The Killer Inside Me
Casey Affleck plays Lou Ford, a deputy sheriff in a small West Texas town, whose latent sexual aggression and violence is awakened by a masochistic prostitute (Joyce, played by Jessica Alba). This awakening leads to Ford committing several murders, and to his eventual doom.
The first thing I heard about this film, which premiered in Sundance, is that it is an “example of Hollywood’s pornographic glorification of of violence against women“. I have to say that I had to look elsewhere while Lou Ford pummeled Joyce to death onscreen, but the violence portrayed in The Killer Inside Me, in my opinion, pales in comparison to the acts shown in Irreversible, or Oldboy. Sometimes story necessitates an unflinching look at murder, and I get it.
Nope, the violence is not my problem. The story is my problem. This I think is the reason why viewers zoomed in on the violence, because coming from such a flimsy narrative, it feels forced, out of place.
Affleck gives such a wonderful performance as a baby-faced sociopath, so it’s a shame that the film didn’t give us much of a back story. There is subtlety, and there is not-enough-damn-information. The film, of course, is based on a novel by Jim Thompson. In an interview, Affleck said playing the character broke his heart, but he was talking about the character as portrayed in the book. In the film, Lou Ford is a fascinating character, but he did not break my heart, the way Robert Ford (in Jesse James) broke my heart. I did not root for him, or wish him dead. I didn’t really care, which is the worst you can feel for a character in any medium.
– E
More on ‘The Avengers’
Man, do I love me some Avengers. By some twist of fate we got to see it twice, and we got our money’s worth both times. The second viewing felt just like the first, really—the jokes were still fresh, the twists were still meaningful, the action was still exciting.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. So let me break it down a little bit.
Some Notes on The Avengers
This won’t really be a review. I don’t think this will be coherent – the way most fans are hardly coherent.
But briefly: I loved it to bits. Joss Whedon wrote and directed the film, and his characters’ comedic timing is pitch perfect. Sure you can clearly tell which of the lines are Joss’d-up and which are comic book motherhood statements (there was, in fact, a Thor and Loki exchange that consisted mostly of motherhood statements), but Whedon is able to strike a balance between silly and serious. As we stepped out of the cinema, most of the things we remember are: “He’s adopted”/”His first name is Agent”/”I’m listening”/”So that’s what it does” and all the other quips that just made us laugh.
Tom Hiddleston (Loki) shone in Thor, but here he was just the maniacal villain. Who I think shone in this film were Chris Evans (Captain America) with his crotchety old man quips and eternally frustrated facial expression, and Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), who surprisingly did not make me pine for Edward Norton (and I love Edward Norton). It also helped that Joss Whedon made Hulk scary again. Hallelujah! Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man) is hilarious here, but that’s a given.
This is one of the few action films with fight scenes that are actually engaging instead of serving as screen fodder. It’s two and half hours long, but I did not feel impatient or distracted at all. To quote J: “I just wanted it to keep going.” And to quote J again: “If I saw this when I was in grade school I would have jizzed in my pants.”
A couple thousand boys jizzed in their pants when this picture was taken.
– E
And because this is totally relevant:
If Hunger Games Was 10 Times Shorter And 100 Percent Honest
Excerpt
EXT. NORTH CAROLINA FUTURISTIC WOODS OF DOOM
JENNIFER and JOSH wait in TUBES to be brought into the BATTLEFIELD. As they stand, completely still and tense with trepidation, the CAMERAMAN starts practicing his DANCE MOVES.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
Um, nothing’s even happening right now, why is the camera going apeshit? If we start out like this, we won’t have anywhere to go when it’s time for the actual hyperkinetic action …
THE FAMINE SHOW starts and KIDS begin KILLING THE FUCKING SHIT out of each other as the CAMERAMAN tries to set a world record for CONSECUTIVE SOMERSAULTS.
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
Oh.
JOSH HUTCHERSON
Just make sure we don’t show any of the deaths. The exact same teenage girls who apparently love to read about horrific violence couldn’t possibly stand to actually watch it!
Yep. Read more.
The Hunger Games: A Film Review From Someone Who Has NOT Yet Read The Trilogy
I feel like I’m going to have a tough time describing my takeaway. On the one hand, I loved certain aspects of the cinematography and casting. I thought Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), and Effie (Elizabeth Banks) were brilliant, and I felt those roles were spot-on. I also gained a newfound respect for the source material; initially I was pretty dismissive of Hunger Games as a Battle Royale rip-off, but after seeing the movie, I see that the book does stand on its own, crafting a lore that really seems rather interesting. In fact, seeing the movie actually made me want to read the book, which is something I would not have otherwise done of my own free will.
But I feel a movie has some serious issues when someone who knows nothing about the book (i.e. myself) already assumes that the books are better. I got that feel throughout the movie, because certain parts seemed a little bit rushed. For example, if you asked me what I know about the makeup of the Hunger Games world (it’s Panem, actually; see, I didn’t even know, and Google had to help me out), all I could say was that District 11 has plantations, and District 12 is Harlan, Kentucky. And that’s it. I concede that this may be a matter of preference, as when I am exposed to a fictional universe I like to be immersed in it to some extent. Obviously I don’t want a massive infodump five minutes into the movie, but I like to be shown enough to get a handle on the flavour of the universe that the characters inhabit. Sadly, I didn’t get enough of that. If anything it felt like the creators assumed everyone who came in to watch the movie would have read the book first, and I can definitively say that that is not the case (if you ask me, I’d guess there’s about three-to-one odds that a random moviegoer didn’t read the book before seeing the movie).
Oh, and a quick aside, while we’re on the topic: when we watched the movie, some people brought little kids to the cinema, probably around 8-10 years old or so. Of course, anyone with even a passing familiarity with the books would have kept the kids at home, or seen something else. I know some people will probably say the books and the film weren’t disturbing at all, and if you’re one of these people, let me be the first to congratulate you on being an internet tough guy. Here is your certificate of badassery, as well as your complimentary internets.
To everyone else… guys, seriously, I know I don’t need to point out that this is a bad idea. If you know nothing about a movie, and plan to take children with you, maybe fulfill some minimum level of responsibility and google/wiki/imdb that bad boy. I know, I know—spoilers, right? Well, if that’s a real problem for you, just browse the synopsis real quick and maybe ask around just to make sure that there’s nothing in the movie that could potentially scar a person for life. And maybe also take some time to re-evaluate your priorities, bro.
But moving on, the lack of exposition regarding the universe is really just a consequence of the film’s pacing and focus, both of which I found problematic. I felt as though a lot of the world was glossed over so that more focus could be put on the teen duo. I realize that the source material is YA, and that the movie needs to appeal to its core demographic, and I know that I need to accept that when I go to see this movie. I’m fine with all that, but I feel that due to the way the movie chose to allocate its focus, a lot of the urgency was dampened somewhat. It’s like I was being told that this is the Hunger Games, and it’s pretty horrible, but never mind that, because these two teens have a can-do attitude and will fight for their beliefs and each other! Love will conquer all!
"And it will conquer all in style!"
It’s just disappointing because, really, I understand what they’re attempting to show us. The teen romance that blooms between the two District 12ers is one born out of fear, paranoia, and necessity. It is the comfort that comes with the one desperate hope that you know you can hold onto in an otherwise utterly hopeless situation. It would be so much easier to see that with proper pacing, but alas, this particular movie did not make the best use of its time, and on the whole it just felt rather hurried.
So in the end I have mixed feelings about the movie. I went into it with no expectation whatsoever, but I was pleasantly surprised by the strength of the material. There were some very likeable characters (although I feel strangely sympathetic towards the citizens of the Capitol, for some reason) and the cast’s overall chemistry was good, the look and feel of the movie was great, and I found the story to be engaging and interesting enough to be watchable. However, I feel the movie really suffered from problems in pacing and in the adaptation itself.
To put it simply, the movie felt fast-paced, but at the same time I feel as though there was not enough content. That’s quite the accomplishment really, if a dubious one.
– J
The Hunger Games: A Film Review From Someone Who Has Read The Trilogy
I have read the trilogy before (please don’t read the last two links if you haven’t read the books), so to refresh your memory about the first installment:
Katniss Everdeen lives in poverty in District 12 in the country of Panem, which was once North America. During a dark era in Panem’s history, all thirteen districts rebelled against the Capitol, Panem’s seat of power. District 13 was obliterated, and the 12 other districts were subdued. To remind the districts of the Capitol’s might, the Hunger Games is conducted every year. Every year, two tributes from each district – a boy and a girl – is sent to an undisclosed area to fight to the death.
That year, Katniss’s young sister’s name is called, and she steps forward to take her place. Thrown into the arena with her is Peeta, a baker’s boy, who has once done her a kindness.
Would it be strange if I told you that I wished the film was longer? This film adaptation was able to give us a complete sense of the weariness and poverty in District 12 and the grandeur and greed of the Capitol without being too heavy-handed in the dialogues, but failed to make us care for the supporting characters in the bloody competition. Plus points for the shaky camera work, the close-ups, and the haunting hum of the soundtrack (the camera following the doomed children, the focus on Katniss as she scrubs herself for the Reaping, the silence as Effie Trinket unfolds a paper with a crisp and final note – all beautiful and perfect); minus points for not even introducing us to the other contestants. I couldn’t even remember their names. They might as well not have names. “I will get you Person Number One! Bob something-or-other!”
I understand that this is an introductory story, but one scene where they could have done this in an economical manner was during the Tribute Parade. I plant a palm on my face for this missed opportunity. Introduce the tributes per District, talk a little about the Tributes and what they are wearing and what the costumes mean, and move on to the next. End scene! Was that so hard? It will take up time and perhaps cost more money (but then the costumes are already there, why not focus the cameras on them a bit?) but it will make us care. When a cannon booms through the speakers it will make us sit up and wonder who has died this time, instead of just leaving us fidgeting impatiently on our seats.
A few more quibbles: Fire is an important element in the Games (Katniss’s costume and gown, the sudden wildfire) but their CG fire just doesn’t dazzle. That costume and that gown are supposed to be spectacular, but the audience (and I) didn’t even go “oh”.
But the bright spot in this adaptation is the amazing casting and costume design. Yes to Jennifer Lawrence (watch her in Winter’s Bone), Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, and my personal favorite, Elizabeth Banks. Her Effie Trinket – look, voice, the entire package – just blew me away. Perfection!
My queen. My crazy, greedy queen.
– E
Up next, J’s take, “A Film Review From Someone Who Has NOT Yet Read The Trilogy”
Online Finds
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Where do airplanes dump their waste?
Average user spent only 3 mins last month on Google +
Benedict Cumberbatch strikes up a ‘very close’ friendship with Lydia Hearst, daughter of notorious kidnap victim and bank robber Patty Hearst (Patty Hearst was my introduction to Stockholm syndrome. How curious.)
Stills from the Hunger Games movie companion
And it appears they’re still casting for the ‘Oldboy’ remake (Just. Stop. It won’t work.)
Full list of bar exam passers (J and I are both from UP; sad that no one from the university landed in the top 10.)
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