RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

fckyourslf A troubled young boy suffering at the hands of his abusive older brother seeks solace in the arms of a traveling burlesque circus singer in this surreal, true crime thriller that follows in the tradition of David Lynch's Blue Velvet and marks the acting debut of former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton. Jimmy (Jak Kendall) is a small-town dreamer who only seems to find peace while walking the candy-colored boardwalk of the traveling circus that has recently rolled into town. Emotionally shackled by his mother Eleanor's (Karen Black) religious fanaticism and physically intimidated by his alcoholic brother, David (Mike Patton), Jimmy leads a meek life of servitude and submissiveness from which he is powerless to escape. Upon glimpsing the exotic beauty of sultry singer Sandra (also Black), Jimmy furtively strikes up a friendship with the woman despite ominous signs that she is being held captive behind the microphone by sadistic circus ringmaster Frank (also Patton). When David goes missing and the horrors of Jimmy's home life are mirrored by the suffering of Sandra in the most unexpected ways, the perceived peace of small-town Kansas is forever shattered by the terrifying truth behind the wholesome, white picket-fence facade of suburbia

Ryan Miller This film had an enormous amount of potential as a drama/murder mystery, but the two ends do not meet. Firecraker would easily leave any viewer asking what the point of this film was, and I don't blame them. It asks far too much of the viewer for interpretation, and quite frankly it doesn't seem intentional.I really enjoyed some parts of Firecracker. There were moments that were truly gripping and sent chills down my spine. But most of that was counteracted by incredibly poor acting. Don't get me wrong - Jak Kendall was brilliant, and Mike Patton was as vibrant as his music (perhaps too much). Yet others like Karen Black and Amy Kelly are almost laughable at points. I can only blame it on amateurish direction, and it's a shame, because these people can do better.Despite that, there's a lot to appreciate here. The editing, cinematography and colors of the film are brilliant and beautiful. Yet the story, while gripping at its core, is presented in such a hollow form that the whole package really falls flat.I would regretfully not recommend this film to anyone. It is at more time painful to watch than captivating. And that is truly unfortunate. This story should definitely be re-visited with better direction. The art of this film and good storytelling could co-exist to create something truly brilliant - but this is not it.And upon further review, I think it is worth noting that almost all 10/10 reviews on this film are from accounts that were made solely to put a positive face on this movie and were probably done by those involved with the movie. If you don't believe me, click on their accounts and you will see that this is the only film they've reviewed.

haapaq There isn't much I can say about this film that others who disliked it haven't already said. The acting is awful during many parts, and the direction is even worst at times. The story was good, but the direction and acting of this film really took away from that. There were even moments where I would laugh, because the acting was so bad. If rumors are true that Dennis Hopper was fired so Mike Patton could play the two roles, I'm shocked. Mike Patton did alright for his debut acting performance, but it was still very weak. He was definitely not brilliant as some reviews claim. This film is not as great as it's hyped out to be, and I'd even say it's not worth your time or money.

NateManD "Firecracker" is a film that I can't stop thinking about. Maybe I'm over analyzing it. The film is based on true events of a murder that took place in Kansas in the early 1960's. Jimmy is a shy and sensitive musician who is constantly abused by his older alcoholic brother and misunderstood by his religious fanatic mother. He meets a carnival singer, Sandra who also faces sexual abuse by Frank,the leader of the carnival freak show. After Jimmy commits a murder, which is more of an act of self defense; he dreams of running away to join the carnival with Sandra. Jimmy's world is filmed in black and white and Sandra's in eye-popping "Wizard of Oz" like color. Actress Karen Black gives an amazing performance as both Sandra and Jimmy's mom. Mike Patton of the band "Faith no More" plays both Jimmy's abusive brother David and the villainous carnival leader. Since Mike Patton plays the abuser in both roles, Jimmy and Sandra's lives are a mirror reflection of each other. Both Jimmy and Sandra dream of escaping their own personal prison. Jimmy dreams of the carnival and Sandra dreams of regular society. There is no escape for either of them, since both environments are as equally cruel. They feel trapped, and their lives seem to be a metaphor for sexual abuse.Some parts of the film are left unexplained. Example is the mysterious schizophrenic girl who lives under a tree with glass bottles that hang from the branches. She seems to be a psychic in some manners. I've never seen a bottle tree in an American film before, it looks like something straight out of a Czech film or Easter European magic realist drama. Although some very small flaws, the film still works as a bleak and haunting surrealist portrait of middle America, Not to mention all the cool circus freaks like "the Enigma", with his body covered in blue tattooed puzzle pieces. This is definitely not a film for everyone, but for those who enjoy bizarre and challenging directors like David Lynch, Todd Solondz, Fellini and Jodorowsky. Even if you can't get into the sad story, it's still visually breathtaking. Just don't forget to have a box of tissues ready for this film to help soak up all the tears. I'm still haunted by the films strong and sometimes disturbing imagery.