Reviews by moviebuff15

Within a span of a couple of years, two indie films with very similar premises hit festivals, their names being "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "Beautiful Boy." I have just seen the latter, a tremendously acted film that deals with the aftermath rather than the build-up of a school shooting, and concentrates on the grieving parents of the shooter.

The tagline of this movie, "Everything seemed perfect... Everything would change" is grossly inaccurate, as the group in question is not a happy family. Katie and Bill (Maria Bello and Michael Sheen) are trapped in a failing marriage to the point of sleeping in separate beds, while college student Sam (Kyle Gallner) is suicidally depressed and can barely contain his tears as he talks to his parents by phone, as it turns out, for the last time.

"Beautiful Boy"'s shooter does not seem to be a psychopath, as "We Need to Talk About Kevin"'s promos show their angry young man to be. Rather, he seems to be a deeply unhappy person who irrationally, not only wants to die, but wants to take some people with him.

Frankly, I don't agree with the film's statement that 'it's nobody's fault.' Except in some rare cases, people are to some degree responsible for their own actions. If you say it is in no way the shooter's fault, you're taking away his role as perpetrator. Should we say the same for rapists? Pedophiles? If you don't consider the kid a monster, fine (nor do I,) but give me something here. Paired with the son's seemingly average home life, this makes the film's act of violence rather puzzling.

What really stands out is the acting- Maria Bello, primarily, but also Michael Sheen, Kyle Gallner, and Alan Tudyk (from the great series "Firefly") as the concerned brother. The peculiarly named Moon Bloodgood and Meat Loaf are decent too, though not notably so.

Some of "Beautiful Boy" reminded me of Todd Fields' "In The Bedroom,"- the guilt, the blame-placing, and the grief, without the relentless grimness of Fields' film. One plus is the minimal use of music to make a point, which is always applied with buzz kill in mainstream American films.

"Beautiful Boy" is an emotional film (try to watch the scene where the parents receive the news without your lip a-quivering,) and excellently acted, but a certain something from being an 'unforgettable film.' It may be the sentimentality or naivete placed deep within the script, or the fact that, although there are many characters to care about, there are none who blow you away. I'm interested to see what "We Need to Talk About Kevin" does with the subject matter, and whether it surpasses this in content or style.

The late director of "The Dresser," it seems, has a great love of theater. He also appears to have an interest in Borderline Personalities. The movie has the amplified acting and general feel of a stage play, and provides us with one of the most annoying characters in some time- the peculiarly named Sir, played by the great British performer Albert Finney.

Sir is dramatic, narcissistic, and generally a pain in the whoseits whatits. "Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do!" He bellows at a moment when he feels especially wronged. Appropriately, he's also an actor.

Behind every jackass there's a victim of their jackasserie, and though Sir's antics cause much unrest, the main victim in question is Norman, played by Tom Courtenay, who works for him, cares for him, and may also be in love with him.

As Sir's 'dresser' and make-up artist, Norman (whose name puts me in mind of the classic Norman Bates- "A boy's best friend is his mother," I announced while watching, but my mom didn't get it) puts up with Sir's Borderline schtick daily.

Together, Sir and Norman are part of a theatrical group performing Shakespeare in war torn London, England during World War II. Sir has little or no sympathy for the victims of the war, preferring instead to dwell over his own ego and suffering.

Sir's rants are irritating yet strangely amusing, while Norman is sympathetic, but slightly WEIRD at times. Norman, who is so effeminate he could have come out of Roger De Bries' crew in "The Producers" (not a criticism, just an observation) is not short on funny quips, and this and Sir's frenetic acting out give the film a kind of black comedy quality.

It is, however, a serious film st heart, as Norman becomes increasingly lonely and put out at Sir's rambling,. The acting seems at times to be a little in your face, though ultimately one can't complain. Norman's homosexual interests are implied rather than shown, so fans of hot gay sex scenes can look elsewhere.

Ultimately, the viewer feels for Norman, and if they are a better person than me, for Sir, who becomes convinced of his own impending demise. It is mostly well-acted, often funny, and intriguing for people interested in the historical aspects of homosexuality.

No one does slice-of-life drama and acerbic humor like the Brits, and the curiously named "Treacle Jr." showcases this, as well as some damned good acting from the cast, particularly Aidan Gillen ("Queer As Folk," "Game Of Thrones,") as Aidan (it seems kind of cheap when the screenwriters can't come up with their own names, anyone agree?"

Treacle Jr., as it so happens, is a kitten, Aidan is a childlike man in an unhealthy relationship, and Tom (Tom Fisher) steps quite by accident into the situation, in the process of getting out of another.

Unable to bear for another minute the responsibilities of parenthood and Family life, Tom (Fisher) walks out on his wife and baby and, after running out of cash, seeks new means of livelihood on the streets of London.

Inexplicably, he is attacked and injured by a gang of thugs, and while at the police station, he meets Aidan, who is comparing the woman at the front desk's hair to an Irish Setter's in an attempt at flirtation.

Aidan's the kind of guy most people stay away from. He's earnest, hyper, and completely free of any social graces. Aidan's naive and enthusiastic to a fault, but Tom soon discovers he has problems too- namely Linda (Riann Steele,) his 'girlfriend,' a volatile bag of nuts who beats on Aidan, dubs him a 'retard,' and in one painful scene, tries to rape him. She's a barrel of laughs.

People who find this situation unlikely need only think again. What does society think of men who hit women? If Aidan were to so much as take a swing at Linda in self-defense, she'd need only pull a pouty face to the police and Aidan would be sent up to the big house. Maybe it's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's something to think about.

The story chronicles the meeting and eventual friendship between the two men, despite Tom's initial urgent attempts to get away from Aidan, who has the boundless enthusiasm of a horny beagle. Now Aidan, he's an interesting character. Devoid of the marketability of endearing innocents like Forrest Gump, he is good-hearted but entirely oblivious to his effect on people. He was not written to be liked. I liked him.

If this was to be remade in America, there would be some adjustments mad. Linda's race would be changed (she is African-American,) because a cruel black person is against the politically correct agenda we are spoonfed nowadays. The gender roles would be switched, and the movie would become a feminist power flick. But it will not be remade becuase it was not highly successful, and a good thing, too. "Treacle Jr." intrigues and challenges, doing what British films do the best.

Deny it all you want, but films about psychopaths and serial killers can be quite, well, interesting. Take Graham Young for example. Played by Hugh O'Conor as a downtrodden, spiteful nerd genius, Young was the product of a dysfunctional family and a chemistry whiz, if only, as my mother says, he had used his talents for good instead of evil.

"The Young Poisoner's Handbook," the 1995 debut full-length feature by British director Benjamin Ross, follows the 'Teacup Killer' Young from the age of fourteen into his early adulthood. And what a fascinating character he is.

All but incapable of identifying with the suffering of others, Young was both a racist and a psychopath. Later in his life, he laments that things turned out 'all wrong' for him. As a boy, he poisons his none-too-bright schoolmate Mick (Jack Deam's) ham sandwich and makes him violently ill and takes over Mick's date.

There are many good ironic and blackly comic moments in this otherwise dark and morbidly intriguing crime drama. The writer never tries too hard, which is the key. Hugh O'Conor was in a another, inferior film with dark comedy elements, "Botched," which applied an over-the-top villain and manic pacing in order to achieve laughs.

Take the date between Young and Sue (Samantha Edmonds,) a girl who works in the London library, for instance. The scene where they pick up his fallen books is set up like a conventional romance, with them awkwardly meeting each other's eyes and Sue initiating a date.

Then it knocks any 'romantic' vibe on it's head, as Graham becomes increasingly inappropriate and morbid, soon bringing the date to an abrupt end. This isn't just teenage awkwardness. Something is just not going to the top floor.

Hugh O'Conor is quite good, although he doesn't reach the brilliance as a sociopath as Noah Taylor in Simon Rumley's "Red, White,& Blue" He is manipulative, wide-eyed, and sometimes strangely likable, and I can think of only one scene where his performance halted.

I like the film's decision to meld disturbing and funny, like Tarantino, but without the constant f-bomb and gunplay. Dated and oddly festivial music is used, in order to provide irony and capture the flavor of 20th-century London (the film starts out in the 1960's.)

There are obvious picks about psychotics and anti-social behavior ("The Silence of the Lambs," "Taxi Driver," and "The Shining" to name a few.) And that's all well and good, but then there are movies like these, ripe for rediscovery. For the viewing of films isn't all about watching what your friends have watched, but rather, paving the way for new choices.

Old people are the joke of Hollywood. How often does one see sensitive, well rounded portrayals of elders? There was Simon Rumley's abstract indie "The Living and the Dead," with the beleaguered Roger Lloyd-Pack attempting to care for his sick wife and deranged son. There was "The Savages," "Before the Devil knows You're Dead." Or you could go back further, to Ingmar Bergman's 1957 art film "Wild Strawberries."

Doctor Isak Borg (Victor Sjöström) has been called many things. Cold. Hard-hearted. Cruel. In the midst of a late-life crisis, he questions all he is and has been, and faces mortality through a series of dreams.

Despite this, life goes on quite as usual, save for one thing- usually isolated from mankind, Borg will take a road trip to receive his honorary degree as a doctor. Along the way he will meet many people, and those damned dreams will persist, taunting him, teasing him, egging him on.

Isak Borg is more than a character. He's three-dimensional. Intellectually acute but socially dysfunctional, he is spoken of disparagingly by his daughter-in-law, Marianne (Ingrid Thulin.) His son (Gunnar Björnstrand) is lonely and bitter, as is his mother (Naima Wifstrand) before him.

His dreams take him back to the disintegration of his marriage with Sara (Bibi Andersson,) his mortality, the mistakes he has made. He walks among scenes of the past, scenes he couldn't have been present for, reminiscent of Cronenberg's "Spider." The dreams are interestingly abstract, and much more dreamlike than the mega-budget trips of "Inception."

A nearly flawless experience, I found myself questioning one thing a one thing only, the growth in the relationship between Borg and Marianne, which seems implausible considering that most of Borg's growth was internal.

Victor Sjöström gives a performance most unusual for his generation- subtle, not overblown and inflated. He was a director as well as an actor, a contributor to the Swedish silent film industry, and obviously a talent worth watching.

People, I have found, hate doing what they are told will be good for them, and movies are no exception. You will no doubt be instructed to watch Bergman, and I am here to tell you this Bergman is worthwhile, maybe even important. And you won't need to go to film school to be told that.

In using this title, I do not refer to the 2009 Michael Cera-Miguel Arteta comedy, but to this little-known Danish film from the 70's. "You Are Not Alone" is as plausible as that film was far-flung, and it stars little known actors, many of whom were never cast in a major role again, as it's characters.

Set at a dull boarding school in the in-it's-time modern Denmark, it features a cast of teens and tweens who come up with alternative ways to entertain themselves, not all of them wholesome.

Among the conflict between rebellious students and the authoritarian, my-way-or-beat-it headmaster(Ove Sprogøe,) a relationship blossoms between the headmaster son, Kim (Peter Bjerg,) and Kim (Anders Agensø,) and older, more experienced student. Bo, that transcends the boundaries of an ordinary boyhood bond.

Kim goes to a school separate from the one his father runs and his encouraged by his parents to spend more time with his classmates, but he is drawn into a power struggle between kids and teachers when a rebellious student posts T&A pictures of, uh, ungarbed women in the dorm bathroom.

The headmaster, furious, expels the youth right before vacation and prepares to send him back to a broken home., which enrages many of the members of the school (students and teachers alike,) who feel the establishment is the boy's last chance at graduation.

The film features a lot of locker room teenage nudity, which seems to make a point rather than try to arouse and exploit, and caused controversy in it's time. Boys are shown more often shirtless than naked, save a shower scene between Bo and Kim, which is mostly innocent and minimally gross and off-putting.

The boys' performances are for the most part decent and natural; just don't expect Oscar-Worthy child acting. My favorite character is Kim, who conveys the gap between childhood and adulthood, and finds it hard to keep his new secret.

I found the music from Danish pop-star Sebastian a little repetitive, but nevertheless good. I never heard of Sebastian prior to watching the move, but his songs are nevertheless dreamy and pleasant. The movie implies that children need direction, not dictation, which is an idea that stirs controversy in me.

On one hand, who wants 'herr headmaster' in charge. On the other, considering the way some of the students act, it's no wonder the kids aren't running the house.

As the days pass, people begin to worry about Ezra Cobb(Roberts Blossom,) who lives all alone in that big Wisconsin farmhouse. After his overbearing mother (Cosette Lee) dies, Ezra doesn't know quite what to do with himself, and a local family takes them under their wing.

"Deranged," a 1974 shocker starring character actor Roberts Blossom as the immeasurably crazy mama's boy Ezra Cobb, recreates the story of Ed Gein, the 'Butcher of Plainfield.' Norman Bates in "Psycho" was based on Gein, as was Jame 'Buffalo Bill' in Thomas Harris' novel and Jonathan Demme's adaptation "The Silence of the Lambs."

As you may know, Ed Gein was a Wisconsiner whose mother was a a religious fanatic who provided him with an unstable living environment, to say the least. He had a preference for wearing human skin, and 'unclean' women were the target of his rage. Between the years of 1954 and 1957, he murdered two women, possibly his brother, and dug up various others from the local graveyard. Ezra Cobb does much more than this.


First off, and I must say this right now, I HATED the guy who narrated the film, and would frequently appear on screen, fracturing Ezra's isolation, to keep us up to date in a flat, unconfiding voice. He had a parasitic effect on the film, and I hated him. Hated him.

On the other hand, Roberts Blossom (yes, as in plural) is quite good, although I'm not at all sure what he was doing with the frequent jutting out of his lower lip, like a petulant child.He is campy (in a good way,) scary, and completely maniacal as a Freudian madman.

The film doesn't go overboard in guts and killings, and I like how the women Cobb kills are given distinct personalities, and not just created for slaughter, like so many horror victims.

And it's funny. I feel kind of sick for saying this, but the black comedy runs deep, and I found myself laughing frequently, as well as being caught up in the what-ifs. I was surprised several times, and although some of the effects seemed a little, well... fake, it was quite gruesome as well.

If you have a pitch-black sense of humor and don't mind a little camp, this may be your third Gein-related pick (I bank you having seen "Psycho" and "The Silence of the Lambs" already.) It's grisly, funny, and scary, and has a nice, subtle plot twist concerning the wrongdoings of 'normal' people.

Emily Watson is tremendous. At the concluding half of "Hilary and Jackie," in which she stars as the titular Jacqueline Du Pre alongside Rachel Griffiths, there's a shift between who she seems to be and who she may in fact be instead.

Intially appearing spoiled, controlling and spiteful, you begin to see her social awkwardness and vulnerability. Who is the famous cellist Jacqueline Du Pre? Will we ever know?

The memoir on which it was based was written by her sister Hilary De Pre and her brother Piers. But can they really sum up and explain an enigmatic character like Jackie?

The film seems to be a meditation on lost things- love, talent, relationships past. Hilary and Jacqueline grow up close, their bonds seemingly irrevocable.

Hilary, the eldest, is a talented flutist, and "Jacks," as she is called, playes the cello. Heckled by their mother at an early age to be 'as good as each other,' the two nevertheless share a bond, which to some extent even contains a twin-like bond to tell what the other is thinking.

But as time passes, Jacqueline begins to act rather odd. When Hilary hooks up with Kiffer (David Morrissey,) Jacqueline laments that her sister is 'leaving her' and quickly picks up a man of her own- Danny (James Frain,) who is Jewish, much to the chagrin of Jacqueline's Anti-Semitic parents.

At first Jacqueline's behavior is simply annoying and casually cruel, but soon she becomes increasingly strange and self-destructive. As she grows sicker and sicker, it becomes clear that their sisterly bonds will be tested harshly.

Rachel Griffiths impresses as the more reasonable, less world-acclaimed sibling, but EMily Watson owns the role as her flighty, needy sister. She is one of the most underrated women in Hollywood. Watch her.

The first time I watched this film, I felt the setback was the 'curse of the mainstream drama,' and at times overbearing musical score coupled with an overuse of flashbacks.

Now I do a double-take on my allegation about the music. It is classical music, after all, and classical music tends to be a bit... rigorous. And if one insists on leaving classical out of a movie about classical music shouldn't bother.

However, I stand by what I said initailly about the series of flashbacks, which are disruptive, overblown, and feel like paranoid hallucinations. I did, however, like the pseudo-religious add-on at the end. As much as I hate pseudo-religious add-ons, this one surprised me.

As a whole, "Hilary and Jackie" is is quite extraordinary, like its protaganists- it seems as though it might be boring, but it is not; it seems as though it might be one-sided, yet it is not, and it shows Emily Watson at the peak of her talents.

With both the bittersweet ending of the film and the controversy surrounding it and it's literary counterpart, we are forced to confront the question- did anyone really know Jacqueline Du Pre? And similarly- do we really know each other?

I was not impressed with "Love Child," any part of it, ever. It's a short you might want to like because it's 'cute,' but 'cute' is not necessarily a compliment. Cute is all this movie is. It's saccherine sweet, trite, and goes unresolved.

It starts with a little blonde Swedish girl (first-time actress Tindra Nordgren,) maybe five or six. She celebrates the simple joys of life by making blueberry pie with her parents (Magnus Krepper and Cecilie Nerfant.) Then they get a cat.

What experience she first highly anticipated quickly becomes sour, as her parents shower the cat with love and attention. The siuation is so over-the-top it doesn't earn our sympathy, as the parents coo over the cat barfing all over the carpet.

The cat, like most cats, remains aloof, unmoved by the displays of affection. After a few days of this, the girls takes desperate measures to get her family back (no, the beloved pet doesn't meet a gruesome end, as it would in a evil child thriller.)

Nordgren, as the girl, does a good job, but the movie is lame. The characters, especially the parents, are underdeveloped, even for a short film, and one might wonder why the parents would treat a cat who treats them so dismissively like the big 'it,' when there is a human girl, their daughter, right before their eyes.

Above all, it is too 'cute.' For a darker, much better Swedish film about childhood, watch Tomas Alfredson's full-length feature "Let the Right One In," if you can handle vampires and child-on-child violence. If you must, watch this short online, but don't expect a little gem.

"Long Pigs" is a film that shouldn't work. Shaky cam? Done? Serial killer thriller? Done? Faux snuff film? Done done. Regardless, through it's incisive writing and strong performance by Anthony Alviano, who plays the killer, it succeeds in being both consistently interesting and profoundly disturbing.

Two low-life filmmakers, John (John Terranova) and Chris (co-director Chris Powers) come upon a deal of a lifetime- they will make a documentary, using serial killer Anthony McAlister (Alviano,) who likes to eat his victims, as a subject.

Didn't your mother ever tell you to avoid scary people? Apparently not. Undeterred, the two accompany Anthony on a ride-along. His first victim is a prostitute named Lucy, who he makes into a stew. From step one, the fate of the filmmakers is as violent as it is inevitable.

Anthony justifies his eating habits to the extreme. He doesn't seem to be as much emotionless in that Michael Myers way as utterly and completely shallow in his response to wrongdoing. Something, as they say, just doesn't go to the top floor.

"Long Pigs" asks the question- can people who carry out monstrous acts change. Should they forgive themselves when no one else can? Although not reaching the same heights playing a sociopath as Noah Taylor in Simon Rumley's Texas thriller "Red, White & Blue," Anthony Alivano, who looks like a more rounded Jason Segel, is effective, dynamic, and chilling.

Paul Fowles also stands out as the grieving father of Ashley, McAlister's only child victim. His deadened smile as he greets the filmmakers and eventual breakdown ring true. The film also incorporates interviews with a callous radio show host (Roger King,) stressed cop (Shane Harbinson,) and uber-Liberal serial killer expert.

Through discussions of Ed Gein, fictional killer Norman Bates,and different archetypes of serial murderers, she pleads sympathy and integration into society for their kind. Her words show mercy, but she hasn't seen the things the cop has.

This technique does not become strained or distracting. That's the thing. Sporting the odd and the unusual, this surprisingly good first feature throws common cinematic techniques out the window. In doing this, it gets away with murder.