list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around The Machinist on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/The_Machinist/239763/default.aspx Title: The Machinist
Year: 2004
Director: Brad Anderson
Plot: Brad Anderson directs the psychological thriller The Machinist, a production of Spain's Filmax company. Christian Bale plays Trevor Reznik, a factory lathe operator who has developed a serious case of insomnia. Lack of sleep has already started to wear down on his brain and his body. When he's involved in an accident at work, his co-workers turn against him. He starts to find strange notes in his apartment and see people that apparently aren't there. Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as call girl Stevie. The Machinist premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 10
Number of Lists: 35
Number of blog posts: 4
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:07:32 GMTThe Machinist2004Brad Anderson<a href="/players/P___201085/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Brad Anderson</a> directs the psychological thriller The Machinist, a production of Spain's Filmax company. <a href="/players/P_____3538/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Christian Bale</a> plays Trevor Reznik, a factory lathe operator who has developed a serious case of insomnia. Lack of sleep has already started to wear down on his brain and his body. When he's involved in an accident at work, his co-workers turn against him. He starts to find strange notes in his apartment and see people that apparently aren't there. <a href="/players/P____41672/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jennifer Jason Leigh</a> stars as call girl Stevie. The Machinist premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide10Taggedy Taggged (6-10)3543http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t58311toxnh.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/The_Machinist/239763/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/18/32741.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/18/2008 4:01:14 PM
Body: The only possible advantage a small-ish movie like Transsiberian has when opening on the same weekend as the biggest box office draw in recent memory, is that in cities where Transsiberian is being shown, The Dark Knight’s screenings have been sold out for weeks. So, if you’ve been left out in the cold by Batman, go see Transsiberian. Or better yet, see them both. Transibberian is the most enjoyable film I saw at Sundance this last January. As far as best film, I’d say it’s tied with the steroids doc Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Transsiberian is directed by Brad Anderson. (Also known for The Machinist, which is maybe where Christopher Nolan found his next Batman? Discuss). It follows the story of an American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) as they travel the transsiberian railway from China to Europe after a mission trip. Tensions in their marriage are clear, Roy is a squeaky-clean do-gooder, tapping into a delightful naiveté we haven’t seen since Cheers. Jessie, on the other hand, is a reformed bad-girl. Mortimer makes her apprehension about having settled with Roy readily apparent without overdoing it. These tensions begin to pull tighter when they meet another Western couple on the train. Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) are drifters. They’re curious and thrilling to Roy, but tempting and potentially dangerous to Jessie. Things begin to unravel when Roy is accidentally left at a train stop, and Jessie begins to suspect that Carlos and Abby aren’t exactly who they say they are. Thanks to their association with the mysterious couple, Roy and Jessie run afoul with Russian authorities, specifically a super-creepy detective named Grinko, played wonderfully by Ben Kingsley. It’s one of Sir Ben’s many performances that makes the viewer ask, “is that really the same guy who played Ghandi?!” I was taking notes during the screening, but at a certain point I just wrote “THEY’RE F*CKED,” and stopped writing. It’s one of those thrillers that does character development well enough that when the protagonists get in serious trouble you can feel your intestines twisting with anxiety. The biggest challenge with a movie that thrills by “turning the screw,” is negotiating exactly how far to turn it. In retrospect, I think Transsiberian may have turned it a bit too far. By the end they have amped things up to the point where explosions and cringey torture scenes become necessary to up the ante. Overall, Transsiberian still works as a tense, well-rendered thriller, held up by solid performances all around. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:01:14 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/18/2008 4:01:14 PM The only possible advantage a small-ish movie like Transsiberian has when opening on the same weekend as the biggest box office draw in recent memory, is that in cities where Transsiberian is being shown, The Dark Knight’s screenings have been sold out for weeks. So, if you’ve been left out in the cold by Batman, go see Transsiberian. Or better yet, see them both. Transibberian is the most enjoyable film I saw at Sundance this last January. As far as best film, I’d say it’s tied with the steroids doc Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Transsiberian is directed by Brad Anderson. (Also known for The Machinist, which is maybe where Christopher Nolan found his next Batman? Discuss). It follows the story of an American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) as they travel the transsiberian railway from China to Europe after a mission trip. Tensions in their marriage are clear, Roy is a squeaky-clean do-gooder, tapping into a delightful naiveté we haven’t seen since Cheers. Jessie, on the other hand, is a reformed bad-girl. Mortimer makes her apprehension about having settled with Roy readily apparent without overdoing it. These tensions begin to pull tighter when they meet another Western couple on the train. Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara) are drifters. They’re curious and thrilling to Roy, but tempting and potentially dangerous to Jessie. Things begin to unravel when Roy is accidentally left at a train stop, and Jessie begins to suspect that Carlos and Abby aren’t exactly who they say they are. Thanks to their association with the mysterious couple, Roy and Jessie run afoul with Russian authorities, specifically a super-creepy detective named Grinko, played wonderfully by Ben Kingsley. It’s one of Sir Ben’s many performances that makes the viewer ask, “is that really the same guy who played Ghandi?!” I was taking notes during the screening, but at a certain point I just wrote “THEY’RE F*CKED,” and stopped writing. It’s one of those thrillers that does character development well enough that when the protagonists get in serious trouble you can feel your intestines twisting with anxiety. The biggest challenge with a movie that thrills by “turning the screw,” is negotiating exactly how far to turn it. In retrospect, I think Transsiberian may have turned it a bit too far. By the end they have amped things up to the point where explosions and cringey torture scenes become necessary to up the ante. Overall, Transsiberian still works as a tense, well-rendered thriller, held up by solid performances all around. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/jj79/archive/2008/6/9/30998.aspx Post By: JJ79
Post To: JJ79 Blog
Post Date: 6/9/2008 2:03:02 PM
Body: Now, this is a mind-trip. Made in Spain, The Machinist follows Trevor Reznik (a severely underweight Christian Bale) as he lives through a year without sleeping. He encounters one problem after another: being involved in two work accidents, a load of bloody fish heads in his freezer, a seeming stalker, a demented carnival ride and the aforementioned year without sleep. But it is really a year? We know, in reality, that a person can not survive for very long without sleep, let alone operate a car or heavy machinery without catching a ZZZ here or there. So that begs the question: what is making him think it's been a year? We definately don't see the passage of a year on the screen. Some event is making Trevor hallucinate and believe things that are not real.I expected something completely different when I popped The Machinist in the player. I thought it was going to be a serial killer-type thriller, not a psychological thriller. Is it a bad movie? No. Is there some other layer I'm probably not understanding? Most definately. I can mesh a lot of the things Trevor experiences to being a hallucination or daydream of some kind. The one I can't is when he's taking the picture at the carnival. Why does he see someone else? I get that he's placing the mother and child from the end into his life (<-- that's a little oddly put, but I don't want to spoil the end), but from what I remember, he saw someone else in their place also. It's shot and acted extremely well. Nothing calls attention to itself, except the lack of any meat on Bale's bones. People, he looks like a skeleton--horrible, nasty, hungry...but real. There is no way this part of the movie would have worked without the actor losing the pounds. It's still grotesque, though.
]]>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 18:03:02 GMTJJ79JJ79 Blog6/9/2008 2:03:02 PMNow, this is a mind-trip. Made in Spain, The Machinist follows Trevor Reznik (a severely underweight Christian Bale) as he lives through a year without sleeping. He encounters one problem after another: being involved in two work accidents, a load of bloody fish heads in his freezer, a seeming stalker, a demented carnival ride and the aforementioned year without sleep. But it is really a year? We know, in reality, that a person can not survive for very long without sleep, let alone operate a car or heavy machinery without catching a ZZZ here or there. So that begs the question: what is making him think it's been a year? We definately don't see the passage of a year on the screen. Some event is making Trevor hallucinate and believe things that are not real.I expected something completely different when I popped The Machinist in the player. I thought it was going to be a serial killer-type thriller, not a psychological thriller. Is it a bad movie? No. Is there some other layer I'm probably not understanding? Most definately. I can mesh a lot of the things Trevor experiences to being a hallucination or daydream of some kind. The one I can't is when he's taking the picture at the carnival. Why does he see someone else? I get that he's placing the mother and child from the end into his life (&lt;-- that's a little oddly put, but I don't want to spoil the end), but from what I remember, he saw someone else in their place also. It's shot and acted extremely well. Nothing calls attention to itself, except the lack of any meat on Bale's bones. People, he looks like a skeleton--horrible, nasty, hungry...but real. There is no way this part of the movie would have worked without the actor losing the pounds. It's still grotesque, though. http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/13/29002.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/13/2008 8:11:26 PM
Body: Often, I have trouble understanding why fellow cineastes dislike movies I enjoy. I still don't quite understand why Kristen didn't like Seven Beauties and Heavenly Creatures or why Edwin didn't like Ordinary People. I understand exactly, however, why Kristen and Zach didn't like The Machinist, and their criticisms are accurate. It's kind of stupid and doesn't say much. But I enjoyed the movie (though a lot, lot less than the three listed above) for what it offers: the some wonderful photography, and for most of the way has a unique, disturbing atmosphere. The movie opens as Trevor Reznick (Christian Bale), an ultra-thin, emaciated man, takes a body from his aparement and disposes it. After the opening credits, we see that Trevor lives a pretty empty life- he works the night shift as a machinist in a factory, where he is unpopular and regarded as a bit of psycho. He lives alone, with his only friendly social contact being his prostitue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and his waitress (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). Things begin to go wrong when he finds strange notes written on his refrigator and accidently causes a co-worker (Michael Ironside) to loose his arm. It gets even stranger when no one but Trevor acknowleges the existance of Ivan (John Sharian) a big, threatining guy at work. Of course, we, the audince are try to figure out through the whole film whether the body dispocial scene was a flashback, or fast-forward. The Machinist is not so much a thriller with a lame surprise ending as a mystery with an unsatisfactory solution. To the film's credit, I did not guess what is reveled at the end, but I was underwhelmed it occured. What makes the ending worse is that it means that movie isn't really saying very much at all- for most of the way, it looks deeper than it actully is. What the movie does have in its favor is its tone- we really share this guy's nearly apoclalyptic state of mind. The low-saturated colors and unidentified setting help make the film feel like an Edgar Allen Poe short story. Also of note is Christian Bale- he lost a huge amount weight for the role (allmovie says he weighed only 126 pounds at time of of filming) and makes Peter Cushing look fat. I gasped when I saw him shirtless at the begnning of the film, and it wasn't because he's hunky. I hope that this review has sucessfully described the merits of this picture - it's not an intellecutal experince, but a visceral one. This is the sort of movie that will appeal to a very specific audince, but one that will hopefully be able to identify what kind of films they like. As for me, I found the movie's atmosphere to be effective- but not enough for me to want to see it again. The Machinist (2003)
]]>Wed, 14 May 2008 00:11:26 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/13/2008 8:11:26 PMOften, I have trouble understanding why fellow cineastes dislike movies I enjoy. I still don't quite understand why Kristen didn't like Seven Beauties and Heavenly Creatures or why Edwin didn't like Ordinary People. I understand exactly, however, why Kristen and Zach didn't like The Machinist, and their criticisms are accurate. It's kind of stupid and doesn't say much. But I enjoyed the movie (though a lot, lot less than the three listed above) for what it offers: the some wonderful photography, and for most of the way has a unique, disturbing atmosphere. The movie opens as Trevor Reznick (Christian Bale), an ultra-thin, emaciated man, takes a body from his aparement and disposes it. After the opening credits, we see that Trevor lives a pretty empty life- he works the night shift as a machinist in a factory, where he is unpopular and regarded as a bit of psycho. He lives alone, with his only friendly social contact being his prostitue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and his waitress (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon). Things begin to go wrong when he finds strange notes written on his refrigator and accidently causes a co-worker (Michael Ironside) to loose his arm. It gets even stranger when no one but Trevor acknowleges the existance of Ivan (John Sharian) a big, threatining guy at work. Of course, we, the audince are try to figure out through the whole film whether the body dispocial scene was a flashback, or fast-forward. The Machinist is not so much a thriller with a lame surprise ending as a mystery with an unsatisfactory solution. To the film's credit, I did not guess what is reveled at the end, but I was underwhelmed it occured. What makes the ending worse is that it means that movie isn't really saying very much at all- for most of the way, it looks deeper than it actully is. What the movie does have in its favor is its tone- we really share this guy's nearly apoclalyptic state of mind. The low-saturated colors and unidentified setting help make the film feel like an Edgar Allen Poe short story. Also of note is Christian Bale- he lost a huge amount weight for the role (allmovie says he weighed only 126 pounds at time of of filming) and makes Peter Cushing look fat. I gasped when I saw him shirtless at the begnning of the film, and it wasn't because he's hunky. I hope that this review has sucessfully described the merits of this picture - it's not an intellecutal experince, but a visceral one. This is the sort of movie that will appeal to a very specific audince, but one that will hopefully be able to identify what kind of films they like. As for me, I found the movie's atmosphere to be effective- but not enough for me to want to see it again. The Machinist (2003) http://www.spout.com/blogs/stevo20/archive/2007/3/1/5893.aspx Post By: stevo20
Post To: Steve's Movie Blog
Post Date: 3/1/2007 2:45:35 PM
Body: For whatever reason, not many people I know have heard of this movie which surprises me. Especially because I think this movie is on par with a masterpiece like Fight club. Perhaps it's because it was never opened wide release in US theaters. But seeing as how it's been on DVD for about 3 years it still shocks me when people say "The Machinist...I've never heard of it".Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is an industrial work who has been having trouble sleeping for some time now. His lack of sleep begins to affect his work and accidents begin to happen which create tremendous tension between him and his co-workers. Slowly Trevor begins to become more and more paranoid of everyone around him. A man named Ivan (John Sharian) begins to follow him around at work yet none of Trevor's co-workers have ever met anyone by the name of Ivan. Trevor begins to search for answers to his madness and an intriguing well written story begins to unfold.Christian Bale's performance is extraordinary. While his weight loss is disturbing (he lost 62 pounds for the role) it shows his devotion toward the characters he plays. Director Brad Anderson does a tremendous job creating an eerie mysterious atmosphere throughout the movie. This is really one of my favorite movies, and if you're a fan of Fight club, Memento, or any other movie that keeps you guessing until the very end, you'll love The Machinist.
]]>Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:45:35 GMTstevo20Steve's Movie Blog3/1/2007 2:45:35 PMFor whatever reason, not many people I know have heard of this movie which surprises me. Especially because I think this movie is on par with a masterpiece like Fight club. Perhaps it&#39;s because it was never opened wide release in US theaters. But seeing as how it&#39;s been on DVD for about 3 years it still shocks me when people say &quot;The Machinist...I&#39;ve never heard of it&quot;.Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is an industrial work who has been having trouble sleeping for some time now. His lack of sleep begins to affect his work and accidents begin to happen which create tremendous tension between him and his co-workers. Slowly Trevor begins to become more and more paranoid of everyone around him. A man named Ivan (John Sharian) begins to follow him around at work yet none of Trevor&#39;s co-workers have ever met anyone by the name of Ivan. Trevor begins to search for answers to his madness and an intriguing well written story begins to unfold.Christian Bale&#39;s performance is extraordinary. While his weight loss is disturbing (he lost 62 pounds for the role) it shows his devotion toward the characters he plays. Director Brad Anderson does a tremendous job creating an eerie mysterious atmosphere throughout the movie. This is really one of my favorite movies, and if you&#39;re a fan of Fight club, Memento, or any other movie that keeps you guessing until the very end, you&#39;ll love The Machinist. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/twist/MemberTagFilms.aspxtwist
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