The Girl Next Door (2007)

3 out of 5 Stars
Somehow, I must have put this movie in my Netflix cue thinking it was going to be a trashy horror film. I had no idea that it was a film version of a book loosely based on the death of Sylvia Likens. Oddly enough, just last month I had seen 'An American Crime' so I obviously spent most of Wilson's film comparing it to the former (although 'Girl Next Door' was released before 'An American Crime'). The story is a bit more fictitious, but the brutal horror and shock of the story is the same. I preferred 'American Crime', only because it was more true to the actual events, and 'American Crime' made me respect Ellen Page's complete and utter grasp of the role of Sylvia. Still, B;anche Baker gives Catherine Keener (who I adore) a run for her money. Even if you dislike true crime, this film is worth checking out for the brillianced of Baker's performance.

An American Crime

4 out of 5 Stars
This was a very difficult film to watch. I appreciated it for being a well made true crime film -- for an entire two hours I was completely riveted, though at times queasy, by the subject matter. I wanted to take a shower immediately after the credits rolled. Catherine Keener nailed the role of Gertrude Baniszewski. Any other actress could have easily turned such a difficult role into 'camp' (a la Faye Dunaway in Mommy Dearest), but Keener stayed realistic, disturbing, brutal, and unsympathetic. Ellen Page was adequate as Sylvia, but it is Keener who allows me to give this film 4 out of 5 stars. It's a shocking and abhorrant crime, depicting the very worst of human nature.