vick-12

I wasn't expecting to like this movie, really, because most of these direct-to-video serial movies seem to generally be average movies at best. It certainly wasn't perfect by any means, Starkweather was actually pretty good. I didn't think it was overly violent (not "gory" for the sake of it), and I thought the two lead actors were extremely good. The movie moved pretty well and it looked amazing. I especially liked the newsreel-dream thing, right in the middle of the movie -- it was a really cool diversion. They said on the DVD commentary that most of the events in the movie are true, and then a few of them not true -- like Charlie and Carol in real life looked totally different than they do in the movie -- so now I am very curious to read up more about Charlie Starkweather since I really didn't know much about this story before. I hope to see Brent Taylor in more movies soon -- he's totally a movie star in the making! I do wish Al Sapienza had a bigger role, and he was great in this one. He's always a lot of fun to watch.

When I worked at a video store, I typically had a standing rule that any video box which needs to rely on mylar or 3-D images on the front of the box is probably something to stay away from; the filmmakers or distributor must not think highly enough of their film to let regular artwork speak for itself, and must rely on, literally, "flashy", eye-catching gimmicks to attract attention. KILLERS, with its shameless use of a mirror-y cover box, seems to be the one exception to my rule.

Although obviously low-budget, this is a tight little thriller that pretty much hits the mark -- a satisfying (if not original) piece that I'd gladly recommend to anyone who enjoys suspense.

I had the good fortune of seeing BLACK DAYS at a sneak preview recently, and all I can say is that this is a wonderfully-realized, modern adaptation of noir that everyone who loves comic books, noir, and sarcasm should see. Directors Jim Morley and Ari Margolis have managed to turn the femme-fatale story up-end and backwards, but, at the same time, steadily guide the audience through its own world of twisted humor and knowing self-depreciation (did that make any sense?) In short, this is an absolute original, and one worth seeing at any possible opportunity.