April 8th 2008 11:25 am
Golden oldie - Seven
Yesterday I switched on the telly and there it was - Seven. As a few of you who read us regularly probably know I am complete and utter movie snob. It does not mean I will not stoop down and watch any old nonsense (although I do draw the line at spoof movies, I’m sorry I do have to keep some standards).
It just means there are not too many movies I can watch time and time again. Seven is one of them. And no it is not because of Brad Pitt (although that helps). It is because it is bloody brilliant.
I remember when I saw Seven for the first time. My movie palate was nowhere near as developed and I did not have a clue who David Fincher was. We went to the cinema and after grueling 2 hours I remember coming out with a distinctive nauseating feeling in my stomach. It is really difficult to stomach the first time around isn’t it? Not to mention a good few scenes are absolutely shocking (I am yet to find a person who did not flinch or jump during that scene when they find Victor’s presumably dead body).
But once you get over the shock and the nausea you do realize a few things a) very little violence can be seen apart from the crime scenes, which lets be frank aren’t any more gruesome that the ones you can see on CSI and b) even though it is easy to dismiss that Kevin Spacey speech as madman talk there is a certain eerie logic to his justifications.
In my opinion Seven is a movie you have to see at least twice because the visual impact is so strong the first time. Simply some bits of the story line can be missed. The story is so perfectly written and Freeman, Pitt and Spacey did such a wonderful job you would it injustice to dismiss it as a simple gore fest. Because gruesome and miserable as it appears, it is anything but.
2 Comments »
AmyV on 09 Apr 2008 at 8:00 am #
I’m the same way about movies, and I agree wholeheartedly on Se7en, though, admittedly, Brad Pitt does help quite a bit with the repeat watchability. But you know the surprise movie of the century that I absolutely cannot turn off when it’s on? Hold onto your hat:
The Fifth Element.
It doesn’t matter if it’s five minutes into the movie or five minutes from the end, if I stumble upon it, I am utterly, completely and totally unable to change the channel. It’s brilliantly funny, with an appropriately cheesy ending and actual suspense.
Love. It.
bertas on 09 Apr 2008 at 11:18 am #
OMG, I agree
I am not much of a Bruce Willis fan truth be told, but Fifth Element is sooo visually interesting… I cannot even find a proper word… I love the little details that are sprinkled throughout like the taxis, and what McDonalds looks like, all the bits and pieces in his apartment…
And I was gobsmacked when I read Luc Besson wrote the bloody thing when he was in high school or something to that effect… shiiish talk about wonderful imagination.