In Bruges

     This is quickly becoming a best of Netflix blog series. In Bruges is a film written and directed by Martin McDonagh who is also known for Seven Psychopaths. The movie is about two Irish hitmen Ray and Ken, played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who are hiding out in Bruges by direction of their boss Harry, Ralph Fiennes.

     In Bruges is a film in which a plot summary or synopsis would not do it justice. Not only that but it would be detrimental to a potential viewers desire to watch. The story is filled with a complex cast of characters: a midget in a danish film, a drug dealing love interest, her skinhead ex boyfriend, a yogi arms dealer, and a mob boss who cares deeply for his children. 

     With such an eclectic cast of characters it's no surprise that movie is quite comedic. Collin Farrell's character Ray, is blunt and unapologetic, often leading him into sticky situations. It's funny, this cocky Irish hitman making fun of big Americans. The dialogue in this film truly stands out and creates characters that are interesting and believable.

The acting is terrific, the largely British cast does a great job with a massive script and character arcs. Farrell and his love interest, played by Clémence Poésy, have great chemistry and do a lot with their few scenes together. 

     There's a moment in the film, as the camera tracks a trail of blood, that I wondered how we got here. Not in a plot sense, but in a viewer sense. How can Martin McDonagh tell a story that is so foreign to my in setting and conflict, in which I can be so emotionally absorbed? The answer is not something hard to define but it's in the characters. They act in such a way that the whole story makes sense. They are strong, their dialogue is believable, and they stick to their morals. 

     It's all this that creates a movie that does not apologize for what it is and takes the viewer on magical journey to this strange place, In Bruges.

In Bruges

I first came across Martin McDonough when I gave a cursory glance at The Pillowman, a play suggested to me by a friend. The Pillowman is somewhat of a hybrid between science fiction and fairytale, following an author in a totalitarian state who is accused of murder after the fairytales he writes severely coincide with recent child murders. I fell in the love with the play only a few pages in, and McDonough was quickly rocketed to the very apex of my favorite writers list. I loved the style of his dark comedy, something that seems pervasive through all of his works that I've come across. I think perhaps what I loved most about this play in particular was the application of the slow reveal. The play begins with a plethora of ambiguity; you're simply thrust into an interrogation room, and this ultimately leads to a stronger climax.

It wasn't until another friend recommended "In Bruges" that I realized that McDonough had made the leap from the stage to the big screen. I had been desperately trying to watch this film, but unfortunately I couldn't find a copy anywhere. Then, finally, as if some ethereal being wanted to grant the wishes of some eighteen year-old cinephile, "In Bruges" appeared on Netflix. To put it quite simply, the film, at the very least, met all the expectations I held prior to actually watching.


The film follows two hit men, Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) who are ordered to hide out in Bruges, a belgian town, after a particularly messy hit in London. It is through their interactions with tourists, locals, and a film crew, that we learn about the two hit men, and how killing people for a living has influenced their views on life and death.

Martin McDonough, no doubt the king of dark comedy, definitely strikes a balance between wit and heart in this film. The film is perhaps, on the surface, most recognizable for it's biting wit, deriving mostly from the bluntness and differing attitudes of the two main characters. The humor in this movie is only augmented by the great situational comedy, like Ray karate chopping a racist little person after doing cocaine with belgian prostitutes.

What really sets the writing apart in this film though is how easily it flows from scenes of extreme humor, to extremely dark and sensitive scenes.
*SPOILER ALERT*
Midway through the film it's revealed that the reason Ray and Ken are hiding in Bruges is because Ray accidentally shot a young boy on his last hit. This totally changes the mood of the film, as you understand the character and his motivations for how he acts in Bruges. I really appreciate the fact that this reveal comes later on in the film, somewhat reminiscent of The Pillowman, as it would not have the same effect as it would if it were just explicitly stated at the beginning.

I was mildly underwhelmed by the cinematography in the film. It was not bad, but it wasn't spectacular in any way. There were a few scenes that were so beautifully composed, that they unfortunately clashed with the rest of the film. That is mildly jarring for me, as I can see how well done it could've been across the board. However, as with all cinematography, you have to evaluate whose point of view the shot derives from, so I'd have to give the film a second glance to see if I didn't give it enough credit. Overall, it was still decently shot, just not great.

I highly encourage everyone to watch a Martin McDonough film or read one of his plays. He's a masterful storyteller that's worth anyone's time.

Are You Kidding Me? REMAKES!

What annoys me more than awful sequels/ trilogies is when a motion picture studio decides to make a "remake" of an original movie that came out years ago. Like sequels/trilogies, there are few good remakes, but most ruin the reputation of the original film. It makes audiences appreciate the original movie that came out years ago. There is nothing like a huge slump in the box office when the oldest edition of a film does better than the newest edition. Below are 2 of the many remakes that I left thinking "Really!!! Come On"

1. Total Recall

Before I watched this years newest edition of Total Recall with Colin Farrell, I watched the 1990 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger. While I thought this was a decent film to sit through, after leaving the theater I thought the 2012 was nothing compared to the original. Ok maybe the special and visual effects were much more advanced, but I followed the story and characters better in the original story. Here is what I want to emphasize about above when I said "slump in the box office." In 1990 when Total Recall, it made an overall gross of $119 million with $26 million opening weekend. 22 years later, the Total Recall's overall gross slumped down to $59 million with the same opening weekend around $26 million.

2. Psycho.

After watching Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, I literally peed myself and couldn't take a shower with the curtain closed. I thought Anthony Perkins played an excellent Norman Bates and I thought the overall quality of the film, despite in black & white was overall well done. After watching the 1998 film directed by Gus Van Sant starring Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche, I was in utter disgust of how they remade this movie, ESPECIALLY in color. I thought it gave it a more terrifying film in black &white. Talk about a slump, the first Psycho made a total gross of $32 million while the 1998 film made a total gross of $21 million.

In all, I feel remakes are an enormous waste of production money and we as audiences don't need to watch movies a lot of us have already seen. However, I cant say that about all remakes because some have actually turned out quite well and have done a great job in the box office.

Horrible Bosses

The movie Horrible Bosses is about three friends Nick Hendricks (Jason Bateman) Kurt Buckman (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale Arbus (Charlie Day) who try to work hard, be respected and move ahead in each of their jobs, but they each have a big problem in attaining this goal: they have a terrible boss and a job that is difficult to leave without starting somewhere else at the bottom of the ladder. At the financial firm where he works, Nick's mean spirited boss, Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey), has always given Nick the impression that he is next in line for a senior vice-president position. This however is the farthest thing from Dave's mind. Kurt, who works for chemical company, used to have a great boss, Jack Pellitt (Donald Sutherland) until he died, which meant that the company was passed on to his drug addicted son, Bobby Pellitt (Colin Farrell). He has no work ethic, hates Kurt and does not really care about the family business. As a dental hygienist Dale is constantly sexually harassed by his boss, Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston). What makes things even worse is the fact that Julia keeps threatening to tell Dale's fiancée that they did sleep together if he does not sleep with her. Because of an innocent accident when he was younger, he had been put on the sexual predator list, so he knows that it would be impossible to get another job. The three men joke about killing their bosses in order to make their lives easier and that is when the craziness really begins. Dale is the first to say that he really wants to do it, and after some coaxing the others agree. Since they are just ordinary men they do not have any idea about how to hire a hit-man. Between a hit-man they meet in the bad side of town, played by Jamie Foxx, and what they have learned on television crime shows they set out to follow through with their murder plot without getting caught. However the way they try to carry out their plan puts the police right on their trail.

The direction, by Seth Gordon and the writing by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein, plus the comedic talents of the cast, created comedy at its best. I laughed throughout the entire movie. I could tell that some of the script had to have been ad-libbed, which made the scenes especially funny. Even though the critics did not like this film, I guess because it was not sophisticated and I am sure they thought that the plot was predictable, I found it to be a fun film to watch. I would highly recommend it as a rental, or on demand, to be watched with friends for an entertaining evening in.