Category Archives: Frenetic

2010, Cowboy, Crime, Crude Talk, Dysfunctional Lives, Explicit sex, Frenetic, Grim, Motorcycles, Nudity, Plot Twist, Revenge, Suspense, Trailer Life, Violent, Vulgar, Wonderful acting

Killer Joe (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Dimwitted drug dealer Chris hires Killer Joe to ice his mother for her insurance. But Chris is broke, so Joe demands his sister Dottie as collateral. Dottie’s not about to be treated as chattel, and Killer Joe soon wishes he’d never taken the job.

Is it my imagination or are films getting more violent and more sexually explicit as the years go by? If sex and violence offend or disturb you, do NOT see this film.

Having warned you about the pitfalls, nonetheless this is a very well-made film that held my attention. Beginning with an introduction to a trailer trash environment, morality continues to take a downward spin. Even the premise that Chris sees nothing wrong in hiring Matthew McConaughey to kill Chris’ hated real mother (and his step-mother is no prize either) shocked me.

Every character looks a bit worse for wear except Matthew McConaughey as Killer Joe and Juno Temple as Chris’ 12-year-old sister Dottie. Chris’ father is played by Thomas Haden Church who has been appearing in films since his parts in the TV series “Wings” and “Cheers”.

Acting is excellent with special mention for Killer Joe and Dottie.

McConaughey is a well-dressed (when he isn’t stark naked), smooth talking hired assassin cleverly disguised as a sheriff. WARNING: There are several scenes in which McConaughey vividly acts out sexual arousal (lusting for Dottie or humiliating Gina Gershon who is Chris’ wicked stepmother) and at one point reaches orgasm. His acting in these scenes is perfection itself but could be very disturbing.

Juno Temple as the 12-year-old Dottie also plays her part to perfection. She is a naive girl who hates the trailer life and desperately wants to escape. Her opportunity arrives in the person of Killer Joe who takes her as his sex partner as payment for killing Chris’ mother. Yes, this is a grim plot.

Be prepared for plot twists and a surprising end. You might send me a comment about that ending.

There must be something wrong with me because I could not stop watching.

2011, Acceptable Trash, B-movie, Frenetic, Horror, Imperfect, Mayhem, Mediocre, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Satirical ultra-violence, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Unusual, Violent, Zombies

The Cabin In The Woods (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

In this twisted thriller from Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, five friends arrive at a secluded cabin with clear instructions for their anticipated mountain getaway. But when the rigid rules are broken, punishment is swift — and everyone will pay. Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Chris Hemsworth and Brian J. White star with Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford in this surprising spin on a classic horror setup.

At some point while watching this acceptable piece of horror trash you will probably wake up and say “This is really stupid”. But hold on … Granted that I do not watch many horror films, as in “seen one, seen all of them”, this almost-stinker is probably one of the most original horror flicks I have seen. Following the usual script of “a bunch of friends travel together to a secluded location when all of a sudden …” in fact ALL OF A SUDDEN the film takes an unexpected turn which caused me to say “Wait a minute: is this really a horror film or some sort of a satiric prank?” Lo and behold there stand Richard Jenkins (the father ghost in “Six Feet Under”) and Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman in “The West Wing”) in a different setting. You will spend the rest of the film trying to figure out what is happening. Along the way you get to see the usual assemblage of zombies, slashers, creepy monsters, nightmares come to life, etc. That part (the ghoul parade) is the ho-hum part. Rather the interesting part is the juxtaposition of two seemingly disparate story threads. In addition, the dialog is tongue-in-cheek and sometimes funny.

Sigourney Weaver must really need the money. Her walk-on towards the end of the story is ludicrous. In fact, the hypothesis of the entire film is ludicrous. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford must also be desperate for acting work. Chris Hemsworth plays Chris Hemsworth.

Because I am retired, I can waste the time watching this silly but somehow intriguing farce. Can you afford to waste your time?

2011, Car Chase, Clever Plot, Complicated, Conspiracy, Crime, Frenetic, Love Story, Norwegian, Nudity, Occasional gore, Plot Twist, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Suspense, Violent

Headhunters (2011)

1 Comment

From NetFlix:

Living way beyond his means, corporate recruiter Roger Brown steals rare artwork to maintain his lavish lifestyle. But when he plans to boost an especially valuable painting, he targets a man who has headhunting skills of a different variety.

Hold onto your seats because this plot twists and turns like an angry alligator. From one minute to the next you will be surprised by all the unexpected, and usually violent, events.

In Norwegian with subtitles, even though the actors are Norwegian, still there is a surprise in store. Just how the names of the actors are pronounced is beyond me. Aksel Hennie as Roger Brown and Synnøve Macody Lund as his drop-dead beautiful wife Diana were excellent actors that I have never seen before. However, I kept staring at Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays the villain Clas Greve and wondering where had I ever seen this Norwegian actor. Surprise … he played Jaime Lannister in the TV series “Game of Thrones” (which you should NOT miss!) where he seemed to speak perfect English.

Much of the plot has Roger Brown running for his life from one horrible experience to another. But his ingenuity is remarkable.

Expect an incredibly satisfying ending. But you have to also expect unending suspense.

2005, Conspiracy, Frenetic, Mediocre, Suspense, Violent

Red Eye (2005)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

On a red-eye flight bound for Miami, Lisa learns that a fellow passenger has plans to murder the deputy secretary of Homeland Security — and that he wants to use her as part of the plot.

Cillian Murphy (his first name is pronounced “Killian” with a hard “K”) has those cold steel grey eyes that make him a perfect candidate to play a sociopath on a mission. Rachel McAdams is our Super Woman: beautiful, intelligent, friendly, determined, and a real fighter. Watching nasty Cillian ensnare our Rachel, especially as she understands bit by bit what is happening, is well-done. In fact, for me the best part of the film was that first part in the airplane in which the two play a game of one-upmanship. After she flees the airplane the rest of the plot is something that you have already seen in other films. Still, as in most suspense films, you have to see how it all turns out.

Give it a B. Not a total waste of time.

2012, Abduction, Car Chase, Detective, Frenetic, Serial Killer, Suspense, Violent

Gone (2012)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Jill expects to find her sister home in bed. When she doesn’t, she knows just where to look — her own past abductor. But the police show little interest, so Jill sets off on her own to find her sibling in this chiller.

Amanda Seyfried (Sylvia Weis in “In Time”), as Jill, puts a lot of energy into trying to rescue her sister from her past abductor. In this film the theme is that no one believed that Jill was ever abducted. In fact she was put into a mental institution as delusional. So she spends most of the film not only trying to rescue her sister (while armed) but also trying to elude the police who think she is on some lunatic escapade.

Jill has made a friend of her fast food colleague played by Jennifer Carpenter who is Dexter’s sister (WHAT! You have never watched Dexter (2006)?).

As regards the police not believing Jill, the film has a very satisfying ending.

Nothing special, but watchable.

2012, Crime, Detective, Frenetic, Police Story, Suspense, Violent

Man on a Ledge (2012)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

When fugitive ex-cop Nick Cassidy steps onto a window ledge high above a busy Manhattan street, police psychologist Lydia Anderson tries to talk him down. But soon Anderson suspects that there’s more to Cassidy’s stunt than meets the eye.

Despite the fact that many of the action shots are impossible, this raucous sequence of one stunt after another is just fun. Impossible you say? For one example, how can our hero (Sam Worthington who played the lead in “Avatar”) stand for hours on a ledge and then climb by his finger tips from one floor to the roof? How can our hungry hero leap from ledge to ledge? How did our hero manage in prison to plan an incredibly detailed heist?

Along the way we meet

  • Jamie Bell (who was “Billy Elliot”) as our hero’s brother
  • Edward Burns (“The Lynch Pin”) as one of the very few honest cops in the film
  • Titus Welliver (Glen Childs of “The Good Wife”) as a bent cop
  • Elizabeth Banks (Avery Jessup of “30 Rock”) costars as another honest cop
  • Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”) as a reporter
  • Ed Harris (huge number of films) as the villain

Just suspend disbelief and enjoy the fun.

2002, Crime, Frenetic, Mediocre, Plot Twist, Satirical ultra-violence, Vulgar

The Hard Word (2002)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton and Damien Richardson play three brothers — Dale, Shane and Mal — who are out on bail and awaiting trial for armed robbery when they decide to attempt one more massive heist before they’re hauled off to jail. To top it off, their criminal lawyer (Robert Taylor) is sleeping with Dale’s wife (Rachel Griffiths). Oh, what a tangled web they weave — but will everything unravel?

By “satiric violence” I refer to films like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (1998). This current film is nowhere near as violent (but people do get shot). As just another “major heist goes wrong” film, there is nothing special here. However, there are funny unexpected little bits here and there. Think of the film as part of a Guy Pearce festival.

Just OK, but fun enough.

2007, Car Chase, Conspiracy, Frenetic, Kidnapping, Mayhem, Suspense, Violent

Vantage Point (2007)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

Moments after he arrives in Spain for a landmark antiterrorism summit, U.S. President Ashton is shot. The 15 minutes leading up to the shooting are rehashed — Rashomon-style — from the perspective of various onlookers: two Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), a TV reporter (Sigourney Weaver) and a tourist (Forest Whitaker). This nail-biting political thriller marks the feature directorial debut of Pete Travis.

Essentially a car chase film, this film examines an attempted assassination on the president of the U.S. from the viewpoints of Secret Service agents, news reporter, bystanders, and the assassins themselves. For each viewpoint the story starts over and you get to watch in that participant’s own eyes. Finally there is a long car chase ending in the usual collisions.

Don’t you wonder how they film those chases without anyone actually being hurt ? Here is an article that explains how it is done.

Nail-biters of the world, this film is for you!

2011, Car Chase, Frenetic, Redemption, Revenge, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

In Time (2011)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

In a near future where aging stops at 25, time is the new currency and the wealthy can live forever. When Will Salas inherits decades of life from a wealthy murdered man, he’s pegged as the suspect by the corrupt Time Keepers, who enforce the law.

Each person’s forearm shows how much time that person has to live. You can earn, steal, give, and buy things with time. For me this was a novel theme although the idea has probably been used elsewhere.

Rich people live forever, poor people die young. Probably the plot intends an analogy with the corruption of our current financial world.

Justin Timberlake is convincing as an angry, honest, poor, and of course invincible crusader. Amanda Seyfried is OK as his sparring partner and love interest.

Net Flix got it wrong. The Time Keeper (Cillian Murphy) was un-corruptible to the point of death. But he was misguidedly enforcing a corrupt system. You can watch Cillian Murphy in Retreat (2011) with a wonderful Irish brogue.

Possibly a “B” film but fun anyway!

2008, Acceptable for children, Drama, Frenetic, Love Story, Mediocre

Life in Flight (2008)

Leave a comment

From NetFlix:

With a beautiful wife (Amy Smart), an adoring son (Kevin Rosseljong) and an accomplished career, New York-based architect Will (Patrick Wilson) thinks he has it all — until a new friendship with dynamic young designer Kate (Lynn Collins) reveals the cracks in his too-perfect life. With long-repressed doubts now in the open, Will must reconsider the direction of his life from the bottom up. Tracey Hecht directs this existential drama.

Because currently we are in an economic recession where jobs are scarce Patrick Wilson’s choice of his future seems not so black and white. Who would not jump at the opportunity that is offered to his character Will ? On the other hand, he finds himself not giving much attention to his young son and finds little time for family, sitting, talking, in other words for the rest of his life. For me I could not really sense a huge amount of stress in his life, that is to say the type of stress where you feel “when will it ever end ?” His wife was portrayed as a woman who was ambitious and not much else. It was as if she was saying “You want me ? Then you must advance professionally.”

Once again I was busy doing something else while watching this mediocre film, so at least I did not waste all the time solely on the film.