townse_s Reviews

The Minus Man (1999)

Interesting Use of Genre

[8/10 · 27 June 2006]

I enjoyed this movie. One of the things I really liked was the "style" of the film. My wife came in mid-way through the movie. After watching a few scenes with Wilson and Garofalo she was shocked I had rented a romantic comedy for once. Surprise! It's really a movie about a serial killer. No really, I swear! I'm impressed a movie can cross genres that well. Great casting with Wilson's part. He is great at soliloquy. I know I've seen him do it before but I'm not sure where... maybe a Wes Anderson film. The plot was a little thin but really I don't think it was designed to do anything other than frame the main character's inner monologue. Isn't the movie really about the lines Wilson only says inside his head? At any rate decent plot; good actors (go Brian Cox!); excellent script; 8 out of 10.

Beyond the Wall of Sleep (2006)

Lovecraft Fans Beware

[2/10 · 26 June 2006]

If this is what the makers of this film take from Lovecraft, I pity them. Lovecraft gives you the skeleton of something horrible and lets your imagination flesh in the rest. That's what makes him so fun to read. You come away from the story IMAGINING other worlds and endless possibilities. This movie leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. In fact it takes particular delight in showing you every gory detail. This should have "Fangoria" on the top of the box not "H.P. Lovecraft's". If you are a fan of Lovecraft and want to see a good tale about Elder gods, don't rent this one. I know it's hard not to grab anything with "Lovecraft" at the top but don't fall for it. The makers of this film stuck his name on their product to get more viewers. You will waste your time and fall for their ploy if you rent this because you like Lovecraft. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Hotel (2001)

Even Trainwrecks Draw Your Eye - Not Hotel...

[1/10 · 25 June 2006]

Maybe I shouldn't vote on a film I didn't finish watching but after sitting through 25 minutes of this, I took it back to the video store and got something else. This "film" has the quality of a video-recording. The "acting" is atrocious and the characters are flat. 25 minutes into the show there was no sign of a plot. When I read the back of the box I thought I was in for an intelligent pseudo-documentary. That is not what I got. If you're looking for an "artsy" independent film in a documentary style that is funny and intelligent I would recommend "The Incident at Loch Ness". Skip "Hotel" and use the time to watch something worthwhile.