Weekly Cinemeh

Hello, and welcome back to Weekly Cinemeh. Sorry for being gone for so long, but we are back with some new movies, and this week its some from our favorite genre: Crime. To the list!

1: Filth
I am a fan of Trainspotting  so I was looking forward to watching this one, forgetting one of the major reasons I flinch every time Trainspotting is mentioned. This is a heavy movie, decorated with some laughs. Don't get me wrong dear reader, its a great movie. I was just blindsided by how bleak it is, considering the tone at the beginning. Filth is about a cop trying to manipulate his way to a higher position in his department. He is tasked with leading an investigation into the murder of a man, all the while dealing with a very pronounced mental instability issue. James McAvoy is great in the lead role. His character is undeniably a monster, but McAvoy is so charismatic that you cannot help but want to like the guy, and even sympathize with him when certain shit goes down. Its a good movie, but don't expect it to walk away joyful. Watch it.

Eshi: Fuck, man. Filth has an emotional trajectory like an orbital bombardment. Beautiful and evocative as it is, the beauty is morbid and the main thing it evokes is discomfort. McAvoy is perfectly set up to leverage his charm against the loathsome and pitiful character he plays, and his vast cast of victims are just the right combination of helpless and confrontational. Filth, like Trainspotting, hurts to watch, but you can't help but appreciate it. Just maybe have something a little lighter hearted lined up for after.

2: Scarface
This movie could also be called "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Tony Montana". Scarface is a movie about a Cuban immigrant working his way to the top of the drug underworld in 1980s Miami. The moral being ruthlessness will get you power, but in the end it is an empty existence. Creating a position for yourself at the top gives you a beautiful wife and a nice house, but its all shallow and unfulfilling. Al Pachino is, as always, great at playing slightly unstable, shouty characters; so this role was made for him. The movie is slow in places, but ultimately its is good, and a great example of character based drama. Its a good movie, and worth watching for the cultural impact factor alone.

Eshi: The fact that anyone admires Tony Montana shows a fundamental failing in our culture. Rule #4 was made for fuckers like him. Scarface is 2 hours and 50 minutes of a spectacular douchebag fucking over everyone he possibly can for like, no reason. I can't even fully convey what a colossal piece of shit this character is. He's like an onion made of the worst diarrhea you've ever had, layer upon layer of pain and disgust. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the movie, but only because I knew how it ended. Fuck this guy, and everyone who looks like him.

3: Horrible Bosses
Considering the tone of the first two movies this week we decided to close out with something fun. HB is about three friends who decide to kill their bosses because they are making work terrible. While that sounds harrowing, it is made less so by the people all being fucking terrible at the whole killing people thing. I love the cast, and they have great chemistry together. Charlie Day in particular stands out to me, but that's just because I wish he was in more stuff. This movie is fun, as long as you don't take it seriously at all. Watch it with some buddies while drinking and you will have a good time.

Eshi: After Filth and Scarface we needed a pretty strong palette cleanser and Horrible Bosses did the job well. The characters are well crafted to their roles and watching Charlie Day and friends fail their way to victory is a joy. Of course, I'd watch Charlie Day shit furtively into a box if he got to write it himself. My only regret about this movie is that they made another one; which is a sentence I find myself using too often for comfort these days. Definitely give this one a try, preferably whilst intoxicated and certainly with friends.