billcr12 Reviews

Nefarious (2023)

Good Vs Evil

[7/10 · 28 May 2024]

I took a shot at this film after seeing a recommendation by a Catholic priest who also performs exorcisms. Although I am a member of the faith, I question many of the tenets.

Sean Patrick Flanery is a serial killer about to be executed for his crimes. Mr. Flanery is as good as Luke Kirby was portraying Ted Bundy in No Man of God. In that movie, the main focus was on a TV preacher named Dobson who placed the blame on pornography for Teddy's shortcomings. This time around, the devil made me do it is the theme. I do not believe that a dude with horns and a pitchfork is present and tempting us to do bad things. We all have good and evil within us.

The script is well done but a bit too preachy for my taste but the Sean Patrick Flanery makes the journey a worthy one.

Farha (2021)

An unknown massacre

[10/10 · 26 May 2024]

Karam Taher is a teenager living in Palestine in 1948 at the time of the Nakba(catastrophe). Her father is the mayor of a small rural village when they are removed. The daughter is hidden away in a bunker by her father as he leaves to defend his land.

The atmosphere is claustrophobic as Farha's must remain quiet in her cave-like circumstances. She can see through small openings and witnesses the execution of a family, including the children.

The script is taken from the real life Faria who managed to survive and tell her story.

With the current w events as so write this in May of 2024, we are yet reminded again that history is written by the victors.

Tantura (2022)

Heart Wrenching

[10/10 · 25 May 2024]

As I write this review in May of 2024, my American government is funding the genocide of the people of Gaza. So far, about 40,000 have been massacred by the IDF with an assortment of armaments from our stores, including two thousand pound "dumb bombs." Teddy Katz is a true hero for having the courage for speaking out against his country by writing a paper with full proof with interviews, of some of the atrocities committed during the Nakba(catastrophe) of 1948. One interview subject, in particular, spoke with glee of a teenage Palestinian girl being sexually assaulted. The man belongs in a jail cell.

Katz received death threats for this and every member of congress should be locked in a room and forced to watch this documentary. It will never happen.

Civil War (2024)

Mixed feelings

[5/10 · 25 May 2024]

Kirsten Dunst plays the lead as a photojournalist who covers war zones around the world. She has aged enough to now be cast as a character actress. America has devolved into a civil war with Texas and California leaving the State of Union. The leader of the free world is shown at the start giving the usual patriotic speech that we have heard ad infinitum.

The film then turns into a road picture with Dunst and an actress(Cailee Spaeny) playing an aspiring photojournalist. The problem here is the the young lady looks to be about fifteen although she is actually twenty-three.

In midst of all the ensuing chaos, the women, accompanied by two men, are able to fill up their SUV on a long out-of-the-way excursion to the White House in order to visit the White House for an unscheduled interview with the pres. Plot holes abound and the only saving grace are the well filmed action sequences.

The idea is a fine one but the story is not well thought out. Seek out V for Vendetta to see a perfect script in the genre.

Prey (1977)

Retro Alien

[5/10 · 23 May 2024]

Prey is an old school alien story with a twist. The main characters are a lesbian couple with relationship issues. Jessica is the submissive partner and a stranger appears at her house with some extremely peculiar behavior. The dude has assumed the body of a human who he has dispatched in order study our earthling ways.

The man has a rock and roll hairstyle and the couple allow him to stay in their home without any reasonable explanation.

We get one tame sex scene and plenty of very bad music along the way. The cast is competent but the storyline makes no sense.

I would recommend the Twiilight Zone episode "The Monsters are due on Maple Street" as an alternative to Prey.

The Black Mass (2023)

Ted is Back

[4/10 · 18 May 2024]

Ted Bundy seems to live on forever as an inspiration for both books and movies. I recently finished my twenty-fourth book on the serial killer. Kathy Kleiner-Rubin survived a brutal attack at FSU in January of 1978 and filled in the past forty-five years of her life after surviving the assault.

We see Ted shaving in a mirror at the start while mumbling incoherently. He then heads off in his car of choice, the VW Beetle, to a spot near a house where high school girls are having a cheerleading practice on a front lawn.

Mr. Bundy is later seen at a sorority house peeking through the windows while the girls discuss their various problems. At a bathroom window, the peeping Tom watches one of the girls undressing and we get a fantasy sequence with Teddy bloodying up the young lady.

In the early morning hours, the script is fairly accurate in the portrayal of the Chi Omega murders. The film ends abruptly with a description of his final murder. The names are changed and real life footage is used with clips which have been seen many times by anyone interested in the story.

Instead of this movie, I recommend No Man of God, the best of all the Bundy features.

Abigail (2024)

Decent Horror

[7/10 · 16 May 2024]

Abigail is a twelve-year-old girl played perfectly by Irish born Alisha Weir. A gang of misfits is recruited for what at first seems like the kidnapping of the kid for a huge ransom.

Borrowing from reservoir Dogs, the strangers are told by their recruiter not to reveal their real names. At least no one is Mister Pink in this Tarantino inspired script.

The violence ramps up as the culprits quickly realize that what looked like a quick cash making scheme soon turns out to be a big mistake.

The supporting cast is fine with Alisha Weir stealing the show as the victim of the story. The film could have been edited from the almost two hours running time but it is a worthy entry into the horror field.

The Coffee Table (2022)

A Hidden Gem

[9/10 · 12 May 2024]

Jesus and Mary begin, not in a manger, but in a furniture store where an overbearing salesman works tirelessly to sell them a coffee table. The hideous piece features "fake gold" nude women figures and what the man describes as "unbreakable" glass.

The new mother is a bit long in the tooth for childbearing and the pair seem to be going through a difficult time in their marriage. The first ten minutes or so can be described as a comedy but by the halfway point, things take a dark turn.

Jesus needs to assemble the coffee table and an accident causes his world to shatter and the final act is as well done as anything I have ever seen.

A ten day shoot is a miracle these days and the script is concise and smart. Do not miss The Coffee Table. A solid 9/10. Do not miss this gem.

Our Father, the Devil (2021)

Redemption??

[8/10 · 4 May 2024]

The IMDB summary pretty much gives away the storyline and is close to a spoiler. Marie, played by the superb actress, Babetida Sadjo, works in a Catholic nursing home where a priest arrives, causing her to remember some nasty events from childhood. Father Patrick gives uplifting sermons to the residents of the home.

Marie then recalls a past involving warlords who destroyed a village and killed most of the adults, including her mother and father. The holy man might have some explaining to do regarding what he was up to before joining the flock.

What follows is a serious look at the meaning of forgiveness and redemption, a major tenet of the Catholic church. I have not been to Confession for a long, long time but being raised in the faith gave me a greater appreciation for this film.

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Godzilla Rules

[9/10 · 2 May 2024]

I remember the original Godzilla with Raymond Burr from my youth and the newest entry into the franchise is by far the best ever.

It begins in 1945 with a kamikaze pilot who has deserted his final mission only to be a survivor on an outpost where the creature first attacks.

In the following two years, the pilot has met a woman with a baby that he has taken in as he moves on with his life with employment as a mine sweeper on a wooden boat.

Of course, Godzilla makes a comeback and destroys a decent chunk of Japan and our hero is called into service defending the nation from the monster.

The story is excellent with very good CGI to make this one of the best films of 2023.

Jig (I) (2011)

Magnificent

[10/10 · 20 April 2024]

I cannot believe that this incredible film has a score if 6.6 on IMDB. I am a jaded and cynical American and by the end of Jig I was standing and cheering.

The cameras tour the world from Ireland, England, America and Russia, following dancers at various schools of Irish dance, including one in NY City where a girl of Irish and Asian heritage is one of the star students.

A ten-year-old counterpart in Derry, Ireland will become close with the girl from the U. S. and the pair will compete at the World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

I was riveted to the screen for the entire movie and I am astounded that the film did not win an Oscar.

Immaculate (2024)

Mixed Bag

[5/10 · 19 April 2024]

Sydney Sweeney stars as as Sister Cecilia, a young woman who believes that God saved her from drowning in her childhood. She somehow winds up at a convent in Italy while carrying a book for translations. It makes no sense that an English speaking American would not find a place in the U. S. to enter a nunnery.

The imagery is of the usual Catholic chapel filled stained glass and statues. I am a cradle RC and I am familiar with such surroundings. It opens with a nun reciting the Rosary in Italian with English subtitles for those viewers not of the faith.

The worst aspect is a technical one as the actors often mumble their lines and all is lost as far as the storyline goes. Sweeney is often blood soaked and her ear piercing screams are over the top. Rosemary's Baby is similarly themed and a far superior film, as is The Omen.

What Jennifer Did (2024)

Daughter Dearest

[5/10 · 11 April 2024]

As a constant reader of true crime, I had read A Daughter's Deadly Deception last year and was familiar with this story. Jennifer Pan is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants to Canada who pushed their offspring to be the best at everything in life.

The overprotective couple opposed of Jennifer's choice of a drug dealing boyfriend and it led to her mother's death by gunshot. Her father survived and was able to contradict his sweet looking daughter's witness statements to the police.

Much of the film uses actual video footage of a clearly uncomfortable Jennifer spinning her BS story of the crime. The book was too repetitive for my taste, with constant use of the text messages between Jen and her boyfriend and the documentary should have included a current interview with Jennifer.

The Monk and the Gun (2023)

A Hidden Gem

[10/10 · 4 April 2024]

I do not know how to review this remarkable movie from Bhutan. It should have won the Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. The country was one of the last ones to introduce voting to a public used to being ruled by a monarchy.

The leader decided to give the citizens the right to vote for their leader and it is the main focus of the story along with a Buddhist monk who has requested a gun for some undisclosed reason.

Enter an American arms dealer willing to hand over hard cash for a Civil War antique owned by an underling of the head monk.

What follows is a concise script with an uncanny examination of worldwide politics and real family values.

Do not miss this hidden gem.

Godless: The Eastfield Exorcism (2023)

Praise the Lord

[4/10 · 15 March 2024]

When I see "based on a true story" at the start of a film, I wonder how much actually happened. Lara is a young housewife with mental problems and we see her with her husband at the office of a psychiatrist with some unexplained issues which are not disclosed until much later in the movie.

The background music is overwhelming and, when combined with Australian accents in frequent mumblecore mode, I was frustrated while attempting to understand the dialogue.

The final act is much better than the rest of the tedious story and the conclusion was a shock to this viewer. Religious fanaticism is the main message and after looking up what happened to the real life "Lara" (Joan Vollmer), a better film could have been made.

Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2023)

Ponderous

[2/10 · 12 March 2024]

Georgina Campbell plays a park ranger who joins a flock of fellow officers to work in search and rescue operations.

A series of endless flashbacks show her as a little girl who saw her sister vanish without a trace. Thus, we have an explanation of her career choice.

At least the fashion budget was minimal as Ms. Campbell spends the entire film in a ranger's outfit.

She lives mostly in some sort of a one room cabin in the woods and heads out into the forest repeatedly in search of the lost, which includes her sister.

I was checking my clock every few minutes as I was bored to tears by the nonsensical story and I cannot recommend this movie.

Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp (2012)

Read his memoir

[6/10 · 9 March 2024]

After reading the book "Pimp," by Robert Beck, and a biography by one of the interview subjects of the film, I needed to find out more about Iceberg Slim.

Ice-T is the producer and he was heavily influenced by the bestselling memoir. Chris Rock hands out copies of the book on his movie sets. Along with two spouses and three daughters, all are interviewed throughout the documentary.

The best parts are the segments with the man himself. The former pimp is quite articulate and insightful. His first wife convinced him to write down his incredible stories and after typing them up, she found a publisher who changed his life forever.

Viewers should first read the memoir for a solid background to Iceberg Slim's wild journey.

Perfect Days (2023)

Quiet Drama

[8/10 · 6 March 2024]

Koji Yakusho is Hirayama, a man who lives alone in a small flat and sleeps on a mattress pad while reading books every night after a long day of cleaning public toilets in Tokyo. Koji is magnificent, as he speaks almost no lines at all for he first hour of the film.

Wenders chose a perfect soundtrack, of which, as a music lover, I appreciated. House of the Rising Sun is the first choice followed up by material from Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Otis Redding, and, last but not least, Nina Simone.

Hirayama uses an old fashioned 35mm camera to photograph trees and clouds on his lunch breaks. I am old enough to remember those times. My Nikon FTN has been stored in my closet for many years.

I hope that the film wins the Best Foreign Film award at the upcoming Oscars.

Tiger Stripes (2023)

Malaysian Carrie

[5/10 · 25 February 2024]

Much like Carrie White of the Stephen King novel and later film, Zafan is the first in her class to experience her period, and somehow, the school is aware of her situation.

Classmates mock her and the girl begins to exhibit some very strange behavior. A bathroom scene where she is attacked by a group of girls from her school results in a demon like possession and a Muslim supposed cleric arrives to perform an almost Catholic style exorcism. The man is obviously a con artist with business cards and social media presence.

The Malaysian scenery is beautiful and the lead actress is excellent.

I was not happy with the ending but Tiger Stripes is a decent horror film.

Midnight Peepshow (2022)

The Dark Web

[7/10 · 17 February 2024]

This anthology saves the best for last as a wealthy investor receives more than he bargained for when he is lured into the dark web of a fantasy site called Black Rabbit.

The first story was my least favorite as an unhappy couple suffer the consequences of an apparent home invasion. Things are not as they first appear.

It improves with F-Marry-Kill as a woman in some kind of a dungeon must make that choice with three men in shock collars who are part of a sadistic game in which the lady must complete three tasks in order to survive.

The old message of be careful what you wish for is delivered with verve and I recommend Midnight Peepshow.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Hearts of Darkness

[9/10 · 4 February 2024]

I read the book in 2017 and Scorcese stays true to the source material. The major difference being that the book has more material on the financial angle of the supposed caretakers of the Osage people.

Robert De Niro is the leader of the evil and money hungry pack of thieves with murder in his heart. Leonardo DiCaprio is his equally greedy nephew who marries an Osage woman named Mollie, with rights to the land's oil rich territory.

Lily Gladstone is magnificent as Mollie and will most likely win the Oscar for Best Actress. The entire cast shines under the watchful direction of Marty Scorcese. I took off one point for the unnecessary length of over three hours. The credits alone must run ten minutes. It takes a village to work on a Marty production.

Sympathy for Delicious (2010)

Faith and Rock and Roll

[5/10 · 24 January 2024]

Mark Ruffalo directed and stars as Father Joe, a priest who runs a homeless shelter on Skid Row in Los Angeles. Christopher Thornton wrote the script and plays Dean, a man in a wheelchair who works as a club DJ. He relies on Father Joe for his meals and lives in his car while the priest seeks an apartment for him.

One day, Dean places his hands upon a man on a sidewalk and he is miraculously healed. Word spreads quickly and Dean is sought for his newfound powers.

The concept is good but the script is much too contrived. Orlando Bloom is a Johnny Rotten type of rock star who recruits Dean to promote a floundering music career. The music performed live is terrible; a bad imitation of some early Nine Inch Nails.

Juliette Lewis is a foul mouthed bass player with the worst lines in the film. Mr. Thornton needs to work on his storytelling skills.

He Went That Way (2023)

Road Picture

[8/10 · 17 January 2024]

When I read that this story was based on a real life serial killer, I had to see it and I was not disappointed.

Larry Lee Ranes is the actual killer and he is named Bobby here and is played to the hilt by Jacob Elordi. His mannerisms are similar to those of the Charles Starkweather character in Badlands with Martin Sheen as the James Dean type of character.

Jim is on the road with his show biz chimp and he picks up the youthful and innocent looking hitchhiker(Elordi), not realizing that his passenger is on the run after a few brutal murders.

The violent acts are briefly shown in flashbacks and the film is more a character study than a true crime story.

The two leads have perfect chemistry and He Went That Way is a solid 8/10.

Rideshare (2018)

Are You Thirsty

[7/10 · 27 December 2023]

I admit to have unusual taste in films and Rideshare is right up there with other oddities like Eating Raoul from many years back. It is all a matter of personal taste. Many of the reviews are extremely negative but I was entertained by the strangeness of the story.

Jason drives a Prius and picks up an assortment of passengers in the hours after midnight and asks his customers if they are thirsty and would like some water. Those who take him up on his offer have not made a wise decision as it turns out that the generous driver is a serial killer.

The situations are frequently funny and I recommend this low budget entry.

Dr. Death (2021–2023)

Medical Adventure

[8/10 · 25 December 2023]

For those awaiting surgery, do not watch this mini-series. The graphic scenes shown with intense blood and guts will forever keep me from ever seeking medical advice.

Dr. Christopher Duntsch was a brilliant doctor and medical researcher who, unfortunately, lacks a conscience of any kind.

Duntsch is played by a Canadian actor by the name of Joshua Jackson and he is nothing short of brilliant. He captures the menacing stare and unmatched ego of the good doctor.

Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater are the doctors who report their colleague after a few unnecessary deaths due to the malfeasance of the psycho physician.

I was reminded of The Good Nurse, with the only difference being that Charles Cullen was a nurse in New Jersey. In both cases, the hospitals attempted to cover thier asses. Our medical system is all about the Benjamins.

I would have preferred a more linear style of storytelling, and at almost seven hours, the series could have been cut down to four hours. A solid 8/10.