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Netflix Instant - "Love Object" (Like or Dislike)

I'm not sure how much exposure this movie had, but some of you hardcore fans have heard of it. A bizarre friend told me to check it out on Netflix so I did. To describe this movie in a short sentence, I'd say this. Think Psycho, combined with Cherry 2000. Now by saying Cherry 2000, I would lose a lot of people nce that is another lesser-known movie to try and use as a comparison.

You begin the movie with the main character, Kenneth Winslow (Desmond Harrington). He's really into his work (writing instruction manuals), and takes pride in what he does. He isn't the outgoing type, plus he is quiet, shy, and really keeps to himself. His boss Novak (Rip Torn) has a huge asgnment for Kenneth, and he has a short amount of time to accomplish the task. In order for Kenneth to reach the deadline, Novak gives him a temp to help with the typing/setting up of the pages for the instruction manual. Kenneth is against the idea, nce he prefers to work solo, but Novak insts on them teaming up.

Lisa Bellmer (Melissa Sagemiller) feels out of place at her new job, and the regular employees are not any help. She has trouble figuring out the computer and no one wants to help her. Even Kenneth treats her a bit harshly, but he isn?t the people person type. When Novak notices that Kenneth is behind schedule (which is very rare for him), he suggests that getting rid of the temp might help. Kenneth begins to feel sorry for her and has a small talk with Lisa. After they talk, things begin to fix themselves. Kenneth teaches her how to use the computer, and he starts to have feelings for her. When the two meet the deadline for Volume one (of three), Novak offers Lisa a permanent job with the company.

Now before I get too far ahead of myself, I should point out that Kenneth has also been doing some de work. He was given a postcard advertisement for a lifelike sex doll by one of his co-workers as a joke. Kenneth was fascinated by the doll and spends ten thousand dollars for one! As he gets to know Lisa better, he starts to make the doll look just like her. Then, the doll begins to do things on its own. It also talks to Kenneth (you don't hear her talk, but Kenneth responds to her as if she was talking), and is very jealous of how Kenneth feels for Lisa. This is where you have the "Psycho" elements of someone giving life to an inanimate object, and how Kenneth isn't all there mentally. Cherry 2000 fits in with the sex doll, nce in the future people will have sex dolls, but they are more robotic (or I guess the term android would be more accurate) and can do anything that a human could.

Back to the story. Lisa and Kenneth are now very close. They are dating, and when they get a bit intimate, Kenneth has some disturbing thoughts of Nikki (the sex doll) and that brings everything to a screeching halt. Kenneth returns home and has an argument with Nikki. At this point you see that Nikki is trying to keep Kenneth with her, while Lisa and Kenneth are getting closer to each other. After Kenneth tells Lisa about Nikki (he makes up a stalking story that is sort of true I guess) they have sex and that seals the deal. Kenneth now has to get rid of Nikki, and he does in a most unusual way.

Just when you think that Lisa and Kenneth are the perfect couple and nothing could go wrong, that's when something does go wrong. Lisa finds the postcard advertisement about the sex doll and freaks out (one of the parts that was rushed or over reacted in my opinion). This gets Kenneth in trouble with his boss, and eventually fired. Kenneth now needs Nikki back, nce Lisa wants nothing to do with him. It is imposble to get Nikki back, because of how Kenneth got rid of her earlier, but he tries anyway.

Towards the end, Kenneth and Lisa confront each other and this is when you really see Kenneth lose control and go to some extremes all in an effort to get Nikki back. I won't say what happens next, but I will say that when Kenneth snaps and Nikki is controlling him, all Hell breaks loose for those around him.

The movie has humor to it, mostly dark humor but it's still there. Some of the story has moments that feel rushed, nce a couple of scenes have the character over reacting. My guess is that this is a horror movie first, and a love story second. If it were just a love story, then the rushed moments would have been slowed down. The actors played the parts well, and the star has to be Desmond Harrington. To play a quiet character, then to have him go mentally unstable is quite a challenge nce this conflict of personalities happens often in the film.

For a horror movie, there isn't too much gore nce it's mostly a psychological film. There is some blood towards the end, but it isn't too bad. Also, the special effects are also used sparingly. nce the main focus (or evil) is the sex doll, when she does move around it isn't like she is walking about like a regular person. Some parts can seem a bit cheesy, but you have to ask yourself. Is she really moving, or is it all in Kenneth's head?

I won't ruin the ending, but it wasn't what I was expecting, which is refreshing for a movie of this nature. One would think that any somewhat current movie would be very predictable, just because almost every type of story has been told. This movie manages to have a certain freshness to it, even if it touches on two other films in terms of what happens in the story. If you like "Psycho" or even "Cherry 2000" (the few of you who have seen that one), then you could appreciate the effort that this movie gives you.

http://youtu.be/c5vt4YddGYU

This was one of the first movies I watched on Netflix when I got it. I actually really liked it. It's definitely more of a psychological thriller, but it has it's creepy moments. For a low budget film, it was pretty well done. I'd recommend it.

Also has a few well known actors. Desmond Harrington (Joey Quinn from 'Dexter'), Rip Torn (from Dodgeball and Men In Black), and Udo Kier (from Halloween 2007).

This is also one of my favorites. Whenever I'm asked to recommend a movie that's "different" I find myself mentioning this one in my list of choices.

Dark, funny, entertaining, and you have Udo. This movie is just great.