Mud

How I found this movie: I went to see Evil Dead a month ago and saw a trailer for this movie. Recently, someone in my class saw this and told me it was good.

What this movie is about and what I think: Along the banks of the Mississippi River a boy sneaks out of his house in the dark hours before sunrise. He meets his best friend out in the woods and together they go in search of a mysterious boat that has washed ashore on an island in the middle of the river.

Their private adventure is interrupted by a squatter that is both disheveled and charming. The boys make an instant connection with the man and from there they begin to uncover his secret and enter into a brand new adventure that takes them across the bridge from carefree childhood to the growing pains of adolescence.

This movie seems to be getting positive reviews from critics all around. I'm a little conflicted because the movie is amazing overall but has several odd, jarring moments that cause it to stumble a little, for me, at least.

The movie follows two boys on the cusp of puberty. They still live like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn: exploring the wild parts of the Mississippi River and having adventures together. I could instantly relate because not so long ago I was a boy too and remember spending all my free time with my best friend exploring the woods and the neighborhoods around our homes from sunup to sundown. That was our world with no intrusion from adults that spoke roughly and had no time for childish things and no thoughts of adult problems like love.

And that is what this movie is about: the boys are thrust into the world of adults in the form of divorce, an amiable but tormented stranger, and authority figures that would see their whole childhood world destroyed. And the movie does this really well, with heartfelt dialogue, excellent pacing, and an amazing performance by Matthew Maconaughey. I think this has to be my favorite Maconaughey movie I've ever seen. He makes Mud an instantly likeable person that easily wins over one of the kids immediately, then the other quickly afterwards.

The movie does stumble in parts, I think, with some odd scenes. In one scene the main child knocks down a much older, much bigger kid and the kid goes down instantly (in fact everyone the kid punches, Mud included, just goes down in one hit) then gets up and... doesn't yell, doesn't throw a punch... just walks off without a word like he all of a sudden got distracted and decided to check on something off camera.

Overall this movie's good qualities outweigh the bad. It's the kind of movie that makes you think about its themes days after seeing it.

Where you can experience what I just described: It's in theaters now.

Wind Chill

How I found this movie: Again, working from home on a Friday. This time I had a long, long day. When I was done around 9 pm, I just wanted to relax. I checked LMN and found what looked like the beginnings of a horror movie: a dark, gray-toned film with snowcover and an overcast sky, and piano music. This was Pick A Flick Fridays on LMN (throughout the week viewers vote on what they want aired on Friday) so there was no description from TV guide to clue me in on what this movie was about. I just had to wait and see. And that really paid off.

What this movie is about and what I think: Sometimes not knowing anything about the movie going in really enhances the experience. This was the case with Wind Chill. It starts off focused on a college girl, played by Emily Blunt, searching for a ride home for, presumably, Christmas, judging by the snow on the ground and the Christmas music that plays later on in the film. She finds a fellow student, a boy, which is very important, and together they head home to Delaware.

The relationship between these two is central to the film. They, at first, seem like complete strangers forced to share a five-hour trip together in a small car until critical tidbits of information are revealed later on. Their relationship likewise experiences great swings, from friendly to not-so-friendly, and... well I won't reveal any more.

The pacing in this film is somewhat slow and methodical, until about halfway through where the action and activity really ramps up and things are thrown at you at a rapid-fire pace. It starts out mysterious though, including just the right amount of subtle unease. And that's why I say that knowing nothing about the film going in is a real benefit. You don't know why things are happening, you don't know who these people are, and you don't know what to expect at the end of their journey.

Where you can experience what I just described: The next time this movie will be shown on LMN is Monday April 11 at 4 pm EST.

Web of Desire

How I found this movie: I was working from home Friday afternoon and found this playing on LMN (Lifetime Movie Network). Dina Meyer was in it, which was a plus. She's a great horror actress. She's starred in movies like Starship Troopers, Crazy Eights, Saw, and the recent Piranhas movie. Web of Desire looks like your standard LMN "Internet stalker" movie, but with the twist that the stalker and the stalkee are both women.

What this movie is about and what I think: This is your standard LMN "Internet stalker" movie, meaning that the protagonist attracts the attention of an Internet stalker either willingly (in this case) or unwillingly. These movies are always sprinkled with tension as the stalker ramps up the relationship, trying to get closer and closer to the protagonist and succeeding either through blackmail or just being all-knowing and possessing the ability to be everywhere at once.

What was initially cool about this particular movie was that Web of Desire adds in a lesbian element to this framework. Dina Meyer's character, Beth, is a woman dissatisfied with her marriage and seeks a connection online. She meets Finn, played with just the right amount of bat shit crazy by Claudette Mink. They meet and do some things that Beth regrets later. The damage is done and now Finn has her by the gonads, and because Beth wants nothing to do with her anymore Finn has to use blackmail to get herself closer to her.

What follows has been done many times before and should be familiar to anyone who spends a lot of time watching Lifetime (like me!). Finn finds a way to get close to the Beth's family, eventually turns them against her, and has plenty of scenes where she and Beth are left alone in a room allowing Finn to instantly switch to crazy mode without tarnishing her "normal" appearance to outside world.

Just when we think we know where this movie is headed, about halfway through we encounter a series of twists that lead to a ramped-up, tension-filled, and explosive climax.

Overall the movie is nothing new, but it's executed well. Pacing is excellent as well as the acting. If you want to see a crazy lesbian stalker make life a living hell for Dina Meyer, Web of Desire is probably something you should check out.

Where you can experience what I just described: According to Lifetime Web of Desire won't be airing in the next six weeks. I found the entire movie here on videosurf, however. Enjoy.