Customer Reviews

Bug (Special Edition)

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(60)

 

 

First off, totally exterminate any preconceived notions of the extreme horror you might be accustomed to. Bug is more of an alarming psychological journey into the human mind, an intense exploration of a broken soul. It's closer to the films Beautiful Mind and Conspiracy Theory than something like Aliens or The Fly. Director William Freidkin opens the crazy door and dares you to step inside.

The acting and character development in this movie is outstanding. Ashley Judd gives the performance of her lifetime as Agnes, an emotionally battered waitress who is hanging on by a thread. She has a trainwreck of a past, from her abusive ex-husband to her missing child.

She meets a mysterious loner named Peter, and he might offer a hand toward gaining some mental stability. Or he might push them both over the edge. We quickly realize it's most likely the latter, as this romance doesn't take long to unravel. Peter is a war veteran, and claims to be the victim of some extreme government experimentations. His military leaders apparently planted "bugs" under his skin. This may or may not be true, but one thing is for sure--his inner demons are about to come crawling out.

Freidkin unleashes a totally original and riveting psychological drama. The symptoms of this story frantically spread and feed off your mind in frightening fashion. A psychotically sick tale that plagues you with themes of loneliness, desperation, and mental instability. Plus it lightly touches on notions of government control and the devastating effects of war. Such a great film, one that might come off as ridiculous to some as it blazes an unfamiliar path. But for open-minded movie watchers ready to be challenged, this is must-see stuff.

***CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Based directly on the stage play by the same name, BUG will most certainly get under your skin. Although thriller in nature, horror fans should be warned that there are no supernatural or superhuman elements in the story. Looking at the DVD cover, one gets the impression that it might be a spin-off of something along the lines of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but Bug couldn't be further from it. No mutant grasshoppers. No aligning of planets that results in bloodthirsty arachnids.

Stage play actor Michael Shannon reprises his role on the silver screen as drifter Peter who falls for lonely waitress Agnes played by Ashley Judd. Agnes is damaged goods to begin with; a woman who's lost her only child to a kidnapping and drowns herself in liquor and cocaine. And when she meets Peter, she believes she may have found someone to connect with other than her abusive ex-husband Jerry (Harry Connick Jr., The Iron Giant). But Peter brings with him his own unique brand of psychological luggage. A battered U.S. veteran who possibly was exposed to torture, Peter begins showing cracks in his psyche soon after their first romantic encounter. He claims that bugs are in the room with them. Then the bugs are in him. Then in her. Then everywhere and involving everyone. The paranoia reaches a crescendo that culminates in the death of someone trying to help Peter and Agnes, and the eventual destruction of everything around them.

First let's be clear what we're talking about here. There are no bugs. We, the audience, don't see a single flea. The bugs are internalized as demonic aphids implanted in Peter (Shannon) by military higher-ups. As Peter's paranoia builds, he brings Agnes right along with him, and it's a painful and frightening thing to watch. Initially having hopes that the two might be able to help one another, the story rapidly gives way to the psychological horrors of what happens when mentally damaged people feed off one another like ...well ...like bugs.

Second is that the story, too, is completely internalized, both character-wise and on the set. The entire production basically takes place in one room: Agnes' rundown hotel room in the middle of nowheresville. Don't expect panoramic shots of beautiful locales.

Third is that this story is exceptionally dark. There are no good and bad people, per se. Agnes' abusive ex is initially seen as a no good A-hole but later becomes a beacon of hope for survival. Even a psychologist who comes in to try and help Peter is damaged in that he's hooked on cocaine himself and seems only passively interested in telling the truth.

For horror fans, this one's going to disappoint. But if you're a psych major or interested in paranoid delusions and how far down those people can sink, Bug will crawl right up your alley.

Of all people, William Friedkin, director of "The Exorcist", has come back with a vengeance with a terrific thriller based on the popular anti-establishment play by Tracy Letts of the same name, "Bug", a profoundly disturbing film on the nature of paranoia and vulnerability in love.

It is a true chamber film, with only two main characters: a lonely Oklahoma waitress named Agnes (played stunningly by Ashley Judd as a tour-de-force) and a somewhat unhinged war veteran named Peter (Michael Shannon powerfully recreating his original stage role), a man with delusions (perhaps) to whom she becomes attracted. Agnes is being harassed by her ex-husband (Harry Connick, Jr.), but what eventually happens as Agnes and Peter descend through various stage of (apparent) madness, is something you need to see for yourself to truly believe.

This is a magnificent achievement in cinema by master Friedkin who again shows that he still knows how to construct a sequence to elicit the darkest and most intense viewer response, but the fact the film also has many levels of meaning -- political, philosophical and spiritual - is what gives the viewer an experience to debate about with friends, and to keep thinking about for days afterwards.

I have a feeling that I may break down in tears during this years Oscar nominations ceremony, for as much as I'd love to have faith in the Academy to `do the right thing' I strongly feel that Ashley Judd's brilliant performance is going to ultimately get the snub. To say that she doesn't deserve the win let alone the nomination is to not have really seen this film for all that it truly is. Ashley Judd's performance is her career best, a desperate and broken spirit that permeates the entire film and haunts the viewer more than anything else pertaining to this film. In fact, the most disturbing thing about `Bug' is the fact that it will most likely receive little to no awards attention. I'm getting chills just thinking about it.

I think the first thing anyone needs to know about `Bug' is that it is not, and I mean `NOT' a horror film in the essence that it is jumpy and intense and consistently frightening but it is in it's own way jumpy and intense and consistently frightening. `Bug' is a film about the darkest corners of the human mind and the fact that we will allow ourselves to believe anything if it completes a part of our soul. I feel that this film suffered from misleading advertisement that painted it as this horrifically scary film when it is in most regards a slow moving physiological drama. There are lots of scenes of pure communication as we watch these peoples minds gradually deteriorate into the hopeless paranoia they find themselves engulfed in. In fact the bulk of the gore in the film is self inflicted, the majority taking place off screen.

Based on the play by Tracy Letts, `Bug' follows the lonely Agnes White who is in hiding from her abusive ex-husband Jerry. Jerry has just been released from prison and is planning on taking back up where he left off with Agnes, but she isn't having that. Instead she's moved on to another man, the mysterious and reclusive Peter. Agnes and Peter lock themselves away in a small motel room and it's there that they slowly go insane. Peter, a war veteran, has already lost most of it. He is convinced that the government is after him, that they conducted experiments on him and that they planted bugs under his skin. Before long Agnes's own loneliness and desperation lead her to believe him and she soon begins to see the bugs that are not really there.

The film rarely leaves the confines of the motel room and this aids in the feeling of claustrophobia. I remember feeling this way when I watched last years `The Descent', that feeling of breathless anxiety. Although the viewer never sees a single insect there are moments when you can swear they are everywhere. This is thanks in large part to the commanding direction by William Friedkin who completely understands the objective of his subject and exploits it beautifully.

To me the bugs are clearly a metaphor for the `bugs' or `kinks' in the human mind. These two people are sick. Their minds do not function properly. They haven't had the `bugs' worked out so-to-speak and thus suffer from delusions and serious deficiencies that those around them cannot understand. The scary thing about `Bug' is that this is not really an exaggeration of these issues. These types of things happen more frequently then one would think. The human mind is no where near as full proof as one might like to think and truly anyone is susceptible to the downward spiral of insanity. The worst part about it all is that one never knows they are insane.

Ashley Judd gives, for me at least, the finest performance of anyone in any category so far this year. Her grasp of Agnes is brutally convincing and extremely sympathetic. Like a child she defends the man she feels connected to, the only man who's given her the kind of attention's she's longed for. Her slip into paranoia is painfully heart breaking to watch to the point that I was moved to tears especially in the final scenes. Her facial expression as her whole world incinerates before her is enough to make my heart break into a thousand pieces. If there is a god then Ashley Judd's name will be called proceeded by "and the Oscar goes to" come March (or whenever the Oscar's are held this coming year).

The other performances in the film are decently entertaining, with the exception of Harry Connick Jr. who is surprisingly outstanding. I am not a fan of Harry and I was not looking forward to him being in this film but I was floored to find myself loving his performance. He was comical, aggressive, charismatic and believable. I would also consider his name in the supporting actor category AMPA's, seriously. I was less impressed with Michael Shannon who reprised his stage role as Peter Evans. His performance was not bad but it failed to deliver any real spark. Judd was just so impressive and Connick Jr. was just so commanding that Shannon seemed to fall to the background for me even though he was in just about every frame. Lynn Collins was wonderful as R.C. and would have been even better had she possessed a little more screen time. What she does with what she's given is very impressive.

If you're looking for a film that will scare the pants off you in a general gore filled heart racing kind of way then this is not the film you want to pick up, but if you want to be slowly driven to the brink of insanity by watching the lives of two people slowly unravel then this is the movie for you. In fact, I think it's even more horrifying to watch something this tragically real then to embrace something that is completely fictitious and ultimately unbelievable.

William Friedkin returns with a vengeance in this highly disturbing tale of mental illness, self-mutilation, depravity, and isolation.

The story is deceptively simple in that Ashley Judd, who still looks beautiful no matter how sickly she's made up, plays an isolated, abused and tortured woman who has a history for making awful decisions and eventually makes one too many when she hooks up with a paranoid stranger who is at first shy, tender, and compassionate, but quickly becomes as domineering as Judd's criminal ex-husband who is very well played by Harry Connick, Jr. As I said, this is a deceptively simple tale, because nothing is as it seems in this incredibly violent and disturbing film.

Things very quickly spiral out of control with both Judd's character and the mysterious stranger believing that the government has arranged their relationship in order to produce some super bugs. This, ironically, appeals to Judd's character who has been seeking, in her own way, some relevance in a world that has ignored her pain. It oddly gives her a sense of importance and a reason to hate those around her who have either pointed a judgmental finger at her for literally losing her son (which could happen to anyone) or have done little to help her out of her miserable life (even though she created some of her own misery).

Judd's character is both an in-depth, evolving character and a stereotype of a crack-smoking waitress with no ambition in life other than to wallow in self-pity, hang with the wrong crowd and then wonder why her life is so screwed up. This is a tragically multi-layered character and performance. Judd deserves an Oscar nomination as she portrays both a pathetic lost soul who has done little to improve her life and someone we feel great compassion for regardless of her shortcomings. She has created a character that we want to hit with a 2 x 4 in the head one moment, and cradle in our arms and comfort the next. In a year where many have complained of few good women roles, I can't help but wonder why this performance has gone relatively unnoticed.

Shannon, as the mentally ill stranger, is very good in his role too, but he, ironically, is the less interesting of this essentially two-character film. I found his twitches and mumblings are all too stereotypical of this kind of part. I found very little real depth to him at all and he, sadly, evokes very little sympathy for the sick man that he is. I wanted to feel more for him, but simply couldn't. Perhaps that was intentionally done by the playwright as, in reality, mentally ill people, sadly, annoy us more than touch us. It is the disability for which we can't readily assist someone; therefore, we often look the other way. It is not the same as trying to assist someone deaf, blind, or wheelchair restricted. We can't simply open a door for them. Mental illness is the often ignored disability because it makes us uncomfortable to be around such individuals. We only pay attention after the violence happens that is sometimes associated with the kind of severe mental illness depicted in this film, and only then do we cry out, "Why didn't someone help this man."

This is a film that definitely will not appeal to the masses. It is both character and story driven, but it's claustrophobic, violent, surreal, sad, pathetic, and just down right depressing. I can't say that I felt the bugs like many reviewers on here have said as I never accepted them as there in the first place, but the sad life of Judd's character lingers in the mind long after the credits roll. William (The Exorcist) Friedkin continues to prove his mettle as a director with this latest nightmare vision that he has brought to the screen

William Friedkin's "Bug" is the kind of psychological thriller that doesn't rely on plausibility so much as it relies on solid character studies. This isn't to say that the film is implausible; truth be told, I don't think there's any way of knowing how realistic such situations are. But considering the disturbing intensity of the story and the strong dynamic between actors Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, it's difficult to embrace these technicalities. This is easily one of the most unsettling films in recent memory, forcing the audience down an unpleasant path of paranoia that spirals out of control in a relatively short period of time. The film refuses to be a clear-cut study of insanity; there's a subtle brilliance to the way Friedkin explores uncertainty and panic, as if to say that we're not meant to have all the answers.

Nor should we. What is obvious is that, from the average person's point of view, every behavior in this film is overwhelmingly irrational. We get a small taste of this with the introduction of Agnes White (Judd), a divorcee living in a motel somewhere in the middle of Oklahoma. The first scene is of her receiving mysterious phone calls, in which the person at the other end says absolutely nothing. Already, she assumes that it's her violent, controlling ex-husband, Jerry Goss (Harry Connick, Jr.), recently released from prison on parole. Indeed, it does seem likely that he's making the calls. But does she know for sure? How can she know? How can the audience know? Even when he reenters her life later on in the film, it's impossible to come to any conclusions. It could be that Agnes is allowing her fear to take hold. The fact that she's incredibly lonely only adds to her erratic emotional state.

Then along comes Peter Evans (Shannon), an initially soft-spoken man with an underlying uneasiness that effectively makes us uncomfortable. He's a drifter with a hidden past who occasionally lets loose his expanded vocabulary (Agnes is initially confused by the word "matriarchal"). He makes it clear that he's not really interested in a sexual relationship (not at first, anyway); he merely wants to be friends. From the audience's perspective, everything about this situation is off; here are two fragile individuals looking for companionship under less than ideal circumstances. Is it any wonder that Agnes' willingness to take him in is unnerving? It doesn't help that she listens to him carefully, even when he begins spewing information about tiny bugs he thinks are infesting his bloodstream. In some sick way, it's as if he's telling her what she wants to hear.

The rest of the film veers into territory ruled purely by paranoia, the tension building itself until it becomes unbearably thick. Peter eventually reveals that he's an AWOL military officer; he believes that a faction of the government has injected him with thousands of microscopic aphids that have the ability to transmit information. He's now on the run from Dr. Sweet (Brian F. O'Byrne), the man responsible for conducting the experiments. Not only is he able to convince Agnes of this, he also makes her believe that she has now become infested. While we don't see any bugs, they believe that they're seeing them everywhere, especially on their skin. Supposedly, they can burrow through the skin back into the bloodstream; this forces Peter and Agnes to incessantly swat, scratch, and pick at themselves. Eventually, their bodies are covered with open sores.

As the film progresses, Agnes' room transforms into a bizarre kind of shelter; bug zappers and flypaper hang from the ceiling, while every other surface is coated in aluminum foil (it helps to block the bugs' transmissions). How they went about this doesn't matter. The plot was never interested in focusing on logistics, and rightfully so. We're now fully immersed in the delusional world of two people who were made for each other, a world in which nonsensical ramblings make perfect sense. The last ten minutes of the film have both Judd and Shannon delivering high-intensity speeches that almost come off as poetic in a twisted sort of way; their words point to an explanation only they can understand, and in turn offer a solution that only they see as appropriate. How the audience feels is of no concern, and that's exactly the way it should be. When both Peter and Agnes look into a microscope holding a drop of Peter's blood, the sense that they're seeing what they want to see allows us to emotionally detach from the characters and let them continue to unravel.

During the end credits, I learned that "Bug" originated as a play written by Tracy Letts (who also penned the screenplay). I then left the theater wondering how this ever could have been performed on a stage, not because of the sets or the story, but because of the sheer intensity; it's difficult to imagine a live audience sitting through something so disturbing. However, if this film adaptation is any indication, then the play must have something truly unique, a fascinating work that delves into insanity with amazing precision and style. But until I actually see it, then my praise can apply only to the film. But what a film it is.

I just want to start off by saying that I loved this film. A lot of people have given it bad reviews, which is respectable, but many of the reviews were about people being "mislead" by the ads and trailers for the movie. One reviewer said that the trailer showed actual bugs - well, they DID show bugs in the movie. There would be brief clips of bugs squirming around; those brief clips helped show you what Agnes and Peter were seeing, especially under the microscope. But, they weren't real. I watched this movie KNOWING that it was going to be a psychological thriller, NOT a horror movie. So I honestly don't know why people get upset about thinking that it was going to be a "sci-fi" or about "monsters". All you have to do is read the back of the box, or better yet read some reviews.

But, regardless of the bad reviews, I really enjoyed this movie. I like movies that have to do with mental illnesses and people going insane. What really got me was Judd's character just eating up everything that Peter told her. She was such a vulnerable character to begin with, so in misery and even a bit paranoid herself. Needless to say, she was already a bit mental before Peter arrived. He just helped her step out of the circle and into the expanding madness. A lot of people complain about movies that have to do with mental illnesses. Not me. I love both books and movies like that.

I do want to mention that a lot of people are confused about the doctor smoking. I didn't think anything of it at the time because what I was thinking was "Okay, he's a doctor and he's trying to sit down and calm her down so that he can talk to her and they can feel comfortable". In otherwords, he's trying to tell her "Look, I'm just like you, let's try and see eye to eye". So, it makes sense to me, not so much to others obviously.

The only thing I didn't like was that it was too short. I feel like if they had drawn it out more it would have been better, much more impacting. It didn't really creep me out. I didn't expect it to. I didn't even consider it a horror. It's the concept and everything behind it that stays with you. This guy thinks he has bugs and he's manipulated this woman to think she has them too. That's the idea, not that "this isn't even about bugs" or "this isn't horror" or "where are the monsters and action". It's a psychological thriller. You've got to think deeper than just what's given to you in the film. The idea is to leave you with thinking that, if you're not careful, anyone can manipulate you, just like Jim Jones and just like Peter did with Agnes. Especially vulnerable people. That is what I got from the film. That people can be twisted into something that isn't real and how, as humans, we can believe almost anything, no matter how bizzare.

Great movie overall. I won't recommend other movies like reviewers on here do. Instead I'll just say give this one a try. If you don't like it, that's cool. But personally, I loved it.

Bug is one of my favorite movies ever made. Several reasons why.

A- The acting is astounding. Ashley Judd just tears up the screen. And Michael Shannon as creepy Peter was cast perfectly. It couldn't have been a better chemistry for 'CRAZY'.

B- The script and story. Remember the guy who wrote the legendary `The Exorcist'? Well, he wrote this! Peters monologue at the end of the film made me want to memorize it for myself and go around repeating it to my friends just to get a laugh. I suppose it wasn't meant to be funny but I've seen this movie so many times that by now it has become hilarious to me. Much of the dialogue is funny but you have to be paying attention. Lastly, Judd's delivery is priceless! "C'mere boy!"

C- Quick pace. You will not get bored.

D- This movie delivers on all three genres its listed under- HORROR, THRILLER, DRAMA. It's silly as hell, too, but I guess they couldn't bill it that way. Oh, and disturbing, too, I don't mean to take anything away from Friedkins' work. This movie will stay with you because of the way the characters, especially Judd, deteriorate.


Just wanted to mention that Ashley Judd is one of the prettiest actresses in Hollywood and really lets her true self shine through in this performance, it had an authenticity to it that I found refreshing. I found I liked everything about her in the interviews I saw, too. I found myself actually perusing her other work on Netftix and buying her makeup line at Kohl's because I really feel like she's the real deal and what she represents is natural and honest, that was my interpretation, anyway. I even discovered she had a clothing line at a store in the southern United States. Wow.
Well, if Kate Hudson can have a hair care line and Jessica Simpson can have a wig line then why can't Ashley have her own lines?
But no, really this is a creepy, engrossing, hilarious, wtf movie that you will LOVE!!!!
Or your money back.

Agnes White (Ashley Judd) is a shattered wreck of a human being. She is a drug-addicted alcoholic w/ absolutely nothing on the horizon to interupt her slow self-annihilation. Agnes lost her 6yo son in a grocery store 10 years ago, and most of her soul appears to have disappeared with him. Now, she drifts through her half-life, waking just long enough to drain another bottle of oblivion-inducer, or fire up another bowl of extreme pain-reliever. Enter Peter Evans (Michael Shannon), a nice, quiet young man who captures Agnes' devastated heart almost immediately. It's love at first sight, or something like that. Meanwhile, Agnes' total loser of an ex-con / ex-husband, Goss (Harry Connick, jr.) begins creeping around, threatening to move in on Agnes to help her to re-live the bad old days of his violence and control. Peter represents paradise by contrast. All seems fine until soon after Agnes and Peter consumate their relationship. Peter finds a small insect in the bed. Agnes can't see it, but Peter is very convincing! This leads to a downwardly spiralling binge of paranoid conspiracy theories, delusions, self-mutilation, and murder. These are two sick people. Two disturbed minds that have found their match. Two empty souls that have gravitated toward each other's deadness in a hopeless attempt at fulfillment. This is insanity squared, as the two become one shrill voice of un-reason. This can only end one way, and... it does... BUG is a tale of terror with the most hideous psychological monsters unleashed. William Friedkin has captured schizophrenia on film. He's shown what true "demonic" possession is all about, and it ain't pretty...

Having caught "Bug" during its short theatrical run, I found it one of the strangest curiosities to have come from Hollywood in quite some time. While you may loathe its lunacy or love its originality, there is no question the film was poorly handled by the studios. Marketed as a horror film ("by the director of `The Exorcist'"), the advertising campaign completely misrepresented the film. In fact, it continues to do so--just look at the DVD artwork. At best, you could call "Bug" a psychological horror movie--but it's really a studied descent into madness. The film was widely distributed to a mass audience instead of being cultivated on the arthouse circuit, which is another unusual choice for a film of this type. So when average filmgoers went to "Bug" expecting a scary date movie, they got something decidedly more unpleasant (but arguably more interesting).

So let's be honest--you will either love and respect "Bug" or you will absolutely hate it. The film really doesn't have a middle ground. But, to me, that's part of its appeal. I like films to take chances--and, for all its faults, "Bug" is genuinely unsettling. I found myself profoundly disturbed and thinking about this film for days after I'd seen it. It elicited, from me, some of the same reactions and emotions that I had upon the initial viewing of David Cronenberg's masterpiece "Dead Ringers." While I won't contend that "Bug" is in the same league as that film, just the comparison is a huge honor in my book.

The story of "Bug" revolves around Ashley Judd as a small town waitress living in a desolate motel. Remote, lonely, and contending with an abusive relationship past--Judd is an interesting blend of fragility and bravado. When a stranger, played by Michael Shannon, enters the picture, the two form an oddly codependent existence. At first, this unorthodox couple seems to gain strength from one another--but as Shannon's true psychosis is revealed, things head south. The motel room becomes a cocoon against the outside world and reality starts to unravel. We become more and more disconnected from what is real and what is delusional. And as the film progresses, the madness accelerates in an almost operatic way.

The film makes bold choices and not everything works--but with conventional fare always taking the "safe" route, I'm not going to fault "Bug" for its outrageousness. Shannon is terrific and Judd commands the screen. They delve so deeply into these twisted personalities, it's hard not to be awed by their commitment. I credit Judd--she's a great actress--I like to see her take chances and make interesting choices.

If you want a scary movie, don't buy "Bug." It's that simple. If you want to try something more adventurous, this might be for you. "Bug" got under my skin. It's ambitious, complicated, messy, overwrought, and intriguing in every way. If that sounds like a compliment (which I meant it as), then give the film a look. KGHarris, 09/07.