The Nines (15.)
Directed by John August. 2007
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, Elle Fanning, Dahlia Salem, David Denman. 99 mins
A genuine head spinner, this unclassifiable little number is clearly the work of a man who’s read quite a large number of books by Philip K. Dick.
It opens with a TV actor (Reynolds) reacting badly to a relationship break up and breaking free from the constraints of TV stardom in the most abrupt way possible, going from nought to Britney in a matter of hours as he accidentally burns his house down Ryan and enlists the aid of a prostitute to help him dabble in crack cocaine before drink driving his way into an encounter with the police.
As a result he finds himself being placed under the kind of house arrest Shia Lebeouf endured in Disturbia, and from that point things slowly spiral out of control. He soon finds himself disturbed by messages about The Nines and a feeling that he is not alone in the house. His next door neighbour Susan (Davis) seems to offer the possibility of making his incarceration more interesting while celebrity minder Margaret (McCarthy) is there to make sure he sticks to the straight and narrow.
There’s way, way more to it than that but you really have to go and discover that for yourself. I’ll just say that despite the title, three is predominant number. It’s one of those puzzle movies that keeps you guessing while you are fearful that when it comes the big revelation is not going to be worth the effort. This one delivers though you may need a few more viewings to work it all out.
The film is a directorial debut for screen writer John August (he wrote Go for director Doug Liman and Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate factory for Tim Burton) and if his scriptwriting is more thrilling and flamboyant than his directing that’s not a problem; like a good Twilight Zone episode the strong ideas are enough to see it through.
In the lead roll, Ryan Reynolds was someone I’d not seen before. Apparently he has forged a reputation as the one good thing in bad films (such as The Amityville Horror remake) but here he’s something of a revelation. He handles the various challenges of the role with unshowy aplomb and keeps you fixed to his character’s situation. Watching him reminds you of a time when Ben Affleck still seemed to be good idea.
Directed by John August. 2007
Starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, Elle Fanning, Dahlia Salem, David Denman. 99 mins
A genuine head spinner, this unclassifiable little number is clearly the work of a man who’s read quite a large number of books by Philip K. Dick.
It opens with a TV actor (Reynolds) reacting badly to a relationship break up and breaking free from the constraints of TV stardom in the most abrupt way possible, going from nought to Britney in a matter of hours as he accidentally burns his house down Ryan and enlists the aid of a prostitute to help him dabble in crack cocaine before drink driving his way into an encounter with the police.
As a result he finds himself being placed under the kind of house arrest Shia Lebeouf endured in Disturbia, and from that point things slowly spiral out of control. He soon finds himself disturbed by messages about The Nines and a feeling that he is not alone in the house. His next door neighbour Susan (Davis) seems to offer the possibility of making his incarceration more interesting while celebrity minder Margaret (McCarthy) is there to make sure he sticks to the straight and narrow.
There’s way, way more to it than that but you really have to go and discover that for yourself. I’ll just say that despite the title, three is predominant number. It’s one of those puzzle movies that keeps you guessing while you are fearful that when it comes the big revelation is not going to be worth the effort. This one delivers though you may need a few more viewings to work it all out.
The film is a directorial debut for screen writer John August (he wrote Go for director Doug Liman and Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate factory for Tim Burton) and if his scriptwriting is more thrilling and flamboyant than his directing that’s not a problem; like a good Twilight Zone episode the strong ideas are enough to see it through.
In the lead roll, Ryan Reynolds was someone I’d not seen before. Apparently he has forged a reputation as the one good thing in bad films (such as The Amityville Horror remake) but here he’s something of a revelation. He handles the various challenges of the role with unshowy aplomb and keeps you fixed to his character’s situation. Watching him reminds you of a time when Ben Affleck still seemed to be good idea.
