Blackout

A nice bottle thriller about people 3 people stuck in the elevator.  One of which may be a killer. They slowly start go crazy, turning on each other till it reaches to a boiling point. A plot like this is something that been told a couple of times. It is a gimmick that be done but that not necessarily a bad thing. That is because if, the characters are interesting enough, it can overcome.  All 3 of them are and have nice plots that let you get to know how their personalities work for the most part. It helps that I liked two of the actors. One of them is the man who plays little finger in Game of Thrones. I call him Edward Norton light...or his Evil dopplaganger.  I wonder if you prick him will Edward Norton feel it. The other person is the start of Joan of Arcadia who I like as an actress. The other guy I never saw before but it’s pretty good. The thing is not much happen for a while. Sure it would be scary in real life but it not exactly thrilling seeing people in a box trap hanging out. When things start going south, its picks up and the good acting starts. But that pretty deep into the movie.  Also the killer background is not clear. You learn what makes the other tick...but you don’t learn what makes the killer a killer. The ticking clock the killer has to deal with though ads a lot of tension. All it not that great a movie. But not bad either.  C

Battle Ground

Battle Ground

                Battle Ground is an ultra low budge shoot em up about bank robbers vs. a crazy nam vet. That hook alone was enough to make me (a love a Z grade Action movies) want to see that but the results are realty mixed. Think of it as Rambo vs. the guys from heat with a slasher movie style and you have a good idea of the movie.  The movie starts out with them just finishing a bank robbery with one of them injured. They are on the run cause one of them shot a cop now there normal means of escape will be delayed and cost more money. The idea of loose cannon on a team always bugs me. Why would you hire people on your team that clearly that insane? I mean no professional bank robbery team really wants some guy going all “Leroy Jenkins” by shooting up the place. It just counter productive. But that just my own pet peeve. The start of it gets you interested cause it takes you right into it. So they have to find a place to hide. They find an empty house in the woods thinking nobody there as they bicker on how the bank robber went all fubar. Low and behold this happens to be a house of crazy Vietnam vet who proceeds to hunt them down and killed them. An apparently does this to anyone who gets near his area. He sets up traps like a derange home alone kids and takes their money. Which cause the criminals to stay and hunt him down? There some nice kills and the set up of the battle ground are pretty sweet with a lot of secret passageways and good places for shoot outs. Problem is it no one to really root for cause both sides are dirt bags with very little remorse. So you don’t really root for anyone. You can have evil protagonist but you got to do something to make the audience follow them...make them exciting somehow. Something that makes each side somewhat rootable. Smoke Aces did this cause people had different hitmen they liked. Not so much here. Also you go into the clique that no one able to aim well in this...sense they can’t hit each other until the end. I mean this guy pretty old given when nam was…let no one seem to be able to get a shot off old man river over there. And it not like he a particular fit old mans…he has some city years on him. Still pretty fun. Some of the keys pretty imaginative and you can enjoy seeing the cat and mouse game. C+

Good neighbors

Good neighbors.

 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1576440/

Finally, a movie that shows the dark underbelly of Canada. They seem nice with their maple syrup and love of hokey...but deep down it’s a savage land.  Story follows a man who moves to a building in Montréal during a time a serial killer roaming streets. He befriends a waitress (The main protagonist of the movie) with a love for cats and a wheel chair bound man. Each character a bit weird and each one could be the killer. The movies almost like a total different movie half way through. The first part is a slow character pieces that should be called the adventures of Lolcat girl and Wheels. The rest a nice twisted dark comedy. It was just slow to get there.  Part of that attentional sense they had to build up characters. Each character could be a killer but they don’t play it in a way that there constantly making shifty eyes at the camera. The all seem normal, and ok people but keep showing signs of oddness.  It all in a pretty realistic way sense you probably met people like this. It really that over the top until the twist. But I kind of wished the twist happen early and build upon that cat in mouse games. I say this because half the movie NOTHING happens. Then it becomes a pretty good movie. Also would like to see the character dance around each other once the other shoe drops. Now the ending probably not super realistic. The characters plan seems kind of dumb.  It relies on luck more than anything and it basically acts like forensics though exists. But still witty enough where I will let it slide. B