DVD's and Films You Have Watched Recently

[DJ Stevie C]

Link to Story

 

A Japanese horror film has been refused an 18 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) because of its graphic torture scenes.

 

According to BBFC director David Cooke, Grotesque presented "little more than an unrelenting and escalating scenario of humiliation, brutality and sadism".

 

Its "unacceptable content", he added, meant cuts were "not a viable option".

 

The BBFC rarely refuses to pass films, having denied only three titles seeking an 18 rating over the last four years.

 

These include violent sex thriller Murder Set Pieces and Terrorists, Killers And Other Wackos, a film comprising real clips of execution and torture.

 

'Minimal narrative'

 

Two pornographic works seeking the restricted R18 rating have also been rejected in the same period.

 

The distributors of Grotesque had hoped to receive an 18 certificate for the film, which includes scenes involving amputation and eye-gouging.

 

"The chief pleasure on offer seems to be in the spectacle of sadism (including sexual sadism) for its own sake," said Mr Cooke.

 

Its "minimal narrative or character development," he continued, set it apart from such other "torture-themed" works as the Saw and Hostel movie series.

 

The BBFC drew criticism earlier this year for passing Danish horror Antichrist uncut, despite its graphic scenes of sex, violence and mutilation.

 

That's Grotesque on my list of things to watch then.... These are the people that gave "Visitor Q" A rating for heavens sake...

[JLM]

Censorship.

[Devon Malcolm]

Just when you think the BBFC are getting better, they do something like this. Utter cunts.

 

Watched Narrow Margin last night. Good fun, nothing too taxing, and you get JT Walsh AND M Emmet Walsh in the same film, and it doesn't get more awesome than that.

[Chest Rockwell]

I saw I love you man the other day.. I had been really looking forward to seeing this as Paul Rudd has been great in a bunch of recent comedies I've seen, most notably that one with Stiffler where they have to mentor kids... That film was great.

 

Unlike this one. Man, what a stinker. Fucking rubbish. Lazy. Lazy plot would have been forgiveable, but they were so fucking lazy with the jokes as well. There weren't many really.. And fuck. The guy in the gym with the squeeky voice has to be the worst 'incidental wacky character that turns up a few times' ever.

 

I probably laughed about 4 times. There were long periods where I was listening to the tv, but cringeing so hard I couldn't even bring myself to look up at the screen.

 

Such a let down; the most I've been disappointed by a film in a long time.

 

One to avoid.

[Dynamite Duane]

I've recorded Iron Man but haven't got around to watching it. Did watch The Incredible Hulk last week and found it shockingly enjoyable, much better than the Ang Lee/Eric Bana effort. They laid it on a bit thick at the beginning with some references to the TV show but other than that it was a fun ride. To be honest I can't work out if it was a better film that I was expecting or if I've just begun to lower my standards.

Not seen either yet but Sky plussed Iron Man ready to see.

[Vice]

Yep, I'll certainly be looking out for Grotesque as well now.

 

Still, I gave the sequel, The Devil's Rejects, a chance and it is immensely better, succeeding on a lot of the levels that House of 1000 corpses fails. It feels like a much stronger tribute to exploitation flicks, rather than an incredibly cheesy version of one. The violence, the sickening content, the sleaze, the humour - everything is better. Plus, DDP's in it! Glad to see he's getting some work after Kimberly flashed her tit in The 40 Year Old Virgin. Downsides are that it does tend to drag, Rob Zombie over-directs a little (he seems to really loves slow-motion) and I didn't like the ending.

See, i really liked the ending.

Although the first time I saw it, it almost seemed like Rob had the idea to end a movie with a driving sequence/shootout while Freebird played so he wrote a movie around that idea, it almost seemed cliched.

 

That scene itself itself is pretty good. What I didn't like about the ending is...

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

how the gang are made to look sympathetic. Why try to show the suffering from their angle, reinforce the family links between them in an emotional way and then flash up a bunch of clips of them all looking happy together? They mutilated and brutally murdered people and the sheriff is personally avenging the loss of his brother who was killed by them. The Devil Reject's is similar to The Last House on the Left in that you've got a sadistic group (mixed sex), they actually force two women to humiliate each other at some point for their own amusement and the guy after them is avenging a family member. But, in The Last House on the Left, gang are portrayed as utter scum and the dad going mental with the chainsaw at the end is a brilliantly intense scene, in which you really want him to cut the fucker up for what he did to the guy's daughter. That's how The Devil's Rejects should have ended.

 

[close spoiler]

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I saw I love you man the other day.. I had been really looking forward to seeing this as Paul Rudd has been great in a bunch of recent comedies I've seen, most notably that one with Stiffler where they have to mentor kids... That film was great.

 

Unlike this one. Man, what a stinker. Fucking rubbish. Lazy. Lazy plot would have been forgiveable, but they were so fucking lazy with the jokes as well. There weren't many really.. And fuck. The guy in the gym with the squeeky voice has to be the worst 'incidental wacky character that turns up a few times' ever.

 

I probably laughed about 4 times. There were long periods where I was listening to the tv, but cringeing so hard I couldn't even bring myself to look up at the screen.

 

Such a let down; the most I've been disappointed by a film in a long time.

 

One to avoid.

Spot on.

Edited August 19, 2009 by Vice

[Chest Rockwell]

Role Models! That's what the film with him and Stiffler in it was called...

[Gladstones Bitch]

I really enjoy Rob Zombie's films just for the fact that his wife is always in them, god I lover Sheri Moon.

Edited August 19, 2009 by BxB Hulk

[NEWM]

I hated Role Models and loved I Love You Man. There must be a hidden correlation between the two that only allows Paul Rudd fans to enjoy one or the other.

[Steveo2007]

Just when you think the BBFC are getting better, they do something like this. Utter cunts.

 

Watched Narrow Margin last night. Good fun, nothing too taxing, and you get JT Walsh AND M Emmet Walsh in the same film, and it doesn't get more awesome than that.

I have to say I agree with their decision. If they award it an 18 rating then doesn't that give it the possibility of being put in more cinema's across the UK? If so then a film like this shouldn't be readily available. At the end of the day, like the article says, they have only rejected three in the last fours years which is an unbelievably small number. Whether you agree with it or not, censorship he there for the right reasons (in some countries anyway) and now and again it has to be put into effect.

[Joe_the_Lion]

Just when you think the BBFC are getting better, they do something like this. Utter cunts.

 

Watched Narrow Margin last night. Good fun, nothing too taxing, and you get JT Walsh AND M Emmet Walsh in the same film, and it doesn't get more awesome than that.

I have to say I agree with their decision. If they award it an 18 rating then doesn't that give it the possibility of being put in more cinema's across the UK? If so then a film like this shouldn't be readily available. At the end of the day, like the article says, they have only rejected three in the last fours years which is an unbelievably small number. Whether you agree with it or not, censorship he there for the right reasons (in some countries anyway) and now and again it has to be put into effect.

 

Nothing should be censored. Ever.

[JLM]

It should be readily available to adults who can decide for themselves whether or not they want to see it. It's a work of fiction, created using special effects and performed by actors. It's not a real snuff movie seeking national distribution or footage of real life child abuse. I find it extremely hard to justify censoring a totally fictional work on the grounds of its content. Putting an age restriciton on it makes perfect sense, but to deny grown adults their right to choose what they watch is far too meddlesome for my liking.

[Devon Malcolm]

I have to say I agree with their decision.

 

Have you seen it?

[Joe_the_Lion]

I have to say I agree with their decision.

 

Have you seen it?

 

He doesn't need to. The BBFC have told him he won't like it and that's good enough for him.

[JLM]

If professional film critics don't need to watch films before condemning them any more then I don't see why us regular schlubs should have to. Still, at least they didn't ban Antichrist.