Shocked to not see a thread - if I missed it, hopefully we can get this moved into the proper thread.

I've seen alot of peeps say this is 1 of their top movies of 2012, which makes me take a step or 2 back and wonder what the fuck peeps really see...or look for in a movie.

I actually liked this for the most part, but it's obviously about as far from mainstream as you can get.

So...what can you say about a movie that has Gina Gerschon's beaver smiling at you in the opening few minutes?  Um...I love it?

What do you say when hot as shit Juno Temple bares it all, including her beav?  Um...I really love it?

And what do you say when Mathew McConaughey shows his shaved, nude body for all to see?  Um...I don't need to see that!

Story-wise, very, very run of the mill and slow, other than the obvious unique twist of a cop being a hitman who decides to use (presumably) young Dottie as a retainer until he gets paid, which is downright deplorable...but...that's what this movie has in spades - deplorable, sick low life characters living deplorable, low life lives.

The violence is extreme at times and pretty well done.  There's a vein of violence and doom running underneath and right through the entire movie, but it's done in a rather odd way (to me at least).  I guess you could call it pitch black comedy in many ways...and it worked the way it wanted to, but I couldn't quite take things too seriously.

What I will say is that there are 4 standout performances on display here.  I guess you could say there's 5, but I wasn't too impressed with Emile Hirsch, although he definitely wasn't bad.

Most of the kudos seems to go to Mr McConaughey here, and being the big star that he is, I understand that.  But for me, he clocks in at #4 with a very subdued, twisted performance that reeks of capable and compelling violence at any second.

#3 goes to Thomas Haden Church in the best performance I've ever seen from the guy.  He's both funny and pathetic at the same time...all the time.  But he brought his A game here for sure.

#2 goes to the always beautiful Gina Gerschon, in what I feel is her best work to date as well.  She has alot of very tough scenes to work through and she comes off 100% believable every single time.

#1 is someone I'm not familiar with - Juno Temple.  Just an unbelievable performance from the young lady.  Talk about uncomfortable scenes...damn.  She rocked it though in every way and some of her facial expressions and reactions were what I would call Oscar caliber.  For reals...splendid acting chops on display,as well as some splendid assets any way you look at them!

Interesting flick any way you look at it.  Not for the feint of heart. This is hard R all the way...or NC17, as it was originally intended.  Nice to see William Friedkin get some love as well, as he's brought us the cream and the shit over his long, storied career.

A movie for movie lovers and those who strive to be actors.  It ain't all fun and games now, is it?

This was number two on my top 10 of 2012 and number one in terms of entertainment. I'd actually wager it was my favorite 2012 film while Michael Haneke's Amour was "the best."

Entertainment's the key word for me. I had a ball watching this one in the theater (twice) and so did the audience. It just goes to show movies don't have to be loud and dumb to be entertaining and don't need to appeal to teenagers either. That's another thing. This is a film for adults, through and through, but not at the loss of cinematic flavor. It's not tedious, didactic, and doesn't take itself too seriously (rather just seriously enough).

The things you've mentioned in your review should serve as evidence as to why this movie is awesome though I would add Clarence Carter's "Strokin'" to the list. That said, I think it should be no surprise to you, Jeff, that this'd be something I would dig.

We need more flicks like this one, especially in the realms of films intended to entertain.

Yes, James.  I'm not at all surprised you loved it.  It's definitely one of those movies that will appeal to certain peeps....and critics..just not the masses.

Juno Temple's also pretty good in another fun non-mainstream little flick called Mr. Nobody.

I liked this one a lot. It had attitude, it didn't treat me like an idiot, and the cast was pretty uniformly great. Basically I'd echo the above. Good stuff.

This movie was a lot of fun, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Great scene.

This is the second writer/director collab for Friedkin and Letts.
I was fairly mixed on this one.
I felt the individual quality didn't add up in the end.
Lotsa dynamic and talented elements in a run of the mill tale.

Still, I was never bored and I like Friedkin's off the beaten path project choices.
Pretty sure this one's from the same writer of BUG.
And I liked that unhinged film much better than this one.

E.D.

Fantastic call, Jeff - this is a great little film. To my mind, it should be involved in this year's Awards Season.

Correct, Brett.  Letts wrote both Bug and Killer Joe.  Both adapted from plays - both very few locations.

I actually saw Bug in the theater and although I liked it for the most part, it never quite went where I was hoping it would.

Man this movie was fantastic. Really impressive all the way around.

~Zack~

Not a movie to watch with your better half . . . saw it last night. Who knew McConaughey could act.

Easy to see the stage play genesis - particularly that contained closing scene in the kitchen.

Certainly a gritty movie.

This flick has sleaze oozing out of every frame.  Like Southern-fried Machiavelli.  The Smith clan is about as twisted and dysfunctional as it gets.  Shifty loser son, dimwit Dad, scheming stepmom and doe-eyed Lolita daughter.  Not exactly Leave it to Beaver, unless you count Gershon's intro.

This kind of reminded me of a Jim Thompson novel like The Grifters or The Killer Inside Me.  Pulpy, depraved.  I thought the cast was all around solid, with Matt being the standout as the menacing sadist cop.  Kind of a basic, straightforward story, but what makes it special is its refusal to take the easy or "heartwarming" way out.  It starts sleazy and ends sleazier.  And that drumstick scene.  Wow, talk about your product placement for KFC.