'The Piano Teacher' (2001) directed by Michael Haneke

For the most part, I really liked this film. The main character, played by Isabelle Huppert, is fascinating. It's an original character study that really draws you into the film. Haneke has a great style as well, setting up static shots and just leaving them, refusing to cut until it is absolutely necessary. It gives the impression sometimes that you are looking at a still photo as there is only subtle movement within the frame, if any. The main problem that I had with this film was the same problem that I've had with other Haneke films I've seen ('Funny Games' and 'Hidden'). That is, the first two thirds of the film are utterly compelling, masterful works. Then, the final third it feels as though Haneke pulls the rug out from under you, the final act is underwhelming, almost wilfully obtuse. It just didn't seem to flow with what had been set up before. In the case of 'The Piano Teacher', there was an interesting conclusion to the film, but at the same time, not really a conclusion at all. It seemed to cheapen the overall film and also subvert the central character, simply so that Haneke could defy the audience's expectations or sense of satisfaction. I'm not sure, Haneke's films seem to be universally critically lauded so it may just be personal choice here.

'Terminator Salvation' (2009) directed by McG

I found this film pretty boring. Long, tedious action sequences don't really do it for me these days, I think it's probably the prevalence of CGI. There's a long car chase type scene in this film and although it was impressive to look at, it just seemed to lack spark. I just always have this sense that what I'm looking at isn't real, so what's the point? I don't get lost in it because there's no sense of danger. The storyline in this film is kind of interesting but a bit convoluted, I hadn't watched the 'Terminator' films for a while and so I kept going "Wait, so who's this guy?" or "Hey, is he relevant in the other films or is that a totally new guy?" or "That kid from 'Alpha Dog' is in everything these days". There's something about McG's style too, the action sequences are flashy but they always seem to cut right at the crucial moment of impact. For instance, a character will punch another character and just as the fist is meant to make impact, it cuts to show it from a different angle, thereby missing the most interesting bit. It's a style that works a lot better in the 'Charlie's Angels' films where the action and violence are meant to be cheesy. Perhaps this film wasn't as raw as it needed to be. Or perhaps it just needed a bit more Arnie.