This is one of the funniest films of the year, and i'll be goddamned if I don't tell you that.Seems like a horror film, but it's not really. It's kind of a whodunit.Murders keep happening on the film set. And they suspect the editor is in on it.Women get slapped for no reason, but to "keep her in line". There is mad full frontal nudity for no real reason. Male and female.Double talk and triple talk. Flashback with no payoffs. It reminds me of The Naked Gun. If you are expecting a straight horror film, this is not for you.It may not be for everyone, but I thought it was great.
... View MoreThis only makes sense if you are a fan of Italian "giallo" movies (Argento, Fulci, Bava etc.) If you have watched a lot of these then you will immediately feel familiar with the visual style, the soundtrack, the acting, the bad dialogue overdubs, the often wooden acting. Production-wise, this is a faithful recreation of the originals, and generally competently executed. The problem is that it somewhat stops there. It wants to be both a homage and a prohibited-by-IMDb-term-for-urine-take at the same time, but for me failed at both. There are plenty of good scenes, but the number of direct quotes and allusions to old movies means that it is stylistically to uneven to fully enjoy as a homage, and the jokes mostly fell flat for me. My advice: Give this a try if you're a giallo fan, but have one of the originals ready in case the joke runs out halfway for you. Otherwise: Stay well away - this will be completely incomprehensible to you.
... View MoreThe Canadian group Astron-6 (formed by Steven Kostanski, Adam Brooks, Matthew Kennedy, Conor Sweeney and Jeremy Gillespie) is specialized in parodying the '80s with films overflowing of style, energy and a particular sense of humor which makes them transcend the nostalgia in order to become something special and memorable by themselves. Astron-6 had made a satire of slasher cinema with Father's Day, and of post-apocalyptic science fiction with Manborg (not to mention its numerous short films, many of which can be watched on YouTube). More recently, in the movie The Editor, it makes a tribute/parody of "giallo"; those thrillers bathed on blood and sexuality which used to be popular in Italy during the '70s and '80s. The most famous exponent of that style is, of course, Dario Argento, but many other directors also contributed to it, such as Sergio Martino, Umberto Lenzi and Mario Bava. Having said all that, I have to admit that I have generally not been a big fan of giallo's. I definitely appreciate its bloody violence (which was rarely realistic, but always excessive), and I also like the distinctive electronic music which usually accompanies it; but, with the exception of Argento's films, I find giallo simplistic and repetitive, with confusing and incoherent screenplays which rarely satisfy on the most elementary narrative level. Fortunately, those problems become pros when they are filtered by Astron-6's sensibility. The story of The Editor has all the ingredients required by the recipe (not to mention dozens of references to the directors and films which inspired it): grotesque deaths, mediocre special effects, beautiful women, bad dubbing, anachronistic misogyny and various suspects who can be the mysterious killer of the black gloves. The exaggerated imitation of those elements is essential for the humor of The Editor, but it's not its only virtue. Like it had done in Father's Day and Manborg, Astron-6 gradually moves from familiar territory in order to add twisted digressions and unexpected surprises, including a series of final twists, each one of them more bizarre than the previous one, until leading to an "ending ending" which is simultaneously ingenious and ridiculous. On the negative side, The Editor occasionally feels a bit repetitive, and I think I was kinda expecting something more extreme and shocking from Astron-6; however, on the other hand, this might mean the fact that the group is maturing, and I will definitely keep looking forward to its next films. In the micro-universe of tributes, satires and revivals of giallo cinema, I would place The Editor above Amer and Berberian Sound Studio, but below The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears, which was basically incomprehensible, but I think it handled the giallo style on a more artistic way. Nevertheless, I liked The Editor pretty much, and I recommend it with the warning that this film will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea.
... View MoreAs the other reviews have stated this was a tongue and cheek spoof on some older horror genre films. It was well done, and once the movie started the whole theater (Ryerson during TIFF) was in stitches. The acting was on point, the lighting was perfect and the script was right in live with what you would expect. And the effects. What can I say about the effects. they did the job and then some.I really felt like I was watching a movie from the good old days of horror just like I used to watch on Sci Fi theater, and Creature Features on Saturday afternoons.I am pretty sure that if you watch this while having a few drinks and with a couple of friends you guys will have a hoot.
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