The Good Neighbor

To keep it short, very average film but entertaining. All good, convincing acting. Truly a lot of the film is the two leads in a bedroom watching the cameras they put in place of their neighbor. The believable acting and differences in opinion between the characters was entertaining enough for me to watch this film. Unlike Paranormal Activity which is kind of the same concept only this film, The Good Neighbor, has dialogue. The story was cut up between three different time lines that were inserted bit by bit to unravel the complete story and it was executed beautifully. Without giving spoilers, it leads on in such a way that it makes you guess the ending. I personally guessed it wrong again and again and I could not predict the climax of the film but some smaller parts I could. One thing I like in the film were the references to other films and the posters of old films like, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and Night of the Living Dead. It does make sense in the film to the main character, Ethan, played by Logan Miller who's character is into film. My favorite part of this film is the very last shot that shows the true nature of one of the characters. But no spoilers so I can't elaborate. I guess you'll just have to watch the film! I watched this on Netflix in my free time and I can't say I wasted my time. I would also recommend renting it but I personally wouldn't purchase this film unless I hadn't yet seen it. It feels like a one time watch but with the realistic performances, maybe I could watch it again.

I was anticipating this film as the trailer had my eye. Now anticipation is always a dangerous thing with films, as anyone who is a an avid film watcher knows. I can say I was not let down. Caan was in full form, nice to see him showing his chops. The rest of the cast put on a good show, but James was by far the scene thief. The movie keeps the mystery alive and always had me wanting more. It is not to over the top, so you can watch it with someone who is a bit more light hearted when it comes to these types of movies, and that doesn't take away from the film either. I really felt it was a nice vacation from the everyday re-tread movie. I give it a 7.5 out of 10. Check it out.

All minor nuances aside, this film is a prime example of what the standard should be even if it's a lower-budget production. The Good Neighbor has both drama and suspense. At its core, the film is a crime-thriller. It reminded me a bit of "I Am Not a Serial Killer", which was also just released this year. Both are very fine movies that blend genre elements and have skillful writing, directing, acting and editing. They are extraordinarily sophisticated in style and will exceed most viewers initial expectations.

There are teen friends, one whom has wealth and technical expertise at his disposal and his eyes on MIT, and his friend who has plenty of ingenuity and fortitude and interest in social research but is from a "broken home". The pair undertake a social-psychological experiment, and use the grouchy, solitary old grump of the neighborhood as their unwitting subject. For their experiment, they equip the old grumps home with numerous hidden cameras and electrical devices in order to manipulate the grumps home appliances, fixtures, gadgets and such. They are then able to remotely control and view everything that occurs.

They soon realize that the old grump is a rather unusual subject. He has a basement securely locked from the outside, a mysterious visiting woman, no apparent fear towards the extreme tactics they make to convince him he's haunted, and he's unpredictability violent and destructive. One teen begins to regret conducting the experiment, the other one is determined that the old grump is hiding a dark secret. The teens watch, record and attempt to manipulate the old grump for weeks in hopes of revenge, online views, and uncovering the old mans secrets.

Throughout the film there are segments where a prosecutor speaks to and interrogates different people on the witness stand. This makes it clear that the "experiment" didn't play out so well. This film had me hypothesizing and thoroughly engaged. For once, my initial theory was completely off-track.

After a fairly lacklustre start, The Good Neighbour turns into an imaginative, tense and gripping film. A genre let's face it that has been done to death in recent years, I can think of so many similar films, but this one actually does a great job. The scenario is a little different, you get to see two sides of the story, it's more in the psychological drama genre, it's tense and suspenseful. It is very well acted, everyone plays their part well, it would have been easy to overact. The final showdown was good, but I wish they'd have made it a little more suspenseful, it was a little underdone.

Overall I thought this was a very good film, very watchable. 7/10

I had pretty low expectations coming into this film. It had a 6.6 rating and wreaked of a legend of an actor just picking up another paycheck on his way out. Gladly, it was none of that.

I guess I've just been burned by DeNiro lately and the lame flicks he continues to pile up in his golden years, and even James Caan has been in some bad ones, but Caan killed it in this one and created yet another memorable role.

The film was well done and very suspenseful but even more than that it will appeal to all generations. The new social media craze driven teens, the struggling adult split family scenarios, and the classic elderly struggles and nostalgic themes.

Hats off to a brilliant production and to Caan the legend. This one is definitely worth the watch. Oh, and BobbyD, take a lesson from your Godfather buddy and stop already with the crappy films.