Who Needs Sleep?

It's Saturday again and that, combined with the fact that it's over 100 degrees outside here in sunny Colorado Springs, has forced us to stay cool indoors. So, while supping on some tasty enchiladas (courtesy of Jose) we decided that it was time to indulge Brad's summer-long pestering and watch:

Movie Review #2
THE MACHINIST - Brad's pick

To begin with I love the fact that one of the first results for a Google Images search for The Machinist was this sweet poster - auf Deutsch. The tagline, if you can't read it, is "Wie kannst Du aus einem Alptraum aufwachen, wenn Du gar nicht schlafst?" which basically means "How can you wake up from a nightmare, when you aren't even asleep?"

One great thing about The Machinist, I realize as I write this, is the fact that there is very little I can say about the plot and moral tensions of the movie without spoiling the ending. It wasn't a psychological thriller, it wasn't a murder mystery, it was simply a unique and rich human experience. To say that it "kept me guessing" would be to give myself too much credit. I never had a clue as to where this movie would end up, though perhaps I would have had I been more versed in Dostoevsky or Nine Inch Nails.

Christian Bale's character is Trevor Reznik, an insomniac who hasn't slept in a year and ends up in the middle of what he perceives to be a vengeful conspiracy against his own sanity. The movie begins in media res and returns to it's opening just before the final scenes. The Machinist deals with sin and humanity on par with The Lives of Others and pound for pound Christian Bale plays one of the most convincing roles I've ever seen, though that's not saying much since he only weighed 120lbs. The 60 lbs he lost for the role he gained back, plus an additional 40 to play the role of Batman a year later.

The Machinist is definitely a movie meant to grow by evangelism: after seeing it once, you're ready to grab an infidel friend and watch it again. Despite the first half hour of the movie during which there was little to keep the viewer going (that is, besides the ghastly, gaunt, ungainly figure of CB), The Machinist was a quality film with a significant message, a B+ overall.