Reviews

I saw "The Wrestler", last night, and it was compelling. From a screenwriter's point of view, I would have to call it an 'alternative screenplay'. It does not follow the traditional formula for a story arc. Many of the scenes do not build up to any tension; yet they are filled with subtext. I like the way the wrestlers are showed as buddies, before they going in the ring (note: the wrestlers shown as extras were all professional wrestlers). I think Mickey Rourke did an extraordinary performance because he was NOT playing himself, as so many people have stated that he was. He played a likable and sympathetic character, despite his faults. In reality, he is not likable, at all. That is what makes it a good acting job. The alternative part comes in when his character never goes through any change - regrets, yes, but he does not change. And, without spoiling anything, I must say I was moved to tears by the ending.

SPOILER ALERT! So, you think it is pointless that writer/director Michael Haneke remade his 1997 German film "Funny Games" into the 2008 American release? Did you ever consider that there are people out there who did not see the 1997 version? Well, guess what? I never saw it, and I am an avid film aficionado. Seeing the description of the film, I might not have watched it. When I saw the cast, specifically Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Michael Pitt, I knew I had to watch it. These are actors who are imminently watchable, and it is not the first venture into the horror genre for any of them. However, "Funny Games" is unlike any other horror film I have ever seen. It is a scathing indictment of how Americans have become nonchalant voyeurs of violence. The direction may be shot for shot like the original, but conceptually it is unique and scary. My heart was beating fast with fear, in many places, as I wondered what was going to happen next. The violence is almost never shown on film. It is almost always shown off screen or in the aftermath. So, we are not voyeurs to the violence in this movie. This only serves to heighten our fear. The acting was as brilliant as I expected it be from this superior cast. Not having seen the original, I found Michael Pitt talking into the camera to be quite amusing; not that it has never been done before, but it was done with alacrity. I thought the use of the remote control to rewind a crucial scene and change the ending of the scene to be an amazing twist; again, not having seen the original. The end of the movie, which I will not reveal, chilled me to the bone. There have been other remakes. Gus Van Sant's brightly colored, shot for shot remake of "Psycho" was unnecessary and boring. It added nothing to the movie. The remake of the French/Dutch film "The Vanishing", which was not shot for shot, was made by the original director with the same aim to bring it to an American audience. However, it was a poor imitation of the original, and was given a sappy "Hollywood Happy Ending". I am glad that Michael Haneke was allowed to make an American remake of "Funny Games" that is true to the original, for those of us who did not see the original. I, for one, will watch it again.

This DVD, called "Outrage!", is the Spanish film "Dispara!", which means "Shoot!". I have the original Spanish language VHS, and no English language dubbing can do justice to the original Spanish version. Why even change the name? "Shoot!" has so much subtext. She's a sharpshooter to begin with. She goes after the men who raped her with her rifle... It makes sense to call it "Shoot!". Antonio Banderas - pre-movie star - is so good, here, as an earnest reporter. He is stuck in the predicament of falling in love with a circus performer who will move on. The real star is Francesca Neri, the Italian actress who seems to do her own riding and shooting. Everything about this movie looks authentic, including the brutal rape and murder scenes. If you are looking for a happy Hollywood ending, go elsewhere. These characters are doomed from the first "shot". -Sheshetta

Forget "The Matrix". Now, really forget it. It's a different movie. "eXistenZ" lives in a world, or really nested realities, all its own. Cronenberg is a master of mixing up reality with non-reality and physical with non-physical. I think one of the beauties of "eXistenZ" is the ugliness of the Virtual Reality world created by Geller's (Jennifer Jason-Leigh) half-mutant amphibian/half plastic game pod. The icky porting into it with an umbilical cord into the spinal column is so Cronenberg. I liked the way he had the characters (and us) believing they were out of the game when they were still in it... those pesky nested realities. It hearkens back to some of Philip K. Dick's visionary short stories, as well as Cronenberg's own "Videodrome" (especially with the "Death to..." sequence). I also liked the use of some of Canada's best actors who have since become more well known, such as Don McKellar, Callum Keith Rennie (by way of Sutherland, England), and Sarah Polley. In fact, Cronenberg played a character in Don McKellar's 1998 film, "Last Night", which also starred McKellar, Rennie, and Polley, not to mention Sandra Oh. I liked the way some of the characters in the Virtual Reality did not respond unless they were fed the correct line. That was brilliant, and I have not seen that done anywhere before or since. I also liked the gun made out of a jawbone that fired teeth for bullets. Cronenberg is brilliant. Take a pop over the Amazon's sister site, IMDb.com, and look at Cronenberg's filmography. There isn't a bad apple in the bunch, and you would do well to watch them all. "Naked Lunch" and "Dead Ringers" are just two out of many that would stand out if you liked "eXistenZ".