Thoughts on The Machinist

Thursday, August 5, 2010 8:11 PM By Simon

(this poster is from a really excellent site, stuff24 blog, with awesome minimalistic movie posters)

-Anyway, you've heard of this by now, most likely as that movie where Christian Bale auditions for The Nightmare Before Christmas on Broadway. Believe it or not, there's a story to go along with said 120-pound-ing (ohhhh!).

-A machine worker in California (actually, this was filmed in the worst parts of Barcelona. Make of that what you will) has had insomnia for a year, progressively losing more and more weight, and finds solace only in the arms of a kindly, genuinely affectionate prostitute, Stevie (an excellent, tired-looking Jennifer Jason Leigh), and a friendly airport waitress, Maria (a lovely Aitana Sánchez-Gijón). However (yeah), he is apparently being haunted by a supposed coworker, Ivan (John Sharian). And other things.

-Cerebral and creepy, with that grimy-lenses thing that actually works here, and a twist that actually makes sense when you're watching.

-Though, apparently, Chistian Bale's character, Trevor, was an asshole a year ago. My conclusion.

-Holy shit, is he thin. Not as thin as so pimped, but it's a wonder he can even walk. Way to commit, good sir.

5 comments:

SugaryCynic said...

I actually haven't seen The Machinist. I really want to but those pics of super-thin Christian Bale freak me out so much I dunno if I could really watch it. Or even really pay attention to story cuz I'd be too busy going "Agh, he looks like a skeleton person and it's freaky"

August 5, 2010 at 10:02 PM
Dan said...

...Christian Bale - does method acting - and goes all out for it!

August 6, 2010 at 8:10 AM
Simon said...

Sugary: He's wearing a shirt for most of it, you can't even tell.

Dan: Hells yeah.

August 6, 2010 at 10:54 AM
Franz Patrick said...

Saw this in high school when Bale was basically an unknown. Saw "American Psycho." Did not make a connection. Saw "Batman Begins." Saw "The Machinist" again. STILL did not make a connection. Looked at IMDb. Shock of my life.

I wanted to feed Trevor with a giant double cheeseburger with animal-style fries so badly. On me.

August 8, 2010 at 10:35 PM
Reel Whore said...

It was a good movie, but damn he was scrawny! Remember the running scene towards the end? I read he had starved himself so much, he could barely do it. His leg muscles had degenerated that much. That's crazy dedication.

August 10, 2010 at 9:51 AM