Stuck and Savage Grace

What better way to spend a gloomy, humid Saturday then to see two disturbing films.
And both are based on fact.

I saw Stuck at the only theater in NYC that it is playing at. Although it is based on fact the way it ends is not true to what really happened. Brandi (Mena Suvari) is a nurses aid and she is up for a promotion. After a night out with her boyfriend Rashid (Russell Hornsby) the very high Brandi drives home. She hits the newly homeless Tom (Stephen Rea) and he is stuck in her windshield. Tom is not a drug addict or bum. He is a down on his luck guy who was downsized. He is looking for work but his landlord kicked him out because he couldn't pay the rent. After she hits Tom, Brandi does not call for help. She is afraid of not getting her promotion.
She keeps her car and Tom in her garage in the hopes that he will die.

Stuck is a good fim. It is well directed and well acted. Stephen Rea finally gets to use his great acting ability (he has recently made some duds). The scene in the employment agency is worth the price of admission. Suvari is also terrific as the selfish Brandi. Hornsby and Rukiya Bernard as Brandi's co-worker and friend Tanya are also very good. The film is very bloody and although I understood why it had to be that way I had to close my eyes several times. However, I thought that the graphic scene in the nursing home involving and elderly man should not have been in the film. It added nothing. But that is only a minor complaint. Gordon's horror nightmare film shows us the depths to which humans will sink and the amount of cruelty that they are capable of. Stuck may not be for everyone but for those of you who can handle it I say check it out!

I saw Savage Grace on Movies on Demand. It is the true story of Barbara Baekeland (Julianne Moore) wh came from an ordinary background and married the wealthy Brooks Baekeland (Stephen Dillane). Barbara has a stange personality and her husband has a wandering eye so things do not go smoothly. They have one child - Tony (played as adult by Eddie Redmayne). You can tell right away that Tony does not have healthy relationships with his parents. He seems confused and I got the impression that he doesn't know what to do with his life. Later on we learn that it is worse than that.

The Baekeland's travel around a lot and have homes all over the world. But does this make Barabara happy. Certainly not - and especially not when Brooks leaves her for a younger woman. I found the film interesting but I think that it had the potential to be much better. I blame Tom Kalin's direction for making the movie seem choppy and the screenplay for leaving things out that we should have known about (I don't what they are but I am sure there is plenty). Moore is wonderful as Barbara. Despite the previously mentioned flaws she gives the role her all. All of the other acting is good too. And it was nice to see Anne Reid, Belen Rueda, Unax Ugalde, Abel Folk and others in small roles. Savage Grace was not a great film but it held my attention and recommend it to anyone who wants to see a great performance by the talented Ms. Moore.