A Clockwork Orange (1971)

“Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence, and Beethoven.”

The adventures of Alex DeLarge that is.

Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange is the magnificently made dark humor satirical sci-fi film. It centers on so called “ultra-violence” and the government’s controversial method of stopping it in a near-future dystopian England.

The film follows Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, who is a young teenager who loves to wreak havoc upon his city along with his “droogs”. However one night, he is set up, and arrested on murder charges. He is then put under the government’s new program, the Ludovico Technique to “cure” Alex. But, you can’t just cure pure evil.

A Clockwork Orange is a film adaptation of the novella of the same name written by Anthony Burgess. Both contain the same themes of psychology and morality. Alex’s life revolves around violence. He grew up with it and he’ll die with it. Curing his violent behavior was somewhat a success; he would become sick whenever he encounters sex, violence, or music, most particularly Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony. His aversion to violence however is by choice, raising the elements of civil and personal abuse.

This film is purely satire. It raises the awareness of the government’s attempt to put an end to violence. It also hopes to change the mind of the government. This device couldn’t have been done without the amazing direction that Kubrick took. Despite this being based on a novella, it’s an original and visionary film.

I give this film a brilliant 5 out of 5, due in part to Malcolm McDowell’s great portrayal of this perverted sadistic hooligan. It is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.

Catfish (2010)

“Don’t Let Anyone Tell You What It Is”

Because you might not want to watch it at all.

Catfish is the new drama documentary that follows a young man, Yaniv "Nev" Schulman, as he starts an online relationship with a young woman, Megan Faccio, on the social networking site Facebook. The film is an alleged documentary, which has raised some questions on its “reality” between its directors, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.

The film follows New York photographer Nev as he receives a painting on one of his pictures that was displayed on the newspaper. He contacts the artist, 9 year old Abby, and starts chatting with her online from Michigan. He then starts talking to her mother Angela Wesselman, and then meets Abby’s half-sister Megan Faccio. The two fall madly in love. However, Nev and the filmmakers, his brother and his best friend, start discovering some flaws in the Facebook family, which he nicknames Abby’s family. Nev, Ariel, and Henry finally decide to visit Megan in Michigan and are instead met with a bizarre first encounter.

Honestly, I stand by JoBlo.com’s Chris Bumbray’s review about the final forty minutes of this film. It seems a long way to go until the end, but it seriously does indeed shock you to the nth degree. So obviously you know something isn’t right, but you don’t know what. You start to gather information around the 30 minute mark and from there it’s just a downfall that is slowly riding back up.

Catfish does truly define a generation, as did The Social Network, however this film captures the everyday activities of probably a thousand people in the nation. Its supposed true events have actually garnered controversy. Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock of the infamous Super Size Me has called it “the best fake documentary” he has ever seen. It seems that no matter how many times the filmmakers explain it, there are skeptics out there. In my opinion, I think it is true. In a way it is also satirical; it ridicules those who make up other identities on the internet to stop them. Whether or not it’s fake, that does not change the film’s tone and style to literally stop your heart.

Catfish is a truly gritty, awkward, and eventually, a bizarre film. Ultimately I give the film a 4 out of 5 and it is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

“A Love Story in the City of Dreams”

But it’s a strange world.

Mulholland Drive is writer/director David Lynch’s masterpiece. It’s an elaborate tale of finding yourself while creating a puzzle of who you really are. The film follows an amnesiac, played by Laura Elena Harring, who seeks help from an aspiring actress, played by Naomi Watts, to solve the mystery of who she is.

Naomi Watts’ performance is dazzling. Her character Betty is very kind with a bright face and radiating heart. She goes to Hollywood to become an actress while staying at her aunt’s lavish apartment. That’s where she meets Rita. She soon becomes tangled in this Hollywood underworld run by the mob that involves director Adam Kesher. Rita brings danger to their lives, and what the viewer sees isn’t all that what it appears to be.

Mulholland Drive originally started as a television pilot, but was added an ending and turned into a full length feature film. The half-pilot half-feature film resulted in an ambiguous ending, leaving the film’s interpretation open to discuss. The film is dark and creepy and haunts your psyche that makes you think. It leaves a stain on your brain and you’re left trying to clean it off, and then you just give up and leave it there. It’s a real psychological thriller, but unlike any other psychological film out there. It takes on a whole new different style than Rosemary’s Baby or Sisters. Lynch’s camerawork displays weird visuals that explore the characters mentality. One factor contributing to the psychological aspect is the narrative. This narrative is a cryptic narrative. The backstory is limited, and what you do know about the characters is quickly dismissed and new information is given. The narrative plays a huge role in the open ending, and while some call the film “an offense against narrative”, it does tell a pretty comprehensible story.

Mulholland Drive is such a successful film and opens perspectives on beautiful interpretations, themes, and narratives that have left an impact of film. It is David Lynch’s best film yet and I give the film an amazing 5 out of 5 and you can buy it now on DVD.

Black Swan (2010)

“An Inspiring Film from a Nightmare”

Have you ever had a nightmare and it inspires you to write a book, or view different things, or maybe even talk to the girl who you’ve had a crush on all your life? Well Black Swan really does inspire you to do anything. It grabs you at the heart and whispers in your brain. It’s beautifully dark and magnificently told.

Natalie Portman does indeed give an outstanding performance as insecure ballet dancer, Nina Sayers. Nina has been with the ballet company for years and strives to be the dancer her mother, who is very overbearing, never was. She gets that chance when she gets the role of the Swan Queen. The Swan Queen is the main character in Swan Lake, which is about a princess who’s turned into a swan and needs love to break the spell. However, her prince falls for the evil black swan, and the princess kills herself. Portman’s portrayal defines a generation of actresses. Not only was her shyness and character good, but her “metamorphosis” into the black swan is also spectacular. She explores her dark side and inner fears in the form of Lily, the new dancer from San Francisco played by Mila Kunis. It reveals her inner “black swan” and prepares her to get into character.

The film was very trippy. Nina’s own downward spiral of being haunted by Lily paralleled the downward spiral of the white swan in Swan Lake. Now one misconception about this film is that it revolves around lesbianism. It does not. I cannot emphasis this any more than I could. Although there was a lesbian sex scene, that automatically doesn’t make this film a gay film. It’s also not a psycho-sexual film. There have been other psychological thrillers that include lesbian sex scenes, for example, David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive which also, while sensual, was disturbing. The psychological aspect of this film is a plus. It basically revolves around the notion of being haunted by a double, or a doppelganger, which the original script was about. Nina’s being haunted by her double, which in her psychotic mind, is in the form of Lily. Also, while watching the film, you’re not sure if it’s only Nina going crazy, because at times, you get paranoid, and I guarantee you that you will have that sense of being haunted by a double. The psychological element is very much like Roman Polanski’s films Rosemary’s Baby, The Tenant, and Repulsion. My recommendation is to watch this movie under stress, and then at the end, you will feel liberated.

This film is beautiful, haunting, and daring, taking risks and telling a perfect story. It delivers strong performances, great writing, and perfect directing and cinematography. I give the film an outstanding 5 out 5 and it is out now in theatres so go see it!

American Beauty (1999)

“…look closer”

You think your friend’s family is perfect. They spend quality time together, always eat dinner together, say “I love you” over and over again, but deep in their roots, nothing is perfect. In American Beauty, your typical suburban family is observed closely at the root and revealed for what they really are.

In the film, the life of Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, is showed. He deals with his job nonchalantly and his real-estate wife seems to be a little obsessive about making her life the perfect one on the market. They have one daughter, Jane, who is your typical teenager filled with angst. She develops a crush on her stalking marijuana dealer neighbor. The whole film basically covers Lester’s midlife crisis after falling in love with Jane’s friend, Angela.

The title actually refers to a flower that appears beautiful but rots underneath at the root. It’s a metaphor to “look closer” at this family, because although they seem beautiful on the outside, they rot underneath that beauty layer. It’s a satire on the suburban American family and brings alive the problems every American family faces. It spans not just at the dinner table but to work life, friends, even infidelity. However, it takes the satire to the next level, and displays Lester’s imprisonment, even his and Ricky’s – Jane’s love interest – philosophical assumptions about life. Nevertheless, the film’s theme has been argued by critics and is considered to defy any categories.

This film is beautiful, in all aspects of the word. It’s available on DVD and you can go buy it now with a rating of 5 out of 5.