As Good As It Gets

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

This is literally the worst movie I have ever seen. Poorly unrealistically written dialog, odd cinematography and some of the worst acting ever seen in a film. The girl playing the FBI agent is a joke. She is quite obviously married to or dating the director because there is no way anyone would hire someone with no ability! As a matter of fact other than the likes of poor Ernie Hudson and Doug Bradley I would suspect that the entire cast was related to or close friends with this Christian Jude Grillo person. Not that it's something that really matters but really, drop the middle name. It's pretentious and makes you look like a 12 year old would be film maker who is trying to appear to be mature and important. Back to the "stars" in this film. Doug Bradley and Ernie Hudson had to have been tricked into doing this movie. There is no way that they saw this script, complete with dialog worded in a way that no one actually speaks) and still signed on to do it. It could not have been for the money since this film could not have cost any more than $500 tops. This may, to some, sound like I have an ax to grind or some personal beef with this film or it's creator but that's simply not the case. What I do have a personal issue with is when someone scams me out of my hard earned money. I actually bought this catastrophe and never expected it to be this awful. It's funny but not the kind of funny that makes it one of those movies that are so bad that they become good, in a sense. No sir. It's funny in a pathetic sort of way. Funny that these people made this movie, and then released it, believing that it's a good film. Funny, again in a sad way, that someone actually invested money into it in order to get distribution for it. I suppose they sort of won though, didn't they? Poor fools like myself shell out the money to buy this trash so they win and we lose but it's a temporary win for them. It's temporary because it then falls into the "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" realm. I would never again purchase any movie created by Grillo nor any produced by or distributed by anyone connected to this film. And I am certain that I am not alone with this line of thinking. Therefor, the last laugh is on all of us poor fools who laid down the cash to buy this and we are laughing at those connected to it since it's the last time they'll get any of our money!I do not participate in illegal movie downloading but I have to say that it's movies like this that lead people to illegally download it and other films like it. Why would anyone pay for such garbage once they've learned the truth about it? Now that may lead you to ask me "Why would anyone even wish to see it now that they've been told how awful it is?" and the only logical excuse I could find would be one that is similar to a car crash. As you drive my an accident you have a morbid curiosity that makes you crane your neck to take a look in an attempt to see how bad it all is. That must be why anyone else would now wish to see Deer Crossing, or any of Grillo's films, past, present or future, after learning that the guy cannot write nor direct a film? In closing I'll just say that if you feel I was being harsh here I'd like you to know that I was actually quite kind. This is the less critical review of the two that I wrote for this "film". The first was far more detailed but I opted to play nice and go with what you have just read, because, although I may be blunt in life, I sometimes try to play it kindly and not blast with both barrels blazing. Perhaps I should have yanked that band-aid off quickly rather than the slow, more painful way that I've removed it here but hindsight is 20/20 and this has been written and so it shall stand.One last note! I have read all of the comments and reviews on this page and the external reviews posted at the top as well. It's quite clear that many of the on-site reviews have been written by people close to those involved in the production. Perhaps family members and friends and also, and quite likely, written by the likes of the film's director and others on the cast/crew using pseudonyms.

It's hard for me to classify what kind of movie DEER CROSSING is , because its like a horror movie , a detective movie , a psychological drama movie , a dramatic love story movie and a THRILLER all rolled into one film .Although its a 'low budget' independent film , you'd never guess that due to the professional special effects , editing , musical scores and STARS of the film . Deer Crossing has one of the most SHOCKING endings of any movie ever made , a dark , sick , twisted ending that will leave people traumatized for life .I'd say this movie is kinda like a cross between , The Hills Have Eyes' , 'Deliverance' and 'Training Day' . BUT , its not for everyone , if you get scared easily , or have a weak stomach , this movie may be too much for you .Count S.

Some of "Deer Crossing" will put off a lot of people, mostly women. The good news is that this movie goes pretty far on the exploitation scale to please hardcore fans of low budget crime/horror fans. It's like a Jack Ketchum story line, mixed with classic moments of pathos with rich characters that will not be forgotten. "Bad Day at Black Rock" and "In the Heat of the Night" are inspired and classic movies that are reworked into something new and frightening. A mother and young boy get lost on the way to grandmothers house. An accident brings them captive by a real monster, Lukas Walton. A farmer with a perverse habit of collecting women for his psycho-sexual pleasure. After years of torture, and raising the young boy as his own, a retired lawman comes to sleepy Carvin County for closure to this lost case. A former cop that does not fit in (yes, he is black and Carvin County is a hotbed of racist white folk). The local sheriff has his hands full with the local thugs and bikers that rule this nightmare town. A drug addict sheriff is a puppet to a lady pimp and her lunatic henchman. But Luke Walton is connected somewhere in the mix, with an interloper snooping around his homestead. Christian Jude Grillo lays it all out on the screen. No holds barred! That's his style, and his first film "Booley" was a prime example of his mindset. It's off the charts with the brutality. The jewel in the Cracker Jack prize bag is K.J.Linhein as our real life monster, Luke Walton. A asset to making a great movie is it's villain, and Grillo found a great actor here. Filling in the main role of troubled hero is Christopher Mann (Booley alum) as the cop. Excellent support from "Hellraiser" star Doug Bradley as the corrupt lawman in the way. Tom Detrik (Booley's titular star) brings a fine turn as Dick (one-eyed loony with a long knife) and guest star Ernie Hudson in an extended cameo. The movie is not perfect.... and some performances are miscast, but it does not hurt the movie. Down and Dirty, for it's worth. Grungy scenes will make you squirm.

Deer Crossing is a complex story that starts off being about a woman named Maggy (Laura Lynn Cottrel) who has left wit her young son, Cole, to go on a trip somewhere. When she detours she ends up hitting a deer and her and her son end up being picked up by mountain man who holds them captive for eight years. Maggy is kept shacked up in his shed as some sort of play thing and he raises Cole to be his son. This is one of three stories intertwining into the main plot of the film. The disappearance eventually ends up in the hands of a retired detective named Stanswood (Christopher Mann) who is reluctant to take the case after Maggy's husband desires to hire him personally. Before he knows it ends up in Carvin Country where as the story progresses, other disturbing tales unfold as well. Doug Bradley performs very well in Deer Crossing as Sheriff Lock, a cop who takes himself more seriously than the rest of the town does. This film will not be for everyone. It's disturbing but not in a typical blood-filled, over-gored, torture chamber sort of way. This film is disturbing because it's more realistic and emphasizes on the violent impulses and corrupt nature of human beings who you would hope don't actually exist in this world. I'm not big on Independent films but this one really stands out. It certainly doesn't look like a low-budget flick and I'm actually surprised that for the amount of money spent on Deer Crossing that such great visual effects and production was put into this film. I admire the director's effort. Grillo obviously is setting out to change the world of cinema and get us all out of the mainstream of typically tired horror films. I also very much liked the acting in this film. Aside from Bradley and Ernie Hudson I think Hollywood might need to start keeping an eye on Deer Crossing's talent pool. Laura Lynn Cottrel as Maggy was one of the best performances in the film. She was so emotional ad convincing that I still think of Maggy sometimes and what she's been through. Christopher Mann's performance was also top-notch. The most memorable indeed was K.J. Linhein as Lukas Walton. I have no doubts that people will be having nightmares about him for years to come. Tom Detrik really stood out in this film as Dick, the flamboyantly-ruthless villain of the film. He actually wasn't the main villain but I think he should have been. I thought Carmela Hayslett's small part was very good as Olivia. It was nice to see Carmela Hayslett outside of her Roxsy Tyler Carnival of Horrors persona. She plays some sort of cop. She's not convincing as a cop but I don't think she was supposed to be. Her character's job was obviously to not come across as a cop to the person she was interrogating. And Kevin Fennel as older Cole, I've never seen Fennel before but I can't imagine his role being played in any other way than how he did it. If he's new than he has a great career ahead of him!