Tusk
3/4
Starring: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez
Rated R for Some Disturbing Violence/Gore, Language and Sexual Content
"What the hell did I just see?"
That's what I was thinking as soon as the end credits started to roll. "Tusk," the second horror film from noted funnyman Kevin Smith, is not a traditional horror movie. It is sometimes funny, quite often cringe-inducingly gross, and frequently so bizarre that few people will know what to make of it. Some people will love what "Tusk" has to offer, others will hate it. But make no mistake, this has "cult movie" written all over it.
Wallace (Long) and Teddy (Osment) run a hugely popular podcast where they find bizarre, stupid and/or hilarious videos on the internet and laugh about them. Wallace (always Wallace, since Teddy hates travelling) goes and interviews the subjects and then talks about it on his show. They have found a short clip of a kid playing with a samurai sword who inadvertently cuts his own leg off. The two think that this is hilarious, so Wallace goes to Canada to interview the guy. His girlfriend Ally (Rodriguez) thinks that this is sleazy, but Wallace won't be dissuaded. Unfortunately, when he gets there, he finds that the kid is deceased. Not wanting to waste his trip, Wallace finds a flyer seeking someone to listen to an old man's stories. Wallace thinks this is the best idea ever, and agrees to go. Naturally, this isn't what he thinks, and he's in for a night of horror. Three days of no contact has left Ally pissed off, but when Wallace leaves a frantic voicemail to them, she and Teddy (who are sleeping together) set out to find him.
What can I say about "Tusk?" Really, it defies description. It's so weird and so bizarre that it's impossible to really wrap my mind around it. Watching it is kind of like "Donnie Darko." You know what's going on, but you're like, "WTF?"
The acting is effective. Justin Long is good, but not great. Maybe it's his character, but I found Wallace to be a little obnoxious. Or maybe it's the way that he was filmed, but he gave me a bit of a headache. Michael Parks is perfectly creepy as Howard Howe, the man who hires Wallace, and he proves here that he is willing to do anything (and I mean anything) for the role. A butt shot is just the beginning. A super bloated Haley Joel Osment (where has he been?) and Genesis Rodriguez provide able support as the would-be Sam Loomis/Lila Crane of the film, but neither is especially memorable. There is one other performer, whom I will not name, whose performance is truly inspired. The character, an ex-cop named Guy Lapointe, is totally whacked out and has the film's best lines. You won't get me to say his name, but you will agree that he is the only possible choice.
Kevin Smith is known for his comedies like "Clerks," "Chasing Amy," and "Dogma," but he made "Red State," a horror movie that no one saw (which also starred Parks). I thought it to be far too violent and cynical for its own good and said that Smith should stay in a genre where he understands the rules better. It would be way too much to ask that he actually saw my review (and took my advice), but I will say that he has rectified a lot of those flaws. It's certainly gross, but it straddles the line between being funny and being disturbing. A lot of times, I didn't know how to react to what I was seeing, thus the only thing I could do was laugh (I'm sure being in an auditorium with people who were laughing too only helped). I think that's what Smith is going for, and on that level, he succeeds.
Should you see it? It's a tough sell. The movie is totally off-the-wall; I'm tempted to reference a movie that I haven't seen, but know enough about to provide a point of reference, but will refrain from doing so to avoid spoilers (and believe me, this is one movie where you're better off going in blind). That said, I was entertained. In a strange way, absolutely, but entertained nonetheless.
Starring: Justin Long, Michael Parks, Haley Joel Osment, Genesis Rodriguez
Rated R for Some Disturbing Violence/Gore, Language and Sexual Content
"What the hell did I just see?"
That's what I was thinking as soon as the end credits started to roll. "Tusk," the second horror film from noted funnyman Kevin Smith, is not a traditional horror movie. It is sometimes funny, quite often cringe-inducingly gross, and frequently so bizarre that few people will know what to make of it. Some people will love what "Tusk" has to offer, others will hate it. But make no mistake, this has "cult movie" written all over it.
Wallace (Long) and Teddy (Osment) run a hugely popular podcast where they find bizarre, stupid and/or hilarious videos on the internet and laugh about them. Wallace (always Wallace, since Teddy hates travelling) goes and interviews the subjects and then talks about it on his show. They have found a short clip of a kid playing with a samurai sword who inadvertently cuts his own leg off. The two think that this is hilarious, so Wallace goes to Canada to interview the guy. His girlfriend Ally (Rodriguez) thinks that this is sleazy, but Wallace won't be dissuaded. Unfortunately, when he gets there, he finds that the kid is deceased. Not wanting to waste his trip, Wallace finds a flyer seeking someone to listen to an old man's stories. Wallace thinks this is the best idea ever, and agrees to go. Naturally, this isn't what he thinks, and he's in for a night of horror. Three days of no contact has left Ally pissed off, but when Wallace leaves a frantic voicemail to them, she and Teddy (who are sleeping together) set out to find him.
What can I say about "Tusk?" Really, it defies description. It's so weird and so bizarre that it's impossible to really wrap my mind around it. Watching it is kind of like "Donnie Darko." You know what's going on, but you're like, "WTF?"
The acting is effective. Justin Long is good, but not great. Maybe it's his character, but I found Wallace to be a little obnoxious. Or maybe it's the way that he was filmed, but he gave me a bit of a headache. Michael Parks is perfectly creepy as Howard Howe, the man who hires Wallace, and he proves here that he is willing to do anything (and I mean anything) for the role. A butt shot is just the beginning. A super bloated Haley Joel Osment (where has he been?) and Genesis Rodriguez provide able support as the would-be Sam Loomis/Lila Crane of the film, but neither is especially memorable. There is one other performer, whom I will not name, whose performance is truly inspired. The character, an ex-cop named Guy Lapointe, is totally whacked out and has the film's best lines. You won't get me to say his name, but you will agree that he is the only possible choice.
Kevin Smith is known for his comedies like "Clerks," "Chasing Amy," and "Dogma," but he made "Red State," a horror movie that no one saw (which also starred Parks). I thought it to be far too violent and cynical for its own good and said that Smith should stay in a genre where he understands the rules better. It would be way too much to ask that he actually saw my review (and took my advice), but I will say that he has rectified a lot of those flaws. It's certainly gross, but it straddles the line between being funny and being disturbing. A lot of times, I didn't know how to react to what I was seeing, thus the only thing I could do was laugh (I'm sure being in an auditorium with people who were laughing too only helped). I think that's what Smith is going for, and on that level, he succeeds.
Should you see it? It's a tough sell. The movie is totally off-the-wall; I'm tempted to reference a movie that I haven't seen, but know enough about to provide a point of reference, but will refrain from doing so to avoid spoilers (and believe me, this is one movie where you're better off going in blind). That said, I was entertained. In a strange way, absolutely, but entertained nonetheless.
Comments
Post a Comment