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tommyblah
Reviews
Texas Chainsaw 3D (2013)
pleasant surprise for long-time slasher fan
I grew up in the 80s and have always been a huge fan of slashers. Whether it's Jason, Freddy, Michael, Leatherface...I catch them all in theaters and collect everything related to them. Recently, I haven't been impressed with much in the way of newer entries...I really had grown annoyed with the last two Texas Chainsaws (after multiple viewings) and was reluctant to feel too interested in this one when I first heard about it. ...then I got a quick glimpse of Leatherface and had to see it.
I decided to resist the temptation of reading the synopsis, watching clips, and reading reviews. I just wanted to see a good scary movie and enjoy myself. Expectations were low.
I was immediately caught off guard by the intro and recommend that if it hasn't been ruined for you yet, avoid reading much more on it. Yes, it disregards a lot. But at this point, I really don't care too much...the series has been all over the place anyway. It was a good setup to flash forward and start up a new storyline. I was sick of Hoyt and that family. I was sick of TCM movies with long drawn out scenes of a chick screaming at the dinner table while watching people babble. This was more focused on Leatherface slashing.
The characters were fairly likable. There were a few moments where people annoyed me or it dragged a little, but they kept me interested in the plot, and when Leatherface wreaks havoc, it's top-notch.
Brutal, scary, all around good use of 3D without being too cheesy... And I found the plot twists unpredictable and fresh.
Very happy with this one all around. Highly recommended.
By the way, the girlies in this one...A+
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Pretty good slasher!! Comparable to what the original was in its time...
I was very happy with this in comparison to many of the recent slasher remakes. Compared to modern day slashers, I'd say this is about as good as the original was to early 80's slashers.
They kept a lot of the storyline in tact, which you can't say for many of these remake/reimaginings. No doubt, they made a good deal of changes, but they didn't go overboard...the changes all helped the story and made it feel updated, deeper.. TJ's character is Tom, Axel's the sheriff, their pasts are directly linked to Harry together, and there's still uncertainty as to whether Harry is alive or not... I don't want to ruin too much, but let me say, it gets you more involved in the plot and keeps you wondering who the killer is, in the tradition of the original.
You have to see it in 3D if you have the option. The kill scenes are all made for 3D, and there's a lot of them. It's super gory..I haven't yet received my copy of the original uncut (it's on it's way!!), but I'm willing to be the R-rated version of the new one is much worse than the uncut original. A good deal of hot chick nudity too!! All in all, I really liked it. If you're a big slasher fan and like the original, it's great foreplay for the upcoming F13th!!
Scarlet Diva (2000)
This is a great movie!!!
I just saw the unrated cut of Scarlet Diva, and I have to disagree with almost everyone who has written a review about it. I think this is a great movie! I'm a big fan of Asia Argento as well as a fan of her father's, and this movie was everything I wanted it to be.
There was nothing low-budget about it...the picture quality and sound was excellent; what exactly do you people want? Spaceships and aliens? If you are a fan of Asia, it gives you real insight into her life...you see first-hand how a woman who plays roles like hers gets treated by men; you really feel the creepiness. The style of filming was very effective; it definitely conveyed the real-life aspect of the movie. The quick cuts and sometimes nauseating camera movements and angles portray her state of mind, which at times is very unstable. There is a scene where she does special K, and being someone who has done it, it sent chills up my spine; they very accurately reproduced the sounds you hear in your head, the confusion and overlapping events, the sense of everything in your head being completely backwards...
And lets not forgot the very sexual nature of the movie. If you're a conservative Christian, you probably won't like the movie. I, however, loved the many sex scenes (including a very hot lesbian scene). But it isn't all just gratuitous humping; there is intimacy in some places and lack of in others, all intentional.
I'll stop babbling and just say, if you are a fan of Asia and know to some degree what she's all about, you WILL in fact enjoy this movie. If you know little about her type of lifestyle, you'll probably just see a lot of it as nonsense. For me, it was very emotionally engaging and definitely has some images that stuck in my head days after watching it. Asia is beautiful, intelligent, and very talented. The rock star she falls in love with is pretty lame, but I'm an aspiring rock star myself and say that about a lot of people.
I think she should consider doing a follow-up or sequel. I definitely hope all the bad reviews have not discouraged her from following her own path.