The Good Son

Rating:
Summary: Finally its on DVD, great movie
Review: I loved this movie. This is Caulkin at his best. Wood also is pretty good. The story is a new spin on the classic good versus evil theme. Caulkin is the naturally depraved cousin attempting to kill his own family, while Wood sees all and is left vainly crying wolf. The movie offers remarkable insight into the nature of evil. In Billy Budd, Herman Melville talks about how the naturally depraved are dominated by intellectuality and can mask their true selves in a mantle of respectability. He says these people are the most dangerous sort. This movie does an exccellent job of illustrating these insights into evil. That was my favorite part of the movie, forget about the story or plot, think of the story as an allegory, its a very intelligent film.

Rating:
Summary: Scary. Caulkin's breakout role
Review: Caulkin is disturbing as the villian in this film. It's a dark, sly story and Caulkin is every kid you've ever known who got over on all the grown ups.

Rating:
Summary: Might as well be called "Kit Culkin's The Good Son"
Review: For those who don't know what I mean by my title, let me do a quick history. Christopher "Kit" Culkin is Macaulay Culkin's father, and he pushed for Mac to play Henry, a child that looked fine on the outside but to call him disturbed and violent would be an understatement. By the way, when I said he pushed for the role, I meant that Kit is one of those people who gets what he wants by any means necessary. He also pushed for Mac to get top billing, and looking back, I think that was pretty obvious because a lot of people (myself included) think Elijah Wood should have gotten top billing because he had far more lines.

Now on to the movie. I think this movie was a little disturbing, but maybe it was because people were used to Macaulay playing a spunky, comedic kid in family films. But then again, maybe the movie would have been disturbing no matter WHO the lead was. Reason being, it was also weird how violent Henry was, and it was apparently for no reason. Also, I think the only reason this movie was rated R was to keep a lot of kids from seeing Mac in such a different role (especially when he utters the "F" word). This movie really should have been rated PG-13.

All in all, this movie is kind of hard to describe in a few words. I personally think you can do without it, but if I made you curious, go right ahead and watch.

Anthony Rupert

Rating:
Summary: Child Acting at It's Best
Review: Being an actor requires that you be the possessor of a whole list of extraordinary traits such as being at least fairly talented, having an appealing personality, being just original enough to be interesting and looking halfway decent in stylish clothes, among others. Being a child actor is wholly different, mostly because the large majority of child actors defy the number one rule in that they are sadly lacking in any form of true talent.
For example, you have Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who were (and still are) unbearable to watch on screen. There is also every child who ever set foot on the set a Disney channel show and most of the children with small roles on adult sitcoms. These kids are cute but they just can't act.
So when an agent comes across a really good child actor, its no surprise that suddenly that poor kid is slapped with a starring role in every movie made while they're still young enough to look normal in overalls, hence, the story of McCauley Culkin and Elijah Wood's lives.
One of the most interesting things about Joseph Ruben's 1993 film 'The Good Son', is that its about criminal insanity and is rated 'R' yet the two main characters are barely ten years old. To Ruben the concept must have stood out as wonderfully original, but making the movie was a risky decision because finding two kids talented enough to play the apparently "evil", Henry and his earnest cousin, Mark could not have been easy.
But, miraculously, the casting agents did it and well-known child actors Culkin and Wood were respectively cast.
When Mark's mother dies a premature death, he is sent to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins for two weeks while his father closes a business deal in Tokyo. Mark and his cousin Henry are around the same age and immediately get along after being reintroduced. However, things are not as peaceful as they seem in Henry's house. Less than a year ago, the family's youngest child, Richard, drowned in the bathtub and Mark's aunt Susan is still deeply distraught over the "accident", which she considers her fault. At first Mark considers this story sad but unpreventable; however, as he gets to know his cousin better, his true personality puts the account in a whole new light.
This movie is truly child acting at its best. Culkin's performance suggests that he understands his malicious but brilliant character better than most adult actors understand far simpler roles. Wood, who has always had the ability to completely become any character he plays, is equally stunning, playing a desperate, victimized little boy with outstanding capability. It's hard to judge which young man is the better actor, or even which part was harder to play, their raw talent should make any actor go green with envy. They also have exceptional screen chemistry, which makes not only their characters, but also their characters' relationship intensely believable, the scenes that they are in together are by far the best.
David Morse, Wendy Crewson and Quinn Culkin (MaCauley's sister) are also members of the cast, which is particularly small. However, their performances look amateur next to (the older) Culkin and Wood, and in comparison to her brother's Quinn's performance outlines the difference between a good child actor and a bad one.

Rating:
Summary: pretty good
Review: it is another movie that is so mind numbingly stupid it's good. not much in the way of suspense but still an good time killer.

Rating:
Summary: Good As It Is Ten Years Ago
Review: This movie came out when I was graduating from high school and I saw it back years ago. Just last night I saw the movie with my mother and she was aghast at what this kid could do. As she pointed out, "he is purely evil" and said he needed the psychologist rather than Mark, his cousin.
Mark, the cousin, was sent by his father to stay with his aunt and uncle for a couple of weeks due to the death of his mother and his father's business trip. Things go well between Mark and Henry. But as Mark hangs around his cousin, he sees that the boy is capable of hurting anyone. He even tries to kill his sister. No one believes him. They assume that he going through a traumatic period because of his mother's death.
What were the motivations that caused Henry to kill? Why do kids kill? Those are questions to be asked and understood.
This was as good as it was ten years ago.

Rating:
Summary: very good thriller
Review: A good scary movie, Elijah Wood steals the show.

Rating:
Summary: put out for dvd
Review: this movie need to be on dvd right now cause this movie got a good plot to it and good suspense. The two boys play a good role in this movie. So maybe this movie might come out for dvd sometime this year.

Rating:
Summary: The thriller of all time
Review: Mark (Elijah Wood) is a good little boy who lives with his aunt and uncle because his mother died a few weeks earlier. Everything is going well except when he finds that his cousin Henrey (Macaulay Culkin) is an insane murderer. A suspenceful thriller that will keep you on the tip of your seat entill the end, and make you look twice at your cousins.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Film-A Shocking Insight into Reality
Review: This film has all the elements of a great movie-great story, great setting, and most of all, GREAT actors. Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin did a fantastic job! Personally, I'm a big Elijah fan, but I did see this movie years ago and I still thought it was great. It's got lots of suspense, some tragedy, and it's absolutely heart-wrenching in many parts. Especially right before Mark's (E.W.'s) mom dies, and later when he sorta reunites with his mom and is crying (Just see the movie and you'll know what I mean). Those parts and others made me cry, because you feel lots of sympathy for Mark. So be sure to keep hankies nearby when watching this movie...
It is amazing, totally amazing, how actors as good as Elijah sacrifice their own identity and actually become their character. And, mind you, the young actor was only twelve when this movie was filmed.
This is a must-see film, and can be called great for Elijah's fantastic performance alone. This film is all about quality, not quantity. It can open anyone's dream-blinded eyes to reality-for the things that happen in this movie can and do happen all the time. The movie also has some important morals-one being that jealously is a sick quality and should be avoided at all costs. See this movie, and it'll be something you won't forget-and you won't regret seeing it. Trust me.