phoenix1955again Reviews

The Barber (2002)

I have to wonder now

[8/10 · 25 October 2009]

When I first watched this movie, I had no idea that there were actually a series of disappearances up in Alaska that locals believed were the work of a serial killer but were unsolved. I am a huge Malcom McDowell fan since "If" and I watched it purely for that reason. I also work in a court system, and I know all too well that some cases never get solved. So, I found the plot satisfying albeit with a disturbing ending, the acting well done and the camera work masterful. The suspense comes not so much from guessing who the killer is as that is pretty much revealed early in the film, but from the cat and mouse game played by the killer with the authorities.

However, in light of the release of The Fourth Kind and the press about it, NOW I find myself wondering if this were an earlier attempt based loosely on the same cases that The Fourth Kind is based on...

At any rate, all in all, a good use of my time watching this film.

The Legend of Lucy Keyes (2006)

I found it interesting

[5/10 · 7 October 2006]

Being based on a true disappearance, I think the movie did justice to the mystery from the 1700s. For an independent film, it had a lot less gore than most fright flicks and it is to be commended for that. Expanding the tale to solve the mystery may have been too ambitious a project for the director. However, I find the bittersweet ending to have been well thought out and fairly executed. I think the fear that the Keyes descendant felt should have been explored more in the script, but perhaps explanation for that was left on the editing floor. All in all, I felt it was a decent attempt at solving a centuries-old mystery in a manner that unfortunately, sadly still occurs in this day and age.

Artworks (2003)

Well, I liked it.

[7/10 · 1 April 2006]

The premise of her entering this lifestyle after losing a baby is quite interesting to me, as I am well aware that grief can turn a person's life totally around, for better or worse. The fact that she shows remorse when she sees a photograph of her husband, but that remorse does not deter her from continuing is a touch that I find realistic. She's trying to fill the void in her life with thrill experiences, and that doesn't always mean sex scenes. I do think the husband gave up far too easily, however. By the way, I disagree with the other user, and I happen to appreciate Rossovich's looks. Sure, it could have been better written, but I think the acting levels are very good in this movie, and I would watch it again!