Manhunter

Man alive what a creepy movie. The first in the Hannibal Lector series, and why this has gotten far less recognition than Silence of the Lambs is beyond me. You know the story- Crazy killer on the loose, FBI agent assigned to the case, help from another crazy killer is greatly appreciated. Instead of the somewhat comical effect of SOTL, Manhunter is atmospheric, chilling, and realistic, with scenes weird enough to make the hair on your neck stand up (See below picture. EWWWWW). A much better and more menacing Hannibal Lector (played by Brian Cox) is quite an improvement and chatty William Peterson owns the film no matter how much he talks to himself. One of those few eighties stylized films that actually work! (***1/2 out of ****)

The Night Listener

Laid-out like a cheesy made for TV film, this ridiculous, sometimes laughable "suspense" movie is a 91 minute bore-a-thon that features inept small-town folks, a corrupt cop with a taser stick thing, and some ugly handmade sweaters. Robin Williams plays a homosensual writer who becomes fascinated with a young boy's story of childhood sex abuse. His guardian is a whacked-out blind lady played by Toni Collette. While talking with the two only over the phone, he begins to ask himself some questions. Is he getting the whole story? Is this a fraud? Are there really two people? Did people actually think this was going to be a good movie after watching the dailies? Okay, that was one of my questions. With loose ends hanging in the cosmos of boredom, the last frame fades with one of the stupidest, cheapest endings to date. It wasn't really even an ending. It was more like the crew ran out of film and had to make do with what they had. But the absolute worst part of the film was one of the early scenes showing in graphic detail the perverse child molestation of the young boy, almost exploiting an unthinkable evil into a cheap thrill. Stupid, disgusting, and a waste of time. (*out of ****)