For Sale by Owner

Not Perfect.....but Quite Entertaining
This movie boasts an excellent veteran cast (Tom Skerritt, Rachel Nichols, Kris Kristofferson) and likewise it benefits from good cinematography. It is the work of professionals, and it has a good story and a dark setting.

Will Custis has an obsession with restoring old homes, and he stumbles upon one with ancient ties to the lost colony. Upon beginning his renovations of the home, however, things begin to go awry, and he becomes unhinged, having visions and slipping in and out of reality. For anyone who likes haunted house movies or ancient ghost stories from centuries past will eat this up. The gorgeous rural setting and the fine performances make it worthwhile for any fan of this genre in general, although if you are expecting a high body count and lots of gore, this is not your film. Kristofferson is such an old pro, it's a shame he's only in a few scenes, but he steals the scenes he is in. Rachel Nichols is excellent in her role as Will's concerned, supportive...

UNREAL ESTATE
FOR SALE BY OWNER is a strange, somewhat convoluted ghost story. Using the unsolved infamous Lost Colony of Roanoke in the late 1500's, writer/star Scott Cooper weaves a psychological tale of paranoid SCHIZOPHRENIA. Cooper utilizes gloomy settings, often incoherent passages and a totally ineffective conclusion. Cooper himself is totally wrong in the leading role. He has little emotional range, stiff and unconvincing. More talented actors are wasted in cardboard caricatures: Tom Skerritt as the credit-stealing father; Kris Kristofferson as the enigmatic homeowner; Rachel Nichols as the tolerant wife; Scott Wilson as the country doctor; Tom Bower as the disgruntled sheriff; Joanna Cassidy as the registry clerk, and an unrecognizable Skeet Ulrich as the redneck mechanic. And what happened to the whistling realtor?
I did find myself involved in the movie, which is mild in terror/gore which is often refreshing. But it's not scary and the payoff is disappointing. Rent it, but...

ok but at times i was not sure what was going on
Eh, it was alright. I agree with those who liked the setting, the atompshere, and the "cinematography" as it were. While I do not know my actors and actresses all that well, I recognize there was some strong casting here. That said it moved along at a plodding pace, and quite frankly I found it confusing. I am still not exactly sure what happened here, though I have an idea. That said, if its simply all I thought it was, it sure seemed to be a lot of effort to get there. A lot of the background history woven in seemed to not be needed, but maybe it all sailed over my head.

Heres a nitpick - there were also too many characters walking around with white beards, and I started mixing them up. I am not even kidding here, I understand a lot of old men in the South walk around with the white beard, but there was little to set these guys apart to me except for the clothes they were wearing.

So there were elements of the movie I liked, especially Rachel Nichols...

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