Delayed Reaction: Cheap Thrills

The Pitch: You know "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" What if a Klondike Bar was money?

How I Came Into It: This is one of those movies that a couple unrelated people I know recommended to me but otherwise, no one has heard of it. It has a solid cast. Pat Healy is excellent as the voice on the call in Compliance. This is the kind of role that David Koechner could really shine in. I don't know what I remember Sara Paxton from, which is starting to bother me. Ethen Embry, I didn't even recognize from his Can't Hardly Wait days (God, that was a while ago).

Why I Saw It: This movie delivers exactly what it promises. It's a night of escalating challenges until it goes too far. And what "too far" is is quite a doozy. I appreciate that it didn't stretch out longer than it needed to, clocking in under 90 minutes, which many bloated features don't have the courage to do.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: There's a reason I never watched Fear Factor. I don't need to see a couple guys race to eat the remains of a dog. This is such a gritty movie. It has a divisive appeal. For what it's trying to be, it's very good. I just land on the wrong side of the appeal.

Verdict (?): Strongly Don't Recommend