Delila's Reviews

Slimmer of the year? Sorry.

I didn't find much in The Machinist worthy of such praise, I'm afraid. It's well shot and Bale's performance is strong but nothing grabbed me and said "That's clever" or "That's original".

Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind though as I double rented this with Kinsey (which I watched first). The dvd I rented had no extras either, sometimes a commentary track (like you had) is useful.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Nice review, Sammy. I've been looking at this one in the rental store a few times wondering what kind of film it might be and if it would be worth the money. Maybe I'll give it a go...

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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

I double rented The Machinist with 21 Grams, which I watched first, and which handles many of the same issues. Anderson's offering does so with a MUCH clearer point, IMO, and more emotional impact because it isn't so busy trying to keep the viewer confused all the damn time.



Pidzilla~ I'm considering buying a copy, and my DVD collection is still under 20 titles I think. I'm trying to wait til the price comes down a little, but amazon is calling my name.

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Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

hmmmm I wasn't overly keen on 21 Grams either. Out of the two I'd prefer Anderson's movie though.

I'd much prefer 21 Grams meself. Different tastes I suppose - but interested to see what issues you thought were the same Sam cos I wouldn't have thought of those two films in the same breath?

Similarities between them would be:
Telling the story in non-sequential bits and pieces
Sustaining a dreamlike sense of confusion
Similar palette and graininess of the film
Similar emotional tone
plotwise:

I probably wouldn't have noticed how similar they are, had I not watched one right after the other. They are more dissimilar than similar, but yeah I think they have some important common ground.

Thanks for the review Sammi

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Buddha

Brad Anderson is a pretty cool director. This makes two of his films I've seen (and an ep of The Wire that blew my mind) and really enjoyed, though The Machinist is much more cohesive and satisfying.

Session 9 is also a psychological thriller. It's the creepy tale of a haz-mat team who accept the challenge of de-toxifying an insane asylum that has been abandoned lo' these 15 years. The setting is awesome and offers opportunities for really creepy sub-plot points and some good scares. Unfortunately, the plot is a bit choppy (no pun intended) and the main subplot adds to the build of tension but doesn't significantly associate with anything else, otherwise. In fact, there are several red herrings here and none of them offers more than a brief distraction from a fairly thin plot.

The other elements, however, combine to make this a fun film to watch. The score is very effective. The photography has that bump in contrast that appears to be common in Anderson's work, and that promises that whatever grisly fate comes our way, we'll see it in stark detail. This ups the ante nicely for the viewer. Acting is fairly good across the board, despite the presence of David Caruso. And the ending will pin you to your seat, if not shock you.

It's not a brilliant film, and it could have been better with a few changes. These characters, despite a wicked deadline, spend a lot of time hanging around, but they never crack any jokes. I am still wondering . : \ If you're looking for a creepy thriller though, Session 9 delivers. 3/5

Excellent review. I LIKE YO' STYLE LADY!

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Tanks, meng!
Back atcha.

Thanks Sammi, I do like a creepy thriller

The only thing that took me out of the atmosphere in this film, is the fact they decided to shoot it on digital, it looked to crisp in picture quality for those creepy thrillers. It needed a more grainy film style to get more chills into you, although I did enjoy this great film.

Great review!

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Thanks for reading, TUS.
lol Nebbs, you have the ultimate emoticon collection.

Have seen it around, but never really thought about renting it. Now that you've recommended it, I'll check it out, also noticed Peter Mullan is in it, got to support my fellow Scots!!!
Have you seen " My Little Eye "?
A creepy little thriller shot on digital, it revolves around a reality tv show, but I'm not saying any more! Might do a review on my thread sometime soon.
Will let you know my thoughts, once I've seen it, cheers C.

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Toga, toga, toga......


Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbour?

I hadn't heard of it, but I have a friend who works in reality tv. I'll have to watch it, recommend it to her and sit back and watch the mayhem. heh heh heh...

Great reviews Sammy D... thanks...

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Thanks, Caity.
Like the new av, btw.

When it works, it really works, and the rest of the time, it's crap. Dark Blue is a good cop/bad cop story set in LA in the days leading up to the Rodney King verdict. The racial issues are mostly set-dressing for a really standard story of a police officer who has to make the choice between respecting the law and "getting the job done'. LA Confidential presents this conflict more clearly and with prettier peripherals.

Part of the problem here is that the story has one strong character and the cast seems to have one strong actor. Kurt Russell turns in a solid performance as the cop who's taken the darker path, but wants to come clean in the end. He tackles this conflict well, but outside of this, his character is one-dimensional and so is everybody else. The one exception to this is an actor who gets about 5 minutes total screen time, played by a person who calls himself "Kurupt". In real life. (aka "Young Gotti") Here's hoping he gets a real name, because the guy has potential.

The main value of this film for a viewer is as a mark to shoot above. It's interesting enough to hold you, but doesn't deliver much for your time. 2/5

Haven't seen (or even heard) of this one Cinders, though Brendan Gleeson's in it so I might give it a spin.

Top work as per usual.

She is something...

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