Bug (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Bug (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Powerful acting...but NOT a horror film. Don't be misled!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
Ashley Judd gives the most fearless performance of her career, and Michael Shannon (a solid character actor) gives an equally powerful performance. Right there, the movie is worth seeing.
BUT...I must admit the previews for the movie were all pretty misleading. They make you think you'll be seeing a grimy little horror story, dealing with a bug infestation of some sort. THIS IS NOT A HORROR MOVIE...at least not in the traditional sense.
It is a story about one lonely woman's descent into utter madness...led there by a man who is already quite insane himself. It is a psychological horror story of the first-order...but it does not deal at all with anything supernatural, sci-fi, alien invasion, killer viruses, etc. etc. If that's what you're expecting...then you'll be a one-star reviewer just like half the reviews on this site.
The movie is based on a stage play, and it is talky. Most of it takes place in Judd's cheap little hotel room that she has been living in for months or years. This makes the movie feel a little "stage bound" but it also helps make Judd's world seem sad, lonely and pathetic. Hopeless, even. She has escaped a bad marriage...but one day, her ex-con ex-husband comes "home" and assumes he will just take up residence in her life again. The hubby (Harry Connick Jr....devoid of any charm) also is clearly ready to start up his abusive ways again.
We learn that this couple has also experienced a major personal tragedy...which explains the utter despair that has clearly helped hold Judd back from moving on with her life.
Suddenly, into her life comes a strange, and strangely compelling, young man (Shannon) who despite his oddity and somewhat anti-social behavior, takes a shine to Judd and also helps to fend off the unwanted husband. The two embark on a tentative affair that grows into a clingy relationship that grows into a madness that both share...one that grows ever larger because the two feed off and encourage each other.
I don't want to say much about the nature of the madness...but suffice it to say that what the movie shows is that Judd is in a perfect psychological state to turn herself over completely to the delusions of another...to forget her real life and absorb the probably imaginary life of a person who actually has brought her some tiny measure of safety, comfort and intimacy.
The acting feels a little "stagey" at times...almost over the top. In fact, Shannon played his role on stage, and I suspect had a hard time turning his intensity down a notch. So, Judd simply stepped up to the plate and matched his intensity. She is tough, yet extremely vulnerable. Closed off yet willing to give her heart and soul in exchange for very little. Also, Judd brings pretty much no ego to the film...she looks haggard. True, she is one of the more natural beauties in film (and yes, she even does a nude scene)...but her allure is more carnal, more base, more driven by need.
The ending of the movie is quite shocking, a bit sad, and in many ways disappointing. It happens abruptly, and when we realize that it's over, we might want to throw something at the TV. But part of that stems from the fact that while these characters are far removed from anyone we know (hopefully!)...they have been built carefully and convincingly...and we eagerly hope for a different fate for them.
This is not a film for everyone. It isn't exactly an "art film" and it isn't a "genre film." I think it can suit a viewer whose tastes are wide ranging and who appreciates good performances, even in a script that is a bit stagey and a bit contrived. It has something to say about the power of loneliness to make us do unattractive things. It is NOT designed to scare you, creep you out or even make you feel you've had a good time. It wants to rattle you a bit...and it succeeds. It is just hugely unfortunate that the films marketing was so misleading.
Movie Review: "Bug" will get under your skin.
Summary: 4 Stars
William Friedkin returns with a vengeance in this highly disturbing tale of mental illness, self-mutilation, depravity, and isolation.
The story is deceptively simple in that Ashley Judd, who still looks beautiful no matter how sickly she's made up, plays an isolated, abused and tortured woman who has a history for making awful decisions and eventually makes one too many when she hooks up with a paranoid stranger who is at first shy, tender, and compassionate, but quickly becomes as domineering as Judd's criminal ex-husband who is very well played by Harry Connick, Jr. As I said, this is a deceptively simple tale, because nothing is as it seems in this incredibly violent and disturbing film.
Things very quickly spiral out of control with both Judd's character and the mysterious stranger believing that the government has arranged their relationship in order to produce some super bugs. This, ironically, appeals to Judd's character who has been seeking, in her own way, some relevance in a world that has ignored her pain. It oddly gives her a sense of importance and a reason to hate those around her who have either pointed a judgmental finger at her for literally losing her son (which could happen to anyone) or have done little to help her out of her miserable life (even though she created some of her own misery).
Judd's character is both an in-depth, evolving character and a stereotype of a crack-smoking waitress with no ambition in life other than to wallow in self-pity, hang with the wrong crowd and then wonder why her life is so screwed up. This is a tragically multi-layered character and performance. Judd deserves an Oscar nomination as she portrays both a pathetic lost soul who has done little to improve her life and someone we feel great compassion for regardless of her shortcomings. She has created a character that we want to hit with a 2 x 4 in the head one moment, and cradle in our arms and comfort the next. In a year where many have complained of few good women roles, I can't help but wonder why this performance has gone relatively unnoticed.
Shannon, as the mentally ill stranger, is very good in his role too, but he, ironically, is the less interesting of this essentially two-character film. I found his twitches and mumblings are all too stereotypical of this kind of part. I found very little real depth to him at all and he, sadly, evokes very little sympathy for the sick man that he is. I wanted to feel more for him, but simply couldn't. Perhaps that was intentionally done by the playwright as, in reality, mentally ill people, sadly, annoy us more than touch us. It is the disability for which we can't readily assist someone; therefore, we often look the other way. It is not the same as trying to assist someone deaf, blind, or wheelchair restricted. We can't simply open a door for them. Mental illness is the often ignored disability because it makes us uncomfortable to be around such individuals. We only pay attention after the violence happens that is sometimes associated with the kind of severe mental illness depicted in this film, and only then do we cry out, "Why didn't someone help this man."
This is a film that definitely will not appeal to the masses. It is both character and story driven, but it's claustrophobic, violent, surreal, sad, pathetic, and just down right depressing. I can't say that I felt the bugs like many reviewers on here have said as I never accepted them as there in the first place, but the sad life of Judd's character lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. William (The Exorcist) Friedkin continues to prove his mettle as a director with this latest nightmare vision that he has brought to the screen
Movie Review: Know The Difference Between Horror and Psychological Thriller? No? Watch This Film and Learn...
Summary: 4 Stars
***CONTAINS SPOILERS***
Based directly on the stage play by the same name, BUG will most certainly get under your skin. Although thriller in nature, horror fans should be warned that there are no supernatural or superhuman elements in the story. Looking at the DVD cover, one gets the impression that it might be a spin-off of something along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but Bug couldn't be further from it. No mutant grasshoppers. No aligning of planets that results in bloodthirsty arachnids.
Stage play actor Michael Shannon reprises his role on the silver screen as drifter Peter who falls for lonely waitress Agnes played by Ashley Judd. Agnes is damaged goods to begin with; a woman who's lost her only child to a kidnapping and drowns herself in liquor and cocaine. And when she meets Peter, she believes she may have found someone to connect with other than her abusive ex-husband Jerry (Harry Connick Jr., The Iron Giant). But Peter brings with him his own unique brand of psychological luggage. A battered U.S. veteran who possibly was exposed to torture, Peter begins showing cracks in his psyche soon after their first romantic encounter. He claims that bugs are in the room with them. Then the bugs are in him. Then in her. Then everywhere and involving everyone. The paranoia reaches a crescendo that culminates in the death of someone trying to help Peter and Agnes, and the eventual destruction of everything around them.
First let's be clear what we're talking about here. There are no bugs. We, the audience, don't see a single flea. The bugs are internalized as demonic aphids implanted in Peter (Shannon) by military higher-ups. As Peter's paranoia builds, he brings Agnes right along with him, and it's a painful and frightening thing to watch. Initially having hopes that the two might be able to help one another, the story rapidly gives way to the psychological horrors of what happens when mentally damaged people feed off one another like ...well ...like bugs.
Second is that the story, too, is completely internalized, both character-wise and on the set. The entire production basically takes place in one room: Agnes' rundown hotel room in the middle of nowheresville. Don't expect panoramic shots of beautiful locales.
Third is that this story is exceptionally dark. There are no good and bad people, per se. Agnes' abusive ex is initially seen as a no good A-hole but later becomes a beacon of hope for survival. Even a psychologist who comes in to try and help Peter is damaged in that he's hooked on cocaine himself and seems only passively interested in telling the truth.
For horror fans, this one's going to disappoint. But if you're a psych major or interested in paranoid delusions and how far down those people can sink, Bug will crawl right up your alley.
Movie Review: yikes !! ouch !!! dont u see that !!!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
this movie bugged me out of my skin !!! if yer a paranoid substance abusing war vet or lesbian or obsessive wife beater or wife beaten-- if bugs bug you out - electronic bugs or real bugs or mixtures of thOse !!! and if yer smoking crack and watching this-- yer in for quite a ride- even if yer none of those things and not doing that -- this movie might just make u feel like u are--- freidkin SAys --SOMETIMES sounding JUST A LITTLE insane himself on the commentary-- that this might be his best movie--i think maybe the govt has implanted a bug in his brain !- -i think freidkin tho is an aobsessive like kubrick but more of a genius at what he does --( kubrick to me is most overrated)friedkin talks about losing the zeitgeist that he was caught up in around the time he made the fr connection and the exorcist-- and that he doesnt care to even pursue the zeigeist ANY MORE-- i`m not suRe i believe even he really believes that- i think the zeigeist is more like lady luck and attaches herself to artists who hAVE THE EYES THE EARS THE CHOPS TO HANDLE IT !! AND IN A SENSE I FEEL THIS MOVIE CAPPTURES SOME OF THE ZEIGEIST OF OUR TIME--- IN THAT SENSE-- IT MAY BE HIS BEST MOVIE- BUT THEN AGAIN I'M FEELING KIND oF ITCHY AND WHO KNOWS-- THIS MOVIE -- WELL SEE FOR YUOURSELF-- I`LL SAY THIS-- BESIDES ITS EVER INCREASING HARROWING INSANITY-- IT'S AT TIMES LAUGHABLE HYSTERIA OTHERS HERE TALK ABOUT-- ASHLEY JUDD & SHANNON AND TO A LESSER EXTENT HARRY CONNOCK JR.-- THEIR WORK HERE IS BEYOND REPROACH-- THE ACTING /DIRECTING IS MASTERFUL--- ASHLEY JUDD IS AS COMPELLING AS ANY ACTRESS EVER HAS BEEN---I LOVE U U SUPER MOTHER TRULY-- SHE'S ONE OF THE BEST-- I LOVE WATCHING HER WORK AND THIS ULTRA CRAZY VEHICLE THAT SHE TOTALLY GIVES HERSELF OVER TO-- AND SO DOES SHANNON-- IS MORE OFTEN RIVETING- BETWEEN THE SO MANY OVER THE TOP MOMENTS-- I MEAN THE THING BECOMES OVER THE TOP AND NEVER COMES BACK--IT JUST GOES UP LITERALLY IN FLAMES - I'M SORRY I MISSED THE PLAY !!ENTER THE WORLD OF THIS FLICK AT YER OWN RISK !! ALL THE EXTRAS ON THE DVD ARE WONDERFUL--- THERES A FEAST OF RICHES OF FREIDKIN -AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW-- AND GREAT COMMENTARY BY HIM -HIS SOOTHING MELLOW INTELLIGENT VOICE SHOWING THE DEPTH OF HIS COMMITMENT TO HIS ART--- & HES SO ARTICUALTE ABOUT IT IN THE COMMENTARY--ITS A SWEET REVELATION JUST LISTENING TO IT- I ACTUALLY ENJOYED IT LIKE A TONIC AFTER HAVING BEEN ALMOST DRIVEN OUT OF MY MIND BY THE EXTREME EXCESSES OF THE FILM ITSELF-IN THE END-- I THOUGHT IT WAS WELL WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT IT TOOK GETTING THRU THIS HYSTERICAL MANIC RIDE INTO A NIGHTMARE VISION THAT SOMEHOW RESONATES W THE SURREAL QUALITIES OF LIFE TODAY ---ESP IF YER ON CRACK OR A WAR VET OR a lesbian crack addicted mother of an abducted child....ouch ooo--DID U SEE THAT !!!! ISNT THAT A !!! or was it all just some nightmare of the wackos who lived in this seedy motel as freidkin suggests at the end--- i dont know but wheres that can of bug spray something just bit me !!! ouch !!!!!!!Movie Review: Love It Or Loathe It--This "Bug" Will Get Under Your Skin
Summary: 4 Stars
Having caught "Bug" during its short theatrical run, I found it one of the strangest curiosities to have come from Hollywood in quite some time. While you may loathe its lunacy or love its originality, there is no question the film was poorly handled by the studios. Marketed as a horror film ("by the director of `The Exorcist'"), the advertising campaign completely misrepresented the film. In fact, it continues to do so--just look at the DVD artwork. At best, you could call "Bug" a psychological horror movie--but it's really a studied descent into madness. The film was widely distributed to a mass audience instead of being cultivated on the arthouse circuit, which is another unusual choice for a film of this type. So when average filmgoers went to "Bug" expecting a scary date movie, they got something decidedly more unpleasant (but arguably more interesting).
So let's be honest--you will either love and respect "Bug" or you will absolutely hate it. The film really doesn't have a middle ground. But, to me, that's part of its appeal. I like films to take chances--and, for all its faults, "Bug" is genuinely unsettling. I found myself profoundly disturbed and thinking about this film for days after I'd seen it. It elicited, from me, some of the same reactions and emotions that I had upon the initial viewing of David Cronenberg's masterpiece "Dead Ringers." While I won't contend that "Bug" is in the same league as that film, just the comparison is a huge honor in my book.
The story of "Bug" revolves around Ashley Judd as a small town waitress living in a desolate motel. Remote, lonely, and contending with an abusive relationship past--Judd is an interesting blend of fragility and bravado. When a stranger, played by Michael Shannon, enters the picture, the two form an oddly codependent existence. At first, this unorthodox couple seems to gain strength from one another--but as Shannon's true psychosis is revealed, things head south. The motel room becomes a cocoon against the outside world and reality starts to unravel. We become more and more disconnected from what is real and what is delusional. And as the film progresses, the madness accelerates in an almost operatic way.
The film makes bold choices and not everything works--but with conventional fare always taking the "safe" route, I'm not going to fault "Bug" for its outrageousness. Shannon is terrific and Judd commands the screen. They delve so deeply into these twisted personalities, it's hard not to be awed by their commitment. I credit Judd--she's a great actress--I like to see her take chances and make interesting choices.
If you want a scary movie, don't buy "Bug." It's that simple. If you want to try something more adventurous, this might be for you. "Bug" got under my skin. It's ambitious, complicated, messy, overwrought, and intriguing in every way. If that sounds like a compliment (which I meant it as), then give the film a look. KGHarris, 09/07.