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linalindalinda
Reviews
Great Kills (2023)
Watched Two eopisdoes. So far So good.
Great Kills is a black comedy/mockumentary about a hit man, Tom, who works in Staten Island, USA. His victims, we see are disposed of in some graphic detail. A documentary group of filmmakers, are filming his unhealthy daily activities, and with cynicism, barely acknowledge the violence and are in fact more questionable than Tom, who at least seems to have empathy..
The performances are believable. It genuinely feels like a real documentary.
Again, we are fascinated not only by why Tom kills, but by the place he calls home. We learn about his thoughts on his life. He is a lonely man. And we see how he interviews for his jobs. And how he prepares for his jobs. We also get a glimpse of his normal life in his home where he keeps pets. The tone is set so starkly it's hard do to not to feel for this fellow. The dispassionate sarcasm coming from the filmmakers (who appear to be the only people who know who he really is) servers to further humanize the protagonist.
The thing is, despite all the abhor we have for Tom's crimes, we can't help but like this intriguing character. What this show so far has going for it is smarts, and humour. It's not for everyone, especially the easily disturbed, and the Pilot leaves an imprint in memory, days after it's view. Intelligent grainy low budget feel works perfectly for this, plus a fine performance from it's lead. The episode ends on a cliff hanger as it seems things are about to go bad for Tom.
Irréversible (2002)
Here is a callaic Of the French kind
Much has been said of this film. I'm not sure if I can add much to the conversation. It takes on a subject that I doubt could be done today and it certainly there are very disturbing and possibly even hurtful elements to the movie.
However, art is never to be censored. And Of all of GN's movies, This is bar far his best.
The film is told in reverse, obviously. The camera floats backward in time over one night the starts at it's full escalation and ends at it's simple beginnings. By doing this, the revenge aspect of the film is neutralized as we are unaware of motives as they are presented. Ultimately we are left with the brutality of entropy even as entropy is being reverse engineered.
If you can stomach it, check it out.
Funny Games (1997)
Was Expecting worse. Not too bad.
One of the better German language films I've seen in a long time. The story is unpredictable and interesting. The director really makes us work and it is presented in a way that keeps us on our toes as things escalate.
However, The clues are few, the logic full of holes and the resolution, or rather lack of resolution, annoying. The so called final twist has no basis or background and no matter how hard you think it out, it cannot explain what has come before. As the final credits unexpectedly role one is left with a sense of unfair play.
Judging from the bulk of the reviews it would seem that the murkiness of the mystery plot is regarded as intentional. If so, this is no justification. "Funny Games" remains an interesting, but highly imperfect movie.