Cold Brook

This movie is a pleasure to view. William Fichtner is one of the most under-rated actors of his generation and now with this movie he demonstrates his talent as a director. The friendship between the two leads comes over as very genuine and their disparate family lives adds to the depth of this film. A sleeper gem.

This is a movie that looks promising from its description (a ghost story. How can you mess that up?) but is so poorly made that it's literally unbearable to watch. The acting is practically nonexistent (only Harold Perrineau has a go) and the dialogue is as lifeless as the spectre in the museum. There's so much filler and nothingness going on that, most of the time, you feel like you're watching a boring, family home video playing out. The attempts at humor totally miss the beat and become yet another reason to cringe uncomfortably. Also, there's no explanation for the main character's offbeat persona - you assume he's recovering from some family tragedy, or perhaps living with the effects of past substance abuse. Nope he's just naturally like that, so it's actually pointless when his wife accuses him of acting distracted and distant after seeing the ghost, as he is perpetually in that state, even before the ghost appears! Forget suspense and surprises, as they are in short supply, too, which for a ghost story seems to somewhat defeat the point. Oh dear. The only thing I can take from this movie, is that literally anyone should have a go at making movies! It will never be this bad!...But, please, invest some time in a decent story, screenplay and acting lessons.

I didn't expect much from this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. No, it's not a big budget, CGI, or agenda driven picture, it's just a nice story with no gratuitous sex, violence, or language. How refreshing. It would be nice if more movies like this were made today.

The story is a beautiful reminder of the good side of humanity. Two men have a strange encounter, such leads to an transcending act of kindness. I really like it.

First, what can go wrong if you put together great actors from series like Lost, Orange is the new black, Prison break and Sons of Anarchy?.. The answer is a little bittersweet. Second, I love William Fincher as an actor but I think Kim Koates is actually on fire and a step over him. Just watch him on Bad Blood series. Lastly, the script here is a kind of a bittersweet harmony. The movie starts pretty well but end in a mess with no explanations about what you have watched. So, overall a good movie with great actors but a weak script. A bittersweet symphony.

The relationships are nuanced and believable; the acting is spot-on; the story is intriguing; and I liked every single character. It's a "buddy movie," but their relationship isn't a silly one, they're genuinely friends. The dialogue is believable, the pacing is perfect, and the music is lovely. There were a couple of small plot issues that were a bit far-fetched, but they didn't detract from how much we liked this movie. The reviewer here who said it was a similar theme to Night at the Museum must have been watching a different movie. This is an adult film with an intelligent story, and a wonderful break from the ridiculous claptrap coming out of Hollywood these days. Bill Fitchner, you need to write more movies!

Loved this move. William and Kim are outstanding, and the supporting cast was excellent. Beautifully written and full of poignant moments, do not pass up this movie.