4.09.2007

Movies You Should See -- Pin

Pin (1988) -- dir. Sandor Stern, Canada

I guess this needs a disclaimer: This film is not of the highest caliber as far as production values go. It is not a great film, but it is a film with great ideas executed ably. In fact, I may only like this film because my expectations for it were so low.

Pin is the story of Leon and Ursula, a brother and sister whose parents die in a car accident. The mother was a fanatically clean person and the father was distant, focused more on his career as a pediatrician. The father uses ventriloquy and a life-sized doll named Pin to tell his patients about what's happening in their bodies. He also uses Pin to explain things to his children. This causes Leon to form an unhealthy fixation on the inanimate object, and when the parents die, Pin is his last connection to his father.
Ursula does her best to raise her brother, but his burgeoning psychoses strain their relationship. Her suitors are focal points of his jealousy and rage and eventually a showdown has to occur.
David Hewlett of Stargate Atlantis stars as Leon. Terry O'Quinn from The X-Files plays the father. Sandor Stern, the writer/director does a great job with voice over and touching all the psychological bases. Make time in your busy movie schedule for Pin--I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Goes well with:
Psycho
When a Stranger Calls

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

why do I remember this movie? Did you force me to smoke pot and watch it, is that why?

jeremy said...

I don't know--Eddie and i watched it in our 'watch-every-horror-movie-that-hasting's-has-to-offer' phase, and I think I only saw it that once with him. But chances are, I did ply you with marijuana and mushrooms and forced you to watch it.
Like I said, its not a great movie, but you know how the first fifteen minutes of "When a Stranger Calls" totally sticks with you (so much so that you can barely even remember Colleen Dewhurst was in it)? That's kinda how this film is. Except not as blatantly terrifying as Stranger.

Anonymous said...

i'm late on this, but how was dj heather (assuming you were there)?? how's neumos for house shows?