Jan 29: Rubber

"When Robert, a tire, discovers his destructive telepathic powers, he soon sets his sights on a desert town; in particular, a mysterious woman becomes his obsession."

   From the very beginning, Rubber grabs your interest. The opening is a man giving a monologue about the concept of "no reason" in films, stating that so much just simply happens because it can.  Rubber is an "homage to the no reason- the most powerful element of style" and it is because of that fact, the film succeeds in its own way. There is no need to question why a tire goes around killing animals and people because you know it's all happening for no reason. It just simply occurs, and we simply watch it all happen. It's a strange concept to accept but, if you can, Rubber proves to be a lot more interesting than you'd think. Plus, heads explode, which is always pretty awesome. 

The most famous head explosion of all time. 

   Because of its "no reason" philosophy, Rubber is a hard film to explain. It's baffling in that you can't tell if there is symbolism in something, or if it's completely without reason. The film is open to interpretation and would definitely spark some interesting conversation. In the film, an "audience" watches the tire's actions from far away with binoculars and provide commentary on what is happening but, even then, what actually plays out is just too weird to explain. It's almost like a dream where after you wake up, you can't explain what happened but have the images dancing around inside your head. 

Only after waking up will he realize he has no clue of what the f**k just happened. 

   The acting in Rubber is surprisingly decent for this type of film. None of the people involved really show signs of wanting to get out of the movie they are in, and it all just fits in its own weird way. The special effects are very, very good and each head explosion and animal kill looks real, not that I've ever actually seen it happen. Robert, the tire, moves in a realistic (?) way and you believe he's alive. It's rather impressive how much character the filmmakers gave a tire. He even falls in "love" with a woman and kills anyone that hurts her. 

Voted "Most Likely to Pop a Tire's Heart" in high school

   Overall, Rubber proves to be entertaining in the weirdest of ways and it isn't as bad a movie as I thought it would be. I just finally got around to watching it because I was weary of the ridiculous premise. In an astonishing way, I really don't regret wasting 90 minutes watching it. I do not, however, think it is a movie I would revisit or even recommend. It exists simply to exist, with no reason at all, and it's up to the movie-watching population to decide whether or not it's worth his or her time. The film does have a very dragged out ending and its conclusion only frustrates and confuses the viewer even more. The whole thing just leaves you in awe, as in, you sit and wonder what the f**k just happened. 

Sight:The film is shot very well and many of the scenes featuring an alive tire seem real. The special effects are superb and the whole thing is really fun to watch... I think.

Sound: The sound the tire makes before he blows someone's head off makes you feel uncomfortable and the smallest details in the sound of his movement and actions give him so much more character. 

Skill: The acting is great, which is absolutely surprising for a film with such a premise as Rubber.

Script: Smart and unique, but confusing and bizarre, the script of Rubber does what I only assume the filmmakers needed it to do.

Overall: a baffling 6.5/10

Best Quote:

Lt. Chad: "My God, the kid was right. The killer is the tire." (after witnessing someone's head explode)