Saw V, or, how to lose credibility and alienate an audience.
Posted on October 27, 2008 by Oxking in the Film, Rants category
Ok, the joke is over. I give in. Whoever decided to punish me for crimes possibly commited in a previous life by taking my beloved Saw and whittling it down to the celluloid abortion i watched last night, you won. Back in 2004 a highly original James Wan film came out which upped the ante on how horror films could also be thought-provoking, as well as highly entertaining, with only one scene (off with your foot) of really high gore. Then the Hollywood sequel machine came knocking, and before you know it, we now have a franchise. The ingenious twist at the end of the first has led to audiences expecting one in each film, so much so that the main driving force behind the marketing campaign for this film was “You won’t believe how it ends.” Not only is it insulting to a movie-going audience to present them with such an easy and unoriginal tagline, but it is downright criminal when the film doesn’t deliver said twist that you couldn’t see coming a mile off. Indeed, unless you have a twist in mind that rivals “Luke, I am your father”, don’t promise what you can’t deliver.
SPOILERS (But you cant really spoil this franchise any more now, can you?)
Now, im aware that studios are under a lot of pressure nowadays, especially when the increasingly chav-like audiences that now accompany the Saw films expect a release every Halloween or there abouts. But this gives no excuse for sloppy filmmaking and storytelling. This film basically has two actors who look a lot like young Sylvester Stallone’s playing cat and mouse while you discover that one of them, playing Detective Hoffman, is and has been Jigsaw’s accomplice from since about Saw 2. The other one, Strahm, having survived a head in the box filling with water trap, is investigating Hoffman while on the sick. Meanwhile, 5 characters who you really couldn’t give 2 shits about because they are so annoying are in a tunnel somewhere undergoing a series of tests, the only good ones involving (surprise surprise) an electric Saw induced 10 pint blood donation to get out of the room, and having heads attached to a pully towards a head hight guillotiney thing. Now, while Saw’s 2,3 and 4 were lacking in a lot of areas, they at least had some pretty ingenious, crude, funny traps which maybe were worth half the entry price. These traps in Saw 5 make the franchise look dull, outdated, boring and unoriginal, which unfortunately it now is. Back to the story, which is mostly really a series of flashbacks showing how Jigsaw recruited Hoffman after seeing him kill his sister’s murderous boyfriend in an unescapable pendulum trap, copycat fashion and blaming him for it. (In retrospect, this actually makes no sense because a flashback actually shows Jigsaw and Hoffman watching this trap happen together, even though Hoffman did it solo as a copycat, and he uses Saw’s voice on the recorder for the trap. IDIOTS!), it attempts to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, but really feels like the filmmakers are grasping at straws because they can’t think of original content.
Please don’t think of this as a review of the film, im just pissed off that the suits can take a beloved, fantastic idea like Saw and rape it 4 times over, with a 5th in stall for next year. I know that by going to see it im technically part of the problem, but I vow never to give any more time, attention or money to this vicious cycle. This series has both jumped the shark and nuked the fridge, and after Saw 2, i would like to introduce a new term for series that have passed their peak, it’s took a fucking syringe bath as well.
James Wan, how could you let this happen!
[JigOx]
Album review 4:13 Dream by The Cure
Posted on October 22, 2008 by Oxking in the Music, News category
Following The Cure’s tradition of releasing an album every 4 years they are indeed back, albeit a tad later than previously specified, and their new album is cryptically called 4:13 Dream.
Of the apparent 33 tracks that were recorded for this album, the final 13 tracks are, im proud to report, a delight to listen to. Opener “Underneath The stars” boasts a lengthy intro before kicking in, showing the songwriting and structuring that 30 years of experience have brought the band. “The Only One” follows, the bands first single from the album taken way back in May, which is perfectly pop tastic for the first single, and catches the attention instantly. In direct contrast, opening with the line “I won’t try to bring you down about my suicide”, next song “Reasons Why” brings in classic Cure melancholy moving along at a gentle pace which dips in and out as the album plods along. This seems all to easy for the Goffs at this point. A couple of oddball songs dot the album, including “Freakshow” which, at only 2:28 in length shows that they are still not afraid to experiment with the quirky. “The Real Snow White” is also a testament to this, beginning with the sinister repetition of “You’ve Got What I Want”, having a fantastic sing a long hook and ending with the snarling menace of “It’s only for the night, i’ll give it back tomorrow, I swear…..” My favourite track, which in my humble opinion sums up the band as they are in 2008 is “The Hungry Ghost.” A simple guitar riff plays through the song which you only need one listen to remember forever it’s that catchy, odd psychedelic guitar sounds play in the background with a hypnotic quality that makes it a joy to listen to. “Sleep When Im Dead” is a fantastic piece of nostalgia for Cure Fans who want to recall what they sounded like back in the 80’s, mostly because it was originally supposed to appear on 1985’s “The Head On The Door” according to Robert Smith.
One of my main disappointments with their eponymous 2004 album was the production. Ross Robinson is a metal producer and does it incredibly well. Although he never wanted to take The Cure into the world of metal, his presence brought in a heaviness that seemed unnatural with Robert Smiths voice and songwriting style, and this mistake is not repeated on 4:13 Dream with Robert Smith getting on top of production duties. While the previous album aimed, and arguably failed, to take The Cure into a different realm, this album allows them to do what they do best. Write memorable, heartfelt music with the right mix of quirkiness and experimentation. And while we wont ever get back the bleak, dark gothic mastery of albums like Seventeen Seconds and Pornography, The Cure have evolved over the years and this, while by no means their best album, is a fantastic addition to the discography. Yes, there are enough sparks of imagination on here to rival any new bands today who call upon The Cure as influences. And yes, The Cure still rule.
[TheOxKing]
Holy Fucking Shit
Posted on October 21, 2008 by Oxking in the Activism, News category
Thanks to the goddess Amanda Palmer for pimping this link on her blog.
Scary times to be a Democratic American.
Album review “D Is For Dubby” by Puscifer
Posted on October 20, 2008 by Oxking in the Music, News category
How much you like this collection of remixes from Puscifer’s awesome “V Is For Vagina” album depends entirely on how much you like dub remixes of songs from British dark ambient musicians. The one and only Lustmord has already collaborated with Maynard on several songs in his ever growing discography, and his Puscifer side project provides another outlet for both musicians, as well as the fabled “revolving door of talent” that birthed it, to have a bit of fun sonically and do things that their day jobs probably would frown upon. This album is not an essential purchase for the Vagina experience but once again that depends entirely on how much you lurve the dub. Personally, although the album would be fantastic to make sweet love with your pard-ner to, it can be quite testing to get through 6 or 7 minute versions of songs that you will have already heard in remix form from “V Is For Viagra- The Vagina Remixes” and while this album is not strictly for dub fans only, you might get a bit more out of it than I did. If you wanna buy it, which for the price after conversion is about the price of a grande latte, you will still definately get more than your money’s worth. So buy it here.
Maynard sez:
“Lot’s of Dub out there in the world. Some of it is actually done correctly. Lustmord is one of the few who do it right. Turn it up, settle in, and remember to Puff Puff Pass.”
Word.
[TheKingOfOx]
Actually, while we’re on the subject…….
Posted on October 15, 2008 by Oxking in the News category
This one has been floating round for a while, but oh, how i love it so……..
[OxKing]
A very stern warning…….
Posted on October 15, 2008 by Oxking in the News category
From the Gospel Gangster…..
My favourite bit lies at 2:51…..
[Oxking]
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