Crumb Catcher

It was hard to gauge how good or bad this movie was going to be based on the reviews. Real coin flip here. Well, I called heads and it came up tails.

After 25 minutes, nothing really happened and I absolutely hated the newlywed couple. Both had irritable personalities and I think nobody told them they were rolling because their performances were on par with a table read or maybe a first rehearsal. But more incredulously, it made absolutely no sense these two people would marry each other. I mean, they came across as a breakup/rebound couple at best. Maybe later on in the movie there's some exposition illustrating why they decided to get married, but 25 minutes in, impossible to believe.

So yeah, after 25 minutes, switched off and watched something else.

An engaging, heart-racing film with an incredibly well-casted ensemble. Each actor shines in their respective roles--weirdo, furious and passionate, there's an edge and something darker eating away at each of their insides, which begins to leak as the film reaches its climactic end. The film is for sure an ode to the macabre, sideshow suspense of the freaks and thieves, film noir and whodunnits. Ella Rae Peck grips the plot by the scruff of the neck and drags it forward as she attempts to keep sane amongst the suspicious behavior of the rest.

The love between both leads is soft and sweet and gives weight and more sadness to the drama unfolding.

Not one character was believable or relatable. Everyone appeared to be in a bad mood. The reviews of 10 stating great characters, casting, etc were clearly related to the film makers or cast.

The story was ridiculous. This was a giant uninteresting slog.

Not one character was believable or relatable. Everyone appeared to be in a bad mood. The reviews of 10 stating great characters, casting, etc were clearly related to the film makers or cast.

The story was ridiculous. This was a giant uninteresting slog.

Not one character was believable or relatable. Everyone appeared to be in a bad mood. The reviews of 10 stating great characters, casting, etc were clearly related to the film makers or cast.

The story was ridiculous. This was a giant uninteresting slog.

So the movie is entirely about watching the train derail and whether the audience will be satisfied with how badly these horrible people get the comeuppance that is due each and every one of them a trillion-fold times infinity via a devilishly brutal climax.

And meh. Some stuff happens. But not nearly to the absurd degree needed to undue the abysmal portrayals throughout.

Instead, at the very end it sadly tried to play on sympathies that just simply weren't there. So no, it did not succeed at the Gothic Noir stage play thing it was going for - which is a total bummer since I usually like things that Larry Fessenden has a hand in.

It is tense. For sure. Someone might like that.

"Came back, Shane" was a funny line.

Crumb Catcher gets a 7/10 from me. It's a weird little movie that reminded me of some of those offbeat indie/art house films from the '90s-stuff like Barton Fink or The Dark Backward. Most of it takes place in one house, with a small group of characters, and it slowly builds from awkward to intense in a way that kept me interested. It's dark, kind of funny in a messed-up way, and has a look that really fits the mood.

It's not perfect-the acting isn't the greatest, there's too much shaky cam, some of the dialogue feels flat, and a few scenes seem to be trying a little too hard to be strange or meaningful. Still, it has a strong style and doesn't play it safe, which I appreciate. If you like movies that are a little off-center and don't mind some rough edges, this one's worth checking out.