The Good Neighbor

Some teenagers decide to run an experiment on their grumpy, creepy old neighbour. They decide to see if they can make him believe in ghosts by rigging his house with cameras and tricks.

Now on paper this does not have a lot going for it. It is fairly cheap, has a found footage element and sounds like a rip-off of the Burbs or Disturbia. Well it isn't - this is much more.

For once it makes sense that everything is filmed and the added element of a court case adds a degree of mystery to the film.

The characters and performances are great. The scope of the film is tiny, only a few rooms, so the tight budget is not a problem and everything looks professional.

There is no mass of action or intensity here but I found this movie gripping, intriguing, and some of the back story even a little moving.

I may be in the minority but pound for pound this is one of the best movies I have seen all year.

I was anticipating this film as the trailer had my eye. Now anticipation is always a dangerous thing with films, as anyone who is a an avid film watcher knows. I can say I was not let down. Caan was in full form, nice to see him showing his chops. The rest of the cast put on a good show, but James was by far the scene thief. The movie keeps the mystery alive and always had me wanting more. It is not to over the top, so you can watch it with someone who is a bit more light hearted when it comes to these types of movies, and that doesn't take away from the film either. I really felt it was a nice vacation from the everyday re-tread movie. I give it a 7.5 out of 10. Check it out.

Watched this because James Caan was in it. Reviews suggested it would have a Don't Breathe/Paranormal Activity vibe about it and I'd agree.

Two kids surveil and "haunt" Caan as a an alleged social experiment and document it all in a found footage style.

Caan plays the miserable old guy perfectly and still has great presence, pretty good for a "150 year old"!

It moves at a steady pace and rewards you at the end with a solid twist.

All minor nuances aside, this film is a prime example of what the standard should be even if it's a lower-budget production. The Good Neighbor has both drama and suspense. At its core, the film is a crime-thriller. It reminded me a bit of "I Am Not a Serial Killer", which was also just released this year. Both are very fine movies that blend genre elements and have skillful writing, directing, acting and editing. They are extraordinarily sophisticated in style and will exceed most viewers initial expectations.

There are teen friends, one whom has wealth and technical expertise at his disposal and his eyes on MIT, and his friend who has plenty of ingenuity and fortitude and interest in social research but is from a "broken home". The pair undertake a social-psychological experiment, and use the grouchy, solitary old grump of the neighborhood as their unwitting subject. For their experiment, they equip the old grumps home with numerous hidden cameras and electrical devices in order to manipulate the grumps home appliances, fixtures, gadgets and such. They are then able to remotely control and view everything that occurs.

They soon realize that the old grump is a rather unusual subject. He has a basement securely locked from the outside, a mysterious visiting woman, no apparent fear towards the extreme tactics they make to convince him he's haunted, and he's unpredictability violent and destructive. One teen begins to regret conducting the experiment, the other one is determined that the old grump is hiding a dark secret. The teens watch, record and attempt to manipulate the old grump for weeks in hopes of revenge, online views, and uncovering the old mans secrets.

Throughout the film there are segments where a prosecutor speaks to and interrogates different people on the witness stand. This makes it clear that the "experiment" didn't play out so well. This film had me hypothesizing and thoroughly engaged. For once, my initial theory was completely off-track.

I had pretty low expectations coming into this film. It had a 6.6 rating and wreaked of a legend of an actor just picking up another paycheck on his way out. Gladly, it was none of that.

I guess I've just been burned by DeNiro lately and the lame flicks he continues to pile up in his golden years, and even James Caan has been in some bad ones, but Caan killed it in this one and created yet another memorable role.

The film was well done and very suspenseful but even more than that it will appeal to all generations. The new social media craze driven teens, the struggling adult split family scenarios, and the classic elderly struggles and nostalgic themes.

Hats off to a brilliant production and to Caan the legend. This one is definitely worth the watch. Oh, and BobbyD, take a lesson from your Godfather buddy and stop already with the crappy films.