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Reviews
Monster (2003)
Theron delivers a powerhouse performance
Charlize Theron gives a powerful performance as Aileen Wournos a prostitute turned serial killer, who falls in love with Selby, played by Christina Ricci. Charlene brilliantly brings out Aileen's almost bi-polar like conflicted personality. Patty Jenkins does a great job in having Theron wear no makeup and eliciting the raw emotion from Theron in her portrayal of Wournos. Wournos' outbursts in the film are at a pure manic level. It is hard not to sympathize with Wournos who is so conflicted in killing most of her victims (except the first, where it is more self-defense). Wournos desperately wants to be a good person, and when she meets Selby, she finally believes she can make it happen despite her troubled past. Both Wournos and Selby are so eager to be loved that their dependence on each other ends up being almost toxic. As the relationship becomes more toxic Wournos is led to commit more murders to keep her relationship with Selby going.
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Chilling and Memorable
The chilling and memorable opening scene of Animal Kingdom effectively sets the stage for the drama to follow. After his mother dies of a heroin overdose, seventeen-year-old Joshua (James Frencheville) is forced to live with his extended family, including his manipulative grandmother (Jacki Weaver) and his uncles, all of whom are involved in organized crime. Ben Mendelson is riveting as Pope, the dangerous leader of the gang who'll stop at nothing to protect his own interests and freedom. It's a highly stylized crime film, effective on every level, laden with standout performances and countless memorable scenes, clearly one of the most outstanding crime thrillers in recent memory.
Buried (2010)
Great performance from Reynolds
With one of Ryan Reynolds' best performances and great direction that manages to keep a claustrophobic film interesting whilst also offering a fair bit of social commentary, Buried is a one-man show thriller that also turns out to be one hell of a tragedy. Perfect for anybody with a "true art is angsty" mindset. Buried squeezes the absolute most out of a movie shot entirely within a small wooden box. I'm not sure if there have been movies like this released before Buried, but both Locke (2013) and The Guilty (2021) emulate the one man show talking on the phone formula quite well and I think it's a proven winner given the choice of a strong lead. Reynolds shows he hangs with the best of them and is thrilling to watch in a movie that very easily could've worn out its welcome. The dark ending is a breath of fresh air for a thriller like this too as they're generally reserved for horror. Good movie.
Salinui chueok (2003)
Fantastically done
Skillfully blending multiple genres, this is a typically engaging and hard-to-forget film from Bong Joon Ho. As much about the fissures in society as it is about crime, not to mention the perceptions we have of ourselves and each other, the depiction of a chaotic and desperate hunt for a serial killer is gripping, laced with comedy and deeply insightful. The artfulness of the film is subtle and almost hypnotic; the brilliant score works with the saturated colour of the bulk of the film to create a strange, unsettling and beautiful effect. Undoubtedly up there with the director's best work, this will worm under your skin and nag at your consciousness long after watching. Memories of Murder is a fantastic detective movie, made by Bong Joon Ho and his team. The movie follows a series of murders, which all look like the action of one man, however it is not a 100% clear who did it and why he did it. The movie has some gorgeous cinematography, that reminded me a lot of David Fincher his work, especially Zodiac of course. While I like a movie as Zodiac a bit more then Memories of Murder, there is no doubting that this movie is fantastic. The performances of everybody are really great, however the atmosphere of the film, is what worked the best for me personally. The movie starts a bit slow for me personally, but when you get in the 2nd and especially 3rd act, the movie shines. The ending of Memories of Murder was fantastically done, which as well reminded me a lot of Fincher his work, with this case being Se7en. Overall a movie really worth your time, especially if you are a fan of the detective genre!
Gomorra (2008)
Modern Crime Drama done right.
There have been surprisingly few serious, modern crime dramas that have opted for a realistic approach to their subject; virtually everything produced in the United States in that vein has a thick shellac of Hollywood glamorization added to it, born out of a trend by audiences to romanticize virtually every villain they come across. In Gomorrah, there is none of that - it's a story about brutality and business in a community where organized crime seems to have infected every surface. Members of the Camorra organization are shown to eat themselves and others in the course of a consistent profit, perhaps wearing a slightly more caring face at times but always wielding a gun in a hand held behind the back. Though the film's structure may be something of a slight detractor - broken down into five stories that have varied levels of success at establishing their characters and the ways that they are impacted by the Camorra - the film is stylized in a gritty way that conveys the ugliness and commonplace nature of the violence on which the local economy is run. Even though the trajectory of certain characters is clear, the action still often comes as a surprise, interrupting the flow of conversation or daily tasks. An interesting take on the crime genre with a modern setting that doesn't shy away from a bit of moral complexity while reaffirming that many of the characters involved are far from anguished about their actions.
Oldeuboi (2003)
Deceptively gripping, hypnotic ride
Deceptively gripping, we're taken on a hypnotic ride down a slow-burn revenge opus. The payoff is thunderous, with a conclusion that could only be described as a visceral Shakespearean flourish. The final 20 minutes devastates like a sledgehammer, and its morbidity will forever be imprinted in my mind. The aggravating plot might not be for everyone, but for those who can stomach its psychological brutality, Oldboy will prove to be a masterpiece like no other. Never have I been so conflicted as to whether or not to recommend a film! A poetic soundtrack and compelling performances complements this jaw-dropper of a Korean neo-noir drama perfectly. If you have yet to see this one, you miss. In my opinion, the greatest Korean film of all time, and an amazing parable on revenge. What a story, what a screenplay, what a protagonist... Excellent performances only seem to aid the plot of a person who is imprisoned for 15 years for no reason, and who attempts to find out who is responsible for this. Great direction and excellent, hard edged visuals. The action is beautifully orchestrated and choreographed, and I still firmly believe that the corridor fight scene is one of the best film sequences ever. The villain is bizarrely engaging, and I can't seem to either hate or love him, particularly because of his ambiguity, immorality, charm and troubled past. The ending shocked me, to say the least, and the twist was unprecedented and impossible to predict. I'm also adding some unsettling, symbolic imagery in this one that is merely transcended by lovely cinematography. Though some parts of the film might drag a bit, it doesn't make the experience any less amazing than it already is. I definitely recommend this one.
Un prophète (2009)
Incredible film
Tahar Rahim makes an impressive debut in A Prophet as Malik, a young Muslim man sentenced to a six-year term in a French prison, where he is quickly coerced into falling under the protection of Cesar (Niels Arestrup), a Corsican mob boss who controls the prison population. It is a bleak and powerful film about power structures and the shifting dynamics within the closed society of criminals. Granted, mid-way through, the plot feels as though it begins to spin out of control and becomes a bit muddled, but maybe that's the point - in a world without rule, there is no way to establish any kind of reasonable structure. Regardless, the handheld camerawork gives it a gritty, realistic feel, the Alexandre Desplat score creates an excellent atmosphere, and the performance of Arestrup is chilling. It makes for a dense experience. My love for Audiard deepens with A Prophet, a subtly subversive gangster flick and character study. We witness the intricacies of criminal networks and the people swallowed up or thrashing for survival in this morally bereft system. It's comprised of story beats we've seen before, but in a more detailed, less melodramatic fashion. The prison setting is not a hindrance but a claustrophobic lair where degenerates operate "within the law."
Earners (2020)
"Hilariously Refreshing"
It may not be for everyone but I found this to be one of the funniest and most refreshing comedies I've seen come out of this country in quite a while.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)
All time favourite
It just gets better and better. I've heard multiple comments from who don't get it, critiquing the shouting and poor morals of the characters but once you sit through a couple episodes and familiarize yourself with characters and styles it's hard to argue with the consistent praise it gets for being one of the greatest shows of our time.