1. HAPPINESS ( 1998 )

OK so I have chosen the most difficult film to review first.
I'll start by saying the the trailer for the film (as shown above) is really NOT a true reflection of what the movie is like or is about and I think is very misleading.

This movie was recommended to me by the little sister. She knows that I like my movies a bit "out there" and very black humour. She DID warn me that the theme is quite confronting & disturbing.
Well THAT is an understatement.
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (who I love) is hideous as a big fat sexual pervert. Every single character is simply awful... not the acting... the acting is great.
But the characters are awful. You keep hoping that during the movie they show SOME trait that might make you like them a little bit but it never comes and you just end up hating them all. I think that this is actually the point of the movie though.

The lead character is a pedophile. I do not know how this actor could have played this role.
It does NOT hold back and you know damn well that he is drugging & raping those boys.
The conversations he has with his son are very very very difficult to watch.
I actually had to turn the movie off about half way because of how uncomfortable I was.
I kept watching because I was intruiged about how it would end.
If you liked the movie "The Squid and The Whale" or even "Shortbus" you may like this films very adult themes.

I am only going to give this movie 2 stars out of a possible 5 stars.
One star for the fact that I had to watch until the end and One star because the acting is amazing.

I simply CANNOT recommend this film at all as it is too depressing & pedophile character is just too confronting but I WOULD be interested to hear if anyone else (besides my sister) has seen it and what they thought about it.

Two words can sum up this film.......

FUCKED UP