Film Reviews

Dark comedy true story about an alcoholic going nowhere who after a car accident ends up a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. Embittered he finds solace in drawing funny cartoons and coming off the booze.

Feel good element and as per usual, outstanding acting by Joaquin Phoenix in the lead with help from Jonah Hill in a supporting role.

In true Q Man style, a serious twitch from Rooney Mara, what a babe.

Cop takes an emergency services call from a woman who has been abducted.

David Duchovny is writing a book about serial killers in tandem with his photographer girlfriend. They post an ad looking for people to share expenses to fund a road trip to California researching and photographing the sites of infamous serial killings. Brad Pitt's uncouth hick and his childlike girlfriend [Juliette Lewis] respond to their ad. Little do they know that the paroled Pitt is not supposed to cross state lines and is on the run for murdering his trailer park landlord. The first third or so of this was very interesting. The cinematography and vibe is reminiscent of movies like Cape Fear, Seven and Natural Born Killers and the premise is setup very well as the characters get to know each other. However, once the bubble bursts and the tension dissipates the story starts falling apart and it became a slog waiting for it to end. Twas on course for a 7 or 8 but I'll have to give this wan a 4 or 5. Not a big fan of Brad Pitt but his charisma overcomes his other shortcomings in roles like this. His shtick was wearing thin on me after an hour but it was a chilling performance to be fair. Juliette Lewis is very convincing in roles like this. Not sure if that's a compliment. Duchovny is Duchovny. Bland but likeable.

Bob Hoskins plays a crime boss whose operations are targeted by a vengeful IRA. Thought this wan was a bit dated and mediocre.

FBI agents investigate the disappearance of civil rights workers in backwoods Mississippi. They are obstructed by a code of silence from the hostile townfolk, local police and KKK. Based on a true story, Alan Parker directs and Gene Hackman, Brad Dourif and Michael Rooker are the pick of an excellent cast. Much more impactful than the overrated Three Billboard Over Ebbing, Missouri. Watch this wan now on Amazon Prime.

Been meaning to read Deal with the Devil for a while now. 

Vengeful father played by Lance Henriksen goes to a witch to summon a monster in order to get vengeance against the teens who killed his son in a reckless driving accident. Similar to Pet Sematary. Special effects are really good [it was directed by special effects wizard Stan Winston] and Lance Henriksen is always good. Not much else to recommend it. The acting is subpar, the editing is all over the place at times, and the kills are disappointing. If you're a fan of the genre it's worth a watch but don't go near this if you're not a horror movie completist. If it was in the hands of a more experienced director with a defter touch, this could've been something a lot better as there is the foundation of a good premise here and it's set up reasonably well over the first thirty minutes, but it's ultimately a disappointment. They should've done more with the witch, who was memorable in a couple of scenes.

I'm running out of movies because Prime and Netflix have nathin', so I'm probably going to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 next. Half watched it years ago and it looked like an interesting enough subversion of the genre considering it was released in the eighties. Wonder how it holds up now.