Bullhead 2011

'Bullhead'

Bullhead is Belgium film, leading protagonist being Matthias Schoenaerts who plays Jacky. Jacky is approached by a dodgy veterinarian who offers him a deal with a beef trader. Currently a murder of a policeman and Jacky's past come back to haunt him. The film is based around a real life murder, and nominated for a academy award for best foreign language film in 2012. 

Jacky visits a old relative and threatens him into selling cows in the small town a mafia controls the meat trade injecting them with illegal hormones then used for food later on you find out Jacky is uses them as steroids for his own personal reasons.

A member of the mafia end up involving Jacky and set up a deal with his friend Deiderik a friend from Jacky's haunting past. The most intense scenes or disturbing for me personally to watch were the flashbacks of Jacky's past. It involved him and his best friend Deiderik the former cop and their adventures as kids but then grow to become something much more darker when a member of the mafias son and daughter enter the scene. The son being a teenager names Bruno who tackles Jacky who is roughly eight and tie him down with fellow peer members and stone his testicles until he is castrated , the scene was very traumatic and saddening to watch.

The following scenes are just as intense though because you watch Jacky as his world crumbles around him as he feels less masculine and hence why in the future he becomes very hench and his choice of taking the cow steroids.

This film was incredibly intense throughout and I loved how each scene was so fast paced and the emotions flooded each scene. The story unfolded to reveal why Jacky's character was so reserved but violent and acted the way he did to prove his masculinity. The colours were so specific and to be honest is now one of my favourite films I will for sure watch again. Matthias's performance was powerfully spectacular as per usual and this film was surprisingly action packed and had me sitting on the edge of my seat sweating awaiting the next chain of events to reveal the truth. I give this film a 9/9 the characters were so in depth and the story line also and one of the most powerful films of 2011.

Heavy 1995

'Heavy'

 'Heavy' was written by James Mangold of 'Girl interrupted', 'Walk the Line' and many other fantastic American independent dramas. 'Heavy' is about an over weight cook who works in his widowed mothers diner. Debbie Harry (who I adore) is also in it she plays a waitress named Dalores who is rude, promiscuous and moody. The diner becomes a bit shook up once the beautiful Liv Tyler enters the scene breathing life into the place. A college drop out who's boyfriend writes her pathetic love songs and suffocates her mentally. Whilst Callie (Tyler) is organising her life deciding which route to take Victor the cook is infatuated by her watching her every move and having fantasies about her. The film location looks like a little town off the edge of 'Twin Peaks' and the neon lights add a very touching hopeful effect of the run down town.  

As the film goes on Victors feelings towards Cassie become more noticeable and Cassie's ambitions to go back to school grow. The film doesn't have loads of dialogue but the silence of most scenes make them more saddening and brings truth to the reality of these characters lives and routines.

There isn't much else to say about the film other than I wish I would have watched it sooner. I would give it a seven out of ten due to the lack of dialogue and silent scenes could get a tad boring at times and the ending is not very hopeful for most of the characters.

Highway 2002

'Highway'

 Is about two very close friends Jared Leto and Jake Gyllenhaal who have some what of a bromance, no I'm just kidding the characters Jack and Pilot childhood best friends. Pilot's name originating from the fact his mother had a one night stand with a pilot.

 Jack is a pool boy, at the richest man in town he is a man not to be reckoned with but Jack wont say no to the mans wife proposal to have sex ever. This time though the man discovers what his wife and Jack have been up to since he employed him. Nearly being shot by the man Jack cracks him over the head with a glass vase and makes a run for it.  He goes to his long time best friends work Pilot where he is also a pool boy and they both collect their belongings and make a run for it. Jack asks Pilot where they should make a run to and Pilot responds Seattle Jack not aware of why pilot wants to go. Pilot believes his school crush is there and he will find her but Jack believes its because they are going to Kurt Cobain's vigil.

 Along their voyage to know where they pick up sassy Selma Blair playing a ex prostitute. They also meet a boy who looks like a alligator and get caught up in a web of violent affairs and caught by the towns wealthiest man and receive a brutal beating. Although Jack and Pilot have an intense argument they mend things near the end of the film and Selma Blair's character and Jack fall in love and Pilot figuratively speaking rides of into the sunset.

Although the film was comedic and action packed I think the characters lacked depth. It was an easy watch and I liked the costumes. My favourite scenes were the little home made videos of Jack and Pilot and flashbacks wearing the same outfits they wear in modern day it just gave the scenes a sentimental feel.

Mouth to Mouth- 2005

'Mouth to Mouth'

'Mouth to Mouth' is a British film starring Ellen Page. It was directed by Alison Murray who was from Nova Scotia in Canada where Ellen Page was from also. Murray ran away from Canada to London when she was fifteen to study at the Royal College of Art and received an MA in film. She has directed many short films and documentaries, soon I will post a appreciation post about her as a director.

The film was shot in Portugal, France, England and Germany. Which at times made the film very confusing especially at the beginning of the film when the opening shot is set in Camden Locks but Ellen pages character 'Sherry' has a Canadian accent then meets a man with a strong German accent Tiger played by August Diehl who claims he wants to create something eye opening and important and gives her a leaflet with a time and place. There are characters with many different accents and persona's which by the end of the film you realise how they all came to meet and interact with each other.

She follows the invitation and is warmly welcomed by a group of runaways, orphans, homeless, punks next to two caravans. They explain to her that their street collective S.P.A.R.K holds the key to modern knowledge that drugs are okay but in moderation that you don't have to lead a routines 9-5 job life and that you can live on garbage and that materialistic objects and personal belongings don't have any meaning and that you can live life without them. The leader of the group Harry takes the whole group to techno, drug fuelled festival in Spain and along the way a young member of the group Mason is killed whilst jumping in a garbage can his friend Mad Ax  'Maxwell McGabe Lokos' who also plays along Ellen Page int he film 'The Tracey Fragments'). He actually becomes one of my favourite characters throughout the film as he stands his ground and his a very heart warming sensitive character towards Sherry looking after her.

Whilst at the festival Sherry is highly doped up on drugs and alcohol and calls her mother who is worried about her whereabouts and comes finds her. Her mother then joins S.P.A.R.K.S and not long after that the collective becomes much darker. Sherry loses her virginity to Tiger which she wanted all along and then Harry the leader tries to have sex with her . Harry then scrutinises her amongst the group humiliating her and threatening her. The group that was once a positive environment becomes a dark cult of struck rules and regulations with one rule being no sex and alcohol with several members of the groups having their hair shaved off.

Her mother is soon initiated into the group and Sherry makes Harry aware that she knows he doesn't want her in the group any longer. Harry is mentally and physically abusing towards the other members and becomes more than just a leader now a dictator and is more violent further along the journey especially to Sherry and her friend Nancy a working class English girl who is witty and one of my favourite characters her struggles with extreme asthma.  Nancy dies from a asthma attack after a brutal punishment from Harry and Ax saves Sherry and they both runaway with a few other members.

The film was very beautiful and probably one of my favourites now and one of Pages best performances.

Echoes of War - 2015

'Echoes of War'

 'Echoes of War' is about a civil war veteran returning home to his brothers family in search for peace. On his return he is caught between a web of resentment towards another family of a cattle ranch who harass his family and still their food. Between the family feuds and hard routines farm work the two teenagers of the feud families find love within each other. The lovers being Maika Monroe ('The Guest' and 'It Follows') and Rhys Wakefield ('Black Balloon') both talented new comers who will rise to stardom nether the less in the years to come. The civil war veteran Wade played by James Badge Dale suffers from shell-shock and struggles sleeping his violent outbursts have dark repercussions in the scenes to come. The once richer family the Mckluskeys owned a successful cattle business but since the war the soldiers took their cows away and steal the Riley's traps and the animals caught int hem until Wade returns. Even though he has returned from the war he finds himself in another one.  The intensity of the constant arguments and accusations drive him over the edge in the end and both families lose loved ones and have to move on but its already too late. 

Perhaps it was the very rural setting and costumes but I definitely got a Terrence Malik vibe the landscapes and dusk shots made the film a very beautiful one to watch and the story a very saddling one.  I would give it a eight out of ten as it seemed short,  once I really got into and the characters back stories were developing they were then killed off abruptly.