Metal as an Extension of Human Flesh in David Cronenberg’s ‘Crash’

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David Cronenberg’s Crash had earned a reputation for itself as one of the most controversial films of the 90’s, and in the years that have passed since its release, it’s easy enough to say that there aren’t many films that would have went out the same way that this had done so. Adapted from J. G. Ballard’s novel of the same name, Crash is a film that can drive one’s feelings towards complete arousal or utterly disturbing, for it exemplifies everything that has made Cronenberg’s work every bit as distinctive as it is. But with a film like this, there’s no true “middle ground” when it comes to getting a picture of how people feel about such a work – but it’s hard to not admire the fact that David Cronenberg would have taken a big risk of this sort with trying to bring Ballard’s novel to the big screen. Yet it still stays in tune with his own brand of body horror, as it also transforms itself into something so oddly desirable, for its images are never easy to let go of for as difficult as they can be to grasp. It’s a miracle of some sort that a film like this was even made, but Cronenberg never lets down on his promise.

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Exotica – Review

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Atom Egoyan’s wonderful Exotica is a wondrous picture of tragedy and its effect upon the human soul, a particular area of emotion that Egoyan has managed to best capture on the screen as proven in The Sweet Hereafter. While it’s unfortunate to see that considering how great his films have been in his early days he has taken quite a nosedive in quality ever since the 2000’s, a film that is sure to define him at his most accomplished is none other than Exotica. Egoyan, being one of the most fascinating figures in Canadian filmmaking alongside David Cronenberg, has made what arguably could be the greatest film to come out of Canada.

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The Thin Red Line – Review

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Terrence Malick breaks a twenty year hiatus by presenting audiences with The Thin Red Line, a poem set during WWII beautifully detailing the humanity of the soldiers from C Company and their trial amidst the Battle of Mount Austen. Where The Thin Red Line becomes a truly special film to experience arises from how it is no ordinary Hollywood war film, but in some manner, a universal tale that in the end creates a beautiful resonance within one’s mind. At near three hours, Terrence Malick takes his audiences on a journey amidst the lunacy that would be present within the war and in the end, an easy contender for the best WWII film of all time. It may not be my favourite of the sort, but when talking about such, it certainly is not a film that I would leave out. Continue reading →