Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-25 17:09:12

Creepy & Slow

had potential but a real let down.....not worth the time to watch it. The acting was ok but life is too short to waste time watching such a boring movie. PASS, trust me.

PeachHamBeach 2012-05-25 07:21:50

An incredible accomplishment

WARNING: POSSIBLE MAJOR SPOILERS I have read some of the negative user reviews around here for this filmand I am just not getting where these people are coming from. I'd alsojust love to know what in holy hell happened with the distribution inthe US? I've watched this film 3 or 4 times and I cannot believe howcriminally dismissed and ignored it's been.PEACOCK is the story of John Skillpa, a bank clerk who is habituallyreclusive, easily agitated in the company of others. Living in such asmall town usually means everyone knowing all of your business, andyour secrets, and John has a huge secret that he has managed to keep.His mother has passed away a year ago, and he now has a companion,Emma, who fills the ideal wifely role...making him breakfast, keepinghouse, and generally taking care of him. It seems Emma came into hislife when he needed her most, because without his mother, he is lost.This is in spite of the facts you will learn about his mother. Thestaggering complexities that come with abuse and codependency aredeftly explored and presented without prejudice.One day, while Emma is out getting laundry off the line, a trainuncouples and crashes into the yard, nearly killing her. It is herethat the sheltered and securely ordered lives of John and Emma arecompletely knocked off kilter. Nobody knew John had a wife, or whatevershe is, and when they meet her, they are taken with her gentlepersonality, so unlike her twitchy husband that will barely let anyoneshake hands with him. The train incident puts John and Emma in thespotlight. Neither of them are comfortable with that, but Emma slowlywarms to Fanny, the mayor's wife (Susan Sarandon), who is trying toraise money for a womens' shelter in town. Emma also gets to know awoman named Maggie (Ellen Page) whose history with John is probablysome of the most disturbing stuff I've ever encountered in film, andthere are no visuals. Page describes the horror verbally, without gorydetails, and still, the impact is like a nightstick into your stomach. Meanwhile, John is overwhelmed with panic and anger at the loss ofprivacy with a caboose in his yard. He sees the influence Fanny ishaving on Emma and doesn't like it. He'd like things back the way theywere. His paranoia increases with each passing day as he realizes Emmais getting involved in the lives of Maggie and the son that hefathered.This is all I'll say about the plot. The cast is one reason I amappalled at the way this film was treated: Susan Sarandon, Ellen Page,Josh Lucas (as a kind-hearted cop, one ancillary character who seems toknow a little more about John than the other townfolks), KeithCarradine, Bill Pullman, and above all, Cillian Murphy. Yes, I admit tobeing a rabid fan of Murphy's talent and a shameless admirer of hisexquisite physical beauty, but with this film, that beauty was hiddenaway, and without any distractions (those enormous sapphire eyes arenowhere to be seen), I was forced to pay attention to nothing but theacting in the actor. Through the use of make-up and costume, John andEmma are two characters, John with his haggard, fragile, gaunt face andill-fitting suits, Emma with her porcelain complexion and long, darkhair. But it doesn't stop there. Murphy uses body language, voices andespecially his facial muscles to construct two separate people. Whilehe is effectively feminine as Emma, he is completely UNRECOGNIZABLE asJohn, and the last time I saw an actor pull of such a transformationwas Billy Bob Thornton manipulating his face to create Carl Childers inSLING BLADE.SPOILER below?Some reviewers seem confused about the ending. Let me say this again:Without Mom, John was lost, no matter how evil she was. She raised himto depend on her totally. In Emma came a replacement for Mom, alongwith the same danger that Mom was all about, and John realizes it themoment he learns of his son's existence. There is the original endingand an alternate ending and you can choose which one you prefer. Whoended up the dominant personality? Who prevailed? Can the survivingperson choose to stop the cycle of violence and abuse?Atmospheric, stylish, intense, with superb acting and nothing less thanexcellence in filmmaking overall, including a sublime musical score,PEACOCK is a masterpiece which was atrociously overlooked.

2012-05-25 11:01:08

Jarring, intense and worthy of being seen.

For me, Peacock was a jarring and intense work of art. The story burns slow and steady, allowing most of its action to reside within the thoughts and emotions of its lead character, John Skillpa. Skillpa is a man divided unto himself, hidden from himself, and ultimately at war with himself. Cillian Murphy offers some pretty amazing work here, and if you enjoy character studies then you're in for a real treat. What is equally impressive though is the work of the director. Peacock felt like moving through a Norman Rockwell painting that had gone terribly wrong; a serving of grandma's apple pie, only the apples are poisoned. Not wishing to spoil any of the plot I would say that if you enjoy subtly and nuance in your stories, and if you like the idea of screams turned into whispers, then you'll have much here to love.

ramirezapple 2012-05-24 18:38:14

Not good at all...waste of time

The direction on this film is decent, however the script andstorytelling leaves a lot to be desired. I can see why this got notheatrical release--- As moviegoers why are we supposed to care about aguy dressed as a woman. It seems to me like Kilian Murphy's thought hewould be getting an Oscar nod or something. the roles have to be goodfor that to happen. this film is "posing" to be a critical favorite,when in actuality, it is not. its just another bad movie aimed at dumbaudiences. simple as that- its trying to be a high class version ofthat - it sucks - don't waste my time Hollywood. maybe one day all thepeople in Hollywood will wake up and start making a decent film. notfilms posing to be good ones.

2012-05-18 09:33:19

Sometimes It's Hard to Be a Woman

Let's begin with this: I can't honestly say I recommend PEACOCK, despite Cillian Murphy whom I love. Why? Because I don't like this sort of idiotic misleading story. Up front: it deals with split personality or multiple personality, something which DOES NOT EXIST. Talk all the psychobabble you want: this film is dangerously misleading and incredibly cheap in the way it misleads. A dissociative personality is not "split". It's just got its wallpaper peeling a little.Frankly I was angry, because when I saw the previews, I thought this would center on the life of a 1950s era transgendered person. BOY!!--was I wrong. This is a crappy, weak remake of PSYCHO. This particular travesty, ah, the wonders never cease. The story, as do so many films, spirals into a stupid, absurd ending. Oh, Cillian, when will you stop with these roles?! I think the other reviewers who beat me to the punch are a bit punch-drunk over this rotten film. Yes, Cillian is good in it and I adore him. The cinematography is spectacular though a bit simple-minded, and there is some talent here (Ellen Juno in a powerhouse dramatic turn, Bill Pullman is hilariously out-of-place but very good, Keith Carradine, Susan Sarandon are cardboard cut-out roles). But what is the point? Wasted skills. Wasted! This film perpetuates some unhealthy thinking and attitudes. Turning back the clock for a period piece does not forgive the asinine misinformation this film offers. I was cheated expecting an honest film about a transgendered man living in the 1950s. This is even worse because it is essentially a combination remake of SYBIL, PSYCHO and GLEN OR GLENDA. My favorite example is SYBIL and her whole story. There we have an allegedly true story that never happened because, well, split personality as such does not exist - and the perpetrators finally got caught in their fraud. This film offers a SYBIL-style alternate ego, complete with outfits, wigs and makeup that would do Hollywood proud. Because of all this, this film is a gross offense to transvestites and transgendered people. Slip into whatever clothes and makeup you want, but I beg you, watch something other than this. It isn't worth a single viewing. A final remark, as I did with one other critique: anyone posting insults, personal attacks, etc. (you know who you are) and I'll make sure Amazon GETS YOU!

Dorith Carmeli 2012-05-17 15:22:52

Beard growth

Just saw this movie on our TV and liked it very much. Its ending isquite a surprise! Of course one wonders how nobody sees that Emma is aman. I just told myself that a lot of make up was put on the face toconceal the beard growth. But it is a movie! So for whatever reason, people did not recognizeJohn in Emma. That makes the movie less interesting?One could ask many more questions ~ why is there no mention at all of afather? Why did nobody take care of John when he was a child, didnobody notice his mother had psychological problems and the childshould have been protected? But nobody noticed apparently and so we gotthis story. Hopefully in reality more attention will be paid to abusiveparents....I had never heard about Cillian Murphy and I think he is a very goodactor. I just hope his eyebrows grew back.

Dora11740 2012-05-15 01:18:56

A movie with great psychological content

As a start I have to add that in my opinion this movie was not athriller. Yet it is really worth to talk about, so it comes.We're facing a quite interesting life here. John, your typical quietbank clerk is a man with a serious case of dissociative identitydisorder, caused by his irregular relationship with his mother in thepast, a typical case of Freudian archetypes (usually I disagree withthem when talking about the case of the mistakes mothers make whenraising their children, but in this very movie I couldn't refer toanything else). In short, ever since the day his mother died, hecross-dresses and pretends to be a nice and friendly woman -who mostpeople think is his wife-, Emma. Fighting the demons of his past, he'sstarting to loose control. The whole situation is driving him insane,making him unable to stop his alter ego, who seems to be taking overcontrol and doing things he would never do. The ending most likely willnot be what you were expecting for. It is quite sad on its own way.The even better reason to treat this movie as something special is theamount of amazing acting in it. By checking the three main characters,you could already tell that you won't see anything disappointing, atleast not at the acting part. And let me make this clear, my highexpectations were fulfilled. I think I haven't seen such excellentacting in a really long time, so if the subject doesn't really interestyou, you can still watch it for a memorable cinematic experience.Oh and Susan Sarandon, she will never get too old to look beautiful.Her character was so warm and lovely, it fit her really well. EllenPage (as the main cause I watched this movie for) also did great, thecharacter of Maggie was impossible to not love. The scene when she toldEmma how she got pregnant and started crying simply made me I wish tobe there and hug her. And of course -as most critiques mentioned-, CMreally deserves an Oscar for his acting in this film. Playing such acomplicated character as John Skillpa seemed to not cause him anyproblems, so as always all we can say is well done!If you wanted to see this movie for chills, I do not recommend you towatch it, but if you're open to see an interesting life story withlovable and realistic characters who could easily be people living nextdoor or who you meet at the nearby store, I think you will really findthis movie entertaining and will make you stop and wonder about hownormal you and your life are.

2012-05-14 04:24:42

A fabulous, dark movie - entertaining.

This review is from: Peacock (DVD) Peacock is a fascinating, engaging and twisted movie. Murphy & Page are incredible and the unexpected turns make for total entertainment. A+

2012-05-13 03:48:14

Probably great on paper!

There is a lot of talk on the "making of" about the script. I have nodoubt even a poorly skilled writer could have made this propositionsound intriguingly yummy. But there is a vast ocean between the writtenword and the visual. The acting overall was good. However the story wasnot well edited. Perhaps at some point during the filming or postproduction "faith" left this project. Perhaps because of the ultimateflaw: The main character playing two people looks exactly like the sameperson. To ask the town of Peacock as small and innocent as it may havebeen on paper to pretend that they do not notice that "Emma" is a stonedude (that to top it all looks exactly like "her supposed husband") istoo much of a stretch. To ask an audience to simply pretend they arenot seeing what they are seeing and go along with what seems to be atown without the gift of sight is not fair and thus the movie suffers.A shame because it could have been good...

2012-05-13 00:01:32

I noiw know why it went straight to DVD

This review is from: Peacock (DVD) When I first heard about this movie and it;s cast and then heard it went straight to DVD without theater realease I was very surprised. Until I watched it. This thing isn't a thriller at all. No suspense. The characters get no sympathy or concern. Murphy is doing an impersonation of Anthony Perkins from "Pysco". This movie seems to have been directed by someone who has never seen a movie before. I want my two hours back. Skip this one.

kimi_layercake 2012-05-12 01:20:54

"Strange yet Satisfying Watch, Courtesy of Cillian Murphy"

"Peacock" is an extremely strange movie. It is based in a small towncalled "Peacock" where John (Cillian Murphy) is a bank employee andleads a solitary life. What everyone is unaware of is that John dressesup as a woman(calling self Emma) very morning and does all thehousehold chores like cooking breakfast, making lunch, cleaning thehouse, washing clothes etc. After that, "Emma" dresses up as "John" andbegins his day by eating the breakfast, putting on neat clothes, takingthe lunch box (all prepared by "Emma"). This routine of "Emma" and"John" continues everyday with no one being aware of the presence of"Emma".Until one day, due some incident, "Emma" comes to the attentionof the entire town and everyone thinks of "Emma" as "John's wife". As aresult, "John" starts playing "Emma" more often than earlier to avoidunwanted scenarios and a lot happens showcasing "John" troubled mentalhealth and his struggle to keep up with both "John" and "Emma".Cast-wise, it's a plethora of talent. Cillian Murphy has always beenprodigious actor. It's unfortunate that his performance in this moviedidn't get the recognition it deserves. His was probably one of thebest performances in the decade. Susan Sarandon, Ellen Page, Josh Lucasall have a small, yet pivotal role, played with intent and unfeigned."Peacock" explores the fragile and unstable mental health of "John" dueto an abusive and extremely reserved childhood. It's clear that "John"is suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder, but the way both hispersonalities "John" and "Emma" competes with each others aspects, howthey are aware of each others presence but do nothing to avoid it, howboth have contrasting perceptions and beliefs, how both try to undomatters done by the other etc are portrayed superbly, but the overallpremise is subject to multiple explanations.Overall, "Peacock" strangeness lies in the fact that it offers orrather viewer can perceive multiple explanations for the turn of eventsin the movie. Having said that, "Peacock" is a satisfying watch,courtesy of Cillian Murphy.My Verdict: 7/10

2012-05-11 16:39:29

peacock

This review is from: Peacock (DVD) what a wierd movie. Ellen Page should have been in this movie longer. She is a driveing force of untapped talent

2012-05-03 22:04:30

Peacock

This review is from: Peacock (DVD) This movie was not what I expected. I thought it would be like Psycho was. It wasn't scary at all and was very disappointing since I love horror movies so much.

2012-05-03 05:33:41

Deserves to be seen by a wider audience

This review is from: Peacock (DVD) Films like this don't come along too often and deserves to be seen by a wider audience. I stumbled across it quite by accident and I'm glad I did. In an era where Hollywood seems to churn out obscene slash and splatter films almost on a weekly basis it is refreshing to see an Independent Film Company create a film that is both thought provoking and sensitive, given the subject matter. The obvious temptation is to compare it to Hitchcock's Psycho, but this film is not a remake or copy. There is no point in covering the same ground of the other reviewers, for me this film deserves 5 stars. It is well crafted and has a timeless feel about it. Cillian Murphy's performance is brilliant. I will definitely come back to this film a number of times.

2012-04-29 23:29:23

Intriguing

The less you know before viewing the better will be the experience so I will say - intriguing. I had no idea what to expect but became drawn into and increasingly engaged into trying to figure out what was going on in this person's life. This film succeeds because of fine acting performances by all parties. I'm not a big fan of open ended endings; it's a cheap way to add more drama to a film but in this case I can accept the director/writer leaving the viewer with their own possibilities. So, we are left with one interesting question - is this a plausible psychological case study with some basis in reality?

birck 2012-04-29 05:54:24

A waste of talent

The acting is competent-to-good, the cinematography is good, thedirection is abstract, and the script is worthless. Others have askedhow such a great cast was persuaded to participate in this, and Iconcur. There may be a story here, but the film fails to tell it,period. The main character has multi-personality disorder because hewas tortured by his mother? That statement could explain dissociationand multiple personality disorder, if this were a textbook, but it'snot! It's a movie, darn it, and we're supposed to be made to feelsomething to, at, for, by, with and from these characters. In thisstory, the characters barely connect with each other, let alone withthe audience. Why do they do what they do? Alas, we know not. Verylittle happens in this film, what there is doesn't have muchdiscernible motivation, and it happens very very slowly. With long,luscious, atmospheric shots of...of...farm equipment? I've seenfirst-effort Indie films that had many of these same stultifyingcharacteristics, but seldom with such an impressive group of actors.Too bad they were wasted here.

2012-04-26 09:45:23

Buy This Movie!!!

This film is amazing!! Cillian Murphy has a career performance and brings an incredible depth to the already rich lead character. For whatever terrible reason this didn't make it to theatres, the mistake should be made up for now that it's on DVD. It's a masterpiece that truly needs to be seen! Don't rent, just buy it.

2012-04-26 06:33:07

Dissociative Identity Disorder: A Fascinating Case Study as Drama

The dictionary defines Dissociative Identity Disorder as a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment'. The disorder is not genetically based, but rather the result of a severely abusive childhood often associated with sexual abuse and markedly disturbed parenting experiences. PEACOCK is a little film that despite a superb cast of some of our strongest actors and a fine script by writer/director Michael Lander and Ryan O Roy never was seen in theaters but instead sent directly to DVD. Hopefully this fact will not deter audiences form renting or buying this film: when the quality of films that fill the theaters with 3D cartoons, gross-out pseudo-adult comedies, and CGI horror exercises that grow more droid-like with each year are ultimately evaluated by serious film buffs, then movies such as PEACOCK will eventually come into their own.Peacock, Nebraska, 1950s, and everything is bland and perfect: people work at their jobs, greet each other, seemingly knowing everything that goes on in this tiny town. In this placid place John Skillpa (Cillian Murphy) rises every morning at the same hour, eats a breakfast prepared for him and accompanied by little notes, goes t work at the bank where he is a quiet reclusive but wholly dependable exemplary employee. His supervisor (Bill Pullman) depends on his punctuality and thoroughness, and his boss Connor Black (Graham Beckel) notes is solid reputation as an important employee. No on inquires about his strange house where he lived with his psychotic mother hidden from the town: since childhood John had suffered beatings and abuse and as he grew to maturity his sick mother forced him to have intercourse with a young girl Maggie (Ellen Page) while she watched, and when Maggie gave birth to Jake the mother supplied Maggie with money to stay away from John. A year ago John's destructive mother died and John's fractured psyche became divided into two characters - John the regimented worker and Emma (Cillian Murphy en trasvesti) who serves John with wifely functions - and it is John the town knows until a strange train accident occurs, releasing a caboose into the backyard of the Skillpa home while Emma is hanging laundry. This 'introduction' of Emma is noted by nosy neighbors, by the sheriff Tom McGonigle (Josh Lucas) who finds John the next day and explains he will help John and his 'wife' get reparations from the train company. The train accident and the associated photo of Emma at the scene opens the town to her 'existence' and events begin to change: Emma is visited by Maggie who learns of John's son Jake an offers help to Maggie; the town's mayor Ray Crill (Keith Carradine) wants to use the Skillpa residence for a party for his campaign for Senate and Ray's wife Fanny (Susan Sarandon) befriends Emma and hopes the proposed benefit will aid her involvement in her shelter for young mothers. The crisis polarizes the two aspects of John/Emma: John wants for everything to return to the way it was, Emma wants to help Maggie and Jake in any way she can. The Dissociative Identity Disorder begins to reassemble the real John Skillpa: one of the two forms of the personality must be discarded and it is this choice that provides the rather startling conclusion to this enthralling film.Cillian Murphy gives a bravura performance as John/Emma, so much so that we the audience can understand every nuance of this divided person. All of the roles - Susan Sarandon, Ellen Page, Josh Lucas, Keith Carradine and Bill Pullman - are played with the finesse we have grown to expect from these fine actors. The cinematography is by Philippe Rousselot and the effective music score is by Brian Reitzell. The director Michael Landor is new and as a debut film he has produced a work that is deserving of special recognition when it comes to awards time. When a cast such as this one opts to participate in a little independent film for little financial compensation, we should pay attention. This is an extraordinary film, a film that deserves a very wide audience. Grady Harp, July 10

2012-04-25 15:10:44

Bad movie, worst Blu-ray ...

I saw Peacock. What is this ? A great mistake. I like strange movies like "Surveillance" or "Twin Peaks". But Peacock is far from them. And the Video Quality of the Blu-ray "Peacock" here in Brasil is BAD !!!

Gordon-11 2012-04-25 01:21:54

An intriguing drama

This film is about a young man whose life is radically changed by thedeath of his mother."Peacock" seems very slow at first, but as the story progresses, itbecomes so captivating. The story follows John and the splitpersonality called Emma. The two personalities fight with each other tocontrol the situation. The abrupt ending encourages viewers to thinkhard about what happens in the film and makes viewers postulate whatwould happen next. It's clever story telling. Acting by Cillian Murphyis amazing, he is so at ease as Emma and so nervous as John.The subject matter of "Peacock" may limit its popularity, which is apity as this intriguing drama deserves wider recognition.