GazerRise Fantastic!

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

trashgang I just picked this up because it was filed as a horror movie. Can't agree with that, for me it was 100% thriller. Not that it was bad but it doesn't have any really suspense. The saving of this flick lays in the acting.Diagnosed with dementia it's time to bring a nurse at home and of course that nurse has dark secrets. Let that be the main story. But the darkness never really comes in for me. But I must also say that I never was bored at all, so it's above mediocre. But no red stuff really to find throughout this picture except for one shot that involves some kind of dream were a veteran is biting the flesh from his arm. Let that part be the most horrifying thing to see. It's Gene Jones (George) who makes it watchable.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

imssyk-17264 Sometimes I wonder when I read reviews here if anyone actually even enjoys movies anymore or if everyone is, as Beckett would lovingly call, a CRRRRITIC (a "critic" for those of you who have not read Waiting for Godot). Waiting, however, seems to be a virtue of the past.Honestly, the biggest criticism should be that this movie was erroneously marketed as a horror movie when it is actually a psychological thriller.Dementia is a slow burn that first and foremost is anchored by two outstanding performances by veteran actor Gene Jones (The Sacrament & No Country For Old Men) and sadly far too unknown character actress Kristina Klebe (Rob Zombie's Halloween & Proxy). The supporting cast is equally talented and Steve Agee is hilarious in his appearance. As a New Yorker, I take a NY Times Review and especially a critic's pic very seriously. And I was not wrong to trust the Times on this one. I recommend this movie if you enjoy refreshing, truth-based performances, layered characters and a good story that keeps you on your feet from beginning to end.*The only reason I gave this a 9 is because there is a strange sound mix issue in the last 5 minutes that made hearing some of the last scene difficult - I hope they fix this.

Jim Daniels I didn't exactly have high hopes for this movie, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway considering that the premise seemed interesting. Mental illness, and especially dementia, is something that I have always found to be fascinating, humbling, yet terrifying. I figured that the plot would be the standard sequence for these kinds of movies (introduce seemingly normal antagonist, antagonist slowly starts becoming creepy, no one believes protagonist that antagonist is nuckin' futs, antagonist becomes full fledged psycho, climax, resolution) and I was right to a certain extent. Or at least I think so. Throughout the movie, we get clued in that George was a very violent father/person and that he isn't exactly the kind of main character you'd want to side with. The nurse, Michelle, is obviously deranged and her behavior gets progressively more and more unnerving (albeit pretty unrealistic e.g. ripping the head off a Barbie doll at the check out of what looks like a hardware store. Why are Barbies being sold at Ace Hardware? And if she can keep up the facade of being a real nurse in front of her target's family, why can't she keep her cool at the shop's check out line?). However, we're told that she is avenging her mother, whom George killed when she was six years old. At least that's what I think happened. So who to root for? Well you'll never really find out.At the peak of the climax, you can't hear anything aside from the ambiance music. Seriously. You can catch a few of the characters' hushed voices, but they may as well be reciting a recipe for apple pie and we'd be none the wiser. It's a real shame too, because this is the point in the movie when we're told what the characters' motives are. Michelle reveals what George did to her mother and why she's been tracking him down, and George tells us what he did to Michelle's mother and why. But I guess we'll never know. I'd really like to ask the producers and the sound editor what the hell they were in a rush for when they worked on the last scene of this movie and why they didn't bother checking the levels before deciding that was going to be the final cut. It's really frustrating, too, because Shelley, who had been growing fond of her grandfather throughout the movie, all of a sudden doesn't want anything to do with him. She even takes his pills from him as he crawls towards them, and when her father appears out of nowhere and tells her to call an ambulance, she lies and tells him that she already has and leaves her grandfather to die. How she finds out what he did, I'm not really sure. One minute she was is bound and gagged with duct tape in what looks like the laundry room, the next she is standing over her grandfather, somehow having been there long enough to have heard his and the nurse's exchange. And the movie ends there. We don't find out if either George or Michelle survived, or if there's ever any justice served, or even a hint at what was drowned out by poor sound editing. Nada. Complete waste of film.Don't bother with this movie. Honestly. It's a real shame too because Gene Jones does a great job playing an interesting character (veteran war hero with some serious skeletons in his closet who wants to change and be part of his son's and granddaughter's lives). The rest of the acting is pretty meh IMO. The father/daughter relationship between Peter Cilella and Hassie Harrison seems more like they're ex lovers or couple going through a rough patch. Definitely didn't feel like a father and his child when they were interacting. And Kristina Kleb's acting was alright, but just wasn't convincing enough for me. At least not for the way the film was written (which by the way also leaves way too many loose ends on top of the mystery ending caused by poor sound editing).Overall, skip this one. You aren't missing anything but frustration.

Peter Pluymers "Keeping him calm, will keep him alive." Everything was there to turn this into a horrible and unnerving horror. How terrifying is it for someone who's helplessly caught in a life-threatening situation and knowing it's impossible to escape from. No possibility to ask someone for help. No ability to save yourself. Both because you are physically limited and there's someone who makes this impossible anyway. Films about forced imprisonment are countless. From "The seasoning house" and "Mysery" to "Room" recently. The reason of detention varies from film to film. You can't say this genre films is saturated. That's a bit exaggerated. Unfortunately the theme used in "Dementia", isn't really realistic sometimes. The fact that someone suffers from dementia and is trapped in his own psychological consciousness, is scarier than what is shown here.Especially the acting of Gene Jones catches the eye. In a brilliant way he shows the various characteristics of George. On the one hand a surly man who carries a heavy burden of his past. The unbearable memories of his captivity where he was subjected to inhuman tortures. After he returned this experience was the basis for his alcohol problem, which resulted in domestic violence and terror. On the other hand, we see the chastened former alcoholic, who tries to clear things up and rectify what he has done wrong in the past. There are timid attempts to restore the broken family band with his son Jerry (Peter Cilella) and seeks a rapprochement as the father he wasn't. Also, he finally gets to know his granddaughter Shelby (Hassie Harrison), who knows nothing about her grandfather's past. Jones shows George's range of moods brilliantly. One moment we see an unruly wiseacre who's waving around with a shotgun. The next moment he reacts very aggressively because he doesn't recognize his granddaughter. But the moments George looks helpless and vulnerable, made the biggest impression.But this is by far the most positive thing I could say about "Dementia". There is indeed a tense atmosphere at times but it's never really creepy or eerie so to speak. Michelle (Kristina Klebe) has a kind of schizophrenic personality and reacts fairly hysterical, but the predictability of the story undermines this a little bit. And there are also some facts that seem pretty stupid. The way Michelle is appointed, is completely ridiculous. I would never give a total stranger the task to take care of my father, even if I don't care much about him anymore due to his behavior in the past, without asking some information about this person. A simple inquiry at the hospital where she works, was enough. And when that person addresses me in a rude and aggressive way, I'd sack her promptly. Obviously George's past and the diagnosis of dementia counts against him.The makers succeeded in putting the film on the screen in a solid way, by using for example the fuzzy images as a suggestion of George's mental state and the eerie flashbacks. This combined with the excellent acting, made sure it remained a fascinating film all in all. The only flaw here, is the fact that you can guess the outcome in about 30 minutes. Thus there's no need for guessing anymore. Or George's mental state really deteriorates and he could become a danger to his environment or Michelle has other sinister plans concerning this elderly man. Take your pick.More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT