Three of the movies I’ve seen lately, courtesy of Netflix, have had the same theme: the lengths to which the desperate will go to improve their lives. 7 Boxes (2012), Paraguayan, Graceland (2012), Filipino, and now Cheap Thrills (2013), American, dared to delve into the darkness. I watched the third last night. In it, two down and out old acquaintances, who had not seen each other in five years, are challenged to do the outrageous, for cash, by an amoral married couple who approach them in a bar. The party eventually moves the couples’ fancy house and the stakes go higher, viler and more dangerous. It is thoroughly unpleasant but engrossing, and done in a tidy 88 minutes, sensible length for such fare. Although the four leads have substantial credits, I knew only one by name: Ethan Embry, who was Ed O’Neill’s co-star in the failed 2003 revival of Dragnet. I recognized David Koechner, who has an impressive 131 credits, but was unable to recall a specific appearance. Pat Healy, who played the main character, seems a chameleon, an actor who blends in seamlessly. He has 75 credits listed at IMDb, and not one rang a bell. The lovely Sara Paxton, the femme fatale, has 57, none of which I’d seen prior to this. All were excellent. The film was directed by E. L. Katz, a native of NYC, his first time at the helm of a full length feature. David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga collaborated on the screenplay. 6300+ users at IMDb have rated the work, forging to a consensus of 6.9 of ten. I rate it three on a scale of five. I think it would appeal especially to fans of the Saw series. Anyone sensitive to depictions of violence and deviancy should pass. A few scenes, one particularly, gave me the creeps.
Barry Spunt, author of Heroin and Music in NYC, experienced a thrill yesterday. He has learned that his book has been accepted into the Harvard Music Library. Congrats, sir. Hahvid, he said proudly, walking away. A Kennedy could not have pronounced it better.
I had a few thrills myself at the floating book shop. My thanks to the kind folks who bought, swapped and donated items. Hans, 78, aka Mr. Su Do Ku, visited and gave his slightly blue view of organized religion: "If you prick your finger, God doesn't care; if you finger your prick, you'd better believe God cares." It gave me the sillies.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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