The Living (2014)

Best movie of this year hands down!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Why sit through this whole thing when we as an audience don't give a crap about any of the characters? They are all equally worthless...The villain is a wonderful actor. The lighting and mood are fine, but when we go to the movies what we really want is emotion. To feel, to care. And I couldn't have cared less about the stupid brother or anyone else in The Living. I guess it is a reflection of our culture that movies like this get financed, and made. How does this happen? There is zero subplot, zero nuance, and zero depth of character. It's like a silly ghost story that my 5 year old would tell, only she'd finish it quickly enough not to make me feel like my time had been stolen. Save yourself for actual movies. Maybe other ones that Chris Mulkey is in...since he's really worth watching. Just not in this.Amateur hour and a half.

this movie overall was a great movie,, but there is story line I feel like no one really caught but I could just be going crazy. spoilers start here. what I really believe the story actually is is that the wife faked the whole thing. I believe she drugged her husband, and put make up on to appear like she'd been beaten. she took his ring and put some on his hands. in the beginning, look how ready she was to come back home. her husband said he couldn't find his ring, and she had it the whole time. look how willing she was to let him come back for intensive chores like remodeling her house and landscaping the yard. she stated in the middle of the movie that he will just have to make it up to her every day for the rest of their lives. She wanted a relationship where she was pampered and treated like a queen. she wanted to go to a restaurant that all their friends went to so she could gain that much more power over the situation. it's ironic that the brother hired someone to kill his brother in law when it was his sisters faking. I thought it was very strange how willing, how passive the husband was. in the end when the husband was killed, it looked as if she was remorseful also because she finally had what she wanted from her marriage. this makes more sense to me than simply her husband actually beating her and the story going from there. does anyone else feel this way ?

Watched it because of love indie films. I finished the movie, wondering "how did I end up wasting my time with this one?" I am not a movie reviewer but I just simply had to put my two bits in on this one! I hated it. Low budget, bad acting, poor directing, bad sound, bad picture. Yuck!Make-up was horrible. How did this get on my list of movies to watch?I sat through 90 minutes of wondering if a plot would thicken or a twist would come. Never. The movie didn't improve from the first minute. It just went on and on, into nothing...I don't even know who the main characters were. Not one of the actors stood out as anyone to follow in the story. Not one of the actors showed any sign of acting ability. I will try and make sure to never watch anything with any of the actors that were in this film or even involved in the production. I just wish they could all be blacklisted for me. Spare us all, please.

I saw this film at the Tallgrass Film Festival, and it was excellent. Jack Bryan really knows how to write a compelling tale, and the film ends in a way that Hollywood could never deliver. There's a well-established sense of the world that the characters inhabit, and it never feels like a low-budget production. There are several long dialog takes that are thoroughly impressive performances. It's good to see Fran Kranz in a serious role, as he totally sells the character. Hopefully this acts as a showcase for more dramatic projects. I was unfamiliar with Jocelin Donahue, but will definitely keep an eye out for her in other films. Chris Mulkey is a beast, and absolutely kills it. The people involved in making this movie are clearly talented and passionate individuals, and I can't wait to see what they bring to the table next.