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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Orphan (2009) in Movies

Aug 9, 2019

Orphan (2009)

2009 | Drama, Horror, Mystery

7.3

(15 Ratings)

Movie Rating

For the Coleman family the idea of adopting a beautiful little Russian orphan girl is no easy task, having overcome a number of heart breaking obstacles from alcoholism to the loss of a child. But Ester (Isabelle Fuhrman) seems to be a perfect fit for the family; she is independent, clever, and interested in the arts. When a series of dangerous yet untraceable events begin to occur whenever Ester is around, the Coleman’s wonder if their bad luck is over.

When I entered the theater I expected a creepy female version of Damien adorned in a lacey Victorian dress. But “Orphan” was surprising and interesting in ways than I ever could have expected. More like the 2002 film “He Loves Me… He Loves Me Not” than part of the “Omen” series, “Orphan” packs a punch… and a stab and a gunshot or two.

The full-bodied story starts straight from the films shocking beginning. Yes at times the plot does take some significant suspended belief, a recently recovering alcoholic adopting a child, for instance.

But “Orphan” is an emotional roller coaster splicing unexpected comedic moments with stabbing suspense.
The mix of hauntingly familiar music and color filled imagery make this not just another suspense film but a more artistic take on the genre. Film themes range from love, trust, and childhood, to the ongoing questions of good and evil.

Additionally reoccurring use of color, sex, and connection to family are well woven into the film. Not to mention the use of classic horror elements such as the creepy tree house used in conjunction with newer style choices such as some subtitling and scare turned laughter moments.

A thrilling and full-bodied story “Orphan” is a chilling tale with an interesting while not entirely believable plotline. People will talk about this one.

The DVD release offers sharp sound and picture quality and numerous bonus features including an alternate ending to the film.

Kudos

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Find My Brother (John McBride #3) in Books

Nov 13, 2019

This is the third novel Chilcott has written featuring SAS soldier turned watercolour artist John McBride. In this he sees a woman looking distressed in a pub when he is out painting. She tells him that her brother, an investigative journalist, has gone missing after infiltrating the local anti-fracking protesters. Fancying a bit of adventure, McBride agrees to find her brother. He does this by taking the same route - join the protesters and as too many questions. He discovers that the protesters are being secretly financed by Russia, and that anyone suspicious is quietly made to disappear and shipped across the Baltic never to be seen again. McBride needs to find the journalist, escape from captivity and then make it all the way back to England with Russians trying to stop them.

This novel is a throwback to the cold war thrillers of the sixties and seventies, the spy hero having to work against the odds and use his cunning, wits and physical endurance to survive. With McBride being ex-SAS it is not a great leap of the imagination to see how he manages to survive in hostile territory with Russian solders and undercover agents trying to stop him at every turn. There are some nailbiting scenes and not all goes to plan for the two escapees.

This definitely had the 'just one more page' factor for me and I just wanted to get to the end to see what happened. The story moves at a good pace - Chilcott writes like an author on a mission with spare and clean writing that still conveys everything it needs to. The plot is fairly realistic without too much that is coincidental or far fetched and everything proceeded in a logical manner.

I wasn't a huge fan of the previous book, Cruise the Storm but could see that Chilcott was able to write a good story. This book has proved it and I will look forward to reading more.