Joshua (F or 0/4 stars)
A Manhattan couple's life begins to fall apart after the birth of their 2nd child, Lily. After she arrives home, a dark side of the couple's other child, Joshua, starts to rear its' head. To call George Ratliff's 'Joshua' a thriller is a disservice. In fact, to call this a 'movie' is a disservice. Simply put, the story is bogus. The acting is poor; the pacing is slow; suspense never takes over -- horrific. I recommend this dud to no one.
Brad (Sam Rockwell, what are you DOING in this thing!?) is an affluent stockbroker & his wife (Vera Farmiga, atrocious) is suffering from severe postpartum depression ... for the 2nd time. Their 1st child, Joshua (Jacob Kogan) is an awkward child, intelligent, perceptive, and always dressed in a suit and tie. Not only this, he plays the piano brilliantly, much to the delight of his gay uncle (Dallas Roberts, why is he always typecast as a gay man?). Joshua tries to impress his parents, but they're always busy with the new baby, or struggling to maintain their expensive lifestyle, etc. And so, while the parents continually alienate Josh, his eccentricities run wild, and he decides only to associate with either himself, his uncle, his grandma (Celia Weston) or his pets ... but ALL with sinister intent.
For each day that passes, Josh's mood becomes more bizarre, dare I say sociopathic. His dad isn’t around, his mom is deep in psychotic depression, his grandma's religious rants are a distraction; neglect is everywhere. The happy, healthy environment has turned toxic to Joshua's psyche. Why is Joshua giving away his toys? Why is he interested in the ancient process of embalming the dead? Why are his pets dying? After some of his family members suffer tragic fates, a counselor is called-in to examine Joshua. Are his psychiatric drugs making him do/say such bad things, or is he inherently evil? Why is he pretending to be physically abused? When you find out the 'real' answer, you'll rue the day you decided to watch this awful film.
Where do I even begin to discuss my distaste for this robotic 'thriller' (ooooh, scarewey)? First off, go watch The Omen or The Good Son to see the same movie, only executed better. Secondly, at no time is this film interesting or eerie (it's obvious aim); it's a big, pretentious bore. The script is horrendous. The melodrama is off the charts. The plot is bland, stupid & predictable (in a sense). Every aspect of this film feels unrealistic & overly sanitized.
We know that Joshua is crazy. But when you watch this, it's not hard to realize why (partly); he's betrayed, & unloved. Whoever decided to make Rockwell/Farmiga act as though they barely know, or would loathe to be near/touch/care about their son is a moron. At no time in this movie do you remotely believe that these are his parents, or he is their son ... it is ludicrous! There's no point or preceding reason for them to be so dismissive of Joshua, even in the early stages of the film. The movie starts from nothing, and then goes nowhere.
Brad (Sam Rockwell, what are you DOING in this thing!?) is an affluent stockbroker & his wife (Vera Farmiga, atrocious) is suffering from severe postpartum depression ... for the 2nd time. Their 1st child, Joshua (Jacob Kogan) is an awkward child, intelligent, perceptive, and always dressed in a suit and tie. Not only this, he plays the piano brilliantly, much to the delight of his gay uncle (Dallas Roberts, why is he always typecast as a gay man?). Joshua tries to impress his parents, but they're always busy with the new baby, or struggling to maintain their expensive lifestyle, etc. And so, while the parents continually alienate Josh, his eccentricities run wild, and he decides only to associate with either himself, his uncle, his grandma (Celia Weston) or his pets ... but ALL with sinister intent.
For each day that passes, Josh's mood becomes more bizarre, dare I say sociopathic. His dad isn’t around, his mom is deep in psychotic depression, his grandma's religious rants are a distraction; neglect is everywhere. The happy, healthy environment has turned toxic to Joshua's psyche. Why is Joshua giving away his toys? Why is he interested in the ancient process of embalming the dead? Why are his pets dying? After some of his family members suffer tragic fates, a counselor is called-in to examine Joshua. Are his psychiatric drugs making him do/say such bad things, or is he inherently evil? Why is he pretending to be physically abused? When you find out the 'real' answer, you'll rue the day you decided to watch this awful film.
Where do I even begin to discuss my distaste for this robotic 'thriller' (ooooh, scarewey)? First off, go watch The Omen or The Good Son to see the same movie, only executed better. Secondly, at no time is this film interesting or eerie (it's obvious aim); it's a big, pretentious bore. The script is horrendous. The melodrama is off the charts. The plot is bland, stupid & predictable (in a sense). Every aspect of this film feels unrealistic & overly sanitized.
We know that Joshua is crazy. But when you watch this, it's not hard to realize why (partly); he's betrayed, & unloved. Whoever decided to make Rockwell/Farmiga act as though they barely know, or would loathe to be near/touch/care about their son is a moron. At no time in this movie do you remotely believe that these are his parents, or he is their son ... it is ludicrous! There's no point or preceding reason for them to be so dismissive of Joshua, even in the early stages of the film. The movie starts from nothing, and then goes nowhere.