Circle

Aaron Hann / Mario Miscione, 2015

IMDB

3/5

There a handful of films (Buried, The Man from Earth, 12 Angry Men, Pontypool, Rear Window and a lot of Hitchcock's work for that matter) that take place in a single location. With a limited setting, you need to have a good script powering the narrative. Because you are going to be stuck with these characters for 90 minutes or so, they NEED to be interesting.

Circle takes place in a single room. A bunch of strangers awaken from an mysterious daze and find themselves placed upon red circles like human board game pieces. They realize quite quickly that they are part of an odd social experiment. When one of them steps off of the red circle that they stand on, they die. Not long after they realize that it's not the only way to die in the circle room. Seemingly at random, the ominous eye at the center of the room zaps an innocent victim. But then they determine it's not random. Not only is it not random, they are actually in control of who gets exterminated. What transpires is a dark social experiment where everyone in the room makes a stand for their life, and also has to play executioner to the people standing around them. What starts off as superficial judging turns into moral examinations. The numbers dwindle down and the experiment turns into pure Survivor-esque strategy. It's interesting that you really don't spend a whole lot of time with the poor people in the room. But because of their dilemma, you are forced to learn a lot about them rapidly. Like they are making a stand for their lives, and because of that they reveal themselves much faster than they would over a cup of coffee where they have all of the time in the world. The end result is a really inventive and unique movie, one that feels like an indie hybrid of Saw, the aforementioned 12 Angry Men and the not-often-mentioned Cube.

The Purge: Anarchy

James DeMonaco, 2014

Can I Stream it?

1/5

This sequel to the 2013 film, which was also directed by DeMonaco, focuses on a group of people caught outside in Los Angeles at night in the middle of the annual Purge. The man attempting to lead the group to safety (Frank Grillo) is eager to break away from the group to seek revenge on a man who walked free from a prosecution error.

How does a filmmaker expect you to get behind a group of characters that provide virtually no likability? It's surely the biggest pitfall of the film. Because you don't care about them. The annoying couple. The barely developed pair of women with the ambiguously ailing father. Instead of any maturation, the film becomes an elaborate torture-porn piece displaying a highlight reel of violence. It attempts to build upon the premise of the original Purge film by providing more bullets, a bigger backdrop, but it provides less structure. Maybe DeMonaco needs those four walls. It's like a crippled version of Escape from New York, without Snake Plissken or the surprisingly awesome Carpenter score. The annoyances don't cease with the characters themselves. There's that annoying situation where no bullets seem to hit their target, even though it's high capacity assault rifles firing in a specific direction. The film attempts to explore some class warface issues, but from the second you see the traffic cams in the tractor trailer you get a clear sense of what's going on. The original Purge film was running on a plot that was contained and interesting enough to keep you engaged. And oddly enough it felt like it could have been bigger. Anarchy attempts to go bigger but it's clear that DeMonaco is not the man for the job.

Top Five Films That Take Place in a Day

Some films take place in a single day, and it actually feels quite evident (12 Angry Men, Clerks). It’s doesn’t necessarily indicate a negative aspect of it by any means. Nothing wrong with a simple story if it works. But there’s also others, ones that are able to develop rich characters in a short period of time, or are just simply loaded with action (Die Hard, Cloverfield, From Dusk till Dawn), or others that take you on an emotional journey. But ultimately there’s those precious few that make such a lasting impact that the the single-day story is just cemented in our minds.

5. Before Midnight (2013)

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Linklater’s previous two Before films could have easily made the list, but the third really takes it to a different level. While the first two have a more budding innocence powering them, the third is charged with unfiltered honesty and a comfortable lack of restraint. The final act feels so real that it’s haunting to the married couples viewing it.

4. Dazed and Confused (1993)

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Another Linklater film to make the list. Dazed captures the uncomplicated freedom of one’s youth during the high school years. Where minor conflicts feel so big, and little do you realize how small they will actually be when you grow older.

3. Training Day (2001)

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Not only a single day film but rookie cops first day on the violent, unforgiving streets of Los Angeles. And hey, what do you know? Two Ethan Hawke films make the top five. Weird.

2. Magnolia (1999)

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Magnolia packs an emotional punch and of course, some unforgettable imagery. It’s largely performance-driven from Tom Cruise’s incredible supporting role to Julianne Moore’s manic meltdown. Probably has the most developed characters of all of the films on the list, big surprise (*sarcasm) coming from the extraordinary Anderson.  

1. Groundhog Day (1993)

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The ultimate (many, many, many) single day picture. What is left to say about this film? It’s a beloved American classic, easily one of the best films ever made. Certainly not the last time it will appear on a top five list. Ned Ryerson? BING!