POST-BURNOUT
Saw X
“I want to play a game.” It seems like the only game that Saw is playing is Hollywood’s game. Getting to a tenth instalment in a franchise for the sake of raking in more cash from this billion-dollar IP. Sure, it’d be crazy to not try and continue the success of previous films. But does the latest outing earn its existence, or does it deserve to die for its goal of profiting due to being a recognisable brand?
In full disclosure, I have not seen all the Saw films. In fact, the only one I’ve seen is the original Saw, and that was quite recently. But like many others, I’m very aware of what a Saw movie entails. Brutal traps for people to escape from in a small amount of time or else they’ll be killed. Saw has become a ubiquitous franchise in the horror genre, and I’m sure a lot of people know at least a tiny bit about it. Whether it be the famous line I’ve opened up the review with, or a signature track from the score, or the extremely iconic Billy the Puppet, the Saw franchise is certainly one trap that you can’t escape from.
All this being said, you don’t have to have seen the previous entries to be able to jump aboard this one. Saw X is set after Saw and before Saw II. Our unfriendly, neighbourhood killer, John Kramer, has received news about this experimental treatment that could possibly save his life. With having a brain tumour, what does he stand to lose? He decides to take a risk with Dr Cecilia Pederson’s methods and is told the surgery was a success. Only to find out he has been scammed by a con artist, who has done this scheme on many other unfortunate cancer patients, and exacts revenge on every single person who was involved in the swindle.
So, the plot of the film is a revenge story. Following the man known as Jigsaw. The movie tries to make us sympathise with this pathological psychopath by pointing out that there are individuals who are taking advantage of people with cancer. It doesn’t solve the fact that John Kramer is still a murderer; it just wants us to root for the so-called bad guys to be killed due to their actions being “worse.” I don’t feel sorry for John. I feel sorry for the other people who we never see, that have been scammed of their hope. The idea of caring for the protagonist is automatically void. However, it is admirable that they went with a personal story to try and sucker people into cheering for a monster. It at least suckered the girl next to me in the screening who was clapping towards the end when John’s plan came to fruition.
Yet, here I am moping about story in a Saw film. People are here to see the gruesome ways people are tortured. The real main character of the movie. It’s tough to call it a horror film when it’s more a contest in seeing how grotesque the next kill will be. Less scary and more wince-inducing. Without going into too much detail for the contraptions (as I think that’s where the true spoilers for a Saw film lie), it’s safe to say the film warrants its 18 rating. Just looking at the poster, you can guess what happens when tubes are connected to someone’s eye sockets.
Covered in moody cinematography which seems to be taken directly from the 2000s, it does a good job of capturing that feel of the original Saw alongside the wacky editing choices. Saw X ticks a lot of the boxes that are required in a film from this franchise. All while stemming from a personal story for John Kramer by showing it all through his perspective. But the biggest trap of all, is trying to make you feel sorry for him. Make sure you don’t fall for it.
BlackBerry
The BlackBerry phone was widely popular in the 2000s. But by the end of the 2000s and early 2010s, everyone seemed to have swapped off their trusty mobile phone. Why? The Apple to that question is quite simple. Sorry, I mean “answer.” BlackBerry tosses us back to the conception for the idea of the revolutionary phone and follows RIM all the way up to the start of its downfall as a company.
The film begins with Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, played by Jay Baruchel and Matt Johnson respectively, pitching their idea for the PocketLink to the no-nonsense businessman, Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton). Jim turns down their idea and decides to go above his head and take charge in a board meeting, resulting in him being fired. He decides to give Mike and Doug a call with an offer to become CEO of RIM. Only to be counter-offered with settling for being co-CEO with Mike. He accepts and their business venture begins. We follow the humble beginnings of a small company, containing unprofessional computer engineers playing video games together and watching movies, all the way to the company’s run-in with the SEC. There’s a fantastic transition from goofing around to becoming super uptight in this film. In the first half, the film is quite humorous with how these business-illiterate people operate, eventually getting a kick up the ass by Jim to get their debt-ridden company in gear. But by the end of it, there’s nothing to laugh at. Only pity, towards Mike. The more professional the company becomes, the more life and fun gets sucked out from what once was humble beginnings of an office that had a plunger on top of a computer. A powerful representation for the miserable lifestyle big corporations bring to overworked employees.
Matt Johnson wears many hats here. Not only acting, but also directing and penning the script alongside Matthew Miller. The camera floats around in the scenes, using a handheld approach akin to a documentary. Jared Raab’s loose, freehand camerawork shows how wild and unorganised the characters are in their business. There’s this feeling of instability, which foreshadows the end result of the film, to set us right into the mood of what story we’ll be told. If we weren’t sure already from the title, a short montage of the history of smart devices within real life and media occurs near the start of the film. It then puts in music of the time too, such as a good needle drop from The Strokes, helping create the mise-en-scène of around the early 2000s.
The thing that makes this stand out from other corporate biopics is the performance from Glenn Howerton. Portraying Jim, Howerton plays a blinder with his performance, commanding the screen every time he is on it and playing an egotistical suit while managing to keep it separate from his breakout role of Dennis on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, proving that he has the acting chops to take on any role put in front of him. Unhinged, but in a different way completely. He is worth the price of admission alone. That and, maybe, Jay Baruchel’s grey hair at the beginning of the movie, which I was totally unconvinced by. But the character of Mike has a satisfying, yet tragic arc. Going from a socially awkward CEO who couldn’t make his own decisions, to presenting a pitch all on his lonesome. A great parallel from the start of the film.
If there were a flaw to point out, it could be the balancing act of the stories. Towards the end, characters can take a back seat while some sudden dealings pop up. We don’t get a look into the personal lives of these characters, yet we can still see them change as people across the story. But we don’t get a deeper look into the reasons for their choices. And while being accessible, the story isn’t super exciting to follow except when conflicts arise. An example of this is a scene in the film where Mike and Jim lose the prototype of the BlackBerry, moments before pitching it to executives. The real tension comes from how they will deal with the situation, not what the logistics of the pitch are, and the filmmakers know this and play it smart.
The movie ends on a strong scene that really gets the message across of what has happened in the last two hours. Whereas some of its other contemporaries revel in the success of a product, such as Air, BlackBerry isn’t afraid to show the demise of a company. The rise and fall of what once was a tech giant. From strong performances to comical jokes, BlackBerry delivers on being an entertaining film while never diving too far into the nitty gritty behind the logistics of what it’s like to make a mobile phone.
Dale Kearney is the Film Editor for Post-Burnout, and is a passionate film enthusiast, boasting multiple years studying and working within film, with an intrigue in all genres of film, from horror to comedies to musicals.