Change Your Image
circycle
Reviews
Kiss of Death (1995)
This is phenomenal. Don't believe the IMDb rating
Excellent, grimy crime thriller starring David Caruso and Nicholas Cage. The story keeps going and the tension builds and builds.
Fantastic character acting by Samuel L., Helen Hunt, Michael Rappaport, Stanley Tucci, Ving Rhames, Kathryn Erbe, Anthony Heald, and Philip Baker Hall.
Car boosting, car chopping, prison, drugs, small time hoods, org. Crime wacks, strip club sleaze, morally-gray feds, a mean DA and cops with shoulder chips. Don't put it on when the grandparents are over. Cage gets psyched up, maniacally and ignorantly philosophical. He's a powerhouse.
You also see a young Hope Davis....
DO IT.
A Single Shot (2013)
A very effective rural noir
This is so good. Not only does this film have a powerhouse cast, but everyone brings their A-game. The lighting is purposefully dimmed to promote a dull vibrance. The subject matter is grim as most of the townsfolk are poor and working-class, and drugs and double-crosses are extant. Rockwell's performance is absolutely visceral, as is Reilly's and Wright's. There is rural charm and country colloquialisms. Lovibond provides the small-town charm of seeming unconditional sweetness. I wish she was in the movie more.
There are also bursts of grueling violence. I would align this with other rural/rustic thriller faire as Out of the Furnace and Winter's Bone. There are a lot of underrated small-town noir indie films from the last decade or so - Sweet Virginia, Above Suspicion (2019), Ida Red, Rust Creek, Wicked Blood.... I suppose I have a liking for these types of movies as I grew up in the southwest.
The movie does conclude. Some people have lamented the ending. I see it as a symbolic one with emotional release. It's satisfying.
Please watch this! It's great. The sound design is effective. There's moonshine, drug dealers, knives, guns, and William H. Macy as an injured weirdo town lawyer. Do it.
Little Dixie (2023)
This movie is great!
I disagree with the detractors of this film. Little Dixie is a movie that's entertaining and raises your heartbeat.
It's a rugged story: ex-elite soldier heads private security for a state governor. Campaign contributions come from the cartel and a kidnapping ensues... Frank Grillo is AWESOME in this. He shows nuance and intensity. We also get decent time with Annabeth Gish and Peter Greene. Greene delivers some fantastic dialogue as a wealthy, eccentric political player. And, Beau Knapp portrays a bonkers cartel villain with a mechanical ethic. He's cold, cunning, and has a demented sense of humor.
The pacing is steady and the tension ramps up well. There are some very dark scenes here, so be warned!
I also recommend Ida Red, a gritty thriller with guns and fringe elements also directed by John Swab. This movie is great! Solid acting, tension and pacing. Entertaining!
Witch Hunt (2021)
Entertaining!
Why are people dogging this movie? It has a fully fleshed-out concept with good character development and acting. The main actor explores a lot of emotions as she comes of age and faces danger and the law. So it ties some current events as themes in its fantasy story.... So what!
The movie has multiple plot lines and depth. They used their budget well and the pacing is solid. The effects are cool and the witchiness is mysterious and frowned upon by the scared normals. It's kind of like the early X-Men movies in this regard.
I watch all types of movies (mostly horror and drama) and this kept my interest. It also has a cool old American style with all the furniture and cars. People have this stuff and smartphones, MacBooks, etc.
I was entertained by this.
Violation (2020)
Revenge best served cold
This is a slow burn for sure. But there's definitely horror and violence.
What is the best time frame for revenge? Immediate? A month? A few years?
Could you maintain your otherwise normal public front over time; or your predictable emotional, behavioral responses to new social variables?
This is a different presentation of revenge. At times I was reminded of Pusher 3 and the more recent A Good Woman Is Hard to Find. Perhaps a dash of the Greenaway film set in a restaurant?...
Would nudity turn you off after you've watched so much violent fare? Why?
This is worth a watch. The scenes are outside a linear chronology. This Three-card Monte hops over the complacency of endless calendars. The dread is the audience's. The avenger's has burned away long ago.
A Promising Young Woman is similar to this only as a revenge tale. APYW is fantastic and deserves its accolades. Violation, unlike APYW, is almost devoid of humor. Almost.
I'm awaiting new movies from this team.
Enjoy!
The Empty Man (2020)
A solid urban legend/cult/creep out movie at over 2 hours with great acting!
Sometimes people don't like a movie and it gets a mediocre rating on IMDb. Sometimes critics don't like a movie for a number of reasons.
I am a huge horror buff and I try to see all the top titles that appear on the lists at the end of every year. I had not heard of this movie until a couple of days ago.
It is great!
You have conspiracy theories, a crazy cult, mysterious deaths, familiar actors.... James Badge Dale carries this film as he is in a great majority of the scenes. He is captivating in this, and all the actors give very considered performances.
Plus, the sound design is by Christopher Young AND Lustmørd! Lustmørd is a known producer/musician in the dark electronica and industrial genres. Christopher Young has also produced stellar horror soundtracks, namely Hellraiser.
Dale plays a detective investigating a whole slew strange characters and mysterious deaths and disappearances. Marin Ireland is in a supporting role and her struggle is subtle yet quite visceral. She is in another noted 2020 horror, The Dark and the Wicked. I did not enjoy that one so much as it was overly nihilistic and too mean-spirited for me. But she acts very well and was super scared in that one lol.
Everyone making The Empty Man cared. You can tell.
I recommend this for sure. There's a chase scene that sent my skin on edge! You'll see.
Dragged Across Concrete (2018)
This is an involved movie with great acting and dialogue
There are endless 1 star reviews here. Come on now....
SCZ delivers AGAIN.
Great dialogue in long sequences with Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson. Don Johnson makes an appearance again, but he doesn't have as prominent a role as he did in Brawl. Mel and Vince are grumpy cops coping with the public surveillance of smart phones, changing economy and lifestyle and life expenses. Tony Kittles has his own story too and all three of them meet up towards the middle. Michael Jai White also has screen time, but he's not doing martial arts. He and Kittles are cool hustlers.
This movie requires some patience because there are stakeouts. But the conversations are thoughtful and hilarious as well. If you can't handle that, then watch Fast and Furious. What can I tell you?
I'm a big movie buff, and I really enjoy S. Craig Zahler's films. I've watched this one a couple of times, as I have BICB99 and Bone Tomahawk.
Vince Vaughn has been taking on more dramatic roles the last few years. He had a strong noirish, casino boss affectation in True Detective S2 which was not my favorite. But he has real subtlety and dry humor with DAC and BICB99. I think he works very well with S. Craig Zahler.
People will watch Zahler's movies as long as he keeps making them. They are indie films for sure, but there's a lot of technique, expertise, and consideration in crafting them. He composes the music for his movies too. Please keep making them, Mr. Z!!!