; Tin Can Canoe: Worth Noting... Guy Pearce

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Worth Noting... Guy Pearce

Hmmm....
Let's talk a bit about Guy Pearce, shall we.
He's Lovely.


Wildly Talented and Curiously Underrated.
Here's a Few of My Favorite Pearce Films:

Memento

Memento is a truly ahhmazing film. An early glimpse of Christopher Nolan's (of Dark Knight's fame) bewildering talents as a writer and director. Just one of the many cool aspects of this film is the editing - it's cut backwards. The first scene is actually played in reverse, which establishes the viewer in the mental mindset of Shelby (Pearce) who is suffering from short term memory loss giving him an amnesia like state. The first scene of the movie is really the last one, and vice versa. Two simultaneous stories are told throughout the movie, one going forward and one going backwards chronologically. Absolutely merits revisiting again and again... with each viewing more enjoyable than the last. And to be sure - each time you see it you'll catch something you missed before. Pure Genius.
Pearce is positively ON FIRE in this film.
Providing an infectious performance that completely sucks you in.

Ravenous

This film is a really terrific example of what happens when a major studio is presented with a movie that cannot be easily referenced, categorized, packaged and sold. 20th Century Fox evidently didn’t have a clue as to what to do with this obscure celluloid. I remember seeing the theatrical trailer and completely blowing it off. At the time I was like: "Uh, No. Pass". Mistakenly it was marketed as a pseudo outdoor survival adventure livened up with a cannibal attack. Uh Yeah, Not Exactly.

What a Shame. Truly. As a result of the mess the studio made "distributing" this title I'm quite sure that most folks - much like myself - walked right past this one. Major Mistake! This movie was such a brilliant surprise. I was completely taken off guard when I saw it - even now, I find it to be incredibly unsettling. We're talking off the charts Creepy. Intense, make your skill crawl kind of creepy. Some might categorize it as Horror - but IMHO it's more suspense with a bit of gore. The most amazing thing is how wonderfully simple this film is - no special effects, no CGI... just sensational story telling. Superb acting by everyone on board: especially Robert Carlyle who will totally knock your wig askew with his portrayal - WOW. Of course Pearce is Spot On - as usual. There's also some wonderfully evocative outdoor photography by Anthony B. Richmond. Quirky and unforgettable music by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn. Beautiful direction by Antonia Bird.

Honestly - Run, Don't walk to find this title and be sure to watch it with the lights out.

2 comments:

Curry said...

So like, P brings this movie in our carpool a couple of years ago. "What's it about?" I asked. He quickly responds, "Can't tell you." in that matter-of-fact tone of his. You'll just have to watch it. It was the most unnerving, spine tingling, full-body shiver inducing thing I've ever seen, even the sound effects were enough to totally gross me out. The sad part, I couldn't stop watching it.

BTW...I didn't know you kept up a second blog. You're a busy woman.

Later,

VCG

LingoVise Says... said...

Creepiest part of the whole movie -- when he's digging by the cave!! OMG - Awesome!!