Horror Movie Month - The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me (2010)
The Stars - Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson, Jessica Alba, Elias Koteas, Simon Baker, Bill Pullman
The Gist - First off, this isn't a horror movie, per se, but there is tons of violence and a pretty big body count, and it is a HORRIBLE movie, so it counts. Affleck plays Lou Ford, a polite, mild-mannered deputy sherrif in a small Texas town. He has a steady girlfriend (Hudson) and is liked by everyone. Soon, however, he becomes involved in a sadomasichistic relationship with a prostitute (Alba) which sparks some sort of inner sickness. The two of them plot to blackmail a local tycoon but things backfire and Ford ends up murdering Joyce and the tycoons dumb son Elmer (I get why he murdered Elmer but I still really don't know why he murders Joyce... it just seems all kinds of stupid). Anyway, he thinks he's getting away with murder but, really, he's insane so people begin to suspect him and then he starts killing more and more people while slowly going more and more insane. Listen, this movie is completely unnecessary and I'm not just saying that because it's insanely violent. It's just an exercise in disappointment. Everyone is saying the book on which its based is a classic and I have no doubt that's true but this movie is, I guess, not adapted well at all. Alba and Hudson (two actresses who I don't normally care for) are both rather impressive. Affleck's performance is extraordinary and I can't say a bad thing about that but the movie just did nothing for me at all. It's messy and incoherent and just plain bad.
The Scares - None.
THe Body Count - Six, maybe seven. Still not sure if the ending was real or all in his head (leaning towards the latter).
The Grade - D+ (and it's only getting that high because, like I said, Affleck is excellent).

Top Ten List: Best Supporting Actress of the Decade

Disclaimer: I've agonized for weeks about these lists. I know I forgot an actor or a movie. But I'm done thinking about it so that's that.

Best Supporting Actress of the Decade

10. Holly Hunter in Thirteen (2003) - Hunter is always superb but she's never been better than the caring mother of a wild teenager in Thirteen. She loves her daugther but doesn't recognize she's spiraling out of control. Her performance is sweet and tender but also painful to watch. It's a powerhouse performance which easily shows up an impressive turn by Evan Rachel Wood as said daughter.

09. Michelle Williams in Brokeback Mountain (2005) - Williams was the one ray of hope on Dawson's Creek. You always just knew she didn't really belong on such a cheesy (at least in its later years) show. She was always destined for greatness and her performance in Brokeback Mountain proves it. Maybe it was her electrifying chemistry with then boyfriend Heath Ledger. Maybe it was just the perfect role for her. But her performance as Alma, the long suffering, vulnerable housewife who discovers something she can't quite understand.

08. Natalie Portman in Closer (2004) - Portman plays the paradoxes of Alice so easily. Alice appears to be wide eyed and innocent... but she is a stripper. Alice is seemingly the most emotionally honest character in the film... yet she turns out to be the biggest liar of all. She's never been better and her best scenes are those where she goes head to head with Clive Owen. The one scene that always sticks out is that brilliantly directed and acted scene at the strip club where Portman and Owen are just the essence of acting perfection.

07. Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - Prior to this film, I wasn't such a big fan of Cruz's. Her acting always lacked a lot for me. I had heard she was a much better actress in her native tongue though I never liked her enough to even seek out a Spanish film of hers. Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona changed all that. Cruz is a firecracker, exploding on to the screen and taking no prisoners. She has steamy chemistry with Javier Bardem (...and Scarlett Johansson). She's sassy and spunky and hilarious and terrifying and just riveting to watch.

06. Amy Adams in Junebug (2005) - When you think "Amy Adams," you think adorable. And that's because she is - especially in Junebug - but she's so much more than that as well. Her performance as Ashley is so layered and textured. She's charming and witty, heartwarming and optimistic. Best of all, she's sincere and you can feel her honesty in every scene. It's why her performance isn't so much a scene-stealer as a scene-enhancer. She just makes this movie so much better than it would have been without her.

05. Mo' Nique in Precious (2009) - I am all about Mo' Nique this year. The comedian has been written off as not being able to act. Well, guess what? She can and she's a powerhouse. As the cruel, emotionally and physically abusing mother of an overweight illiterate teen, she owns this movie. Even without that final scene - where she breaks down in a social worker's office - her performance was amazing enough. But add that one scene where you actually begin to understand this monster and you've got a performance more than worthy of praise for years to come.

04. Frances McDormand in Almost Famous (2000) - As an over-protective and borderline over-bearing mother, McDormand brings laughs... and a whole lotta heart to her role in Cameron Crowe's rock star film. She means well and only wants to protect her shy and awkward son William as he embarks as a journalist on tour with a band. Her scenes where she connects with the bands lead guitarist are some of her best. As is her line reading of, "Rock stars have kidnapped my son!"

03. Kate Hudson in Almost Famous (2000) - Almost Famous is the single reason I haven't given up on Hudson yet. She's been biding her time with romantic comedies but I know she's got it in her to deliver at least one more knockout performance like she did in Almost Famous. As the perennial groupie Penny Lane, Hudson is the essence of free spirited sweetness. She's got tension filled chemistry with Billy Crudup and a sweet sort of childlike chemistry with Patrick Fugit. When she finally overdoses at the end, it's almost a pleasure to watch the way she crumbles and falls apart. And kudos for that "What kind of beer?" line reading. Beauty and optimism through tears. Hudson has never been - maybe will never be - better.

02. Marcia Gay Harden in Mystic River (2003) - When you're in a movie with a ton of big name actors and on particular guy (Sean Penn) who is giving the performance of his career (up until that point, anyway), it's kind of hard to get noticed. Not if you're my dear, sweet, amazing Marcia. In the film she plays the wife of Tim Robbins character. She's sweet-natured and trusting. She's simply outstanding as the loving wife who has to struggle with the biggest moral dilemma faced by any of the characters. She's brilliant and amazing and that's just one of the reasons why she's my very favorite actress ever! (FYI - Her performance in The Dead Girl just missed out on the top ten list!).

01. Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There (2007) - The short version: She plays Bob Dylan!!! The long version: Not many female actresses would have the balls to play Bob Dylan. Not many could pull it off. Okay, I can't think of anyone else who could have pulled it off. Only Blanchett in all of her nose-twitching, eye-rubbing brilliance. She's subdued and mellow but quick to lash out with sharp wit. Her section of the bizarre but wonderful film is the most straight forward and so she has to be the most like the actual Bob Dylan. She doesn't just mimic him, she becomes him (and looks shockingly like him) in a strange way that's so effective since the character is being played by a woman. Blanchett is simply amazing as she continues to build a resume of quirky, powerhouse performances that not many other actresses could even come close to.

Mini Reviews

Bride Wars - Cutesy and completely cliched in every single way, the only thing that maybe makes Bride Wars a tiny bit watchable is that Kate Hudson is charming. That's not to say I've forgiven her for throwing away her entire career (after all, she hasn't made a good movie since Almost Famous, really). Still, she is a charming actress and I guess if she's going to do romantic comedies, then that's something I have to accept. Still, at least she could pick GOOD romantic comedies. They are rare but they do exist. For someone who loves Anne Hathaway so very much in Rachel Getting Married, this movie just proves why I dislike her in everything else. I will admit, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that these two ladies settled a despute by having a dance off. In my world, we would settle everything with a dance off.
Grade: D

My Bloody Valentine - First of all, I live in Pennsylvania (where this movie takes place). It is currently February and nearly 60 degrees. But guess what!?! Even if there is a mini heat wave in Pennsylvania in February - there would still be traces of snow SOMEWHERE! Enough about that. This movie is pretty terrible. There were times when I thought to myself, "This movie is sort of a throwback to 80s horror movies - it could quite possibly be fun and bad in a really fun way." But no. It's just bad in a bad way. It seems the only person who was in on the joke (that this was a terrible movie) was Kerr Smith who I thought did a fine job (for what it's worth). Except, maybe he's just a terrible actor in a terrible movie. I don't know. Anyway, this movie is terrible. It's a good thing Jensen Ackles is cute because he's a terrible actor.
Grade: D-

Taken - Another cliched film - this time a story of revenge. Liam Neeson is amazing in every way... it's a shame this movie is so silly. The dialogue is just laughable. The action sequences are a bit overdone. It's just all around cheesy although I guess it has it's moments of decency. And it's scary to say, but it's the best movie I've seen so far in 2009.
Grade: D+

The Reader - Yes, Kate Winslet is incredible. Yes, Stephen Daldry's directing is incredible. But as far as Best Picture goes? I'm not so sure. It's one of the better films among the nominees but it still wouldn't make my top ten list. It's an interesting and fascinating film. It tells a great story and it has amazing acting and directing and writing. Still, it just doesn't all work for me. I still prefer Winslet in Revolutionary Road. The Reader is a good movie, for sure. I would recommend it, of course, but there are parts that drag out. And for as much as I love Ralph Fiennes, his parts of the movie were borderline boring.
Grade: B


Coming soon... a review of the Friday the 13th remake (I shudder to think) and final Oscar predictions!

Mini Reviews...

Lakeview Terrace - Not exactly a bad movie, perse, just terribly trite and unoriginal. It's more a think piece about interracial relationships than a thriller about clashing neighbors. And, really, it just seems out of place in 2008. I mean, I know people are still prejudiced but do they really take it to this extreme? I find it hard to believe. It was probably the second most fun bad movie of the year (after Mamma Mia, of course). It was entertaining, if nothing else. And, you know, Patrick Wilson is so very nice to look at.
Grade: C-

My Best Friend's Girl - What the hell happened to Kate Hudson? I remember the days when she made good movies like 200 Cigarettes and Desert Blue and, you know, Almost Famous. Now she's trying too hard to be the romantic lead. She is charming as hell and it's hard not to like her but she's letting her talent go to waste with terrible scripts like this. I think there were about three times I laughed. Dane Cook is not funny. Jason Biggs is not... anything. Alec Baldwin was the saving grace of this disaster.
Grade: D+

Burn After Reading - Near the end of the film, J.K. Simmons tells a lackey, "Report back to me when this all makes sense." That's sort of how I felt as well. Lucky for the Coen Brothers (and their wonderfully outrageous cast), I like movies that are confusing and silly and often don't make much sense. John Malkovich is amazing in his role as a CIA agent who quits his job, writes his memoirs and has a sort of nervous breakdown. My favorite moment of the film is him walking off a boat wearing a robe and carrying an axe. John Malkovich is right up there with Eric Roberts as one of the coolest guys in the whole world. Brad Pitt is hilarious. I often dislike Pitt in films (because I dislike him in real life) but he was actually fun to watch here. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand (worst. hair. ever.) and Richard Jenkins round out a really great cast who made an enjoyable, funny, entertaining film.
Grade: B+

The Life Before Her Eyes - Melodramatic to say the least. Almost unbearable to watch.
Grade: D-

Snow Angels - What a beautifully tragic desperate and ultimately devastating film. Director David Gordon Green has sure shown his versatatily this year. First he makes this tragic depressing little film (which released in February) and then he follows it up with one of the funniest movies of the summer (Pineapple Express). I don't want to tell you too much plot because it's really worth watching. There are a lot of twists and a lot of really great linear storytelling. The cast is phenomenal. The ladies - Kate Beckinsale (she can act!), Olivia Thirlby and Amy Sedaris - are just fine but it's the men - Sam Rockwell and Michael Angarano - who steal the show. Rockwell will break your heart.
Grade: B+

Married Life - Not necessarily bad. Anything starring Patricia Clarkson is automatically "not bad" in my book. Still, it's boring as hell. I didn't care about any of these characters or any of the ways they slept with each other. If it wasn't for Patricia, I don't think I could have even finished it. Maybe it's my hatred for Rachel McAdams. Maybe it was the lousy script. Who knows.
Grade: D+