Dahmer (2002)

The film "Dahmer" is a well made crime biopic about Jeffrey Dahmer, showcasing scenes where he tries to rationalize his killing motives as well as his interactions with his victims before he kills them. This movie is not about the killings themselves although it does include three noteworthy moments; his first killing, his victim that he drilled a hole in his head and who later was found wandering the streets before Jeffrey found him and took him back home, and the man who was almost a victim but got away and later turned Jeffrey in to the authorities. The film has two distinct time lines, a current time line going forward and flashbacks that steadily go further in to his past and up to his first killing and the aftermath. Once you realize that the flashbacks are going further into Jeffrey's past, the more sense it makes. The names of the victims have been changed for the film but I did pick up on the details of the three victims after looking up the real victims.

Jeremy Renner gives an amazing performance and it's amazing to see his earlier work. He looks like Jeffrey Dahmer did and this just adds to the believability of the film. The movie does have a slower pace than a typical horror movie, but this film allows the slower pace for Renner really develop the character that he is playing.

The ending itself is different than what I, and probably most people were expecting. The ending is a flashback showing Jeffrey being dropped off by his father to see a therapist about his teenage drinking problem. Jeffrey goes up to the office, stares at the door for a few moments but returns outside. He has a smoke and notices a forest on the other side of a concrete barrier. He climbs over the barrier and walks through the trees. The end. Does the forest represent the wilderness of his true emotional state? That he would rather walk freely through the wilderness than settle for the "social programming" that he spoke of with his first victim? Could be...

An intense scene where Jeffrey is trying to keep his father from finding the human skull he has been keeping in the wooden box.

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Happy New Year's Eve!!

"28 Weeks Later" is one of those very rare films where I had to hit the pause button while watching it because it got too intense for me to handle the first time I watched it. This film is violent and unforgiving, and the way it is filmed only adds to the intensity of the events that are happening on screen. Danny Boyle has given up the director's chair and has taken on the role of executive producer. Robert Carlyle stars as Don and has great support from Jeremy Renner and Rose Byrne.

The film begins at the height of the original RAGE outbreak, where Don and his wife are living with four other survivors in a boarded up house. During their meal, a boy comes to the house and begins pounding on the door begging to be let in. They let him in but a few minutes later a mob of infected attack the house and quickly over run the place. Don barely escapes, leaving Alice behind after she decides to try to protect the boy. He catches a glimpse of her being attacked as he runs away to a boat waiting down at a stream. He escapes to live another day...

28 weeks later, a portion of London has been cleared and declared safe for a small portion of residents to return and start the rebuilding process. A U.N. team led by Americans are providing military support and protection of the quarantined area. Don's two children return to London after being away in Spain during the outbreak; they catch the attention of Major Scarlet Levy, the chief medical examiner, who was not informed that any children would be in the first group coming back. During her medical inspection of Tammy and Andy, Scarlet notices that Andy has different colored eyes, just like his mother had. Once home, Tammy and Andy ask their dad how their mother died, forcing Don to lie and tells that that he saw Alice being killed by the infected when all he saw was that she was attacked. The kids decide to sneak out of the quarantine zone and visit their old house, where Andy finds his mother in a feral state. The kids are discovered by the military and take them back to the zone, along with the mother to be inspected. Scarlet discovers that Alice is carrier of the Rage Virus, having been exposed to the virus but hasn't become fully infected; Scarlet also notices Alice's different colored eyes and suspects that her genes have a natural immunity from the virus. The Commander orders Alice to be killed and body destroyed immediately but Scarlet begs that Alice be spared because she could offer a cure to the virus. Before Alice can be killed, Don sneaks in and visits his wife, apologizing for leaving her behind. He goes in to kiss her and her saliva infects him, "turning" him immediately. Having loss all control, he ruthlessly kills Alice and begins to kill and infect the nearby staff. The virus quickly spreads throughout the quarantine zone, forcing the military to turn their weapons on both the infected and innocents who are trying to survive. Scarlet finds the kids and tries to protect them. With the help of Flynn, a sniper who realizes that London is lost and will be nuked, the group makes an attempt to escape London while being chased down by the infected, the military, and a very clever infected Don who is driven to find and kill his children.

Scarlet, Flynn, Andy, and Tammy

Flynn rescuing Scarlet and the kids

Don running away from the infected

Infected Don