bad acting aside... a good film
Added 10/28/2009
Diary of a Serial Killer is a pretty good film, though the woman who played the main character probably needed some lesson skills before attempting position as lead role. Oh well, she was hot, and that makes up for it in my young and innocent mind, lol.
The story is about a man who's really messed up in the head. He goes around killing men and women in graphic and violent ways. He does so by sneaking around (usually late at night) makes sure the people are alone, and finds a way to murder them. Yeah, he's a real mean guy.
The woman who stars in the film is a hot, long-haired blonde who goes around trying to figure out the clues that will eventually lead to finding the murderer. Throughout the movie we are treated to scenes involving one disturbingly violent murder after another.
The way the serial killer changes his facial appearance for each of the murders, and the way the storyline goes through the mind of a man who apparently has NOTHING to lose makes Diary of a Serial Killer a pretty good movie from beginning to end. I wish the acting could have been better though, because that would have definitely made the film even better in my mind.
The actual violent scenes are EXTREMELY violent. I have to warn you about that. Numerous kills in the movie deal with bullet blasts directly to the head, which leads to blood shooting on the wall behind the victims body.
This is one example where poor acting does NOT distract from the enjoyment and the believability of the storyline.
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Dear Diary, today I eliminated a bowl of Froot Loops. Wait, that's 'Diary of a Cereal Killer'...
Added 12/30/2008
Diary of a Serial Killer (1997) Gary Busey, Arnold Vosloo, and Michael Madsen star in this low budget thriller. Busey plays Nelson, the kind of journalist so committed (or needing to be committed) he'll go on a several week alcohol binge or throw on a wig and dress to write articles "through the eyes" of alcoholics and crossdressers. When he accidentally stumbles across one of serial killer Stefan's murders, it looks bad for Nelson, until Stefan (Vosloo) decides he'd like the journalist to start a new project: "Through the Eyes of a Killer." As he puts the nutjob off as best he can, Busey tries to contact cop Madsen several times, but the creepy Vosloo has a way of turning up each time and stopping him. Eventually, Stefan forces Nelson along for one of his killings and then starts eyeing Busey's girlfriend (Julia Campbell) as a potential victim. Will Nelson be able to stop Stefan, or having seen through the eyes of the killer, will he be corrupted into a life of murder? This one turned out okay, carried along more by the cast than anything else. In terms of their performances, all three actors add to this movie, but Vosloo is 100% into his role, Busey is 90-95%, and Madsen is his usual 70% or so. Busey seems a tiny bit uncomfortable as the hero, and it might have been interesting if he and Vosloo had switched parts. Madsen simply always seems a little bored, and weirdly, he just disappears from the movie in a way that more suggests behind the scenes strife than coherent screenwriting. There's not a whole lot of objectionable material happening here in terms of gore or nudity, so this one might also come off a bit TV movie-ish, so I can only really recommend it to fans of the stars or serial killer kompletists.
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I want my 92 minutes back
Added 2/25/2007
This is, by far, one of the worst movies I have seen. I had hopes for the movie based on the initial credits - Gary Busey, Michael Madsen (who I like, rasberries to all of those who don't like his acting).
The movie starts out in a transvestite cabaret, with of all people - RUPAUL - aargh!
Then we are treated to a very frumpy looking Garey Busey in drag, not a pretty site at all (joke intended). Even cheesier is that instead of wiring himself to record conversations, Busey holds a giant tape recorder at his side and MIRACULOUSLY ENOUGH, gets PERFECT SOUND QUALITY OF A CONVERSATION 15 FEET AWAY!
Two scenes in this movie creeped me out, but I don't think this was intentional on the part of the director. ONE: Gary Busey putting on makeup in the mens room of the bar, surrounded by crossdressers urinating in standup stalls, getting advice on how to keep lipstick off of his teeth from Julia Campbell, TWO: Gary busey still in makeup, with earrings, smoking a cigar at home and looking like a typical country grandmother!
The interaction between the police officers was terrible and not realistic compared to so many other movies I have seen. Madsen's backstory wasn't done well at all, expect for about 10 seconds where he describes his daughter being killed by a serial killer. The "rookie cop" character writing wasn't done well, especially in the last scene when he declared Madsen's character dead in the car without even checking his pulse! There was no chemistry at all between Madsen and Wilson!
As far as Vosloo is concerned, I have to disagree with everyone who said he did a great acting job. I didn't know him from a hole in the ground before I saw this movie, and all I can really say is that he was creepy, but not as intended. Vosloo came across like a poor imitation of Nicholas Cage with a cheesy radio host voice.
He was completely unconvincing as a serial killer. Sorry! Plus, NOBODY is that lucky - murdering people in broad daylight and never getting caught - so the character was unconvincing as well.
This movie was edited badly, and I have to agree with one reviewer that I'd like to see an uncut version. For instance, Michael Madsen's character "watching the warehouse" is never explained, then all of a sudden he is dead in his police car for no obvious reason after changing the batteries from his pager to the "hard to find" tape player (WHAT?!) and entering his car to listen to the tape.
Then he's found dead? DID THE TAPE PLAYER EXPLODE? WHAT HAPPENED?!
In the second to last scene, Busey stabs the serial killer, so you assume he was killed, and all Busey has for him after he "rises from the dead" to appear at his book signing (and what did he use to make the book? 10 minutes of interviews??) is a cheesy, denture filled smile. What a joke! Plus, the freeze frame at the end was even more sucky. Freeze frame endings are so yesterday...
Overall, this movie was a complete waste of time. Busey's acting is so terrible as to be almost not worth mentioning and he is supposed to be the star!
If I didn't know better from the end credits, I would have thought this film was made for TV based on all of the bad shooting and empty plot.
I want my 92 minutes back.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Gary Busey and Arnold Vosloo star in this lukewarm thriller, diminished by a pedestrian script and its failure to really be a "diary". We don't really find out why Vosloo does what he does. While Vosloo's performance is effectively chilling, Busey is horribly miscast. His journalist role is weakly performed, and little conviction is evidenced in his relationship with Vosloo or his live in girl friend (the lovely Julia Campbell). Add Michael Masden (B movie's Bruce Willis) as a cop whose daughter was killed by a serial killer and Reno Wilson as his obligatory African American partner, and the soup thickens. Masden sleepwalks and Wilson tries to be Ice T. Wilson's actions at the end of the movie are highly unprofessional and hard to swallow.
This could have been a better movie with a tighter script and someone else in Busey's role.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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pretty good
Added 4/9/2001
I kept getting the feeling that there was too much cut from this movie. I'd love to see an uncut version... of course, maybe it's just wishful thinking.. you know, that some of the holes in the movie would be filled in. Still, overall it's a good movie, if you can get past the little things (can't think of any examples right now, but just little things that they don't bother to explain).
3 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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bad acting aside... a good film
Added 10/28/2009
Diary of a Serial Killer is a pretty good film, though the woman who played the main character probably needed some lesson skills before attempting position as lead role. Oh well, she was hot, and that makes up for it in my young and innocent mind, lol.
The story is about a man who's really messed up in the head. He goes around killing men and women in graphic and violent ways. He does so by sneaking around (usually late at night) makes sure the people are alone, and finds a way to murder them. Yeah, he's a real mean guy.
The woman who stars in the film is a hot, long-haired blonde who goes around trying to figure out the clues that will eventually lead to finding the murderer. Throughout the movie we are treated to scenes involving one disturbingly violent murder after another.
The way the serial killer changes his facial appearance for each of the murders, and the way the storyline goes through the mind of a man who apparently has NOTHING to lose makes Diary of a Serial Killer a pretty good movie from beginning to end. I wish the acting could have been better though, because that would have definitely made the film even better in my mind.
The actual violent scenes are EXTREMELY violent. I have to warn you about that. Numerous kills in the movie deal with bullet blasts directly to the head, which leads to blood shooting on the wall behind the victims body.
This is one example where poor acting does NOT distract from the enjoyment and the believability of the storyline.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Dear Diary, today I eliminated a bowl of Froot Loops. Wait, that's 'Diary of a Cereal Killer'...
Added 12/30/2008
Diary of a Serial Killer (1997) Gary Busey, Arnold Vosloo, and Michael Madsen star in this low budget thriller. Busey plays Nelson, the kind of journalist so committed (or needing to be committed) he'll go on a several week alcohol binge or throw on a wig and dress to write articles "through the eyes" of alcoholics and crossdressers. When he accidentally stumbles across one of serial killer Stefan's murders, it looks bad for Nelson, until Stefan (Vosloo) decides he'd like the journalist to start a new project: "Through the Eyes of a Killer." As he puts the nutjob off as best he can, Busey tries to contact cop Madsen several times, but the creepy Vosloo has a way of turning up each time and stopping him. Eventually, Stefan forces Nelson along for one of his killings and then starts eyeing Busey's girlfriend (Julia Campbell) as a potential victim. Will Nelson be able to stop Stefan, or having seen through the eyes of the killer, will he be corrupted into a life of murder? This one turned out okay, carried along more by the cast than anything else. In terms of their performances, all three actors add to this movie, but Vosloo is 100% into his role, Busey is 90-95%, and Madsen is his usual 70% or so. Busey seems a tiny bit uncomfortable as the hero, and it might have been interesting if he and Vosloo had switched parts. Madsen simply always seems a little bored, and weirdly, he just disappears from the movie in a way that more suggests behind the scenes strife than coherent screenwriting. There's not a whole lot of objectionable material happening here in terms of gore or nudity, so this one might also come off a bit TV movie-ish, so I can only really recommend it to fans of the stars or serial killer kompletists.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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I want my 92 minutes back
Added 2/25/2007
This is, by far, one of the worst movies I have seen. I had hopes for the movie based on the initial credits - Gary Busey, Michael Madsen (who I like, rasberries to all of those who don't like his acting).
The movie starts out in a transvestite cabaret, with of all people - RUPAUL - aargh!
Then we are treated to a very frumpy looking Garey Busey in drag, not a pretty site at all (joke intended). Even cheesier is that instead of wiring himself to record conversations, Busey holds a giant tape recorder at his side and MIRACULOUSLY ENOUGH, gets PERFECT SOUND QUALITY OF A CONVERSATION 15 FEET AWAY!
Two scenes in this movie creeped me out, but I don't think this was intentional on the part of the director. ONE: Gary Busey putting on makeup in the mens room of the bar, surrounded by crossdressers urinating in standup stalls, getting advice on how to keep lipstick off of his teeth from Julia Campbell, TWO: Gary busey still in makeup, with earrings, smoking a cigar at home and looking like a typical country grandmother!
The interaction between the police officers was terrible and not realistic compared to so many other movies I have seen. Madsen's backstory wasn't done well at all, expect for about 10 seconds where he describes his daughter being killed by a serial killer. The "rookie cop" character writing wasn't done well, especially in the last scene when he declared Madsen's character dead in the car without even checking his pulse! There was no chemistry at all between Madsen and Wilson!
As far as Vosloo is concerned, I have to disagree with everyone who said he did a great acting job. I didn't know him from a hole in the ground before I saw this movie, and all I can really say is that he was creepy, but not as intended. Vosloo came across like a poor imitation of Nicholas Cage with a cheesy radio host voice.
He was completely unconvincing as a serial killer. Sorry! Plus, NOBODY is that lucky - murdering people in broad daylight and never getting caught - so the character was unconvincing as well.
This movie was edited badly, and I have to agree with one reviewer that I'd like to see an uncut version. For instance, Michael Madsen's character "watching the warehouse" is never explained, then all of a sudden he is dead in his police car for no obvious reason after changing the batteries from his pager to the "hard to find" tape player (WHAT?!) and entering his car to listen to the tape.
Then he's found dead? DID THE TAPE PLAYER EXPLODE? WHAT HAPPENED?!
In the second to last scene, Busey stabs the serial killer, so you assume he was killed, and all Busey has for him after he "rises from the dead" to appear at his book signing (and what did he use to make the book? 10 minutes of interviews??) is a cheesy, denture filled smile. What a joke! Plus, the freeze frame at the end was even more sucky. Freeze frame endings are so yesterday...
Overall, this movie was a complete waste of time. Busey's acting is so terrible as to be almost not worth mentioning and he is supposed to be the star!
If I didn't know better from the end credits, I would have thought this film was made for TV based on all of the bad shooting and empty plot.
I want my 92 minutes back.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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