A family drama at its best, but unlike anything that one has probably seen before. Nicole Kidman plays Margot, a famous author, and is the central character of this story which has everyone concerned dealing with a ton of emotional baggage. There are a range of problems to be dealt with (involving Margot's sister Jennifer Jason Leigh, sister's fiancee played brilliantly by Jack Black, her husband & lover, her son, sister's neighbours and of course herself) which is quite baffling but portrayed very cleverly and with a lot of humour - the dark, perverse kind. Which I quite enjoyed. Can be a difficult watch for some or even irritating - but I liked the director's attempt to show that it isnt difficult for regular people to be horrible people.Rating: * * *
Similar to this in concept, The Machinist (originally known as El Maquinista - produced by a Spanish company, the movie was shot entirely outside Barcelona, though its set in some west coast American city) is a thriller where the protagonist struggles to understand whats going around him. Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a young machinist who hasnt slept for over a year and resembles a skeleton. Christian Bale lost around 30 kg to prepare for the role (and to think that he played Batman in his next movie). 
The lack of sleep drives him to make mistakes at work, and everyone around stops trusting him. And vice-versa. Before he realises, hes driven into severe state of paraonia. The only way out is to get his sleep back, and he therefore has to unravel this mystery. Tightly made movie and Bale impresses big time.Rating: * * *
A family drama at its best, but unlike anything that one has probably seen before. Nicole Kidman plays Margot, a famous author, and is the central character of this story which has everyone concerned dealing with a ton of emotional baggage. There are a range of problems to be dealt with (involving Margot's sister Jennifer Jason Leigh, sister's fiancee played brilliantly by Jack Black, her husband & lover, her son, sister's neighbours and of course herself) which is quite baffling but portrayed very cleverly and with a lot of humour - the dark, perverse kind. Which I quite enjoyed. Can be a difficult watch for some or even irritating - but I liked the director's attempt to show that it isnt difficult for regular people to be horrible people.
