Showing posts with label nicolas winding refn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nicolas winding refn. Show all posts

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Flick (2000)

Film: Flick (2000)
Dir: Fintan Connolly
Rating: *1/2 out of 5 stars



I watched this low-budget Irish drama for one reason only - David Murray. I have had an interest in the man ever since his tiny, tiny role in Batman Begins. He had one line ("Where are you?!") but it was enough to make me and my boyfriend simultaneously go, "Who IS that guy?" He has a star quality about him, I just had to see more. He was originally cast to play Destro in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra but was ultimately demoted to a smaller role. In Flick, however, Murray is the star. But much like G.I. Joe, this movie freaking sucks.

This is just another film about small-time pushers and what happens when a drug deal goes south. Murray's character - known by his friends as "Flick" - is trying unsuccessfully to escape this lifestyle. He trusts stupid people, gets in too deep, and suffers the consequences. Frankly, we've seen it all before. If you want to watch a good film about the seedy underworld of drug dealers, watch Refn's Pusher trilogy.

From the very beginning, Flick's low production value is distracting. It looks like a cheap Spanish soap opera with fuzzy lenses and focus that goes in and out. The directing is obnoxiously amateur. The dialogue is forced and often pointless, and many of the actors are just terrible, especially the actresses (Isabelle Menke and Catherine Punch). The character development is shit. When the two leads jump into bed after a worthless two-minute conversation, I could only scream, "What?!" The result is a forced, premature, and drawn-out sex scene. The eye candy is its only saving grace.

The whole thing is slow, full of pointless melodrama and scenes where characters simply stare at each other. All this accompanied by corny saxaphone music. Murray is the best part of the movie, as he actually delivers a believable performance. This man deserves better. For the love of St. Patrick, somebody discover him!

Monday, June 08, 2009

Bronson

Film: Bronson (2009)
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5 stars


If you don't recognize the name Nicolas Winding Refn, you better sign into Netflix right now and add some of his movies to your queue. Especially the Pusher trilogy. Go ahead, I'll wait.....


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Okay? Good. Refn's latest film Bronson is based on real-life criminal Charles Bronson (born Michael Gordon Peterson), who became known as the "most violent prisoner in Britain." The film is a slightly fictionalized account of his life in and out of the slammer. It is narrated by the titular character, whose sanity is questionable. The result is a brutal but darkly funny prison drama.

Peterson was raised by a respectable family with a pretty normal childhood. He decided at a young age that he needed to make a name for himself, and since he couldn't act or sing, he turned to crime. He became notorious for attacking prison guards and taking hostages, and consequently spending most of his days in solitary confinement. He is passed from prison to asylum to prison again, making him also one of Britain's most expensive inmates - a title he relishes. Even when he is released and takes up a career in bare-knuckle boxing (where he gets the nickname Charles Bronson), he still is drawn back to prison and his violent reputation.

Tom Hardy is a freaking BEAST in this movie. I still can't believe I'm watching the same guy who played Handsome Bob in Rocknrolla. It blows my mind. His transformation is easily as impressive as Eric Bana's in Chopper. And both characters are delightfully crazy, violent, and hysterical. Hardy is perfect in this film, and nobody could have played the role better.

Refn's filmmaking style is engaging as always, with bits of self-referentialism that provide the film with humor and intrigue. The script is great too, broaching the subject of violence being inherent - think A Clockwork Orange. In fact, Bronson has a lot of Kubrick influence, including unique depictions of violence, eccentric characters, and prevalent use of classical music. Charles is as much Alex DeLarge as he is Mark Read.

This is a brilliant little movie that should not be missed. Refn is killing me making me wait for his next entry, Valhalla Rising. If you don't share that sentiment, you are missing out.