Ink

A $250,000 budget (the Hollywood average lies near the $80 million price point), multi-tasking producers (Janin Winans wrote, directed, edited, and composed the soundtrack while Kiowa Winans produced and lead the art, costume, and sound design sections), and no big company push definitely didn't paint a pretty picture for this movie's success. Yet, after being shown around in multiple film festivals, it became one of the top (if not THE top) movie downloads amongst torrent sites for a time. This, in turn, got it to a much larger audience and influenced sales for the dvd/blu-ray release positively.

The story travels between the conscious and sub-conscious realm while a struggle between good and evil takes place. The power each force possesses is represented by dreams and nightmares. The centerpiece for the movie is the brittle relationship between a father, John, and his daughter, Emma. The evil force decides to exploit the title character, Ink, in order to capture the daughter's mind while simultaneously attacking the father's subconscious. The pacing is sporadic to say the least. It begins well with a good showing for both sides of the struggle, but the middle-to-late portions hit a couple speed bumps. Thank goodness the final act does not disappoint. The hospital battle will be a scene you never forget.

Verdict: There are many more things I could speak towards concerning the plot of this story, but I've already said too much. The rest is simply to be experienced. Highly recommended.

Mad Detective

I totally watched this on a complete whim. Browsing through the Netflix "Instant Stream" library, I came upon this foreign film with its interesting premise. It follows a cop who employs the assistance of the title's "Mad Detective", Detective Bun, for a murder case involving two cops. The interesting part is that Bun can see any person's inner personality and, within the cop who's suspected of murder, he witnesses seven different personalities. Throughout the film, you see how Bun deciphers the purpose of each personality and each one's role in the possible murder. You also see him deal with his own personal demons. The director does an amazing job shifting between the world in the physical and what Bun sees. The ending doesn't disappoint either, but don't expect the typical Hollywood gift-wrap-on-a-silver-platter type deal. 

Verdict: This is one of the better films I've seen as of late and its convinced me to continue with my romp through Netflix's more unknown territory. I recommend this one most definitely.