVD and Blu-ray from Monday)
WE seem to have some kind of theme going this week. Because here we have another truly mad film, in this case a shamelessly twisted cult horror-comedy in which the stressed-out parents of a suburban neighbourhood suddenly turn mental and attempt to murder their own offspring. Nicolas Cage (who teams up with the gorgeous Selma Blair) plays it crazy as only he can.