I love Netflix. I was actually a member long before it hit the digital mainstream. I was a member back in the day when it was strictly a "DVD-by-mail" company. The main reason I like Netflix: it let's you watch all those fringe movies you weren't willing to shell out $8.50 to see in the theaters or $4.99 on demand or even $1 at Redbox. Sometimes they just weren't available on any of these platforms (usually the foreign films).

Sometimes they turn out to be hidden gems and sometimes you thank the digital gods that you didn't go see it in the theaters. So, hopefully this new feature will help you find those hidden gems and avoid the time vampires that reside on Netflix.

Horns

  • Directed: Alexandre Aja
  • Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner, James Remar, Kathleen Quinlan, Heather Graham and David Morse.

I really wanted to like this movie. And not just because it featured Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

I love Radcliffe (not that way you pervs). I think he's a great young actor that has grown considerably since he first donned Gryffindor robes. He's willing to take chances (he walked around completely naked on stage in Equus) and isn't afraid to go against type (Woman in Black, Kill Your Darlings). Personally, I think he's at his best when it comes to dark humor/comedy.

Which explains why I was intrigued by Horns.

Directed by Alexandra Aja (The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D), Horns tells the story of Ig Perrish (Radcliffe), a young man accused of the murder of his long-time girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple) one year earlier. Despite protests of innocence, no one in the town believes him other than his childhood friend/defense attorney Lee (Max Minghella).

Then one morning after a night of drinking and sex, with yet another childhood friend, Ig wakes up with two horns sprouting from his forehead. After initially being distraught about the situation, Ig discovers that the horns force people to tell him their darkest secrets and makes them susceptible to his suggestions. Ig then uses his new found powers to solve the mystery of his girlfriend's death.

The problem with Horns is that it's a movie that doesn't know what it wants to be: dark comedy, murder mystery, or love story.

It's at its best, and plays to Radcliffe's strengths, when it focuses on the dark comedy. Ig's reaction to his horns, and to people spilling their guts to him are hilarious. An early scene in a doctor's office involving a harried mother, an out of control child, a drug-addicted doctor and a nurse with boyfriend problems will leave you alternately laughing and disgusted.

When Ig embraces his new found powers, a sequence involving the paparazzi will leave you thinking Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

However, Aja isn't so successful with the other styles. It is quite obvious from early on who the actual killer is, despite attempts to make you think otherwise. The revelation of who the killer is comes across as a "d'uh" moment.

Even worse yet is the love story aspect. Aja establishes Ig's and Merrin's relationship through flashbacks using younger actors. Though the young actors aren't awful, they fail to make you care about them. To make matters worse, most of the flashbacks are totally unnecessary and could have been done with a line or two uttered by their adult counterparts.

A sequence involving a cherry bomb and the damage it can do takes way to long to play out and only serves to enforce Ig's and Lee's friendship, something that has already been established in the present.

And that leads to the film's biggest problem. It is WAYYYY to long, with a running time of two hours. It's never a good thing when you think a movie is almost over and then realize there are still 50 minutes left. Aja could have improved the movie and reduced the run time simply by leaving out or at least reducing the flashbacks.

The good thing about watching Horns on Netflix is you can fix that. It's a good movie that's at its best when Radcliffe is doing his dark humor, the devil-made-me-do-it thing. So, just fast-forward through all the flashbacks (you wont' miss much and will get the gist by watching them even in fast-forward).

So, watch Horns, enjoy Harry Potter messing around with snakes again, but keep the remote and the fastforward button handy.

Enjoy!

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