‘Last House on the Left’ Presents Rape as Entertainment

The explicit portrayal of rape in Last House on the Left (2009) is repugnant and coarsening and wrong. Director Dennis Iliadis dwells on the act long past the moment in which we get the point; long past when we have been emotionally affected. The scene quickly becomes exploitation.

This poison goes down smooth because Last House is creepy, frightening, and well-executed, as horror movies go. The movie looks as good as any other mid- to big-budget Hollywood picture. The acting is above-average for this kind of thing, the villains are creepy (though made oddly sympathetic at times), and the updates to the original story make the plot far more believable than it was in the amateurish, junk-pile original from 1972. (more…)

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Tags: 1972, Dennis Iliadis, horror, last house on the left, rape
Posted Apr 1st 2009 at 10:41 am in Politics, Reviews | 9288246 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mlong/2009/04/01/review-last-house-on-the-left-presents-rape-as-entertainment/%27Last+House+on+the+Left%27+Presents+Rape+as+Entertainment2009-04-01+17%3A41%3A46Mike+Long

Review: Last House On The Left (2009)

The remake of Wes Craven’s classic 1972 low-budget gut churner gets itself into trouble almost immediately in an early sequence. Krug (Garret Dillahunt) is on his way to jail when his very own Manson Family (a wild-child girlfriend and slithering brother) spring him. But a successful escape doesn’t satisfy these sickos and rather than call it a day and run like hell, they pause to sadistically murder two police officers already injured way beyond being able to give chase. Within the first few minutes the full horror of what this vicious crew is capable of unfolds.

But the best horror unfolds slowly. This is what made the first half of the original so watchable (the second half is even better). We knew the 1972 gang was dangerous only through radio reports, but when we meet them they’re obviously twisted but also rather buffoonish. Even the girls don’t take them seriously when they’re first kidnapped. Because we haven’t seen with our own eyes what the kidnappers are truly capable of, until the final, awful moments we hold on to the idea that the girls might be let go or even outwit their captors. Unlike the remake, the visceral is emotional, not visual. The horror comes from the death of hope and the slow realization that this depraved nightmare isn’t going to end. (more…)

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Tags: Exorcist, Gratuitous Violence, last house on the left, Rape Scene, wes craven
Posted Mar 13th 2009 at 9:58 pm in Reviews | 7959834 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/13/review-last-house-on-the-left-2009/Review%3A+Last+House+On+The+Left+%282009%292009-03-14+04%3A58%3A36John+Nolte

Hollywood-pocrisy: Waterboarding Okay for Movie Criminals, Not Real Life Terrorists

Today, “The Last House on the Left” debuts in theaters.  It’s a remake of Wes Craven’s 1972 movie of the same name.  The movie–while infinitely better than the original (which was supposedly making an anti-war statement, but was just torture porn)–is still torture/snuff-porn, and I don’t recommend it (see my reviews of this weekend’s new movies, including “Last House”).

But one point in the movie bears noting–the use and applause for waterboarding.

The story of “Last House” is that of a girl and her friend tortured by a gang of criminals. The girl (Sara Paxton, who “graduated” from kids’ show “Darcy’s Wild Life” to snuff-porn–talk about regressing)  is raped and left for dead.  When her parents discover that the people they welcomed into their house are the perpetrators, they take revenge. (more…)

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Tags: gitmo, Hollywood hypocrisy, last house on the left, torture, waterboard
Posted Mar 13th 2009 at 1:13 pm in Entertainment, Politics | 7890250 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dschlussel/2009/03/13/hollywood-pocrisy-waterboarding-okay-for-movie-criminals-not-real-life-terrorists/Hollywood-pocrisy%3A+Waterboarding+Okay+for+Movie+Criminals%2C+Not+Real+Life+Terrorists2009-03-13+20%3A13%3A11Debbie+Schlussel

‘Last House On The Left’: A Remake To Anticipate

The comments in yesterday’s “Melrose Trek” post ran about 9 to 1 against me, which begs the question of how so many can be so wrong…. Honestly, I don’t oppose remakes on some sort of general principle, it’s the meterosexualizing of iconic characters and lack of respect for the source material that galls, and if “Superman Returns” existed that would be my prime example of what can go so horribly wrong.

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This Friday comes a remake to look forward to; a do-over of Wes Craven’s “Last House on the Left” (1972), one of the all-time classic horror flicks. Some have come close, but when it comes to the pure art of creating a sense of oppressive, grinding dread that stirs the guts with a spoon, there’s no other film like it. Just watching the trailer again (it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie…) gives me the willies, and anyone who knows me will tell you I don’t throw the word ”willies” around lightly. (more…)

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Tags: Dawn of the Dead, Halloween, last house on the left, Rob Zombie, texas chainsaw massacre
Posted Mar 11th 2009 at 2:52 pm in Entertainment, Video | 7755883 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/11/last-house-on-the-left-a-remake-to-anticipate/%27Last+House+On+The+Left%27%3A+A+Remake+To+Anticipate2009-03-11+21%3A52%3A33John+Nolte

RAINING CASH IN HOLLYWOOD!: The stock market is down, but the movie business is up 14% over ‘08 and 23% over ‘07!

Hollywood is off to a staggering, record-breaking start in 2009 led by Clint Eastwood’s most successful wide opening ever, a French action import and a chubby guy on a Segway. Hot on the heels of the biggest January in history with over $1 billion in domestic sales, February has exceeded $750M in the US. The industry’s all-time best January followed by the all-time biggest February on the books puts total domestic box office for the year at almost $1.8 billion.

“Everything is working.” That’s what one studio exec told me today. “With the exception of the Jonas Brothers, it seems like almost every release is out-performing expectations.” January 2009 has gone down as the all-time 8th-best month in modern box office history. It started with excellent holiday holdovers. Six movies, technically released in 2008, did major chunks of their business after New Year’s.

(more…)

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Tags: 2-d, 3-d, adam sandler, alexandre desplat, anthony dod mantle
Posted Mar 3rd 2009 at 12:54 am in Entertainment, News, Steve Mason's Box Office | 7129825 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/03/03/2009-records/RAINING+CASH+IN+HOLLYWOOD%21%3A+The+stock+market+is+down%2C+but+the+movie+business+is+up+14%25+over+%2708+and+23%25+over+%2707%212009-03-03+08%3A54%3A15Steve+Mason