Ghosts of the Ozarks

I watched this movie just for David Arquette, the plot seemed interesting as well but sadly I didn't like it. It took me too long to understand what was going on through out the film and that's why I couldn't enjoy it. Even when I finally understood I didn't like what I saw. It was super boring as well and I'm sad it turned out that way for me.

I recommend avoiding the reviews as there are a number of selfish ducks who've included a big spoiler without having the courtesy of giving a warning.

This could have been so much better if classified as 'suspense' and not 'horror' - which it isn't. Expecting a 'horror' genre led us to keep thinking, as we were watching, "When will the horror part start?". It never did.

Excellent acting, good filming, interesting plot. But trying to market this as a horror genre will disappoint many people, and put off an audience who would otherwise enjoy a suspense genre. Hence many negative reviews. Which is a shame for such a well acted film.

Austin Film Festival 2021 Greetings again from the darkness. Most mothers tell their kids, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." Young Doctor James McCune (Thomas Hobson) has decided to take up the offer from his Uncle Matthew (Phil Morris, who "Seinfeld" fans will recognize as outrageous attorney Jackie Chiles), and become the town doc in North Fork. The year is 1866, and after an eventful trip that sets us up for a horror film, James arrives to find one of the earliest 'gated communities'.

Upon arriving, two things stand out to James. First, it seems all of the North Fork citizens know his name and have been waiting on him to show up. Second, he's fascinated by the sight of a mixed-race community living in harmony. His bright-eyed awe shows his wondering whether this this some type of Utopian society? Not long after he realizes his Uncle Matthew holds the power position in town, James begins to notice the cracks in the façade of his new found paradise.

The town's characters are quite a bunch to behold. Torb, the multi-talented blind barkeep is played by the always-fun Tim Blake Nelson (recently seen in OLD HENRY). Tara Perry (the film's co-writer and wife of co-director Jordan Wayne Long) plays sharp-shooting Annie, not one for putting up with much drama. Her rather large, protective brother William is played by Joseph Rudd, while Angela Bettis as Lucille and David Arquette as Douglas play normal and annoying - I'll leave it to you to discern which is which.

"From one seed an entire forest can grow" is the film's opening quote, and it takes on an entirely different meaning as the story progresses. A gathering red fog indicates the menacing ghosts are present, but are the forest ghosts the real threat? Co-directors Jordan Wayne Long and Matt Glass, along with co-writers Long, Sean Anthony Davis and Tara Perry have adapted their 2016 short film into a ghastly fun feature, with Mr. Hobson and Ms. Perry reprising their roles. As we've learned power plays come in many forms, and sometimes legends are used to distract from the truth. Thanks to this film, I have a new guideline: any movie that features Tim Blake Nelson singing with an Irish accent is automatically worth watching.

The people being purely negative about this movie are not being fair. Anyone who has watched it knows that a lot of time, talent, heart, and soul went into it. It isn't by any means a "bad" movie at all, but it is however a really slow burn, and suffers from several scenes that could have been condensed a bit. At over 1:45 minutes, some padding could have been stripped.

The acting is pretty solid across the board, and the overall look and feel is well crafted. The special effects aren't terrible, but aren't groundbreaking either. Aside from the plodding pace at times, the ending is sadly an M. Night Shyamalan style brow-raiser disappointment for me. While I would never call this a film unworthy of a watch, it isn't one I'll be adding to my collection either. It's a great story with a lot of potential, but one that sadly doesn't live all the way up to it.