Dementia

i gave this title a 5 as it was kind of entertaining, there are a few films i have rated 0 and ended up turning of and this did not warrant that.

One thing i will say which is along the same lines as the other reviewers thus far is that it seemed more like a TV movie and within the first twenty minutes i had kinda worked out the plot. having said that it was nice to just chill out with a film that required not a lot of focus, it did the job.

An annoying point is the classification and Genre labelling of late on here and many other sites that put a film into the Horror category and this was labelled this as well as a Thriller. This was no more a Horror than ET and Thriller is what it was.

its mediocre at best hence my 5 rating.

When an elderly Vietnam vet, George, begins suffering from dementia, his estranged family hire a live in nurse to take care of him. However the nurse harbors a sinister secret and has an agenda for agreeing to take care of the man.

The story kept me engaged the whole way through and was all around good. The ending was easily predicted but I don't feel like it was meant to be a big mystery and the story doesn't suffer at all from you knowing it. There was one element to the ending that I didn't see coming and was surprised they went that way (in a good way).

The acting is the highlight of the film for me. George Lockhart and Kristina Klebe's roles notably. Lockhart plays the role of a dementia suffering veteran convincingly and switched between the characters various emotions expertly. Between this and her role in PROXY (2013), Klebe has proved that she can play bad ass women with streaks of madness to a T. Hassie Harrison and Peter Cilella do well with their roles as the distant family members and then you have the always excellent, Richard Riehle, as George's friend.

I did feel like thinks kind of wrapped up a bit too early once things get revealed and it could have used a bit more expanding on that angle. All in all though I dug it and it's definitely worth a watch.

I just picked this up because it was filed as a horror movie. Can't agree with that, for me it was 100% thriller. Not that it was bad but it doesn't have any really suspense. The saving of this flick lays in the acting.

Diagnosed with dementia it's time to bring a nurse at home and of course that nurse has dark secrets. Let that be the main story. But the darkness never really comes in for me. But I must also say that I never was bored at all, so it's above mediocre. But no red stuff really to find throughout this picture except for one shot that involves some kind of dream were a veteran is biting the flesh from his arm. Let that part be the most horrifying thing to see. It's Gene Jones (George) who makes it watchable.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

Sometimes I wonder when I read reviews here if anyone actually even enjoys movies anymore or if everyone is, as Beckett would lovingly call, a CRRRRITIC (a "critic" for those of you who have not read Waiting for Godot). Waiting, however, seems to be a virtue of the past.

Honestly, the biggest criticism should be that this movie was erroneously marketed as a horror movie when it is actually a psychological thriller.

Dementia is a slow burn that first and foremost is anchored by two outstanding performances by veteran actor Gene Jones (The Sacrament & No Country For Old Men) and sadly far too unknown character actress Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie's Halloween & Proxy). The supporting cast is equally talented and Steve Agee is hilarious in his appearance.

As a New Yorker, I take a NY Times Review and especially a critic's pic very seriously. And I was not wrong to trust the Times on this one.

I recommend this movie if you enjoy refreshing, truth-based performances, layered characters and a good story that keeps you on your feet from beginning to end.

*The only reason I gave this a 9 is because there is a strange sound mix issue in the last 5 minutes that made hearing some of the last scene difficult - I hope they fix this.

You may well recognize Gene Jones from any number of movies ("The Sacrament", "No Country for Old Men") but you likely don't know his name. Such is the lot of a character actor. Jones is exceptional as he takes the lead in the horror drama "Dementia". His interpretation of George Lockhart, a crusty codger with a horrifying past, is both affecting and ultimately chilling.

Other than that Hassie Harrison as Lockhart's granddaughter is unbearably adorable. And we get further substantiation that Vietnam irrevocably f'd up the lives of far too many.

Like every other damn war before, since or that may ever be.