5 Second Review: Funny Games U.S.

Making a point about violence in the media that you don't really want to sit through.

Pros:

• Fair point behind the whole thing: popular media tends to glamorise violence; reality has less excitement & catharsis; real violence is fairly unpleasant; happy endings are unlikely.
• Messes with the audience successfully once or twice, including a nifty scene with a remote control.
• Pretty good opening sequence featuring cool juxtaposition of Classical music & Death Metal.
  
• Playing with convention is fun.

Cons:

• Watching a movie about the unpleasantness of violence is, well, unpleasant.
• Most normal people don't need to have this point illustrated to them (except maybe the makers of Hostel).
• No score throughout the entire movie, which annoyed the crap out of me, even if it was in keeping with the 'lesson'.
• Stupid lingering shots of nothing. A la Last Days, one of the worst movies I've ever seen. And also featuring Michael Pitt. Whom I will avoid in future.
  
• Annoying kid actor.
• Some of the messing with the format doesn't work- at times I couldn't tell if Michael Pitt was talking to the characters of the audience.
• I very seriously considered walking out at one point.
  

Director Michael Haneke apparently said of Funny Games that "Anyone who leaves the cinema doesn't need the film, and anybody who stays does." I just wish I'd head this beforehand, and I wouldn't have bothered.