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(No spoliers) Spike Lee movies are either fantastic 5 stars, or mediocre 1-2 stars, never in between. He has quite the resume, and most of his films are hits. Well, sorry to say but this one is a failure. The opening scene is promising. There's imagery and sound that is classic Spike Lee and I got a very good feeling the first couple minutes. But then it turns in to a filmed stage play that I kept waiting to end and the real movie get started, maybe follow the main characters through their lives. "Oh these guys are aspiring actors, let's see what happens in real life." Nope. The play IS the movie. To add insult to injury, the entire film just focuses on the two main characters who talk a lot of super unrealistic dialogue. Imagine if Woody Allen wrote the most stereotypically bad movie possible, like offensive parody bad. This would be it. I struggled to make it half way through the film and I just couldn't take it anymore. It's a 1 star movie. I gave an extra star for a certain level of creativity that may appeal to some dumb people the same way Woody Allen movies do (never appealed to me), the acting of the two main characters isn't necessarily bad, they did what they could with it, and it is an entire feature film with a cast of only four actors. Not easy to pull off, obviously, because even Spike Lee sure couldn't.

(No spoilers) Pretty simple and somewhat predictable story, could be summed up in a couple sentences. Ed Norton is fantastic as always, Evan Rachel Wood is always good too. Supporting cast are great actors, but minimally featured, with the focus mostly on the main actors, especially Ed Norton's character. The scenery is beautifully filmed, and the camera work is top notch. For such a simple movie with a small cast, it just works. Definitely worth a watch. One of Ed Norton's lesser known features.

(No spoilers) I started this with no intentions on liking or finishing it because most movies nowadays are huge disappointments. I was surprised that A-list actor Willem Dafoe would be in such a film, and he did fantastic as always. Everyone in this film is 100% believable, to the point this could have been a documentary and not a movie. It's also tough to find young kids that age who don't appear to be faking or over dramatizing it. A+ on the casting. Bravo for the actors. They all have great careers ahead of them. There's not much empathy for the annoying lowlife mother character played by Bria Vinaite, but she played the part convincingly well. (Once again, NO spoilers) There's a part where the main character little girl played by Brooklynn Prince is filmed up close while her and the mother are eating in a hotel restaurant. It almost appears like candid audition footage. By far my favorite scene from this film. The supporting actors were all perfectly cast and played their parts brilliantly too. The cinematography is great, the scenery and landscape are captured well, lots of colors and visuals, very pleasing to the eye. As stated in other reviews, this movie is not for everyone. It's pretty raw and straightforward, gives you a glimpse in to the lifestyle of cheap motel life in Central Florida, and it's not always pleasant. But I really enjoyed watching it and hopefully you do too.

(No spoilers) I first saw this film in the theater when I was 10 years old. It was pretty graphic for someone my age, and it stuck with me enough to watch it again a few more times as I got older, and to show it to my adult children. All of the actors do a fantastic job, to the point you cannot tell they are acting. Even the over dramatization and stereotypical acting of the Southern Florida redneck friends of James Spader's character are completely believable (I've actually known people who could have been cast as these characters and wouldn't even have to act, just be themselves. For real). Lori Loughlin is as beautiful as ever in this film (She was 18-19 at the time, and three years after this release she was cast on Full House. She still looks great eh? Forever young and beautiful. Fans of her's should absolutely watch this film.) Everything about this movie is believable and interesting. It's filmed in Homestead, Florida and captures a time that is long gone and a place that has changed dramatically. James Spader really shines, maybe this is the best and most underrated performance of his career. The main character Loren (played by Shannon Presby who's acting career was short lived, as he went on to be a prominent attorney and prosecutor in Los Angeles) is likable and easy to relate to. This movie is a combination of teen drama, family drama and horror. There are some moments with elements of dark comedy, but not many. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. A definitey underrated and lesser known dark horse. Check it out for sure.

(No spoilers) I started this movie with pretty low expectations, and it started out pretty slow and typical, with a predictable story line. But after about 20 minutes I was strangely fixated on it. I think it was due to great cast, the very strong acting, and the dialogue which was out of the ordinary and gets you just far enough out of your comfort zone to be interesting, but stays enough towards the middle to keep it 100% believable. There are some sexual scenes and explicit language, so don't watch with kids or family members unless they're on that level. Everything is done in a tasteful and artistic manner though, but still sexually explicit. I almost didn't want this movie to end, but it ended at the right time. The scenery and cinematography were pretty basic and standard, nothing special because it didn't need to be, the film doesn't rely on it, but the lighting and camera angles worked perfectly with the story and cast, lots of close-ups, filmed in an intimate manner, felt like I was there in the movie. Once again, fantastic acting by wonderful actors. Most of the newer movies of this genre disappoint me, I watch for 20 minutes then shut it off. So glad I decided to give this one a try. Bravo!

My good friend Jerry Watson turned me on to this movie after he bought it on LaserDisc. (remember those?) This is definitely Sam Rockwell's best work, and possibly John Turturro's as well. I've seen all of their movies and they're great in everything. It's not a mainstream action-packed thriller with explosions and plot twists, it's just a feel-good drama with a simple story line. Obviously not for everyone. The scenery is fantastic. The script is well written with lots of subtle situational humor. Great supporting cast, especially Lisa Blount's and Katherine Keener's characters. Even the unlikable characters are likable, if that makes any sense. (No spoilers) The movie is about an electrical engineer named Al Fountain (John Turturro) who is a perfectly straight, OCD type of guy who starts to see things moving in reverse after discovering his first gray hair. He's having a mid- life crisis and doesn't know or understand it. By chance he meets his polar opposite "The Kid" (Sam Rockwell) who's a free spirit and lives off-the-grid by no rules whatsoever. The Kid may be just what Al Fountain needs.

Reminded me of The Doom Generation, same style of filming and acting. Co-starring a young (18) Mena Suvari, how could you go wrong? More of a film for older teens and younger adults, I was 22 when it was released, so I'm old now and I'll still play it for my younger friends and family members who always say "another one of your weird movies...". Yeah, it's a weird movie. Worth checking out if you're in to this genre, not so much if you're in to the more mainstream styles of movies. It's not really serious, although it does touch on some serious issues. The characters Surf & Ski are my personal favorite; they're good looking blonde twin boys who talk in unison - very creative, I thought so anyway. Enjoy.

After reading the description, I expected this movie to be boring and predictable, then watch the first 10 minutes and switch it off. 10 minutes turned in to 30, turned in to an hour, and next thing I knew I was watching the ending with tears rolling down my face.

This movie is not for everyone. It is not an action-packed adventure with explosions and plot twists. It is a drama which focuses on the characters, their flaws, and their relationships with one another. Eddie Murphy is as good or better as a serious actor as he is a comedian or comedy actor (I love his stand-up and comedy movies; Harlem Knights, Coming To America, Norbit, Trading Places, Golden Child, Nutty Professor, etc. I mean, come on, that's some seriously funny stuff, and he's been at it and relevant for 30+ years, so he's got the chops.)

(No spoilers, don't worry) This film is centered around the young female main character and watching her grow up, along with her mother, friends and acquaintances, and of course Mr. Church. She also does some narration throughout the film. The cooking/food scenes in the beginning of the film are what initially kept me watching, granted I am biased because I enjoy cooking/food related TV and movies. Eddie Murphy's acting and the character itself kept me hooked along with the supporting cast.

This is one of those movies where the description sounds like it would be weak. It's not. It just works. Brilliantly.