| Overall Grade: |
A- |
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| Story: |
A |
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| Acting: |
A- |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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The Laugh Is On........
by Brent (movies profile)
Jun 26, 2008
21
of
22 people found this review helpful
This is a real and actual review of the film "Funny Games" and I will say that it is still in my mind and has left me with such an afterthought....so for that, first and foremost, I enjoyed this film.
Enjoy is maybe not the best word to describe the feelings this film left me with. It was extremely nerve-racking, brutally honest, chilling, disturbing, and brilliant all at once.
I was surprised that I felt for all players involved, yet angry at them at the same time. This is a film that at home, friends and family will be yelling at the television or you for renting/buying this DVD when it eventually comes out because the director, Michael Haneke, pushed the envelope in timing and keeping certain scenes way too long than a "normal" thriller or suspense film. This was without a doubt, the most nail biting, suspenseful film I may have ever seen.
This is a film that is going to swing either way for viewers. You (individually) are going to like or dislike this movie.
If you are expecting a film like "Hostel", which some critics are comparing this movie to (I do not understand that at all), will be highly disappointed because as violent as the film is, there is more left to the imagination of the key scenes compared to the visual of violence in most thriller/suspense films.
I do not want to spoil the plot at all but I will say all acting was amazing. Naomi Watts is my favorite Actress and I think Tim Roth, also a brilliant Actor, gave Naomi the "pants" in this film and let her go through most of the madness. She is at her best, as always. Their son, played by Devon Gearhart, gave an outstanding performance as well.
However, I was blown away by Brady Corbet and Michael Pitt for their performances. It was sheer lunacy yet they both posessed a dark humor that I felt held well with the audience, including myself.
Afterthought is a key element when it comes to films that I favor and are passionate about. It left you guessing what may or will happen. A shot of the house from a distance for quite a few minutes made me wonder if something was going to jump out at me but that did not happen. That is the intention of this movie. Not giving you what you think is going to happen, not by a long shot.
As scary as life and fiction, incidents like this happen, plain and simple. Sad but true. Seeing anyone suffer is not something to "enjoy" but interesting to study and if people were not entertained by things like this, there would be no indusrty for anything involving a bad horror flick, to an Oscar winning film (as an example only) such as "Silence of the Lambs"
What would you do if something like what happens to this family happened to you? I, for one, do not have any clue as to what I would do and to not have "control" in any way is really what this film represents, in my opinion.
I do feel that the "laugh" is on the audience, which is clearly shown towards the end of the film, in to me the key scene, and that sits just fine by me Mr. Haneke. |
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