Bug

Paranoia. It is some scary shit. And to me, a nice handful of it makes for a good horror film. Not blood or guts or gore, just paranoia. (If only more directors took note of that.)

Thankfully, someone in Hollywood still knows how to scare the hell out of an audience. After all, he did direct what some call the scariest film ever made. (And his most recent film is pretty unsettling too.) I am, of course, speaking of William Friedkin.

His film Bug heaps on the paranoia and boy, does it work. Each passing moment gets more and more unsettling. (It doesn't hurt that it's written by Tracy Letts, who also wrote Killer Joe.) Hollywood, take note.

Though this is a small musing of mine as I watched it. I think Agnes (Ashley Judd) was on the verge of madness regardless if she met Peter (Michael Shannon). (She was the victim of domestic and substance abuse.) Peter was basically the break in what was left in Agnes' stability. But that's just my opinion.

Bug is really unsettling to watch. (Shannon's performance doesn't make it any easier.) Between this and Killer Joe, it's safe to say that the combination of Friedkin and Letts is a very potent one. Also, it's great to see Friedkin in his glory again. (I also won't deny that Bug scared me more than The Exorcist.)

My Rating: ****1/2

Killer Joe

During the first few moments of William Friedkin's Killer Joe, you get the assumption that the film is going to be focusing on the trailer trash family. It doesn't take long to realize that there's something much darker going on.

What exactly? They're planning a murder so they can get the insurance payout. They even hire a hit man (Matthew McConaughey). The deed's done quite quickly, but it's the aftermath of the crime where the true horror happens.

It's really revolting that people can simply plan a murder without giving a second thought. They don't give a damn about anything except themselves and their own personal cravings. This is precisely why humans are the scariest beings alive.

And boy, do the actors prove that fact effortlessly. Emile Hirsch, Thomas Haden Church and Gina Gershon shine in their unsympathetic roles. Juno Temple is practically the embodiment of corruptible innocence here. But it should come as no surprise (especially now) that McConaughey is the best among the cast. (I wonder how many jaws were dropping when people finally realized he could act?)

Man, this film is brutal. (Then again, what else do you expect from a film called Killer Joe?) Perhaps even too brutal for Friedkin's standards. (Best proof? That now infamous fried chicken scene.) Also, I really hope August: Osage County (another work of writer Tracy Letts) isn't as vicious in its depiction of human behavior.

My Rating: ****1/2

The Exorcist

William Friedkin is one of the few directors to have had back-to-back hits. Those were The French Connection, for which he won an Oscar, and The Exorcist, where he scared the hell out everyone back in 1973.

Actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) starts to notice some unusual changes in her daughter Regan (Linda Blair). She seeks help from Father Karras (Jason Miller), who is losing his faith. The top priest who can deal with an exorcism is the aging Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), who is called in to rid of the demon inside Regan.

I'll admit The Exorcist didn't scare me as much as it should have but damn, it's really fucked up. It'll screw up your mind, I can tell you that. Blair gives one of the best child performances in film history. I also admire the work from Burstyn and Miller. Friedkin is responsible for directing the most messed up horror movie in existence.

My Rating: *****

The French Connection

Movies from the 1970's are renown for their edginess. Their content has stuff that ten years earlier would've have had audiences going "Whoa!" Basically, stuff like drugs, blood-soaked crimes and all that good stuff in between.

Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey) is a dapper businessman from Marseilles, Frances, who is in reality a drug lord working on a big score to sell $32 million worth of 89% pure heroin to New York City. But his potential buyer, small-time hood Salvatore Boca (Tony Lo Bianco), is being tailed by undercover cops Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (Gene Hackman) and Buddy "Cloudy" Russo (Roy Scheider).

Oh man, this is branded "guy movie" big time. I mean, really. The famed car chase scene alone proves that. Hackman's character of "Popeye" Doyle shows those the hard way he's a cop you shouldn't mess with (much like his other Oscar-winning performance in Unforgiven). Most Best Picture winners lose their edge as the years go on. Not The French Connection.

My Rating: *****