Skip to main content

Tusk (2014), R, ★

Justin Long and Michael Parks having a discussion.
It's extremely difficult to make a very satisfying horror film that has a balance between gross-out substances and idyllic humor. The only film I can think of that can make me laugh out loud in this genre is the Mel Brooks-directed Young Frankenstein. A film that can almost make me literally roll on the floor laughing. But, this movie is overly ambitious of what Kevin Smith, the director, is trying to show us, it ultimately fails a film that does not deliver the scares nor the laughs.

The movie starts off pretty well as podcasters Wallace Bryton and Teddy Craft (Justin Long and Haley Joel Osment) are recording a bit for their show as the laugh over a video of a kid, nicknamed "The Kill Bill Kid", cutting off his own leg accidentally. Wallace makes it to Canada and meets one of the people working at the airport and makes a lame joke about Canada. He travels to the kid's family home and they are upset because the kid committed suicide.

Wallace ventures into an estate called Pippy Hill to Howard Howe's (Michael Parks) home. Howard is paralyzed and moves around in a chair serving tea to Wallace. As Howe tells a story, Wallace gets unconscious. Awakened, Wallace is in a wheelchair strapped and his left leg amputated. Howe's demise is to put him in a walrus costume because of his obsession with walruses. Ally (Genesis Rodriguez) and Teddy is barely contacted by Wallace when he tells them that his human life is over. Uh oh!

Osment and Rodriguez to the rescue.
I like Kevin Smith as a filmmaker when trying to mix gross-out comedy with a hint of drama especially in his early film, Clerks. However, he really missed the boat on this film. Except for the first 10 minutes, this movie is not funny. There is not a single burst of laughter. Also, what's even more shocking, the film is not scary. It's just a gross film with scenes of pointless jokes that really want to show me organs and blood and Hollywood substances that make me cringe. That's the nature of what the horror-dramedy film. You can make it funny without displaying all of that blood.

I was shocked with the content of the film because besides that funny opening, it turns to a dragged one-joke film. It just really embarrasses Justin Long being beaten and tortured. And, even though, I was happen to see Haley Joel Osment on-screen again, I did not know what he was thinking choosing this script. He has better taste than this. This movie is a boring and pretentious film not showing what comedy in a horror film is all about. A stupid film, one of the worst of the year.

*

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), PG-13, ★★1/2

We're about halfway through the Harry Potter franchise and this is the turning point in which I found the material to be darker and more mature when the storyline surrounding Lord Voldemort grows. And, also we see another new and fresh direction as David Yates comes into the spotlight to finish off the franchise with the last four movies. I remember watching the trailer in the theaters and I was excited for this movie as it was mostly action-packed. The bottom line is despite the camaraderie between the young Hogwarts characters and a real-good action sequence in the climax, it is a choppily edited and more grounded movie that does not provoke much magic or memorable scenery. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is enduring a hot summer and Dudley (Harry Melling) provokes him by making fun of the fact that Harry is haunted by Cedric's death from The Goblet of Fire and also his mom's death. As a storm approaches, demeanors come into the tunnel sucking Dudley's so...
Post a Comment
Read more

Non-Stop (2014), PG-13, 3 stars

The passengers think Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a terrorist. Airports and airplanes. The lines. The crowds. The delays. Everything that Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) hates about flying. When it comes to airports, I have to go through the procedure with taking your carry-on baggage and luggage on the flight. Then, I go through security which I have to admit is not as bad, just follow the rules and guidelines. After security, what do you do? If you are two or three hours early, you have time to kill: Have something to eat, watch something on your IPad, shop, etc. As you board and get on the plane, anything can happen from turbulence to maybe something unexpected like this movie's situation. This movie is silly and preposterous, but it is a fun movie to watch. The movie opens with Bill Marks tired drinking alcohol and arguing with a supervisor on his cellphone glancing at a photo of his daughter. But, he is trying to get his act together by lighting a cigarette while he is being pus...
Post a Comment
Read more

2015 Movie Reviews

I'm not using Blogger as much on the site to post because I felt that I was losing time and viewership. Unfortunately, I do not think people read my reviews as much anymore. So, if you want to catch or watch my movie reviews. For now, visit my Instagram movie profile, @cine_caro. I edit the videos in a minute or less and I give a brief review it as a voiceover and rate them. So, if you want to catch up, here are the movies that I reviewed this year in 2015 and their ratings. 2015 4 STARS Anomalisa **** The Big Short **** The Revenant **** Spotlight **** Brooklyn **** Room **** Steve Jobs **** The Martian **** Sicario **** The End of the Tour **** Me and Earl and the Dying Girl **** Inside Out **** Mad Max: Fury Road *** Ex Machina **** 3.5 STARS Star Wars: The Force Awakens ***1/2 Carol ***1/2 Creed ***1/2 Beasts of No Nation (NETFLIX) ***1/2 Bridge of Spies ***1/2 Goodnight Mommy ***1/2 Straight Outta Compton ***1/2 The Gift ***1/2 Mission Imposs...
Post a Comment
Read more