See a movie like The Transformers and you know going in that the movie is probably going to suck. But what pisses me off is when you see a film that is allegedly a "quality film" and you find you don't enjoy it in the least bit. It happens from time to time.
Which brings me to my purpose: I just saw the much-lauded and much anticipated Martha Marcy May Marlene. It's one of those films you want to like because you are supposed to like it. But, seriously, I think I needed liability coverage because this thing is a car wreck of a movie. Yes, Elizabeth Olsen is quite attractive and, unlike her more famous older sisters, she is an amazing actress. I would love to see her in other, better movies. The problem with this film is that Olsen is the only thing good about it. It's just a pointless, misdirected boring mess. The movie is about a lost young woman who escapes from a cult and moves in with her estranged older sister and her husband. An interesting premise on paper, but the execution leaves much to be desired. The normally brilliant John Hawkes is genuinely creepy as the cult leader, but he lacks the charisma of a cult leader, so I never really understood how Martha could get suckered into this life. She seems smart enough and together enough that her two-year stay the run-down farm complex is somewhat implausible. I just didn't buy that it would take a murder for her to escape. The constant jumps back and forth in time was another problem. All you got was a lot of snapshots. The viewer just has to work too damn hard to put the puzzle pieces together. Trouble is, I lot interest rather quickly as I was not entertained. I won't even get into the sister and the brother-in-law characters or the ambiguous fade-to-black ending that never works and is never much fun. Overall, no matter how appealing Olsen is as a performer, this movie was a waste of time.
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