metaforce79
Where to begin, where to begin? Well, let me preface this by saying I tried watching this once before and couldn't get through it. Recently, however, I was visiting my buddy who lives in Alexandria, VA and I happened to remember that Kalamity was filmed in Fairfax, VA. My buddy grew up around there and lived there for a number of years. I thought, hey, if nothing else, maybe he'll see some familiar sites or, perhaps, someone he knows. Also, I was thinking that maybe I just needed to give this movie another shot. Perhaps I wasn't in the right headspace when I watched this the first time. Well, it was 60 minutes of pure tedium that would have been better served watching paint dry. Wait, you're saying, it's a 90 minute movie, not 60. Quite true, but we watched for about 50 minutes and then had to start fast forwarding to see if there was anything to sustain our interest. No such luck. We were teased early on by a great scene where Stanley popped Christian in the face with a hockey puck. We would soon learn that this would be the highlight of the entire movie. The acting was stilted in some scenes and OTT (over the top) in others. The university in Ohio looked suspiciously like George Mason University. And, come on, you end the movie on a traffic signal changing from red to green? What does that even mean?! Sounds like art for art's sake to me. Lastly one of the characters made a crack about a "slut from Manassas." My grandmother lives in Manassas! I need to stop here and calm down before I can finish this review...Okay, If this movie could be saved (and that's a big "if"), I'd reedit it so there are only these scenes: 1) Billy comes home from college, 2) Stanley decks Christian with the hockey puck, 3) Billy has one of his girlfriend hallucinations in his Volvo, 4) Christian gets gunshot by Stanley, 5) Billy confronts Stanley, 6) The traffic light changes from red to green. That's it. Roll credits.
prsguitar123
I do not know the shills who reviewed this movie, but do they not understand that if YOU FIND A BODY In the woods and DO NOT REPORT IT, those that found it will face CHARGES???This movie was so stupid, they find a BLOODY photo, but do they go to the police? NO! They instead decide to go searching for the last place the girl they thought was at. Okay, at least they are giving their friend the benefit of the doubt, though MOST people would have called THE POLICE!Then they actually find a murdered body, but do they call the police? NO! One guy goes home and gets murdered and the other goes home lays down then wakes up later to take a shower....and the idiot still does not call the police! Then he goes to the home of the murdered guy and confronts his friend. The people that wrote this garbage ought to be slapped! It has no basis in reality...NONE! If they were actual people then the guy at the end of the movie would have the police looking for him because he left his prints all over the place. What a stupid story!
TheresaMSullivan
Written and directed by James Hausler, Kalamity claims its spot as an intriguing psychological thriller. Ripped to the bone by heartbreaking loss, Kalamity grasps Billy and Stan as its true victims. This film takes a different perspective since, for once, we hear from the men, witness their emotional bleed, and follow the horror of the 'subconscious rip'. The movie starts out with a haunting, compelling, and strikingly wise voice-over, which pulls the audience into the film.Grounded by Hollywood professionals Robert Forster and Nick Stahl who portrays the story's hero, Billy, Hausler's brilliant choice of Jonathan Jackson as the aggressive, uber-disturbed best friend, Stan, carries the suspenseful tone. Although Billy has problems of his own, he recognizes almost immediately that his good friend has some profound mental imbalance. The dialogue is real; it reflects the way real people feel and talk. Billy's reflection on his own lost love, Alice, speaks to that part in all of us who yearn for that lost love of our own – reliving snippets of moments in our own memories as Billy randomly does with Alice throughout the film. I saw this in the theater, and watched on demand repeatedly, each time unpeeling another layer of Hausler's tightly scripted, haunting film.
Tony Heck
After breaking up with their girlfriends of five years, two friends handle it differently. After moving back to his hometown Billy (Stahl) learns that his girlfriend no longer wants a long distance relationship. He is not handling it well and goes to friend Stan (Jackson) for help coping. Stan is not handling his break up well either and soon his girlfriend winds up missing. This movie more then anything is a little disturbing, mainly for the fact that this is very believable and I'm sure at least part of this has happened to someone before. I don't want to give to much away but before you watch know that this is not a horror movie like the preview makes it seem like, but a very disturbing look at how an unstable person handles a break-up. I give it a B-.Would I watch again? - Not sure, I think I would but it may not have the same effect.