Scene-ic Tour by Screen Space

Fellow readers,

Today Screen Space releases its very own vlog special, exclusive to Genre Romba. See our takes of famous, iconic films - can you guess what we are re-enacting? Nothing too serious, just a fun, short film covering many genres, just for giggles. Hope you enjoy!

Goal! The Dream Begins: Daft But Enjoyable

Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)
There is finally a decent movie about football (soccer), a sport which doesn't seem to grab the interest of movie producers. With FIFA sanction and real life footage from premiership games featuring superstars such as Beckham and Zidane, there is a sense of realism injected into the movie. Aside from the real game results and settings, Goal follows the fictional character of Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) and his rise from rags to riches. Having spent his life as an illegal immigrant in LA, Munez lands himself a months trial at Newcastle United. This commences the highlight of the movie, that is the trials and obstacles that Munez goes through to earn his rightful place in the squad.

The stuff you read in magazines about a footballers luxurious life is all there, the parties, the alcohol, the women, the clubbing, and even video games. All these are introduced to Munez by fellow teammate and contrasting character Galvin Harris, whose party life takes a toll on his game. This is however as far as the character depth goes for both characters. Despite this, the cast has done well with what they've got, with Alessandro Nivola providing the audience with a humerus and slightly touching performance. The film is by no means a successful hit, but at the end of the day leaves the audience feeling good. Check out the trailer below.

Imbd rating: 6.8/10

Ahilan K

Rubber: Tired Of The Expected?

Rubber, an English language French film written and directed by Quentin Dupieux, is fantastic. It is also bizarre and nonsensical. It is both a comedic mockery of B grade horror and thriller films and a love letter to them. Set in an unnamed American desert, Rubber follows the terrifying antics of an insane, sentient and psychic car tyre. No, really. 

At first glance that certainly seems to be the be all and the end all of the film and it’s story, but there’s a surprising amount of depth as a simultaneous storyline plays out with an audience within the film commenting on its various oddities and shortcomings. This story line is actually the first one introduced, immediately preceded by a brilliant and bizarre speech on “no-reason”; the greatest of all film-tropes.

“No-reason” is really the ultimate pretext to the film; why does the tyre kill almost everything it comes across? No-reason. Why does the tyre wake up at the beginning of the film and why was it sleeping? No-reason. Why do I love this film? No-reas... wait, no, there are reasons actually. For one the cinematography is both technically really well executed and also interesting, easier said than done for a movie set in a desert mostly filming a non-descript rubber tyre. Secondly the performances are consistently solid and the writing and dialogue are tight, self-referential and frequently break both the fourth wall established within the film as well as the literal one between the real audience and the reality outside of the film. Beyond that the score is also excellent. Indeed, everything about the film seems to entirely outstrip the measly budget of 500,000 US dollars that produced the film, an extremely impressive feat.

Rubber has a tremendous sense of joy and reverence for its source material, a sense which transferred over into my own experience of the film. One of the best gags of the film is even included in the credits of the film, wherein they credit “Robert” as the tyre. I found myself smiling the whole way through the film, and any film that can achieve that is well worth my wholehearted recommendation. So, if you’re tired of the expected, give this film a look.

Tim

Confessions: Sickly Sweet Satisfying Revenge

Confessions is one of those films where you wish you were watching a horror instead. This film is brutal in its revenge, and while the revenge is so, so sweet, no one leaves the room with a happy face. In fact, a friend of mine when he went to watch this film, was so sickened he had to leave the theatre. That's not to say that Confessions is a bad film. This film needs a head of steel, which would most likely be left melted or rusted once it's finished with you.

Self explanatory as the title, the film is set in different points of view: the teacher Yuko Moriguchi, and three other of her students. Starting off, Yuko resigns from her work, but just before she does, gives a confession to her class that two of her students had killed her daughter. In one of the many paybacks she gives, the first makes you quite sick to the stomach. But the psychological discord between the students that reverberates later in the film, makes for a sweet unravelling of the broken characters for better and worse.

This is one of the best thrillers I could recommend, as it effortlessly chills the viewer to the bone, without the need for horror elements (although there are some present, but are quite light in delivery). From the tone to the lighting, this slow paced film keeps you eagerly glued to your seat. There isn't one boring moment. There is always a situation where you would ask: Who killed Yuko's daughter? Why did they kill her? What is going to happen next?

Well, one thing I can definitely tell you: It ends with a bang!

James R