Funny Games: The Game Sucks.

Halloween is tomorrow, so here’s a review on a “scary” movie. It’s scary, I didn’t say I would like it.

I bought Funny Games because I thought it would be a good film. From the trailer it had a sense of majestic aura but with a psychopathic twist. The plot is simple: two normal-looking boys pick a house and mess with the family if they could survive their “games.” If the family wins, they live. But if the boys win, the family dies. It is a remake of the director’s first movie from 1997. My scenario had a win-win situation. I was sadly mistaken because I immediately sold the film. I did not want that film in my house.

First, let me say the good parts. The movie is frightening; a perfect movie for Halloween. The pacing is glacially slow, but provides much tension by also having the sounds off-screen. The acting is well-deserved because the killers are unsympathetic and relentless while the family acts terrified. I commend the director for not showing the brutal death scenes as they were off-screen. This provides the audience with a more terrifying notion of what actually happened. Also, “the cat in the bag” was disturbing.

But the bad parts were plentiful compared to the good parts. Again, the movie is frightening to the point it haunted me for a while. Mainly, because the movie has a murder based in reality. This could happen to anyone! The “main” song played three times, and it was a terrible choice because it blasted terrible rock music. The killers are viewed as “repressed homosexuals,” which I found insulting and regressive for the LGBT community. It speaks volumes that they are characterized as they are psychotically disturbed and possibly gay. The movie also breaks the fourth wall completely throwing the audience off-guard. But most of all, I do not like the director’s message of violence: “We are a society expecting for violence in this media-saturated world.” What? By delivering this half-assed message, he cheats the audience of the classical Hollywood narrative of a satisfying ending. The killers should have died…painfully. I don’t care about the message because it doesn’t speak today. I just want an ending where the bad people in the world deserve their untimely fates. But the director rewinds the climactic scene to prove a point. As a viewer, I was frustrated and not impressed. For a shot-by-shot remake that he revisits a decade later, there is nothing new or groundbreaking. It is familiar territory that doesn’t impress, except with well-known actors. And lastly, not a feel good movie because it will leave you frustrated.

My rating: 3/10

The “Playlist” is Progessively Gay.

I generally though Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist was “okay” with a so-so plot direction. But one of the most intriguing parts of the movie that I barely touched upon in my movie review was the characterizations of Michael Cera’s bandmates. The bandmates are gay as they comprise a queer core music group, but they are given three-dimensional characterization. Why so? Well, they play authentic characters of the 2008 reality bordering between hipster and geek. A diversity of gay guys that range from the foreign hunky blonde to the indie-rock Asian. But most of all, they’re real that live fulfilled lives. By fulfilled, I define them as characters that don’t pine over the straight lead as the stereotypical sidekicks. They don’t constantly follow the lead characters. They instead find a girl to help the lead get over the “slut.” But most of all, they are confident, fun, and diverse. They are progressive in every sense for the modern LGBT community. Plus, they’re all very cute.

Gimmie Me Shelter, Please.

For the past 6 months, I’ve been searching a really good gay-oriented movie about coming out. I’ve found a few duds, except for the exceptional documentary When I Knew. But I found a movie called Shelter that re-ignites my interest yet again. A young artist, Zach (Trevor Wright), is stuck in his surfing hometown, where he needs to take care of his irresponsible sister’s son. Zach’s best friend’s gay brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe), returns home and begin a passionate affair that Zach discovers what‘s missing in his life. Zach struggles with his newly founded emotions for Shaun while dealing with his family affairs and future. They bond, fight, and grow to love each other. The pros for this “coming of age” tale is that the characters aren’t stereotypical at all with a exceptional plot line. The cons for some people could be that it plays like an overextended episode of the O.C., but again it shows a different perspective of coming out. I have no problem with that issue There are no raging dance songs, slutty hookups, gratuitous nudity, or stereotypical gay characters. Just a simple endearing story of a young man coming out and dealing with his homophobic surroundings around the beaches of Southern California.

My Rating: 10/10

check it out on Amazon: Shelter

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