Quentin Tarantino

Video Game Review: Ultra-Violent ‘Wet’ Provides Jolt That Wears Off With Repetition

BrianTT — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:05:05 -0600

CHICAGO – Bethesda Softworks’ “Wet” is a sloppy wet kiss to the cinema of the grindhouse as filtered through Quentin Tarantino’s love affair with it. The game plays not so much as an ode to B-movie thrills but to the way that QT interprets them. Clearly (and admittedly) inspired by “Kill Bill,” “Wet” is an often-fun but also often-frustrating shooter with style to spare but not as much substance as one would hope.

Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

In “Wet,” you play Rubi, a nearly superhuman killer who has apparently mastered the art of running and gunning. With one push of the button, Rubi is airborne and everything slows to bullet-time. While the game autolocks on one opponent with one of your guns, you shoot the other one, John Woo style, because if you have two hands, why not shoot two guns? Pistols, shotguns, SMGs, and even crossbows. Rubi unleashes some righteous firepower.

Wet
Photo credit: Bethesda Softworks

And bullets are only one of Rubi’s weapons. She’s also got a nasty sword that can be used in acrobatic slo-mo attacks on literally hundreds of personality-less enemies. Like Uma Thurman’s The Bride, Rubi (as voiced by Eliza Dushku) is righteously angry and able to unleash instant death as quickly as she drops f-bombs.

Wet
Photo credit: Bethesda Softworks

The carnage in “Wet” is downright epic and it’s impossible to deny the visceral glee often garnered by mowing down wave after wave villain in increasingly creative ways. In fact, “Wet” rewards creativity with points that can be used to upgrade Rubi’s physical abilities or her weapons.

Some rooms feature villains that spawn until you close the doors that they emerge from and empty the room of enemies. These arenas play almost like skate parks, as the player is encouraged to swing on bars, climb ledges, and do increasingly acrobatic things while they aim a shotgun at their enemy’s head.

When Rubi isn’t unleashing fury at the end of a barrel or a blade, she’s either climbing the side of buildings like something out of “Prince of Persia” or is participating in some extended cinematic sequences where the player basically just has to hit the right face button at the right time for the action to continue. The first, a car chase, is exhilarating but, admittedly, not exactly that challenging.

Discerning readers may notice that we’re this far into the review and very little has been mentioned about the plot. Despite the involvement of Dushku, Alan Cumming, and Malcolm McDowell, the plot of “Wet” is a disappointing hodge-podge of reasons to put chain guns in drug dealer’s hands. It’s never captivating enough, either on a B-movie thrill level or as something truly interesting. The writers forgot that Tarantino writes some pretty damn good dialogue to go with his carnage.

Wet
Photo credit: Bethesda Softworks

And carnage truly is the word. “Wet” got repetitive around hour three and by the time I got near the end of the game, I was dreading the next arena or, even worse, the rage sequences where Rubi goes red and literally just annihilates black-and-white enemies. When “Wet” actually slows down a bit, it’s a beautiful-looking game (although I would recommend turning off the first-clever-then-annoying graphical trick that makes the picture look like an old, scratchy movie). Rubi has been expertly created, moving smoothly from wall to ledge to the groin of a poor schmuck meeting the business end of her sword. The graphics are actually the best reason to play “Wet”. It looks great.

I just wish it played a little more diversely. When you’ve played “Wet” for about two hours, you’ve really seen all of its tricks. The weapons change and the arenas get a bit more challenging, but the game is undeniably repetitious. It’s practically inherent in its design. And the lack of multiplayer limits the overall replayability of the title.

There’s also a frustrating bit of inconsistency to the fighting structure. You’re encouraged to use the environment, but hardly ever really can, except for the occasional chandelier. Ledges that you should be able to scale can’t be used and the damage you inflict on a victim seems virtually random with a shooting system that’s very hard to predict. Basically, the strategy in “Wet” is more, More, MORE. You have no limit to ammo on your pistols and don’t even have to worry about reloading. Just fire away.

Ultimately, “Wet” is a mixed bag. Imagine a fun, clever, two-hour game that then repeats six times over. Would you love to play what worked for those two hours over and over again or would you long for something new? How you answer that question should determine whether or not you get “Wet”.

‘Wet’ was released by Bethesda Softworks and developed by A2M. It is rated M (Mature). The version reviewed was for the PS3, but the title is also available for the XBox 360. It was released on September 15th, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Brad Pitt’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Becomes Quentin Tarantino’s Highest-Grossing Film

BrianTT — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 07:12:24 -0600

CHICAGO – The Weinstein Company (QTC) announced that Quentin Tarantino’s recent film “Inglourious Basterds” passed “Pulp Fiction” at the box office and is now his highest grossing film ever. “Basterds” has now grossed more than $108 million in North American box office sales since the film was released on August 21, 2009.

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.
Photo credit: Francois Duhamel/TWC

“Pulp Fiction” made $107,966,120 in its North American release. “Inglourious Basterds” is a huge international success for both TWC and its partner, Universal Pictures. The filmed debuted at #1 in the US and all over the world on August 21, 2009.

“We have been Quentin’s biggest fans since the beginning. It was extremely gratifying to see ‘Inglourious Basterds’ put up such huge numbers. It is a kick ass film from a director who always keeps me and audiences on their toes,” said Harvey Weinstein in response to the new benchmark.

Weinstein is crediting the success of the film to an innovative marketing plan. The film took advantage of Twitter and other popular social networking sites in a direct fashion, which involved using Twitter in the film’s LA Premiere. “It was great working with Biz Stone at Twitter on ‘Inglourious.’ It took the campaign to another level,” says Weinstein.

The film is set during World War II where a group of Jewish-American solders known as “The Basterds” were chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis. They soon come across a French-Jewish woman who runs a movie theater in Paris that is targeted by the soldiers.

The Weinstein Company and Universal Pictures co-financed and co-presented the film with a single-pot worldwide 50/50 deal. Lawrence Bender, A Band Apart, Zehnte Babelsberg Film, and GmbH Production produced “Inglourious Basterds”. The film was shot at Studio Babelsberg and on location in Berlin, Saxony and Paris.

Domestic grosses for other Tarantino-directed films include $2 million for “Reservoir Dogs” (1992), $40 million for “Jackie Brown” (1997), $71 million for “Kill Bill, Vol. 1” (2003), $66 million for “Kill Bill, Vol. 2 (2004), and $25 million for “Grindhouse” (2007).

By ANGIE RENTMEESTER
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ With Brad Pitt Lives Up to Expectations

BrianTT — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:06:40 -0600

CHICAGO – What truly distinguishes Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” from the cookie-cutter marketplace also makes its impact incredibly difficult to put into words. It’s a film that’s impossible to pin down - a thriller, drama, comedy, action film, and a slice of revisionist history played as modern revenge fantasy. And it’s a total blast.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

The man who directed “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs,” and “Kill Bill,” has made another near-masterpiece that will likely be his most divisive and controversial film, one of the few from this season that you can expect to hear arguments about in coffee houses and bars. Some will find QT’s latest way-too-talky, about an hour too long, and even offensive in its subject matter. Others will embrace a few of the most remarkable performances of the year, a masterful technical accomplishment, and a film that could have only come from the unique mind of one of the best directors of the last twenty years. Tarantino has done it again.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Inglourious Basterds” in our reviews section.

The ads may (incorrectly) make “Basterds” look like a big summer action movie, but it’s much more of a dialogue-driven film about the power of reputation and propaganda. The film, told in chapters, opens with the two characters who will provide the true through-line for the story - Shosanna Dreyfus (played later by Melanie Laurent) and Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) - in arguably the best scene of the year in any film.

The rest of “Basterds” is about how the life of Shosanna, now the manager of a movie theater scheduled to show Nazi propaganda, and that of Landa will intersect again by way of a few crazy Americans (including Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, and BJ Novak), a British double agent (Michael Fassbender), a German actress (Diane Kruger), and an audience filled with the leadership of the Third Reich.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Inglourious Basterds” review.

‘Inglourious Basterds’ stars Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Daniel Bruhl, and Til Schweiger. It was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It opens on August 21st, 2009. It is rated R.

Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Eli Roth) in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.
Photo credit: Francois Duhamel/TWC

Exclusive Portrait: Director Quentin Tarantino Walks Chicago Red Carpet For ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Premiere

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:38:15 -0600

CHICAGO – Writer and director Quentin Tarantino posed with his new career achievement award for the HollywoodChicago.com lens on Aug. 18, 2009 at the summer gala for the 45th-annual Chicago International Film Festival premiere of his new film “Inglourious Basterds”.

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino of “Pulp Fiction” fame, “Inglourious Basterds” stars Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Eli Roth (the director of “Hostel” and “Hostel: Part II”), Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger and Daniel Brühl.

The film opens everywhere on Aug. 21, 2009. Our interview with Quentin Tarantino on “Inglourious Basterds” can be read here. Our exclusive portrait of Quentin Tarantino can be found below.

Writer and director Quentin Tarantino poses with his career achievement award for the
HollywoodChicago.com lens on Aug. 18, 2009 at the summer gala for the 45th-annual
Chicago International Film Festival premiere of his new film “Inglourious Basterds”.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sin City’ Exceeds Expectations With Flawless Release

BrianTT — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:22:52 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – “Sin City - Recut, Extended, Unrated” was one of the best DVD box sets in the history of the format. Most collectors interested in the Blu-Ray upgrade of the title will probably already own the box set that came with an entire graphic novel and is currently anchoring many a respectable DVD shelf. The Blu-Ray release features two new special features and, of course, HD picture and sound. Should you upgrade?

Yes. I’m sorry to say it, but those of you who liked “Sin City” enough to buy the DVD set will love the two new special features on the Blu-Ray release. The video and audio are flawless. Ultimately, one of the best standard DVD releases has become a must-own Blu-Ray release, an exhaustive, fascinating dissection of a very enjoyable film.

Sin City was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Photo credit: WDSHE

“Sin City” is what we call a “schedule clearer”. There’s so much material in this one two-disc set that you’ll need to cancel some plans. It brings new meaning to “jam-packed”.

Most viewers will start with the movie itself, a film that has held up very well since its release. I enjoy “300” and even parts of “The Spirit,” but they don’t compare to this ambitious, stunningly rendered film. And, as the back of the case says pretty correctly, “If ever a movie was meant to be experienced in high definition, Frank Miller’s Sin City is guilty on all counts!”

Sin City was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Photo credit: WDSHE

The film itself looks incredible in 1080p with the film’s original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and the sound mix is perfect in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. I found no flaws in either the video or audio. The line definition between the blacks and whites of Rodriguez’s vision is crystal clear with no blurring or unnecessary grain.

On the first disc, you can watch the film itself five separate ways. You can just experience the movie itself, watch it with a commentary by Rodriguez and Miller, watch it with an amazing commentary by Rodriguez and Tarantino, watch with the audio track of a recording of the first Austin audience to see the film, or use Cine-Explore.

That last choice is the first Blu-Ray exclusive feature and it’s a stunner. The film split-screens to show you what you’re watching at several different stages. For example, in the opening scene, you’ll see Josh Hartnett in the film itself, the actor standing on a green screen, and the panels from the original comic that inspired it, all on the same screen. It’s a must-see feature for fans of the film.

Disc one would make “Sin City” worth buying on Blu-Ray. The movie with flawless video/audio, a great picture-in-picture special feature, and a very entertaining commentary track from Tarantino and Rodriguez justify the purchase price. But it’s just the beginning.

Sin City was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Photo credit: WDSHE

Disc two features the “Recut, Extended, Unrated Version” of “Sin City”. Now you can watch a re-edited version of the film with 23 minutes not included in the theatrical version and with the option to watch each story individually. Want to just see Marv’s (Mickey Rourke) story from beginning to end? Now you can in HD.

Disc two also includes all the special features from the last edition and a new interactive comic book called “Kill ‘Em Good”. The special features included are “15-Minute Film School,” “All Green-Screen Version,” “The Long Take,” “Sin City: Live in Concert,” “10-Minute Cooking School,” “How it Went Down: Convincing Frank Miller to Make the Film,” “Special Guest Director: Quentin Tarantino,” “A Hard Top With a Decent Engine: The Cars of Sin City,” “Booze, Broads and Guns: The Props of Sin City,” “Making the Monsters: Special Effects Make-Up,” “Trench Coats & Fishnet: The Costumes of Sin City,” the teaser and theatrical trailer. There will be no questions left unanswered about the making of the movie.

“Sin City” should be a model for movies like this one on Blu-Ray. Of course, you can’t have this exhaustive a treatment for an intimate drama, but a technically-accomplished, challenging film like “Sin City” should play to its fan base like this release does. The bar for blockbusters on Blu-Ray has been set just a bit higher.

‘Sin City’ is released by Walt Disney Home Video and stars Jessica Alba, Benicio Del Toro, Brittany Murphy, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Rosario Dawson, Jaime King, Alexis Bledel, and Devon Aoki. It was written and directed by Frank Miller & Robert Rodriguez. It was released on April 21st, 2009. It is rated R and not rated.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: Clip From ‘Inglourious Basterds’ With Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt

BrianTT — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 09:59:51 -0600

CHICAGO – Last night’s “American Idol” featured an exclusive clip from the August 21st release of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” starring Brad Pitt, B.J. Novak, Eli Roth, Samuel L. Jackson, Cloris Leachmen, Mike Myers, and Diane Krueger. We have the clip for you below that was reportedly too hot to air on primetime TV during “American Idol.”

The official press release:

Last night, on FOX’s mega-hit tv show, “American Idol,” Quentin Tarantino made a special guest mentor appearance and debuted a sneak preview of never-seen-before footage from his upcoming movie, “Inglourious Basterds”.

“Inglourious Basterds” stars Brad Pitt and Diane Kruger and will hit theatres on August 21, 2009.

Watch the full preview for “Inglourious Basterds”.
Watch more HollywoodChicago.com-hosted A&E videos.
Watch more movie videos on HollywoodChicago.com hosted elsewhere.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Video: Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ Trailer With Brad Pitt

BrianTT — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:34:05 -0600

CHICAGO – We’re back with our latest addition to our new-and-expanding video library of Summer 2009 movie previews. Today’s installment is easily one of the most anticipated films of the season, Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” starring Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, B.J. Novak, Samuel L. Jackson, Cloris Leachman, Mike Myers, and Diane Kruger. Check it out and see what you think. The film opens on August 21st, 2009.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Iron Man’ Sits Indisputably in Club of Highest-Rated Superhero Movies Ever

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:53:58 -0600

CHICAGO – Move over, Superman. This lush, high-octane playboy never tasted so good.

Robert Downey Jr. fittingly opens “Iron Man” with a cocktail in hand and all the arrogance in the world. As the story goes, his conceit is indeed respected as Earth is his oyster both for the playing and for the taking. With the American marketing machine in full effect for 2008’s first summer blockbuster, the inaugural one lives up to the buildup.

“Iron Man” has already not only etched itself the mark of the first indisputable blockbuster of 2008 and one of the best-reviewed films so far in 2008 but also one of the highest-rated superhero movies of all time – yes, of all time. The film deserves every million it makes.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Iron Man” in our reviews section.

View our massive, high-resolution “Iron Man” image gallery.

Even before he’s Iron Man, Downey Jr. is authentically transformative as the lush, cash-flushed, comedic, all-powerful and all-knowing Tony Stark.

Even those who aren’t fans of the comic series and just enjoy quality entertainment with fall prey to his allure as well as the blockbuster power of the film in general.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts – Stark’s assistant who keeps him functioning and even remembers his social security number for him – is indeed the subservient, selfless character she’s written to be. Hollywood gives her great hair, too. Paltrow took the role only after Rachel McAdams turned it down.

Iron Man is in the throes of a pitched battle with a determined nemesis in “Iron Man”.
Photo credit: Industrial Light & Magic

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in his battle-scarred Mark III armor in “Iron Man”.
Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal

Read Adam Fendelman’s full “Iron Man” review…

Production Stills Surface For George A. Romero’s ‘Diary of the Dead’

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 19:01:24 -0700

CHICAGO – The Weinstein Company has released 11 new production stills for George A. Romero’s “Diary of the Dead,” which will show at the Sundance Film Festival later this month and hits limited U.S. theaters on Feb. 15.

In the film, a group of young film students run into real-life zombies while filming a horror movie of their own. “Diary of the Dead” is written and directed by horror master George A. Romero (“Land of the Dead,” “Day of the Dead,” “Dawn of the Dead,” “Night of the Living Dead”).

Though the film’s primary cast relies on many actors you’ve likely never heard of, it interestingly features voice work from people including Wes Craven, Stephen King, Quentin Tarantino and Guillermo del Toro.

I’ve included a few of the production stills below. All of them can be found in our new “Diary of the Dead” image gallery.

The publicist for the film has informed us that “Diary of the Dead” will show at the Sundance Film Festival on these dates and at these locations:

Jan. 18, 11:30 p.m., Library Center Theatre
Jan. 22, 9 p.m., Tower Theatre, Salt Lake City
Jan. 26, 11:30 p.m., Holiday Village Cinema II
Jan. 27, 10 a.m., Holiday Village Cinema I

Click here to view the entire “Diary of the Dead” image gallery!

The trailer – along with a challenge from Romero to submit your own short horror film for possible release with the DVD version – can be viewed below. This was posted on our boards on Jan. 11. You can discuss these production stills at this new thread on our boards.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Eli Roth in ‘Hostel: Part II’ Flirts Fiddly Line Between Tasteful Terror, Repugnant Repulsion

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:33:11 -0600

CHICAGO – “It’s the difference between hunting a lion and a deer.”

Eli Roth, director of “Hostel: Part II,” articulated in an interview with Adam Fendelman that view of his “Hostel” men as weighed against his “Hostel: Part II” women. The tellingly revealing statement touches not only on his muse for the sequel but also his take on the female kind and people’s darkest secrets.

Eli Roth (center) with Lauren German (left) and Bijou Phillips (right) in “Hostel: Part II”.
Photo courtesy of Rico Torres and Lionsgate
The concept to calculatingly ferret and torture women was conceived from “Death Proof” – Quentin Tarantino’s half of “Grindhouse” – because Roth so fancied Tarantino’s violent femmes. Roth regarded the “Death Proof” girls as the new bar for females in horror films. Tarantino executive produced “Hostel: Part II” and Roth acted in “Death Proof” a week before shooting his hostile sequel.

Parlaying a threesome into his own ferocious film world, Roth – who as a horror director fears real blood – seized the opportunity to strike back and grow his successful empire. Undaunted by being dubbed as a masochistic misogynist and forever burdened to dangerously flirt the thorny line between tasteful terror and repugnant repulsion, Roth is a fiddly lad to tag.

On one hand, he’s one of the most profitable directors in Hollywood. As the business is exactly that – a business – and as a business is in business to make money, Roth has a knack for translating relatively low-budget films into box-office surprises that send investors to cloud nine.

“‘Hostel’ was a total one-off movie that was supposed to be a little movie I did between movies,” Roth said. “The average budget for a movie is now $80 million. ‘Hostel’ was made for $3.8 million. Even if it had only come out in a few cities and did $8 to $10 million, it would have been a home run. We didn’t even know if it’d come out in theaters.”

When “Hostel” opened at $20 million and knocked out “The Chronicles of Narnia,” Roth says he was floored at the voracious appetite for his ideas. In total, “Hostel” has raked in $80 million in worldwide receipts.

On the other hand, you get the sense from speaking with him that he’s either selling you an alternate reality or he’s unaware of what his reality really is. He speaks of greatness he hasn’t yet achieved and his dossier hasn’t yet produced the timeless classics as he’d like to think.

“In ‘Hostel: Part II,’ I wanted an unbelievable climax,” he said. “The last moment of the film needed to be a showstopper – the end all, be all of horror films – with a great kill and one of best endings ever in a horror film.”

The groin yank was at least vile, foul, odious, sadistic, inhuman, malicious, malevolent, wicked, heinous, nefarious, sinful, fiendish – let’s see – what other adjectives are there on Thesaurus.com for just plain sick? Let us not forget the silent, slow scene with a grown man pointing a gun at the heads of children in a lineup.

At least he used a silencer. That was kind.

In deliberating the sequel, Roth says he sought to make the “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” of the “Hostel” series. In truth, though, grouping the two in the same sentence is like contrasting a fine wine that has aged to perfection with a tasty glass of Red Bull that has its thrill rides but may or may not stand the test of time.

Bijou Phillips plays Whitney in “Hostel: Part II”.
Photo courtesy of Rico Torres and Lionsgate
Timing is very much on Roth’s brain. He describes the ability to be scary to audiences as that which is scary to him. He also plots his stories squarely around what America fears at a given moment in time.

“I was in Prague when Katrina hit. It was like ‘Dawn of the Dead,’” Roth said. “Bodies were flowing down the street and there were no police. People went right to a primal state of killing, raping and looting. The army didn’t show up for five days. That terrifies me.

“Look anywhere where there’s no law. What do people do? They go right to killing. It’s something in human nature. Under the right circumstances, anyone can become a killer. When no one’s looking, people have that need inside them to control and torture another human being.”

With the plot of obscenely moneyed people who drool at the opportunity to bid on the torture and ultimate death of random overseas female tourists, Roth makes the stretch of comparing his fictional story to President Bush’s real-world war in Iraq.

“Why is that war happening? It’s for oil. It’s for money. Halliburton is making those decisions. Do you really think any of those decisions are being made for the good of a country? It’s blood for money. It’s capitalism to its most extreme. It’s very real. We’re in Iraq because that’s where the money is. That’s scary.”

Roth bills his work as not just scary but intelligently so. To up the gore ante, he says all you need is another tool – such tools are inspired by torture devices used by the church – and another body. The tough part is making it smarter, he says, and what’s really terrifying is the look on the actor’s face. It’s not the actual graphic brutality.

“I have to compete with films with $100 million ad campaigns along with ‘24,’ ‘Nip/Tuck’ and ‘CSI’ on TV. A great horror movie kill can trump everything. If you can do the shower scene in ‘Psycho,’ the opening in ‘Jaws’ or another signature scene, then it doesn’t matter what movie stars you have or what you spent on special effects because people have got to see that moment.

“That’s what ‘Hostel: Part II’ has. At the end of the film, people will come out saying: ‘I’ve never seen that in a movie.’ The ratings board didn’t know what to compare this to and that’s what people like about me. People see my name and they look for intelligence and originality. ‘Hostel’ was the one that raised the bar and pushed the envelope further than any film had at that point.”

The bitterly divisive debate about the “R” rating for “Hostel: Part II” by the MPAA – instead of “NC-17” – is unsurprisingly viewed by the film’s maker as a democratic breath of fresh air. He eulogizes the association’s autonomous process.

“With ‘Hostel’ and ‘Saw II,’ the MPAA got many complaints. We were under the microscope this time. Before we were under the radar. When ‘Hostel: Part II’ came in, they were ready for it. It’s ‘Hostel: Part II’. It’s not ‘Happy Feet: Part II’. People know what it is. What they built it up to be in their minds was so much worse than what it actually was. We had a great discussion about it.

Heather Matarazzo plays the innocent role of Lorna in “Hostel: Part II”.
Photo courtesy of Rico Torres and Lionsgate
“I really feel lucky that we have a system like the MPAA. In Germany, they’ll say: ‘Take these scenes out or the movie’s not going in theaters.’ It’s government censored.

“In Japan, ‘Hostel’ didn’t come out. They said: ‘We’re not going to have a movie where an American disfigures a Japanese girl’s face.’ That’s it. There’s no discussion. You watch a movie and they say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Ukraine? No. Singapore? No. In the U.S., we can have a discussion about it and can recut it. It’s run by the studios and not the government. It’s the only system by which I have a voice and a process.”

Whether you deem Roth to be a tormented soul or an explicit genius, there’s a method to his madness.

In his view, the stories touch on what people really feel and do – but often don’t say or show – and the realities about the most menacing parts of life. To bring what he perceives as such raw honesty to theaters, Roth paradoxically makes his actors feel “comfortable” and “safe” in their bloodied environments.

“These actors go to a very dark place,” Roth said. “When they’re crying and screaming, it’s real. They’re stirring up deep trauma and mental anguish. The most horrible, darkest thing in their life is right there on the surface and they’re reliving it.”

As culture changes, Roth’s terror changes.

Next, Roth is fixated on honing in on the dying of the world’s bees in the upcoming film “Cell”. From human torture to bees? Yes. He’s terrified by it. He says a quarter of the bee population is currently dying potentially because of cell phones knocking out the radar of the bees.

“Einstein says the human race is four steps eliminated from the extinction of bees,” Roth said. “Once the bees go, flowers won’t get pollinated, vegetables won’t grow, we won’t get oxygen and the human race will die without bees. Cell phones could be killing off the bees. I want to show there’s something brewing.

“With all this wireless stuff that’s pumped into the air to make our lives convenient, there’s a fear that it’s doing something we can’t even see. ‘Cell’ explores that fear. You have to know what the fear is going to be to know what the horror will be. It’s not a movie about the fear of technology. It makes the human behavior real. Then the film is timeless.”

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com