SECOND SCREEN
The Snowman (15A) HH is the third wintry thriller of the autumn and occupies that uncomfortable ground between ‘commercial’ and plain ‘not very good’. I mean, who ever heard of a serial killer who has time to build a snowman every time he kills?
Michael Fassbender plays Harry Hole, the hard-drinking, emotionally dysfunctional detective that no aspiring Scandi-noir can be without. But with Norwegian women being murdered in horrible ways and a new pretty sidekick (Rebecca Ferguson) to pair up with, his shambolic life has purpose again. Alas, you can’t say the same for ours.
The complex plot is nasty and uninvolving and director Tomas Alfredson gets a terrible rush of sexist blood about two-thirds of the way through. Still, Nesbø and Stieg Larsson fans may find something to enjoy.
Staying in Scandinavia, The Ritual (16) HHH is a thriller about four male thirtysomethings who travel to Sweden, partly for a spot of hiking and partly to mark the recent violent death of their friend Robert. But have they forgiven Luke for failing to intervene in his death? That’s soon the least of their problems as an injury and a short-cut through a dark forest leads them to an ominous wooden cabin. The Ritual is well acted, well executed and, for a good while, properly scary, despite the very obvious parallels with The Blair Witch Project. At just 71 minutes long, it’s difficult to know whether Sally Potter’s The Party (15A) HHH is a short feature or a long short. A notably limp final pay-off inclined me towards long short but didn’t entirely dispel the memory of some fine ensemble acting as Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) gathers her friends to celebrate her political promotion, only to find herself thoroughly upstaged by surprise announcements from all quarters. Patricia Clarkson sparkles as Janet’s splendidly withering best friend.
What with those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and King Fu Panda, you wouldn’t think there’d be room for another children’s ninja spoof, and the thoroughly underwhelming The
Lego Ninjago Movie (G) HH suggests you’d be right. Time to put the Lego back in its box, methinks.