E is for...

David Cronenberg's signature obsessions flower in Eastern Promises, a stunning look at violence, responsibility, and skin. Near Christmastime in London, a baby is born to a teenage junkie--an event that leads a midwife (Naomi Watts) into the world of the Russian mob. Central to this world is an ambitious enforcer (Viggo Mortensen) who's lately buddied up with the reckless son (Vincent Cassel) of a mob boss (Armin Mueller-Stahl, doing his benign-sinister thing). Screenwriter Steve Knight also wrote Dirty Pretty Things, and in some ways this is a companion piece to that film, though utterly different in style. The plot is classical to the point of being familiar, but Cronenberg doesn't allow anything to become sentimental; he and his peerless cinematographer Peter Suschitzky take a cool, controlled approach to this story. Because of that, when the movie erupts in its (relatively brief) violence, it's genuinely shocking. Cronenberg really puts the viewer through it, as though to shame the easy purveyors of pulp violence--nobody will cheer when the blood runs in this film. Still, Eastern Promises has a furtive humor, nicely conveyed in Viggo Mortensen's highly original performance. Covered in tattoos, his body a scroll depicting his personal history of violence, Mortensen conveys a subtle blend of resolve and lost-ness. He's a true, haunting mystery man. (synopsis provided by Amazon.com)

directed by David Cronenberg

released 2007

Feb 7th - Feb 8th - Movie Watching Part 1

Dirty Pretty Things [2002]

When a night porter discovers a heart in the toilet of room 510 – a series of events unfold that leave him and one of the maids facing deportation.

This film was good – not great. I thought the acting was wonderful on both the leads parts – the story was interesting and kept my attention – but nothing about it really sold me that it was anything more than good. The story – even though it was interesting – was for the most part predictable. What also bothered me was how the characters unfolded – especially the character of Senay (played by Audrey Tautou). It just didn’t seem right to me that she’d go from point A to point B personality wise in such a short time.

Recommendation: Hunt it down if you are bored



Get Carter [1971]

Mystery surrounds the death of Jack Carter’s brother (or does it?) – and Carter’s out to investigate and bring the responsible parties to the justice he sees fit.

I really liked this movie the story kept you guessing and Michael Caine was excellent as Carter. I appreciate the realism – you don’t see people in real life running at full sprint for miles - which is something I’ve been keeping a keen eye on these days. I also much prefer these kind of gangster tales than the big shot deals that seem to be popular with US audiences. The story and actors are gritty and uncaring – much more than rich and privileged. More about the film though – it’s a classic – Michael Caine brings charisma to the role that few actors could – he brings a humor and charm – as well as a believable rage. The some of filming techniques were borderline amateur – but I really liked them – it brought an interesting touch.

Recommendation: See it