netflixed "the machinist" out of curiosity to see how thin christian bale was just before filming "batman begins". at first, it's almost too uncomfortable seeing him so deathly thin to even watch the film. there is this one point in the film where you go "ah" and from there you are hooked. if a film does not have that, you will not be engaged and you will not enjoy it. i can't quite say when that moment was for me, but there is something overall about the style of the film that is nostalgic and i took pleasure in that. the soundtrack was definitely hitchcock/hermann-esque. the overall sense of the film is like "memento" in that the main character is trying to remember something about his past and has a hard time piecing it together or believing it once the pieces settle in place. the film never gives answers or reasons for all the details that are unveiled but that adds to the intrigue. this is definitely a film to be watched more than once to full savor the flavors.