388 Arletta Avenue (2011)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Pretty Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Admirable film.

I am always up to watching a movie that is slightly out there, not your usual Hollywood blockbuster but I have to admit that I wasted an hour and a half of my lifetime watching this. I realize everyone has their own opinions when it comes to a movie but I was left disappointed and scratching my head in bewilderment at this movie. It lack any sort of meaning, the story line was weak and I think I only watched it all in the hope that maybe it may get a little bit better but it didn't. The acting it's self wasn't too shabby but I wouldn't recommend this movie unless you have an hour and a half to waste and don't feel like watching the kettle boil.

388 Arletta Avenue is a solid little low budget film that brings the "found footage" trend to the thriller genre.The movie stars Nick Stahl and Mia Kirshner as a yuppie couple being menaced by a voyeuristic stalker that enjoys playing elaborate mind games. Sound familiar? Well, in theory this is pretty standard thriller territory but it's given an unsettling realism as the entire film is seen through the stalker's elaborate camera system which he has discreetly rigged every facet of our hero couple's life with.Watching the whole movie through slightly fuzzy, often awkward camera angles might become tiresome to some but I liked the overall effect. It makes everything seem so much more real, dramatic, and more disturbing.Adding to the realistic tone of the movie is the great cast. The leads are played by Nick Stahl (Sin City), Mia Kirshner (The Black Dahlia), and Devon Sawa (Final Destination), who plays a loser Stahl's character tormented in high school who may or may not be responsible for what is happening now. All three have been great in the past and this movie is easily the best any have been in many years. I will mention that Stahl is the focus and he carries the movie brilliantly bringing an unassuming everyman quality to his stressed out character. I particularly enjoyed watching how he goes from a mild, mannered suburbanite to an erratic, paranoid mess.388 Arletta Avenue is a short movie and it won't be to everyone's taste. As a film from the makers of Cube and Splice, it is also appropriately off kilter and original, an engrossing, character driven thriller that will actually creep you out if you have the patience to sit through a slow burn.Incidentally, it reminded me a bit of My Little Eye, a ridiculously under appreciated horror movie from a few years ago.

Good movie/plot, but poor directing. Could have been more dramatic! For a low budget movie that relies on video camera and stuff, a little more action could have elevated the movie into a block buster. The role of the Bill is very ambiguous. He's not supposed to die the way he died. He should have been given the opportunity to defend himself in a more dramatic way or even be given a better edge as a payback to all the suffering he endured in the hands of James while in school. Police investigation should have been more thorough and done in parallel to what James was doing. Overall it's a good movie with intermittent scenes of actions and suspense, but could have been spinned in a more dramatic manner

The trailer for this promised much, but in actual fact there is very little here. Maybe a great movie for a voyeur, everyone else should stay well away. At around 1hr 26mins it is quite probably a good 26mins too long, and could have been done as a TV special or similar. The main problem is that very little happens apart from the stranger watching them, which is happening from the opening shot, this is then dragged out for the rest of the movie and you find nothing out about the stranger or his/her motives. After an hour we just wanted it to end, and when it did, it gave absolutely nothing away and left you just thinking you should have maybe washed the car or done something useful rather than waste your time on this. This maybe harsh but, sorry, a complete waste of time.