"That's Fucked Up!" Cinema

The most poetic and subdued entry in the Vengeance trilogy. Of course there's tunning imagery. Of course there's a tight script with great form. Of course there are moments that will echo with you forever.

Most fucked up movie and most fucked up fictional family I've seen yet. Anything extremely taboo is stacked together like a sandwich. Some incest, lactation fetish, forced defecation, rape with a microphone, impromptu murder, regular beatings, and corpsefucking combines with the theme of family values and the cycle of violence and bullying. I defy you to watch this entire movie.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: corpse voids itself of feces whilst father character rapes it and then the family helps dad get his wee wee out of his dead colleague

the modern day equivalent of M. The best film in the Chanwook Park Vengeance trilogy. It took him two movies to get there - one that is very subdued and avant-garde (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) followed by one that is a formulaic action movie, Oldboy - and here in Lady Vengeance a perfect balance is struck between the script and image making for an excellent, much overlooked, film.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: main character cuts her finger off as offering of forgiveness; schoolmaster rapes his wife casually at dinner table

Hot Gay Sex List Commentary:
This is a rarity for this list, as there is only a smudgeon of explicit sex in it (at the very beginning), but it simultaneously contains the most erotic scene ever filmed in which two Holocaust prisoners talk each other through a sexual encounter, whilst standing ten feet apart, not looking at each other, and whispering under the ever watchful eye of Nazi guards. On top of that, I think it's the best Holocaust film; I prefer it to Schindler's List.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the really cute twinky boy is brutally beaten by Nazis on the train to death camp whilst his boyfriend watches, forced to deny knowing him in order to survive

Lynch fans will not be disappointed. Lynch discusses his earliest short works (from his first film through the short preceding Blue Velvet), all of which are terrific and visually arresting.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
"The Alphabet", sound in "The Amputee"

Wes Craven's debut has caused me to have many a debate with other horror fans, who think the movie doesn't have the same ability to shock in today's market, but I was freaked out, whereas most current stuff of this type just makes me laugh. I think the characters have alot, for me, to do with sustaining the fear this movie can generate.

Horror Not to Miss List Commentary:
As so many films have been influenced by this one little no budget indie project (and two of horror's biggest names Craven and Sean Cunningham began their careers with it), it is essential viewing for horror students. And for those who want a movie with realistic killers and fully expressed personalities, watch this instead of your SawHostel tripe.
"So Fucked Up" highlight: forcing the girl to urinate herself (actress really did it on set)

Horror Not to Miss List Commentary:
Ramp Noir is comprised of four short pieces all based upon the writings of valued horror writer Edogawa Rampo. The first is the most art-house, avant-garde, lacking sound and existing within a world of its own colors and kineticism. The next is an astoundingly creepy detective horror with a superb mythical-meets post-modern/surreal ending. The third is one of the most beautiful disgusting movies you'll ever see, with much astute - no, plain genius - subtext. The final piece feels like a good end, as it has the least ambiguous conclusion and the most gratuitous beautifully rendered decay and madness.
Everyone should see this so that they can know what proper modern horror film is supposed to be.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
wife simultaneously copulates with and tortures her crippled mute husband, who sort of likes it

Horror Not to Miss List Commentary:
I recommend you obtain the fully-featured DVD version of this, as many of the purposefully unanswerable questions about production that the movie raises are all answered in a documentary featurette and an "only when relevant" commentary from director Deodato and the movie's main protagonist. This film is infamous because it sparked legal action regarding the use of animals in film and the director Deodato was arrested under suspicion of murdering his actors (he didn't kill any people) and the film was banned in virtually every country, and had the unconfirmed reputation of being "the most banned movie in history".
Besides all that great hoop-la and film history, Cannibal Holocaust has got a great premise and the tactic of showing "found documentary footage" that is consuming the horror genre now, though 'The Blair Witch Project' is usually credited in mainstream sources with this innovation. Some extremely brutal scenes that leave no question in the viewer's mind as to why audiences thought all or most of the violence was real.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the adultery punishment ritual

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the whole plot

Builds to a great ending. a bit too obsessed with lactation. This is best described as a surrealistic thriller. As usual, Miike makes a list of extreme activities and mashes them together to make grotesquefest. Not as nasty as Visitor Q. Too slowly paced, but some full characters and obviously fantastic visuals.

"So Fucked Up" highlight
the conclusion, and the way in which "Soup Ladle Yakuza Boss" dies

I had a gigantic article praising this cheese romp but it was either lost in the shuffle or removed because of the naughty language oooh

Anyways see this flick if you want great satire of the oddest movie genre in history (zombies).

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
couple of zombie hos beat a four foot zombie penis with ketchup and mustard containers for all of their mutually assured sexual pleasure

This is a landmark gorefest, with some of the most inventive torture scenes in cinematic history. The plot is a little convoluted but I believe that's because when this transfered from manga to script, alot of characters and unnecessary segments were kept which could have been condensed.
Also I've been mislead by the box art for years now. Having just watched it, I now know that the character on the posters is not the infamous Ichi, but his masochistic equivalent Kakihara, who is a far more interesting, if less complex, character than Ichi.
Some of the CG doesn't fit right, especially the halved body or the first time Kakihara unhinges his whole jaw, and that's not acceptable when the semen used in the title sequence is real (and looks it). Miike could have re-shot the halving scene in a more traditional "Cube" way and it would have been just as good.
Kakihara should (if you are a stable human being) blow you away with his insane acts of self mutilation; they're truly impeccable and Kakihara is a villain of the highest order.

MSG TO YOU PEOPLE KNOW WHO YOU ARE: DO NOT WATCH A FUCKING DUB. These dubs redo everything INCLUDING screams and gasps and it just RUINS the movie (obviously the creators wanted viewers to not favor the dubs as they are done so shittily). Dubbed, you won't get the full experience; it's a complete star rating worse with the dubs.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:

Must-see horror. Best to go into this knowing nothing. A new classic, with some of the most gripping gore to splatter the screen in decades. This is one of those movies where I feel the only substantial thing I have to say is, "Why haven't you seen this yet?"

"So Fucked Up" highlight: supposedly dead and eyeless policeman rises and fights back

It's been three years since I last screened this movie, so watching it last night and reflecting upon all the horror movies I've been watching, I realize that I've been letting too many movies get away with sloppy scripts. As SPUN demonstrates, a great script is easily achievable if there is any talent behind the effort. This film is more humorous to me now that I've seen the shock moments in the past, and can now view the film more objectively. Rourke is insansely awesome in this role, so much so that when I saw it first 3 years ago, I did not recognize him until the credits rolled. All the acting is top notch here. I really don't know who Brittany Murphy is other than she gets alot of press attention and people say she is overrated as an actress; I disagree based on her performance in this, if she is atrocious at other roles, at least she has "crankhead" to fall back on. Love the cinematography style, the realistic bent of the story and characters.
One has to have thick skin not to be weirded out be this movie; it is, after all, a portrait of meth addicts, and that world accurately translated could never be pretty. Also, the score by Billy Corgan is amazing with special mention of Corgan's band Zwan covering "The Number of the Beast" acoustically, which is the title credits theme. Just a great film, will cause me to relieve some inferior pieces of unjustifiable stars.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
girl tied to bed for days listening to loud CD player skipping

"So Fucked Up" highlight: Momma's face begins falling into the soup

Great. S'nuff said. Biggest complaint about this movie: nobody bothers with any sort of lube. wtf?

"So Fucked Up" highlight: candle held just beneath cock corona

It's a movie that lingers with you because of its taboo elements, but not to the overblown extent of Happiness or Visitor Q as this story follows a smaller number of characters. This is the sort of film where you don't want to discuss it in a simple review because it will give too much away. I will say that this movie falls into that rare category in which a graphic rape actually serves more purpose than audience-targeted shock value. The worst thing about the two main characters' arcs is that one goes through a complete evolution (Brian), but the other remains static (Neil). I feel this is a purposeful comment, but still unsettling as in we want to see some sort of more profound realization on Neil's part. The dangling end of this movie is frustrating not because it is vague (it isn't) but because the movie could stand to have another sequence or scene tacked on after it. Kudos to the creator's for showing me a new level of terrible with the "five dollar special".

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
ugly bear guy rapes our anti-hero, "five dollar special"

Of the Chanwook Park Vengeance trilogy, Oldboy is the middle piece, the one with the least subtext and the most predictable, and not surprisingly the one with the most orchestrated glorified violence that the American market devours. And the one with the most pointless "twists" may I add, whereas plot "twists" in the other movies unravel like a perfectly dropped ball of yarn cascading in a straight line down a staircase.

This is the weakest movie of the trilogy, and anyone wishing to understand the subtext of Chanwook''s vision should at least do him the courtesy of watching Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance before taking to analyze this is terms of theme because the movies are meant to be like a chord. One note - nothing but repetitive sound. Three notes- a chord. And Oldboy is an annoying note. It's a great movie but it's just not anywhere as good as the other two.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
Dae-su chokes on real live octopus

This is such a fun exploitation flick. It suffers from a few filming problems (jump cuts that don't reveal what just happened, esp the race against the random "Boy Next Door" at the beginning). A great thriller story, and you can clearly see the influence on today's directors, especially Tarantino, and the rumor that he would do a remake of this has been reported numerous times on cinephile sites, but he sort of did his version of this with Death Proof and the Kill Bill films.
For my horror fan friends, this isn't horror perse but it is a very cool psychological thriller you need to check out if you have appreciation for compelling story as opposed to just gore. The body count is plenty high, but the accent here is on the distinctive characters and this odd world they've happened into. A must-see for anyone interested in film history as this film personifies much of the commonalities in exploitation film and bridges the gap between the masters of the 50s and the upped visual ante of the 70s.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
conclusion of the story

"So Fucked Up" highlight: shooting the wife on accident

The shock value of this movie isn't there as much for me as film-goers of this film's time, because, well, I'm a product of the internet generation and a singing asshole is something I would casually download nowadays. That said, this is still a sick movie in many ways, as is intended, and it's WAY more fun than your average exploitation fare. Good to see some unflinching nudity without a care, and even better that a chicken died mid-coitus in order to make this movie.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: murder at the conclusion

Interesting premise, tight form. Hard to care about the characters except a select few - still better empathy here than in most gorefests like this. (Two weeks later) After two more watches, still feel the same amount of connection to characters (just enough but not that much).
A fun ride, a good movie, and well executed, this is a new classic in the Asian gorefest category. A remake is in the works for the American market, but this is truly a sublime staging of slaughter.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
girls in the watchtower go stir crazy and kill each other

Brilliantly filmed in the b/w mode that is so consistent and effective that it suggests color at times (I often find that the best b/w or greyscale pieces play these optical tricks). I watched this with someone who ached before it began, "Am I gonna hafta read subtitles for this one?" , but twenty minutes into it, after declaring that the b&w "wasn't annoying" demanded that I not pause the film because he was "really into this now". This viewer, who I'd compare to your average 18-21 American movie watcher, had only one complaint of this movie: "They should have show n like more blood and stuff when the people get killed". So I think just based on that person's experience, I can safely recommend this movie to anyone who likes action/thrillers/noir even if they're the type that can't stand foreign films and would rather be watching "Shoot Em Up".

As for my views on it, I think the main actor performs perfectly. As I said before, the shots are beautiful and the cinematography is sublime. Overall, the acting is great and the story is simply genius. The psychological tension created in this movie overwhelms the bloody visual wallops of the best comparable American films. I haven't seen 13 Game Sayawng and I don't know which derives from the other, but I was plenty satisfied by this film that I'm not interested in seeking out a similar piece which may potentially be inferior.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: when the protagonist doesn't fire during the first round

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the introductory scene

"So Fucked Up" highlight: (personal bone to pick) exploitation of trans issues, what happens to Sal

It's great that Wrong Turn was made because that caused Wrong Turn 2 to be made!

This sequel is a hell of an upped ante. More bodies, better kills, more original premise, better script, improved effects. For horror fans, the first movie is just a regurguatation of so much that we've seen already, but Wrong Turn 2 allows itself to be self-deprecating and campy, which makes for a much better flick.

There are some fantastic kill sequences in this flick that I won't soon forget. My favorite is when a girl is perfectly halved, and two creatures each drag a half, leaving minimal blood behind (which means that I think it is staged in a way that it knows this is ludicrous having two perfect body halves, so why make that more outrageous by showing us massive amounts of blood so early on?). Because plenty later, we get all the blood splatter we want, and it's mostly the creature's blood.

This flick has actually got some scary moments, some grotesque moments, some funny moments, and some thrilling action moments. A must watch for horror fans.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the creatures giving birth

Just finished re-watching the Cube series, and this is still my favorite entry. The drama is tight, and the production design is actually my favorite of the three Cube movies. This is a suspense movie that has broad appeal, whereas the sequels would only appeal to people fascinated with the "Cube" idea. This is solidly shot with great acting, and establishes a consistent mood of the many emotions one would experience inside the Cube: hopelessness, claustrophobia, frustration, exhaustion, and the lunacy that results.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the conclusion

"So Fucked Up" highlight: devil rape montage

Frightening for its realism, tight characterization, solid dialogue, and shocking shots, this is a superior examination of serial murders, and not a genre film, but a legitimate drama with psychotic twists.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the conclusion

solid indie horror flick. great production, good acting, fun gore scenes, interesting and humorous characters.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the "installation" that is really real

7-27-08
Re-screened this over my NY/DC trip last week with a huge Rodriguez fan, and I actually taught HIM some things about this movie and gave him a quick education on what the "grindhouse" genre actually is.
Comments I've always needed to write about this film: Not only is this a perfect tribute to its genre, it would fit right along the films it glorifies had you released it 30 years ago. Rodrigues not only fully understands these films, he fully understands how to make one. This is by far the superior movie of the Grindhouse Double Feature, and you can teach people all about grindhouse, exploitation, and giallo simply by going through the film scene by scene and discussing which movie(s) that scene is alluding to. Even for people who don't have an internal image database of those classic flicks, this is still one helluva fun ride that also bothers to treat us to some great dialogue and wonderfully absurdist script. A must see for SO many people, ESPECIALLY fans of the general horror or action genres; this is a great gateway flick to introduce you to the films of days gone by.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the babysitters

"So Fucked Up" highlight: stairwell sequence

"So Fucked Up" highlight: shower/mirror scene

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the plot twist

"So Fucked Up" highlight: fucking on the blood bed

"So Fucked Up" highlight: girl pukes herself to death

"So Fucked Up" highlight: brother locked in self-made prison