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Reviews
Frank vs. God (2014)
Not bad till the end.
Frank sues God for a tornado destroying his house and killing his dog. It was a passable courtroom fable of discovery (or non-discovery) of God after the model of "Cousin Vinny". At the very end they expect you to believe an NDE hallucination would convince Frank of an afterlife. It was a fairly decent story until they spliced on a sappy maudlin ending. It crushed any argument they made for the existence of god(s). Turn it off after he closes his argument and you won't get sick.
The Altruist (2004)
Twists and turns and not your average movie
There are all kinds of people, and Mick McCleery tells stories about those on the edge. "The Altruist" is the best to date of his disquieting and slightly creepy films. It reminds me of the Johnathan Swift essay "A Modest Proposal" in asking an important social question in a very obtuse and engaging way.
At first glance the premise is a bit outlandish - an agency that arranges what two groups of very sick people are seeking. It looks at the unintended consequences from multiple levels, but without being preachy or trite.
This is not a date movie - any guts and gore are to develop the plot, not for shock value. It left me a little disquieted, but thoughtful.
Track 16 (2001)
Suspense with a bizarre twist
Track 16 is another suspense movie by Mick McCleery with an ending that comes out of nowhere and smacks you behind the head. This dark psychological suspense continues McCleery's penchant for making movies that are just a little strange...
The plot development is not as sophisticated as "The Altruist", but the movie's adoption of the "one step up from garage band" culture is really interesting. Billy Frank's music is not only great, but essential to the story line.
I also enjoyed knowing that the the main location was demolished shortly after the movie was made. Kind of like tearing down the set! I just wonder what he would be able to do if he had a serious budget!