2018 Films: #25. Cam

Netflix viewing on November 23rd. I came across this title while searching online for thrillers/horror films to be on the lookout for streaming wise. I briefly read about it and it seemed like it was interesting enough to take a chance on.

This psychological horror/thriller is directed by Daniel Goldhaber and stars "Crazy Janine" from The Handmaid's Tale as Alice. Alice has an online business as a cam girl under the name of "Lola" where she does things for probably an all male online clientele. Alice wants to crack the Top 50 and even get to the number one spot. Alice is doing well but once she breaks the top 50, things take a turn for the worse. Alice ends up being shut out of her account but her shows are still going on.

During the course of her investigation, she makes a discovery about the website's number one cam girl, Candy. Alice then makes a last ditch effort to get her life back.

The film was written by Isa Mazzei and is partially drawn from her own experience as a cam girl. This was a pretty good thriller. One minute Alice is riding high and then the rug gets pulled out from underneath her. She struggles to cope and get things back on track but everything seems to backfire. Goldhaber builds up the tension as Alice gets closer to the answer.

The film received a 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating which might be a bit high but this is a really interesting picture. Solid performances all around. Very suspenseful with good pacing. It's worth watching.

2018 Films: #24. The Clovehitch Killer

An Amazon Prime viewing on November 23rd. Duncan Skiles directs the tale of the Burnside family. The Burnsides live in a predominately white town in Kentucky that's very religious and insanely sexually repressed.

Don, Dylan McDermott, the "Johnny Good Guy" patriarch of the Burnside family. He is the scoutmaster for his son Tyler's (Charlie Plummer) scout troop. He taught Tyler how to hunt and be a responsible gun owner. Cindy, Samantha Mathis, is the clueless wife who has no idea about her husband's, shall we say, kinky side.

In the wake of a remembrance of a victim of the "Clovehitch Killer," who bears a resemblance to BTK in terms of modus operandi, Tyler meets up with Kassi, Madisen Beaty, a girl new to town who just happens to be a relative of a prior Clovehitch victim and amateur sleuth. Tyler, recently outcast himself because of some porn from his Dad's stash that found it's way into his belongings, strikes up a friendship with Kassi and explains how that porn got into his stuff. This sets Tyler on a mission to find his Dad's stash in the shed outback and eventually leads him to his father's trophies under the crawlspace.

In the midst of the overwhelming evidence that points to Don being Clovehitch, Tyler doesn't alert the authorities nor his mother about his suspicions. Kassi however is convinced that Don is Clovehitch and wants him to face justice. Tyler convinces his Dad to get rid of his trophies but it's not the same. Without his trophies to revisit, he needs to collect more.

The film received a 74% Rotten Tomatoes rating. That seemed a bit high to me. Even though the film clocks in a 109 minutes, it moves slow at times and the tension doesn't really get ratcheted up the way I felt it should have. The film's denouement is also a bit far fetched. There's a lot that you just have to dismiss.

Now, McDermott is good in his role and gets really creepy in his version of the "Buffalo Bill coming out" scene. The acting was solid all around but I got bored at times and I never felt Charlie and Kassi were going to face any real grave danger. The ending was weak also  you could say it was against the grain. This was not a bad film. There are certainly worse films but there are better ones. I didn't have a problem with the film not having any brutal death scenes but there was not enough tension for me.

2018 Films: #23. Outlaw King

Netlfix viewing on November 17th. A historical action piece about legendary Scottish king, Robert the Bruce. The film is directed by David Mackenzie and stars the very American Chris Pine as the legendary Scottish king.

When we last saw Robert the Bruce onscreen he was leading a charge of William Wallace loyalists and fellow Scots against the English at Bannockburn in 1314.

The film takes place in between Mel Gibson being drawn & quartered at the end of Braveheart and the film's final scene. Suffice to say there was a lot going during that time.

I'll say this, MacKenzie really pulled out the stops to make me feel like I was back in 14th century Scotland. Never ending overcast sky, crappy weather, sweeping hills and mud. Lots of mud. The authenticity is there as everything is dirty. The battles are bloody and gritty. It was a tough time in the 14th century. Life sure was not easy.

MacKenzie packs a lot into the 121 minute run time. The narrative may get a bit muddled here and there but it's not boring. The film received mixed reviews and received a 63% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Pine is tough to believe as Bruce but he does his best. If you're into history, then this is a good film to watch. Now be advised, the film gets some thing right but it does play fast and loose with the facts. But most films do that anyway, whether it's for dramatical or technical purposes. It's ok to use Hollywood films a historical reference but they never are out to "get it right" 100%.

2018 Films: #22. The Warning

Netflix viewing on November 17th. I watched this on a flight as it seemed like an interesting premise. Set in Spain and covering simultaneous interconnecting plot lines in 2008 and 2018. In 2018, 10 year old Nico (Hugo Arbues) is bullied by some schoolmates into stealing a porno mag from a convenience store that just so happens to be on the site of some murders that have taken place over the last several decades. The cashier catches him, agrees not to tell Nico's mom and stealthily leaves a note in Nico's bag to not come to the store on this birthday, April 12th.

In 2008, we have Jon (Raúl Arévalo), a former math prodigy who has fallen on hard times. He had a mental breakdown that drove the woman he loves into the arms of best friend and now they're engaged. Jon copes with things the best he can and remains close with them. On a rainy night he stops at the convenience store so his friend can get some bubbly in order to propose. David gets caught up in a robbery and is shot.

While David is in a come, Jon starts his descent into madness as he stops taking his meds and manages to uncover a series of murders that occurred on the convenience store property that have a mathematical connection.

The film received a a 56% Rotten Tomatoes rating and that seems about right. Jon's descent into madness is well done but there's a bit of supernatural-ness at the end which turned me off. Nico's mother, Lucia (Aura Garrido), is great as the concerned mother who starts to lose it as Nico's birthday gets closer. Strong performances but the tension just didn't seem to be there at the end. Once Jon figured out the murder algorithm, the film's prominent and best plot line, I kind of knew how the film was going to end.