Bug
Special Edition
Paranoia is Contageous
A lonely waitress with a tragic past, Agnes (Ashley Judd) rooms in a run-down motel, living in fear of her abusive, recently paroled ex-husband. But when Agnes begins a tentative romance with Peter (Michael Shannon), an eccentric, nervous drifter, she starts to feel hopeful again - until the first bugs arrive...
Member Reviews
A bleak, disturbing picture of paranoia - AVreviews
An unhinged war veteran and a lonely woman in a rundown Oklahoma motel room are consumed a shared feeling of conspiratorial persecution — and bugs. So many bugs! Director William Friedkin — of The Exorcist fame — again tackles other "demons" of the mind: paranoia, delusion, obsession.
The performances are top notch, and the premise is intriguing, but the movie seems to fall apart in the second half. I wanted to like the film, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked, and I couldn't make the leaf of faith necessary to understand what drove some characters to do what they did.Interesting - KeithTalent
Interesting movie based on a play starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. So about 90% of the movie takes place in one room, but it's pretty compelling stuff. There are a couple of spots that did not work for me and one of the characters was pretty terrible (fortunately she has a small role) but Michael Shannon was excellent and I really got caught up in the whole thing. Worth a watch if you can hold in there with the slow build in the beginning (it has a good build to things, so it works for me, but some people don't like that kind of thing).Fascinating study of paranoia with stellar performances - Mawa
I can't quite grasp the negative reviews this film draws. I can only assume that they're the result of the poor marketing of this film leading to a belief that it's a typical horror movie. It's anything but, and really has no classical scares.
What it is is an examination of what fear and loneliness do to a mind, and how relative sanity really is. I'll leave it at that to avoid spoiling anything.
I wouldn't say there are any campy moments per se; to be camp, it has to be incidental, and this is one movie that knows how to use black humor.
The big draw here, of course, are the two leads. Ashley Judd is excellent as her character devolves and Michael Shannon has a less flashy role and is absolutely amazing, particularly early on when he appears to be nothing more than a nervy, polite drifter. Clearly an underrated talent, and well worth seeing at his best, as he is here.
Member Reviews
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A bleak, disturbing picture of paranoia - AVreviews
An unhinged war veteran and a lonely woman in a rundown Oklahoma motel room are consumed a shared feeling of conspiratorial persecution — and bugs. So many bugs! Director William Friedkin — of The Exorcist fame — again tackles other "demons" of the mind: paranoia, ...Interesting - KeithTalent
Interesting movie based on a play starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. So about 90% of the movie takes place in one room, but it's pretty compelling stuff. There are a couple of spots that did not work for me and one of the characters was pretty terrible ...Fascinating study of paranoia with stellar performances - Mawa
I can't quite grasp the negative reviews this film draws. I can only assume that they're the result of the poor marketing of this film leading to a belief that it's a typical horror movie. It's anything but, and really has no classical scares.
What ...