"The site is currently under maintenance. Will be back shortly. Thank you for your patience."

- Blogger

Monthly Review :BUG (2006)

The Independent Newspaper,UK
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Report by :Shenai Raif and John-Paul Ford Rojas

A millionaire London business executive killed his daughter after suffering a mental breakdown within days of watching the film BUG directed by William Friedkin.Alberto Izaga, aged 36, smashed two-year-old Yanire on the floor of his apartment on 3 January. She died two days later in hospital from brain damage.He was found not guilty of murder due to insanity and sent to a mental hospital without limit of time.During a visit to New York, he and his wife Ligia had watched the film BUG .In his court testimony he claimed he violently killed his young daughter after becoming obsessed with the film, BUG.Izaga added that he shouted "Die, die, die" and "I have to kill her"moments after repeatedly smashing his daughter Yanire's head against a wooden floor in his £1 million flat overlooking the Houses of Parliament.


Plot Overview :

In a rented motel room in the desolate desert,a lonely and depressed woman named Agnes spends most of her time drinking, grieving the loss of her son and fearing her abusive ex-con husband.One night her friend shows up with a strange, quirky man named Peter Evans .Peter is a strange, withdrawn man, but Agnes finds compassion from the stranger and the two bond immediately.Soon, Agnes and Peter begin a romance .The lonely Agnes is really hopeful about a new life beginning.But when Peter finds a bug in the bed, a tiny aphid which Agnes can't see, things start to get strange.


Review :

Adapted by Tracy Letts from his own 1996 stage play, "Bug" is an effective piece of unease, using the compact space of a filthy hotel room to incubate delirium and nightmarish displays of loyalty and insanity.The movie starts off as more of a character drama than anything resembling a horror film. We learn about Agnes' past, her issues with her ex-husband, the details surrounding the mystery of their child and about her lifestyle in general. From there, we learn through Agnes' conversations with Peter about his background and about some of his more unusual character traits. Peter's engaging and respectful manner strikes a chord with Agnes and he stays on. Agnes, naturally, is happy to have Peter around and, when he moves up to being a new lover and helpmate, she's even more so.

That is, until he starts to feel and see bugs everywhere, in the bed, on the floor, in his hair, the food, the drink – so much so, that Peter begins to convince Aggy that she is also afflicted with the same problem. And, pretty soon, they've bought every kind of bug spray, they have sticky fly/bug catchers hanging everywhere, he buys a microscope to examine the bugs and even his blood, searching for traces of bugs planted in his body by secret government forces.They hole themselves up in their hotel room, convinced that the government has used them as hosts for an experiment involving mind-controlling bugs, and the more delusional they get, the more they feed off of one another's paranoia until they've constructed a conspiracy theory to end all conspiracy theories.

Eventhough Agnes and Peter are pathetic loonies who lose their grip on reality, they're not all that different from the rest of society. Many of us are cut off from a real sense of social belonging, and almost all of us rely on tainted sources of information to draw our judgments about the world around us. There are documented cases of the military engaging in horrendous experiments on soldiers during World War 2.We're also bombarded with conflicting messages about dangers in the food we eat and the air we breathe, so the idea that some unforeseen contagion could bring us down is not all that farfetched.This film makes us believe that finding the line between rational explanations and paranoid hysteria is not easy.


To say this movie is weird would be an understatement. Bug makes the audience members extremely uncomfortable as the situation progresses, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The setting is so closed in that sitting in the seat makes one feel as if the room is closing in around them. The experiences of the characters become the experiences of the viewer, and by the end you are left wondering where you are and what just happened. On a subconscious level I think this movie represents the conspiracy theory living inside all of us. We may tend to think there was more to 9/11, or or any other disaster, but very few of us would be willing to go on record saying so, or risk looking like a loon.


Legendary director William Friedkin (The Exorcist ) seems an apt choice for this material who is well versed in dramatizing unfathomable despair and damage.He directs the movie with great skill, focusing our attentions on the characters without heavy stylistic effects, and emphasizing the way that one person's mania reinforces another's.Aside from the pacing, the character development, the twists and the cinematography, the film also really benefits from two fantastic performances. Ashley Judd as Agnes has never been better than she is here ; vulnerable and frightened but maintaining a strong core of self-reliance

Stage play actor Michael Shannon reprises his role on the silver screen as Peter Evans.He steals the entire show. Not only is he convincing enough to be a paranoid schizophrenic, but also he scares you when he has these outbursts, his conspiracy theories and when he goes to extreme lengths to prove that there are bugs. What is even scarier is that he acts, in the beginning, like an average guy, a guy that you might walk by on the street and in the coarse of a few days he plummets downward.Solid supporting work from Harry Connick Jr. as Agnes' ex- husband. Lynn Collins likewise impresses as Agnes' sassy and concerned lesbian best friend R.C.And stage actor
Brian F. O'Byrne appears for one brief but memorable scene.

Parting Thoughts :

For those who enjoy a taste of the weird, paranoid delusions and are looking for something new and original ,Bug will crawl right up your alley.Its honest, gritty, and a wonderful example of gutsy filmaking.



Disclaimer : The blogger shall have no responsibility for any psychological breakdown or nightmares experienced by the viewer on watching the film following the review .


Title :Bug

Dir:William Friedkin

Cast : Michael Shannon,Ashley Judd,Lynn Collins,Harry Connick Jr.

Rated R for violence ,nudity, sex ,language

Language :English

Country :USA

DVD Features :Audio commentary with director Friedkin
Making of featurette
Interview with Director Friedkin

Trailer Link :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EU1ac6B_5c

Torrent File Name :BUG [2006][ENG][AC3 5.1][DVDRip]-FLAWL3SS

Monthly Review ; UP IN THE AIR (2009)

While films can often act as an escape from reality, two hours for the viewer to check their minds at the door and lose themselves in an over-the-top action piece or in a "dreams come true" rom-com, Once in a while, a movie comes along though, that reminds us what real life is all about; sometimes it's happy, mundane, funny, or downright sad; occasionally it's all those things at once. "Up in the Air" is a reminder of the reality the movies sometimes like to gloss over. This film does a tremendous job of entertaining you, but on the same page, reminding you how complicated and painful life can be.



Plot Overview :

Ryan Bingham is a professional job terminator. When a CEO doesn't have the cajones to get rid of employees himself, Ryan flies in to break the news to each employee personally. Companies hire him to come and lay off their employees in a time of downsizing. Bingham spends a vast majority of his year flying from city to city, staying in a new hotel each night. In between firings, Ryan also gives motivational seminars called "What's in Your Backpack?"While flying across the country Bingham meets Alex , another middle aged travel hog and they begin to have no strings attached relationship whenever their travel plans overlap.Matters are complicated when Natalie, a recent college graduate, comes to Bingham's company and introduces the practice of firing people over the web.

Review :

"Up in the Air" introduces Ryan Bingham as a man who lives what can be described as a life of complete freedom: he calls no place home except the skies; he finds such purely joyous pleasure in the details of hotel rooms, car rental services, airport security procedures, efficient packing and travel, membership cards and loyal customer clubs . We glimpse his closet at one point and see that he has at most three or four shirts. His apartment, whre he lives less than a few days in a year, is completely bare. Most importantly though, Ryan has no major human connection in his life: not with a romantic partner, not with his co-workers, and not even with his own family. But while most of us would look at such a life as quite miserable, Ryan couldn't be happier or more content with his choice.

Also Ryan is very good at his job. He has learned of the unpredictability of human emotion in times of stress, and he's able to roll with it. Ryan can traverse just about any travel obstacle.His most valued human connection is with Alex , a fellow traveler with whom he can hook up whenever their flight paths cross. For all of his solitude and the harsh reality of his career, Ryan is actually a pretty good guy who is compassionate to the human condition. He knows what he does is personal.

But when hotshot college grad Natalie , develops a plan to do Ryan's job by video conferencing, he is against it. It won't work, the terminated need to see their terminator face to face. Also, it would take Ryan off the road, and so to show Natalie how wrong she is, he takes her out in the field with him.The heart and soul of the film, is not a wise pro teaching the rookie the ropes, but the gradual glimpses at the real Ryan Bingham, the man likely only comes out at night, when alone in one of numerous hotel rooms.

As Ryan develops his relationships with these two women, he begins to change. A man who has been isolated by his job, and thinks that an ordinary life of love, marriage, and kids is boring , attends his sister's wedding and begins to see that he desires companionship. He wants love. Now I won't give away the ending for it is both surprising and emotional. The screenwriters make it good without getting all syrupy, nor melodramatic. This plot may seem simple enough, but the controversial topic of companies firing their employees is a big part to this film and the collection of shots used of actual employees reactions when they hear the news that they are "let go" is priceless and scary.


Director Jason Reitman belongs to a very exclusive group of young filmmakers who are getting better with each film they make. With 'Thank You for Smoking', 'Juno', and now 'Up in the Air', he has demonstrated an unparallelled consistency . Even though this is his third major film , he simply works like he is already a master filmmaker.With this movie Reitman proves that a truly great movie can be made with nothing more than great performances and good writing. The design and look of the movie are all pretty standard, rooted in reality and not flashy. I applaud Reitman's decision to film the corporate world with a slick expertise and then when the characters are out mingling in the real world, such as when Ryan goes to his sister's wedding, he films everything hand-held, almost as if it is a documentary.The editing is clear-cut and sharp, and there are some great camera angles, specifically with the aerial shots of the cities and the sky.

The film is dominated by its star, George Clooney who plays Ryan Bingham.Clooney's range of emotions and depth is something yet seen in his illustrious career. Make no mistake about it, this is the highlight of his career thus far. His eyes tell the story of a lost man who has no clue how lost he really is. In the end it is his journey we don't want to see end. He is the reason we keep watching and hoping for a running time that never ceases.Vera Farmiga shows through her character, Alex Goran, what a true talent she is as well. She shines in her scenes and has chemistry to die for with Clooney. She is perhaps the most mysterious character of all leaving everything about her to the imagination, and leaving the viewer always wanting more of her.


.For me, the standout performance belongs to Anna Kendrick. Anna plays Natalie Keener with the elegance of a veteran actress. It is nothing less than a star making performance which steps her out from her Twilight shadow, and shows that she can in fact play the game.Her stern, hard nosed and focused portrayal of Natalie is highlight of the supporting cast.The film also features small, yet effective performances from Jason Bateman ,J.K. Simmons , Danny McBride , and Zach Galifianakis,Melanie Lynskey,Sam Eliott.


Parting Thoughts :



This film is highly relevant in these times of traumatic corporate downsizing and economic stress--people losing not just their livelihoods, but their homes and even their their lives.An important, meaningful & highly relevant work of art for our time and place.










Title : Up In The Air (2009)

Dir : Jason Reitman

Cast : George Clooney,Anna Kendrick,Vera Farmiga

Rated R for nudity

Country : USA

Language :English

DVD Features : Commentary with director Jason Reitman Making of Video

Trailer Link :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m-Da8Tz4_E

Torrent File Name : Up in the air 2009 DVDSCR xvid -camelot