Change Your Image
JoanneDA
Reviews
Threads (1984)
Threads: Distressing, compelling and important
Threads is an incredibly important film. It's a challenge to watch and impossible not to be distressed by, and that is a massive credit to the director, Barry Hines.
Hines is warning us; in the brutality of the filming, the cold, harsh reality of the situation. He is shoving the effects of nuclear war right in our faces. There is no hope in this film, only relentless suffering, misery and depression.
I have just watched this and, no matter how dated the film seems in its visual context, it still leaves a huge impact on me.
We begin in a familiar setting - families, work, life at its most normal. The threat of war, however, is a constant background theme and gradually it becomes a prominent feature. When nuclear disaster strikes, towards the middle of the film, the viewer is subjected to the horrific aftermath of the strike for an unrelenting hour.
What the viewer is left with is full on apocalyptic survival, the continuing after effects of a major horror and the desperation of humanity.
This is dark and compelling viewing. It is probably the most important film I have ever seen because it highlights all that I have and all that, should such a horror ever take place, I would lose. A terrifying thought but a credit to the film. More horrific than any horror film this presents a realistic take on what could happen should nuclear war be thrust upon us.
Exam (2009)
An observation into human behaviour
Exam was a good find. I've watched a string of not-so-good films recently via Netflix and happened to stumble across this one.
This film could have been made as a reaction to the numerous reality shows now out there; in fact, it resembled an extreme version of The Apprentice. The opening shots are nicely done - close ups of individuals getting ready for the 'exam'. The shots are intrusive and intimate but without giving anything away about the characters other than a few obscure physical details.
The film plays out in one room all the way through. Don't let this put you off. The actors and situation their characters find themselves in is the perfect blend for this story. We watch as secrets begin to unfold, personalities threaten to shatter the team structure they build, and things quickly become dark as the candidates become desperate. It very much becomes a personality show - who will crack first under the pressure? Who will resort to extreme measures to ensure they get the job? It is a test of human behaviour in a claustrophobic situation where we witness a turnaround in events once the relationships begin to crack under the pressure.
The audience will find themselves asking the same questions as the candidates throughout the film and wondering how it will finalise.
It is well worth watching if only to find out who ends up with the job and what they go through to get there!
The Perfect Host (2010)
The Perfect Performance
What a gem of a film! I went into this one blind other than reading the short description on Netflix.
Be patient with the beginning - it's a required element to set the scene and introduce us to the character John Taylor who it is intended that we don't want to 'root for'. It's a familiar ploy to ensure we don't connect to his character and instead sympathise with Pierce's character, Warwick, who initially appears to be the unfortunate victim as Taylor convinces him to let him into his home. And how the tables turn! Pierce is utterly brilliant as the disturbed Warwick, and is entirely convincing in his role as a mentally disturbed host. This film holds itself together mostly through his quirky, dark and psychotic performance. From the obsessive compulsiveness and disturbing facial expressions, to the strange walk, he builds the audience into a frenzy of anticipation as the full extent of his odd character becomes clear.
Clayne Crawford is less convincing as Taylor although does shift his character nicely from hard criminal to scared prisoner in a consistent, though expected, way.
The film does tell a story but, for me, that's really a catalyst for the 'performance' film that it actually is. It's ultimately a character study, an insight into psychopathy.
The storyline, therefore, is relatively weak and flawed in places. If you can get past that, and a predictable climax, then I would recommend this film purely on Pierce's performance. Enjoy!
Look (2007)
Look .You Are Being Watched
The concept of 'Look' is an insightful one. It panders to the 'Big Brother is watching you' notion and is filmed entirely through some form of security or CCTV camera where supposedly no action or event goes unnoticed.
The film follows a series of different story lines covering mostly themes of a very disturbing nature
.murder/rape/child abduction etc. These themes, amongst others, interlink many of the characters throughout a picture that is reasonably well-paced and that builds to a shocking climax. The variety of characters and plot lines should keep you reeled in for the film's entirety.
The sometimes grainy, muddy, or black and white filming is what makes the movie work – it appears 'real' and the actors mostly add to this effectively. This effect could be deemed annoying and a little confusing, especially on a first watch, but overall its produced well – the viewer sees as much as they need to see at any given moment. Some nice musical touches are brought into play, mainly to build up the tension in some of the 'darker' scenarios. We're also given some light relief with a little comedy dotted throughout the film, which I felt balanced the atmosphere nicely.
Whether or not this was a budget decision, using unknown actors was a good ploy by the director to instil that sense of regular people doing regular things and having regular jobs. That in itself maintains a sense of realism which draws us into the various situations. Having said that, some of the acting is a little rough around the edges and stereotypical characters are played a little too obviously in some instances. Nonetheless, the plot lines should retain your interest if the acting doesn't.
After watching this for about the fourth time I pondered over what the point of the film was. There's an obvious statement in play here: the camera doesn't lie. Private activities become very public and some wrong-doings are exposed. The fact that not all wrong-doings become exposed may very well be the director advising that we should still be mindful, using our own senses constantly. And what does this film say about the viewer? Does it implement in us that we live in a voyeuristic society? Do we turn away at the 'uncomfortable' scenes depicting sex acts? In most cases, probably not. So, in a sense, the film turns on its head and points the camera right at the viewer.
For me, there was a real sense of being 'in' the movie, mostly because of the filming, and partly because of the element of normality that's brought into it. The regular family with the nanny-cam, the standard petrol station, the school kids' reactions to unexpected situations, the chatter between work colleagues
.all of this and a well written script kept the film very 'real'. Alongside this were the twists and turns that disrupted these 'normal' elements and kept me gripped all the way through. Ultimately, the film is a study on human behaviour and the consequences of their decisions, whether good or bad. Yes, it is pretty extreme in places but that's what makes it all the more watchable. It also makes you think and want to talk about it for a while after the credits have finished rolling and that, for me, is the sign of a decent movie.
La vita è bella (1997)
Life is Beautiful A Moving and Compelling Masterpiece
I first saw this movie as part of an English course at University. We were studying works on the Holocaust and had been given the opportunity to watch Life is Beautiful following a showing of Schindlers List.
I was immediately put off before the showing itself by the fact that I knew it was in Italian and would be subtitled. Paying attention to what was happening on screen whilst trying to read the dialogue was not very appealing! However, I had judged too soon. Instead, I was presented with a tragic comedy that was both hilarious and incredibly moving. I was barely anywhere through the movie when I forgot all about the subtitles and was completely drawn in.
I watched this movie again, much more recently and around 10 years after I'd first seen it, and it was even more amazing the second time around.
In the film we follow the character Guido, played magnificently by the movie's Director Roberto Benigni, through his initial hapless attempts to romance Dora (the scene where he is pretending to be a school inspector is particularly memorable), into their blossoming relationship in which she bears their only child, and then into the dark territory of the horrors that surrounded the Holocaust. In keeping with the comedy theme, in place from the opening scene of the film, we watch the second half of the movie mainly through the father/son relationship of Guido and Giorgio. Aware of the terrors around him and his family Guido turns their hopeless situation into a game. Although this is for the benefit of his son one cannot help but feel that Guido also uses the comedy as a tool to distract his adult self from his terrible situation. Benigni throws himself into his role with such passion that his audience have no choice but to share his tragic journey. His performance is over the top, and rightly so; an understated depiction of such a character would have taken something away from the impact of the film. There are some stand-out scenes which are highly effective in their execution; one of the most memorable is the one where Guido plays Belle Nuit to the entire prison camp knowing that his wife will hear. The scene is both haunting and touching and, as the viewer is shown Dora's face, we are taken on her life journey through her eyes in a few powerful seconds.
To place comedy as a running theme in a film that begins as a love story and stretches into a much darker scenario is a commendable feat. Threaded throughout the film, despite the Holocaust as its subject, are some truly uplifting moments which serve to remind the viewer that it's OK to laugh in the worst of situations.
This film is a moving and compelling masterpiece that not only grips you from the start but stays with you long after the final credits have rolled. Highly recommended.