The Nightingale (2018)

 

Set in 1825 a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past. 

Intense period revenge drama doesn't spare the audience the horror of its rape and murder scenes, but rather grips us with unrelenting realism, its direct take on female suppression and racism and its dark, brooding atmosphere, enhanced by excellent cinematography of the Australian wilderness and strong performances throughout.

Enola Holmes (2020)

 

 

When Enola Holmes-Sherlock's teen sister-discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord. 

 

Lively and entertaining Sherlock Holmes spin-off introducing the detective's sister as heroine is well produced with great period detail and presents an captivating performance by Millie Bobby Brown.

 

 

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.

A fairy tale is turned into a  dark and violent fantasy film in a style more like The Lord of the Rings than a children's movie; one also wonders what was wrong with the classic tale to be expanded into such a heavy Hollywood production.

Maltin*1/2: "Poisonous retelling of the famous fairy tale...Grim in every sense of the word. Theron's performance has no nuance or shading (just shouting) and Stewart has little presence. Novelty of familiar, full-sized British actors as the seven dwarfs offers too little too late in this long, violent, ponderous production."