Residue

I didn't know what I was getting into here when I sat down to watch the 2017 movie "Residue" from writer and director Rusty Nixon. All I knew about the movie was that it had an interesting enough cover that had caught my attention.

Let me say that this movie is odd. Good odd or bad odd? Well, that is definitely up to the individual viewer. There is something of a "Naked Lunch" feel to the movie, so that should give you an indication of what you are getting yourself into when you watch this movie.

While the movie was watchable, I found it to be a bit too weird. I like strange movies, sure, but when it comes to the point where it starts to make little sense, then I am off the bandwagon.

"Residue" definitely benefits from having a group of nice actors and actresses on the cast list, which includes the likes of James Clayton, Matt Frewer and Costas Mandylor. I must admit that I was rather thrilled when Matt Frewer showed up on the screen, because he is just wonderful and he played nicely in this movie as well.

I am rating "Residue" five out ten stars. While the movie started out nicely, the bizarre storyline just lost me along the way, and I sort of just gave up towards the end with about 20 minutes left of the movie.

Okay, as the reviews show here, this movie is most definitely NOT for everyone. It is as confusing as hell and doesn't really fully explain anything. And, I mean ANYTHING! But, WOW! What a mindtrip, seriously... There are movies that TRY to be clever or Artsy or Surreal, but as bloody Out There as this one is, you can tell that the people behind it are very, very sharp.

IF you are going to set out to make a movie to turn someone's mind into a pretzel, let me tell you, THIS is precisely the way to do it. There is even some very, VERY dry, dark humour sprinkled throughout. Seriously, these people are very clever and have really set out to make a truly ambitious film.

The acting is superb, unlike what another reviewer said here. I would F'n SWEAR that lead guy is Ryan Reynolds, he looks a lot like him and his super low-key, dry manner is exactly like him. I had to keep asking myself, 'Is this Ryan Reynolds?' What you also have is a collection of really fascinating characters, very strange, funny, and extremely offbeat, which I feel makes the movie even more entertaining.

What you basically have here is a Godzilla sized Mystery with a big, capital 'M' I mean, even at the end you still don't quite know what the hell just happened. But in this case, we're not talking about simply vague, 'Trying to be mysterious' here. We're talking about a very clever, very well thought out story with extreme attention to detail. There is absolutely nothing sloppy about this film whatsoever. It is very sharply edited and photographed to convey the story in what I feel is a very effective way.

Again, this movie is NOT for everyone. If you don't like extremely non-linear super offbeat films and you prefer your Horror or really any Genre to tell a more clear, straight forward story, this movie is NOT for you. BUT... if you totally like films that every 10 minutes truly make you go, 'WTF!!??' like I do, this will be one that you will remember for a very, very long time. I know it has a moderately low rating here, and truthfully I'm not that surprised. But, I'm telling you... if this is the kind of really Out There movie that you like, you will be totally grabbed by the privates and hold you in its iron grip for the entire length of the film. That is why I gave this one a very rare '8', and I totally feel it deserves it.

Well, you have to survive the beginning. Some, ahem, not very believable acting skills from a couple of actors will make you want to stop watching. However, I gave it a chance and was pleasantly surprised. The story is interesting. Could have been done better but hey, you can say it almost about everything in this life, so let's not be perfectionists. Nice appearances from Matt Frewer, Costas Mandylor and William B. Davis (the Smoking Man from the X-files). If you like strange, mysterious stories give it a go, it will keep your interest despite an occasional cringe moment. BTW, felt a bit like 90's films, you know, Naked Lunch, eXistenZ and such :)

So, fair warning, the first 20-25 minutes of this film are pretty brutal to watch. The acting, the editing, the directing; all brutal, BUT! at about the 25 minutes mark, the plot gets REALLY intriguing and the story starts to make up for much of the low production values, which themselves also improve significantly from the terrible opening. The ending is a bit soft and a little forceful, but wraps up the story especially well. Definitely give this a shot if you're a fan of bizarre cosmic horror, but please be willing to wait past the weak opening.

My wife and I watch a ton of horror films and this one stood out as cool and unique.

It's less "horror" than just plain weird Lovecraftian craziness. Maybe not for everyone, but we appreciated that they were doing something different. It combines a compelling deadbeat Dad making good with his-daughter relationship with lots of bizarre happenings.

Plus, it's got Matt Frewer (from Max Headroom). Can't beat that. If you liked Max Headroom, you'll probably like this - it's got a similar unique flair.