Another independent movie you’ve never heard of to go along with Beasts of the Southern Wild and To Rome with Love lol, and one even less worthy of your dollars.
What Works: The movie is about two professors (Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver) who tour the country debunking “supernatural phenomenon” but eventually run foul of a legendary and powerful psychic (Robert Deniro) who may be responsible for the death of a journalist that was investigating him in the 70’s. A very strong premise and a sharp, lively opening act…
What Doesn’t Work:…followed by a so-so second act, and a pretty awful final one. The “twist” ending actually ruins everything the movie was saying before it, as the once-awake gets lost in hocus pocus. Also, why cast the great Elisabeth Olsen if you aren’t really going to use her? And—-and this will probably only bother me—-but it annoyed me that Cillian Murphy, Weaver, and De Niro all had the exact same haircut.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Either beefed up Olsen’s role or cut it completely. And 100 percent changed the ending, which feels like a cop-out. Then, I might have also trimmed a few minutes, as the middle section begins to seriously drag.