The Grave

We begin with two dark figures in a dank and shadowy prison somewhere in a southern American town. Then the silence is broken by a husky voice, as we hear of a story of a couple of escaped convicts trekking through swamplands on their way to a graveyard to search out some hidden treasure. Throughout it moves back and forth between the actual tale and that of the narrator. So like others have mentioned, it does have that 'Tales from the Crypt' touch, as it doesn't come any bitterer than this southern Gothic thriller with a wicked sense of black humour and seedy violence. There's a quirky quality about (mainly the characters), but the few macabre and creepy inclusions at times do offset it. However it does what it sets out to achieve and rather well too. Even with its recycled story developments and genre conventions (treachery, greed leading to the true reflection and you know the rest), due to smart flavored writing it's engrossingly unpredictable and razor edged with an oozing, captivating turn of events. The material constantly engages as there's always something going on or references to keep look out for, but there are questionable story details. Being small scale it relied on the script, and also committed performances from Craig Sheffer, Josh Charles, Donal Logue, Anthony Michael Hall, John Diehl and the gorgeous Gabrielle Anwar. In lesser, but highly amusing cameo roles were Eric Roberts, Giovanni Ribisi and Keith David. Location work is authentically picture-perfect. The southern atmospheric tailoring is lush, humid and surprisingly haunting during the night sequences. You feel as if you're right there, because of director Jonas Pete's great sense of place and situation. There are a few inspired set-pieces and vivid images (caught in the graveyard and a torture scene for information). Boldly directed, briskly edited and Alex Wurman's potently racy and twangy southern music score go on to deliver an agreeable mix. A good, quick moving and provocative independent midnight movie.

I really hate to use the term "guilty pleasure" but here, it seems to be fitting. I caught it late one night on HBO or something like that. Anyway, I got into it and missed the ending so I had to order a copy. I'm glad I did. The movie hits that "Tales From the Crypt" feel right on the head. There is not one likeable character in the whole thing. All of the jokes come on time and the black humor is right on target. The Southern atmosphere does its work, giving everything a creepy atmosphere. I enjoyed all of the performances. Anything with Keith David involved usually has it's rewards. His performance in this was fairly brief, but enjoyable. In fact the whole thing was enjoyable and highly entertaining. There is not a dull moment in the whole thing and the plot twists come at a rapid pace. Just be on your toes to catch all of the references and jokes. I's full of 'em.

This is a sinister little thriller with diabolically nasty twist at the end.I especially like the macabre humor that the script uses and location gave it a great atmosphere. It reminds me of Tales of the Crypt

episodes that I enjoyed.

The Jonus Brothers (actually Jonas Pate) 1st movie; with a script by Mr. Pate, Peter Glatzer, Josh Pate & Michael Wexler (however I have a inclination that Jonas Pate had much more to do with the script that the others); a outstanding group of young actors who would become stars & prime character actors in the next 10 years or so; finally, a soundtrack full of songs that would make T Bone Burnett (the brains behind the Oh Brother soundtrack) proud. On top of that - superior photography, direction, acting, and locations. Jonus has managed to put together a Cohenesque movie that is a worthy match. It really is a 9! Full of humor, plot twist, expected surprises and pure entertainment!

I'm not going to talk about the movie as far as it's contents because I thought this was a horror movie when I saw the description. I thought it may be a B movie gem... It's not horror.... But it got more laughs outta me than anything in the last few years. Now in 2021 it's the cash grab cgi age so take that as you will. This movie is no where near a classic or masterpiece but it's damn entertaining. There's a review here for two stars and the guy says he didn't even understand the ending. Don't listen to a moron review a movie. This ain't the matrix. The ending was fine and understandable. The movie was good. It's got atmosphere, comedy, great acting, and you are about as clueless as the characters while watching but it works. It's free on amazon. Watch it for a fun ride.