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laurel47
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Reviews
The Interrogation of Michael Crowe (2002)
Praise/Rant
Tremendous film. One of the best TV movies ever made. The main reason I liked the film is because it provided such a contrast to mainstream claptrap. It is shocking how complete the saturation is, with regards to major networks' hour-long cop dramas. Portrayals of virtuous authorities dominate the airwaves, while the the exact opposite saturate real life. Inept, lazy cops sit in coffee shops and shoot unarmed people in the back. Bullying detectives are obsessed with achieving psychological domination rather than getting to the truth. To be a good interrogator, values and scruples are detrimental characteristics. Misleading people is an art they are encouraged to perfect. It is a mistake to give these people so much power; it is a recipe for disaster. Given carte blanche to use whatever dirty tricks they can devise to achieve confessions, regardless of innocence or guilt, killers are allowed to roam while blindsided taxpayers get sent to anal rape prison for life. Myopic lawyers are far more interested in advancement and accumulation of wealth than they are in seeing justice meted out. I find it hard to believe that "Law & Order" and "CSI" are so popular while films like "The Interrogation of Michael Crowe" wallow in relative obscurity on Lifetime and Court TV. This film makes one wonder, why are the major networks so commonly lying to us? What possible benefit can be gained? The people that worked on "Michael Crowe" deserve a big pat on the back, and those that work on the mainstream lies should be ashamed of themselves. Finally, we average Americans absolutely must wake up to the fact that we are not being "Served and Protected" by our justice system. This film made me realize that I want to do something about injustice. I will start by attending peaceful protests and writing my representative in Washington. It has motivated me not to be lazy or scared; fixing things honestly can't be done without not only my input and participation, but yours as well!
Cookers (2001)
Better Than The Blair Witch Project, By a Large Margin
Girlfriend comments
1) "I had no idea it was this exciting!"
2) "Did you know there was this much suspense?"
3) "I love this movie."
4) "This is so rad!"
People afraid of horror movies but like offbeat or indie films should not overlook this title. This is actually not a horror movie at all. It's more like a suspenseful drug movie with supernatural overtones. There are no serial killers or monsters, and the filmmakers are uninterested in doing things many, more accomplished, filmmakers might do if they were to make a horror movie -- like inserting a pointless murder or similar scene of carnage just to keep things interesting. Cookers is one of those kinds of movies that seems like it should have been a play, or possibly was adapted from the stage. The dialogue is great fun, with sinister and paranoid ramblings scattered throughout. The cast is very strong, and seems quite comfortable with the dark material. Each of them is given a specific character arc that we get to watch them travel on, and there are some nice payoffs for each of them. The story definitely plays second fiddle to the creepy ambiance. This movie is all about the enclosure of these unpredictable characters in a claustrophobic, dilapidated setting. The dusty and abandoned old house is perfect. The production designer did some superb work on the interiorit's reminiscent of the wildly confusing layout of the house in Evil Dead 2. The music is perfectit isn't manipulative or inappropriate, and has a studio-level quality that is very satisfying. Another strength of the film is how effective and consistent the quality of light is throughout; it never seems like there shouldn't be as much as there is, or that there is too little of it for all the sources present. The overall look of the film falls somewhere between video and celluloid; not quite cheap, but not glossy at all. 35mm might have been a more appropriate format, but it looks fine in standard. The sound, however, leaves much to be desired. At times it is extraordinary, but at other times dialogue levels are either disproportionate or completely inaudible. One of the most glaring weaknesses of the DVD is the lack of captions. For an indie effort, that's saying somethingusually, there are either major continuity errors, logic blips, pathetic actors, and/or a lack of understanding of tone, story momentum, showing not telling, etc. The fact that this movie contains no real noticeable hiccups like these is quite extraordinary, and the creators should be proud of their work.