Mall (2014)
Malcom's done with his life. Only the noise of Crystal Meth gives him a reason to keep going - everything else it has long regardless. Equipped with a bag full of weapons and self-made bombs, he makes his way to the nearby mall to really stir things up. On his personal war campaign, he not only changes his life radically, but also the fate of other people who are in the wrong place at the same time: a teenager whose favorite pastime is smoking pot in his dreary existence, a housewife, where their best days have been left behind, a greedy businessman whose only desire is to increase his wealth and a depressed pervert.
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So much average
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Giving this film 3 stars was very generous. The only reason I didn't give it 1 is because I have seen movies that were absolutely dismal and, yes, worst than this. "Mall" is absolutely horrendous, though. The kid spouting his whacked out observations is so annoying. And, no wonder, he sounds like a younger version of actor/comedian Eric Bogosian, who wrote the book this movie is based on. (And I actually like Bogosian - just not this movie). The acting is all right, but the story sucks from the start to the very depressing end. There are very few redeeming values in any of the characters - from the cheating wife, to the pervert, to the rowdy teens with dead end futures, and of course, the maniac with the automatic weapons. None of it truly made any sense. The film ended I was left with this question - what's the point?
Based on the novel of the same name by Eric Bogosian, "Mall" centers around a group of strangers, whose only connection is a gun-yielding methhead psychopath (James Frecheville) terrorizing the mall they frequent on this one particular day in question. I liked this film, mostly for it's good character studies, especially based on the observances of one of it's lead characters- our young philosophical hero, played very well by Cameron Monaghan. And look for a good cast- including (SPOILER a very short time on screen)Mimi Rogers, Peter Stormare, Vincent D'Onofrio (also producer), and a very HAWT Gina Gershon.
What a shame to see such competent actors like Vincent D'Onofrio, Gina Gershon, and Peter Stormare in this wallowing, meandering thing. Lacking in clear direction, message, quality of writing, acting ability (from most other members of the cast), and filled with pseudo intellectual fluff delivered from a totally unbelievable character. While the attempt to tackle such gritty subject matter was admirable in it's ambition, the execution was severely lacking. Sincerely wish Joe Hahn better luck in his future feature directorial efforts.The visual effects were interesting, digitally grimy (in a good way), and flowed well with the emotion of the film, but were a bit overdone early on. They felt dumped on you from the start without any context to support them, and unfortunately cliché by the end.
This is a well-directed movie. It has a good overall sense of emptiness. I think its main premise is to focus on the soul of the person. How the soul becomes vacant, empty, but then full again. Full of purpose, whether it's purpose is going on a shooting spree in a mall. Or bangin a bored housewife. After a while you don't expect any plot twists, it's not about the plot... It's one of those movies where you kind of feel like you're just in this one long moment in time with the characters. I don't like the glamorization of the shooter, or his cigarette smoking. The perspective shots are really cool. The faces start morphing.....into wolves, and other beasts. I like how the one kid (who gets denied by that redhead) is all messed up on e the same time as the shooting takes place. And the kid, he gets told he is so boring...and he really is so boring! lol. It's so excruciating to listen to his dialog. This all makes sense since his soul was empty at that point, a void, lifeless, bound by his infatuation with this girl he doesn't know at all. Overall. a flashy movie, with great impact. You keep forgetting he's on e and then you remember as he's talking to people, and then you remember and it's funny.