That was an excellent one.

A Brilliant Conflict

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Freaky Farley is one of those love-it or hate-it movies. If you get the humor and are willing to let go of hyper-critical mode, then you should have some fun with it. If you expect a normal, Hollywood movie, then there's a good chance you won't like it.The main character is the titular "Freaky Farley"... a local weirdo (more of a loner, I guess, than weird) who suffers at the hand of a domineering father. He's sort of stuck in a rut, until he isn't (no spoilers here, you'll just have to see for yourself).My roommate didn't get it, but I totally did. Personally, I just think you have to have an open mind. And don't expect much horror...though the autumn, New England, Halloween-time feel is nice; this movie is a comedy.I just sort of fell for the weird characters, and it's a pretty fast movie, with a not-dragged out ending.Enjoy!

C'mon guys, you weren't even trying. When you have non-actors you have to spend some time coaxing decent performances out of them, not just go with what are obvious first or second takes. And don't have your lead actor slowly raise his knife to the heavens, time and time again, like someone out of an old silent movie, or have a fight scene with monsters that looks like an asinine game of patty cake. And don't have your female cast members who are killed by these trogs appear to have nothing more than a few facial scratches. If you want to go through all the travail of making a movie then make it count when you do -- don't be sloppy and lazy. It's not enough to gather a bunch of friends and family members and wannabes together and shoot something on the fly. If you're not serious about it then all you've got is a home movie.Therefore, this is across-the-board awful, even as a low-budget lark. A real actor in the lead role would have helped immensely, but unfortunately Matt Farley is the star and he's appallingly inept. The only worthwhile performances are from Sharon Scalzo and Steff Deschenes, although they both suffer from having to mouth some terrible dialogue, and get saddled with embarrassingly directed death scenes.

OK, I know this one is homemade. But it's fun homemade. Sort of out-of- control homemade. And that makes it worth watching.I'd say it's a comedy/horror, with the emphasis on comedy, particularly the entertaining characters who live in this small New England town. The main character is "Freaky" Farley, a misunderstood, can't catch a break guy who just want some fun and to get away from the clutches of his father, the mean Mr. Wilder. Then there's Scarlett, the cute and risk-taking girl that he meets. And the town Witch. And the Ninja.Freaky Farley has been keeping his rage inside forever, never finding an outlet. When he finally starts to stand up to his dad, watch out! He's a funny guy and though he's sort of the town loser, you like him.Rent this one for good small town, Halloween time feel. enjoy!

A little while ago, I reviewed a low-budget filmed called Monsters, Marriage and Murder in Manchvegas. I didn't care for it too much, but what did I expect, with a title like that? The makers of that gem offered, somewhat illogically, to send me a copy of their earlier work, Freaky Farley, a movie about a creepy Peeping Tom who gets mixed up with a spirited lass while chafing under the control of his domineering dad.You don't see many movies in which a Peeping Tom is sort of the good guy. Farley Wilder (writer-producer Matt Farley) is the weird guy in your neighborhood who spends his time walking in the woods or hiding in the bushes. Farley is sort of a poster child for arrested development, whereas his dad (Kevin McGee) is a bit of a hardass, and has been since his wife died. Farley's dad is always getting on his case, as fathers are wont to do, but the elder Wilder essentially verbally and psychologically abuses his kid for years and years, pushing Farley closer and closer to the brink of madness.Meanwhile, the young man is beset by two different young women: Katy, a younger girl next door (literally) who's more annoying than interesting to Farley, and Scarlett (Sharon Scalzo), an independent muse who's working on a book. No longer a complete loner, Farley begins keeping company with Scarlett, much to the chagrin of his father.As with Monsters, Marriage and Murder in Manchvegas, the acting, script, direction, and photography are all pretty mediocre, but there are some bright spots. Okay, not many, but overall the acting was definitely better. In fact, leading man Farley is better here than in the later film, perhaps because he's playing a psychotic Peeping Tom. But even better is Scalzo as the trippy Scarlett; unlike most others in the cast, she seems to believe in the silly dialog she's given to speak. (Hey, selling the script is half of what acting is all about.) The thing is, it feels like there's much more effort made here than in the more-recent film. After all, even if you're given crap to work with, you can put a happy face on it and do your best. Sometimes a bounty of enthusiasm can make up for certain, shall we say, deficiencies.You got to give props to a movie in which a character says something like "We're sending him along to keep an eye on you" while pointing to his own eye. That, my friends, is serious thespianism right there.You also have to love a movie that lifts sound effects from the computer game Doom. At least it sounds a heck of a lot like it, and I've played a lot, lot, lot, lot of Doom in my time. (No more. Cold turkey. On the wagon now.) Still and all, considering the low, low budget and inexperienced cast and crew, this isn't nearly as horrible as it could have been. It helps a bit if you watch it ironically, as if the goings-on were a big joke to which only you were privy.