Exam--Netflix Instant

Movie v. Film: Movie

Oscar Worthy: No

Gets the Job Done: Absolutely

My absolute favorite genre of film is the Psychological Thriller.  Do you remember when you first saw the Sixth Sense?  Do you remember when you first learned that Edward Norton actually WAS Brad Pitt?  Do you remember when you watched at the edge of your seat wondering if the top was indeed going to fall?  I do.  I remember each of these masterful moments with perfect clarity (which really says something, considering I can't even recall how 15 dollars got into my wallet).  Whether through the eyes of a young boy who can see dead people, a crazy Tyler Durden that likes to punch himself to the illustrious sound of anarchy, or a flawed man that traverses people's dreams in an effort to escape from a long-forgotten memory, psycho-thrillers are the ultimate mind-f***.

Enter: Exam.  The premise is simple enough: 8 (well... 7 really) Candidates that were supposedly chosen to advance into the next level of a hiring process through an eerily-crafted exam, which is monitored by a mysterious and absolute Invigilator.  This exam consists of a single question, and 80 minutes to craft a correct answer.  The only problem(s) is that the question which the characters are attempting to answer is nowhere to be found, each of the candidate's pieces of paper are blank, save for each person's respective number (i.e. Candidate 5's paper would only say "Candidate 5"), and they are not permitted to "soil" their answer sheets.  All applicants are placed together in the same room, the clock is set, and shenanigans ensue.

I won't discuss any spoiler-ish details because of the "twist" at the conclusion of the film, but I WILL talk about the journey that leads the audience there.  The 7 main characters or "candidates" are all from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds and are all complete strangers.  Names are given to each character by the early leader of the group (White) based upon his stereotypical and racist views (the black man is named Black, the Indian man is called Brown, the blondie: Blonde, the brunette: Brunette, the second brunette: Dark, and the french man: Deaf).  The first third of the movie consists of the Candidates' attempts to expose the question that they are trying to answer, whilst simultaneously being "disqualified" through the deception of their peers or their own stupidity.  But the pacing of Exam slowly begins to shift as the characters start to reveal the nature of the world that they live in, a world that has been devastated by a mysterious affliction of epic proportion.  This revelation brings new meaning to the position that the candidates are applying for, and why such drastic measures are being taken to secure said position.

Each character possesses an intriguing back story that is not revealed through conventional methods like a flashback, but rather through dialogue and truths that are explored while trying to find the ever-elusive question.  The balance of the characters is also dealt with very well.  For example: the group learns a secret about the overbearing and overpowering White that eventually leads to his silence, and allows other characters to step up and become more important.  This balance contributes to the diverse qualities of the characters and allows the audience to focus on each candidate separately instead of being forced to side with any single protagonist.

The climax of the film feels appropriate, with a clear victor and loser. The twist at the end was good enough to provoke thought, but not as epic as the director (Stuart Hazeldine) believed.  However, one more important thing worth mentioning is that the entire movie takes place within a single room, yet I never got bored.  Exam was scripted and filmed in an exciting manner that left me yearning for more, despite the average run time (1hr 25 minutes).  So if you’re stuck inside for an hour and a half and you would rather watch a movie than throw rotten eggs at your neighbors (among other things), I sincerely suggest that you check out Exam.  Let the test begin.

Happy Viewing.

The Machinist--Netflix

Movie v. Film: Film
Oscar Worthy: Yes.
Gets the job done: Partially.

Oh Christian Bale, how you scare me so... (in a good way).  The first thing worth mentioning about The Machinist is that the man in this film is not your average every-day Bruce Wayne.  Bale's unbelievable ability to "become" the character is clearly evident in this smart rendition of the typical psycho-thriller movie.  C.B.'s apparent transformation into the body of Trevor Reznik is a remarkable one, albeit very worrisome.  At several points throughout the movie, Reznik is scene (get it? scene?) weighing himself; the results of which decrease by three at each iteration with the smallest weight being 119 lbs.  Now, you might say "The Dark Knight?  Only weighing 119 pounds?  Bull shi*."  But I guarantee you, by the end of even the very first scene, you'll be saying: "Oooooh.  Yeah... 119 sounds right."  The sight of such a skinny character actually scared me more than some of the scariest parts of the movie; I cringed every time he fell down because I thought he was going to break in half.

But [most] skinny jokes aside, The Machinist was an incredible way to waste a few hours.  Clocking in at a little over an hour and a half of screen time (1:41:47 including credits and opening studio sequences), the film was easy to sit through and told exactly the right amount of story for the time allotted. The haunting performances by an already discussed (but still emaciated) Bale and crew were spot on.  Well... for the most part.  The carnival scene when Bale interacts with his date's child Nicholas seemed very forced.  I couldn't decided whether it was the script or the actors, but the dialogue seemed disingenuous.

The symbolism and cinematography were incredible enough to be characters of their own.  Director Brad Anderson's decision to film in an almost black-and-white fashion was superb.  The haunting shades within The Machinist allowed just enough color to seep through without being completely void of all color, and sharper tones like red allowed clever juxtaposition against a primarily grey palette.  The interesting color choice definitely reflected the chilling tone of the film, and also reminded me of the first season of the TV show House; also filmed in this near-colorless manner.  There were also some allusions to hell, primarily within the haunted house sequence of "Route 666." (The name alone should speak for the scene itself).

The plot of The Machinist was not entirely original, but fresh enough to keep me interested.  The opening sequence was basically the closing scene, as we see a fatigued and beat-up (and STILL skinny) Bale dumping a body into some sort of body of water.  With this Memento-esque opening, the main question on my mind throughout the first third of The Machinist was who the body belonged to.  Yet as mysterious things begin to happen to Bale's character (aptly named Reznik, (Butcher in Russian)) larger questions began to form.  I won't give away all the plot details for fear of offending someone who hasn't seen the movie yet, but I will say that Bale eventually learns the way of redemption and the closing scene of The Machinist is of rainbows, butterflies and robot unicorns.  (Oh yeah, spoiler alert).

Happy Viewing.

First Post Ever!

So for everyone who was actually bored enough to check my blog out, this is what's goin down.  Every so-often I come across a movie, or film, or "cinematic experience" (as I like to call them) and I leave the movie theater, chair, couch and/or computer screen and just want to tell the whole world my opinions.  So instead of spamming your news feeds with my (always) witty and clever closing comments, I decided to create a blog for the beginning and middle comments too.  This blog will primarily play host to movie reviews and shenanigans, be it from/on Netflix, Bluray, DVD or the actual movie theater.  Also, since I am heading to college next year and very likely to run into some non-movie related shenanigans, those deemed appropriate by myself and the ever-wise council of elders that I regularly consult with will be posted here as well.  So please feel free to subscribe and comment (NO. TROLLING.) and maybe even enjoy your time here, because I sure will.


Happy Viewing.