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Untraceable (2008)
Very Contradictory (May contain very minor spoilers)
Untraceable has a similar style to Saw, with better acting and less suspense. Diane Lane does a pretty good job, with some strong supporting characters, especially Joseph Cross as the brilliant, twisted killer, who is given just a little too much computer-savvy to be realistic (I am referring particularly to the scene with the car). The story is promising, but I found more clichés than surprises. Also, don't go in expecting to spend your time trying to figure out who is behind the murders. The killer's identity is revealed early, at least to the audience, and the focus is more on watching the FBI try to find and stop him. I am not using this as a negative against the film, but you may be disappointed if you are expecting a mystery movie. There are some suspenseful moments, but once again, if you have seen the trailer, a lot of the most suspenseful moments will have already been ruined for you.
With that out of the way, I can discuss the reason why this film gets a 5 out of 10, instead of a 7 or even, at a stretch, and 8. The style of the film is so contradictory to the message of the film, that it basically erases any meaning the film may have. Let me explain. The film is basically commenting on the state of society, that if a sick person tortured and killed another person, and was able to broadcast it on the internet, society has reached such a desensitization to violence that people would tune in to watch. It takes it a step further, that if the number of people watching were able to affect the speed that the person was killed, people would still tune in, and the site would even grow in popularity, causing faster and faster deaths, a claim that is, unfortunately, very likely true, at least to some extent. However, Untraceable attempts to portray this message while at the same time further desensitizing society to violence! The scenes of torture and death are quite graphic and disturbing, and while I understand the difference between a gruesome murder and the fictional portrayal of a gruesome murder, I feel that the delivery contradicts the message to such an extent that the message is essentially lost.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
Raises controversy...
First, I would like to start off by saying I found this movie to be extremely funny, and I believe that Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant. I was also very happy (and surprised) to see him rewarded for this groundbreaking film by winning a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy.
One of the main reasons this film is so good is the fact that it is unlike almost anything that has been made before it. I have read comments where people compare it to Tom Green or Jackass, and while some of the stunts he pulls do stoop to he level of these comparisons, there is a very distinct difference for the majority of the movie. In most cases, the things he says or does are meant to create some sort of reaction from the unknowing people he is with, and in a large number of cases, rather than being offended, these people agree with what he is saying! This is what makes this a political/social commentary, rather than just a guy running around doing stupid things to get a reaction.
Being Canadian, I can compare this to a t.v. show, called Talking to Americans, with Rick Mercer, in which Rick Mercer goes to various places in the United States, pretending to be a legitimate news reporter, and tells people ridiculous things about Canada, to see if they will be naive enough to believe him, and to recognize the ignorance that many, NOT ALL, Americans have of their closest neighbour and largest trading partner. "Congratulations Canada, on legalizing staplers," or "Congratulations for getting your second area code," are some of the statements that have been made on this show. Harvard professors and the Governor of Arkansas, among others, have made appearances unknowingly on this show. However, it uses much less offensive language and does not approach the topic of racism and sexism as Borat does.
Before anyone starts criticizing my comment as being stereotyping all Americans as ignorant, I want to make it clear that this is not what I am saying. And neither is Sacha Baron Cohen. Although he does show cases where he is supported in his prejudices by the Americans he is with, he also shows cases where people behave as any "normal" person should respond, with outrage and disgust. I love that so many people are offended by his treatment of the people who are trying to teach him etiquette at the dinner party, but almost nobody got the point that this is how people should be responding to him! Why are there so many comments that show disgust at his treatment of these people, but so few that show disgust at the gun salesman who supports his desire to kill Jewish people, or the college students who make disgusting comments about women? These are meant as a comparison, and as a way of showing that he is in NO WAY stereotyping all Americans in with these prejudices.
If nothing else, this movie created controversy, and made people talk, more than any other movie I have ever seen. This alone should make people realize that it is a great film, and even if you didn't like it, at least have the sense to recognize that it has affected you in some way. The fact that there are approximately 50 pages of comments from people who hated this film shows that it had enough of an effect on people to cause them to take the time to comment on it, whether they liked it or not.
And to the two or three people who have gone through and marked every comment that gives this movie a good recommendation as being not useful, I commend you on your patience and stick-to-it-tiveness. If you had put that much drive toward something useful instead, like helping those less fortunate than you in your community, the world would be a much better, if slightly less opinionated place.