The Machinist, cont'd.

Mr. Weaver notified me that the review should not only exceed 300 words, but it should be 500-700. So now we see my observational skills are poor. So here’s more about The Machinist!

The film may put some in mind of Momento, a film written and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss. The film shares with The Machinist a fractured, jarring storyline that keeps the audience in suspense. Films such as these, and others such as Stay and 11:14 all may be described as suspense/thriller and some have even depicted them as noir.

I believe that the appeal of these films ultimately derives from our own sense of self. In all of these features, the characters focus on what they have experienced and their relationships with the other characters. In The Machinist, Reznik’s sleep-deprived and guilt-haunted mind create a pretext upon which the entire movie is based. When the audience views themselves through his perspective, the events become all the more intense and compelling. It is this empathy, along with the mystery of the film, that help to pull the viewer in and push the story forward. The ominous notes Reznik finds in his apartment, the strange new co-worker, his insomnia: all contribute both to the empathy factor and the mystery.

Unfortunately, I really can’t go into too much more detail without spoiling the film, so suffice it to say that the themes, the mystery/fun of figuring out the mystery, and the empathy one has with the characters make this feature worth seeing.

Review of The Machinist

The film The Machinist, with Christian Bale, was released in 2004 and directed by Brad Anderson. The plot centers around Bale’s character, Trevor Reznik, a industrial machinist who suffers from severe insomnia. Plagued by the condition for a year, Reznik has lost an unhealthy amount of weight and becomes increasingly paranoid. His only comfort is taken in late-night conversations with Marie, a waitress at an airport café and with Stevie, a prostitute with whom he shares a few emotional moments. Mysterious Post-It notes on his refrigerator and the arrival of a new co-worker that apparently only Reznik has spoken to begin a dark spiral that ends in an unsuspected twist.
The underlying message of the film is to show what guilt can do to the human mind and body. While the acting talent is not inconsiderable, the plotline and character development are what make this film what it is. The real entertainment stems from the mysterious signs that lead up to the conclusion. The progression of events keeps the audience guessing as to what will occur next and how it will affect Reznik and the other characters. On a more subtle note, there are a number of references to Dostoevsky: the writer of the film, Scott Kosar, stated that the script was influenced by Dostoevsky’s The Double. Other references stem from The Idiot, Crime and Punishment, and The Brothers Karamavoz.
Without giving away more of the film and not exceeding our blog’s suggested 300 word maximum, I will conclude by saying that this movie will keep the audience entertained and engrossed from the opening scene to the final one. The motif and overarching themes of paranoia and guilt create a powerful film that should not be missed.

Philo T. Farnsworth

Philo T. Farnsworth has the unfortunate distinction of one who has done great good and had the thunder stolen from him. In the documentary we watched in class before spring break, we learned about his life as a genius farmer and his subsequent invention of the electronic television. The young inventor had little money, fewer compatriots, and competition from the giant RCA, but what he lacked in resources he more than made up for in talent.
The film told of his dedication to his work, which is evidenced by his choice to remain in the lab instead of attending his son’s funeral. While this led to some marital problems, Farnsworth and his team eventually realized the goal of creating the television and screened it for a small but excited audience in Philadelphia in 1928.
Farnsworth’s decline began when his competitor, Vladimir Zworykin, visited him posing as an investor. The man then sent the concepts back to his company (Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, as it were) and by so doing got a leg up on Farnsworth’s group.
This applies to our sociology class in that Farnsworth constituted the minority--a small-time farmer turned inventor with few resources and no real corporate backing in comparison with large-scale companies that were to become Farnsworth’s competitors. Given his rural background, Farnsworth was ill-equipped to handle the intense corporate competition involved in the race to invent the television.
Farnsworth is a perfect example of what a minority can experience against a much larger and better-funded majority.