kking-68641 Definitely strange - if you like standard movies with standard genre and plots you may not enjoy this one. If you like emotional characters that you can connect with and 'average joe' dramas, you may not enjoy this one. I enjoyed it because I felt like it did a good job of taking some classic horror elements (sociopath/stalker/creepy guy) and puts subtle twists on it. I think they either didn't portray a sociopath very effectively or else they are saying the kid was misdiagnosed because for supposedly having no empathy he showed too much emotion and reacted in ways a person who "doesn't care" wouldn't. They tried to make him dark and creepy but still make you root for him. It's not very realistic, but they did a fair job of it in my opinion. The "dark protagonist" with a heart of gold learning how to love. Kind of slow, kind of cheesy, but they did a great job of making it creepy and making you question things - that's what I enjoyed. The ending was out of left field and absolutely not credible in any way (one of the characters who is supposed to be 'normal' just goes along with the crazy for no good reason? No closure on the origin story of the totally unbelievable antagonist?) It lost some stars there, but overall I still found it more entertaining than the average cookie-cutter show.

The Movie Diorama From the very few indie films that I have seen, I should really expect the unexpected. Yet here I am, again...wondering what the heck did I just watch!? The story revolves around a teenager who is obsessed with death and murder. His hometown of Clayton is currently experiencing several deaths in which our protagonist attempts to find the culprit. So...automatically, even just by acknowledging the title, I thought this would be a character study on a psychotic teen who slowly becomes a serial killer. In which, to be fair, that concept is explored both on a subtextual and contextual level. His obsession overwhelms him which could be interpreted for any obsession. Defining the line between passion and obsession, the film utilises murder to convey this. Then...then then then...'I Am Not A Serial Killer' becomes 'I Am Under The Skin'. Quite literally. I was so adamant I knew what was going to happen, even before playing the film and yet the indie genre slaps me round the face and shouts "no, you're wrong. Prepare yourself for this...". Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about this film. It's intelligent and original no doubt, but the forced abnormal plot just seemed too unusual. So unusual that I think it detracts from the ideas that the film evokes. The psychological aspects are thrown to the side line whilst the narrative focuses purely on this weird story. Is he imagining it? Is it actually happening? Whatever it is, it's hard to relate to the characters. I don't know what to say, I just didn't fully connect with this and couldn't jump onboard. Christopher Lloyd was great as usual, glad he got a decent amount of screen time. The direction was solid all round, really liked the smudges and dirt on the camera lens in certain shots. The ending wasn't powerful or clever. I mean...it concludes fine, but I wanted it to be more psychologically stimulating. It just wasn't. In the end, this was a so-so affair. I liked the technical aspects but disliked the surreal plot to illustrate psychotic behaviour.

Tom Dooley As winter bites in a small town in Minnesota we meet a young lad with homicidal thoughts. His mom is a school teacher and she arranges for him to see a counsellor who is trying to stop him acting on the thoughts that are emanating from 'the dark side'.Round about the same time people start to turn up dead. They are not just dead however, as that would not be spooky enough. No they are all missing certain parts of their, erstwhile, mortal coils and the police are devoid of clues as to what is happening under their very, bloodied, noses – metaphorically speaking of course.Now this is a film that is basically an Irish effort but has been made in the US as its story clearly works a lot better in that setting. The acting is all great but hats off to Christopher Lloyd ('Back to the future' trilogy) as Mr Crowley who can manage octogenarian frail and threateningly evil all in the same scene. There is a fair bit of blood letting and scenes of an autopsy nature so best to avoid a light supper whilst viewing. The acting is all very good indeed and the ending may not be to everyone's taste but the clues are sprinkled throughout and so I found it more than OK. So for a bit of blood spatter violence and a whole ton of vengeance this may be one for you.

wheresjoeysmovie It is such a tragedy when a film is so well done and then BAM- it goes to hell at the end. Max Records gives a fantastic performance of a teenager whose dark impulses frighten those around him because they do not understand the mindset of someone different. He is diagnosed as a sociopath from one of the most unethical doctors on film. He lacks empathy and it affects his life significantly. Despite his difficulty expressing or understanding empathy, he is drawn to help an elderly man next door (a great Christopher Lloyd) with secrets of his own. In the meantime, people are dying. This movie went so many interesting places and I loved some of the territory I could identify with. The performances were also top- notch. And then BAM- the ending takes all the best parts of the script and shreds them and wastes so much of the potential of this story. I enjoyed everything until the last ten minutes so much that I still had to give it a 6. It is worth the watch for how good it was and what it could have been with an ending grounded in reality. I understand that it is based on a book- but the book should have had a different ending too if it resembles this story the same way.