I just saw this last night and was kinda blown away by how good it was. I hadn't read the reviews before hand so I only expected a Hostel/Saw type film (based on the trailers), which was quite deceptive. It actually is more of a mixture between The Fly and The Tenant with a tour de force performance from Judd that made me laugh with delight by the very end.
Anyway, I highly recommend it.
Bug (William Friedkin, 2006)
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Roger_Thornhill
- Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 2:35 am
I saw this film as well tonight and was absolutely enthralled by it, finally Friedkin has made another superb film. Ashley Judd was amazing in it, who knew she could act?
Unfortunately though I saw this with relatives who have a mainstream taste in movies and they all hated it. I tricked them into seeing it by mentioning that it stars Ashley Judd and that it's a "thriller." The rest of the audience was giggling the whole time and there were several walk-outs, which could've ruined the film for me but thankfully Bug was so interesting that it didn't bother me much.
Unfortunately though I saw this with relatives who have a mainstream taste in movies and they all hated it. I tricked them into seeing it by mentioning that it stars Ashley Judd and that it's a "thriller." The rest of the audience was giggling the whole time and there were several walk-outs, which could've ruined the film for me but thankfully Bug was so interesting that it didn't bother me much.
Last edited by Roger_Thornhill on Tue Jun 05, 2007 1:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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lord_clyde
- Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 8:22 am
- Location: Ogden, UT
I hate people. Agree that it's a fantastic film, though.Roger_Thornhill wrote:I saw this film as well tonight and was absolutely enthralled by it, finally Friedkin has made another superb film. Ashley Judd was amazing in it, who knew she could act?
Unfortunately though I saw this with relatives who have a mainstream taste in movies and they all hated it. I tricked them into seeing it by mentioning that it stars Ashley Judd and that it's a "thriller." The rest of the audience was giggling the whole time and there were several walk-outs which could've ruined the film for me but thankfully Bug was so interesting that it didn't bother me much.
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malcolm1980
- Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2007 8:37 am
- Location: Manila, Philippines
- Contact:
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barrym71
- Joined: Mon Nov 29, 2004 6:52 pm
- Location: NYC
Caught this one last night and really enjoyed it. Am I wrong to call this a black comedy? I thought it was hilarious. My partner and I were the only ones in the theater laughing, which felt awkward at times, but seemed appropriate for the material. A fantastic examination/metaphor for destructive relationships.
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colinr0380
- Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 8:30 pm
- Location: Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, UK
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Dylan
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:28 am
"Bug" is one of the most resonant films I've seen lately; having viewed it almost three weeks ago I still find myself thinking about this story and its ideas. It's essentially about a woman's free fall into insanity that stems from loneliness (longing to be heard/understood) and emotional pain (past tragedy, destructive/abusive ex-husband) and how this insanity germinates into total cerebral and physical obliteration. I found it devastating.
In the first few minutes of the film as Ashely Judd steps outside the motel, the camera floats with the wind above and around her, sometimes shifting lens focus to different objects and vehicles. The morose atmosphere and tone Friedkin gives to the beginning perfectly compliments what's to come- creating an environment with perpetual windy skies and a vague sense of impending doom over every shot.
I love how as the insanity slowly (and convincingly) constructs we continue to see Judd's best (and only) friend and her destructive ex-husband enter and exit the narrative, which gives the slowly-building horror a certain immediacy when she's alone with Michael Shannon, not to mention giving the characters from outside the motel a certain power. When you meet Harry Connick's ex in the beginning (there are interesting tangents here investigating the destruction of family), you wouldn't in hell think you'd be somewhat comforted to see him at any point later in the film, but in the final third you see him after Judd's perception has half-descended into another realm and you hold your breath that somehow he'll be able to do something. At this point in the film it doesn't matter that this guy's an asshole, what matters is that he's sane.
Michael Shannon is really impressive - an interesting and hopelessly shy personality that we witness undergo a completely horrible, off-the-wall metamorphosis. The visual embellishments as the 'other realm' breaks through are interesting, bringing to mind the story's stage roots (in a good way).
Ashley Judd's final monologue is astonishing in its ultimate depiction of how completely absurd and horrible the sickness has grown, all the more horrible because in the moment before the monologue, not to mention the final glance we get of her face at the end, the audience can more than clearly see and feel the woman we met at the beginning. I loved Ashley Judd in this, and I feel she deserves an Oscar for her performance. She is a great actress.
Bug is disturbing as it gradually does unimaginably horrible things to characters we come to care very much for. And in my mind that is exactly what horror (at its most dramatic) should be, and in 99% of what is being these days isn't. This alone makes the film something very, very special, and certainly one of the best and most important films of the year. But it's also well-written, incredibly well-performed, intelligently directed and well-shot.
It's a great film that haunts, and in my case, for a long, long time.
In the first few minutes of the film as Ashely Judd steps outside the motel, the camera floats with the wind above and around her, sometimes shifting lens focus to different objects and vehicles. The morose atmosphere and tone Friedkin gives to the beginning perfectly compliments what's to come- creating an environment with perpetual windy skies and a vague sense of impending doom over every shot.
I love how as the insanity slowly (and convincingly) constructs we continue to see Judd's best (and only) friend and her destructive ex-husband enter and exit the narrative, which gives the slowly-building horror a certain immediacy when she's alone with Michael Shannon, not to mention giving the characters from outside the motel a certain power. When you meet Harry Connick's ex in the beginning (there are interesting tangents here investigating the destruction of family), you wouldn't in hell think you'd be somewhat comforted to see him at any point later in the film, but in the final third you see him after Judd's perception has half-descended into another realm and you hold your breath that somehow he'll be able to do something. At this point in the film it doesn't matter that this guy's an asshole, what matters is that he's sane.
Michael Shannon is really impressive - an interesting and hopelessly shy personality that we witness undergo a completely horrible, off-the-wall metamorphosis. The visual embellishments as the 'other realm' breaks through are interesting, bringing to mind the story's stage roots (in a good way).
Ashley Judd's final monologue is astonishing in its ultimate depiction of how completely absurd and horrible the sickness has grown, all the more horrible because in the moment before the monologue, not to mention the final glance we get of her face at the end, the audience can more than clearly see and feel the woman we met at the beginning. I loved Ashley Judd in this, and I feel she deserves an Oscar for her performance. She is a great actress.
Bug is disturbing as it gradually does unimaginably horrible things to characters we come to care very much for. And in my mind that is exactly what horror (at its most dramatic) should be, and in 99% of what is being these days isn't. This alone makes the film something very, very special, and certainly one of the best and most important films of the year. But it's also well-written, incredibly well-performed, intelligently directed and well-shot.
It's a great film that haunts, and in my case, for a long, long time.
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chaddoli
- Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2004 3:41 am
- Location: New York City
- Contact:
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denti alligator
- Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2004 1:36 am
- Location: "born in heaven, raised in hell"
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Antoine Doinel
- Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2006 5:22 pm
- Location: Montreal, Quebec
- Contact:
Re: Bug (Friedkin, 2006)
Saw this over the weekend, and was very pleasantly surprised. It's no surprise that Lionsgate had no idea how to the market the film, as its a psychological horror film rather than a spectral/physical one, and also one that relies greatly on the audience reading between the lines, and offering their own conclusions about the ending.. The performances across the board are stunning, and aside from the painfully shot, body double sex scene, it is impeccably filmed. Friedkin has a real command of creating unease out of little more than phones ringing and knocks on the door. Judd is very good, but Michael Shannon is utterly fantastic, offering the kind of transformation over the film's running time that garners awards. Based on seeing him in this film, I will probably seek out Revolutionary Road - which I have little to no interest in - just to see him again.
This is easily one of the most overlooked and underappreciated horror films of the last few years, and I urge anyone who is looking for a "serious" horror film that doesn't rely on gratuitous torture and nameless nubile young actresses' to seek this out.
This is easily one of the most overlooked and underappreciated horror films of the last few years, and I urge anyone who is looking for a "serious" horror film that doesn't rely on gratuitous torture and nameless nubile young actresses' to seek this out.
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Dylan
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:28 am
Re: Bug (Friedkin, 2006)
Agreed, he sure could've used a hand from Bertolucci or Cuarón on how to cover a sex scene. Flesh to flesh dissolves went out years ago. But that's a minor quibble.and aside from the painfully shot, body double sex scene,
Last edited by Dylan on Tue Aug 21, 2012 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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moviscop
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 7:51 pm
- Location: California
Re: Bug (William Friedkin, 2006)
I saw BUG with extremely low expectations because I had created an abstraction in my mind based upon the TV spots. Friedkin crafted BUG with a lot of creativity and freedom. When a director isn't hurting for financial support on a project he is free to roam and make something very personal. His passion for the play, and the film in general, really shows.
A few of my favorite things in the film after watching it a few times are:
- The blur/focus on the row of cars in front of the motel
- The opening sequence with the phone ringing
- The really dark humor and intensity of the tooth scene
- The sex scene (yes, I know many don't like it) but the idea of filming a sex scene as a bug mating ritual (complete with archive footage of vermin) really did it for me.
- I really liked the drastic change in scenery for the last 15-20 minutes. It really took the viewer to another level of "uneasy".
Although horribly marketed and unsuccessful, it is still one of my favorite horror films. After a few views I ended up buying it to add to my collection.
A few of my favorite things in the film after watching it a few times are:
- The blur/focus on the row of cars in front of the motel
- The opening sequence with the phone ringing
- The really dark humor and intensity of the tooth scene
- The sex scene (yes, I know many don't like it) but the idea of filming a sex scene as a bug mating ritual (complete with archive footage of vermin) really did it for me.
- I really liked the drastic change in scenery for the last 15-20 minutes. It really took the viewer to another level of "uneasy".
Although horribly marketed and unsuccessful, it is still one of my favorite horror films. After a few views I ended up buying it to add to my collection.
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mfunk9786
- Under Chris' Protection
- Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 8:43 pm
- Location: Miami, FL
Re: Bug (William Friedkin, 2006)
Watched this last night and had a bit of a mixed reaction. Michael Shannon and especially Ashley Judd are fantastic, and the conclusion is hypnotic, but it seemed like it was missing something to me. Perhaps it was Brían O'Byrne's role that really took me out of things - were we supposed to think he was who he says he was? If so, wouldn't he have been better prepared to defend himself, and wouldn't he presumably not have taken a hit of crack? Anyway - there's so much good stuff there that it's easy to look past any of the film's shortcomings, and it's grown in my estimation having slept on it. Certainly something I need to see again - my mind was whizzing around in circles by the end, and I think I'd grown about as paranoid as Shannon's character about exactly what I just saw.
One more quick note: I know it was touched upon a bit in this thread, but did anyone find the fact that the characters were clothed in the final act rather silly, particularly the fact that costume change(s) took place? They'd become incredibly paranoid by that point, and beyond the practicalities of filmmaking, I found it a little baffling that they'd take a moment out of gussying up the apartment with aluminum foil to put on, say, a lace nightgown with matching panties. I'd imagine that the play is a lot more raw with regards to such things - am I correct in that assumption?
One more quick note: I know it was touched upon a bit in this thread, but did anyone find the fact that the characters were clothed in the final act rather silly, particularly the fact that costume change(s) took place? They'd become incredibly paranoid by that point, and beyond the practicalities of filmmaking, I found it a little baffling that they'd take a moment out of gussying up the apartment with aluminum foil to put on, say, a lace nightgown with matching panties. I'd imagine that the play is a lot more raw with regards to such things - am I correct in that assumption?