Rewind Review: 2010’s ‘The Last Circus’

The Last Circus is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  The title is clearly an allusion to The Last Picture Show, a cinematic celebration of cinema itself.  It’s got all the historical resonance of a Guillermo del Toro movie with the over-the-top violence of a Tarantino flick–along with a heavy dose of the darkest David-Lynchian surrealism.  It’s rare for a film to kick off with as much immediate subtext; the opening credits are a kaleidoscope of images presented with an almost schizophrenic veracity to a throbbing rock soundtrack.  At first, the images are exclusively culled from archival footages of the Spanish Civil War. Eventually, a clear juxtaposition emerges: Fictional monsters versus real ones.  There’s Franco followed by Frankenstein and the Wolf Man, along with images of war victims followed by an infamous still pulled from Cannibal Holocaust.  And yet it’s clear: Hollywood’s worst offenders can’t hold a flame to factual evil.  These and other disturbing dichotomies set the mood for an absolutely captivating story of love, war, and revenge.

Check out my review after the jump.

Opinion: ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ Re-Release Should Not Be

As a Horror aficionado AND an animal rights activist, am I the only one who’s slightly disappointed by the fact that Grindhouse Releasing is giving Cannibal Holocaust a Deluxe Edition Blu-Ray release in July?

I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I oppose censorship in any form—I loathe it with a passion. What makes Cannibal Holocaust such a slippery-slope for someone like me is that the film is infamous for its cruelty to animals.  A monkey, a giant sea-turtle, and other animals were slaughtered on film—all in the name of entertainment.  There was a time when my rage over this would have me condemn Cannibal Holocaust completely (“Burn it and bury it!”) but I have since come to terms with its existence. It’s hard to find any excuse for this type of animal exploitation, but it was a different day and age (1980). There are plenty of things our ancestors did that modern folks would find appalling.  And in the film world, there is precedence: Apocalypse Now shows a live animal being submitted to ritual slaughter.  It’s a difficult scene to endure, but its artistic impact is undeniable—and no one has ever called for a ban of Apocalypse Now.

Some might have a point in accusing me of hypocrisy: Condemning Cannibal Holocaust while forgiving Apocalypse Now for the same infraction.  Is it the fact that Cannibal Holocaust is a crappy B-Movie whereas Apocalypse Now is high art? If that’s the case, then do films deemed artistically superior have carte blanche to assassinate innocent beings? Of course not! Today, animal cruelty is unforgivable in any situation.  My disappointment stems for the royal treatment Cannibal Holocaust is receiving.

Read the rest of my opinion after the jump.

Top 10 Cannibal Horror Movies (Part 2)

Horror aficionados like myself are eagerly awaiting the release of Eli Roth’s The Green Inferno later this year.  I’ll forgive the fact that it’s apparently inspired by Cannibal Holocaust (FUCK CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST) since no animals were murdered during this production.  Official Synopsis:  The Green Inferno follows a group of student activists who travel from New York City to the Amazon to save a tribe from extinction. In an unfortunate twist of fate, when the group arrives, they are taken hostage by the very cannibals they sought to protect.

Yesterday, I published the first half of my list: Top 10 Cannibal Horror Movies.  You can find Part 2 after the jump.

Top 10 Cannibal Horror Movies (Part 1)

Watching We Are What We Are last night and blogging about it this morning got me thinking about the cannibalism sub-genre of Horror.  Time for another Top 10 list boys and girls!

But before I begin, I’d just like to take a moment to state the following:  FUCK CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST.  I refuse to say anything redeeming about this film from 1980 even though it is, perhaps, the most infamous cannibal-themed offering in existence.  I don’t mind using this platform, however, to talk about what a disgrace CH is and why it should never be watched by anyone.  I’m about as anti-censorship as one can be, but this film features real animals being brutally murdered in the name of “Entertainment”.   Don’t buy into the hype that CH is trailblazing and/or responsible for the “Found Footage” sub-genre of Horror.  In reality, it’s just a poorly made piece of shit and among the lowest forms of art.

Ok, I’m off the soapbox.  Check out my Top 10 Cannibal Horror Movies list after the jump.

10 Seriously Disturbing Horror Movies—Watch at Your Own Risk

Happy Friday Every-bloody!  It’s been quite a prolific week for Saucy Josh.  Check out my Summer 2011 Horror Movie guide on Film Sponge: http://filmsponge.com/summer-blood-2011-upcoming-horror-movies.  Lots a good stuff for the discriminating aficionado is coming our way!

I decided to do another original list this week.  My topic?  The 10 most disturbing Horror movie I’ve ever seen!  While doing some research, I realized that there are quite a few infamous flicks I’ve yet to experience, like: A Serbian Film, Men Behind the Sun, Salo, Irreversible, August Underground Mordum, Eden Lake, and The Woman.  Dare I investigate these disturbing pieces that apparently push the very definition of Art to its extreme?  Yes, I believe I shall.

While it’s been a long time since any film has given me a severe scare or caused lost sleep, there are still a few that can shock even this jaded old Horror Hound.  The majority of the films on this list are well done and powerful pieces of art (Cannibal Holocaust and Cabin Fever 2 being the most obvious exceptions), but that doesn’t mean Saucy Josh is in any hurry for multiple viewings.  Once was plenty, thanks you very much!  I cannot, in good conscious, recommend any of these movies (except for one).  I can, however, promise that these films will affect you—perhaps permanently.  Consider yourselves—WARNED!