These are my movie recommendations

I’m using a five-* rating system, since I can’t figure out how to make a star.

DISCLAIMER: I like movies of all varieties, and it really takes a lot for a movie to offend me and my wife, so be warned that some of the movies I recommend are definitely not for the faint of heart, or the easily offended. I’ll try to remember to warn you about objectionable materials in movies, but keep in mind that what you find objectionable, I might not. That said…

Some great movies you’ve probably never heard of – Part One:

Mute Witness – **** Great thriller about a film crew making a low-budget slasher film in Russia, with a deaf-mute main character. Very suspenseful with a lot of humor. Warning! 1 very bloody scene, nudity, and profanity.

Black Snake Moan – ***** Great movie! If you want to see a movie about Christians who are messed up doing their messed up best to be Christian and help someone in need, watch this. In a small part, it has, I believe, the best and most favorable portrayal of a minister that I’ve ever seen in a movie. Warning! This is not some sugar-coated, Hallmark-type Christian movie. It is very gritty, and down-and-dirty. Although fictional, it is about real people with real problems. It has nudity, profanity, violence, fairly explicit sex, sexual abuse, drinking, and drug abuse. It also has a lot of hope and faith. Not for the squeamish, but definitely worth watching.

Kenny –**** A great Australian film about a guy who services portajohns for a living. Just a very funny movie with a lot of heart, about a nice guy who loves his crappy (literally) job, regardless of what others think. Warning! Some drinking and profanity is all I can remember.

Murder Party – ****Low-budget horror-comedy about a lonely guy who finds an invitation to a “Murder Party” on Halloween. Really funny and manages to stick it’s finger in the eye of “artistic” types. Warning! Alcohol and drug abuse, sex, profanity, and bloody violence.

Open Water – *****Very low-key film about a couple who accidentally get left behind on a scuba-diving tour. Pretty intense, considering that 3/4 of the movie is just two people floating in the water. Not a happy ending kind of movie, but very revealing about relationships, love, etc. The best shark movie since jaws. Also recommended, The Reef ****. Basically Open water with a larger, Australian cast. Warning! Nudity(full frontal), and profanity (Open Water). Profanity (The Reef).

Movie Reviews – September 2016

Here are some of the best movies I’ve seen lately. All are available on DVD/Blue Ray, as well as streaming services.

The Keeping Room – *****Outstanding historical drama/thriller with a small, but great cast. Two sisters and a slave girl must fend off Union soldiers in the south, at the end of the Civil War. Slow paced, but very suspenseful. The kind of movie that makes you think, and rethink what you think you know. Parts of it are very uncomfortable, but they should be. It doesn’t sugar-coat or gloss over anything. Warning! Violence, including rape.

Midnight Special – ****A father kidnaps his young son (who has mysterious “powers”) from a cult and goes on the run to keep him safe. Kind of a sci-fi, action thriller for the thinking man. A little slow paced, but an excellent movie about the lengths a father will go to for his son. Directed by Jeff Nichols, who also directed Mud, another outstanding, but very different kind of thriller. Warning! Violence

Jane Got a Gun – *****An excellent western. Also a little slow-paced, but well worth the time. Both it and The Keeping Room have very strong, very believable female leads, and, although fictional, do justice to the real women who lived through those tough times. The Civil War wasn’t fought and the west wasn’t won just by men. Warning! Violence and profanity.