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Wrecked (2010)
Wrecked (2010)
Wrecked is a low budget independent film that may have exceeded expectations if given the proper opportunity.
Before watching this movie, I knew nothing about it except for the fact that Adrien Brody was the main character. I have been a big fan of Brody ever since I saw the film The Pianist (2002). He acted his heart out in that movie and I quickly came to find out that he usually does in all of his films. It’s no wonder that he received an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Pianist.
Wrecked is about a man (Adrien Brody) who awakes to find himself badly injured in a mangled car wreck in the middle of a densely wooded area at the base of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. He has no memory of how he got there, who he is, or who the dead passengers nearby are. He is stuck inside of the car and is forced to try to survive as he contemplates his past and how he got into his current situation.
The film was directed by Michael Greenspan and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Caroline Dhavernas, Ryan Robbins, Adrian G. Griffiths, Adrian Holmes, and Jacob Blair.
I listed the rest of the noteworthy cast, but in reality Wrecked is a one-man show. The vast majority of the movie is Adrien Brody acting alone. The movie has some similarities to 127 Hours (2010), All is Lost (2013), The Edge (1997) and Unknown (2006).
It takes a highly talented actor to make a film like this watchable, let alone entertaining. Brody was up for the challenge and he was a superb choice for this role. The pain that his character felt in in the movie appeared genuine in every way. You feel for his character as if the events that are happening to him on screen are actually happening.
The film is pretty gruesome and intense. There is a bit of language throughout, but it all serves to make the story more realistic.
Unfortunately, I think that this movie is underrated and under watched. It didn’t get the chance that it deserved in theatres.
The movie grabs on to you in the very beginning and keeps you guessing what will happen next. It is slow at times, but that is to be expected when there is basically only one person in the film. The suspense holds your attention throughout as Adrien Brody’s character is injured in the wild and facing what the wilderness has in store for him.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you liked Wrecked, then you will probably enjoy the following films:
127 Hours (2010)
The Edge (1997)
Unknown (2006)
Buried (2010)
Brake (2012)
Trance (2013)
Trance (2013)
I’ve never been a huge fan of Rosario Dawson, but James McAvoy and Vincent Cassel in a psychological crime thriller involving hypnotism and directed by Danny Boyle sounded like it could have potential.
Simon (James McAvoy) works at an art auction. He has gotten in way over his head with gambling debt that he owes a ruthless criminal named Franck (Vincent Cassel). In order to settle his debt with Franck, Simon agrees to help rob an expensive painting from the art auction. Things go wrong and Simon suffers a head injury which causes him to have amnesia. He cannot remember where he left the painting and therefore cannot pay his debt. Simon turns to hypnotism to try to help him remember and hopefully save his life.
The rest of the noteworthy cast includes Rosario Dawson, Danny Sapani, and Tuppence Middleton.
Trance is one of those movies that as soon as it ends you will want to watch it all over again just to try to figure it all out. It is intentionally a little hard to follow. It is a film that will play mind games with you. Because of the hypnotism aspect of the movie, it is often hard for the viewer to tell right away what is real and what is not. As events unfold on screen, you are slowly able to piece things together, but the movie keeps you guessing.
Each actor does what is necessary for their characters and nothing more. The film is thrilling enough. It felt like something was missing in the movie, but because it was so puzzling, it sort of made up for what it was lacking. Movies are meant to entertain, and this one served its purpose.
There is a bit of violence and gore, lots of nudity, and plenty of language all with a very fitting trance soundtrack.
Overall, if you enjoy movies that are unpredictable and really make you think, then you will probably like Trance.
I rate this movie a 7 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
If you liked Trance, then you will probably enjoy the following films:
The Machinist (2004)
The Machinist (2004)
Before he played Batman, Christian Bale turned into a character named Trent Reznik in The Machinist. Reznik is an insomniac who has not slept in a year. His body begins withering away. His mind begins to deteriorate. He is so exhausted that he becomes delusional and paranoid. Eventually his symptoms cause an incident at work that sets off a chain reaction that sends his life spiraling out of control as he loses grip on reality. He becomes a man tormented by his own mind.
The film is written by Scott Kosar and directed by Brad Anderson.
The rest of the notable cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Michael Ironside, John Sharian, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Reg E. Cathey, Craig Stevenson, and Anna Massey.
The Machinist is brilliant. The plot has so many twists and turns that will keep you entranced and guessing until the conclusion sneaks up on you.
9 years after watching this movie for the very first time, it’s still just as potent as ever. That is a symptom of excellence. It never gets old.
Christian Bale appears like he went through hell preparing for his role as Reznik. He went from being in close to perfect shape to looking like death. He was so bony that he literally appeared like he could drop dead of starvation at any moment.
Shortly after seen this movie for the first time, I remember reading that Bale lived off of nonfat lattes, green apples, and cigarettes. That was his diet. It was basically all that he ate for weeks. I think it’s incredible how his body went from one extreme to another. To top it all off, shortly after The Machinist, he got into even better shape than he was prior to filming The Machinist, in order to become Batman. Talk about a man dedicated to his work. His devotion to his character helped to turn this movie into a masterpiece.
The Machinist is pretty warped. The film will mess with your mind in its own unique sort of way. Prepare to be puzzled. This is filmmaking at its best.
I rate this movie a 10 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? BUY!
If you liked The Machinist, then you will probably enjoy the following films:
Leave (2011)
Leave (2011)
Leave is a psychological thriller done in a similar style to that of The Machinist (2004). The movie is an enjoyable enigma for you to figure out.
Henry (Rick Gomez) is a very successful author who becomes haunted by the same nightmare every night. The nightmares started after he endured a shocking experience. He begins to write a new book, but his writing all reverts back to his nightmare. Paranoia ensues as he tries to figure out what the nightmare means.
I did not have very high expectations for this movie. I figured it would be a hit or miss. It was not outstanding by any means, but it was a nice change from the norm and it held my attention throughout. The film will transport you into a world of uncertainty. What is truth and what is fiction? It will keep you guessing all the way to the end.
I did expect Bryan Cranston to have a much larger part. The cover of the movie is very deceiving because he is on it. His role was a cameo at best. He was in the movie for maybe a minute and a half. The cast is a bunch of well known character-actors. I think that Cranston is all over the advertising because he is the most well-known actor in the whole movie. I think that it was a waste that he was not in more of the film. I guess the advertising technique was successful because having not seen the trailer for the movie; I only had the cover to go by. Thinking that it was a Bryan Cranston movie is what got me to watch it. It is not a Bryan Cranston movie, but I’m glad that I watched it.
Rick Gomez and Frank John Hughes do a lovely job of carrying the majority of the film with very minor supporting characters played by Vinessa Shaw, Ron Livingston, and M.C. Gainey.
If you enjoy puzzles and mindbenders, then this movie is for you. There are many twists and turns and all sorts of clues in this mystery. Can you figure it out?
I rate this movie a 7.5 out of 10.
Buy, rent, or run? Rent.
If you liked Leave, then you will most likely enjoy the following films: