Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Nonureva Really Surprised!

Console best movie i've ever seen.

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

vincentlynch-moonoi Problem # 1: This film only lasted 106 minutes. It just seemed like hours and hours. Honestly, this film was waaaaaaaaaaaay too long. It could easily have been cut to 90 minutes.Problem #2: I don't like films which have an ending which is not clear cut. And -- like much of the film -- even with the ending I thought where would this be going next? I guess you would call this a psychological thriller. It's definitely not a horror story.What I will compliment is the acting of the 3 main characters. Although he's an oddball actor, Sam Rockwell is very good...and he is here. Even better here is Vera Farmiga as the wife; wow...what a performance as she sinks into oblivion! And Jacob Kogan as Joshua (the young precocious son who may or may not be evil, but is certainly a manipulator) is superb.However, the fine acting does not make up for the story which simply drags, and as I say that as a film-goer who really like psychological dramas. This is 106 minutes I wish I hadn't wasted.

znegative I'd been waiting a while to watch Joshua, and finally got around to it last night, and while it wasn't quite what I expected, I really enjoyed it. I should mention first and fore-most, 'Joshua' is not a horror film or a thriller in the conventional sense, but rather a darkly comic drama, though it certainly borrows from the aforementioned genres. I just want to put that out there so people expecting a film along the lines of 'The Omen' won't be surprised.The film basically follows the story of two parents, their nine year old son 'Joshua' after the birth of his sister. Joshua is a child prodigy, and as the story goes along, he embarks on a devious agenda to pick off his family members one by one. This doesn't necessarily mean kill them (though it doesn't exclude murder). He shows all the signs of a budding sociopath. The gerbils in his class all died from a mysterious 'fungal disease' explains his teacher at one point, and his pet dies, after Joshua takes him for a walk. His mother is the first to make the connection, and then his father. Eventually, Joshua and his father become adversaries, the father trying to figure a way to save his family from his son, and Joshua, plotting the disintegration of what remains of his family unit.While it definitely borrows some horror and thriller conventions, the overall tone is more kin with the dark comedy found in '6 Feet Under'. I went into this expecting something totally different, but it was a pleasant change of pace for someone who watches constant horror movies as well as psychological thrillers. While it caught me off guard, I wouldn't have it any other way, and I highly recommend 'Joshua'.

Maz Murdoch (asda-man) You don't have to be a genius to work out that the plot doesn't sound too dissimilar to "The Omen" or "Orphan", it even has Vera Farmiga playing the mother again for gods sake! But, "Joshua" is no where near as great as "The Omen" or "Orphan". Don't get me wrong, it isn't the worst film I've seen in my life and it does have terrific strengths, but also weaknesses that drag the film down quite a bit."Joshua" has its own style, it's much more subtle than "Orphan", in "Orphan" we see Esther kill countless people so it's really in your face that she's evil. The twist isn't subtle either. But "Joshua" doesn't make it clear if it's his wrong doing or not. So "Joshua" sets out to be more classy than "Orphan" but also no where near as fun or entertaining. I did like how it was subtle and a bit of a slow-burner but sometimes the pacing got a bit too slow and at times boring, but always engaging.The most impressive thing about "Joshua" is it's atmosphere. It builds up a really tense and uncomfortable atmosphere. It's beautifully bleak and awkward in a good way, not awkward in a bad way like "The Idiots". The boy who plays Joshua is also quite creepy. The unresolved ending also adds to the films creepyness.So if you want a quietly grim and creepy drama with splashes of horror and intellect. "Joshua" is for you. But, I prefer the fun and weirdness of "Orphan".

JoeytheBrit With very little foreknowledge, I tuned into this movie expecting some kind of kid-possessed-by demon Exorcist/Damien rip-off, but although the film tells of a kid from hell there is no supernatural element to it. I was initially quite surprised by how well-written the screenplay was, although the plot loses some of its impetus half-way through as the writer is forced to create progressively unlikely incidents in order to build upon the tension he has already created.Joshua is a strange boy, bordering on genius, who likes nothing more than pulling the stuffing from his toy panda's nose in emulation of the Ancient Egyptian's method of preparing dead bodies for embalming. He's also pretty good at copying Dad's grief when he mourns over the dead body of the old family dog (who Joshua may or may not have offed while walking in the park). Joshua knows he's weird, and you sense he's frightened that his parents don't love him – or at least won't love him as much now that a baby sister has arrived in the scene. Sneaking a peek at videos of his constant wailing as a baby also does nothing for his frame of mind, and it's not long before he's sneaking in to little sis's room to make her cry the way he used to.All these scenes are intelligently scripted and handled – as is Joshua's unique piano recital – fooling you into believing you're in for something really special but, while the film is still impressive (and far better than much of the stuff coming out of Hollywood these days), the plot developments become increasingly predictable, while the aim of Joshua's quiet campaign of terror on his parents is something of a mystery initially, and a little far-fetched when revealed in the final scene (which, naturally, leaves the way open for a sequel).