Entry #3: Funny Bruges

Funny Games
Let me start off by saying that I read a review the other day and it said exactly what I wanted to, but I'll still take a whack at sharing my opinion. I did a lot of research on this movie before seeing it, so I knew what I was getting into, but I took two friends who had no idea what was coming. While I had a great time, they were not too pleased with me when it was over. I will do here what I did not do for them and prepare you for the intense ride that is Funny Games... In case you haven't heard it, let me fill you in on the film's history. In 1997 Michael Haneke made a German horror film by the name of Funny Games. Ten years later he decided to make the exact same movie in English. I've not seen the original, but from what I understand it's basically the same movie shot-for-shot. I love how his idea of American-izing it is taking English actors and making them do American accents. (I must say, though, that Naomi Watts and Tim Roth rock those hearty accents every time.) I'm always looking for that perfect blend of fantastic artful direction and scare-the-shit-out-of-you horror. This really did it for me. The intensity is so powerful and Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are breathtakingly terrifying. The long shots make your heart stop with anticipation, and are carried out by such impressive acting. Naomi Watts manages to captivate the audience in a 10 minute shot without saying a word. It really takes a B movie concept and pushes it to the next level. One of the characters often speaks directly to the audience, which some may view as a cop-out, but I find it thought-provoking (for lack of a much better word). As the review I read (and tried my best not to copy) said: "I would not recommended this movie to everyone. It is a definite required taste." It's been said to have a Kubrick-style, so take what you will from that. Anyone who would make this movie twice has to be a bit screwy.

In Bruges
About halfway through the movie I thought to myself "My opinion on this film is going to rest solely on the ending. I know it already." I, of course, was correct. The movie moseys along with some good laughs and dramatic moments; it fits the mold of "dark comedy" pretty well. It reminds me a bit of The Ice Harvest (To be honest, I don't even remember what that movie is about. For some reason my brain connected the two and I feel that thought should be shared.) When the movie ended I was overly pleased; which is a tad silly if you know the ending. I think I enjoyed it so much was because it was set up so perfectly, even obviously, and I still didn't see it coming. I figured it out about 5 minutes ahead of time, but looking back it was so pronounced! It is hard to give my fill opinion without spoiling the end, and the ending makes the movie, so go see it for yourself and we can talk about it. Two things that allowed me to connect with the movie personally: 1) The continuous mention of Herve Villechaize! 2) They played "That Time" by Regina Spektor.