Reviews

It is one thing to think idealistically, and then most often a completely other thing to execute those ideas in a practical manner.

In a way, I really do appreciate this film. I even do think it is somewhat of an important film for sure, and I almost feel bad giving the rating that I'm going to give it. However at the same time I rate films in a certain way, and to me this film definitely fails to be as brave as I would've loved to see it be, and it fails to convey enough of a solidly grounded and cohesive message overall.

So, in the end I really don't feel bad giving it this rating at all. In a sense I'd like to rate this film a 2/10, but in another sense I'd like to rate it a 7/10. It's just one of those films, I love some things about it, but I definitely didn't buy into enough aspects of it. The film simply fails to be entirely convincing.

One of the tings that I really do love about this film, is that it will get people talking about some very important things.

The aim of this film is high, and I greatly respect it for that. Mainly because I think it's at least coming from a fairly honest place here. Though overall I feel the film is far more naive to some degree, than it is successful. In fact to me, the film only argued against itself in a very real sense. I do say "fairly honest", because I also definitely think that at least a few points on American history in this film, could certainly be argued, if not even in fact proven to be false.

Most of all, the film fails to really challenge the viewer as to the ultimate true cause of human divisions. Why? I'd say either because the writer doesn't actually fully understand the entire human issue they're trying to unravel, or they're too afraid of raising the real issue anymore boldly. Things are not as simple as this film sometimes tries to make them seem. Most of all however, because the real root of these issues is bigger than us, and bigger than any system implanted by humans. Even if we left our worlds biggest and hardest philosophical questions out of it. The film still falls short of really going after the depths of cause in regard to the divisions of hierarchy. I also understand however that if it did really go after this idea in depth, the film would be buried by the corporate world almost entirely. This film would pretty much cease to even be. So, that's another very big can of worms to even open. Subtlety can be much more productive at times. It does in fact work well in this film in at least a couple moments. However I failed to see anything about the grander scale of the reality behind this very real issue of the hierarchy of human divisions.

I mean for starters, hierarchies in nature are exactly that, they start out very natural, they are a natural thing. The film avoids all sorts of realities in its quite idealistic take on human divisions, even beyond avoiding the grander scale of the material cause, or otherwise.

I would've given this film at least a 6/10 on here. That is if it had at least conveyed the idea stronger that the American problem is far more than just some old white people who've rigged the system issue. In too many ways, the film is naive, and at other times not clear enough in its vision or ideas. Though I would not dispute that it has some strong moments, and some fairly wise views in it at times. However, to point mainly at a system is nothing short of a copout to me. I didn't feel that it entirely blamed this, but it mostly does convey this belief it seems, which is definitely flawed and greatly simplistic to the reality.

I also thought even the mention of George Floyd at the end did nothing for the film, or the conversations a film like this should or could inspire. Why one name? To me it should clearly be no name, or all names with a subject so grand as this. A life is a life, and I certainly mean no disrespect to George Floyd in saying this, but really. Why scale it down with this kind of thing? One name. To me it just doesn't compliment the film in any sense.

I would even go so far as to say that there was at least one very strong scene in this film. Where the main character is talking to what I assume is a plumber about the leak in her basement. The main character connects to this MAGA hat wearing worker using her humanity, and then the scene goes on to show that because of this, he then is able to better relate to her as a human being, and he then offers her a somewhat greater level of help. I thought that scene was quite brilliantly executed all the way around, and there were some other strong moments here. Overall however, for me it is somewhat of a failure for sure. Though in my estimation, a somewhat important failure.

4/10.

There are many great things about this film, it captures a horrific reality with the kind of realism that we basically never see out of Hollywood. At the same time however, I do feel the film did miss in a few important areas as well. Nonetheless, this is a scary film because of its realism. Mostly the film is very effective. In all honesty, this is easily more gut wrenching than Sound of Freedom, mainly because the scenes here mostly feel even far more real. Most people don't even want to see films like this, films this authentic feeling, films this scary. Nonetheless, if you're interested, it's definitely well worth a look in my view.

7/10.

Quite funny at times, but all in all; There's really nothing of substance here that hasn't already been done better in previous films, and in similar stories. In many ways, the writing overall falls short of making this anything special. Even some of the scene executions themselves seem to be somewhat lacking, as if there's a lack of focus on detail by the director/editor. To me, the film reaches for grand things with the surreal visuals and story, but it definitely stumbles quite hard in terms of the writing. In this aspect, the film is much lesser than many other films/stories of its type. It is overall however, a good bit better than Frankenhooker in my view, which I definitely do not recommend.

6.5/10.

Just say no!

What can I say? I got hustled thinking that this may actually have something interesting to say, or look at, or think about. I was suckered.

Personally I thought this was among the dumbest films I've ever seen. Basically everything feels forced and unauthentic, (Which seems to be all too common these days in American films.). There really is NO STORY here at all. The vast majority of the film feels almost entirely aimless and pointless. There's certainly not anything of much value here. Not even much of any entertaining, thought provoking, or even interesting moments really. It's just silly and pointless, far more than it is anything else. I won't even tell you to watch it at home, instead of the theatre. My advice is just to skip this severely unimportant and ridiculous film altogether. Hopefully I help a few of you people save some valuable time, because there's certainly no reason to waste ANY on this nonsense.

I do agree with some that it's basically a character driven film, or at least it tries to be. However the characters are almost entirely superficial feeling, highly generic, and often silly to the point of absurdity. The whole film really is absurd. This would likely be among the bottom 250 worst films I've ever seen.

1.5/10.

Far better than most dramas of this sort, and mainly because the overall execution is very strong. The writing, acting and direction here are all quite wonderful. I was surprised and delighted by how funny and interesting the film actually is. Most dramatic films with similar stories, I find tend to get somewhat monotonous by the end. As of course stories such as this are to some degree quite predictable in a fairly major sense. Here however the pacing is exceptional, and the writing is easily good enough to keep the viewer fully involved for the nearly 2 hour ride. This really is a beautifully inspiring family drama. Bravo to all involved. Films like this also help reassure thoughtful people, that it doesn't always have to be about some big payoff at the end. In fact, it's often far more about the entire journey.

I'd also like to note here after reading a few responses from critics. To me it looks like some of them may have skipped this film altogether, and just wrote their review based on the trailer alone. It's easy to see this, because the film looks very standard and predictable in the trailer. However that is not really the feel I got whatsoever while watching the entire film. I decided to take a chance on seeing this because of a couple of factors, and the trailer was definitely not one of them. I in fact almost didn't go see this because of how generic the trailer made the film seem. However this is not at all a generic feeling film because of how well it's put together by the many people involved. So, boo to those critics, and another cheers to all of those who chipped in to bring us this surprisingly excellent film.

8/10.

One of the very best werewolf films ever made, maybe THE best. Not everyone seemed to like the play of the horror comedy in this one, but it certainly works well for me. I recently revisited this film and I must admit that really I even forgot how great of a film this is. I knew I liked it a lot, but I had let it sit without a rewatch for too long quite frankly. Glad I finally took it for another spin. This probably is the best werewolf film of all time, and perhaps only The Wolf Man from 1941 even comes close. As far as horror comedies go, this is also among the very best in my estimation. This is truly one of the best horror films around in my view, period.

8.5/10.

This is a very mature crime drama. Not everyone seems to appreciate, or even fully understand the story. Others however feel it's great, subtle, and moving. Many critics have complained about the story, and/or the ending. Personally I think they just missed it, over their heads so to speak. At the same time, a few critics have given this film a top grade. This isn't your average sensationalized Hollywood crime film. It's far more human and real than that. As far as De Niro and Robert Duvall films go, for both actors, this must be among the most underappreciated and underseen of all their best work. There's still not even 9000 ratings on this film here yet.

8.5/10.

It does feel like there's some missed opportunity in this film. Yet at the same time, I also really liked quite a few things about it. Overall I think the film does a pretty good job of capturing a real person, rather than just creating an idealistic vision of his legend. I was surprised to see a few critics call this film "hero worship", which I feel is entirely untrue. In fact one of the things I did love about the film, is that Bob is not shown as anywhere near a perfect person.

This, like all biographical films is really just a glimpse at a person, and far from the entire story of their life. All in all I think the film is a pretty decent entry point to discovering Bob, though of course his music itself, is really the best avenue in.

I was actually somewhat hesitant about this film ever since I first saw the preview. I worried that they would overdo the film. I was happily surprised that the story presented seems to be a fairly genuine and reasonable view of Marley. In my view they did quite a good job here with an important and highly influential figure.

7.5/10.

More people need to see this film. It's an important one.

This film was nominated for a number of awards and won the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.

The right to personal freedom is something that many have given their lives for over the course of history. This film really helps people understand that our freedoms are constantly under attack, continuously in jeopardy. You don't have to agree with what your neighbor may enjoy, and they you. This is the necessary understanding it takes to defend and uphold personal freedom. In allowing your fellow citizens to be free in their choices within the law, you are also defending your own freedom. This understanding, this knowledge of respecting your fellow citizens right to chose, even if you do not like their choice is the very basis of the 1st Amendment of the Untied States. Freedom of speech and beliefs, and the right to free expression itself, is essentially protected under this very idea/amendment. Nonetheless, everyday, in one way or another it's very relevance, value and existence is challenged in society.

As it is said in the film, we lose our freedom only a little at a time. If people do not fight for it continuously. The closed minded, scared and the obsessive control freak type of people, will eventually little by little take away all the freedoms that so many have given their lives for. People have fought wars to maintain the freedom we have to do what we want within our own homes, and to say and believe what we want in a public space. Not only the fearful, but also the ruthlessly greedy are constantly on the march to rob human beings of these very important aspects of life. At this point, most of us take it for granted, and if too many of us do. We will inevitably become like many other countries around the world, where your right to what you do in private is not nearly so valued, nor your right to free public expression. Instead of being looked at as a human being of unknown potential. You could be looked at as a possible threat to societal order. Many countries function not a lot differently than prisons in truth. From courageous historical figures, to modern soldiers and the children of today and tomorrow. We all owe it to them, those who value our personal right to grow as we see fit within the normal confines of the law to appreciate what we have. To stand up for your fellow neighbors right to be who they are and do what they do, as long as it's within the law of course. Law itself in the countries that value personal freedom, is truly built mostly upon an old sacred understanding. If a person is doing something that forcefully goes against another person's will, and if it effects them beyond reason, then it is illegal. Reasonable boundaries are set at what people can do to another in any circumstance. This is essentially the basis of law between human to human interactions in reasonably free countries. The importance of these things is brought to great light in this film about a true story in the American art world. If you can stand the 'dirty pictures', this is a very important film to see.

As a film, it's not perfect. It feels somewhat like a film in parts, because there are a few fairly typical clichés/scenes, and it is somewhat predictable a person could even say. Nonetheless, the story itself is so important and in my view very well told, in that it hits almost every important point about it's main topic. In this way, the film is great. I always base the vast majority of my film ratings upon the stories first and foremost. I don't need to see a perfectly lit and shot film in order for me to highly rate it. The film overall just needs to be effective in what it's setting out to say or do. Some films defy standard formulas entirely, and even reason itself, but nonetheless story for me is the main and most important ingredient in the vast majority of films. Here, we have mostly a very strong story that needs to be seen and talked about by mature adults. Chaplin is actually a great example. He was a very standard film director, almost everything was just point and shoot. But one of the things that made him special, is that he was an extremely talented and effective storyteller. The way his films look matters little, because the stories themselves are often so brilliant, relevant and/or important.

One last point, James Woods gives a great performance here.

8.5/10.

This doesn't have too many votes yet, but it's a 5.7/10 on here so far. That's just crazy to me! Perhaps many of the people who've rated this film so far, have entirely forgotten, or perhaps never even realized, that they indeed are miracles.

This is a more thoughtful film than most, which in some regard revolves around fate and the human circumstance.

"It's like you wakeup one day, and you're just here. Like a stone, thrown into this world, but you don't know who threw it, or which direction it came from." - Maben

I would say it mostly revolves around two characters who have been through a lot of pain and struggle, and who are somewhat desperately trying to right their own paths.

"Maybe there will be a miracle, some way to begin again." - Maben

Not so sure why they're marketing this as an action genre film. Not a smart choice in my view. It's really not an action film overall. It's mostly a drama/thriller, and there are a few scenes with some action. In my view, marketing this as an action film will quite easily persuade some people to expect much more action than they should from it. And by doing this, the marketing team only sets some of these viewers up for at least some level of disappointment, because the expectation they set is not met. Some advice for the people behind this film, get a new marketing team for your next project. I'm certain there'd be less disappointed reactions if everyone just went into this film thinking that it was a drama/thriller, as it mostly is.

*** Partial Spoiler Below ***

This could be considered a film noir, however the end can't really be seen as dark in my view.

Garrett Hedlund (Russell) "I don't recall anything about no huntin' rifle in the New Testament."

Mel Gibson (Mitchell) "Well, you can only turn so many cheeks, and I only got four, so..."

7.5/10.

The director here seems to have no idea how to tell this story. The way some scenes come across seem so obviously wrong, as if the story, the director and the actors are not entirely on the same page. They haven't thought the film through well enough. This easily could've been at least a decent film with these actors and the crime story. However the film leaves us mostly just stunned in disbelief as to how badly this story is conveyed to us at certain times. The writing is also quite weak in some areas, and much of it just seems regurgitated from other classic crime films, (Which could still be reasonably good if done well.). At the very start of the film, it actually does seem fairly good, until you start to see all the problems I've previously mentioned here. At that point, it just starts to become ridiculous.

2.5/10.

What should we think when the most cash rich Japanese company/corporation in the world, produces a film slamming the modern American financial world/Wall Street in multiple ways? Well, it's certainly worth some thought anyways. In this film and in the real life story it somewhat loosely tells, for those with interest there's a lot of food for thought. The film certainly isn't great, but the questions it may lead you to ask, and the things it may make you think about are the most important aspects of the film. At least to me they definitely are. Overall the film is also reasonably entertaining. As far as the actual filmmaking goes, the biggest highlight is that Dano puts in a strong performance, and is highly believable in the leading role.

7/10.

I use to rate this program highly. It had at least at one time, a lot of integrity, and fairly strong investigative reporting. However like a lot of modern media, it has now become little more than biased political propaganda. In their most recent episode, I noticed not only blatant and important pieces of information entirely ignored, but also the other side of the story mostly just glossed over, especially in the last hour of the program. They try to somewhat make it look legit, as if it isn't just a hit piece. However if you follow the stories closely yourself from all sides, don't be surprised to see that these days even this show is now extremely compromised. It's not a wonder that many more independently minded podcasts are now taking over a large portion of the media audience. Television journalism with integrity is essentially dead, the same could mostly be said for newspapers and radio. Science has shown us that fear slows the mind. For us as humans to be focusing on fear over facts, seems to be among the most unscientific things we could possibly be doing. Yet it's exactly this, and the beloved buzzword of the times, 'misinformation' that most media outlets continue to embrace and push.

My old rating of this program - 7.5/10

My rating of the modern program, and this rating may even be somewhat generous I feel. - 2/10.

If you don't take The Creator too seriously, it's quite entertaining, and that's really all that this film is. Just another piece of entertainment. There's really almost nothing thought provoking within the entire film. It is most reminiscent of a modern Star Wars film, or even in a sense a superhero film in terms of its story. There's basically nothing new here, it's mostly very predictable, yet it's fairly fun and it's definitely a reasonably beautiful film in terms of its visuals.

To me, the best thing about it honestly was that the film portrays American imperialists at least, as having less heart in their behavior than even the robots have. Since there really was nothing challenging in the film, at least it had this to ponder and laugh about. I enjoyed the Americans being portrayed as somewhat Naziesque. The film really says something like humans in general have less heart than the robots, but then goes on to show this only through the American government/military interests. Certainly not all of the humans here are shown to be shallow and/or cold.

You know what has really had the best visuals so far this year however. It's not The Creator, and it's not Mission: Impossible or the Equalizer. It's this seasons episode 2 from the TV show Ride with Norman Reedus. Northern Italy looks absolutely spectacular.

Anyway, this film has a nod to Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?/Blade Runner, as it is somewhat about dehumanized humans and humanized androids. The film in fact outright quotes the Tyrell Corporation's slogan, 'More Human Than Human' and even the title 'The Creator' seems to be a nod of sorts I'd say. However this film really isn't in the same league intellectually as anything that well resembles the work of Philip K. Dick. Nonetheless, it's worth a look if you just want a reasonably entertaining sci-fi film, and the theatre is not a bad place to see it considering the visuals.

Fans of the great AI themed TV series, Äkta människor and its UK/American remake, Humans may notice that Gemma Chan ('Maya'), once again plays a lead android character here. As soon as I saw her, I was like, "Mia!". Those were easily two of the best TV series' in the last decade in my view. Certainly they were far more interesting and thought provoking than almost anything we're seeing these days. The word that mostly captures the entertainment world right now seems to be 'safe'. In other words, there's practically no new ideas coming out, no new ways of looking at anything, nothing new to consider. Almost nothing but safe and familiar formulas and approaches. Mostly it's just regurgitated junk as if the industry's just trying to put us mentally to sleep, or dehumanize us. Well, at least Creator is fairly fun and visually impressive junk.

6.5/10.

This really is a well done documentary that basically tells the complete story from many people. Especially the families and the girls themselves. It's a fairly intimate portrait. All the people interviewed were all somehow very close to at least part of the crime, and we see the story unfold from many points of view. The girls are all extremely inspiring to say the least. It really is quite amazing that such a dark and sad story, ends up being so inspirational. The pace here is good if you enjoy watching true crime. I found it well worth the watch. I also feel like I don't need to watch anymore shows on this story, because it's that comprehensive. Unless maybe these same people make another film like this years from now. That could also be interesting. Thankfully in this horrific crime story, we get an ending that's far better than most. That's worth celebrating for sure.

8.5/10.

There are many great things about this film in terms of capturing certain parts of the history of The Rolling Stones, as well as a decent bit of British and American pop culture throughout the 1960's. At the same time however it's also quite terrible, in that much of what is said here by some of the guest speakers is that of opinion and propaganda, rather than facts. The entire narration itself also follows what could be described as a somewhat manufacturing of ideas and events, drawing conclusions and sometimes parallels that in reality make little to no sense. Personally I do not agree at all with many of the ways certain things are portrayed here in the film, all the way from the politics, the Vietnam war, to the British and American culture of the time. Some things are highly overstated, other things entirely ignored, sometimes even cause and effect ideas are drawn to ridiculous conclusions. To me, there is perhaps only one great truth in this film, and that is that around the very late 1960's. The Rolling Stones began their true peak as a band. They had some great work before that as well, but by the late 60's they had really become a very special group of musical artists.

Overall I see this film in a different way than the narrative wants me to, that's for sure. What I find perhaps the most interesting about this film is that it somewhat shows much of the beginnings of how a true rock n' roll outsider band like The Rolling Stones, became worldwide musical icons. This because most of what we see here is their rise to legendary prominence in popular culture, whether most of the people talking in the film actually see it factually or not. Don't get me wrong, there are a few voices in the film who do make some great points and tell some interesting stories and share facts. However there are far too many nonsense ideas in the film for me to recommend this to the average viewer. If you're a die hard Stones fan however. Of course you should at least watch it once.

"I'm rather pleased to hear they have banned the song. The last time they banned one of our records in America, it sold a million. Of course it's subversive! It's stupid to think you can start a revolution with a record. I wish you could." - Mick Jagger

3.5/10.

This early Abel Ferrara effort fits into the rape revenge tradition. Nonetheless it's far more interesting than most films of its type, and certainly far better overall than the vast majority of them. In fact, perhaps it is THE very best of them all. Definitely worth a watch if you're interested in these kinds of films even just a little. As far as gritty vigilante films go, this is definitely in the upper echelon. The more I watch this film, the more I appreciate it. There are many things to enjoy within it. Even some very funny moments. There is great artistic vision shown here from both the director and writer. Far more than you'd normally see in these types of films. Even if you notice the way the film is shot, it's quite great. It really is a beautifully crafted film in many ways, despite the dark and grimy themes and atmosphere. I remember the first time I ever saw this was with an old girlfriend, and after the film she said, "Well that was cute.". Warning: Your companion may not feel the same.

8/10.

Ultra standard delivery, ultra generic writing, and of course all that adds up to, ultra predictable. It's much like a standard Lifetime movie you'd see on during the day, but with a glossy, but yet very trashy and sexually aggressive woman in it. Both lead characters are devastatingly pathetic, and this sometimes can work in a comedy, sure. But you know, it actually has to have some funny jokes in it to do so. In a half filled theatre, I heard a couple of chuckles here and there throughout the entire film. I can't honestly even recall seeing a comedy film hit an audience in such silence in the theatre in my whole life. And checkout my lists, I've seen tons of comedies in the theatre over the years.

After seeing some of the Hollywood films from recent history, I really do wonder if they're not truly trying to kill the theatre industry for good. This film was unbelievably boring. Out of the maybe 4 or 5 even slightly funny parts, I think at least 3 of them are in the trailer. Save yourself, only watch this film for free, if you really want to see it at all. That's my advice, because this for the most part is just garbage! In fact, most garbage cans are probably more interesting than this film. I felt like walking out, I was so bored with it. I've yet to ever walk out of a film, but this one almost got me to do it.

Hollywood is sinking to all new lows in the last many years in my view. The bar has never been lower, in fact at this point, they should probably bend over and pick that bar up off the floor of hell.

2.5/10.

It's hard to even call this a true crime show in my view, since it is told more from the perspective of very myopic minded witnesses for the most part, and the narration adds little else. There's overall very little in terms of undisputed facts, or really very little following of the actual crimes in any kind of typical investigative way. It's basically like a soap opera type of true crime show. Personally, I often enjoy a good true crime investigative program, but this one is not really something that interests me much at all. Most of the newer true crime shows in recent history, have generally slipped in quality in my estimation compared to previous decades. Far too many have become more like common trash TV nowadays, rather than good or interesting stories that are well told.

3.5/10.

Wow, I'm also very surprised as to how few people have gone to see this in the theatre. It really is a very real, and very inspiring story. It's far too real for many of the critics it seems. Many of them seem to want heartless and flashy nowadays, or overdramatic films with a much more unrealistic heart. There's none of that here, and I'd rather watch more grounded films like this any day of the week. Personally I really didn't care much for the bloated, semi-factual and overly choppily directed Elvis film from 2022. I strongly preferred this much more real feeling story.

I still remember the night Foreman became the Heavyweight Champion of the World for the 2nd time. It was pretty much all anyone was talking about for the next while. How could it even happen? He inspired a ton of old people and a ton of kids as well. To me, Ali and Foreman are truly among histories most inspirational athletes, and more than that, just very inspirational people. They were real however, they both had flaws, but for the most part, both of them successfully overcame many of their shortcomings as well. Both men in fact did it while being greatly inspired by their faith. The film does seem a little rushed at times, as it likely needed to be. When we're dealing with a real persons life, and trying to fit all of the most important parts into a film, that just often has to be the way. Otherwise you end up with a film that's way too long. All in all, I'm certainly glad I went and saw this. Thank you George, for sharing your very inspiring story.

7/10.

This Abel Ferrara has some weaker aspects to it, however it also boasts some pretty impressive things within it. Honestly as far as these type of 1980's films go, this one is far superior in many ways to the average. The IMDb rating here on this film is crazy really. It does have some problems this film, for sure. As said however, when compared to the average police crime thriller of the time, this one really does have many great things going for it. Overall, it is a pretty good film, and well worth a watch for many.

There also may be many different opinions on how good the film is, because there actually is a number of differently cut versions out there. Many of them with a lot of censorship. So if you do have interest in seeing this, definitely make sure you're going with a version that is not too heavily cut. Apparently even the US R Rated version does contain some extra edits, but not as much as many other versions. To my knowledge only the Dutch and Greek video versions are fully uncut.

7/10.

My title is how I feel about many of the other people who've rated this film on here so far. Currently a 4.9/10 rating? Almost unbelievable, but then I remember how few people are actually able to handle real life challenges in our modern world, or how many hate when their thinking is challenged, even just a little. This film will challenge you, that is if you even dare to think about what the film is saying much at all. Many people today however have conditioned themselves to cower, hide or run from things that challenge their minds. In my view, this is simply far from a healthy choice.

This film is based on a novel by Eric Bogosian. Partially written for the screen by none other than Vincent D'Onofrio, who also has a role in the film. Personally I found this film to be far better than its rating here on this site. Gina Gershon gives quite a great performance, and the film is simply thought provoking. It's an interesting film in my view, and one that still has gotten so little exposure. People that enjoy uniquely delivered and/or intellectually challenging or provoking films will likely find this at least worth a watch. My rating...

7.5/10.

Funny Pages is the feature film directorial debut of Owen Kline, son of Hollywood royalty, Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates. The film is somewhat unique for sure, though I definitely don't see it appealing to nearly everyone. Nonetheless, at the very least, this debut does really show signs of great potential for this young director with talented roots. There really are some great things about this film. I'm already looking forward to his next projects. I certainly encourage all true film lovers to at least check this out.

I'm not sure I feel that this is a coming of age story really, as many seem to say it is. Only slightly. To me, it was basically a dark comedy all the way, and as such, it actually finally ends up working quite well by the end. Though I'd say it does take a while before the film has enough, to really say that it's a good film. I found some of the film fairly dull, definitely, as much of the more intricate aspects of the main character I found pretty uninteresting. Yet at the same time, this aspect and depth actually sets the character and film up for what to me really was a pretty hilarious ending, or the climax just before the ending, anyhow. All in all, I have to say the film is somewhat brilliant, but also extremely off beat and darkly comedic for certain. But laugh out loud dark comedy in at least a couple spots. Near the very end of the film, I literally had a hard time stopping my laughter.

This will divide audiences, but most critics appreciated it, and quite a few loved it. This is certainly not for overly sensitive viewers. I couldn't watch this film many times, but I could see myself enjoying it again in a few years for sure, and I think that it's the kind of film I may appreciate even a little more the 2nd time. However, as said, it's not the kind of film I'd watch many times, or again anytime too soon. I think a good rest, and then a re-watch will do it best. That's just the kind of film it is to me.

I must say I really don't fully agree with the plot summary here on IMDb. For me the plot is more like this...

A somewhat confused, young and creative comic book fan and amateur artist, decides to get close to an odd and overreactive man, that once worked for a comic book production company.

From this point of view, the film is a pretty good dark comedy. From the point of view of the main character coming of age and finding or searching for soul, is really not what I see here. Nor does the film work all that well in this regard. There really isn't much soul in the film at all, other than to laugh at the ridiculousness that life can throw at people, and/or to laugh at the oddness of human life.

Although it took a while before I appreciated the film much, it really did leave me smiling, and acknowledging that it certainly has its own unique charm. That charm however is not exactly warm, but rather a somewhat darkly funny, but also quite relatable to real life kind of charm. The characters here do feel quite real, as funny as they sometimes are. To me, that really helped the film come together and work in the end.

7.5/10.