Inside Out

This is a twisted drama.

The plausibility is low, but the characters are almost developed.

I like Eriq La Salle; so, I watched until the end.

I watch a lot of DVDs of the kind where the box pretty much screams, "I'm low-budget crap! Don't rent me!" (More accurately, I usually have them playing on the computer while I'm eating and doing something else on the computer at the same time.) You know, the kind where, at best, there's a quote from the Ponca City Gazette on the cover. So my expectations are pretty low, but sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised.

Is this one of those times? Well, it's slow moving, it has that low-budget claustrophobia induced by there only being a minimal number of sets, and I'm not sure if the story makes any sense. And I'm not about to watch it again to figure that out.

But it was better than I expected, and I give extra points for the trailer and box not giving everything away. So, grading on the curve, I give it a decent rating. You should probably give it more of a chance than it looks like it deserves. Is that a ringing endorsement, or what? - Tom

Great movie, great actors. Couldn't get any better than 10 stars deservingly. I recommend watching this movie.

It's rare when I'm surprised by an independent film. Inside Out surprises and delivers the goods. Without giving away the plot, the most genius part of the movie is how everything comes together in the end with subtlety, without being underhanded or over the top. After you see the ending, and the reality hits you like a ton of bricks, you want to watch it again. Being a big fan of thrillers, I am often the one to figure out a film's ending, but I was completely taken by surprise with this one as I found myself thinking "I should have seen that coming," yet I did not. The film has dynamic characters played by veteran actors. Eriq La Salle plays an interesting villain, while Steven Weber portrays the quirky guy next door, both portrayed very well.

I'm sure I'll rent this film again.