Tagged: Container
Adam Rehmeier’s The Bunny Game (2010)
A young prostitute (Rodleen Getsic) is having a hard time making a living, blowing half of her hard-earned cash on drugs and getting robbed of the other half by her clients. Most days she’s wandering around towns giving occasional blow-jobs and snorting illegal substances up her pretty nose. One day she’s so fucked up, she ends up raped by her client, who then tears through her backpack and steals all her money. With no pimp to protect her and nothing to eat she is forced to hop on the first truck she sees. The guy (Jeff F. Renfro) seems all right. They share some coke. He starts getting weird. He touches her inappropriately. She tells him to stop. He doesn’t. She passes out. He locks her up in the back of his truck. She wakes up. He is torturing her. There is no escape. They’re in the desert, nobody can hear her scream. He shaves her head, films her, chains her, puts a mask on her, leaves her naked on the floor: The bunny game begins. Continue reading
What Movies Did You Watch Last Week?
Hello,
what time is it?
Oh, right: Weekly Retrospective Time!
Last week I didn’t watch a whole lot of movies and next week I’m sadly going to be zero, but that’s my funeral. Last week: Last week was the Confederations Cup in Brazil so two nights were reserved for that. Since I’m Italian and I have to show a little bit of faux patriotism every once in a while. Moving on, the few movies I’ve seen weren’t all that great so again, this week there’s going to be just one post about it and sadly next monday ‘nothing’. I’m sad and sorry. Forgive me and follow me still, if you will.
Errors in the Human Body (2012) – 4.5 (IMDb 5.3) – Horror, Drama (Germany)
A Werewolf Boy (2013) – 6 (IMDb 6.7) – Fantasy, Romance (South Korea)
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975) – 6 (IMDb 7.7) – Drama, Criterion (France)
After hearing that Jeanne Dielman was very similar and influential on one of my favorite films (Somewhere) I thought it was about time to check it out. I can honestly tell you that the similarities are only there on the surface: The tone and mood of the film is completely different. Technically it’s a well made film, but it’s a bit boring (on purpose). I also get the impression the director wants to make fun of the viewer, if not insult them. It’s a pretentious film, but not in a good way. You can see the actress acting and her son (in the film) is one of the least sympathetic characters of all time. The ending is just preposterous. Catherine Breillat does it better.
Suburban Mayhem (2006) – 6.5 (IMDb 5.7) – Crime, Drama, Comedy (Australia)
I watched Suburban Mayhem because of its title, I like everything with a suburban feel, but I didn’t get much of that. Also Mia Wasikowska! This is her first film and you can already see she’s really good. Shot part faux documentary (with the annoyingly “cute” interview scenes) this is a film about despicable people doing terrible things. Like one of the characters himself states it doesn’t really give us much reason to love its characters. I can appreciate that, but at the end of the day I want to empathize with the people I see on screen, otherwise there’s not much at stake for me. What I take away from this film is its sick, twisted sense of humor and Mia’s strong supporting performance.
Container (2006) – 7 (IMDb 5.2) – Drama (Sweden)
Oz The Great And Powerful (2013) – 6.5 (IMDb 6.6) – Adventure, Fantasy, Family (USA)
If you’re a kid or a James Franco fan you’re going to love this film, if not maybe you can still kind of like it. I certainly appreciated seeing Raimi’s trademarks in this film, the stellar cast (Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz) and the black & white opening. As the film progresses it becomes silly and childish. Some of those unnecessary scenes could be cut out and the film’s pacing would benefit from it. Kids would also prefer a shorter crispier film I’m sure. Besides, we’ve seen this kind of plot a thousand times, we know how it’s going to end: Let’s just get to it! Some bad CGI, typical Raimi cheesiness/camp, but a lovable James Franco as always.
‘PICK OF THE WEEK’
I’m Here (2010) – 8 (IMDb 7.8) – Drama, Sci-Fi, Short (USA)
That’s it for this week. I hope you check out Spike Jonze’s I’m Here, because it’s worth your time and also you can see it for free on YouTube.
See you next time,
Au revoir!
Lukas Moodysson’s Container (2006)
Container is “a silent movie with sound”, according to Swedish director Lukas Moodysson. The film does not have a traditional three-act structure or any recognizable narrative. The visuals are only loosely related the monologue read by American actress Jena Malone. It’s more of an experimental/avant-garde/art film intended to elicit a certain kind of feelings, or no feelings at all. Someone described it as an “open letter to God”. Knowing Moodysson’s strong Christian beliefs I would have to agree: The voice over repeatedly mentions themes and images pertaining to Christianity. Just like Moodysson’s other films it is also about celebrity and pop culture, consumerism and the horrors of civilization, namely the Second World War and Chernobyl’s catastrophic nuclear accident. Continue reading
black is white 