Films I've Been Watching This Week...And You Should Too

     If you are in the mood for unsettling dramas and distressing downers, this week you're in luck.


Tyrannosaur

     The amount of anger and violence this cinematic depressant carries with it is quite extraordinary.  With a plethora of violence between men and women, men and other men, men and animals, Tyrannosaur is not for the faint of heart.  Set in the unwelcoming neighborhoods of the projects of Ireland, this film focuses on two main characters who could not be more different - Joseph, an out-of-work widowed drunk who can't even get along with his own pet dog, and Hannah, a deeply religious shopkeeper whose husband viciously abuses her.  How their paths cross is trivial; it is the fact that their paths cross at all that intertwines them both fatally into each others' corroded and distorted lives.  They are both prisoners in different cages - Joseph, a prisoner to poverty, rage, and malicious behavior, and Hannah, a woman not safe even in her own million dollar home.  Attempting to help one another break out of those cages proves only to be disastrous.  Despite the weight this film brings to the audience, it is loaded with incredible writing and even more incredible performances.  Amateur director and writer Paddy Considine has proven his worth and talent with this film festival favorite.  If you are at all curious, take a gander at this film, and let it touch you - even for a few minutes.

Melancholia

       Lars Von Trier continues his controversial film run from Antichrist to Melancholia, a truly melancholy piece, yet a visual feast for the eyes that delves into human fears and courage, the rationality of science and the mythic realm of imagination, and the strained relationships these are all placed into.  Kirsten Dunst very convincingly plays Justine, a mentally ill and depressed woman who struggles to cope on the night of her wedding with a looming planetary disaster ahead.  Justine, as we discover later, is not so much mentally ill and sad as she is aware and awake; she is unable to perceive or buy into illusion.  This is not the case for her sister, Claire, a fully-functioning and capable adult whose husband John (Kiefer Sutherland), a rich astronomer, repeatedly assures her that a newly discovered planet, Melancholia, rightfully named for its blue hue, will not crash into Earth.  But Claire discovers quickly that is not the case.  The pivotal shift of roles in the characters highlights the whole film for me.  Once the patient protector and provider, Claire becomes the distraught and anguished sister in the relationship, whereas Justine must step in as a calm and peaceful presence in the midst of a mysterious phenomenon.  A cross between The Tree of Life and Another Earth, Melancholia is something I enjoyed thoroughly.  It is a movie largely and purposely made for discussion, debate, recollection, and re-watching. 

Infernal  Affairs

     I'm going to come out and say it - Martin Scorsese's The Departed completely, almost scene for scene, ripped off this film.  Yes, it was always stated to be the inspiration for the Academy Award winning crime film, but it's so obvious, there isn't even in shame in it.  I'm not saying The Departed isn't a good film.  On the contrary, it's a fantastic film, and in some ways, better than its original Chinese counterpart.  But it is absolutely not original.  This Chinese crime thriller is a pull-no-punches action drama about a gang mole and an undercover cop that has a solid plot, great acting, and an amazing director and cinematographer heavily involved in Hong Kong filmmaking.  If you liked The Departed, watch this film.  The only thing you'll be disappointed in is how familiar it all seems.


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