California Scheming (2014)

Instant Favorite.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I've read through all the reviews and I'm surprised no one mentioned that this is a pretty obvious remake of Frank Perry's 1969 film "Last Summer". As soon as I saw the seagull with the girl and the two boys that came along, I recognized the plot. Then when the second girl showed up I was convinced they were doing an uncredited remake of that amazing and disturbing film. That said, this isn't bad. Even though I knew where the film was headed, I was interested throughout. I would suggest giving "Last Summer" a viewing, since that is much better and more original.

Chloe is an attractive teen who one day tries to help a seagull and he is aided by Nick and Jason. They manage to save the bird only to find out that later Chloe will keep it as a pet and eventually kills the animal. The two boys spend increasingly more time with the girl and soon will discover some dark secrets about their newest friend. After a while another girl, Hillary joins the gang and now they are all caught in Chloe's dirty game. The characters are presented too forced right from the beginning but for a bunch of unknown actors, they've manage to play their part very well so the acting wasn't so bad. The problem is with the story that doesn't evolve. The director even borrow an idea from The Bling Ring but this didn't save the film, brings even more harm to the scenario.In conclusion, you might not fall asleep but still does not worth to spoil your eyes watching this.

The Crush meets Cruel Intentions after a bath of American Psycho. This is a stylish movie, there are a few styles very much complimenting each other. First you have the effect of keeping all adult authority figures obscured, or in complete darkness so that the story could remain focused completely on the the leads much like an adult in Peanuts has a garbled voice, and is never really shown. When all secrets come to light so do the adults, and the whole world takes on a wider focus. There is a mean girl in this movie that you will hate, at first though the acting is a bit harsh, and choppy, and needs a little time to settle in. There is an obvious direction that you can see these kids heading, and the only questions you will have will be the ones that are answered in the last five minutes. This is a movie that I Enjoyed, and at just about an hour and a half after starting on a sour note I am glad I stuck with it. This one gets a recommendation from me to any suspense thriller buffs, this is free of language, but there is a lot of drug use. Overall it was a fun story, and I am glad they told it to me.

I just finished watching and the thing that scared me the most wasn't any kind of cheap 'pop out at you' scares, but the fact that these are very real feeling kids in situations that might hit close to home for a lot of teens. I knew girls in school who were just like Chloe. The ones that use their looks to get other people to do whatever they want. And the other kids feel real too. The ones who just want to fit in or the ones that get bullied into doing things they wouldn't normally do. So this isn't the kind of movie that keep you hanging onto the edge of your seat, but it's the kind where it burns really slow and makes you think of people that you know and situations you've been in. Definitely check it out if you want to see something that you'll still be feeling after you're done watching it.