tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post2788131642203809792..comments2024-03-05T02:14:39.266-07:00Comments on Strange Culture: American Crime & The Girl Next Door: Why The Fascination?RChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11340006144797496514noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-36284803596627132052007-10-08T09:58:00.000-06:002007-10-08T09:58:00.000-06:00Well, having just finished my first (and last) Ste...Well, having just finished my first (and last) Stephen King novel (Cell), I've been thinking along the same lines. One of the reasons our society is becoming more open about exploring formerly taboo subjects is we are continually seeking an answer to the question "why does pain/evil exist?"<BR/><BR/>Since popular culture has increasingly dismissed the idea of a personal God, "they" are slowly realizing that if there is no God to answer for himself then then answer is in our own mind/soul. That means that the limits of pain/evil have to be tested. In fact there are at least two implications.<BR/><BR/>1) If there is no personal God then, how is evil defined? What is the standard? Who's to say torture and rape is the ultimate evil if it brings at least some pleasure to some people?<BR/><BR/>2) Where is the limit of the human capacity for evil? <BR/><BR/>And along the way we can get paid a truckload for indulging in perversities. That probably adds to the thrill for filmmakers don't you think?Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12720231599785798340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-40845244925247440162007-10-08T07:09:00.000-06:002007-10-08T07:09:00.000-06:00@the teach, it's not even gratutious violence, but...@the teach, it's not even gratutious violence, but more films that are outside of the horror film genre or action genre that are dealing with violence as a potentially entertaining topic.<BR/><BR/>@heather, i think you're right, but a film like "the girl next door" doesn't really seem to help aid in opening up the conversation...i appreciate what NATE WATSON says below, about how sometimes as entertainment these films potential could be more harmful then helpful. (thanks Nate for your comment)<BR/><BR/>@ fox...the whole horror genre can tend to sicken me, thanks for your throughtful comment.<BR/><BR/>@ rural juror...yes it is wierd when that happens (sort of like 2 capote films recently)...and you are right what makes a movie "R" is a number of things...it is a wide gamet of films.RChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11340006144797496514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-3834934235591964432007-10-07T03:28:00.000-06:002007-10-07T03:28:00.000-06:00I'd just like to add to his post that a movie like...I'd just like to add to his post that a movie like 'Once' gets an R b/c they say 'fuck' twice. That's ridiculous.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, it's always odd when two movies about the same thing are made at the same time, particularly when it's not a well known subject.RJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00960849284510182412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-3999984195789292052007-10-06T06:23:00.000-06:002007-10-06T06:23:00.000-06:00We live in a society where an uplifting positive m...We live in a society where an uplifting positive movie like "Shortbus" gets slapped with an 'X' rating because it shows people having sex, but "Hostel 2" gets an 'R'.<BR/><BR/>Violence is the new porn. We allow our kids to play video games with killing and murder, and wath movies with the same. We read of horrors in the papers committed by humans, and we feel aweful, and then entertained by them that evening in DVD/video game.<BR/>Will someone connect the dots?Michael Parsonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17668853285292187310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-34847504839605721522007-10-06T00:45:00.000-06:002007-10-06T00:45:00.000-06:00This film played at Fantastic Fest this year. I d...This film played at Fantastic Fest this year. I didn't see it, b/c, well I had the same suspicions about it that you express.<BR/><BR/>The feedback I heard from fest goers was mixed. (Granted this was a festival that targets fans of gore/horror, but...) Most of the people that liked it thought it was "cool!", meaning, "dude that was so f**ked up!! cool!".<BR/><BR/>Personally I think many filmmakers find cynicism and malaise to be fashionable these days... from *Children of Men* to *Hostel II*. I don't know if it's boredom, the low point of a cycle, or maybe... just me? (And sorry, I just don't buy the "it's a reflection of our socio-political times" argument).<BR/><BR/>But I'll hold off on *The Girl Next Door* until I see it. I feel pretty confident I'll hate it, ...but then again, I was caught off-guard by a tiny film at Fantastic Fest called *Five Across The Eyes*. It was marketed as another "let's torture girls" movie, but it ended up revealing some truly human moments. It has it's problems, but for a sub-genre that constantly churns out crap it was a relief.Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-33523761761424917312007-10-05T19:37:00.000-06:002007-10-05T19:37:00.000-06:00The movie buff with a conscience...that's unique. ...The movie buff with a conscience...that's unique. I just got into a conversation with a friend (amandarickman.blogspot.com) who works for a non-profit whose mission is to stop sex trafficing in 3rd world countries. Her organization had refrain from endorsing TRADE. Even though the movie came through witht the message saying the sex industry sucks, they used graphic scenes of rape and torture to get the point across, scenes that could in fact prompt a viewer to get wrapped up in the very thing being railed against.<BR/>So why did Lions Gate have to include such scenes? In my opinion, the almighty dollar. An 'R' label will attract more viewers than say a 'PG' label.<BR/>But thus is human nature...I.E., the Colloseum--the hollywood prototype. <BR/>Check out my blog, and join the now forming book club, we will be reading the book, ARE WE ROME, which is a comparative study of the Colloseum builders of the first century and the hollywood builders of the 21st. <BR/>Great post!natehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03212790581679016617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-28025600101876567002007-10-05T16:30:00.000-06:002007-10-05T16:30:00.000-06:00I can't speak to the horror/torture/gruesome stuff...I can't speak to the horror/torture/gruesome stuff, but I think the sexual abuse/rape stuff allows people to talk about things they feel they can't talk about. While most people don't feel comfortable talking about their own experiences in the first person, it's easier after seeing a movie to ask what motivates the bad guy, when what you really want to ask is "why did my cousin do such a thing." It's an escape of sorts, and also cathartic in a way. And you do realize that 1 in 3 of all women in the US have been victimized sexually. That affects all of us -- men and women alike.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15019916492989415983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21082552.post-24736707588931586612007-10-05T14:16:00.000-06:002007-10-05T14:16:00.000-06:00RC, thanks for crediting me on your post about "Th...RC, thanks for crediting me on your post about "The Girl Next Door" and "American Crime."<BR/><BR/>As for your questions... I've seen almost all the Vietnam movies: Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Deer Hunter. I haven't been able to watch Deer Hunter a second time. <BR/><BR/>I"ve seen "Saving Private Ryan", Black Hawk Down, To Live and Die in LA, Desperado, Braveheart, Last Man Standing. I've even seen "American History X and Natural Born Killers. Those last two were really the limit for me BUT I thought AHX had such redeeming qualities that I can't condemn it.<BR/><BR/>I think maybe you mean why are films today so filled with gratuitous violence, eh? Is that what you mean? <BR/><BR/>I don't know why Hollywood makes these movies or why certain actors act in them...maryt/theteachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17516961981692076719noreply@blogger.com