THIS IS SPINAL TAP (Book review)

Ethan de Seife

Wallflower Press

(London, UK – distributed in the US through Columbia University Press)

2007

132pp

Here's another volume in the Wallflower's Cultographies series of books devoted to cult movies. Of course, the book market is clogged by all kinds of picture books and 'guides' through the highs and lows of cinema, including the despised (but commercially viable) cult, genre, 'grindhouse', exploitation movies. But how many serious attempts are there which not only present an overview of recognized cult cinema, but also re-assess the canon of cult, and its audience? How many of them have to offer anything more than mediocre writing, funny anecdotes and colorful pictures? THIS IS SPINAL TAP certainly belongs to the former category of studies with a serious, scholarly agenda (which, somehow, does not stand in the way of the entertainment and readability).

Like other books in the series so far (THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, by Jeffrey Weinstock and DONNIE DARKO, by Geoff King), this one also uses a specific title to cover much larger ground relevant for its context, and deal with questions like: what is the specific appeal of a cult film? How are cult films conceived, constructed and configured? How are cult films received? What is the place of cult films in culture? Or, as de Siefe himself admits: "Cult films provide perfect opportunities for studying the intersection of enjoyment and analysis. A detailed study of the factors that make such films enjoyable can tell us a great deal about the films' cultural statuses; analysis can and should explain why these films have generated such devoted followings."

After the beginning in which he maps his own introduction to THIS IS SPINAL TAP in a gullible teen age, when the film's central joke of mock-documentary was lost on him (like on so many other innocents who took it for a real thing), de Seife goes on to recount the production, promotion and initial reception, guiding us through the relevant facts but never losing his way in the plethora of trivia. You can learn a lot about, for example, how much was scripted and how much improvised; the misguided marketing (including a poster way too reminiscent of AIRPLANE's, creating misleading expectations!); critical response which was almost universally favorable (a rarity when it comes to cult films!); the various video, laser disc and DVD editions of the film, and subsequent reviews of those; the fan base, including the web sites, blogs and even a band (VINYL TAP!) which pay homage to the movie.

Analyzing the particular type of humor that made the Cult of Tap, de Siefe sums it up: "Not only is SPINAL TAP extremely funny, but it is funny in ways that allow and even encourage its viewers to take part in it. By making a film about a subject (rock'n'roll) that has great meaning for many people, which does not talk down to its viewers and which provides ample opportunities to participate in its central joke, the creators of THIS IS SPINAL TAP have fashioned one of the definitive cult films of all time." The author places the film firmly in its stylistic and generic context of cinema verité style, mockumentary/rockumentary, comedy/parody, musical and rock history. He recognizes the stylistic devices attendant to the genres and styles that THIS IS SPINAL TAP adopts, but also the deviations from those, the reasons for them, and accomplishments thereof. He concludes that the film is predominantly a comedy, not mock documentary, and that each narrative and stylistic choice was made in order to make every scene funnier.

At the same time, the text follows the evolution of SPINAL TAP's music from country-tinged rhythm and blues all the way to heavy metal, pointing to the allusions and references to similar (actual) bands and extensively quoting from SPINAL TAP's outrageous lyrics, which are rightly recognized as one of the main sources of the film's timeless humor. Another time-defying aspect is that this film "parodies not only rock'n'roll, but also the semi-parasitic people and industries that have emerged to promote and valorize it. (...) SPINAL TAP has anticipated and pre-parodied the vapidity of rock star culture, which in recent years has metastasized on global level; such prescience is a major reason for the film's cult status. So cleverly accurate is its parody that, as long as there are rock bands, THIS IS SPINAL TAP will find an enthusiastic audience."

The obvious affection and deep understanding that Rob Reiner and his cast and crew had towards the music played in THIS IS SPINAL TAP is certainly at the root of their film's success. Instead of laughing AT the rockabilly, pop-rock, sympho-rock and heavy metal, they laugh WITH them, making numerous actual groups recognize their experiences even in the film's more outrageous incidents. The viewers were able to feel and respond to that. Hopefully the readers of this book will feel the same blend of reverence and critical attitude that Ethan de Seife shows toward the film he analyzes.

The author provides several thought-provoking figures, like the one showing the rise of numbers of home VCRs in American homes in the early '80ies (proving that the film grew in its cult status thanks predominantly to the video market, unlike, say, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, which created its main cult in the midnight cinema showings). Some figures seem a bit haphazard, like the comparison between the placement, duration and percent of total running time of musical numbers in THIS IS SPINAL TAP and SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (the latter being an example of a typical musical). He also adds the appendix: 'THIS IS SPINAL TAP segmentation' which includes the time scale of all relevant events, characters and themes; approximate running time of each scene and song titles present in it. All of these show the seriousness of approach and amount of care which will enlighten even the most devoted followers of the cult of THIS IS SPINAL TAP. Eminently readable for both connoisseurs and the uninitiated, Ethan de Seife's analysis of THIS IS SPINAL TAP can serve both as a great introduction and an elaborate extrapolation.

THE VICTIM (2006)

Country: Thailand

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 108'

Director:

Monthon Arayangkoon

Cast: Pitchanart Sakakorn, Apasiri Nitibhon, Penpak Sirikul, Kiradej Ketakinta, Chokchai Charoensuk

GHOUL RATING:

**

2+

Story: Ting is a young actress asked by the police to help them by re-enacting the crimes (in the role of the victim). She takes part in re-enactments when the criminals are already caught, which are staged for the media (this seems to be an actual practice in Thailand, supposedly to show off the efficiency of the law and uselessness of the path of crime). Ting makes an extra effort not to offend spirits of the crime victims, and they start paying back by giving hints about their destinies. In one case it seems that the real culprit was not found, so it's up to Ting to do the right thing...

Review: THE VICTIM is a Thai horror film. How many thoughtful, intelligent ones have you seen coming from that country? There's (almost!) none that I recall. At their best they tend to attain the level of a solidly put mindless entertainment. At their best! Thai horrors are usually derivative, gimmicky, shallow, infantile, overly melodramatic and soap-operatic, and only occasionally do they manage to ape the motifs and imagery from their superior Asian cinematic brethren sufficiently to induce a chill or two. If you're not too picky, you'll get just that in THE VICTIM – and nothing more.

THE VICTIM is a typical representative of horrors from Thailand: instead of characters you get two-dimensional cardboard types; instead of plot you get a series of randomly arranged gimmicks; instead of drama you get melodrama; instead of suspense you get twists (the more 'unexpected' and illogical – the better!); instead of horror you get tiresome 'boo!' scares and cheap imitations of yet another Sadako clone. And, last but not least: instead of originality you get – contrivance. (With all due respect to rare exceptions to this rule, like THE DORM, soon to be reviewed here.)

The greatest contrivance in this film happens at its middle mark (a SPOILER follows: if you still have hopes for this film, skip this paragraph): just when you start caring for the silly plot, the makers wisely decide to surprise you with that age-old hateful gimmick: 'it was all only a movie!' Yes, folks, the first 48 minutes of the flick are actually a film within the film. If at that point you do not feel too betrayed to go on, you'll have to re-invest your thoughts and emotions into a wholly new plot. Yes, it is related to what preceded it, but further development only discredits the few qualities existent in the first half, without offering any new ones. Actually, in the second half THE VICTIM turns to the worse, and ends with another shoulder-shrugging 'So what?' twist.

There are so many possibilities inherent to this particular plot, and THE VICTIM doesn't care for any of them. If examination of the horror genre's tropes (a la NEW NIGHTMARE, or SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) are way above the heads of THE VICTIM's makers, how about a look into the mind frame of a person who would act as the victim at a crime scene, with the culprit present? Oh, sorry, that's too serious, too. They don't want no drama, all they want is to spook out the audience and that's that. Well, that's a valid ambition in itself – as long as the makers are able to achieve it. THE VICTIM's main problem is not that it's not as clever or complex as it could've been. Its major malfunction is that it's just not scary nor entertaining enough.

How could it be, if its director lacks the ability to measure and edit a horror scene properly? The sense of timing is one of the most precious talents a horror director can have, and Monthon Arayangkoon sorely lacks it. All of his horror scenes last longer than they need, thus undermining their effect. Most obvious example of his lack of subtlety is a scene in the first half, in which Ting has an encounter of the spooky kind in a corridor. First of all, Mr. Arayangkoon feels that meeting just one single Sadako-inspired, face-covered-with-black-hair ghost is not enough, so he peoples the scene with a dozen more of blue-faced spooks reaching toward Ting. Then he stretches the scene with far too many shot/countershots of Ting vs. The Ghost, way too many camera set-ups than really needed – probably trying to milk the scene for all its worth, but instead turning it into a ridiculous self-parody that can scare only the most pronounced simpletons.

It certainly doesn't help that Mr. Arayangkoon can't think of anything better than to shamelessly copy the tired RINGU/GRUDGE clichés, some of which include: ghosts (otherwise unseen), captured on camera just as in the far superior SHUTTER; frozen-scream ashen faces of victims, as seen in RINGU and its numerous clones; ghostly hands crawling slowly across the floor towards the victim; invisible ghosts swaying around people and not doing much, as in THE EYE; and the inevitable despicable variation on the old 'it was all only a movie!' device, which says: 'it was all only a dream!' You know the drill: something scary happens. Boo! 'It was all only a dream!' You wake up, go to the bathroom. Something scary is in the mirror. Boo! You wake up again. 'It was all only a dream!' And so on. And on. And on.

Yawn!

SHUTTER (2004)

Country: Thailand

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 93'

Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom

Cast:

Ananda Everingham,

Natthaweeranuch Thongmee,

Achita Sikamana,

Unnop Chanpaibool

GHOUL RATING: *** (3)

Story: A young couple –Tun, a photographer, and his girlfriend Jane- are driving home from a party late at night. They have a hit-and-run accident: after they mow down a young woman, Tun urges Jane to drive away from the scene. Soon, however, strange light patterns and faces start appearing on his photos, scary dreams haunt him, ghostly presences are felt around him and Jane, and they start investigating the ‘ghost photos’ phenomena and history of the girl who seems to be behind the haunting. Of course they are not chosen randomly: it turns out that the ghost is attached in a very peculiar way to one of them…

Review: Just as you might suspect from the above synopsis, SHUTTER is yet another addition to the still-growing body of RINGU-induced works dealing with (or should I say: exploiting?) the motif of a long-black-haired female ghost prone on one kind of vengeance or another – usually by popping out of various technological devices such as TVs, video tapes, cell phones or, as in this case – cameras and photographs. OK, it was scary the first time around. But after a dozen films with black hairs emerging from the water surface or female ghosts crawling closer and closer towards a petrified protagonist, do you still shiver - or do you yawn?

SHUTTER is not exactly yawn-inducing thanks to a solid pace and occasionally energetic direction. There are inspired shots, like a single take of a man’s suicide over a high-rise’s balcony (simply but effectively staged, and explained in the additional features on the disc), or a stroboscopic scene in which Tun uses the camera’s flash to find his way in a suddenly darkened room. The hit-and-run is also well edited, and has a nice… uh, impact. The film’s culmination involves a solid suspense on the fire escape ladders chase, and the very end has a nice touch of macabre romance which reminded me, in a way, of the end of HAUTE TENSION (a far superior film to SHUTTER by any standard, and strongly recommended!).

The film’s main gimmick is the ‘ghost photos’, a phenomenon that you can read about in any publication devoted to the supernatural. The directors use the allegedly real photos (credited at the end of the film) which show the blurry faces gawking behind their living relatives. The concept is at the same time silly and potentially spooky: the problem is, spooky photos have already been done to death in the past 30 years, ever since THE OMEN; and the original RINGU has reminded us of that as well. Imperfections of the eye and the secrets hidden in the grainy images were suitable bases for films ranging from Antonioni’s artsy BLOW OUT to some great movies by Dario (DEEP RED) Argento and Brian (DRESSED TO KILL) de Palma. The two directors of SHUTTER are not visionaries like those authors, but merely competent purveyors of the tried-and-true tricks: their use of photography is far from revolutionary in either formal (visual) or thematic sense, but it serves the purpose of a decent, unambitious, moderately effective piece of entertainment.

The amount of scare achieved by the film depends strictly on the viewer’s cinematic experience and exposure to similar Asian (and other) flicks from recent years. The ghost photos would seem much scarier if you haven’t seen them in RINGU; the same film has also staged the ultimate ghost-crawl-toward-you, but the one in SHUTTER is passable as well (though not as good as the one in A TALE OF TWO SISTERS); the black haired head emerging from the water would be more effective if you haven’t seen RINGU or DARK WATER; the upside-down ceiling-walking ghost will be even scarier without THE GRUDGE and ONE MISSED CALL, while the ghost hovering next to a running car may be familiar to those who saw JU-ON 2; and of course, the whole ‘they are around us’ gimmick (from the film’s tagline) has already been exploited by THE EYE…

Other than the whole photo angle, SHUTTER is curious for having a protagonist who turns out to be one of the most despicable main characters in any recent film I can remember other than BAD SANTA (although even the latter attains a redemption at the end!). The amount of his sleazy, whiny cowardice and irresponsibility has to be seen to be believed! But don’t worry: he gets his just desserts! Some reviewers have stressed a big twist at the end; I won’t spoil it for you, but I’ll reassure that it’s not of the tired ‘they’ve-been-dead-all-along’ variety. Besides, it’s not such a big twist after all. The overhyped reviews elsewhere on the net may make you expect something more than a tolerable, watchable nothing-special Asian ghost flick with slick visuals that SHUTTER is, so – be warned. Don’t believe the hype until it’s the KFCC hype!

DVD [ NTSC, Region 3 ] : The usual plastic DVD case is enveloped by a carton one (slightly better designed). The sharp images come in anamorphic widescreen enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs, while the audio options include Dolby Digital 2.0, Dolby Digital EX 5.1 and dts ES. Audio is in original Thai, with subtitles in English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. Other than the film itself, on this dual-layered disc you can also find very short and conventional promotional featurettes: a minute or two of director’s and actors’ talk, a couple of minutes of behind the scenes, a ‘ghost photo’ made during the film’s shoot (!), and the trailers.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, by Jeffrey Weinstock

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, by Jeffrey Weinstock

Wallflower Press

(London, UK – distributed in the US through Columbia University Press)

2007

132pp

DEJAN OGNJANOVIĆ

'Cultographies' is a new series of books, devoted (as you might guess) to ''the weird and wonderful world of cult cinema''. In format and approach they are very much reminiscent of the acclaimed British Film Institute's series 'BFI's Modern Classics'. Small in size and not longer than 130 pages, 'Cultographies' books manage to compress unbelievable amount of valuable facts and interpretations between their covers. Comparison to BFI's series is no small praise, but it is a well-deserved one: cult movies are still denigrated as cinema's poorer, more colorful but somewhat shameful cousins, but the approach exemplified by the first three books of the 'Cultographies' series is as serious as if they were talking about CITIZEN KANE. And before some readers are repelled by the word 'serious' I hasten to add that these books at the same time manage to be personal, entertaining and highly readable. If there is one quality to stress above all others, then it is the perfect balance achieved between the academic and popular writing. Serious, but not solemn or dry; entertaining, but not condescending or straining to be funny.

Cultographies Series Editors, Ernest Mathijs and Jamie Sexton, have conceived the books' structure in a uniform way, so that each book covers the four major elements which define a cult film:

1) Anatomy: the film itself – its features: content, style, format, and generic modes.

2) Consumption: the ways in which it is received – the audience reactions, fan celebrations, and critical receptions.

3) Political Economy: the financial and physical conditions of presence of the film – its ownerships, intentions, promotions, channels of presentation, and the spaces and times of its exhibition.

4) Cultural status: the way in which a cult film fits a time or region – how it comments on its surroundings, by complying, exploiting, critiquing, or offending.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is a well-chosen title to start up the series (the other two books in this series include Volume Two: DONNIE DARKO, by Geoff King and Volume Three: THIS IS SPINAL TAP, by Ethan De Seife, soon to be reviewed here), as in many ways it epitomizes the cult film as a phenomenon. "ROCKY HORROR is not just a product of its time, but of other times as well – it is history congealed, a tapestry woven out of many threads of history, some obvious, some buried in the weave," says Jeffrey Weinstock and goes on to un-weave, re-present and contextualize the film's numerous symbols and allusions. The meaning of Dr Frank'n'Further's tattoos is revealed, together with the pink triangle on his dress, and other details that you may or may not have noticed but which are parts of a larger frame of references. Some of the central issues that THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW invokes include the modes of spectatorship and the desire (the audience's desire to participate in the film, to make it conform to its wishes, to possess it) and, of course, gender politics involved in the films gay-friendly and sex-friendly attitudes. Mr Weinstock convincingly places the latter in their historical and cultural context: Stonewall, Nixon's resignation speech, Women and Gay rights movements, the rise of pornography, musical and avant-garde theatre, rock'n'roll subcultures, etc. In that regard, his book covers a much larger ground than 'just' an analysis of one single film. THE ROCKY HORROR embodied the tendencies of the times that the book analyzes, providing a bigger picture, while never losing sight of the smaller.

In his obvious devotion to the film Jeffrey Weinstock does not turn into its unequivocal partisan: the balance of his approach and style is mirrored in his constantly balanced awareness of the film's numerous contradictions and faults, including the central question, whether the film is essentially subversive or conservative? "If Frank self-identifies as gay (or gay-friendly), does this advance, to use the language of the 1970s, the cause of Gay Liberation? Or rather, does the association between homosexuality (or bisexuality) and Frank as polymorphously perverse transvestite mad scientist-cannibal-murderer ultimately hinder social progress for gays?" The author concludes that "THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is not just a cult movie, but a 'meta-cult movie'; it is not only a movie pieced together from other movies, some of them possessing their own cults, but one that itself participates in cultic activity as it both reveres and savages the tradition which spawned it." This book is especially eye-opening in terms of revealing the assumptions of mainstream (heterosexual) cinema by pointing things we take for granted and rarely question (like, why are there no men in the Aqua Musicals of the 1940s?). It concludes that THE ROCKY HORROR is 'queering' the history of cinema by re-possessing and re-contextualizing the generic clichés of musical, SF and horror film, shedding a new light on 'innocent' pleasures they provided by casting light "upon underlying cracks and fissures in the patterns of their original cinematic contexts."

The book juxtaposes the film's relevance then and now, showing how "THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW slowly underwent a process of cultural gentrification as nostalgic thirty- and forty-somethings remembered when they used to be wild and the love that many of them bear towards the film today is inextricable from memories and fantasies of their youth." It doesn't shy away from the ironical development in the history of the film's reception: "Once upon a time ROCKY HORROR attendance marked one as 'edgy'; now, it marks one as normal." Jeffrey Weinstock's greatest accomplishment in this book is the control and precision with which he balanced all complexities attendant to the film and its (cinematic, and wider cultural) significance, never losing his way in irrelevant anecdotes or academic mumbo-jumbo. As the first book in the 'Cultographies' series, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW is an invaluable addition to every library, regardless of how devoted to cult cinema in general or THE ROCKY HORROR in particular you are. Just as that film's values transcend cinematic ones, this book transcends its subject and attains a much wider relevance.

THE RED SHOES (2005)

Country: South Korea

Genre: Horror

Running Time: 104'

Producers: Shin Chang-Kil, Creta D. Kim

Director: Kim Yong-Gyun

Cast: Kim Hye-Soo, Kim Sung-Soo, Park Youn-Ah

GHOUL RATING: **(*) 3-

Story: Sun-Jae is a young mother whose marriage is falling apart. She moves with her small daughter into a small apartment only slightly more cheerful than the one in DARK WATER, but the source of terror is not in the soggy ceiling but in – a pair of lurid pink shoes that she discovers abandoned. Apparently, they invoke greed in anyone who spots them, and those who steal them soon find their feet cut off, optionally with some other body parts taken as well. Sun-Jae is in the centre of the mystery that threatens her daughter...

Review: The line of haunted paraphernalia in Asian horrors is getting longer and longer. A random and by no means complete list includes: video tapes, cell phones, radios, acacia trees, Ouija boards, mirrors, photo cameras, internet, trains, lockers, wigs, dolls... They have already announced a flick dealing with spooky hair extensions (!), and it's only a matter of time before we also get ghostly fake eyelashes or nails. Don't you already envision titles like NAILS or LIPSTICK OF BLOOD? Anyway, a new addition to the ever-growing list now consists of a pair of pink (no, they are just NOT red) female shoes. Kitschy and lurid in color and nothing special in shape, they are about as scary as your grandma's wig. But wait – they've already made that into an object of terror. Oh, well...

Obviously, a story like this is hard to take seriously. The director and his actors try up to a point, but there's only so much that you can get from a pair of whorish shoes. They must have realized that it's pointless trying to make those look spooky, so instead of relying on atmosphere they decided to go with blood. Lots of blood. The killings in this flick are among the goriest I've seen in Korean horror cinema, and this review is based on the theatrical cut. Apparently, there's four more minutes of sex 'n' gore in the director's cut (currently it's not available with English subtitles, but that might be changed in near future). One particularly effective set-piece involves the demise of a well-rounded lady who is lifted from her feet by the invisible force, has her eye plucked out by ghostly hands, is thrown into a shop-window and is de-feetated by a large piece of glass.

Unfortunately, there are not too many killings in RED SHOES since most of gore is reserved for dreams and visions. This is another cliché that wears out its welcome pretty soon: too many scenes are ended with 'it's only a dream' coda. It's annoying the first time. It's boring the third and fourth time around. The silly extravagant gore includes a scene in which red geysers gush from the ceiling like an inverted version of the Johnny Depp demise in Craven's original NIGHTMARE (although the humorous effect is closer to geysers that splatter all over Bruce Campbell in EVIL DEAD II ). In another scene copious amounts of blood flow from under the skirt of a six-year old girl! Yes, it's as tasteless as it sounds, and it's longer, more explicit and more shocking than the crucifix masturbation in THE EXORCIST. Just when you hope this is another stupid vision, the little girl ends up in hospital, although no one ever explains what it was that ailed her, or how could such a tiny body contain so many gallons of blood and remain alive after losing them. (On a side note: the terrors visited upon the girl in this flick raise an issue of highly questionable laws –if any?- for working with minors in South Korea; there is no body double here to protect the child from all kinds of natural and supernatural abuse). There's also a lame attempt at stylized visuals when Sun-Jae and her new boyfriend stand on the top of the hospital while bloody flakes of 'snow' (?) fall on their faces. Although this is not supposed to be a dream, they just shrug it off and never refer to it again. And that is the main problem of this film: it never dwells on the characters or story it introduces, it never examines anything, and it never establishes a convincing world in which events have realistic consequences. Instead of that, 'anything goes' is the main principle, and whatever happens is utterly inconsequential. With no people to care for and no story to make sense of, with no consistency in tone, the outcome is pretty much uninvolving.

To tell the truth, occasional scenes ARE effective, and the director is especially to be praised for his clever use of stroboscopic blinking neon lights in several scenes. The gore is well handled and is pleasing to the eye, but it never really hits hard so that it would matter. It's reduced to a gag. You see it, it's either funny or scary or both, but soon you forget it because the context it appears in is neither edgy nor convincing that it would be burnt into your frail mind to haunt you afterwards. The whole film is reduced to cheap, instant 'thrills' (including insultingly stupid 'hand on the shoulder' and 'the pigeon flight' jump scares). Since it is unable to create a convincing setting for its outrageous story, it cheats by lazily accommodating the world to its needs: the subway stations are at all times utterly empty, there is no one in the streets when the director doesn't need them and the bloody snowflakes do not excite even a raised eyebrow on the part of those covered in them.

(SPOILER: The twist ending is the epitome of cheating: although some have compared it to that in the exquisite HAUTE TENSION, a careful examination would prove that the French horror masterpiece played by its rules, while RED SHOES cheated without any real reason. END SPOILER;) Allegedly there is a different, better ending in the director's cut, but we'll have to wait and see. The film as presented here, in its theatrical version, barely deserves a second viewing. As a time-waster and cheap-thrills provider, it can serve its purpose: you can rent it on a rainy day when there's nothing better to watch. But unless you're a really devoted fan of Asian horror there is no real need to buy this DVD.

DVD [ NTSC, Region 3 ] : Woo Sung ENT provided a solid presentation of this crowd-pleaser: it's in 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, with a decent image where blacks could've been better, but is overall sharp. The sound is Korean dts / Dolby Digital 5.1, the English subtitles are OK (on several occasions too fast, but in general – decent) while there are no extras that would mean anything to an English-speaking audience, since the director's commentary is available only in Korean, with no English subs. Having in mind all that's said above, if you still want to see this flick – maybe you should wait for the director's cut, which this is not.

THE RED SHOES: TARTAN

DVD [ NTSC, Region 1 ] : Here comes TARTAN with a R1 edition of THE RED SHOES, but, unfortunately, it is the cut, 103' version, with some extreme gore and sex cut out. It seems weird they did not go that extra mile to obtain the uncut version, especially since their main selling points in advertising seem to be the gruesomeness and gore: the DVD cover features a cut-off female leg on a dirty-pale background, similar to some SAW-movies covers, while the menus on the disc itself are literally bubbling with blood. The image in anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 is somewhat paler and with slightly more muted colors than the Hong Kong edition (Woo Sung ENT) which has stronger blues. The sound is in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround and DTS 5.1. which come handy in numerous spooky scenes. As for the extras: the main one would be the commentary. The DVD cover announces that it's by 'the director and cinematographer' (and numerous DVD reviews on the Net blindly copied this info from the cover without checking); however, the participants in the commentary are the director, the producer Shin Chang-Gil and the female star, Kim Hye-Soo. This feature is lively and entertaining, but does not dwell too much on the parts excised for rating. There is also a Making of feature with interviews: 17 minutes of actors praising one another and their director, with very little discussion of the film and its purpose and only brief snippets from actual making of the film. There is also a 14 minutes feature about visual effects: it tends to be too technical and one wonders why, in a movie in which the main 'meat' is its gore they did not do a feature on make up effects instead. There is also a fine theatrical trailer for THE RED SHOES, plus trailers for other Tartan releases. All in all, this is a fine edition, slightly better than the R3 one (because of the extras), but still... we want the uncut version, please!

A SERBIAN FILM (2010)

A SERBIAN FILM is the most shocking film you're likely to see this year – or any year soon. And the most shocking thing about it is how well made, well acted and poignant it is.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realize that A SERBIAN FILM is not exactly the kind of fare you want to see with your mom. What with the story of an ex-porn star accepting one last job so he can sustain his impoverished family in today's Serbia, and the uber-sick underworld he stumbles upon in which pornography, war criminals and State Security are linked in ways unimaginable, yet so logical. Our star chances upon the kind of movies that can only be made where human life is very cheap!

Photo: From the set - director Spasojevic (left)

Oh, yes; there are hints of snuff here. But "snuff" does not even begin to describe the levels and amounts of depravity involved. The shocking, sickening stuff that men, women and children are forced to endure here. A whole new depraved subgenre of porn is introduced in what will certainly be the most talked-about scene of the film. But I won't spoil the goodies that await those with the strongest stomachs and nerves. I will just try to hint at the ideas and impressions that A SERBIAN FILM invokes.

Photo: From the set - director Spasojevic (right) and star (Srdjan Todorovic, in the car)

If you thought: "Oh, well; so now Serbia has discovered 'torture porn'? Who cares?" – think again. If you expect just a tired retread of cheap sadistic gimmicks already done to death in the SAW sequels and their poor direct-to-DVD cousins – you're in for a surprise.

First of all, A SERBIAN FILM puts to shame almost all recent attempts at nightmare inducing shocks, with only MARTYRS (and a somewhat bygone, but still unforgettable IRREVERSIBLE) as relatively solid reference points – not in terms of plot, but in terms of nerve-shattering effect on the viewer. This film will f*** your senses, it will rape your soul. Be prepared to see penis go where no penis has gone before. Be prepared to see new uses of Viagra for bulls. Be prepared to witness unprecedented levels of child abuse. And then some.

Second of all, this is a beautifully shot and edited film, with an excellent sense of timing and narrative economy and a superb industrial droning score by Sky Wikluh. Also, there are at least two incredibly memorable performances. One is by Srdjan Todorovic as Milos, the said ex-porn actor selling his sex tool for the last time. He simmers with quiet desperation through the first half of the film only to explode in a raging feat towards the end which will sear you like a wildfire until the very celluloid seems to be burning. The other is Sergey Trifunovic, as the shady Vukmir, insane producer and director, the puppet master of an "art" porn theater in which performers include a war-hero's widow and kids from a Home for abandoned and orphaned children. Although technically a villain, Vukmir is the one with all the best lines and the most thought-provoking monologues whose content may be as shocking to some as the imagery he shoots.

Third of all, none of this would matter if the film had shocks for shocks' sake, or if it were just another exercise in cinematic sadism. The horrors of A SERBIAN FILM actually have a point. There's an attitude and meaning behind it all. The film is firmly rooted in a feeling of frustration and despair of living in Serbia today. But, fear not: you need not know much about the recent history or the daily life or politics of this European country to be able to understand the frame of mind and the state of affairs behind the permeating sentiments of resignation, tiredness, despair, humiliation, cynicism, pessimism and the wish to leave all that behind. A SERBIAN FILM does not offer any false hope. Quite the opposite, it reinvents horror genre to suit its own purpose, finding in it the perfect vehicle to depict the feelings that life in Serbia evokes in its youth.

Mind you: this is not a documentary film, and the Serbia you'll see here is not the one you'll encounter if you ever come to this country. Instead of copy-pasting reality, A SERBIAN FILM transcends it and offers a stylized version of what it feels like to live in country humiliated, denigrated, impoverished, bombed-out, stripped of its territory, labeled genocidal and haunted by the spirits of war crimes both real and constructed. It is a country in which shady figures with strong political (and criminal) background still govern your life, where hope is hazy and dignity forgotten, where you are both metaphorically and literally f***ed.

In such a context, pornography and snuff are vivid metaphors for the raging Thanatos overpowering Eros, in a similar manner to another recent Serbian film, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORN GANG (2009). Death drive governs the sex drive so much that even the pleasure-giving penis becomes a death-dealing weapon. And this metaphor is quite literal in this film, but without the mediating distance of splatstick humor of the Japanese Machine Girls or the Sci-Fi of mutating Tetsuos. You won't know whether to laugh, cry, stare in disbelief or leave the theater (provided your legs still obey your commands) at the transgressive new links between sex and death that A SERBIAN FILM reveals.

This review is intentionally vague about the plot details. You deserve to be as innocent and virginal as possible entering the film – before it rapes you like a bearded, ogrish war criminal.

A SERBIAN FILM should not be taken literally, like a "slice of life" depiction of today's Serbia. What it does is use strong and exaggerated metaphors to convey a certain feeling. If MARTYRS and IRREVERSIBLE, for example, portrayed sickening doings in France without making audiences believe it to be a nation of sick perverts and rapists, hopefully A SERBIAN FILM, in a similar manner, won't do much to hurt Serbia's already not too good public image. As the matter of fact, it plays upon certain expectations (and prejudices) associated with how this locale is perceived in the West, and can be understood as a grotesque parody of Serbia's current image in the eyes of foreigners. It seems to be saying: "You thought we were a nation of criminals and maniacs and ogres? You haven't seen anything yet!"

This is just one of the ways that A SERBIAN FILM implicates its audience into its cunning doings: it will involve you, whether you like it or not, and it will make you question not only your role as a spectator and voyeur of sexual and violent cinematic arousals, but will also shatter many other preconceptions you may bring with you to the film. It has a clever way of making you reconsider all that you hold dear. One thing is certain: it won't leave you indifferent. It will embrace you, seduce you and penetrate you before you know what's gotten you and once you start picking your jaw off the floor it will be too late.

Never again will you be able to hear or read the innocent phrase "a Serbian film" without a reflexive awakening of the searing images that Aleksandar Radivojevic (screenplay) and Srdjan Spasojevic (co-writer and director) have put on screen. For better or worse, A SERBIAN FILM will mark you for life like few other films have managed. It reinvents the somewhat forgotten art of real transgressive cinema and shows what real filmmaking can still accomplish.

SUBVERSIVE SERBIA in FANTASIA 2010

Controversial (and rightly so!) shocker, A SERBIAN FILM, will have its Canadian Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival as part of scorching "Subversive Serbia" spotlight.

The Fantasia Film Festival –the best place on Earth for shocking, subversive, transgressive, unusual, hard-to-find, rare international gems - has announced a first slice of programming for its 2010 event. SUBVERSIVE SERBIA: a spotlight on the blistering new wave of confrontational and edgy Serbian cinema.

At this early stage, the festival can announce only an initial trio of titles: Srdjan Spasojevic's A SERBIAN FILM (Srpski Film), which is about to have its North American premiere at SXSW, Mladen Djordjevic's Raindance hit THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A PORNO GANG (Zivot i smrt porno bande) and, making its long awaited Montreal debut, Uros Stojanovic's TEARS FOR SALE (Carlston za Ognjenku), an adored selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, co-written by SERBIAN FILM's screenwriter Aleksandar Radivojevic.

Fantasia is also working with journalist Dejan Ognjanovic in association with the Belgrade Cinematheque to curate a parallel series to be announced shortly.

"The voices emerging from the new wave of independent Serbian cinema are some of the rawest and most daring of any we've ever encountered" said Fantasia co-director Mitch Davis. "This is smart, confrontational filmmaking with astounding elements of shock, armed with the intelligence and the urgency to back it up. In particular, SERBIAN FILM and PORNO GANG are, to my mind, the CLOCKWORK ORANGEs of our generation. They push boundaries in ways that cinema rarely has the courage to do, and they're two of the most transgressive films I've ever seen. We can't wait to see them come to life in front of an audience here. "

SERBIAN FILM producer Nikola Pantelic issued the following statement: "To us, Canada is a very special place because it is the homeland of one of our favorite filmmakers, whose work greatly inspired us - David Cronenberg. We're honored to participate in Fantasia- a place where majority of our favorite recent films were screened. Montreal Fantasia is one of the few places left on this earth where artistic freedom and unorthodox cinema thinking still mean something. Mitch Davis is one of the rare people who has reacted to our film in exactly the right way. Fantasia has become a Mecca for gutsy and vital cinema today. For A Serbian Film, things have come full circle."

The 2010 Fantasia Film Festival will take place in Montreal July 8 - July 27. More information can be found at www.fantasiafestival.com .

An exclusive review of A SERBIAN FILM will be published on this blog in a few days. Stay tuned.