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lwperkins
Reviews
Ocean Park (2002)
Not a bad little thriller, if dark
I saw this movie as a work assignment, and I was pleasantly surprised at it's quality. It's edited to be more complex than the plot deserves,(you have to watch carefully for clues) but it's beautifully photographed and the flashbacks are generally well-integrated into the story. Set in the imaginary town of Ocean Park (actually Santa Monica, California) it follows the career (or lack of) of two actors, Will and Jolette. When Jolette is murdered, Will suspects his successful actor brother-in-law (smarmily played by Jonathan Aube) and tries to cover for him, with disastrous results. There are some good plot twists and the central theme of talent versus ambition is nicely explored. I did see one glaring forensic error, which you can figure out for yourself, but otherwise I'd recommend it as a rental if you like film noir-type mysteries. I'd give it 7 out of 10 stars.
Boiler Room (1992)
Bad Behavior by Telemarketers
Okay, this is not the technically fabulous movie it could be, and it needed editing, but all the scenes where they show the telemarketers in action are absolutely true to life, and both horrifying and hilarious. (I know--my first job was telemarketing, and while my gig wasn't as toxic as these guys, it was still a grubby job). Because it was filmed over a decade ago, it's starting to look like a period piece, with the boxy cars, the cocaine use, the California locations all screaming "early 90's!" If you can pick it up cheap, and have a remote for fast-forwarding through some of the duller parts (mostly the "plot", I'm sorry to say) you can get some nostalgia, some gratuitous sex scenes, and some fun acting by Joe Estevez as the top cop.