Movies: A Weekend of disturbing themes
My eyes have been traumatized this weekend by a barrage of graphic images, in both good and bad ways.
It started Friday night when I was persuaded by my horror-movie-obsessed husband to see The Hills Have Eyes. Now let me preface this review by stating that I love a good scary movie just as much as the next person. I lean more towards suspense/psychological thrillers, but sometimes gratuitous violence is all part of the experience. Saw, for example, was gross but had an engaging plot. What I do not enjoy are the recent wave of horror films intent on pushing the boundaries of graphic human torture and mutilation. It does not scare me; it just makes me want to puke and gouge out my eyes. The Hills Have Eyes falls into this category, along with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and Hostel. These films contain images that I could have gone my whole life without seeing. It takes a lot to disgust me to the point of being offended, and The Hills accomplished that in the first hour. I understand that there is an audience for this type of movie, and they scare me more than the movies do.
I was able to exact revenge upon my husband by forcing him to sit through another somewhat disturbing movie, Mysterious Skin. With themes of child molestation and male prostitution, some scenes were difficult to watch. Even more so for my husband, but I told him it was payback time. (Evil laugh) But seriously, even though it covers harsh topics in a graphic way, it is a very powerful and thought-provoking story. In a world of cheesy television remakes and video game adaptations, I enjoyed watching something so ground-breaking and artistic.
On the other hand, sometimes when you watch a movie all you want to do is escape, which is why I took a break from themes of gore and sex and finally saw Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. It was cute and fun, but as a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas I guess I was expecting more...Maybe I just need to watch it again and it will grow on me. The first time around I wasn't all that taken by the characters, music, or plot. But I still love Danny Elfman and Tim Burton. Only Burton can make a maggot cute.
It started Friday night when I was persuaded by my horror-movie-obsessed husband to see The Hills Have Eyes. Now let me preface this review by stating that I love a good scary movie just as much as the next person. I lean more towards suspense/psychological thrillers, but sometimes gratuitous violence is all part of the experience. Saw, for example, was gross but had an engaging plot. What I do not enjoy are the recent wave of horror films intent on pushing the boundaries of graphic human torture and mutilation. It does not scare me; it just makes me want to puke and gouge out my eyes. The Hills Have Eyes falls into this category, along with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and Hostel. These films contain images that I could have gone my whole life without seeing. It takes a lot to disgust me to the point of being offended, and The Hills accomplished that in the first hour. I understand that there is an audience for this type of movie, and they scare me more than the movies do.
I was able to exact revenge upon my husband by forcing him to sit through another somewhat disturbing movie, Mysterious Skin. With themes of child molestation and male prostitution, some scenes were difficult to watch. Even more so for my husband, but I told him it was payback time. (Evil laugh) But seriously, even though it covers harsh topics in a graphic way, it is a very powerful and thought-provoking story. In a world of cheesy television remakes and video game adaptations, I enjoyed watching something so ground-breaking and artistic.
On the other hand, sometimes when you watch a movie all you want to do is escape, which is why I took a break from themes of gore and sex and finally saw Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. It was cute and fun, but as a fan of Nightmare Before Christmas I guess I was expecting more...Maybe I just need to watch it again and it will grow on me. The first time around I wasn't all that taken by the characters, music, or plot. But I still love Danny Elfman and Tim Burton. Only Burton can make a maggot cute.
posted by Daria @ 4:55 PM
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