Boristhemoggy

Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) is a little girl with big curiosity, a sharp mind and a vivid imagination - and the worst parents in the world. While her parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) content themselves with trashy TV and dodgy money-making schemes, she loves to lose herself in the pages of her beloved books. Where they are loud, selfish and unkind she is a quiet observer, thinking up small and cheeky acts of rebellion and revenge.

It only takes 20 minutes to realise Weir is a great actress and probably has a great future ahead of her. Graham and Riseborough are at the top of their game and Riseborough has few equals. However I did not enjoy it as it missed it's main point: It's supposed to be a musical. Musicals these days don't seem to be musical. There's no catchy tunes, no catchy phrases, no musical hook that makes you want to sing out loud. I think the film would have been fantastic, and far better if it was just a film, and not billed as a musical.

I rate the film a 4 and that's solely for the acting. The 'musical' element gets a zero.

One star is all this film deserves. Kampusch has clearly stated since her release that she was not raped. So to see a rape scene, with the actor playing Kampusch supposedly experiencing climax during the rape, and her supposed guilt afterwards, is not helpful to Kampusch, and is not helpful to anyone watching as it gives a distorted view of rape. The film is breaking a taboo by it's subject matter and it's good to show people the awful effects of kidnap and captivity, but there can be no justification for adding in a scene where she apparently gets sexual satisfaction from the rape. Even if it was true, it's not the kind of detail that is useful in a film made for entertainment.

The acting was at best wooden, and the voices were absolutely awful as if they had been redubbed. There was no drama in them, no tension, no feeling. They may as well have been talking about the news. However all technical aspects that made this film poor, pale when they sexualise the girl right from the start showing her underwear, and full frontals of what is supposed to be a kidnapped 12 year old... that is unnecessary and does not depict the horror of Kampusch's experience. This is a truly awful film for a dramatic true life story.

Emma (Jocelyn Hudon) and Scarlett (Grace van Dien are two 'good' vampire sisters. On finding that their third sister Kate (Pauline Dyer) who was long thought to be dead, is in fact alive, they work hard to try and find her and reunite with her.

In the way are many 'bad' vampires who killed their parents, and are not going to give up easily.

OK the cold hard truth...this film is well worth watching just for the golden double of cuteness which is Grace van Dien and Jocelyn Hudon. They've both done better films in the past, but maybe not looked so good in them.

The story itself? It's passable, but it's delivered with a mighty dose of kitch and cuteness. It's not unwatchable at all, it's like a Nicolas Cage film that you don't want to like but you can't help thinking it was 'OK'.

I give it a solid 4 for some easy, afternoon entertainment, or something to watch with the guys.