ThiefHott Too much of everything

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

troy-corbin I've seen very few movies/documentaries that have been this boring along with such big egos who think they know how killers think. It's like sitting drinking at a bar where people are plastered and speaking out of there rear like they know all there could be known.At one point in the movie the person who lost his Mother by murder when he was 10 years old tries to speak for all surviving people of murdered loved ones; very narrow vision to categorize all people the same. Later in this commentary this person also states that other persons view points are misconceptions; but his views and writings are brilliant master pieces; talk about a huge ego.I watched this hoping there would be something good at the end (not unlike a bad horror movie); but not to happen.If you are someone who likes to listen to other peoples narrow opinions without acknowledging persons view points outside of their group; this may be the documentary for you.

xuyewklongxl2-143-750468 I really like the movie based on it being very true to the people involved! Very real! On that note, it is seriously f-ed up! I am interested in crime and crime history but this takes it to a new level! Crime seriously affected this guy and I really want to know what made his wife who she is! They are a perfect match but that scares me! This movie makes me wonder about EVERY person involved! The cops even more than the writer and his perfect match of a wife! The dinner table discussions make me blush and uncomfortable and I use the c and p words freely and without restraint. That being said, any movie that has this effect on me is intense! Be aware that it is VERY intense!

Michael O'Keefe If you are expecting a documentary that takes you in and out of a grisly underworld of murder in America...false alarm. More or less this is a self instigated "pat-on-the-back" of American crime novelist James Elroy. Author of such top sellers like "L.A. Confidential", "The Black Dahlia", "Hollywood Nocturnes" and "The Cold Six Thousand", Elroy talks about the unsolved murder of his mother and how it has similarities to the infamous 1947 Black Dahlia murder case in Los Angeles. His language is full of expletives, almost to the point of overkill; as he sits in an L.A. restaurant with some of his friends from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department and detectives from the LAPD. Featured are visits to former murder scenes; crime scene photos and drive by glimpses of Elroy's childhood homes. The group bandy about thoughts of the very nature of murder, its investigation and how it effects the victim's loved ones. But the conversation is mainly focused on the Black Dahlia murder. Featured among Elroy's friends: Larry Harnisch, Frank Merriman, Bill Stoner, Ray Peavy, Rick Jackson, and Eric Mosher. Actor Nick Nolte drops by; but his presence seems just social. Elroy has a large following and this documentary may just give a glimpse why. Be prepared for some very disturbing photos.

fordraff This 95-minute film shows Ellroy having dinner with a number of men who work for the LAPD homicide squad and with whom he is discussing the Blue Dahlia murder. The film cuts away from the dinner to go elsewhere. For instance, there's a tour of the section of L.A. where the teenaged Ellroy broke into various homes. He'd related this in "My Dark Places," which is pretty much what this film is a version of. Of course, we get the story of his mother's death, which was central to "My Dark Places." There is no doubt that his mother's death was the defining event of his life.In one segment, we see Ellroy giving a reading at an L.A. bookshop. This was a dismaying sequence because it revealed Ellroy to be a vulgar fellow, someone, apparently, who has lived far too long with his characters and the way they talk and perhaps the way they think. He began his reading session by saying, "Welcome all you perverts, pedophiles, panty sniffers" and continued with other words beginning with p. I could see the dismay on many of the faces in the room. Others warmed to this sort of "humor." He did a long riff on how he detests Clinton and hopes that he outlives Clinton so that he can make Clinton a character in a book and give him his due. Ellroy also detests the Kennedys and makes this clear.The best part of the film is listening to one of the detectives--a rather attractive, gray-haired man perhaps in his mid-40s--elucidate his theory that an L.A. surgeon was the Blue Dahlia killer. The details the detective used to support his theory impressed me as sound. And Ellroy himself agrees with this detective's theory.This movie is for Ellroy fans only, and some may be disappointed with the personality Ellroy reveals here. At one point, Nick Nolte enters the private dining room and sits down next to Ellroy. He looks like death warmed over and apologizes for his appearance by saying that he's just had some facial surgery. Nolte was very quiet and took it all in.