"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: the jaw unhinged properly, Kakihara having himself tortured

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?"

After a second screening, I've noticed some cool details: the address of the house is 666, the film uses fade wipes not to indicate passage of much time but to indicate a shift in perspective (except for once towards the very end), the first time the killer is in the house her shadow appears pregnant. As I recall from the first screening, the house feels incredibly womb-like and I still can't exactly decipher how the director does this other than pure pacing, tension, some of the soundtrack, and the story itself. The sound is brilliant and is responsible for making the kills seem so immediate and vicious. The whole final scene, but especially that final creepy shot is excruciatingly horrifying to the extent that it almost makes me want to quit the horror genre. Few films have delivered such genuine and unforgettable scares. I was left genuinely frightened and creeped out at the conclusion, feeling that same residual horror that The Exorcist leaves stained upon your brain. I'm ratcheting this up to five stars.
"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

An extremely impressive neo-realist film, worthy of several repeated screenings. Punctuated with just the right amount of naturalistic dialogue and humour, and the image has a flawless ability to make events which are sometimes too serendipitous for narrative film work incredibly well within this illusion that we are watching real footage. Beyond being a very raw portrait of murder, this film is extremely poetic and the main character is unforgettable.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
main character kills friend for no apparent reason at birthday celebration, film-makers take part in a rape/double murder

UPDATE 7-30-08
yeh, i friggin love it. genius, duh
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I saw it for the first time yesterday, but I cannot thoroughly appraise it yet. I was a bit underwhelmed, but I do tend to have a hot or cold reaction on first screenings. My biggest gripe: needed more Ben (Dean Stockwell's character). This movie feels like the abridged version of Twin Peaks. Frank Booth is a great character, but Kay-Lo (Kyle MacLaughlin) was intolerable in this one (cept I did like that cheeky glance at his dangler). Need to rescreen a few more times before I can rate this one. Then again, Lynch is in that rare category where "ratings" are irrelevant to the degree that it's like asking a toaster its marital status.
"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the "zombified" yellow man

I screened this for the second time today and its rating jumped a star. The first time I saw this was right after being stunned by "The Last House on the Left" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" so it was tough for me to be as stunned by this in comparison. Watching it now, it's a solid classic story and an extreme accomplishment of Craven's to make daylight in an open desert area as scary as a dark cramped place. I love the juxtaposition of the two families, and despite the production value (Craven didn't have) the shots are great and the editing is tight. This movie spun, not as big as Freddy but just as important, a world and story to be treasured (as much as you can treasure your cannibal serial killers). Great hard end.
"So Fucked Up" highlight: Big Bob death distraction

Horror Not to Miss List Commentary:
This middle movie of Herschell Gordon Lewis' Blood trilogy offers a great contrast of the grotesque with large celebration. The acting gets a bit annoying, and any gore hound will complain that their isn't enough blood on the screen, but I think what is there and what is implied is sufficient. I get tired of the victims wandering about befuddled and acting poorly in a "middle of a Twilight Zone episode" sort of way, but it pays off when those scenes cut to a killing ritual occuring simultaneously on the other side of town. Don't waste your time with the over-gored and shitty remake '2001 Maniacs' until you've watched Lewis' hugely influential piece.
"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the barrel roll

not underrated, but mostly underseen. Fantastically dark and openly inquisitive Allen drama. Match Point lovers, be prepared to set the bar a bit higher for Woody Allen dramas.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: whole plot

I watched the whole August Underground series in one go, and this is the only movie I kept in my collection. It's the most extreme, feels the most natural and charged, and finally does the good deed of working with three killers. A vast improvement over the first and far better than its followup; perhaps that has something to do with the fact that Fred Vogel is no longer charged with directing. This is extreme for snuff even, with the most intense scene involving a severed penis rape. Perfect balance between camera quality and effects quality (effects are extremely high quality and better than most professional productions). The visual quality is compromised on purpose to capture the handheld/found footage aesthetic and of all three movies this strikes the best balance between overplanninng and underplanning in terms of shot composition and how much jerky hand tremble shooting is allowed. A great extreme movie, and the only entry in the August Underground series worthy of notice.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: forcing guy to cut his own penis off, the friend's basement playroom

So this is a snuff love story, shot in handheld style, and it's only barely better than the first (only because the visuals are finally filmed at a better quality). I'm glad that there are the two characters exchanging things here, but this movie just can't compete with the extremity of the second August Underground movie. The biggest failure of the first movie was the lack of attempt at narrative or characterization, and this one tries to remedy that, but not convincingly so. Too many moments worth fast-forwarding through, and the induced shame scenes are not nearly as extreme as past entries. The gore is just as good, as now it is filmed so that it can be seen and one can truly appreciate the effects work. Like I said of the first one, better than your Saws and Hostels, but not this generation's Cannibal Holocaust.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
characters annoyed at having to clean up

The title and box suggest a subdued Euro horror verite, but this is old fashioned North American handheld homemade horror. For that genre, or just as a realistic spat of serial killing, there are some great scenes but nothing holding this together as a cohesive piece. The biggest problem with this one is focusing on the one killer and not exposing more of the cameraman's nastiness. This is a few steps above what is passed off as serial killer movies today in the mainstream market, and any of those tweens supporting crapstream horror who accidentally watch this won't be able to take it. Course the visuals are astonishingly terrible, leaving one longing for the fine lens of Miike to better film the snuff. Does the movie feel real during some spots? Yes. Does that make me any more impressed with it as an intentional piece of work? No, because it needs to have some more thought and composition behind it, at least in visual terms so that it hangs together. If you can't stand another mediocre PG-13 horror, then watch this mediocre extreme film instead for all the right sins. It's just that I've seen *real* snuff done more artfully than this. That, and considering how much that main actress in the chair got paid, these guys could have broken down and afforded a better camera.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
rubbing shit on the tied-up girl's partially sliced off nipple

hobos ruled by a homeless king that play keep-away with a severed penis

This is standard Asian shock horror (or Asian Extreme as the dsitributor would like you to label this genre of new ultra-gory ultra-absurd, yet incredibly realistic towards the portrayal of absurd violence, movies).
I liked the first 'Art of the Devil'; the story/script, as is typical for Asian shock imports, is much more amped, with more twists, and certainly more characters than the first movie, and certainly more than an American audience would get in a ported release. Instead of one twist in your typical shite American scareflick, you get about five. Instead of one character with a dark past, the majority of main characters have bloody and nasty secrets. And I say "gimme more, more, more" because that's the way this genre works. Americans screw up imports of similar titles to this by simplifying the plot (less writers to pay), scaling down the amount of characters (less actors to pay), copying the gore scenes essentially cut for cut, but then KEEP all the plot holes and continuity errors and DROP the consistent pacing, which in a "gorefest", these plot/script flaws are only excusable when they are done to the max as in Asian horror. So mindfick me all you want, just do it as much as you can, like this movie does, or else the movie will suck. The only annoying thing in this movie is that it is dubbed instead of subbed, but I'd rather that over a full-blown American ported version anyway.
I love the aesthetic qualities given to the production design of the blood, ghosts, and, in this movie, featured amphibians and aquatic life. I don't know why, but Asian directors just have a better grasp of what makes a f-ed up scenario look as f-ed as it actually is; meaning I think the kills are amplified and beyond the reach of your typical Dimension or Lions Gate trash. Even compared to the elaborate, and my only favorite of the series, Saw 3, the inventive diabolical behavior and mutilation is effectively executed in this movie to scare or stun me, as oppposed to me laughing at it (I'm talking about Eli Roth And Darren Lyn Bousman in particular here).
I've rated this the same as its predecessor, but I do think it is better and you don't have to see the first to understand this one. The premise is: people put curses on each other and no characters from the two movies cross over so feel free to skip the first, as it is slower paced. While the first really pays off all around, in the non-violent and grotesque scenes, this movie only shines for the grotesque, which is more abundant and equally creative, though if you like this, you must see the first, at least fast forwarding to all the kills, particularly the "snails" murder which is stunningly shot. In this one, the top murder is...tied between the "hooks" and "newts" scene. It's really badass. You gotta see this, horror fans.
"So Fucked Up" highlight:
finding out what's in the fish soup

Instead of watching a crap modern American horror movie, indulge in this evenly paced supernatural thriller. The dubs on the version I saw surely did not do the actors justice (they dub screams and sobs as well as dialogue). The gore scenes are evenly placed from each other, but linked together by compelling setup scenes. When the gore does kick in, we are introduced to some incredible visuals and also truly inventive ways to be killed. My only genuine criticism of this movie is that it is not good as other modern Asian horror, but that still makes it five heads above any recent Lions Gate releases.
Every horror fan MUST see the "snails" scene in this flick, it is too badass to skip.

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
the snails sequence

"So Fucked Up" highlight:
little kid at the end "I came! I came!"

a guilty pleasure

"So Fucked Up" highlight: recovered tape from hell

"So Fucked Up" highlight: Bob

My Logline: A Dirty Little Slut with a Forbidden Big Crush. A great art house portrait of loneliness, squalor, and sexual desire. Great anonymous sex scenes and some truly great erotic cinematography very partial to the callipygian lead. (I'd recommend a jerk before you watch this if you're ten percent the horndog that this main character is). There is very little dialogue but swimming pools of unspoken communication, tense as a hard-on and spread like petroleum jelly. The grungy filth is there though; this character is a garbage worker living in the streets, garbage warehouse, and rented rooms who steals from garbage bins for masturbatory articles of clothing and sneaks about his obsession's property. Don't read past the spoiler if you want to watch this. The problem with this film is the ambiguity of the pivotal point which causes the ending of the final act. It's not the (chronologically) non-linear editing of the scenes that bothers me, but the story; BIG SPOILER - I dislike the options of scenarios that are offered regarding the outcome of the capture and rape. Problem: in one scenario (the first scene actually) the guy is lovin Sergio pounding him in the kinky gear (when I first saw it, I didn't know it was non-consensual; I thought it was just some fetish stuff as both parties looked to be having intense pleasure.). In the other, Sergio just drags the guy out to street and leaves him somewhere, the only bit of action being Sergio dry humping him (without the zipper on the latex suit open) whilst securing his bonds. I want to know if Sergio degrades into the animalistic swine he is at the conclusion of the film because he has totally fulfilled his fantasy or he's completely pitifully failed at his attempt. Maybe the point is that both would lead to the ending's savage lack of humanity and loss of identity; that's pretty common of art house, but had I wrote it, I would have definitively picked one and explored THAT subsequent theory instead. Me myself, would be better that he got the more glorified version and fell into such utter despair that he no longer needs to function as a human so reverts to a primordial state, no longer able to exist in the human context, as opposed to failing at such a thing, stooping so low and doing something so primal, causes a human to lose their humanity (this answer is just flatter and more common sense as opposed to revealing like my choice).
ADDED NOTE NON-SPOILER
movie is loaded with sexually explicit scenes, plenty of nudity - lots of cok and arse, with some hot sucking and unusual masturbation.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: digging through trash for masturbatory material and then using it in combo with some auto-erotic asphyxiation

Plot Spoilers Necessarily Throughout This Review
I saw this movie by accident, thinking I had downloaded "The Descent", the horror movie about creatures attacking a group of cave climbers/campers who are all college age girls. So even through, the first rape scene, I thought, this is just another crappy B horror movie trying to start off by being "edgy", so I kept watching through Dawson's character waking up in the dilapidated drug house, thinking to myself "yeah this is probably just a drama and if it is not, it's a tacky convention to parallel *this* parabolic descent story with some creature-killin-in-caves and her redeeming herself by killing creatures, so she better torture that lil football poofter".
Problem is, I don't think this is that great of a performance from Dawson, just because you do a rape movie doesn't make your career.
And the movie fails on its point, because call me fucked up, but I enjoyed the revenge rape scene. Yup I don't mind some stuck up jock getting his ass split and kind of liking it, so for me that totally washes out the scene of Dawson's character getting raped. Compare this film to "O Fantasma", a real art-house movie that also includes plotted homosexual rape, and you will see that "Descent" cannot compare when it comes to depicting a character sliding into an amoral and degraded existence, which is ultimately the point of this movie, not all the graphic rape bookending the fall, but those are really the only compelling moments, which is never good for a director to say, "well at least it's got good rape scenes". So sadly that means the whole middle of the movie could have been gutted, so next time this director wants to do an effective feature, they may want to consider a rewrite to make sure there is sufficient material to cover it, instead of duping me into watching a piece that is seventy minutes too long.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: using a bedpost to get the anal rape started, that I was aroused by the muscley latin guy revenge raping the frat twat

"So Fucked Up" highlight: needle tracks

A truly scary serious drama. Between the kids' acting and the timeless villainess of Ruth, this is a definite keeper. It's real, it's brutal, and it's well paced. There are a few plot holes, but that may have been lack of attention span on my part, in which case the detail was too subtle but some of the plot clumsiness is intentional (SPOILER: Who sent the main character that painting? is the biggest hole). I was also sickened by the forced sentimentality of the girl's death; it just ruined what could have been otherwise a hard and sickening scene. SPOILER OVER

Overall, a great realistic depiction of derangement and child torture. The Ruth character is truly tops, and this movie needs to be seen just to experience her insanity.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: any of Ruth's dialogue

"So Fucked Up" highlight: main pretty boy character "rapes" a big breasted playboy bunnyish zombie that he keeps in a shed as a pet/sex object (can zombie sex be consensual?)

This gets two stars for being made without any serious acting or editing flaws. And it has thoughtful cinematography. That is all it does well. The only people who will see this are probably those already familiar with the true story, which is SO ripe for some really ground-breaking rule-breaking film-making but this film just turns into a sort of made-for-TV version of the story. There are four treatments of the story, and I wanted to see at least one of those (Lommel's 'Cannibal') before reviewing this, but I'm not gonna. The story, if you don't know, is about cannibal serial killer Armin Meiwes who advertised for a victim online, and found a willing participant named Brandes whose fantasy was to watch his penis be bitten off and devoured. Meiwes videotaped the "slaughter" of his "victim", which is why authorities and the press know that Meiwes was unable to bite the penis off, so Brandes had to settle for a knife. They both wanted to eat the penis, but Meiwes overcooked it after Brandes commented that it was too chewy raw. The movie does a fair re-staging (I wonder if the director/creators were able to see the real tape) but all of the gore is left out. We don't see any filet of dicklet or any anxious biting.... which that's half the reason I watched this - guaranteed fucked up combo of two fucked up things - castration and cannibalism. I also wanted to feel the bond between these two characters and how this act was making them whole, but all I got was Keri Russell's preachy and transparent voice-over, which her character was attempting to show "a sane and empathetic look at madness" but all it does is interfere in the pacing and mislead the audience. The acting between the two leads hits stride at certain moments, but for the most part Kretschmann is walking blocks around his counterpart. I also dislike the flashbacks of the men's childhoods, which is actually the reason why Meiwes was able to have this film banned in Germany (he didn't like people talking about his mommy issues). And I didn't like the movie using his mommy issues to prop up a Norman Bates figure for us, as serial killing is FAR more complex than an overbearing mommy. And, I need to say it again. I wanted more gore. One thing I don't know about this case (and I'm the sort of sick fuck that REALLY wants to see the real tape) is when Meiwes sliced off the penis, did he leave Brandes' balls on him or cut the whole sort of penile bulb out all at once? There's no reason why a movie with this content couldn't have answered my question there. In "Pink Flamingos", Waters wasn't afraid to show that Divine had let the manservant keep his balls, so why is a foreign director afraid of frontal nudity (of which there is NONE in this film) in today's market where the audience applauds when Hostel 2's protagonist clearly and nonchalantly slices off a penis and tosses it to hungry dogs as the movie's climax? I guess the director wanted to make something more meaningful, but he didn't and I don't know if they were able to use real transcripts/emails from the case, but alot of the crucial lines could have been better written.

I reluctantly place this movie on my "That's Fucked Up" Movies list but only because of the premise; I don't think this can compare by a mile to most of my other picks on the list, and the premise is really the most "fucked up" part about it, so I'll just choose the most chilling scene to me as my

"So Fucked Up" highlight: the first young guy who volunteers and then freaks out when he realizes Meiwes is for real

Still have to see Miike's portion. Will write or adjust a bit more if needed.

Based on Chan's "Dumplings" and Park's "Cut", I love this. My favorite Asian horrors are tending to fall into the "compilation" pile so far. Maybe I just have such bad ADD that, when it comes to horror, I'd rather three short tight stories totaling near or over two hours than one seventy to ninety minute piece that has to stretch its flesh and tension across such a long lapse of time. American films tend to deal with this by sucking (adding irrelevant character scenes, "metal music" and "gory stuff" montages, retreading a plot point that just caused another character's demise). Asian films just seem to keep layering and layering with new even more nasty details that either stay or become relevant (check the Art of the Devil movies for a good example of this layering). Obviously, I'm preferring that latter tactic, but it can be overwhelming and leave an audience member feeling emotionally exhausted before the movie's done (check out Park's Vengeance trilogy- I had to watch all of those films, though brilliant, in pieces).

"Most Fucked Up" highlight: bathtub scene at the conclusion of "Dumplings"

I just finished the novel and then re-screened this film. When I first saw it on its release year (pirated download then as well) I couldn't yet stomach much horror, and Oldman's makeup job creeped me out of seeing this.

When I saw it two years later, I loved the final scene where Krendler eats his own brains and could appreciate the storyline in Italy with the avaricious cop. I hated Moore's job and thought the Hannibal and Clarice scenes were lifeless as a result.

Now today: I watched the whole thing through again last night after finishing the book this weekend. I don't agree with which plot elements/characters are kept and which are discarded. I understand that the book's ending would have required Jodi Foster to make it believable, so I can accept this movie's cop-out.

I've done my fair share of hating on de Laurentis (check my Hannibal Rising review), especially for his unforgiveably 80s cheese 'Manhunter' that has somehow acquired a cult of appreciators. I was okay with his 'Red Dragon'; I did the same for that movie as for this - I read the book. While 'Red Dragon' has its flaws, it's not nearly as bad as this entry. That said, 'Hannibal
is nowheres near as shitty as 'Hannibal Rising' being that it still features Hopkins in some legitimately scary moments.
The pacing is incredibly off, and the scene composition in the Union Station scene is disappointing (done right, I'd have given this movie a full extra star). The Verger plot is compromised for some unknown reason (maybe Gary Oldman just didn't want any more to do with this movie than he had to in order to get paid). Which, speaking of money and how that's the only thing de Laurentis has, it's not used to give Mason Verger a proper effects treatment. In the book, he is severely worse off in terms of appearance than in the film (I really wanted to see the eye in the foggy glass artificial eyelid). Also, Mason's eel is left out of the story, as is his sister Margot who in the book makes the compelling argument for Mason's demise, whereas in the movie that job is illogically flagged off to Cordell like a last minute 'oh fuck we forgot about that part'.

Instead of taking up that Margot subplot, the movie spends time on the Starling/Krendler subplot and, for the most part, just regurgitates sound bytes from 'Silence' with Moore's voice dubbed in. I am now more forgiving of her role; if Foster hadn't defined that character, Moore would have had a real shot at this character, but all the work she puts into her scenes evaporates as soon as Hopkins is on screen with her, and not because of her acting, but because of the Hannibal/Clarice dynamic that Foster and Hopkins created.

The book is worth a read, but this movie - it's little more than frustrating masturbation from a desperate movie studio.
"Most fucked up" highlight: sharing his personal meal with the child on the plane (final scene)

Survival horror for the art house crowd, Calvaire has a unique oddness that drives its deranged story straight into the eyeballs of viewers. The horror here is in the insanity of the captors and the atmosphere of the area where the main character is stranded.

If you want silly excessive gore, this is not your movie. If you want a captive survival horror narrative that dares to flirt with believable mental illness and bothers to use the camera and cinematography to tell the story as much as dialogue, this is it.

This is middle of nowhere backwards crazy people done to a perfect chime; look no further for your pigfucking scene needs. I hereby declare that I believe this film is superior to "Deliverance".

"Most fucked up" highlight: the village dancing around the piano

I haven't watched the whole thign yet, so I can't rate it. I was sort of burned out on horror and extremity that day and this movie made ME stop as it was just too much exploitation for one day, so it's an automatic add to my "Fucked Up" list.

"Most fucked up" part so far: Sardu eats his dinner with burning candle off the back of an enslaved girl whose on all four limbs whose bottom is being burned by the dripping candle wax. Yeh it's a fucked movie. The guy sits pretty much exclusively on naked captive women and doesn't bother with chairs at his place.

An engrossing true account of living under the Khmer Rouge. I was first shown this movie as part of an American history class over four years ago, and the amazing cinematography and full force acting still stick in my mind. I will always remember the scene in which Dith Pran must pretend he doesn't understand what is being said on the radio. It is unfortunate that Mr. Pran is no longer living, as he was eager to correspond with anyone interested in his life and experiences; my teacher encouraged all of her students to e-mail him if they had questions, and various classmates staggered across the years had in-depth correspondence with him.

This is a well executed movie, and I would have given it a 4 if the dubs weren't so awful (the choice to dub screams and gasps is especially detrimental to the film). However, the story isn't compelling enough for me to seek out an original language subbed version, which is the only version you should be looking for (hard to find since Dimension Extreme re-released this stateside). Not a horror, but bloodier than your conventional thriller, this film fits nicely in the extreme category.
This movie clearly questions moral codes, and is a decent "game" movie that Saw-lovin tweens should watch to discover how this genre should be done. Great production design and standout editing.

Most "fucked up" highlights: the clothesline; saving the old man from the well.

Minimal dialogue, a film that tells its story with images instead. At first the pacing and cinematography were hypnotizing, but an hour in, the slowness was effecting my viewing experience. It's clearly a very visually calculated movie, and obviously wants to be considered art house.

Due to the minimal dialogue and articulate angles, this movie causes some plot ambiguity that I hoped would not be frustrating, that it would all sort of come together in the end and that acute observation could carry the bulk of the film. It does to an extent, but still too many relationships are left unexplained and there are some disposable characters that simply muddle the story. The main thing I longed for was some more revelation about the dynamic between Dr. Leo and Dr. Brown. The Coré character is chilling, and she certainly makes this fit in a "horror" mode, though it is primarily an art house mystery that emphasizes sex and sensuality with its many flesh-on-flesh closeups.

"Most Fucked Up" highlight: Coré at work on the "boy next door", Gallo's character (Dr.Brown) literally eats pussy

"New Wave French Horror": this is more an extreme cinema/art house film than horror, but the gory scenes and cannibalistic subject qualify it

For a horror film, this is a four because of the split genre format and genre commentary in the main character's narrating voice-over, as well as the demon creature and related effects. The sets are interestingly bare and bleak, and the actors know how to overact on purpose. The gore is pretty great and the practical effects are fun, and I can also tolerate the bits of CG effects.

The main reason I like this movie so much is that I would have written this script from the synopsis the same way that is done here. The framing technique gave away the ending to me, but I think that's because I was thinking about how I would do it vs. what would be the worst way to do it. The great thing is...they do it the worst way (the plot) and then switch it into the cleverer mode at the necessary points, leaving a stunner of an ending. The camera work, which is mostly brilliant save a few handheld scenes, matches which version of the story is at work, especially at the ending where the camera is most responsible for the creep-em-out factor.

A nice break from the slew of modern B movies with a modern B movie that seeks to subtly satirize itself and its genre.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: final reel

A decent documentary exploring the myth of snuff film, including an interview with producer Mark L. Rosen who saw a real snuff film while working as a distribution agent in the 70s. Also includes a thorough examination of filming war in the Iraq conflict and its impact on society. Some rare footage from the serial killers Lake and Ng who videotaped their torture sessions. A bit of debunking on the "Faces of Death" series and how this shows the delineation between death film and snuff film. Also cites some infamous exploitation films which simulate snuff. Good introduction to the concept and culture of snuff.

"So Fucked Up" Highlight: discussion and clip of the Eugene Armstrong decapitation

Another version of the Armin Meiwes story, except this one IS the ground-breaking film I expected from this story.

The mix of sound and image is positively hypnotizing, and the little dialogue there is has been expertly placed. Once we do get dialogue, this is the high caliber of it:
"I'm your flesh."

This is the film Grimm Love aka Rohtenburg wanted to be (see my review of it for more info). Where Grimm Love failed with minimalistic dialogue and scenes that attempt to convey unspoken layers of emotion, this film exceeds expectations. The connection between the two actors is nearly tangible, and I'm glad that there is a version of this story wherein the director is not afraid of male nudity and gore, especially for the crucial biting scene. The castration and cooking scene are even more explicit, enough to satisfy my sick curiosity about this story. And my question of "did he cut off just the dick or the balls as well?" is answered. I was disappointed that there was no dialogue about the penis being overcooked, but both characters suggest it by their dislike of the taste and inability to chew the meat. The bathtub scene is strikingly simultaneously tender and disturbing and a brilliant cinematic achievement. The butchering scene is the pinnacle of disturbing cinema.

The settings are unbelievably realistic and the room where the main event occurs is a perfect amplification of the anxiety, despair, and desire between the two characters.

This is the definitive extreme film with male homosexuality. This is on par with "Trouble Every Day" when it comes to the sublimely troubling mixture of sensuality and cannibalism. Never before has a film been so grotesquely beautiful.

"Hot Gay Sex" commentary: yet another selection where the steamy sex happens alongside a MUCH more severe taboo, this time of cannibalism

"So Fucked Up" highlight (this film has quite a few): vivid penile bleeding after the unsuccessful biting, the fluids flowing into the jar immediately following the castration by knife, carrying the leaking and defecating nearly-dead body through the house, the butchering scene with the cannibal sensually worshiping the internal organs, the "morning after" breakfast

When people say that the film is predictable in their reviews, they MUST mean that they know the torture sequence is EVENTUALLY coming and that Asami is psycho, right? (SPOILERS) Yall don't mean that you knew Asami had to quit ballet because her uncle abused her, that Aoyama would meet this uncle character, that Miike would pull an "inside the dream" sequence, that he had cut crucial revelations Asami makes about her past out of the first versions of the dates to insert them in the replays in the dream, that the hotel scene really didn't end where it did? Because I'm DAMN good at predicting even small plot details, and I HIGHLY doubt that you dolts saw the majority of that stuff coming. One or two things, I grant you. I knew that the man in the bag would be either the record industry man or the man from the bar, and that his limbs would be severed, so I'll give you one or two odd details you could predict, but all to the point that it made the crucial details predictable? Wanna say the movie's predictable - okay, as long as you mean that everyone knows the synopsis of "a man meets a girl and she tortures him". You may know physical torture from Asami is coming, but you couldn't have anticipated the layers of psychological torture the main character puts himself through in addition to the physical torture.

Because we know the synopsis, the first 48 minutes (which are devoid of scares or distortion and devoted to character and sedating the audience) can drag. It could easily be reduced to under ten minutes. Hell, you could just skip to the last thirty minutes of the film and still understand the whole story without missing the gore.

Maybe it's because I just saw Irreversible, but I thought it was a little dull to save the torture until the end. Seeing as Miike already plays with non-linear telling here, there's no reason why the torture scene couldn't have been earlier, and then the film reverts to showing how they met. I just think it's typical to build to a blood end, and it would be great to subvert that and Miike is the sort of director who would.

This is nearly describable as "weak for a Miike piece", but another flisxterer put it better by saying it is primitive, as in primitive early work. I wholeheartedly agree. Compared to other Miike fare, this is a TAME movie. But compared to the majority of American horror, this is in another league of accomplishment. I can tell that Miike was limited in terms of budget, which is why there is less gore than what he probably wanted, but he still films it SO beautifully. His flair for the eerie is uncanny, as proven by how he lights and shoots his main actress, who is a brilliant casting decision.

Miike fans may be underwhelmed, but many other audience members may vomit or turn the film off, uninitiated and susceptible fools they are.

"Most Fucked Up" highlight: meeting the guy in the bag and watching him eat his supper

This is a hypnotic film utterly self-contained and deserving of the proclamation as genius.

I was skeptical of this film, as I am skeptical of any movie that uses rape to sensationalize itself and gain publicity. Most films like that, the rape scene is the only decent part and the rest of the film is dreck. Well, this whole film is just astonishing, blinding, and mind-warping.

The camerawork had me in a trance state, and it is some of the most amazing cinematography I've seen in ANY recent film. For people who clearly do not know anything about film technique and openly admit that with their negative reviews of the cinematography: this isn't the handheld crap you gobble up at the box office, you just think that because you think "oh camera's moving and that means they mustn't have bothered setting up the shot", when actually these are some of the most cleverly coordinated sequences in film history.

I love the reverse linear implemented here, as it really drives home the film's spoken point: "Time ruins everything".

There is NO excuse for anyone serious about film not to view this entire work.

Hot Gay Sex commentary: another one on the list wherein the hot gay sex is a minor detail in a large shock/exploitation plot centered on rape. Still, the third scene of the film is entirely set in an uber butch leather/BDSM sex den, and features some quite memorable snippets, especially the guy begging to get fisted. There's also loads of male frontal nudity here - something Americans know next to nothing about.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: Bashing in the guy's face - it's one of the greater special effects achievements in history; it's HOW ONE DOES practical and CG together.

Far tamer than Cannibal Holocaust, Last Cannibal World is better pegged as a jungle adventure thriller (with cannibalism, primitive people's rituals, and an overall harsher and realistic bite than a typical jungle adventure) than exploitation, and it's certainly not a horror.

The main character's descent into madness is quite believable, as the plot is very focused on him. This film has none of the overt societal commentary of Cannibal Holocaust. It's a very simple man vs. nature plot, and the other characters in Robert's party are quickly dispatched so that the film can focus on him and his observation of the native cannibals' culture.

Certainly inferior to Cannibal Holocaust, with very little shock value except the crocodile killing. The "home" or "village" of the natives is a lot more interesting setup than the ones from CH, especially the cavern bit. Overall, these cannibals feel more dangerous and less human than the ones in CH, which makes them just blend with other elements of the jungle as opposed to highlighting the potential for violence and relative "evil" in the human condition.

This film raises loads of questions: If it predates Cannibal Holocaust, why did animal rights activists wait til CH to press the issue when this features just as much animal killing? Why are the male natives playing/tugging at/with the main character's penis when they take his clothes off; are they surprised that an adult is uncircumcised (the natives appear to be circumcised)? Why didn't the survivalist dolt bother taking a compass along both times they ventured off into the jungle? Is it just for sex appeal that they cast a female lead with breast implants even though she breaks the realism of the film? What's the point of the flesh eating ant ritual?

"Most fucked up" highlight: For me, the crocodile killing because I adore reptiles. For you, take your pick; I'm mostly immune to simulated gore and cannibalism, but your average viewer will find plenty to disturb.

Had this pre-dated Bonnie and Clyde, it would be hailed as a classic and taught in film schools everywhere. As it is, it is a very entertaining exploitation flick from Roger Corman, featuring Shelley Winters in the lead role. I personally prefer it to Bonnie and Clyde, as this odd family is far more complicated and just as socially radical.

The dialogue feels very authentic, and the characters suffer just the right amount of sexual and developmental confusion to make them empathetic if perturbed killers. The Herman character is perhaps the most compelling and developed of the sons. The ending is directly alluded to in the beginning of Rob Zombie's "The Devil's Rejects".

Don't skip this if you want to see Depression era criminals, Corman exploitation, or Winters playing psychologically deranged.

"So Fucked Up" highlight: Mama keeps a boy in her bed every night

I feel that I must address the director before his film due to the incredible amount of shit he receives from the internet by people who haven't even seen his movies (or just House of the Dead). Yes, it's Uwe Boll time. Considering the amount of pure crap that emanates from the horror genre, Boll is making better than average flicks. For the horror genre, Boll nowhere near deserves the level of hatred and criticism he gets. All that aside, let me move on to this actual film.

There's alot not to like about this film. I wish steadicam or a tripod/dolly were occasionally used. The only steady shot is the "hammer scene" (I think it's more a mallet or the back edge of a small hatchet though), but halfway through the scene, the victim becomes CGI and the camera does some instazoom shot when the killer's weapon strikes the victims head; this zoom technique is not used when it is clearly the actor and too opaquely reveals even to an ignorant audience member that we have shifted from practical to digital effects. The scene starts out great, and ends great, but the middle is compromised due to poor CG. I cannot exactly tell in which time period the film is set as some of the set components appear as possible anachronisms. The plot is filled with holes, the first one being: I understand Boll is trying to echo the cliche use of 6's by sending only six cops to take down the killer, but in no time period is that a reasonable amount of force to send to apprehend someone who has murdered 666 people; it's unrealistic and a cheap reason to give the main protagonist stake in the killer's fate. I also don't think ANY institution executes and then buries immediately past the 1960s; the body would have been cremated by the state on an offsite area and not buried on the penitentiary property. The score is atrociously melodramatic and ineffective.

There is still much to like here. This is the horror genre, so I can forgive some small leaps of continuity and logic as I just described as long as the extreme content can stand on its own. This stuff can. The movie begins with the killer watching real footage of people killing dogs (and it will sicken any sane human). You could accuse the director of using this as a cheap grossout trick, but I like to think of it this way: by showing real violence that disturbs, the director challenges himself to show you simulated violence that will disturb as much. In the final scene of the film, this is achieved and it bookends the movie well, elevating it a bit above its faults. It is a generally accepted rule of screenwriting that no matter how terrible your antagonist, you do not kill a child or family pet in a film; this film breaks both of those rules in the first five minutes. It does what every screenwriting guru says it will - makes the killer wholly unempathetic and will eliminate half of the audience due to immediate walkout (r in this case immediately stopping the DVD and tossing it back in the rental case). I've yet to encounter very many segments which can cause me to stop watching a film, so nothing stops me, especially not here. The killer's obsession with filming time-lapse decomposition is interesting and very cinematic but underutilized in terms of possible thematic resonance. It does serve to make for a fantastically bleak ending though.

I'd encourage horror viewers to get over your preconceived notions of Uwe Boll and give this flick a try, as it has some great moments and it certainly not as shit as most low budget (or wide release) serial killer movies hurled at genre viewers. Fuck, it's hella better than Hostel and the bulk of the Saw series.

"Most fucked up" highlight: the first scene and the final scene

This was an uber effective and fun treatment with a special twist on the "went down the wrong road and got stuck with serial killers" movie. In this one, the backwards serial killers make marketed snuff from all their victims, and this film's two protagonist victims discover this fact while waiting for their death on the same "set".

The tension built up great and stayed strong. I like that the layout of the set is easily communicated that I can visualize and make real the dimensions of the setting. The simplicity of the scares (the masks, the banging on the door, being watched by the killers) is effective. I like the physique of these killers, how they are so quick and flexible. The voyeur aspect of this film adds great dimension to it. I think the best thing about it is that the protagonists act (for the most part) pretty damn rationally; they do what we as the removed viewer can suggest they do and stay within the script (see Devil's Chair or Scream 2 for films that jump out of the script to guide the characters through horror). All of the acting is solid, and that's often a back-breaker for a survival horror. Just a solid flick.

"Most fucked up" highlight: seeing the first snuff scenes on the room's TV set and watching the characters realize that they're in that room

This is why parents need to speak to their kids about sex: to insure that your kid doesn't have monster genitals and think it's normal because they have not been exposed to any proper sexual education. This is also why a hottie twink teenage boy shouldn't try raping his virgin and celibate girlfriend - he'll get his dick bitten off and the only sexual option possible after that will be to present his hot cornhole to me for proper deflowering (Yes kids, attempting hetero sex before marriage leads to penile loss and gay butt sex!).

So this movie is obviously the story of "what if vagina dentata were a living problem for someone", and I hoped such a film might at least flirt with an NC-17 rating (it does in terms of showing penises). I do appreciate that the film explains the ancient anthropological myth, but my problem is with lack of graphic depiction. So we get to see a bit of chewed off cock early on, a spurting half-eaten meal at 1hr10min, and a dick fillet doggie treat at the end but what about the titular pussy teeth? Well, we get to see A tooth but not ever in its home environment, which is the primary flaw of the film. The script and acting are decent, but I was looking for something a little more daring. I do like that the character realizes her unique potential in the final act, and I wish the film had a little more time to explore this path (though that would have certainly led things down a B path).

Most Fucked up highlight (SPOILER): hungry dog + fresh piece of meat

The introductory car scene is cinematically identical to Funny Games.

On deciding to confront the kids, "If everyone said that, where would we be?" Leave it to a fuckin Englishman to be so damn... English about it, almost deserves it. Still, with this kind of proactive approach, I'm expecting a fighting couple for a chance.

I've gotta do a hit by hit analysis as I've the browser open; expect many SPOILERS. First mistake was to be sorry about the dog; if he had acted all hard and used it as an opportunity to pound the lead little bastard, they might have stopped out of respect for equally reckless ego-driven violence. And then once they get the car, "I can't see!", right so how about slowing it down a bit; they couldn't catch a slow car on foot right away.

The knifing scene: and my case for keeping guns legal stands strong; I'd rather a few quick trigger happy caps than this kiddie medieval torture shite. And are we just NOW checking our mobile service bars to concoct a clever Blackberry trick? The youngest kid Cooper is the same actor who plays the central character in This is England and he is clearly retreading dramatic territory with this scene which I'm sure the producer was thrilled to have happen.

It's always best to give up your hiding spot the moment your boyfriend yells out to you to run and the mean little kiddies all pause from their torture sesh to peer about.

Okay that is WAY too convenient for the plot to have our fleeing heroine step on a massive spike in the middle of bumfuck nowhere and cry out uncontrollably.

"Can you please just show me the way?" How about can you please just whip out your mobile and call the police?

What happens next...damn that leader kid is FUCKED.

I guess tit for tit... random screwed-overs leads to one decent break in a grotty bin. Of course Cooper gets the "oops"...sympathy scene. Am a bit annoyed at the stereotypical "battle paint" look had from the roll in the bin.

Isn't this the fence scene from Ils? (just before the heroine is "saved" by a passing car)

Wow I don't think ever before in film history has killing a kid been so restorative for the audience.

Though predictable and too clearly contrived in plot, this film is sufficiently fucked up and realistic about it to earn an extra half star.

"Most fucked up" highlight: "Is it warm?" through "I'll burn him instead", and also the ending

After a brilliant montage of nursing home living set to thudding rap music, this film's story begins outrageously bleak and desperate, and certainly doesn't improve with each passing sequence.

Stephen Rea plays Tom, a man who in one day has lost his apartment, been lost in the paper shuffle at unemployment, and now faces his first night as a homeless person.

Mena Suvari plays Brandi, nursing attendant to the elderly by day and party girl by night. She too has a great day cleaning an incontinent Alzheimer's patient (and it is ALL the way graphic) just before she finds out that she's gonna have to pull another Saturday to help secure a promotion.

Brandi just wants to party and Tom just wants to find somewhere to stay. After the club, Brandi is headed home and Tom, recently ejected from a nearby park and pushing his squeaky new - and fleeting- badge of homelessness, is seeking shelter for the night when Brandi provides her windshield for Tom to lodge in.

I can remember when this happened - and actually, watching this film - where Brandi is driving around and there are no other cars to be seen - the events seem incredulous and beyond believability for fiction. But all the while the panging reality is that this actually happened and probably looked just as surreal and improbable as it is depicted.

Upon arriving home, Brandi indulges in a night of explicit one on one partying with her boyfriend. In the morning, homegirl calls a cab to pick her up for work the next morning and !!!HOLY SHIT!!! John Dunsworth of Trailer Park Boys Mr. Lahey infamy is the cabbie!!! (If you don't know the TPB, well... get all the episodes now! I literally yelled with delight when I saw 'Mr. Lahey' in this serious flick, but back to the story) Meanwhile, Tom is still STUCK in the windshield of Brandi's car, in her garage, and he is conscious but obviously injured beyond capability of major movement.

The film stays pretty firm to the real timeline at the outset (visit http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,90498,00.html for the real life case timeline) and Gordon even timestamps events. After the big incident, the movie strays far from reality for dramatic effect especially in terms of how long the victim remains conscious and what he is able to do to cry for help.

[[That concludes the minibits of spoilage]] and there is plenty more astounding developments as the story takes a turn towards (extreme) dark comedy.

It is fantastic to see Stuart Gordon, who has such a schlocky history beginning with Re-Animator, doing some realistic and truly intelligent work in the first half of the film. I saw much development in his Masters of Horror episodes (Dreams in the Witch House and The Black Cat) that I started to really respect him as a director, but I never expected this astounding level of skill. I'll certainly have to check out his other recent not-totally-horror forays King of the Ants and Edmond (written by David Mamet). Of course because this is Gordon all the red stuff is done just right and the sound mix fits the amount of pain and will cause as much (or for me more) flinching than the gory visuals.

Most fucked up highlight: Brandi and ALL her actions

Tentative rating of 4 on first screening. This is a movie that has to sink in and I need to watch again before I can give an accurate rating.

Two things can definitely be said: this film scores huge points for originality, and the second sequence is just the coolest "fuck off!" to Michael Haneke's Funny Games.
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March 17, 2009: Rating revised 4 to 4.5.

Now my full breakdown, including many SPOILERS will commence. If you have yet to see this movie, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.

Laugier gives us not one, but two astonishing and amazing films. The film has a definite divide, with the first segment being a revenge tale wherein former victim becomes murderer plagued by psychological demons and assisted by a best friend who has been by her side throughout both her victimization and realization of revenge. The second segment is a "torture porn", except it's not so much of the "porn" variety but of the Salo school of torture film as it does have a driving philosophical point.

The makeup and gore are beyond astonishing. This sets new levels of achievement for the genre and proves that the studio chose wisely when they signed Laugier to do the Hellraiser remake. This film is certainly this year's A L'Interieur. Both the imagined demon girl and the actual tortured girl are incredibly frightening and left me shivering.

The high tech basement room instantly reminded me of the setting for the climax in Laugier's previous horror outing Saint Ange.

An interesting thing I noted in the version I saw: once the controlling financiers of the Martyrs project are revealed, the head woman often refers to what the subtitles translate as Anna's "transformation". Using my rough ear for French, I am sure that what she is really saying is transfiguration, which ole wikipedia tells you is "a momentary transformation of a man or woman into someone having the aspect of the divine". This better fits the context and explanation of what the financiers are trying to achieve, and hopefully it's corrected in the DVD english release and I just downloaded a crap subtitle.

"That's Fucked Up" commentary: This film shoots straight to the heights of fucked up cinema. This is the film Hostel wishes it could be. I defy you to watch the whole thing. The camera technique and effects are so well done that I kept feeling I was watching real snuff.

"Fucked Up" highlight: Though the camera cuts from it at the impact moments, the snuff killer stomping on a pregnant victim's abdomen is the most unsettling moment for me. I'm sure you may have your own; this film is quite packed with contenders for "most fucked up" moment.

This is a well executed serious take on the outrageous b horror-exploitation flicks this writer usually makes.

This is effective as a "make you think about fucked up shit" movie, not a jumpscare thriller or a gore showcase. As such, it has to make some characters that matter, and it does. These characters have dimension and their actions correspond to what we can expect of them.

I watched it twice. Would serve as a nice boys' version companion piece to Teeth in the category of modern (super fucking weird) sexual development horror.