horrorshowmovie

I can't talk about this movie without talking about Ti West. He's a current, indie horror director who does "slow-burn" movies. He creates real, normal characters. He shows us their lives, but with a little menace in the background, almost imperceptible. Then there's a huge pay-off, which brings the movie to an end. Out of all his movies, "Trigger Man" best exemplifies this.

"Entrance" takes this formula, and does it at least as well as Ti West. Build-up, character development, minutiae. Then it hits you at the end.

Like "Trigger Man," half the comments on IMDb/netflix are from people who hated the movie. These people have no taste. They're dumb. Ignore them.

"Entrance" is insanely good.

It's always interesting to see a movie with 90% on rottentomatoes, but 4.3/10 and all negative user reviews on IMDb. Who's right, the viewers or the critics?

My vote is with the critics on this one. "Trigger Man" is simple, intense, and well-made. People seem dissatisfied with the first half of the film, which is just three guys looking for deer to shoot in broad daylight. I don't hunt, but I'm pretty sure deer aren't active at noon. Regardless, the movie isn't about deer being hunted, it's about the three guys being hunted by an unseen hunter (or hunters).

If you're smart enough to realize that suspense is a lot more fun than action, you'll probably get something out of "Trigger Man." If not, you'll definitely want to skip it. There are plenty of dumb action movies for you anyway.

"Detachment" has some nice bits, but they get bogged down by unnecessary adornment. The movie is about teachers at an inner city public school. If it just followed these teachers and observed their lives, it would be a better movie. The actors are all good enough to carry that kind of movie.

Instead of taking this approach, it shoe-horns the material onto a narrative that doesn't fit. How many movies have you seen where a well- meaning man takes in a teenage prostitute, not for sex? If you've seen it as much as I have, you're probably pretty sick of it. It's a fantasy that caters to the viewers. It has nothing in common with reality. It's also the centerpiece of "Detachment."

The chalk illustrations and flashbacks are similarly ill-suited. Flat realism would be a lot more effective.

I do recommend seeing this movie, especially if you liked "American History X." I feel the same way about both movies--they have some interesting things to say, but those things are diminished by the narrative.