mikebo

OK, a bunch of media reviews.

Finished watching the series Wolf’s Rain, which I covered last time. The ending didn’t answer everything, which I prefer. I said most of what I wanted to before. You’ll have to watch it yourself if you wish to know whether the wolves reach Paradise! Worth seeing.

Machine Man

Viewed The Machinist the other day, starring Batman. It didn’t offer much new, and was predictable, but I enjoyed it none the less for Christian Bale’s performance. It’s a psychological thriller about a factory worker who hasn’t slept in a year. His insomnia has caused his health to plummet and he questions his sanity. Following an accident at the factory, he grows paranoid and loses trust in the few people around him. The story arc leads up to The Twist in which he learns the cause for his insomnia and identity crisis. But many will have figured this out early in the film. Other pictures like Memento and Fight Club have covered similar territory and done it better.

So what’s to recommend? The cinematography and industrial setting are nice, and the film has great atmosphere. The score brought to mind Bernard Herrmann’s work for Alfred Hitchcock’s thrillers. Bale’s performance - I don’t think I’ve seen someone go to such lengths for a role before. His transformation to this tragic man who hasn’t slept in a year was very believable; he lost over 60 lbs and dropped to 120. Bale was unrecognizable at times; his emaciated, skeletal frame brought up some unpleasant memories from early in my illness. I dropped 40 lbs in two months to 120 lbs or lower as well and fought with insomnia for many years. I can’t look at pictures of myself from that time without difficulty, and this confirmed that I’m not ready to try again any time soon. I suffered delusions and hallucinations additionally, but fortunately I don’t remember much of that any more. While the plot may have let down, the film was an effective portrayal of a man on his way out and the number of similarities to my own experience was frightening.

Mojo Jojo

Now this next piece I have nothing in common with. Bad Mojo, The Roach Game - An entomologist, Roger Samms, is embezzling money from a research grant and is gathering his things in his apartment before fleeing the country. He opens a locket from his late mother and releases the bad mojo, which turns him into a cockroach. An obvious nod to Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis; the protagonist, Roger Samms is roughly Kafka’s character’s name (Gregor Samsa) spelled backwards. As everyone’s favorite insect, you travel across the apartment building in search of a means to undo your present situation. The puzzles are all a matter of finding your way through obstacles, and evading predators like the building owner’s cat, Kafka. From ThE oNe’s review at Mobygames, “After a while, you become aware of everything you ignore as a person, but is so important to cockroaches. The mop that you place beside your stove, who knew in the world of small creatures, it’s a bridge that allows them to reach heights usually unattainable. The coke you spilt earlier? It’s like a great wall of protection against the roach.” Roger lives in a slum, so the game world is suitably nasty, and filled with trash, decay and things better left unseen. It’s sort of beautiful in a macabre way. The plot is OK, but it’s the simple yet innovative game design that shines. I think I’ll revisit Metamorphosis once I’m done with my current book.

Howard the Duck

Viewed Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator a couple nights ago. A biopic of the eccentric Howard Hughes; the film covers his early years and success in Hollywood and aviation. In his later life, Hughes health deteriorated due to obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the movie presents the early stages of the debilitating disorder. Apparently Hughes did not have the symptoms at the point of his life portrayed, so some liberties have been taken. The Aviator is another in a long line of bio-pictures that seem tailor made to receive an Oscar nomination. They all follow the same cues more or less, and present the headlines of the person’s life rather than really delving into his or her character. This is better than most in that regard, running at nearly 3 hours and limiting itself to a small period of Hughes’ life.

The production design was great. I loved how Scorsese filtered the colors for each year in Hughes life to simulate the film stock of that particular time. Over the course of the movie, you can see how film evolved over the years, and for a film buff like me, that was delightful. It was better than I expected, having been let down by Scorsese’s last two pictures. (Bringing Out the Dead, and Gangs of New York) I enjoyed it, even though I’m tired of these by-the-numbers biopics - which isn’t necessarily this film’s fault. It’s a good depiction of a man slowly deteriorating to madness if nothing else, which is always fascinating to watch (for me.)

Last thing, my tenuous connection to Howard Hughes, if that - Later in his life Hughes would move often, from hotel to hotel, usually until he was asked to leave by the staff. His extreme reclusiveness and bizarre demands were only permitted for so long. In the mid 60s, he rented the top floor of the Desert Inn in Las Vegas. It was notable for having its own 18 hole golf course. When the Inn asked him to leave he began negotiations to buy the resort instead. He ended up buying many buildings in the city, often from the mafia, which could have been the start of LV’s transformation into the curiousity it is today. But I digress, roughly 15 years ago, my family stayed at the Inn while visiting Vegas. I have memories of the casino being very loud visually, and being herded through by women in weird outfits with money belts. We saw Mame performed, but I don’t recall who the showrunner was anymore. The Desert Inn was torn down a few years ago to make way for another mega resort. More spectacle is just what that town needs.

Lots of people with mental problems and identity crises last week. Maybe this coming week will prove more light hearted. A man can dream..