A waste of 90 minutes of my life

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This could have been a different and much better movie. Apparently I saw a potential depth to it that completely escaped the filmmakers. So I find myself in the odd position of disagreeing with all the other reviewers. What they hated about it I liked. What they liked about it I hated. I was unaware of the filmmakers' link to the splatter film "Hatchet", which I have not watched and have no intention to. So my review of this film is based solely upon its own merits and not on any similarity or differences to some other movie. So, what's right about this movie? I actually liked the slow development of the characters. I came to care about them. I began to root for the budding relationship between the two leads. Was Mason actually autistic, or was he a victim of emotional trauma? Was there hope for him to come out of his shell with the help of his quirky girlfriend Amber? Silly me. I found out too late that the movie makers didn't give a damn about the characters. They were merely fodder for the clichéd "twist" ending. What a letdown. They threw away all the potential for a serious movie by capping it with a cheap Hollywood trick from the threadbare "Screen Writing for Dummies" handbook. So, if you want a "mystery thriller", then the ending of this movie is for you, but you will become impatient with all the unnecessary character buildup preceding it. On the other hand, if you go in, as did I, unwittingly willing to care about people, especially those marginalized by society, and root for them to triumph over adversity, then skip this movie. The buildup will intrigue you and make you care. But the ending will terrifically disappoint you.

Spiral is worth a watch. The movie tells a story about an introverted young painter.The movie is simple with some questionable acting, however the story is easy to follow and quite interesting. I'm happy to say that some scenes were really well done and quite intense. The thing I found best about the movie was the timing and pacing. While it is not a fast movie, I think that the pacing of the scenes was good, keeping the audience engaged, but waiting to see the story unfold.I enjoyed the music in the film. The frequent use of jazz in the film adds to the artsy feel.This movie comes down to taste. I think the movie is well done, but may not keep everyone interested.This movie may be for you if you want something that is easy to follow, interesting, and a little arty.Maybe not for you if you are looking a deep and complex story or a high budget blockbuster.

"Spiral" 12/2/2011After his breakthrough horror splatter hit "Hatchet" Adam Green teams up with friend Joel David Moore to write and direct the suspense drama "Spiral" which also stars Moore in the lead as "Mason" as an intensely quiet and withdrawn painter who works at an insurance company call center. This movie is quite the departure from the blatant blood and gore of his previous film. "Spiral" is really a hard film to classify. It's not really horror, but more of a character drama that happens to have an overall theme of terror. It's also about the nature of friendship between two friends. Zachary Levi (who now plays "Chuck" on the NBC show) is Mason's long time friend Berkeley who knows Mason has some serious issues. There is also Mason's relationship with women, Diana in the beginning and Amber (Played by Amber Tablyn) for the majority of the movie. The movie continues to tease the audience as to weather Mason is a killer or just and average guy dealing with some pretty heavy emotional issues. Mason appears to be a very meek and neurotic guy. He lives alone in an apartment where he paints portraits of women who pose for him. Is Mason as benign as he looks or is there something else brewing inside his tall, lanky body? Joel David Moore's portrayal of Mason is pretty dead on and definitely makes this movie what it is. Zachery Levi is also very strong as the friend who is really in denial that his friend really needs professional help. Amber Tamblyn's character of who else Amber is probably the weakest of the three but in a movie as well acted as this one, she still does give a decent performance. What does she see in Mason anyway?Spiral builds to a suspenseful and sort of obvious climax, but when Mason goes to Berkley for help after an "incident". The rug is pulled out from you in a brilliant "oh my god" twist, but is it the truth or is it just what Berkley wants to believe. He then comes to the realization that Mason isn't quite what he appears to be.

Troubled childhood...Mom murdered by Dad and you have the set up of a lonely,asthmatic,delusional, young man trying to eek out a living as a telemarketer in Portland Oregon, filled with demons in his head. I felt this film was genius because it truly captured the progression of a serial killer in the making. Basically this was a prequel of Masons life as a serial killer. You had a creative , painter dabbling in imagination of women with delusions seeming oh so real. When the film convinces its viewer that Mason was just delusional, and has harmed no one, the viewer is in for a shock. Despite the fact that, lead actor Joel Moore reminds us of 'Ross' from Friends, the movie still shines , mostly because of the creative material. Amber Tamblyn is so so as Amber. Film could have explored the psyche of her character somewhat, but chose not. Mason had one friend , his boss , though a womanizer, had a heart of gold when it came to Mason , as well as the most patience ever, in dealing with Masons idiosyncracys and blow ups. Truly a gem of a film . One can assume that Mason is on his way to being a serial killer, terrorizing the USA. Very cleverly written and refreshing.