Customer Reviews

Remedy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I am not a KISS fan so I had no bias when it came to reviewing this piece .

Ace Frehley was simply SENSATIONAL . No Academy Award but the part was perfect for him and he was true to the character . The rest of the cast was average at best . The plot was clever yet at times became tired and a little dull .

Overall , a HIGH 4 and well done to Mr Frehley !!!!

This solid independent effort will be remembered for the spot-on portrayal of Johnny the mystical dope dealer by Ace Frehley of KISS fame. But it is the entire cast and the offbeat structure of the murder mystery that will engage any viewer till the unexpected ending.

There are a lot of laughs, and strong elements of horror and sex in Remedy, but it is not overdone- all part of the lives of the young New Yorkers depicted.

Sopranos heavyweights Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore turn in solid performances as well as Arthur Nascarella from The Cooler, Chuck Zito and Ricky Aiello. The score is top notch, including a track from Danny Aiello.

I saw this movie with a group of kids from film school. We heard they made this movie for like 75k. We expected a soft and weak erotic thriller. To our surprise we got an edgy psychological thriller with cool New York City locations, twisted characters and an unexpected surprise ending. Ace Frehley gives an erie performance as a junkie drug dealer. The lead character Will (Maelen) struggles with his addiction and the murder of his best friend. Chick on chick action!!! Drugs!!! Yeah baby!!!

Kudos to Ace for turning down a tour with Kiss and doing a no budget movie. His heart is still pure!!!! You can't call him a sell out!!!

Sharon (Shock Me!!)

We can't always take cinema seriously. That being said, I loved REMEDY for what it is: a film that DOESN'T take itself seriously and indulges the viewer in the sordid unkempt world of it's rock and roll characters. They screw and drug their way through a murder mystery that keeps you guessing.
Ace Frehley WAS amazing as other reviewers have said, and to those with negative comments- Get a life- obviously this is tongue in cheek stuff- and it's well done at that.

I usually do not like this genre of movie but I must say that this flick held my attention from beginning to end. Great story, solid acting and a delightful turn at the end. With Ace Frehley as a brilliantly played Johnny and a couple of Sopranos cast members Remedy packs a decent list of names. Candice Coke is also suberb (not to mention lovely) as Michelle. Try it out, you won't be disappointed.

The only reason why I was interested in this film was because of the cast. I love the Sopranos but they didn't get much dialog.
Ace Frehley as a drug addict was not a stretch (I read the KISS & Tell book and Into The Void... With Ace Frehley book).
The Director obviously used up his budget in paying the cast.

Hey, without referring to any past reviews specifically, I don't know what some reviewers are talking about when they say the performances were "leaden", NONSENSE!! These performances I thought were particularly well acted and well written. Especially the role of "Detective Lynch" played by Arthur Nascarella of "The Cooler", "Copland" etc....The guy seemed so real as an NYPD detective that I started feeling a little paranoid and guilty about the wacky tabacky that I had just finished off myself before entering the movie theatre, Oh Yeah, did I mention the fact that he spent 20 years as a real NYC cop... Can't get any more real than that. Also the role of the Junkie struggling to get his life together "Will Bentley" played by Christian Maelen of "I Think I Do" and "Wisegirls" was nicely executed with a real-life sense of the gritty street life that almost makes you feel as if the actor had once been there himself??...excellent work by both actors. As for the plot and storyline...O.K., it's no "Chinatown" or "Citizen Kane" but come on, let's be realistic. This is a small, dark and gritty indie film which I think made the most of and did pretty well with what was rumored to be a miniscule budget of $100K or so. All in all a real nice job of a raw indie film with some strong performances by some young up and comers, not to mention all the beautiful Lipstick Lesbo action..gotta love that! Oh yeah, and for all you Kiss fans out there, come on, you know who you are, Did I forget to mention Ace Frehley...that's right ACE FREHLEY as the wise old dope dealer "Johnny". Really cool to see Ace in this kind of film, perfect for him, Right On...GO ACE!! Anyway, I say go check this one out, definitely worth adding to your DVD collection if you're a fan of movies with an indie edge ala "Drugstore Cowboy" and "Requiem For A Dream". P.S., Great surprise, twist ending also, definitely check this one out!!

Peace Out Indie Fans, Later - Big Jack.

Remedy is the suprise of this year's indy film scene. Great dialogue and acting. The movie is a roller coaster ride that never slows down. It's quirky, fun and definitely different. Worth checking out. Ace Frehley rules.

The concept of Remedy (2005) is a lot like that of going to a pub,
the idea is big but often turns out to be not so big, when the evening is over.

Present, are the big-name actors Frank Vincent and Vincent Pastore playing businessmen, with a confident Jon Doscher who's a dentist running his own practice, with a profitable recreational and amateur coke dealing on the side.

It's perhaps too easy to dismiss "Remedy" as tripe and outrageous, for the simple
reason that the commerce and consumption of illicit substances is a widespread, large
phenomenon in today's society, with billions of dollars at play and millions in clientele.

The positive aspect of this work, is bringing to light the personal demons
that many Americans suffer from, which is addiction, in this case, by an art school
graduate (who has never had to work for a living on anything resembling a 9 to 5
schedule, being the heir to a fortune, managed by his Uncle, played by Frank vincent.)

As such, this work is somewhat reminiscent of "Trainspotting", with the syringes used for
coke injection, freebasing through a pipe, alcoholism, (with the accompanying side
effects of withdrawl, cold sweats, vomits, hallucinations in broad daylight,
flashbacks from memory impairment) and sexual anarchy. Thus, the main character is
shown as psychologically and emotionally fragile, and vulnerable to the hidden motives of
his girlfriend.

Here, Doscher is shown indulging a cougar with intimacy at his clinic, all the while
partaking in menage a trois, and orgies with a stealth lesbian as his girlfriend, as they

struggle with boredom when they get together.

Next, there is a very real, credible acting throughout the picture, apparently filmed on

location with a full view of the Brooklyn Bridge, together with a number of glossy, attractive women throughout probably to embellish the otherwise bleak sequences which typically revolve around, as stated, the helpless, chaotic and unproductive lifestyle of drug dependents.

The elements that are distracting in this picture, is the haphazard or randomly chosen
musical numbers throughout, almost like a random flipping of an FM or AM radio

coupled with a DVD transfer that at least over the first half of the work, is grainy, with a technique almsot the same as a commonplace TV weekly series.

Another unsettling fact is that what is filmed on DVD, is not a pan-and-scan, and does not capture the entire screen of the underlying picture, actually truncating all the pictures and scenes that are outside or exceed the "square box" on the silver screen, not boding well.

At least one officer is shown as crossing the line, and indulging in alcohol and pleasures with showgirls, shown here multiple times in a strip bar, for titillation of viewers; the character ironically comments on Doscher and others as "People who have lost their moral compass. Nobody knows how to behave anymore!"

The ending ends somewhat clumsily, with no tension having been built to that point,
unfortunately, yet packing a surprise nonetheless.

I started to watch this movie and I thought that I was back at work. I work in the social work field and deal with "drug related" problems during my work hours. I didn't like this movie at all. From the first 45 minutes into this movie the plot was totally based on people using drugs and ruining thier lives. Yes, it does tell of what happens to people that "use" and how your life can be messed up. I didn't need to watch this movie for that information. I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about when they were reviewing this movie, but to me this isn't worth my time or money. Definately not recommended to anyone that has a brain and wants to use it.