Being John Malkovich dir. Spike Jonze

I liked the concept of the movie, but the way the story was conveyed was... bizarre, to say the least. I think there was an attempt to jam pack too many side stories into the span of a few hours. It was interesting to see the purpose of the portal though, with the elderly man being able to become in a way immortal. It is the very oddity of this film that made it interesting to watch, but at one turning point it became a bit overwhelming.

There was a clear parody of John Malkovich career, when even some of the characters didn't know him by name. I had seen him other movies, but he was always in minor role and would only appear briefly. But in this movie he soon becomes a god-like figure in the eyes of the characters that discover the portal. For Lotte, it is her opportunity to discover herself, and what she really desires. For Craig he was able to fully use his skills as a puppeteer on a living being. To see the puppet master take over John Malkovich was surreal, and involved a lot of superb acting on Malkovich's part. Maxine, the antagonist, brings out the worst all of the characters.  Maxine gets the great idea to sell the "John Malkovich experience" and soon becomes a drug of sorts. Their thoughts influence his actions, and thus he appears as a figure struggling with multiple personalities. Although Craig is the puppeteer, the real one pulling the strings is Maxine. She is manipulative and overall cruel, until the end where her personality changes completely. 

     It had an appealing concept, but overall it was too twisted. This movie became too surreal for me, and about halfway through the movie, I tried to stop making sense of it. It remained creepy right up until the credits began to roll.