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Reviews
August Underground's Mordum (2003)
Immensely Impressive
This is it. This is what i was waiting for. I consider myself a true connoisseur of all things morbid/exploitative/gory in cinema, and this my friends....is the worst of the worst. Hands down the most putrid, vile, disturbing, and all around socially unacceptable film of all time. I dare someone to find something worse.
The film is also uncannily realistic. If you were a fan of the original AU (which i highly recommend) and it's stark realism and attention to detail, then you'll love this one. The movie was filmed in digital and then the quality was degraded to achieve the grainy "home video" effect, and works marvelously. The acting is one of the most impressive aspects of the entire film. From the heartless, vile killers and their complex personalities transcended to the most horrific acts of degradation ever portyrayed on film, to the torture victims and their more-than-believable cries and begs for mercy. The female lead was the most impressive though, completely believable and the vomit scene is the hardest thing i've ever had to sit through. Now, lest not we forget the gore effects. Absolutely amazing. Period. I work in medicine, trauma to be exact...and these gore effects are damn near perfect in realism.
Bottom line: Fred Vogel and crew have really achieved something incredible with this one. This is the ONLY film i've EVER had trouble making it all the way through. Don't believe the hype that it's "unwatchable", or "too shaky" or "Cheesey", because it is none of these. It is a genuinely terrifying portrait of evil and degradation taken to the highest acheiveable level. Every taboo you can imagine is not only addressed, but taken to places that should never be witnessed by man. If you're reading this, i'm sure you're aware of the subject matter in this film...so i won't go into a lot of detail. But if your trying to decide on whether or not to see this gem...do it, do it now.
Cutting Moments (1996)
this is the one...
yep, this ones amazing. A lot of films try to convey a certain feeling of nausea and hopelessness. A lot of "exploitation" films try to shock and disgust, give you that certain resonating "icky" feeling. A lot of films have had success in this endeavor, but Douglas buck's "cutting moments" by far takes the cake. In less than 30 minutes you're completely devastated but some of the most horrific imagery and gut wrenching subject matter ever captured on film. Ihad read a lot about this film, so i shelled out the cash for buck's trilogy of short films (the other two are also good, but nowhere near the caliber of "cutting moments"). I sat down to watch with two of my cinephile friends who are equally as desensitized as me, by the end i just felt gross, i wished i had never seen this film, honestly this is the only film i've ever seen that truly disturbed me, my friends also felt the same way. The film is NOT exploitation by any means, it's very well done, extremely moody, and just exudes a certain power over your emotions. This one stuck with me for a long time. bottom line: this film is REALLY, REALLY, good. Disturbing cinema is some of my favorite but this is on a wholly different level than most disturbing cinema out there. Just because you're a fan of miike, or korine, or because you enjoyed "salo" or "cannibal Holocaust" DOESEN'T mean you can handle this one. Recommended only to those with very thick skin who are interested in being moved a certain way. But, truth be told....any film that can resonate with me as much as this one did is worthy of my praise and admiration. Buck really created something great with this one. 10/10
Kichiku dai enkai (1997)
actually quite good
i enjoyed this film. A lot of people give this movie a lot of flack due to the fact it can get kind of pretentious at moments and about the first 75% of the film moves VERY slowly. The end in my opinion was very gratifying, the gore was well done....the whole thing is shot well, yes it is quite hoke....but everyone downing this movie fails to realize that it's a STUDENT FILM made on absolutely no budget whatsoever. The term student film gets overused quite often, no, kumakiri made this film as his thesis in film school, he actually was in an extra year and a half trying to scrounge the money to finish. So, it's nothing earth shattering...but it is quite impressive considering the context, situation, and budget, and it is quite brutal in the end. If you are a fan of underground/indie cinema chances are you'll at the least enjoy this little nasty.
Tai tin hang dou: Saat hing (1994)
quite possibly the worst movie i've ever seen.
wow....it's actually quite impressive how bad this movie is. I thought i was going to watch a good, horrible "exploitation" film. The film was supposed to be disturbing and nauseating....it was neither. The film...is a 2 hour very poorly shot softcore (very soft at that) porno with random mediocre scenes of violence and/or supposed "disturbing material". There is no super violent climax, the scenes that have been described as "disturbing" are so campy and ridiculous that they just make you laugh. Now...the sex scenes show absolutely nothing....go on for 30 MINUTES AT A TIME, and repeat themselves wildly. If you really just are a fan of bad movies and can appreciate them for the sole purpose of laughing at how bad they are, this is a good one to get. Like i said, it really impresses me how god-awful some movies can be. If you really want some disturbing and intelligent well made Asian cinema there are a plethora of more accessible and better films that will actually shock and disgust. Checkout some miike or some park, or for real DISGUST, WATCH DOUGLAS BUCK'S "CUTTING MOMENTS". Anyways, you're better off getting something that is A LOT better and also a lot easier to find.
Closer (2004)
one of the worst films i've ever seen
WOW!, another mike Nichols film about infidelity and relationships, how original of you mike.The sad thing is that his other films were almost good.This movie is in essence about a bunch of disgusting people who are with people and want to be with other people and the events that ensue.That's it...that's all the movie is about, and everyone who says it goes deeper than that must have misconceived.The film features the horrible overrated acting talents of the hideous,barely tolerable Julia Roberts, and to top that he threw the worst actress in movies today in this one...ms. Natalie Portman.Clive Owens does offer a very good performance and Jude law is good as usual, but the female side of the talent of this film is less than lacking.Instead of the movie offering a portrait of these controversial events, the characters just all become whiny and intertwined and blah blah blah.Give me a break Nichols, you used to have talent but now you throw it away with poor scripts and overrated acting talent. I had more faith in you as a director and in this film, i guess i was wrong.Instead of seeing this film,do yourself a favor and smash your tongue with a meat tenderizer repeatedly...they both with achieve the same effect with the latter being more tolerable.This movie tries to be smart and poignant and instead comes off watered down. Total disappointment
Oldeuboi (2003)
a true example of cinema at it's best
Okay, if you enjoy film at all, in any genre, this movie is exactly what you have been waiting for.It takes a lot for any movie to impress me and this film is so incredibly well made and entertaining that i completely escaped my reality and was enthralled in dae-woo's experience. This script is one of the best i've ever seen, and parks directing is so stylized and so immaculate that it would make Tarantino say"wow i wish i were that good"!The plot line is so intelligent and i don't care who you are you will NEVER see the twist coming. Putting a twist towards the end of a movie is very cliché and overused, but this one is so intelligent, well placed,and well executed it makes fight club look like a Disney film.Speaking of fight, the fight sequences are soooo well done. The famous one shot corridor fight sequence is soooo incredible. THIS is what a fight seen should be. MORAL:This film is what you are looking for...Impeccable acting, amazing cinematography, dead on directing, a script with no holes that makes your jaw hit the floor. This is what cinema should be. PERIOD.Anyone who has given this film a bad review obviously hasn't grasped the full concept of this film.Do yourself a favor...see this film,NOW!!!!