Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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FEBRUARY 17-23, 2016 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Not to brag, but I'd wager dollars to donuts that I've seen more horror films than 95 percent of the population. Experience tells me that when a horror movie like The Boy (97 minutes) is released in January, it probably isn't that great. However, if you keep your expectations low (like I did) and you are extremely sleep deprived (like I am), you can enjoy it in spite of yourself. Instead of a film about a British nanny working for Americans, this film features an American nanny named Greta working for Brits. So original! She arrives at the isolated mansion of the Heelshire family, (Jim Norton and Diana Hardcastle) where she meets the "boy" she is to nanny — Brahms, a large doll. His "parents" provide her with a long list of rules, and some slightly-to-extremely creepy advice on how to interact with their "son." Greta is left alone in the old spooky mansion. There is no wifi and cell phones don't work, which is perfect, because she is hiding out from her abusive ex-boyfriend and definitely does not need a convenient method of calling the local police if he should suddenly show up. There is a landline that she uses to call her sister in America and request more magazines, which is why she just had to give her sister the address where she is staying. Guess what happens next? Basically, Greta's need to read Vogue and Cosmopolitan leaves a trail for her abuser to follow. Why she didn't simply get on Amazon.com and have a bunch of subscriptions sent to her new address before she arrived is beyond me. The moment the Heelshires leave, the creepiness begins. Greta hears noises and wanders around in a magical towel that never comes unwrapped, even after climbing rickety attic stairs, vigorously pounding a wooden pole into window slats and falling to the floor. Other than the landline, her only contact with the outside world is a grocery boy named Malcolm (Rupert Evans). Movie rules dictate that she immediately fall for him, since he is the only eligible male for 50 miles. And, of course, the best medicine for a woman trying to recover from an emotionally and physically abusive boyfriend is immediately getting another boyfriend! Who (or what?) keeps calling the house, taking her clothes and moving the doll around? Certainly, it could be ghost, or Malcom, or the ex-boyfriend — the set-up is nice and the twist really surprised me. What often happens when I watch a horror film is a free association, which results in a list of five to ten films that whatever I am watching reminds me of. Generally speaking, if I can't think of any similar films, I know I've found a keeper (The Possession [1981]; Beyond the Black Rainbow). While The Boy did remind me of several little- known horror films (The House by the Cemetery among them), there was something unexpected about this one. For the hardcore horror aficionado, this is worth a look. Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX I Did Not See That Coming The Boy (Rated PG-13) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. WELCOMES Kiran R. Nakkala, MD, MPH (Advance Endoscopist including EUS/ERCP) Dr. Nakkala is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and is an active member of American Gastroenterology Association, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, and American College of Gastroenterology. His interests in Gastroenterology include Endoscopic Ultrasound examination, ERCP, Pancreaticobiliary diseases, GI bleeding, upper endoscopy, colonoscopy and Luminal Stenting for benign and cancerous obstruction of the digestive system. Christian Y. Chung, MD, FACG Rakesh Gupta, MD, FACG J. Wes Jones, MD, FACP, AGAF Sanjeev Slehria, MD Bryan D. Uslick, MD Dr. Nakkala is now accepting appointments. To schedule, please call (910) 323 2477 ~ Option 2 1880 Quiet Cove Fayetteville NC 28304 www.cfcdd.com Invest In Advertising Opportunities We can show you how to market your business! 910.484.6200 www.upandcomingweekly.com