Afzal Shaikh (Afzals2007)

I know this is a controversial assertion, but Dead Ringers is the greatest movie of all time. Cronenberg's skillful technical realization of a complex concept and witty, knowing script make for a wonderfully multilayered movie about the tensions of love, sexuality and family; science, irrationality and madness. But what exalts Dead Ringers, at least in my eyes, is Jeremy Irons', who gives two of his greatest performances, disturbed and disturbing, yet beautiful and emotive as the Mantle twins (for which he should have won both best actor and best supporting actor Oscars). Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay is that, even after multiple viewings, I still see him, on the screen, as two separate but intimately linked persons. Bujold also gives a brave, adult performance as the actress Claire Niveau. One more thing needs to be mentioned is Howard Shore?s dark, affecting score

I first saw this film with great reluctance, but I was pleasantly surprised, not only by its uproarious comedy but also by its willingness to explore the dark emotional and cultural hinterlands of its complex characters, a double coup that few film comedies attempt, let alone master. Muriel is a girl lost in a dysfunctional family, misled by her domineering, adulterous father, who not only neglects the emotional welfare of his family, but is also a monomaniac sucking the life out of Muriel, her submissive, put-upon mother and suppressed siblings. Adding to the misery of her uninspiring background is the philistinism and aggression of her small-town 'Aussie' society, from which she retreats into a world of ABBA-supported fantasy. She escapes from this sorry situation by fraudulently using her father's credit card. She becomes like a bird, set free, with the encouragement of her worldly friend, small-town-girl-made-good, Brenda. But it's not all plain sailing. Muriel changes her name and sets out to make the most of her new, fantastic life, but she and Brenda find themselves in crisis, a crisis that can only be solved by confronting the ghosts that lurk back at home. All this sounds hard going because director PJ Hogan and his main actors, the outstanding Toni Collette and Brenda Griffiths, are committed to pursuing their characters emotional truths. However, while achieving more artistically than most high-minded dramas, Muriel?s Wedding also succeeds as a highly enjoyable comedy, because the former and latter go hand-in-hand.