Violet Fields (Alyssa Limperis) is an assistant to world renowned stand-up comedian, Bob Devore (Ron Lynch) who runs a late-night variety show called Too Late. Like many people stuck in menial jobs, Violet is sick of her life, sick of her boss and is starting to think that her love life will never be the same again.
Then she meets Jimmy Rhodes (Will Weldon), an up-and-coming comedian with a lot of talent and after they hit it off, Violet starts to realise that Jimmy’s life is in danger. That’s because there’s a very good reason why Bob Devore has lasted for so long in the industry, he gets Violet to bring him any talent that she finds so that Bob can devour them – literally.
Too Late is a horror comedy and feature debut of D. W. Thomas, with a script written by Tom Becker. Set in the world of talent with a particular focus on stand-up comedy, Too Late knows all too well what kind of a world it is where in order to succeed you either have to be the eater or get eaten.
Although Too Late wears this analogy proudly, it seems that there was a choice to let it run from the start until it got old, or wait a little too long for its premise to kick in while setting things up. Unfortunately, it chose to do the latter, so for those expecting a laugh a minute horror thriller, they may be disappointed.
There are moments that could keep the audience interested, including cameos from people such as Mary Lynn Rajskub and Fred Arminsen. However, these are fleeting and they have to be invested in Violet’s life and her pursuit of love so this takes up the bulk of the movie.
Although it could be said that it’s worth the wait as the final act is full of moments of body horror, practical effects and enough jokes for audiences to realise what where its all been going.
The problem is that despite its original premise and good performances, it all feels like it’s too little, too late.
Guy Ritchie’s 1998 genre-bender, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, might have inspired a wave of late 90s comedy crime films. But for every Lock Stockmob boss, flash of ultraviolence, and multiple or intersecting storyline, Gregor Jordan’s 1999 debut Two Hands confidently goes toe to toe. Superficial similarities are obvious: Lock Stock’s Eddy owes £500,000 to mobster Hatchet Harry; Hands’ Jimmy owes $10,000 to gangster boss Pando. When it comes down to the wire, it’s the hyper-Aussie vernacular that makes Hands uniquely endearing.
Hands is named aftercharming protagonist 19-year-old Jimmy (Heath Ledger), who isn’t sure what he wants to do in life – maybe ‘something with his hands’. The flick opens with the ghost of Jimmy’s brother (‘The Man’) who philosophises to the audience about life, death, and fate. Then we’re introduced to Jimmy, who’s facing execution at the hands of frustrated mob boss Pando (Bryan Brown). In true crime flick style, chronology is thrown to the wind as we rewind to find out why Pando’s so pissed. We see Jimmy working at a Kings Cross club, and two life-changing events start to unfold. Pando asks him to do a job; and a friend introduces him to baby-faced bottle-blonde Alex (Rose Byrne). Jimmy bumps into Alex the next day on his way to see Pando.
Alex is taking photos with her Minolta SLR. When he offers to take her picture, she smoulders through the lens and disarms him completely. Later in Pando’s office, Jimmy’s instructed to take a car and deliver $10,000 of hot cash to a contact in Bondi. But it’s not just any car. It’s a purple XA GT Ford hardtop that belongs to Acko, Pando’s number two guy. When the contact doesn’t answer the door, Jimmy heads to the beach. He thinks he can see Alex in the water, so he buries the cash in the sand while he goes swimming. Unfortunately for Jimmy, two street kids Pete (Evan Sheaves) and Helen (Mariel McClorey) nab the cash, and someone steals the GT.
Many of the characters in Hands have two sides, but Acko’s an exception. After he gets a call to retrieve his distinctive GT from a mechanic workshop, he drives there in a rage and runs Pete down. Acko only stops to check the damage to the borrowed car, and to move Pete’s body out of his path. As a result, the shellshocked Helen is bent on revenge. Her story isn’t as littered with humour, chase scenes, or romance as Jimmy’s. Jordan added flame effects in her eyes to symbolise her bad choices – not that she had many good choices available to start with. But he didn’t need to bother with the effects. McClorey’s eyes burned fiercely enough on their own. In contrast to Acko, Pando has a kind heart. He’s a caring father figure who makes origami with his son. He gives Alex taxi money to get home after ordering a hit on Jimmy. And he appreciates a good love song (The Reels’ version of This Guy’s In Love With You), even on the way to an execution. But Acko represents the worst part of Pando. He’s not redeemable because he killed Pete, but neither is the Australia that didn’t notice or care about Pete’s welfare. Despite this, Jordan does give him some humanity when he plays chess and Scrabble with Pando (see Acko’s gobsmacked face at Pando’s winning move).
Thanks to Hands’ focus on ephemeral objects of the 90s – Kings Cross streetscapes, now-vintage cigarette packets, house and pub décor, and telephones – the film generates a powerful sense of nostalgia when viewed today. The ensemble cast represent a 90s Australiana culture fascinated with collector cars, but on the cusp of embracing emerging technologies like the mobile phone. Les, Jimmy’s colleague, uses the mobile phone clipped on his belt to lag on Jimmy, but he hasn’t charged it for long enough. The flat battery beeps at him and incites a confused rage. He resorts to a Telstra phone booth, robbing a busker to pay for the call – but the busker exacts his revenge in style. While Jimmy pleads his innocence to Pando, Acko uses his mobile to speak with an operator and verify Jimmy’s alibi, but they can’t find the person who can attest to his story. Nowadays we’d probably quiz them via Facebook. It’s during this scene that Acko reveals it was he and Pando who killed Jimmy’s brother, fueling Jimmy’s desperate rage to escape their grip on his life.
Jordan nods to Australia’s obsession with Holden cars against Ford in the third act, when Jimmy decides to rob a bank to repay Pando. His sister-in-law, Deirdre, introduces him to nice-guy crims, Wozza and Craig. During their rendezvous at Deirdre’s mum’s house to plan the heist, Jordan shows us a suburban front yard decorated with classic Holdens: a HQ Statesman, a HT Monaro, an A9X-style LX hatch and a VL Walkinshaw. It’s clear that while characters can have good and bad traits, they can only drive one type of car. In Hands, the ‘good’ guys drive Holdens, and the bad guys drive Fords. However the robbery fails in comical style.
Police shoot at the getaway car, so the boys steal a businessman’s Toyota Celica. Ironically the Celica is selected for a $10,000 radio station cash prize and approached by the radio station’s car, a Nissan Pathfinder. By this stage Jimmy’s had it with the criminal life and takes it out on the unsuspecting radio team. He hotfoots it to Pando’s with his share of the loot to repay the debt, but he can barely contain his rage and despair over losing his brother. Both he and Helen are tempted to exact the kind of justice that the villains deserve – but that nobody benefits from dishing out. And that’s where Jordan leaves them – accepting that they each have to live with the choices they make.
“Mandibles” is a film by Quentin Dupieux that had its world premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival, and was released in French theaters on May 19, 2021.
Quentin Dupieux also known as Mr.Oizo for his musical career is a French director, screenwriter and musician. He is known for his particular universe and the omnipresence of the absurd in his films, to get an idea, we find as main character a serial killer tire in “Rubber” (2010) one of his first films. He is also known for his attachment to take care of the various aspects of his films, direction, writing, photography, music and editing.
This use of the absurd has earned him the appearance of fervent admirers who totally adhere to his universe, but also of people who are less receptive to his universe and who feel a certain rejection for his work. After a man possessed by his coat in “Deerskin” (2019) and the resolution of a police investigation in “Keep An Eye out” (2018) Quentin Dupieux returns for a third film in three years with “Mandibles”.
“Two simple-minded friends discover a giant fly in the trunk of a car and decided to earn money with it.
The role of these two simple-minded friends is played by the comedy duo Gregoire Ludig and David Marsais, who have made themselves known on Youtube a few years ago with the Palmashow. The duo then burst onto the silver screen in several French comedy films including a few headliners like in “The Crazy Story of Max and Leon”, (2016). Recently, they made a really quick appearance in Albert Dupontel’s “Bye Bye Morons”.
Manu (Grégoire Ludig) and Jean-Gab (David Marsais) will face a fantastic event, the appearance of a giant fly. This strange event, coupled with their “light” vision of life and their desire to make money will lead them to make various meetings. Their ultimate goal is to train the fly so that it can bring them money. The main interest of the film is the confrontation between the simple minds of Manu and Jean-Gab and the reality through a well-paced road movie.
The bond of friendship that unites the actors of the two main characters in real life can be felt, we witness a real complicity that works very well on screen and allows us to fully enter in the story of these two simple guys.
“Mandibles” remains one of the most accessible films of Quentin Dupieux, without moving away from his offbeat universe. We find a linear story, rather coherent despite the appearance of the giant fly and the writing of some characters that may confuse some. In particular the character of Agnès, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos. The humor, coming mainly from hazardous situations and surprising reactions from the characters, works very well.
Quentin Dupieux will return soon with a new film “Strange but True” in which we will find French actors such as Alain Chabat, Léa Drucker and the very promising Anais Demoutiser.
Psychological Films About Human Behavior. By Marie Miguel.
Film can be an excellent medium for understanding human behavior. Profound insight into human emotion and behavior can be explored by millions of people worldwide through different forms of cinema.
As the filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once said, “Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self.” The art of film is certainly no exception; by combining visual, audio, and other elements of creativity, film can help audiences gain a deeper appreciation for the human mind.
There is no shortage of movies that shed light on mental health conditions and behaviors, including substance use and dependence, depression, and more.
Below are our top three psychologically-inclined films that do a wonderful job of deconstructing and analyzing human behavior. Any of these films are sure to be both entertaining and enlightening watches!
12 Angry Men (1957)
12 Angry Men is one of the classics of the 1950’s. Based on a courtroom drama, the film is a narrative following a jury of 12 men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of an 18-year old defendant.
A lone dissenting juror tries to convince the other jury members that the case is not as open-and-shut as it seems to be. The movie highlights individual prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, forcing all the jurors to question their values and belief systems.
The clashing personalities of the jurors, the plot’s intensity, and conflict all add power to the movie. It also explores the idea of one man heralding change and considers how different behaviors and thoughts can create different individual experiences.
12 Angry Men explores important topics like prejudice, aggression, group interaction, and leadership. It’s widely referred to as one of the best movies of all times for its appreciation and critical understanding of social psychology, human behavior, and emotions.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
A Beautiful Mind is a biographical drama film based on the life of the American mathematician John Nash. He was a Nobel Laureate in Economics and an Abel Prize winner who lived with schizophrenia.
The movie revolves around Nash and his struggles with paranoid schizophrenia and delusional episodes. It highlights the psychosocial consequences of his mental condition, especially on his career and family. Nash’s fixation on his missions leads to psychiatric treatment and hospitalization.
Another critical theme explored by the film is the adverse effects of medication. After treatment, Nash struggles with and experiences sexual dysfunction and sedation. As a result, Nash discontinues his medication use and begins to experience debilitating symptoms once more, highlighting the negative cycle between poorly treating mental illness and inevitably falling back into it.
Nash believed that his illness differentiated him from the masses, or he too would be one among the billions of people who lived and died. The film theorized that his ability to penetrate the depths of mathematical thought somehow came with a price attached. The movie does not and cannot say for sure.
Based on a true story and a mathematical genius, the movie can highlight symptoms and consequences associated with schizophrenia and generate awareness about the importance of social support.
Black Swan (2010)
This film focuses on the tale of Nina, a driven ballerina who is pursuing the lead role in Swan Lake. She is stunningly talented, but also extremely unstable – this reality is even more obvious as Nina approaches the verge of stardom.
Nina is expected to play the innocent and fragile White Swan along with the dark, seductive, and evil Black Swan for the production. However, to get the leading role, Nina must bring out her deepest and darkest feelings of malice, hatred, passion, and aggression. As a result, she slowly loses her grip on reality.
Nina becomes so mentally and emotionally engrossed in her character that she begins to show signs of mental health conditions like obsessive-compulsive behavior, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. Her desire to be the lead role eventually destroys her.
The psychological film can be seen as a critical appreciation of the character’s ability to achieve artistic perfection through physical and psychological challenges. In the director Darren Aronofsky’s words, “the film can be perceived as a poetic metaphor for the birth of an artist; that is, as a visual representation of Nina’s psychic odyssey toward achieving artistic perfection and of the price to be paid for it.”
The psychological thriller explores the effects of stress and the pursuit of perfectionism on an individual’s mind. It slowly builds and intensifies as family dynamics, personality disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, and an eventual plunge into darkness take place on-screen. Black Swan is undoubtedly a hauntingly beautiful masterpiece.
Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.
3 Of The Greatest Psychological Films About Human Behavior
Joel (Evan Marsh) is a film critic and deputy editor at a magazine that specialises in horror. He’s got the self inflated importance of a critic, but his private life is a mess and he just can’t get over his ex, Sarah (Alexa Rose Steele).
Then one night he gets talking to a strange man in a bar named Bob (Ari Millen) and after a few drinks too many he stumbles into a room holding a private meeting. He sits down and introduces himself (under an assumed name) and the meeting begins and that’s when Joel starts to realise that he may be in trouble.
Heading the meeting is Zachary (David Koechner) and among the members are fritz (Julian Richings), Hideo (Sean Baek), Mike (Robert Maillet) and Carrie (Amber Goldfarb) who has a more relax attitude than the rest of the group. They’re all there for the same reason and that’s what makes Joel nervous – they’re all serial killers, and when they find out that Joel is not one of them, he has to fight for his life.
Vicious Fun is an action horror comedy directed by Cody Calahan and co-written by James Villeneuve. Set during the 80’s, there are plenty of throwback references to what some consider to be the golden age of horror.
All the cast are great, from Goldfarb’s no nonsense femme fatale to Millen’s eccentric and psychotic villain and it all feels very well scripted, with little time for the audience to take a breath. Marsh also puts in a funny and likeable performance which makes a change for a character who is a film critic, Marsh’s personality shines through and he makes a worthy hero to route for when things start to get bloody.
There are also many moments of horror which would have been appropriate to the genre at the time, so fans of that era will not be disappointed when the bodies start piling up. Vicious Fun is exactly that and may even spawn a sequel.
