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JackieOhh
Reviews
Threat (2006)
part Scorsese, part Ferrara, all NYC
when Threat works it's like the second coming of Martin Scorsese. when Threat fails it's like the second coming of Abel Ferrara. luckily for me, i like Bad Lieutenant just as much as i like Mean Streets, so i have nothing to complain about. director Matt Pizzolo goes for broke on this hard-edged film about how extreme philosophies can drive ordinary people to obscene lengths. using black & white film for daytime, color for night, and interlacing animation throughout, Threat runs like a comic book gone haywire. everything is over the top, especially the philosophy: "if the suit don't see you as a threat, then you are the suit" or "how many people watched those towers burn, and were really just (expletive) angry that somebody beat them to it." brave words. it's no surprise this kind of anger would be coming direct from the streets of NY, the biggest surprise is that it's taken so long in coming.
Hostel (2005)
as unlike Cabin Fever as you can imagine
eli roth has come a long way since Cabin Fever, a completely underwhelming film that seemed calculated to do little more than earn roth a title as heir apparent to the legacies left by his horror forebears. playing off his newfound industry buzz and access to horror auteurs, roth has cobbled together a team of celebrities-turned-sycophants including Tarantino and Miike to champion his latest endeavor, a wanna-be Asian extreme gorror. the result? a spectacular film. roth may be calculating in his Hollywood machinations, but that same calculating mind has brought us a film of such ferocity and brutality that it's nothing short of astonishing for Hostel to be a mainstream American release in 2006. this film is as enigmatic and fearless as Cabin Fever was obvious and safe. the critics' reviews versus the box office speak volumes on this one: although the press may not be ready for an angry America, the audience certainly is.
The Devil's Rejects (2005)
authentically scary
i was terrified in this movie. i thought it was a riveting thriller, but i'm also quite concerned about rob zombie's young audience. there were many pre-adolescents in the audience. i realize the film is r-rated and it is the guardian's responsibility, but i was greatly unnerved. the film is ruthless in its portrayal of anti-human characters, true misanthropes who gleefully torment their captives. zombie has proved he can give a strong gut reaction without necessarily resorting to complete outlandishness. this film reminds me a bit of Badlands in its starkness, how odd that its heroes are so incredibly unredeemable.