Morning Glory (2010) - McAdams, morning TV and great co-stars spell good fun

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1 Film Excess nomination:

Best Supporting Actor: Harrison Ford (lost to John C. Reilly for The Extra Man)

A classy, upbeat poster for Roger Michell's Morning Glory that pushes its lovely stars

A young female workaholic loses her job in Jersey but then gains a new one as executive producer on New York's worst morning TV show. She now has to secure better ratings as well as her own romantic life. - Pheew...!

Morning Glory is a lot less of a romcom than I had expected; instead it is more a story about a young woman on the job market. The romance with Patrick Wilson (The A-Team (2010)) is tame: SPOILER Whether or not he is actually a womanizer gets dropped on the floor, and his being alternately for and against her work madness is also inopportune.
But Rachel McAdams (Southpaw (2015)) is sweet and credible in the lead, and Diane Keaton (Something's Gotta Give (2003)) shimmers. The film also have talents like Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson and Morley Safer in amusing cameos. But it is Harrison Ford (The Mosquito Coast (1988)) who is the movie's crowning jewel, splendid as a pompous and quite isolated character.
Morning Glory is written by Aline Brosh McKenna (We Bought a Zoo (2011)) and directed by great South-African filmmaker Roger Michell (Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)). It's a funny comedy.

Related posts:
  
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch an official trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 60 mil. $
= Big flop
[Morning Glory was released November 10 and runs 107 minutes. It was partially inspired by Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. It is the first film with Keaton and Ford and the second with McAdams and Keaton, following The Family Stone (2005). Michell had to convince McAdams to star in the film, because she didn't think of herself as funny. Filming took place in New York and New Jersey from May - August 2009. The film opened #5 to a 9.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, (behind Megamind, Unstoppable, Due Date and Skyline), where it grossed 31 mil. $ (51.7 % of the total gross). It fell out of the top 5 (to #6) in its second week. The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Australia with 5.8 mil. $ (9.7 %) and Russia with 3.1 mil. $ (5.2 %). Morning Glory is rotten at 56 % with a 6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Morning Glory?

Megamind (2010) - Ferrell leads McGrath's hilarious animation superbly

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2 Film Excess nominations:

Best Lead Actor: Will Ferrell, also for Everything Must Go (lost to Stephen Dorff for Somewhere)
Best Animation (lost to Toy Story 3)

+ Best Family Movie of the Year

An appropriately silly-looking poster for Tom McGrath's Megamind

Megamind is a super-villain who has fought for the power over Metro(-)City his whole life. When he suddenly attains it, he learns that it is futile to be the super-villain of a city that has no superhero ...

Despite Megamind being an animated feature, Will Ferrell (The Producers (2005)) steals the show completely with a superbly intonated, super-humorous voice performance as the title character. Of course it doesn't hurt that he is backed up by Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Brad Pitt and a script that's rich on inventive fun. - The result is that Megamind is really funny! And animation-wise, it is as wildly attractive as intended, even if some of the action is obviously there simply to satisfy the need for 3D-type action.
The movie fires away at a high pace, successfully entertaining children as primarily an adventure and adults as primarily a comedy. Unfortunately for the film, it is an example of one of those cases where two major Hollywood films are released very near each other with almost suspiciously similar storylines: In this case Despicable Me, - also a film about a super-villain with an identity crisis development and helper minions simply called minions (Megamind's fishbowl helper is also called Minion), - which came out some months prior to Megamind and got to be the much more successful commercial one of the two, although they are of similar tone and fun level.
Megamind is written by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons (Penguins of Madagascar (2014), story, both) and directed by Washingtonian filmmaker Tom McGrath (Madagascar (2005)).

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the final official trailer for the film here

Cost: 130 mil. $
Box office: 321.8 mil. $
= Even-steven
[Megamind premiered October 28 (Russia) and runs 96 minutes. Robert Downey Jr. was initially intended to voice the title character, but that luckily fell through. The film opened #1 to a 46 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed atop for another week before dethroning to #2 and then #3 before falling out of the top 5 in its 5th week. It grossed 148.4 mil. $ (46.1 % of the total gross) domestically. Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Russia with 22 mil. $ (6.8 %) and the UK with 16 mil. $ (5 %). The film did not receive a release in China, and its Japanese release was canceled due to the Fukuyama-centered earthquake and tsunami, which contributed to its lackluster result. It sold in excess of 3 mil. DVDs and Blu-rays in North America, adding 43 mil. $ to its result, making it a financial success with this taken into account. Megamind is fresh at 73 % with a 6.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Megamind?

My Soul to Take (2010) - Craven returns with a subpar teen slasher

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The simple, water color-manipulated poster for Wes Craven's My Soul to Take

The little society of Riverton has a tragic past: 7 people were killed by the 'Riverton Ripper' 16 years ago. - On the same night 7 births took place there! Now, 16 years later, (figure; 1 + 6 is also 7, gasp!), a new maniac naturally runs amok!

My Soul to Take is deftly written and directed by great Ohioan filmmaker Wes Craven (Scream (1996)), his first film as writer-director-co-producer since New Nightmare (1994). The film wallows in youth group mechanisms, popularity anguish and homo-erotically charged scenes. It is ridden with heavy Catholic guilt, shame, child-raising discipline and other such elements often utilized, (from Craven's own childhood experience 'catalogue'). All of this content is regrettably not pushed very far. It gets combined with an editing concept that tries to befit the text-messaging generation as well as violent but essentially not very affecting murders, which bogs down My Soul to Take, a film that seems too courteous and a little dull.

Related reviews:

Wes Craven: 2011 in films - according to Film Excess
Scream 4 (2011) - Craven & Williams serve an irresistible slasher treat
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) or, Don't Fall Asleep! 

Lead Max Thieriot (Bates Motel (2013-17)) takes direction from Craven in this fine behind-the-scenes still

Thieriot gives an interview about the film here

Cost: 25 mil. $
Box office: 20.9 mil. $
= Huge flop
[My Soul to Take was released October 8 and runs 107 minutes. Filming took place in Massachusetts and Connecticut from April - June 2008 with reshoots in June 2009. Craven's wife Iya Labunka served as one of the film's producers for her first time. It was shot in 2D but converted to 3D in post. The film opened #5 (behind The Social Network, Life As We Know It, Secretariat and Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole) to a 6.8 first weekend in North America, where the film only played for 4 weeks and grossed 14.7 mil. $ (70.3 % of the total gross). The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Russia with 4.2 mil. $ (20.1 %) and Greece with 0.38 mil. $ (1.8 %). My Soul to Take is rotten at 9 % with a 2.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of My Soul to Take?

Legion (2010) - Stewart's religious action horror nonsense

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+ 3rd Worst Movie of the Year

Paul Betttany with wings on this brooding poster for Scott Stewart's Legion

God has lost faith in humanity (for some unknown reason), and so He sends his army of angels to annihilate us. But one woman is pregnant with a savior, and one angel fights for us.

This blasphemous mess is served with terrible dialog, (courtesy of writer Peter Schink (Gotham Cafe (2005), short) and co-writer-director Scott Stewart (Dark Skies (2013))), which is so sentimental and thick as to be completely ridiculous. The only extenuating element of this awful film is some of its effects, namely a couple of its monsters, an old lady zombie and one weirdo with very long arms and legs.

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 26 mil. $
Box office: 67.9 mil. $
= Box office success
[Legion was released January 22 and runs 100 minutes. It was filmed in New Mexico from August 2008 - February 2009. The film opened #2 with a 17.5 mil. $ first weekend, (behind Avatar, dropping to #6 in its 2nd week), in North America, where it grossed 40.1 mil. $ (59.1 % of the total gross.) Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Russia with 7.3 mil. $ (10.8 %) and Spain with 3.2 mil. $ (4.7 %). A spinoff series titled Dominion was headed by Stewart for SyFy in 2014 and got canceled after its second season. Legion is rotten at 19 % with a 3.8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Legion?

Le Quattro Volte (2010) or, The Goat Sleeper

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Probably the year's only poster to feature nothing but a goat standing on a table. For Michelangelo Frammartino's Le Quattro Volte

Le Quattro Volte portrays the way of life in 4 life cycles, referenced in the title, which translates to 'the four times'. Most of the time, though, we are looking at a herd of goats.

Unfortunately, the film is so unfathomably boring that the concept of it didn't dawn on me while watching it. It is deprived of dialog, music and characters in the traditional sense. The concept seems extremely easy, almost lazy, and it didn't activate any feelings in me besides those of stagnation and apathy. It didn't help that the DVD presentation suffers from ugly HD-pixilation. The main thing to like about Le Quattro Volte for me was the goats, which are sweet.
The film is written, (don't ask me how), and directed by Michelangelo Frammartino (The Gift/Il Dono (2003)).

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch an official trailer for the film

Cost: Reportedly 1 mil. €, approximately 1.12 mil. $
Box office: 0.7 mil. $ 
= Huge flop
[Le Quattro Volte premiered May 16 (Cannes) and runs 88 minutes. It was shot in Calabria, Italy as a co-production of no less than 16 production companies and support institutions. It opened to a 16k $ first weekend in 1 theater in North America, where it peaked in 6 theaters and grossed 152k $. The film's biggest market was the UK with 295k $, and the 3rd biggest was Italy with 79k $. Le Quattro Volte is certified fresh at 93 % with an 8.1 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Le Quattro Volte?

Knight and Day (2010) - Diaz and Cruise invigorate Mangold's action romance

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Stars Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise in what looks like a very uncomfortable shooting position on a poster for James Mangold's Knight and Day

A sexy mechanic babe falls for a resourceful charmer on board an airplane, but he turns out to be a rogue CIA agent, who wants to protect a newly created super battery, - and its inventor, - from some shady villains!

Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher (2012)) plays a classic Cruise hero here, who can simply do just about anything, and Cameron Diaz (The Invisible Circus (2001)) is charming and sympathetic in the other lead. Knight and Day lives on their charisma and good chemistry, coupled here for their second time, (the first one being in Vanilla Sky (2001)). Great New Yorker director James Mangold (Cop Land (1997)) creates a slick and neatly photographed (by Phedon Papamichael (The Descendants (2011))) film that holds no surprises and doesn't transcend being a pretty pedestrian time-passer. It feels like a vanity project and it is truly a trifle, looked at from any angle, but it is still a well-driving vehicle with two lovely stars. - And one spectacular car and motorbike chase through the bull run in Sevilla, Spain!
Knight and Day jumps from country to country seemingly only motivated by the fact that it adds spice to the production. The much better version of the film it tries to be would be something like True Lies (1994). The script reportedly went through a staggering 12 writers' machines, but it is Patrick O'Neill (Sun Gods (2002), TV movie) who is credited for it.

Related review:

James Mangold: Cop Land (1997) - Stallone faces corruption and turns in some good acting in fine crime drama

Watch an official trailer for the film here

Cost: 125 mil. $
Box office: 261.9 mil. $
= Flop
[Knight and Day premiered June 16 (Sevilla) and runs 110 minutes. Many stars were in talks to star in the film before Cruise and Diaz were cast. Cruise took a pay cut, only receiving 11 mil. $ for his performance and no "first dollar gross", meaning he might not have made more on it than the 11 mil. Diaz's paycheck is undisclosed. Filming took place in Massachusetts, Jamaica, Illinois, New York, California, Spain (Sevilla and Cadiz) and Austria (Salzburg) from September - December 2009. The release attracted little interest: It opened #3 to a 20.1 mil. $, behind hold-over hit Toy Story 3 and the new comedy release Grown Ups, in North America, where it grossed 76.4 mil. $ (29.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 28.2 mil. $ (10.8 %) and France with 14.3 mil. $ (5.5 %). The film is said to be Cruise's lowest attended action movie opening since Legend (1986). It received many bad reviews, but Roger Ebert gave it 3/4 stars, a notch better than the review here. Knight and Day is rotten at 52 % with a 5.6 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Knight and Day?

Ghostbusters (2016) - Feig's reboot is the summer's light-heartedly funny, slimy major release

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The stars of Paul Feig's Ghostbusters in front of two flaring headlights

Ghostbusters is the reboot of the popular Ghostbusters movies, - two films, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989). It is written by Katie Dippold (The Heat (2013)) and Michigander master co-writer-director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids (2011)).

After a physics professor at Princeton loses her job due to a ghost-believing past book, she and her co-author friend and two other ladies form the Ghostbusters to fight New York City's burgeoning ghost problem.

Ghostbusters marks a big change for Feig, who has directed comedies with strong protagonists (Bridesmaids and Spy (2015)). Here he is rebooting an almost fabled property that sort of has four protagonists. It is clear that he and Dippold, (who has written a lot of TV and the so-so buddy comedy Heat), have been careful not to upset the framework laid out in the original films. The new Ghostbusters is very respectful in its approach in terms of tone and story, and that makes it a good, fun time - just as the original films - but nothing more than that. I wonder if the film mightn't have been even better, if the makers had dared kick the bucket (the old films) with a bit more reckless wildness. Another, possibly greater fit to the reboot might have been director Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black 3 (2012)).

The leads are now four very funny women: Melissa McCarthy (The Boss (2016)), Kristen Wiig (Nasty Baby (2015)), Kate McKinnon (Finding Dory (2016)) and Leslie Jones (Saturday Night Live (2014-16)). They all have funny moments and some that don't work, but the film isn't anyone's best. Chris Hemsworth (Thor (2011)) is used gratuitously as the team's hunky but brainless receptionist.
The film opens with a funny utilization of Zach Woods (Silicon Valley (2014-16)). The main characters aren't, regrettably, really set up, - they just appear. Charles Dance (City and Crimes (2003)) is no fun at all as the principal of Princeton. We later get better fits in Michael Kenneth Williams (Boardwalk Empire (2010-14)) and Matt Walsh (Veep (2012-16)), Andy Garcia (City Island (2009)) as the city's douchy mayor and cameos from the original films' Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers (1980)), Sigourney Weaver (You Again (2010)) and, in an actual part, Bill Murray (Space Jam (1996)). Since a third film with the original cast didn't come to happen for about 20 years mostly because of Murray's unwillingness to commit, it is somewhat curious to see him finally come back for this strange skeptic part.
For those fearing something not in line with the original films, there's nothing to fear about the new Ghostbusters. It is told in an old-fashioned, heavy way without much freshness to it. For my taste, they could have taken all the proton/gamma/ghost lingo nonsense out and given us some more character-based depth and fun instead. Ghostbusters is dedicated to its silliness, which is nice and befitting, (just don't ask yourself how they even operate as a kind of company in New York with no income at all through the whole film.)
The silliness and likability of the stars gets coupled with some genuinely exciting effects. The 3D use is an integral part of the film, and there's several really exciting ghost monsters, all of which are incredibly animated and have a neat throw-back, 1980s vibe to them. This is fun for everyone but will maybe especially delight kids who see the film.
All in all, Ghostbusters might have been greater, but it's still among the best major live action films of this summer, which admittedly won't go down in history as a great one for huge films.

Related posts:

Paul Feig: 2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess
Spy (2015) - Feig and McCarthy score spy spoof gold!
The Heat (2013) or, Prissy and Offensive in Boston  
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess
Bridesmaids (2011) - Subversive comedy with laughs a-plenty 

The nasty ghost Slimer from the original films is back in Paul Feig's Ghostbusters

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 144 mil. $
Box office: 180 mil. $ and counting
= Too early to say
[Ghostbusters premiered July 9 (Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theatre) and runs 116 minutes. A third film with the original Ghostbusters stars was in development for about 20 years, mostly barred from happening due to Murray's reticence. Feig and the all-female cast came in as the fixed idea in 2014. Filming took place in Boston and New York from June - September 2015, with reshoots in LA in May 2016. 6 companies handled the film's estimated 1,700 visual effects shots with the biggest chunk handled by Sony Pictures Imageworks. The film's release was marred by intense hate-speech, trolling and racism targeting the cast online. It opened #2, behind The Secret Lives of Pets, to a 46 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it has grossed 117.2 mil. $ to date. The film suffered a serious blow when Chinese officials suddenly denied it a release in the country based on different bogus reasons, (belief in ghosts harming China, the film not attracting the interest of Chinese etc.) Ghostbusters is certified fresh at 73 % with a 6.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ghostbusters?
If you want to see a sequel to it happen, you need to go and buy tickets!

The Kids Are All Right (2010) - Chodolenko's excellent indie crowdpleaser

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+ Best LGBT Movie of the Year
+ Best Shooting Star Actress of the Year: Mia Wasikowska

The pleasant poster for Lisa Chodolenko's The Kids Are All Right

The grown siblings of two lesbian parents learn the identity of their sperm donor father, which provokes a series of consequences.

The Kids Are All Right is co-written by Stuart Blumberg (Thanks for Sharing (2012)) and great Los Angeles-born co-writer-director Lisa Chodolenko (Olive Kitteridge (2014), TV-miniseries) as her 4th feature. It is a really good film. The lesbian parenting couple are no smarter or more controlling than most straight couples, which rings true and is a nice change from the standard of exotisizing sexual minorities. SPOILER It irritates a bit at first that one of them falls for the man donor, but it seems credible in the narrative.
Julianne Moore (Blindness (2008)) and Annette Bening (Open Range (2003)) both give performances that are razor-sharp, and none of the other stars are bad either.
The Kids Are All Right is a touching, fine and funny film not to be missed.

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch the official trailer for the film here

Cost: 4 mil. $
Box office: 34.7 mil. $
= Huge hit
[The Kids Are All Right premiered January 25 (Sundance) and runs 107 minutes. The script had been in development since 2004. Financing proved a challenge, and production was also halted due to Chodolenko giving birth, but it finally came together much thanks to the commitment of the three major stars. Filming took place in Los Angeles in 23 days in July 2009. The film was admitted to Sundance, although it broke the deadline, and it became a big hit there. Its distribution rights were acquired by Focus Features for 4.8 mil. $. It opened limited in 7 theaters #15 with 491k $, - a stellar 70k $ per theater average, - and wide in 847 theaters #12 to 3.5 mil. $ in North America, where it grossed 20.8 mil. $ (58.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 2.6 mil. $ (7.5 %) and Italy with 1.9 mil. $ (5.5 %). The Kids Are All Right was nominated for 4 Oscars: For Best Picture, lost to The King's Speech, Best Actress (Bening), lost to Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo), lost to Christian Bale for The Fighter, and Original Screenplay, lost also to King's Speech. The film won 2 Golden Globes and made it onto many critics' top 10 lists of the year. The Kids Are All Right is certified fresh at 93 % with a 7.8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Kids Are All Right?

Kick-Ass (2010) - Taylor-Johnson is the highlight of Vaughn's offensive, immature comic book entertainer

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+ Most Tasteless Movie of the Year

One of the splashy-colored, youth-appealing posters for Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass

A high school nerd makes himself  a costume and attempts to become one of his comic book superhero idols but instead finds himself beat up. But that changes when he finds two partners, - and a serious foe.

Kick-Ass is an adaptation of the same-titled comic book by Mark Millar (The Flash: Emergency Stop (1997)) and John Romita Jr. (Black Panther Vol. 3 (2005)), also released in 2010. It is written by Jane Goldman (Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)) and co-writer-director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake (2004)). It is a very entertaining, sporadically funny film that seduces with cool music and splashy colors.
Nicolas Cage (Moonstruck (1987)) is very cool in it, - and so is Chloë Grace Moretz (The 5th Wave (2016)) as his daughter Hit-Girl, - and young Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Godzilla (2014)) is smoking hot in the title role. But Kick-Ass is heavy on villainous stereotypes (of blacks and Italians), and its first act is homophobic. It features one ugly, digitally created giant fire. And its amoral idolization of self-realization through violence and murder perpetrated by and marketed to young folk can hardly be called a sound development for films. It is a very immature bowlful of entertainment.

Related posts:

Matthew Vaughn: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Vaughn's handsome if cluttered reboot
The Debt (2010) - The Nazi war criminal thriller is back in a welcome return (co-writer) 
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

 Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Estimated 28-30 mil. $ 
Box office: 96.1 mil. $
= Box office success
[Kick-Ass premiered March 26 (UK) and runs 117 minutes. The rights to the comic book were sold before it was even published. The big studios passed on the project due to its violence involving children, so Vaughn found the money himself, partly though Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment. Filming took place in Ontario, Canada and in England from September 2008 - April 2009. Some controversy arose at the film's release, (it received an R-rating in the US), and some critics reacted against it: Roger Ebert called it "reprehensible" and gave it only 1 star. Kick-Ass opened #1 to a 19.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, (falling to #5 in the following week), where it grossed 48 mil. $ (49.9 % of the total gross). The film's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 16.7 mil. $ (17.4 %) and France with 5.9 mil. $ (6.1 %). The film debuted #1 on the DVD chart in North America but has also been listed as one of the year's most illegally downloaded films, reportedly stolen more than 11.4 mil. times. A sequel, Kick-Ass 2, was released in 2013 to lesser success. Kick-Ass is certified fresh at 76 % with a 7.1 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Kick-Ass?

The Killer Inside Me (2010) - Despite minor qualities, Winterbottom's adaptation is a nasty failure

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2 Film Excess nominations:

Best Child Actor: Liam Aiken (lost to Kiernan Shipka for Mad Men S4)
Best Production Design: Rob Simons, Mark Tildesley (lost to Boardwalk Empire S1)

The best of the many posters for Michael Winterbottom's The Killer Inside Me is this mysterious piece

The Killer Inside Me is the second adaptation of Jim Thompson's (Savage Night (1953)) same-titled 1952 novel, following a same-titled 1976 film with Stacy Keach as the protagonist. It is written by John Curran (Tracks (2013), director) and directed by Michael Winterbottom (Welcome to Sarajevo (1997)).

Central City, a small Texas town in the 1950s: The Deputy Sheriff has fallen in love with a beautiful prostitute, whom he has to drive out of town. Instead he beats her to death and begin a series of killings.

Many seem to have been fooled by this charmless, unexciting 'neo-noir'. Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone (2007)) portrays his nasty Southern protagonist with a supremely urban tongue and unaffectedness to the events he spearheads. Young Liam Aiken (How to Be a Man (2013)) impresses more in two scenes than Affleck manages in the film's entirety.
The Killer Inside Me is filled to the brim with heinously lit sex scenes that don't contain neither insight nor class. SPOILER - The murders of Jessica Alba (Little Fockers (2010)) and Kate Hudson's (Raising Helen (2004)) characters are revolting, and the film's sole attraction becomes our wish to see the loathsome killer die for his sins.
The story has more than one inexplicable bump. It is a pompous art film, which had probably been better, if it had veered towards exploitation instead. It does, however, feature a fine production design of 1950s Texas.

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Winterbottom talks of the film in the video here

Cost: 13 mil. $
Box office: 3.9 mil. $
= Box office disaster
[The Killer Inside Me premiered January 24 (Sundance) and runs 109 minutes. Several adaptations had been attempted put together since the novel's publication with big name actors, which hadn't materialized. Filming took place in Oklahoma and New Mexico from May - June 2009. The film drew some outrage at its Sundance premiere over its explicit brutality towards women, which drew criticisms from many. IFC Films purchased the distribution rights for 1.5 mil. $ and released it theatrically and as VoD simultaneously. Its North American release peaked in just 17 theaters, grossing 217k $ (5.6 % of the total gross). The film's biggest market was by far, interestingly, Russia with 1 mil. $ (25.6 %). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 437k $ (11.2 %) and France with 425k $ (10.9 %). The Killer Inside Me is rotten at 55 % with a 5.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Killer Inside Me?