The Minority Report - "Rubber" (2010)

“All great films, without exception, contain an important element of no reason.”
A movie about a tire—yes, I was interested immediately. Before I knew it, I had already shown the trailer to four people, including V-Dawg. The reaction I got was the same: they would not pay money to see the movie. I disagreed. I felt that it was original and quirky enough to merit an opportunity. After a while, V-Dawg called me up and said that “Rubber” was playing in a theater near us and that we should go. Surprised by the change of opinion, I happily agreed. We took a group of people to watch the film, and what follows is my attempt at making sense out of nonsense.

The movie begins with a police officer talking to everyone watching the movie about the importance of nonsense in movies. Things, according to him, happen for no reason whatsoever, and he claims that the movie will take this basic tenet of the film industry to a new level. When he leaves, it is revealed that he was talking to a group of people that will be watching a movie. The only difference is that they are watching the ‘movie’ play out in real time and in real life through binoculars from a mountaintop next to a small town and a desert. Here’s where the story truly begins, for out in the desert lies a lonesome truck tire. Slowly, the tire is observed as it comes to life and moves on its own. The audience follows it in a voyage of self-discovery and consciousness as it attempts to make sense of the world around it. When it discovers a can on the ground, it rolls over it and crushes it. In its glee, it continues crushing miscellaneous objects until it comes across a scorpion and crushes it as well. It seems to notice that the animal was alive before, but that it had taken its life away. Taking some sort of sadistic pleasure from this fact, it continues crushing and killing small objects and animals until it comes across a glass bottle. Because of its sturdiness, the bottle isn’t broken by the continued assault of the psychotic tire. It becomes angered to the point where its entire body shakes and emanates some strange heat and sound until the bottle breaks apart—the tire also possesses telekinesis. It continues to kill other animals until it comes across a man in a gas station and kills him too. Now it is up to the police squad to find out who the mysterious killer is and why it is doing such things in an effort to provide the best entertainment to the audience that is still watching on the mountaintop.

This story within a story is, as V-Dawg very aptly put it, an anti-movie. The basic premise—a telekinetic psycho tire that achieves consciousness—is as ridiculous as it is far-fetched. With very distinct nods to famous movies throughout, irony and dark humor saturate the film. The filmmakers have to be given credit for creating a movie based around a main character that is literally a tire. Watching this film, you will feel everything from intrigue and sadness to confusion. The thing is, that is the point. It makes fun of movies and, consequently, of itself. It is a movie that fulfills the job of spreading its message of not taking anything seriously, seriously. The ultimate irony in the film is that in all its nonsense, it gets the point across beautifully and artistically. Even though it can be slow at times, it was an enjoyable tale of a tire that got a bit carried away. This movie is like watching paint dry on the side of a tire baking under the desert sun.


By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Horrible Bosses" (2011)

“I was looking at your boss. She makes herself a little snack. A popsicle. A banana. And finally, a hot dog. And eating them in that weird order—that's not a proper meal!”
Seeing the trailer of this movie for the first time, I thought it was a delightful spin on the typical ‘my boss is a jackass’ movie. Taking it to the next level, this group of likely idiots, each with their own horrible boss, is faced with a quandary: what to do about their terrible superiors? Watching this with friends was quite enjoyable, and I got to see it relatively early when it came out in my island. I expected quite a bit from this movie, as I usually possess quite a bit of apprehension when it comes to comedies, and I am happy to say that it didn’t disappoint.

The story centers around Nick Hendricks, Kurt Buckman, and Dale Arbus. At the start of the movie, we get a glimpse of their lives at work and of their bosses. Nick’s boss is a megalomaniac that pushes everyone to the edge while always seeming to get his own way. While Nick was convinced that he was going to get a promotion for always being on time and working his butt off, his boss was actually never going to give him the promotion he so desired. Instead, he is told that if he quits, his boss will ruin his future careers by lying about everything Nick has ever done. Kurt’s boss was the nicest man ever, according to him. One day, though, he died in a car accident. This left his only son in charge of running the business. Too bad he was a cocaine sniffing, racist, sexist, crazy, overall terrible person to everyone except for prostitutes. Dale’s boss is a dentist who can’t help but sexually harass everyone she comes into contact with, but especially him. Even though he is engaged and in love, she won’t back off and goes so far as to threaten to out the things she has done to him to his fiancée if he quits. Together at a bar, they all share stories about their working lives to a choir of sympathy (except for Dale, whom both say shouldn’t be complaining). Eventually, a plan hatches out of a joke—kill each other’s bosses. What ensues is both a hilarious and enjoyable journey with a group of misfits that can’t handle the easiest of tasks.

With an air of “The Hangover,” the movie was undoubtedly funny. The situations they are put through at work resonate with anyone that has ever held a job, and make you feel enraged at their treatment. These characters are nice, honest people that decided to do something about their predicament. The way the direction and cinematography of the movie flows is interesting, though I can’t put my finger on where it comes from or why it feels different. The sure thing one can expect from a movie like this is that there is a reflection of each of us in these characters. You can see yourself in one of them in at least one scene. The humor also feels honest and realistic. They each occasionally talk over and expand each other’s comments in a way that we do every day. This is what I believe can make or break a comedy. It can be funny, but if it doesn’t feel honest, it loses its power. This movie is like watching paint dry in the many offices around the world where horrible bosses preside.


By Kulguy