The Machinist (2004)

Starring: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh, John Sharian
Director: Brad Anderson
Country: Various
Genre: Mystery

Twice the Bale performance at half the weight!

Brad Anderson, of cult classic Session 9 fame, crafts this Hitchcockian mystery of an insomniac trying to piece together the puzzle of his faltering life. Sometime between American Psycho and Batman Begins Christian Bale found the time to lose 63 pounds for this harrowing role, and ends up putting in one of his best performances. The film is chock full of the symbolism that mystery buffs drool over, but it’s all built on a very real human drama which is what gives any film longevity. The script, the acting, and the direction all work with such synergy that it’s hard to believe this film hasn’t received more attention than the “Christian Bale skeleton” film. It’s dark and twisted, but always has a sense of fun in its execution.

1001 Movie Club: Seven (1995)

David Fincher was surely shot into prominence right out the gun with his feature directorial debut as the third installment in the ultra successful Alien franchise. Three years later he sealed his fate in the directors hall of fame by not only sidestepping the sophomore slump, but progressing leaps and bounds to experienced veteran status. Fifteen years later, Seven is still pointed to as one of the go-to gritty neo-noir stories for anyone interested in the crime genre.

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Shutter Island (2010)

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley
Director: Martin Scorsese
Country: USA
Genre: Thriller-ish.

At Shutter Island nothing is as it seems.

In his fourth collaboration with DiCaprio, Scorsese has pulled out one of his best performance, and crafted perhaps one of his most interesting films. Sure to infuriate some and delight others, Shutter Island is all about evoking a response out of the audience – participation. It’s a detective story about a detective, but the investigation isn’t the investigation that the detective is investigating. Or is it? It raises a lot of questions, and doesn’t take the audience for granted in finding the answers for themselves. Also, in a departure from his usual visual style, Scorsese has created one of his more luscious looking, albeit foreign feeling, films to date.

The Son (2002)

Starring: Olivier Gourmet, Morgan Marinne, Isabella Soupart
Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Country: France
Genre: Foreign, Drama

Mesmerizing.

From the first frame of this film straight through to its last, it is nearly impossible to take your eyes away from this fascinating hyper-realistic drama. The performances are so matter-of-fact that it recalls the days of Italian Neorealism  in casting non-actors to portray the afflicted protagonists. The Son is a tale of obsession, a tale of revenge, but above all a tale of unexpected choices. The suspense created in this film is unlike any I’ve ever experienced, completely unaware of what feelings should be coming to the surface. Most of the time a bubbling nervousness is abound, but it’s careful never to push into completely uncomfortable territory. The end product is a completely satisfying and unconventional. I don’t imagine this film is for anyone, but it might interest those who take a liking to the proletariat trend in modern American independent films.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Starring: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, David Strathairn
Director: Paul Greengrass
Country: USA
Genre: Action

Ultimatum (noun) – a final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations.

What’s surprising about the third film in the franchise is its timeline. It overlaps quite a bit with The Bourne Supremacy, though watching the previous film in the series you’d never know it. It takes a bit to catch up, but luckily Ultimatum doesn’t play to the lowest common denominator. It’s jam packed with the stuff we’ve come to love from Bourne, fist fights (he punches a book into someone’s face!), car chases (even one on a motorcycle!), and good ol’ fashion treason. Strathairn brings a wonderful intensity to the mix, while Allen becomes a very appealing ally. It’s an incredibly thrilling film, certainly equal to its predecessors. The scene at Waterloo Station with Paddy Considine = pure adrenaline. And when all is said and done, the film leaves open the possibility of another sequel, but doesn’t fail to give closure to the trilogy.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Starring: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swindon
Director: Tony Gilroy
Country: USA
Genre: Thriller

This film excels in every aspect of filmmaking.

Legal thrillers aren’t necessarily a genre that include movies one would want to watch over and over again, at least not normally. Michael Clayton is an exception to that rule as Tony Gilroy has crafted one of the most brilliant thrillers in the last decade. It’s really anything new, however every.single.aspect of the film is the best it could possibly be. From the outstanding performances by Clooney, Swindon, and particularly Wilkinson, to the highly intelligent, but never condescending script, to the precise direction, everything works together so well to tell this story of corporate corruption and how different people deal with ‘right’ and ‘wrong’.

Volver (2006)

Starring: Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Country: Spain
Genre: Foreign, Drama

To say Volver is good is like saying Americans kind of like pizza.

Volver evokes one of Hitchcock’s least seen films, The Trouble With Harry in both its subject matter and its tone, tiptoeing on dark humor, suspense, and human drama. In its first half, each plot point is revealed in a Hitchcockian manner, but in its second act it deviates from this form and very much matures into its own entity. To summarize Volver would never do it justice as its complexity is a huge part of its intrigue. Almodóvar brings another stupendous performance out of Cruz playing a mother trying to protect the innocence of her daughter, and a daughter trying to come to terms with her own troubled upbringing. The most surprising thing about Volver is the classical style in which the story is told, making it feel like it would fit in with classic American dramas of the 40s and 50s, if it weren’t for the exciting and vivid colors of the cinematography.