The Good Neighbor

This movie was a great surprise, I didn't know anything about it but found it on iTunes and took the gamble as the trailer was intriguing.It did not disappoint, what could have quite easily been another shaky cam mess of a home footage film turned out to be a real gem. This film builds nicely and despite the simple plot does a great job keeping you on the edge of your seat. The film is also edited in such a way that it keeps you guessing but then slowly feeds you the tid bits to keep you going. At no point was I bored watching this movie although I was worried it would be a bit of an Americanised college "bro" movie 5 minutes in, stick with it and enjoy where this goes. The film is based in two houses and given the limited location you'd think it would be quite easy to get bored by this however the director seems to ramp the tension up and down in all the right ways. I can't recommend this enough and it had my girlfriend in tears. Well worth a watch!

Some teenagers decide to run an experiment on their grumpy, creepy old neighbour. They decide to see if they can make him believe in ghosts by rigging his house with cameras and tricks.

Now on paper this does not have a lot going for it. It is fairly cheap, has a found footage element and sounds like a rip-off of the Burbs or Disturbia. Well it isn't - this is much more.

For once it makes sense that everything is filmed and the added element of a court case adds a degree of mystery to the film.

The characters and performances are great. The scope of the film is tiny, only a few rooms, so the tight budget is not a problem and everything looks professional.

There is no mass of action or intensity here but I found this movie gripping, intriguing, and some of the back story even a little moving.

I may be in the minority but pound for pound this is one of the best movies I have seen all year.

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.

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.