2012 / France / 124 minutes
Director: Walter Salles
Screenplay: Jose Rivera, based on the novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Starring: Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Alice Braga, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Viggo Mortensen
Genre: Drama
Jack Kerouac's cult novel On the Road, published in 1957, defined what would become known as the Beat Generation, became a counter-culture touchstone and is now an acknowledged classic of American literature.
This film certainly will not become a classic, cult or otherwise, and is unlikely to become a generational touchstone. Set in the late 1940s and early 50s, the virtually plotless narrative revolves around aspiring writer Sal Paradise (Riley) who undertakes a series of journeys with his charismatic irresponsible friend, Dean Moriarty (Hedlund).
It's well-made and always looks good, but the novel cries out for a more experimental, free-wheeling approach. As it is, the film captures none of the verve and excitement of Kerouac's prose, thereby most of the point. It's a well-night impossible task to make a good film of Kerouac's works because they are so dependent on literary style and technique. As it is, it's an attractive, well-made but basically undistinguished literary adaptation.
The film is well-acted by an impressive cast, however while he has the looks and charisma, and turns in a solid performance, Garrett Hedlund doesn't really capture the force-of-nature magneticism of Dean Moriarty. As Moriarty's young wife, Marylou, Kristen Stewart is fantastic.
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Horns
2013 / USA - Canada / 120 minutes
Director: Alexandre Aja
Screenplay: Keith Bunin, based on the novel Horns by Joe Hill
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner
Genre: horror, dark fantasy, drama
In the small American town of Gideon's Falls, Ignatius "Ig" Perrish (Radcliffe) is accused of the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin (Temple). Despite his repeated protestations of innocence, the townspeople are convinced of Ig's guilt. After a night of heavy drinking, Ig wakes up to find two large horns growing out of his head. While people can see the horns they don't appear to really notice them, but they are also compelled to confess to Ig their deepest, darkest secrets. Ig determines to use the power of the horns to help him discover the truth behind Merrin's murder.
The film is an adaptation of the 2010 novel Horns by Joe Hill, and sticks relatively close to the source. The story moves back and forth in time shifting from the present day narrative to Ig and Merrin's youth and the growth of their relationship. Several elements of the film may be too bizarre for some audiences to accept, but I enjoyed it. It's less of a conventional horror movie and more of a darkly satirical religious crime drama. The performances are superb, with Daniel Radcliffe in particular fantastic as the complex, troubled Ig Perrish.
Director: Alexandre Aja
Screenplay: Keith Bunin, based on the novel Horns by Joe Hill
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner
Genre: horror, dark fantasy, drama
In the small American town of Gideon's Falls, Ignatius "Ig" Perrish (Radcliffe) is accused of the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin (Temple). Despite his repeated protestations of innocence, the townspeople are convinced of Ig's guilt. After a night of heavy drinking, Ig wakes up to find two large horns growing out of his head. While people can see the horns they don't appear to really notice them, but they are also compelled to confess to Ig their deepest, darkest secrets. Ig determines to use the power of the horns to help him discover the truth behind Merrin's murder.
The film is an adaptation of the 2010 novel Horns by Joe Hill, and sticks relatively close to the source. The story moves back and forth in time shifting from the present day narrative to Ig and Merrin's youth and the growth of their relationship. Several elements of the film may be too bizarre for some audiences to accept, but I enjoyed it. It's less of a conventional horror movie and more of a darkly satirical religious crime drama. The performances are superb, with Daniel Radcliffe in particular fantastic as the complex, troubled Ig Perrish.
Grindhouse
2007 / USA/ 190 minutes
Director: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Genre: Action, horror, crime, science-fiction
This film is a homage to the world of "grindhouse" cinema. Grindhouses were cinemas that specialised in low-budget exploitation films in the 1970s. The movies they showed were usually not very good quality and often released in damaged prints, and they were often shown in double bills are all night marathons. Here we have what you might be letting yourself in for at a double feature at the grindhouse.
The program kicks off with Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodriguez, in which the residents of a small Texan town struggle to survive against a virus which turns people into hideous, flesh-eating zombie like monsters. Next up is Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which women are pursued by a psychopathic stuntman who kills his victims with a customised "death proof" stunt car. To add to the fun, the films are preceded by trailers for fake movies: Machete (which did become a feature film in 2010), Werewolf Women of the SS, directed by Rob Zombie, a homage to the Nazi exploitation sub-genre, Don't, directed by Edgar Wright, a tribute to the Hammer Horror films, and Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth, a tribute to the holiday themed slasher movie sub-genre.
It's a very entertaining show, and certainly full of action, however the excessive violence and callousness, as well as the plot holes and bizarre quality of the films will not be to everyone's taste. The film is made to look like a grindhouse show, including scratched film, washed out colours, missing reels, out of focus images, and at several points the film seemingly burning up in the projector, which adds to the authenticity, but at times does become quite irritating.
Grindhouse underperformed at the US box office and so Planet Terror and Death Proof were released internationally in extended versions as separate stand alone movies.
Director: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay: Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Rose McGowan, Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez, Rosario Dawson, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Genre: Action, horror, crime, science-fiction
This film is a homage to the world of "grindhouse" cinema. Grindhouses were cinemas that specialised in low-budget exploitation films in the 1970s. The movies they showed were usually not very good quality and often released in damaged prints, and they were often shown in double bills are all night marathons. Here we have what you might be letting yourself in for at a double feature at the grindhouse.
The program kicks off with Planet Terror, directed by Robert Rodriguez, in which the residents of a small Texan town struggle to survive against a virus which turns people into hideous, flesh-eating zombie like monsters. Next up is Death Proof, directed by Quentin Tarantino, in which women are pursued by a psychopathic stuntman who kills his victims with a customised "death proof" stunt car. To add to the fun, the films are preceded by trailers for fake movies: Machete (which did become a feature film in 2010), Werewolf Women of the SS, directed by Rob Zombie, a homage to the Nazi exploitation sub-genre, Don't, directed by Edgar Wright, a tribute to the Hammer Horror films, and Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth, a tribute to the holiday themed slasher movie sub-genre.
It's a very entertaining show, and certainly full of action, however the excessive violence and callousness, as well as the plot holes and bizarre quality of the films will not be to everyone's taste. The film is made to look like a grindhouse show, including scratched film, washed out colours, missing reels, out of focus images, and at several points the film seemingly burning up in the projector, which adds to the authenticity, but at times does become quite irritating.
Grindhouse underperformed at the US box office and so Planet Terror and Death Proof were released internationally in extended versions as separate stand alone movies.
Tuesday, 28 October 2014
Her
2013 / USA/ 126 minutes
Director: Spike Jonze
Screenplay: Spike Jonze
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt
Genre: Science-fiction, romance, drama
This film is set in a near future Los Angeles. Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) is in the process of divorcing his wife, Catherine (Mara), and works writing heartfelt, intimate letters to people on behalf of clients who either can't or won't write their letters themselves. One day Theodore installs a new, talking, computer operating system (voiced by Johansson) with artificial intelligence, that can seemingly learn, adapt and evolve. Calling itself Samantha, the operating system soon becomes invaluable to Theodore, and they soon fall in love.
This is a surprisingly sweet, and heartfelt romantic film despite it's science-fiction trappings. There is a genuine poignancy in Theodore and Samantha's relationship. Phoenix gives a great performance as the lonely, soulful writer who can only really express himself when he is writing letters posing as someone else. Johansson however, is the real standout with her entirely vocal performance as the operating system. There are wonderfully quirky science-fiction touches such as voice operated computers that mimic human handwriting, and the world that the film creates is far enough away that it seems strange and yet close enough to our own that it feels all too plausible.
This is a wonderful film and one of the best love stories of recent times.
Director: Spike Jonze
Screenplay: Spike Jonze
Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt
Genre: Science-fiction, romance, drama
This film is set in a near future Los Angeles. Theodore Twombly (Phoenix) is in the process of divorcing his wife, Catherine (Mara), and works writing heartfelt, intimate letters to people on behalf of clients who either can't or won't write their letters themselves. One day Theodore installs a new, talking, computer operating system (voiced by Johansson) with artificial intelligence, that can seemingly learn, adapt and evolve. Calling itself Samantha, the operating system soon becomes invaluable to Theodore, and they soon fall in love.
This is a surprisingly sweet, and heartfelt romantic film despite it's science-fiction trappings. There is a genuine poignancy in Theodore and Samantha's relationship. Phoenix gives a great performance as the lonely, soulful writer who can only really express himself when he is writing letters posing as someone else. Johansson however, is the real standout with her entirely vocal performance as the operating system. There are wonderfully quirky science-fiction touches such as voice operated computers that mimic human handwriting, and the world that the film creates is far enough away that it seems strange and yet close enough to our own that it feels all too plausible.
This is a wonderful film and one of the best love stories of recent times.
Saturday, 12 July 2014
22 Jump Street
2014 / USA / 112 minutes
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Screenplay: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman, from a story by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall, based on the television series 21 Jump Street
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube, Amber Williams
Genre: Comedy, action
This movie is the sequel to the 2012 film 21 Jump Street which itself was based on the 1980s television series. This time round cops Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are assigned to go undercover as college students to locate the suppliers of a new synthetic drug called "WHY PHY" which caused the death of a student. While Jenko quickly befriends the local jocks, causing a rift between him and Schmidt who falls for art major Maya (Williams).
The film is hugely entertaining. Much of the humour is very self-referential about being a sequel to a successful movie. The filmmakers know the rules of a sequel The audience knows the rules of a sequel and the filmmakers know that they know. There are a lot of jokes about the fact that it's "exactly the same as last time" but with a bigger budget. The secret to the film's humour and heart is the genuine chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum whose bromantic relationship and pitch perfect comic timing is genuinely winning.
The movie's humour is lowbrow and the material is dumb, but it's smart enough to play with it. It's perfect for a fun movie night.
Director: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Screenplay: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman, from a story by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall, based on the television series 21 Jump Street
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Ice Cube, Amber Williams
Genre: Comedy, action
This movie is the sequel to the 2012 film 21 Jump Street which itself was based on the 1980s television series. This time round cops Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are assigned to go undercover as college students to locate the suppliers of a new synthetic drug called "WHY PHY" which caused the death of a student. While Jenko quickly befriends the local jocks, causing a rift between him and Schmidt who falls for art major Maya (Williams).
The film is hugely entertaining. Much of the humour is very self-referential about being a sequel to a successful movie. The filmmakers know the rules of a sequel The audience knows the rules of a sequel and the filmmakers know that they know. There are a lot of jokes about the fact that it's "exactly the same as last time" but with a bigger budget. The secret to the film's humour and heart is the genuine chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum whose bromantic relationship and pitch perfect comic timing is genuinely winning.
The movie's humour is lowbrow and the material is dumb, but it's smart enough to play with it. It's perfect for a fun movie night.
Friday, 28 February 2014
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Year: 1992
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay: James V. Hart, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker
Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E. Grant, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits
Running Time: 128 minutes
Genre: Horror
In 1462, the Transylvanian knight, Vlad Dracula (Oldman) returns from a victory against the invading Turks, only to find that his wife has killed herself after receiving a false report of his death. Enraged at the idea that her soul is now damned because she committed suicide, Dracula renounces God and the church and swears that he will return from his own death to avenge hers.
In 1897, English solicitor Jonathan Harker (Reeves) travels to Transylvania to negotiate the sale of some property in London to the mysterious Count Dracula (Oldman). As Harker becomes increasingly disturbed by his strange, Dracula becomes convinced that Harker's fiance, Mina Murray (Ryder) is the reincarnation of his dead wife.
Escaping to Britain, Dracula sets about preying on Mina's best friend, Lucy Westenra (Frost). It becomes apparent that only the eccentric Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Hopkins) has the knowledge to fight Dracula's reign of terror.
This, the umpteenth screen adaptation of the evergreen horror classic, feels closer to Anne Rice than Bram Stoker in it's sensuous, romantic portrayal of the vampire. Everything about the film is extremely stylised, showcasing a range of cinematic tricks, the problem with this approach is that it constantly reminds you that your watching a movie, it's too pretty to ever be involving or, crucially, really scary.
Keanu Reeves is certainly miscast as an English solicitor (his attempt at an English accent is notoriously dreadful), Winona Ryder also struggles with the English accent, but does do well with a fairly thankless role . Gary Oldman makes a striking, if never really scary Dracula (who appears variously as a grotesque old man, a wolf man monster, a man bat monster and a romantic knight), while a scenery-chewing Anthony Hopkins ladles on steaming, thick slices of ham as Van Helsing.
The designs, costumes and sets in the film are really impressive, and the film is too lavist andinventive to ever really be scary. It adapts the novel relatively faithfully, aside from the unnecessary prologue explaining Dracula's origins, and the subplot of Dracula believing Mina to be his reincarnated wife.
The problem is that the lavish, epic treatment doesn't really work for horror, because it just seems to dilute the scary elements.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Screenplay: James V. Hart, based on the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker
Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins, Richard E. Grant, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits
Running Time: 128 minutes
Genre: Horror
In 1462, the Transylvanian knight, Vlad Dracula (Oldman) returns from a victory against the invading Turks, only to find that his wife has killed herself after receiving a false report of his death. Enraged at the idea that her soul is now damned because she committed suicide, Dracula renounces God and the church and swears that he will return from his own death to avenge hers.
In 1897, English solicitor Jonathan Harker (Reeves) travels to Transylvania to negotiate the sale of some property in London to the mysterious Count Dracula (Oldman). As Harker becomes increasingly disturbed by his strange, Dracula becomes convinced that Harker's fiance, Mina Murray (Ryder) is the reincarnation of his dead wife.
Escaping to Britain, Dracula sets about preying on Mina's best friend, Lucy Westenra (Frost). It becomes apparent that only the eccentric Dr. Abraham Van Helsing (Hopkins) has the knowledge to fight Dracula's reign of terror.
This, the umpteenth screen adaptation of the evergreen horror classic, feels closer to Anne Rice than Bram Stoker in it's sensuous, romantic portrayal of the vampire. Everything about the film is extremely stylised, showcasing a range of cinematic tricks, the problem with this approach is that it constantly reminds you that your watching a movie, it's too pretty to ever be involving or, crucially, really scary.
Keanu Reeves is certainly miscast as an English solicitor (his attempt at an English accent is notoriously dreadful), Winona Ryder also struggles with the English accent, but does do well with a fairly thankless role . Gary Oldman makes a striking, if never really scary Dracula (who appears variously as a grotesque old man, a wolf man monster, a man bat monster and a romantic knight), while a scenery-chewing Anthony Hopkins ladles on steaming, thick slices of ham as Van Helsing.
The designs, costumes and sets in the film are really impressive, and the film is too lavist andinventive to ever really be scary. It adapts the novel relatively faithfully, aside from the unnecessary prologue explaining Dracula's origins, and the subplot of Dracula believing Mina to be his reincarnated wife.
The problem is that the lavish, epic treatment doesn't really work for horror, because it just seems to dilute the scary elements.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
To Kill a Mockingbird
Year: 1962
Director: Robert Mulligan
Screenplay: Horton Foote, based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall
Running Time: 128 minutes
Genre: Drama
This is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest films ever made. Set in the 1930s in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the film tells the story of upright lawyer Atticus Finch (Peck), a widowed father to two young children, Scout (Badham) and Jem (Alford). Atticus agrees to defend a young black man, Tom Robinson (Peters), accused of the rape of a white woman. The events are seen through the eyes of Scout whose childhood view of the world is changed forever by the racism and other prejudices she encounters around her.
It is a powerful and deeply moving film, which features some stunning performances particularly from Peck who gives an iconic portrayal of dignity and decency. The child actors are superb, especially Mary Badham. It also features the screen debut of Robert Duvall as the reclusive Boo Radley. It's one of the best movies about children and the child's eye view of the world: Bright, sunny summer days, and also looming threatening shadows. The trial and it's aftermath, while key, are just part of the tapestry that makes up Scout and Jem's childhood.
I have to confess that I have never read the Harper Lee novel and came to the film expecting it to be a courtroom drama, and was surprised to find it to be much more than that, although it does feature a gripping trial sequence.
It deals with the evils of prejudice and bigotry without being too preachy, and is all the better for it. The film's compassion even extends to the more unsympathetic characters who are depicted as victims in a different way, due to poverty, their upbringing and their own prejudices.
Heartbreaking, powerful and at times even humorous, this is a must see.
Director: Robert Mulligan
Screenplay: Horton Foote, based on the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Starring: Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Phillip Alford, John Megna, Brock Peters, Robert Duvall
Running Time: 128 minutes
Genre: Drama
This is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest films ever made. Set in the 1930s in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the film tells the story of upright lawyer Atticus Finch (Peck), a widowed father to two young children, Scout (Badham) and Jem (Alford). Atticus agrees to defend a young black man, Tom Robinson (Peters), accused of the rape of a white woman. The events are seen through the eyes of Scout whose childhood view of the world is changed forever by the racism and other prejudices she encounters around her.
It is a powerful and deeply moving film, which features some stunning performances particularly from Peck who gives an iconic portrayal of dignity and decency. The child actors are superb, especially Mary Badham. It also features the screen debut of Robert Duvall as the reclusive Boo Radley. It's one of the best movies about children and the child's eye view of the world: Bright, sunny summer days, and also looming threatening shadows. The trial and it's aftermath, while key, are just part of the tapestry that makes up Scout and Jem's childhood.
I have to confess that I have never read the Harper Lee novel and came to the film expecting it to be a courtroom drama, and was surprised to find it to be much more than that, although it does feature a gripping trial sequence.
It deals with the evils of prejudice and bigotry without being too preachy, and is all the better for it. The film's compassion even extends to the more unsympathetic characters who are depicted as victims in a different way, due to poverty, their upbringing and their own prejudices.
Heartbreaking, powerful and at times even humorous, this is a must see.
Hostel
Year: 2006
Director: Eli Roth
Screenplay: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jan Vlasak, Rick Hoffman, Jennifer Lim
Running Time: 93 minutes
Genre: Horror
American college students Paxton (Hernandez) and Josh (Richardson) are travelling across Europe with their Icelandic friend Oli (Gudjonsson) on the hunt for drugs, sex and wild times. Arriving in Amsterdam they hear a story about a hostel in Slovakia which is full of beautiful, willing women who love Americans. Needless to say, the none too bright trio are soon on their way. At first glance the hostel is everything they could have wished for, particularly when they are greeted by the beautiful Natalya (Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova). However, when Oli disappears, Paxton and Josh soon discovers that the hostel has a dark secret. It's run by an organisation which lures tourists and then kidnaps them, whereupon a wealthy international clientele pay for the opportunity to torture the victims to death.
The film opens with the credits playing over a scene which hints at the horrors to come, where an unseen, janitor cheerfully whistles while hosing down the blood and gore from one of the torture chambers. From there the first part of the film almost plays like a bawdy teen comedy, as our three fairly unlikable "heroes" get stoned, drink, and visit prostitutes. It comes into it's own later on, after Oli disappears and the net tightens around Josh and Paxton. The relatable fear comes from being a stranger in a strange land and very far from home. When Josh worries about Oli, Paxton reminds him that they really know nothing at all about him. Of course this is the central fear of what could be called "tourist terror" where people venture out of their safe environments and come to harm. The film does have a point to make about the ignorance of some tourists, when Paxton, Josh and Oli first hear about the hostel they are told that their are no men "because of the war", when in fact there hasn't been a war in Slovakia since 1945. It also has a point about the horrors of rampant capitalism where life itself is just a commodity to be bought and sold, and where anything is available to whoever has the money. A kind of connection is made between Paxton, Josh and Oli's treatment of prostitutes early in the film and what will later happen to them (when Paxton and Oli try to persuade Josh to hire a prostitute he replies "going into a room with someone and paying to do whatever you want to her is not my idea of a turn on".)
The film was hugely controversial on it's release for it's graphic violence and explicit gore, leading it to be referred to as "torture porn". Certainly it is not for those of a nervous disposition, but it is quite a good horror movie and at times genuinely chilling.
Director: Eli Roth
Screenplay: Eli Roth
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Derek Richardson, Eythor Gudjonsson, Barbara Nedeljakova, Jan Vlasak, Rick Hoffman, Jennifer Lim
Running Time: 93 minutes
Genre: Horror
American college students Paxton (Hernandez) and Josh (Richardson) are travelling across Europe with their Icelandic friend Oli (Gudjonsson) on the hunt for drugs, sex and wild times. Arriving in Amsterdam they hear a story about a hostel in Slovakia which is full of beautiful, willing women who love Americans. Needless to say, the none too bright trio are soon on their way. At first glance the hostel is everything they could have wished for, particularly when they are greeted by the beautiful Natalya (Nedeljakova) and Svetlana (Jana Kaderabkova). However, when Oli disappears, Paxton and Josh soon discovers that the hostel has a dark secret. It's run by an organisation which lures tourists and then kidnaps them, whereupon a wealthy international clientele pay for the opportunity to torture the victims to death.
The film opens with the credits playing over a scene which hints at the horrors to come, where an unseen, janitor cheerfully whistles while hosing down the blood and gore from one of the torture chambers. From there the first part of the film almost plays like a bawdy teen comedy, as our three fairly unlikable "heroes" get stoned, drink, and visit prostitutes. It comes into it's own later on, after Oli disappears and the net tightens around Josh and Paxton. The relatable fear comes from being a stranger in a strange land and very far from home. When Josh worries about Oli, Paxton reminds him that they really know nothing at all about him. Of course this is the central fear of what could be called "tourist terror" where people venture out of their safe environments and come to harm. The film does have a point to make about the ignorance of some tourists, when Paxton, Josh and Oli first hear about the hostel they are told that their are no men "because of the war", when in fact there hasn't been a war in Slovakia since 1945. It also has a point about the horrors of rampant capitalism where life itself is just a commodity to be bought and sold, and where anything is available to whoever has the money. A kind of connection is made between Paxton, Josh and Oli's treatment of prostitutes early in the film and what will later happen to them (when Paxton and Oli try to persuade Josh to hire a prostitute he replies "going into a room with someone and paying to do whatever you want to her is not my idea of a turn on".)
The film was hugely controversial on it's release for it's graphic violence and explicit gore, leading it to be referred to as "torture porn". Certainly it is not for those of a nervous disposition, but it is quite a good horror movie and at times genuinely chilling.
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