A Serbian Film

Yeah, I usually leave at 11:45. It is now 12:10. I've accepted I'm going to be late.

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"I want a film I watch to express either the joy of making cinema or the anguish of making cinema" -Francois Truffaut

Yeah, sure do this. But don't take everything cuz when I get back tonight I'll have nothing to add.

I'll start with #3.

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"Loves them? They need them, like they need the air."

I dont want to get into too much discussion about this film because it is not worth discussing. Discussion creates interest and I dont think anyone should be interested in seeing this film. As I said, its garbage. That being said, this is the last I will post on this film. It seems, CW, that we actually do agree that it is art. But I suppose where we disagree is on whether this type of art deserves any sort of merit. Im one who does not believe that lazy art deserves merit. And maybe I wasnt clear about what I meant by lazy art. By lazy art, I mean he chose to not use creativity to depict an uncomfortable theme and instead chose to use horrific scenes in order to get shock value (you cant blame that on the story--that's a director's choice). This is lowest form of art and, by my standards, is not worthy of any sort of praise. Sure, the cinematography was decent. But it wasnt a style that I havent seen before. The fact that the cinematography was not original, the story was just plain bad, and the acting was average (at best) makes this a movie that has nothing to offer.

It obviously is worth discussing considering there's a debate, calling it garbage doesn't make it garbage that's just lazyYour first point is one of the pros and cons of the film in that yes it could've been portrayed in a more artsy way but the blunt approach had it's own set of pros and cons that have probably already been discussed. Referring to your lowest form of art claim, I guess I can see where you're coming from but I would consider the lowest form of art 80% of what's in theaters with nothing to say and nothing to take from, that material personally sickens me more than this film

Absolutely, wintertriangles. Everything you said, especially this:
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Blue Lou. Chill bra. If it's so unoriginal and similar to other films, then why not discuss it along with those films.

Also, you can't stop me.

The term torture porn was coined after Eli Roth released Hostel, Roth disagrees with that term saying that it reflects the critics lack of understanding in the genre.

As for lazy art, I think Cannibal Holocaust is far from it. A film like that is not meant to be visually appealing. If it was then it would neglect the very subject matter that it present. It had to be dirty and raw. A Serbian Film is too clean cut and well presented to add the stuff it does, in my opinion.

You mention that being lazy would be hiring unprofessional, it would be photographing the film in random lighting with no attempt at reaching a consistent aesthetic quality. The first one can be attributed to budget. I would call the acting in the first Evil Dead to be pretty bad, but never would I call the film lazy. As for the second, I'm going to use Cannibal Holocaust as an example because you did call it lazy art. The film was shot like a home movie. There would be absolutely no professional lighting what so ever. They were in the jungle, the director wanted everything to feel real, it did. Have you seen the Blair Witch Project? It's the exact same premise. Kids go missing and their footage is found. BWP was successful based on the fact that they marketed the film as something real. If it were produced with quality actors, a big budget with a lighting team, then it would lose all of it's credibility.

Cannibal Holocaust is not lazy art. A Serbian Film, if you want to call it art, is misguided art.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Anyone caught this? I don't want to go into un necessary depth because I did feel like (to use another reviewers phrase) my soul had been a bit raped afterwards. It's one of those films no words can stress how much i would NOT recommend this to anyone.

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Uh, negative. And from reading the description of it I have absolutely no desire to.

From Wiki.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Serbian_Film

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"Certainly there is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and like it, never really care for anything else thereafter." - Ernest Hemingway

i am really tempted to see this film. Havent seen these types of films. Was going to see Human Centipede but havent yet. Hopefully in 2011 i will be able too.

Don't bother. It's absolutely worthless. You will not be affected by it at all, I expect. You will not even be shocked, because it's that poorly put together. The tension and revulsion is dispelled by your distraction with how badly certain scenes are chosen to be framed. I'm not sure what the purpose of some of the techniques they used in the narrative was, but it was all for crap, because all I could think about the entire time was the artifice. Just an utter fail.

The Human Centipede however is a masterpiece of a shock film. I was basically terrified all the way up to the operation and, of course, suspended in a kind of utter, disgusted despair for the rest of the film. This one will not let you down, and I would recommend it 100% over A Serbian Film.

Do they have nothing else to make a movie about? Seriously? I'm with Gunny, definately not seeing this any time soon.

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"Well all women are a little bit crazy, brotha." ~ Desmond

I like the premise of a porn star unknowingly being put in a snuff film. But all the other crap they added to it disgusts me.

The thing is, it is made quite well from a formal perspective. In a way, i kinda agree with what someone in the other thread suggested, that it's good to have films that push boundaries- should just up all the ignorant Saw fanboys at a minimum. It's not that far removed from Irreversible in terms of depravity (though that is a far more poignant film).

I was shocked when i watched it in 2010...but i hate excuses that director made...like Milos is Serbian people and Vukmir is Serbian politicians...that is how i understand that ,,deep meaning of the film,,...but i think that ,,deep meaning,, in this film is just excuse for director to make a sick movie,nothing else...there are other ways to explain situation in Serbia that that ...and i wounder,thous scenes are hard to watch,but things like that and even worst things really do happens in wars

Can't stand that director's work, but agree with what he says entirely. Torture porn is an incredibly lazy and stupid new term that I don't count as a film term.

I'm not sure I understand the complaint, though. The phrase is just shorthand; it doesn't have to encompass the entire idea, just to explain what type of film it is, no? And when someone says "Torture Porn," I'm pretty sure it conjures in my mind the kinds of films that the person using the phrase is trying to conjure.

If chickens watched "The Food Network", they'd probably call it torture porn.

If Hannibal Lecter watched Torture Porn, he'd probably call it "The Food Network."

Re-watched A Serbian Film as people were talking about it last week. It made absolutely no impression on me the first time & it didn’t this time around. (Yes, I saw the uncut version on VUDU.)

My only feeling was it was a grubby low-budget Eastern European movie.

Was it @AgrippinaX who was talking about desensitizing last week? Fairly sure I’m not desensitized since, as usual, anything to do with animals makes me cry if they’re not treated properly. (Yes, I saw EO yesterday. Need to see it again before commenting.)

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.