Ed's Review Dot Com

Broad Green Pictures, Ingenious Media, Miramax,

Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Christina Hendricks, Brett Kelly, Ryan Hansen, Jenny Zigrino, Jeff Skowron, Mike Starr

Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is back as the drunken no good oaf who’s as broke as always. He’s followed around by Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly) who was just a troubled kid in the original movie, but now is a 21 year old loser who won’t leave Soke alone for a second. To further torment him, his mother shows up, Sunny Soke (Kathy Bates) with a plan to crack a safe and rip off a charity event which will make Willie go back to playing Santa one more time. But perhaps the last straw is that he’s going to need the help of his “elf” partner Marcus (Tony Cox) who would really like to kill Soke instead of helping him, although a 2 million dollar payoff helps convince him. The plan is complex, and of course nothing goes right as everyone crashes through this EXTRA raunchy sequel to Bad Santa.

This film doesn’t quite hit the bulls-eye as it is much dirtier and nastier than the first one. This one really goes into the gutter. But that’s what you would expect from Willie Soke from his first film. Is it really possible that is was all the way back in 2003 when we got that Christmas Classic of Disgusting Material? Well, one look at a grown up Thurman will convince you that many years have passed. With a lot of smut, even more silliness and stupidity, over acting galore, and a suite of really goofy characters. Somehow it keeps you entertained and when it’s over, though you might want to hit the shower to wash off the crud, you’ll find that it was kind of funny after all. This crew makes us feel better about ourselves because no matter how badly we screw up, we can never be as bad as this bunch. If you like seeing Moe hit Curly with a sledge hammer, or love to rubber neck when there’s a bad accident on the freeway, and if you don’t mind a constant stream of extremely bad language, you’ll find yourself chucking all the way through. Kathy Bates is exceptional in her role as Willie’s Mom. It’s gross, it’s stupid, and dog gone it, it’s funny.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Broad Green Pictures, Film Science, A24,

Kai Lennox, Patrick Stewart, Mark Webber, Imogen Poots, Macon Blair, Callum Turner, Joe Cole, Alia Shawkat, Eric Edelstein, Anton Yelchin

A young punk rock band in the Pacific Northwest is having a rough time making a go of it. When they get an opportunity to play a gig for a remote location owned and run by a gang of skinheads, their plan is to get in and get out in a hurry. But a fluke causes them to see something they shouldn’t and the group is locked in a room with no change of escape until they are put out of the way because of what they have seen. What should have been a simple show turns into a desperate fight for survival.

This is one of the most unusual horror films I’ve seen in quite a while. This is a very graphic and gory film. It’s quite intense. Patrick Stewart plays the owner of this club and it certainly an interesting role for him. This guy is unlike anything you have seen from Patrick Stewart in the past. This movie was in limited release is certain theaters, and we were lucky enough to catch this in L.A. The suspense is crushing. Your heart is in your throat through much of this film. The suspense is extremely intense. It’s a very powerful story. But aside from the tension of the capture and escape, there is still a lot about the lives of the band members and what they are going through. And of course there’s the music which fits the movie very well. The music adds to the suspense as it’s very unsettling. There are a lot of additional characters that are very well developed and quite interesting. There’s a lot going on for this low budget thriller. Due to the extreme intensity of this movie it’s not for everyone, but it was an interesting and a suspenseful experience for sure.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog