you brain is putty

It’s back to sleepless nights again. Classes start tomorrow- (later! Oh sweet jeepers...), and I am too painfully aware that I haven’t studied yet for tomorrow's classes. (And, of course, the Bar is fast approaching. But that's another Panic subject I don't want to get into now.)

When will I ever learn?

Before sunrise starts (what time is it?) I will have to go through my semi-annual ritual of bopping myself on the head.
Why didn’t you study?
Why didn’t you study?
Why didn’t you study?

Okay.


My last movie for the break is The Machinist (Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh). I’d first seen the trailer for the movie After I’d seen Batman begins. It was like I’d just come from a different planet. Or one of those situations Marty McFly (from the BTTF- Back to the Future movies- gawd, I love them) gets into after he returns from the future- or the past. Things have changed.

In Batman, Bale is buffed up for the role. In the Machinist, Bale is a skeleton with flesh. Take a look for yourselves….



Trevor (Bale) is a machinist who hasn’t slept for a year. Suddenly, he starts seeing things that normal sleeping people can’t see. Has he locked on to a hidden dimension because of his sleep deprivation?


The Machinist is a study of guilt. The Machinist- also: Twilight Zone the Movie Part MCX (was there ever a Part Two?- hay, those were the days), or Memento-lite (Memento stars Guy Pearce and Carrie Ann Moss). The movie feels like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone. It’s also in the same category as Memento. (If you haven’t seen it, See it.) What category is that? The yourbrainisputtyIcanmakeyoufeelinsane category.

Therefore: if you want to be in a happy mood after watching a movie, don’t see this, or films in its category. But if you want to be a little bit of in the mood for discussion, you gotta see this movie. Goes well with popcorn and white wine. Trust me.


The movie looks like it’s done in sepia. I guess I’m not technical enough to define it. But it’s all of gray and light hues of blue. Not bad; not bad at all.