A while back on Netflix streaming (independent movies section) I saw two really great movies, Special, and Ink. Both of these movies reminded me how great a movie can be when unhinibited by large corporate interests.
Special is from 2006, written and directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, starring Michael Rapaport (yes that guy). I really really enjoyed Special on two different levels, one as a dark comedy starring a struggling vulnerable man, and the other as a surreal visionary statement about the working man versus the corporation. Anyways I don't want to make mountains out of molehills but maybe this molehill of a movie, is a mountain, at least in my eyes.
Rappaport stars as a working man with low self esteem who reaches out to a pyschological drug study and seemingly finds some kind of answer he has been looking for; in the drug. He seems to have super powers which gives him a new-found confidence and purpose in life. He goes on to attempt to battle crime and later comes across the makers of the experimental drug he has taken.
For lack of a better segway, I go back to the two levels thing, this movie has a gritty realness to it and also a surreal dark comedy edge to it also, it works on both levels. It's also a personal story but in some ways (directly and indirectly) the story of a lot of working, struggling people.
I laughed so hard in some parts of the movie, literally rewinding and watching some moments three or four times just losing it, laughing. Like when the main character experiences some side effects of the drug, is a good example. On one hand he thinks something wonderful is happening (him gaining super-powers), but in reality you see that this is not the case. There is an obvious disconnect happening with the guy's pysche and reality. But you find as the movie goes along his sheer willpower and focus overcomes much, despite or becuase of the drug, he becomes what he wants to become. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you are into dark comedy dramas. Goes to the top tier of my favorite movies of all time, I liked it that much.
Ink was the other movie I watched, from 2009 directed and written by Jamin Winans. This movie intrigued me because it dealt with a lot of ideas that I have had about dreams, and dream-walkers and how they could (theoretically) interact with reality etc. etc. It starts out with a young girl and her dad playing together, in some kind of flashback or memory or something. Flash forward the father is alone and doesn't see his daughter very much, he gets a call from his ex-father in law that his daughter is in a coma.
He has a personal morale journey to go through and at the same time are these kind of guardians, who are trying to help his daughter out of the coma she has fallen into. So they try and make the dad see what is important to him. These guardians can walk between dreams and reality and into the netherworld or whatever you want to call it, the inter-connected unconcious dream-world.
Ink is definitely a kind of morality tale, but one that is told in a very unique, very interesting way, with the guardian dream-walkers, and their 'dark side' equivalent - techno-demon suit things, working against them. I didn't mention those guys, they are creepy. In the netherworld are these men with visual screens for faces and dark suits plotting against the girl and her soul, and her father, and their 'guardian's.'
The visual effect of the movie is astonoshing, the character's futuristic outfits clashing with the gritty and real city, the surrealness and realness are mixed very well. All in all a great movie with an albeit predictable (still surprising though) but satisfying storyline that really shines against a phenomonal job of cinematography with well styled, unique characters.
Special is from 2006, written and directed by Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore, starring Michael Rapaport (yes that guy). I really really enjoyed Special on two different levels, one as a dark comedy starring a struggling vulnerable man, and the other as a surreal visionary statement about the working man versus the corporation. Anyways I don't want to make mountains out of molehills but maybe this molehill of a movie, is a mountain, at least in my eyes.
Rappaport stars as a working man with low self esteem who reaches out to a pyschological drug study and seemingly finds some kind of answer he has been looking for; in the drug. He seems to have super powers which gives him a new-found confidence and purpose in life. He goes on to attempt to battle crime and later comes across the makers of the experimental drug he has taken.
For lack of a better segway, I go back to the two levels thing, this movie has a gritty realness to it and also a surreal dark comedy edge to it also, it works on both levels. It's also a personal story but in some ways (directly and indirectly) the story of a lot of working, struggling people.
I laughed so hard in some parts of the movie, literally rewinding and watching some moments three or four times just losing it, laughing. Like when the main character experiences some side effects of the drug, is a good example. On one hand he thinks something wonderful is happening (him gaining super-powers), but in reality you see that this is not the case. There is an obvious disconnect happening with the guy's pysche and reality. But you find as the movie goes along his sheer willpower and focus overcomes much, despite or becuase of the drug, he becomes what he wants to become. Definitely worth a watch, especially if you are into dark comedy dramas. Goes to the top tier of my favorite movies of all time, I liked it that much.
Ink was the other movie I watched, from 2009 directed and written by Jamin Winans. This movie intrigued me because it dealt with a lot of ideas that I have had about dreams, and dream-walkers and how they could (theoretically) interact with reality etc. etc. It starts out with a young girl and her dad playing together, in some kind of flashback or memory or something. Flash forward the father is alone and doesn't see his daughter very much, he gets a call from his ex-father in law that his daughter is in a coma.
He has a personal morale journey to go through and at the same time are these kind of guardians, who are trying to help his daughter out of the coma she has fallen into. So they try and make the dad see what is important to him. These guardians can walk between dreams and reality and into the netherworld or whatever you want to call it, the inter-connected unconcious dream-world.
Ink is definitely a kind of morality tale, but one that is told in a very unique, very interesting way, with the guardian dream-walkers, and their 'dark side' equivalent - techno-demon suit things, working against them. I didn't mention those guys, they are creepy. In the netherworld are these men with visual screens for faces and dark suits plotting against the girl and her soul, and her father, and their 'guardian's.'
The visual effect of the movie is astonoshing, the character's futuristic outfits clashing with the gritty and real city, the surrealness and realness are mixed very well. All in all a great movie with an albeit predictable (still surprising though) but satisfying storyline that really shines against a phenomonal job of cinematography with well styled, unique characters.
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