The Wrestler

Title: The Wrestler (2008)
Dir: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5 stars

A lot of movies have focused on the rise and fall of the lead character, but The Wrestler is about the aftermath of a fall. Mickey Rourke portrays Randy "The Ram", a washed up professional wrestler who works at a supermarket and does small-time wrestling stints on weekends. Once a huge star, he now lives broke and alone in a trailer park. After a heart attack threatens to end his wrestling gigs, Randy tries to adapt to a life without the job he loves.

Not wanting to be alone anymore, he chases the affections of a stripper (Marisa Tomei) who won't let herself get too close to him. He also tries to make amends with the daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) he abandoned years ago, but this proves very difficult as his little girl is now a stranger. One who hates his guts, no less.

Both actresses are great but Rourke is just phenomenal here. He can be simultaneously entertaining and heartbreaking to watch. Physically, he is perfectly cast - he looks like an 80s wrestling star, and his face ain't exactly pretty anymore. But Rourke delivers more than just the right look and gives an unforgettable performance. The fact that he could - and probably will - steal the Best Actor Oscar from Sean Penn this year is a testament to how amazing he is in The Wrestler.

The story is tragic and yet uplifting, and it is beautifully told by Aronofsky (as always). It is very unlike his other films, which is a pleasant surprise. Not unlike his other films, it continues to haunt me long after I watched it. The story and characters feel so real, and I never thought I would enjoy watching real life so much. Life is rough, and I usually don't like watching movies about that fact. But this one is a reminder of how precious life is and why it is so important to do what you love and share it with the people you care about.

Finally, I must mention the film's theme song, "The Wrestler" by Bruce Springsteen because its lyrics beautifully summarize the movie and it makes me tear up a little everytime I hear it. Do yourself a favor and buy/download that song (after you watch the movie, of course).

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Anamorph

Title: Anamorph (2007)
Dir: H.S. Miller
Rating: ** out of 5 stars



Check out my review at ShockTillYouDrop:

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/reviewsnews.php?id=9153

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Timecrimes

Title: Timecrimes -aka- Los Cronocrímenes (2007)
Dir: Nacho Vigalondo
Rating: **** out of 5 stars



Timecrimes has accomplished something that is difficult to do - creating a time travel story that is consistent, plausible, and fairly easy to follow. Especially when an idiot like me can understand it. The movie also happens to be brilliant and very suspenseful.

Hector (Karra Elejalde) is an ordinary man with an ordinary life, until one day he sees a nude woman in the woods. Upon investigating, he gets stabbed by somebody with a pink wrap on their head. Hector runs and takes refuge in a neighbor's house - specifically, in a strange lidded tank. When he emerges from the tank, the neighbor (Nacho Vigalondo) informs him that the machine is a time travel experiment and that Hector has just traveled back in time by one hour. In his attempts to make things right, Hector sets off a series of unforeseeable events with tragic consequences. The more he tries to fix, the deeper the problem becomes.

Writer/director/co-star Vigalondo definitely has a mind for time and space physics, or maybe he just has a lot more common sense than me. His script is brilliantly constructed and never misses a detail. This film is smart, tense, and absolutely fascinating. The way everything comes together blows my mind. For people like me who can't quite wrap their head around Primer, this one makes for great time-travel Cliff Notes.

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Murder Party

Title: Murder Party (2008)
Dir: Jeremy Saulnier
Rating: **** out of 5 stars

Wow, I did not expect this movie to be so good! It has a clever script, wicked sense of humor, great cast, and some surprisingly cool gore. There are even a few kickass movie references (e.g., The Warriors, Blade Runner). I had a genuinely good time watching it, and I highly recommend it.

Chris (Chris Sharp) is a lonely bachelor who intends to spend Halloween night watching horror movies with his cat, Sir Lancelot. Then he finds a mysterious invitation to a "Murder Party" and decides to go. Sporting a cardboard knight costume, Chris ventures into a shady part of town. When he arrives at the address, he discovers an abandoned warehouse and a group of crazy art students who intend to kill him for the sake of art. Before long, Chris is duct-taped to a chair while his kidnappers discuss how to kill him (and a myriad of other topics). Things get bloody and downright hilarious as the night goes on.

I started watching Murder Party on a whim and fully intended to turn it off if I felt bored. From the first few minutes, I was loving it. Chris, with his sad lifestyle and do-gooder spirit, is instantly lovable and I was genuinely worried about him throughout. Mr. Sharp is funny and adorkable. But the movie is definitely stolen by two of the artists, played by Macon Blair and Alex Barnett. Macon goes from being the intimidating loose cannon of the group to a drooling puppy dog over the girl he likes. In both suits, he is hilarious. Alex is the cocky leader of the group, who gets his ass kissed by everyone because he has access to grant money. Barnett is laugh-out-loud hilarious with the way he talks and the absurd shit he says.

I cannot emphasize how damn funny this movie is. Both in dialogue and sight gags, it had me rolling. The cast is fantastic and the writing is sharp. The pace is a little slow at times, but I was never bored. I was also pretty impressed with the makeup FX work. There is not a whole lot of it, but when it kicks in, it's pretty damn cool. Especially Macon - but I won't spoil it.

I consider myself pretty knowledgable of indie/foreign/horror films, but I had heard VERY little about this movie. That is why I cannot recommend it enough, as it seems to be flying under the radar. Definitely check this one out.

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Frontiere(s)

Title: Frontière(s) (2007)
Dir: Xavier Gens
Rating: **** out of 5 stars



From the opening credits, I knew I was gonna love this movie. There is something powerful about juxtapositioning ultrasound footage of a fetus with news footage of rioting Parisians. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but it has to do with new beginnings amidst apocolyptic conditions.

Frontiere(s) is about a group of thieves who flee Paris - which is under siege by rioting citizens - and take refuge near the French/German border. Unfortunately for them, the hostel they find is run by an insane Neo-Nazi family who intends to use them for breeding and/or meat.

This movie has some top-notch gore, including a few clever death scenes, a melting face, an exploding head, and more awesomeness I don't wanna give away. You just have to see for yourself. The film also happens to be pretty scary at times. There is a very claustrophobic scene that is a lot like The Descent (in more ways than one), where I could barely breathe watching it. I literally had to remind myself to take a breath. For this reason, the scene was physically uncomfortable to watch. Which is awesome! And it only got scarier from there....

It's a pretty long movie, and there is a section that was a little duller than the rest (somewhere around 3/4 in), but then the awesomeness kicks back in and you get a wallop of an ending. I really liked all the actors in this movie and hated to see any of them go. At first, I wasn't convinced that the lead chick Yasmine could hold my interest as the heroine, but boy did she prove me wrong. That girl is a trooper! And I respect the actress a lot for going through all she did in this film. Kudos, Karina Testa!

This film is reminiscent of a couple films, most notably Hostel, High Tension, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Descent. It definitely has the gritty look and the no-holds-barred brutality like High Tension. This is definitely not a bad thing. If you like any of those movies, or generally enjoy an intense horror film, do not miss this one.

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A Christmas Tale

Title: A Christmas Tale (2008) -aka- Un conte de Noël
Dir: Arnaud Desplechin
Rating: ***1/2 out of 5 stars



The plot of A Christmas Tale is similar to a movie that came out a few years ago called The Family Stone. Both involve a family brought together at Christmas as the matriarch is dying of cancer, while an outsider comes to dinner and everyone hates them. There is one key difference - The Family Stone sucked. This one is actually not bad.

The Vuillard family is like any other - seemingly normal on the outside, but deeply dysfunctional at the core. The first son died as a child; the eldest Elizabeth is a manic-depressive and her son is going insane; middle child Henri is hated by the family for his drunken, destructive behaviors; and youngest child Ivan...well, he is normal, but his wife has a painful secret. When their mother Junon is diagnosed with cancer, she requires a bone marrow transplant from a compatible relative. This turns out to be Henri, who had been banished from the family by sister Elizabeth. The transplant situation prompts an uncomfortable Christmas reunion that brings a lot of buried history to the surface.

The film is mostly a drama, but it has a lot of light humor. It is easy to relate to the characters since you can probably recognize them from your own family. And you can recognize all the squabbling and awkwardness from your own holiday gatherings. All the actors are great, including screen legend Catherine Deneuve. But for me, Mathieu Almaric stole the movie. You may recognize him from Munich or Quantum of Solace, but you haven't seen really great Almaric until you've seen a performance in his native language (French, that is). This film is no exception, he is great as the Vuillard Family black sheep, Henri. You love him one moment, and hate him the next. He is definitely the funniest aspect of the film.

There are a few things I did not like or understand in the film, but they encroach on spoiler territory. One involves Ivan, his wife, and a cousin. It felt off and distracted from the rest of the film. Chalk it up to cultural differences, perhaps. Also, the movie is too long. I was not terribly bored, I just thought it could have been wrapped up sooner. The story goes on and on, and then at the very end, denies the audience the big answer we are waiting for the whole film!

A Christmas Tale isn't the type of classic film you'd watch every December 25th, but it is a realistic dramedy about family, the holidays, and forgiveness. I wouldn't recommend you rush to go see it, but it is worth watching someday, especially for fans of the actors.

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The Caretaker

Title: The Caretaker (2008)
Dir: Bryce Olson
Rating: ** out of 5 stars



Check out my review over at ShockTillYouDrop:

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/reviewsnews.php?id=9023

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Let The Right One In

Title: Let the Right One In - aka- Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
Dir: Tomas Alfredson
Rating: ***** out of 5 stars



I wish I could convince my friends that this is not some fruity little Swedish film. This movie will BLOW YOUR FREAKING MIND, I promise. It is expertly directed, with a beautiful story, great performances, and a couple of scenes that will kick your ass (especially the ending). It is a fantastic coming-of-age tale, and technically it's a vampire love story. So fuck Twilight in the ass, this is the movie you should be seeing.

Oskar is a lonely 12-year old boy who is bullied at school. He befriends his new neighbor, a young girl named Eli, and develops a crush on her. But while Oskar is going to school, playing with puzzles, and other normal boy activities, Eli is stalking and killing her human meal for the night. Oskar soon comes to realize the truth - his friend is a vampire. As bodies start showing up all over town, it becomes more and more difficult for Eli to conceal her identity, and for her to stay with Oskar.

When I watch Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson in this film, I forget that they are children. It's amazing to think that these young actors are portraying the heavy subject matter dealt with in this movie. Both are first-time actors, and yet they are so believable in their roles. Their performances are so mature and intense, I cannot help but forget I'm watching child actors - whom I usually loathe. These two - and the adults rounding out the cast - are phenomenal.

Let the Right One In is based on John Ajvide Lindqvist's 2004 novel of the same name. From what I've read, there are a few differences, or more specifically, subjects that are left open to interpretation in the film. I like this approach, because I evidently interpretted things very different from how they actually are in the novel. I like my interpretations better, honestly, and the movie lets me be right because it is open-ended on many issues.

There is only one awkward scene, and that is largely due to bad CGI (as always!). But it is forgivable. The cinematography in the film is flawless. The music is great. There is even some nice makeup FX work. There are a couple of shockingly violent moments but they feel very appropriate in the context of the film - never forced or exploitative. They are a large part of why I love this movie - it perfectly balances drama and horror.

I dread the American remake because it will undoubtedly neglect all the wonderful aspects of this movie. They cannot legitimately remake a film like this, even if Hollywood had waited 20 years. It is simply a stunning movie that should not be missed.

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