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Beanmimo 
"August review site"
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 Posted - 03/23/2013 : 21:55:02
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So Danny Boyle has had enough of the Olympics and is back to doing what he does best.
In Trance he has put together a head wrecking puzzle for his audience to solve.
McAvoy is an art auctioneer who tries to foil a robbery of an multiple million painting but is knocked iinto amnesia in the process. When the thieves realise that they have failed to steal it they must help McAvoy regain his memory, they enlist the help of hypnotherapist Dawson.
This is a slickly directed psychological caper where Boyle uses his skills at creating a claustrophobic atmosphere which serves to choke all the characters to different degrees.
It is hard film to review as many avenues lead to spoilers from early on but what I will say is that there is misdirection involved as the hypnotically induced scenes begin to blend in with the reality of the story.
This may not be his best but accompanied with manic heartbeat of a soundtrack (and a nod to Trainspotting) I was entertained enough to forgive a few plot hiccups.
My full review here ==> http://wp.me/p1MbTJ-oe |
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 03/24/2013 : 21:30:08
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| Oh boy, I cannot wait for this one, thanks! |
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lemmycaution
"Long mired in film"
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Posted - 03/25/2013 : 02:15:22
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| If I can only remember to watch it! |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 04/06/2013 : 15:02:43
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OK, I awoke from my torpor. But I was not entranced! Don't get me wrong, I think Boyle's a director who knows how to get stuff up on the screen and with such credible performances, he takes your hand to guide you through the bumps and thumps until the final beans are spilled.
It's the very silly script/story I have problems with. Apparently Boyle did, too at the story's start when he rejected Joe Ahearne's script as being too simplistic an approach. Ahearne eventually rewrote and directed it for UK telly. Where it proved underwhelming.
When it came onto Boyle's radar again, he engaged longtime collaborator John Hodge to fix up the screenplay.
None of that inspires confidence.
You probably can't really discuss Trance without reference to a couple of predecessors.
First is Primal Fear, which kinda skips across your mind as you're watching what might turn out to be a con on a con story.
And Inception, which not only handled related subjects with more intrigue and dis-orientation, but which provided a far more important premise.
Without the latter, Trance becomes the kind of film best summed up as: first he did this; then he did that; but, oh wait, he also did this; and then - hmm, did he do that or not? Type thing.
It's a spurious manipulation of time and control, and turns out to focus on lotsa dosh. But only on lotsa dosh. It reveals almost nothing about people, their real motives, and - for a cast which squeezes their lemons in our face for nearly two hours - we don't actually come away knowing very much about them. As for caring? Uhm ... no.
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randall
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 08/26/2013 : 21:40:54
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OK, I didn't see the UK version, but this is a very well-done neo-noir, in that you're not sure who's who, but all the clues are laid out before you, fair & square.
Yes, there's a long history of cinematic con stories, PRIMAL FEAR being IMO one of the least of them: instead, watch HOUSE OF GAMES or THE SPANISH PRISONER for the real deal. But this isn't as simple as a fake-out persona a la THE USUAL SUSPECTS. Hypnotism -- admittedly, among cinematically too-vulnerable subjects -- introduces a bit of play you can't anticipate: what's real, what's been implanted? This Dickian paranoia gets transferred to the audience as well, as more and more peels are removed from what we thought was an onion.
Boyle's storytelling style is as aware as the entranced are not. Eventually, the entranced includes you. I really liked it, evidently far more than Baffy did, and I recommend you give it a spin. But, as Baffy would doubtless agree, for god's sake, pay attention. |
Edited by - randall on 08/26/2013 21:42:01 |
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Trance
