MAY

Disturbing movie of the week:
MAY

I recognize that everybody, has different tastes and that not everybody likes the same types of films. In fact, after talking to several of you, I realized that many of you sometimes have a taste for the bizarre f***ed up movie. And even there, there are good films and bad films, so I will occasionally recommend some good ones.

******Warning****** these movies are not for everybody.

If just looking at the cover of this video doesn't flip you out, I don't know what will. This is not a pure horror film or merely a slasher film. This is more of the "disturbed misfit loner" type of film. This could be considered a "black comedy" in the same sense that "American Psycho", although pretty gruesome in its subject matter, is actually hilarious. You just have to have that type of sense of humor that appreciates black comedy. The movie also works as a psychological thriller, in the same sense as films like Psycho and Carrie.

Now, let's see. So far it's a psychological horror black slasher comedy. I'd say - there's a little something for everybody. How do all these elements mix? Great. This is a wonderfully entertaining film. Strange, original, and oddly endearing.

You, the audience, know things about May that the characters in the story don't. She is basically a sweet but vulnerable young woman, but there is a little ....... something, buried below the surface that you can see just by looking at her. She's a bit off. Through the second half of the movie, you can see it building to what must be its inevitable conclusion - you just can't believe that it will actually go there.

It does.

I know a lot of you will steer clear of this type of film. "I don't like violent movies." "It's too scary." "It doesn't appeal to me." "I am a wussy." This type of film is often associated with cheap, BAD, mindless teenage gore-fests. The same thing is said of cheap, BAD, mindless teenage sex comedies. But just as there are many examples of well-written, GOOD, thoughtful teenage comedies, there are many examples of well-written, GOOD, and thoughtful psychological horror black slasher comedies. This is one of them. But it's always good to go in with an open mind. It helps if you consider the following.

1. It's only a movie.
2. It's meant to be funny (not "ha ha" funny - more like "I'm worried about Megan. She's been acting a little funny lately.").
3. Those people were rude anyway.
4. There are no sudden "jump out of the shadows and hack someone to pieces" scenes. Any violent images usually come with a fair amount of warning.
5. It's OK to venture to such an extreme, within the context of the movie, without being considered perverted. There are so many other things to be perverted about.
6. I compared this film to "Carrie". Here's another Carrie connection. Angela Bettis, who plays May in the movie, also played Carrie in the made-for-TV remake. Can you spell t-y-p-e-c-a-s-t?
7. Unless it's a bad, slasher, formula, gross you out for the sake of grossing you out, made for cheap, summer drive-in movie - which this is NOT - this kind of film is supposed to be fun - which this IS.
8. There's a really creepy doll in this movie. May doesn't really explain the doll, but the doll may explain May. You can imagine all sorts of creepy doll plot elements. Is the doll making her do things? At times she seems to hate the doll and at other times she seems to adore the doll - is the doll getting into her head? What kind of mother would give her daughter such a doll? .............. the doll is really creepy.
9. A lot of real legitimate film critics like and recommend this movie ........ like - me, Roger Ebert, Film Threat, lots of other people, LA Times, me, ....
10. Remember, I said it was a disturbing movie. It does have a cataclysmic climax that gets a bit intense. If that bothers you, DON'T WATCH IT!

Don't wait until May to see MAY.
Enjoy.