Anyone else see this?
Not Crap. I was nauseous after watching this.
I was expecting a "Saw" type movie with lots of fast camera work and generally a scary giga-giga metal band feel to it.
It had none of these characteristics. It did well at building up suspense and the money shots... rare case in which you're imagination probably isn't more powerful.
NC
Movie: Hostel
2crap
I hate this film and I'm a gore fan. This is the first movie I can recall that led me to do that thing where you roll your eyes like every ten minutes.
For those who are unfamiliar, Hostel follows a couple of American frat-boy types (plus some Finnish dude) on their backpacking trip through Europe. They have lots of sex, do lots of drugs, wear lots of Abercrombie & Fitch, say lots of homophobic things, etc. Somewhere in Eastern Europe, they fall for a trap and become the victims in this dungeon-like tortureville where rich folks pay lots of money to kill people in private rooms. Everyone dies except one tough-yet sensitive frat boy.
The first half of the film is tedious. Eli Roth (the director) uses cliche after cliche to paint the ugly American sticking out like a sore thumb. I think Roth knows these characters far too well though, and I don't think it's a far stretch to picture him being the floor manager at the GAP. At first I thought the trick was to make the viewer hate these guys, just so it'd be fun to watch them die cruel deaths. But every once in a while these characters slip in these forced lines that show that they do have a sensitive side. By the time you get to the carnage, I was indifferent to these characters' survival. The second half became a pointless mess, riddled with not-so-memorable references to Pulp Fiction (Tarantino was a producer), Takashi Miike, and Suicide Club.
There were two funny scenes near the end of the film, but they served a weak payoff for all that crap you had to sit through. I really wanted to walk out of this movie, but I didn't want the packed audience to think I was scared.
Dammit. I want a good horror movie to come out!
I hate this film and I'm a gore fan. This is the first movie I can recall that led me to do that thing where you roll your eyes like every ten minutes.
For those who are unfamiliar, Hostel follows a couple of American frat-boy types (plus some Finnish dude) on their backpacking trip through Europe. They have lots of sex, do lots of drugs, wear lots of Abercrombie & Fitch, say lots of homophobic things, etc. Somewhere in Eastern Europe, they fall for a trap and become the victims in this dungeon-like tortureville where rich folks pay lots of money to kill people in private rooms. Everyone dies except one tough-yet sensitive frat boy.
The first half of the film is tedious. Eli Roth (the director) uses cliche after cliche to paint the ugly American sticking out like a sore thumb. I think Roth knows these characters far too well though, and I don't think it's a far stretch to picture him being the floor manager at the GAP. At first I thought the trick was to make the viewer hate these guys, just so it'd be fun to watch them die cruel deaths. But every once in a while these characters slip in these forced lines that show that they do have a sensitive side. By the time you get to the carnage, I was indifferent to these characters' survival. The second half became a pointless mess, riddled with not-so-memorable references to Pulp Fiction (Tarantino was a producer), Takashi Miike, and Suicide Club.
There were two funny scenes near the end of the film, but they served a weak payoff for all that crap you had to sit through. I really wanted to walk out of this movie, but I didn't want the packed audience to think I was scared.
Dammit. I want a good horror movie to come out!
Movie: Hostel
3I'd give it a Not Crap; 0-1 WF.
I didn't see any sign of Tarantino directing. Only some references. I'm guessing they just put him on the payroll for his name. This was a pretty gorey movie; with Tarantino's name they could push it harder into theaters.
I didn't see any sign of Tarantino directing. Only some references. I'm guessing they just put him on the payroll for his name. This was a pretty gorey movie; with Tarantino's name they could push it harder into theaters.
Movie: Hostel
4eli roth had a cameo as a friend of the ugly american who coughed in the bong at the hash bar at the beginning.
i was dubious, "cabin fever" was a massive shit pile. massive. i cannot put enough emphasis on massive. or shit pile for that matter. massive shit pile.
if i'm not making things up, which i might be. i do that sometimes...there used to be a difference between horror and terror.
horror being a visceral reaction.
terror being a psychological reaction.
that being said, this was a horror movie that horrified. i didn't care for the characters. or the plot.
but that shit was gross. i've never seen a movie that prompted the outburst of, "oh fuck me!" in a crowded theater no less.
the eyeball scene. the tendon scene. the chainsaw scene. ew.
not crap. big waffles.
i was dubious, "cabin fever" was a massive shit pile. massive. i cannot put enough emphasis on massive. or shit pile for that matter. massive shit pile.
if i'm not making things up, which i might be. i do that sometimes...there used to be a difference between horror and terror.
horror being a visceral reaction.
terror being a psychological reaction.
that being said, this was a horror movie that horrified. i didn't care for the characters. or the plot.
but that shit was gross. i've never seen a movie that prompted the outburst of, "oh fuck me!" in a crowded theater no less.
the eyeball scene. the tendon scene. the chainsaw scene. ew.
not crap. big waffles.
Movie: Hostel
5You know, I just don't get it. Why would I want to watch young men and women be graphically and horrifically tortured? I don't see what this would bring to my life.
Did ya'll see The Squid and the Whale? Why not go see that instead?
Just some friendly advice.
Did ya'll see The Squid and the Whale? Why not go see that instead?
Just some friendly advice.
Movie: Hostel
6connor wrote:You know, I just don't get it. Why would I want to watch young men and women be graphically and horrifically tortured? I don't see what this would bring to my life.
seconded.
Movie: Hostel
7Part shock value.
Part voyuerism.
Part seeing how realistic it is. (Not that I have anything to compare it to).
Part voyuerism.
Part seeing how realistic it is. (Not that I have anything to compare it to).
Movie: Hostel
8making things SEEM realistic is strange and tricky business... i thought the bull sacrifice at the end of apocalypse now looked totally fake -- that was real!