David R. Walker

Posts Tagged ‘Solly Macleod’

Practical Magic 2

Director: Susanne Bier

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Maisie Williams, Joey King, Xolo Mariduena, Lee Pace, Solly Macleod

Running time: 2 hours and 10 minutes

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

Danish director Susanne Bier (Things We Lost in the Fire, In a Better World) takes on the long awaited sequel of the 1998 film Practical Magic reuniting the talented cast in Practical Magic 2 twenty eight years later.

Practical Magic 2 focuses again on the sisters of sorcery, Sally and Gillian Owens played respectively by Oscar winners Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) and Nicole Kidman (The Hours). This time Sally Owens has two daughter with whom she has not confided the curse past down to them of the female family legacy. Any man that falls in love with the Owens women will die soon after declaring his undying love for any of the lovely ladies.

The daughters Antonia and Kylie wonderfully played respectively by Game of Thrones break out star Maisie Williams and Joey King (Bullet Train).

When the mysterious aunt Jet played by double Oscar winner Dianne Weist (Hannah and her Sisters, Bullets over Broadway) steals the book of ravens from Sally’s library, doom approaches the quaint Owen’s household set on the coast of a peachy Massachusetts Bay.

Firstly Kylie’s naïve boyfriend Gideon played by Blue Beetle star Xolo Mariduena is involved in an almost fatal accident while attempting an early morning romantic gesture.

Secondly Kylie leaves Boston for London in an attempt to find a way of breaking the centuries old curse that have befallen the Owen’s women dating back to an English ancestor who was burned at the stake for being a witch after finding out that she was the illegitimate child of a English Lord.

It’s difficult to gauge whether a sequel made so long after the original film will be successful and Practical Magic 2 does to a certain extent succeed but does battle to sustain a fascinating narrative despite using all the cinematic symbols associated with a remake of The Crucible.

Sure the sisters fly to London and meet the mysteriously muscled and tattooed Ian Wright wonderfully played by Lee Pace (The Running Man) in a bid to save Kylie from a malicious groundskeeper Tom Lockland played by Solly Macleod (Brothers under Fire).

Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman both look absolutely gorgeous as the Owen sisters and perfectly capture that sisterly affection, quirkiness and intimacy that female siblings possess.  

Joey King is wonderful as the young Kylie desperate to change a generations old curse as she tries to save her boyfriend.

Aesthetically, Practical Magic 2 is on point with costumes designed by Oscar winner Alexandra Byrne (Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and production design by Tom Burton. In terms of witches’ folklore, Practical Magic 2 does create a visual distinction between the New World – Boston, Massachusetts and the old world – The English countryside with its abandoned castles and gothic estates.

Despite a limited back story, Practical Magic 2 will find an audience and is enjoyable especially to see such formidable actresses back together on screen again especially the legendary Grease actress Stockard Channing as Frannie.

Sisters do it for themselves in Practical Magic 2 and this sequel gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and is a tantalizing tale of witchcraft, woe and wonder.

Recommended viewing for those that enjoyed the original film.

^{Brothers Under Fire}

Director: Justin Chadwick

Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Ashton Sanders, Solly Macleod, Tommy Martinez, Omar Chapparro, Laura Osma, Orlando Pineda, Fredy Yate, James Keach

Running Time: 1 hour 39 minutes

Film Rating: 7 out of 10

British director Justin Chadwick who brought cinema goers such films as Tulip Fever, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, The First Grader and The Other Boleyn Girl returns to the big screen with the Highland Film Group’s action film Brothers Under Fire starring Kiefer Sutherland (Phone Booth, Melancholia) as battle weary American army captain Jordan Wright.

Wright joins his army squadron on a special trip to a wedding in Mexico whereby Roberto played by Tommy Martinez is to marry Isabella played by Laura Osma. The squadron includes Danny, Lieutenant Carlson played by Ashton Sanders (Moonlight, I Wanna Dance with Somebody) and Orlando Pineda as Miguel.

The night of the wedding during the festivities one of the soldiers Danny played by Sonny Macleod has an altercation with a petulant cartel drug deputy whose brother is the vicious cartel leader who feels nothing at executing a whole village full of people including women and children.

Justin Chadwick captions Brothers Under Fire by showing an opening sequence in Syria whereby the squadron are bonding after a heated battle and they take a photo of the 5 of them before Roberto invites them to his Mexican wedding.

The wedding becomes a bloody affair as the cartel boss’s brother is killed and then the American squadron are under fire when the cartel goes after them and the rest of Roberto and Isabella’s village. This ultimately leads to a good old fashioned showdown in a town square.

Most of Brothers Under Fire was shot in Colombia and unfortunately the director does not give the viewer a proper sense of location, so one is not sure if the action is set in Mexico or Colombia. Either way its set in a poverty stricken Latin America country whereby the drug cartels have taken over and are terrorising the local population.

Jordan Wright well played by Kiefer Sutherland encourages his men, the original squadron to protect these people from this vile drug cartel resulting in a riveting bullet riddled showdown.

If audiences like a straight forward action film with no frills then Brothers Under Fire is recommended viewing. There is a surprising plot twist but ultimately the final showdown comes with sacrifice and an effortless display of bravado. With all violence, it’s the women and children that are left to survive after the devastation.

Brothers Under Fire gets a film rating of 7 out of 10 and is a worthy action film featuring machismo, murder and mayhem. The final showdown is something to behold.

This is a standard action film, which stays true to the genre and will definitely find a loyal audience.