Excellent adaptation.

As Good As It Gets

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Donald Cammell directed this 1987 thriller about a sound technician in a little town in Arizona, that is suspected of being a serial killer of local suburban housewives. David Keith and Cathy Moriarty star in this movie, that was at the top of my Want List for quite awhile. Keith portrays Paul, whom the police have several clues that tie him to the bloody mutilation murders, and Moriarty is his wife whom is starting to believe the police. This movie has a lot of style, and what a soundtrack with Nick Mason of Pink Floyd providing the Floydish music. It falls pretty much in the art movie genre, even though it has some Giallo elements to it, and David Keith is indeed a scary guy in the best role of his career. Stunning would not be too strong of an adjective to describe this mind numbing thriller that is almost hypnotic in its approach to the story and the haunting direction of Cammell. The movie has some interesting twists and turns, and one particular scene where Paul's wife finds something hideous hidden under their bathtub is truly horrifying. This is not a movie to miss, a true cult type film that you will probably want to watch multiple times. It was well worth the effort I had to put forward to find this movie, it's definitely a favorite of mine now.

Right near the opening, there's a very brutal and stylized murder of a woman (and her goldfish). The police identify an Indian-style compass made out of objects on a counter. This type of compass of colored objects, and an actual compass recur several times throughout the movie, but to what purpose, I don't know.A man who makes custom sound systems for people lives with his wife and daughter. She had been traveling from New York City to Los Angeles with her boyfriend, but they stopped in Arizona to repair his stereo after she ruined it in a fit of anger. That's when she met the sound guy, and she left her boyfriend for him.The sound guy's van's treads match those of the killer, though there's at least forty others with the same kind.The movie is pretty well-made, and well-acted until towards then end when it gets pretty outrageous after the killer is identified. In a real groaner of a scene, someone comes out of nowhere to try to save the day. And then what happens to the killer is downright ridiculous.I saw this on a pan & scan videotape. Given the director's artistic bent and the Arizona setting, widescreen would definitely be an improvement. Evidently about ten minutes were cut from the film to get an R rating (the MPAA is criminally insane), so perhaps an uncut version would be an improvement. Interesting film, disappointing final reel. Critic Steven Jay Schneider has a long article about the movie and director (see external reviews) that is worth reading.

What we have here is a clear case of a movie that tries to get by on sheer style, without any particular concern for the story or the characters. There are many interesting directorial touches and a unique atmosphere, but the film suffers from a weak script, and from overlength. Strictly for fans of the offbeat. (**)

If you're a fan of this type of movie this one is well worth the rental. David Keith does a good job as the husband/suspect and the beautiful Cathy Moriarty as his wife is great as usual. This is a must see for any of her fans! The play on the "eye" got old quickly and probably wasn't needed anyway as the plot carried itself without the Indian legend bit.