When The 13th Floor talked about I spit on your grave remake a few days ago it didn´t expect to come back to this film as soon as it has happened. The remake of the eighty´s controversial film will be screened these days at the UK´s Frightfest in London. Nevertheless, the movie that the viewers will be seeing is not the cut the filmakers wanted to show.
According to Screen Daily, the The British Board Of Film Classification (BBFC) has cut the film to recieve a "18" rated, which would be the same of an Rated R in the U.S.A. David Cooke, Director of the BBFC, explained why they had to edit the movie: “The cuts to this version of I Spit on Your Grave, which the Board has required, remove elements that tend to eroticise sexual assault (for example, through the use of titillation), as well as other elements that tend to endorse sexual assault (for example, by encouraging viewer complicity by the use of camcorder footage, filmed by the rapists, during the various scenes of sexual assault). With these cuts made, the film’s scenes of very strong terrorisation and sexual violence remain potentially shocking, distressing or offensive to some adult viewers, but are also likely to be found essentially repugnant and aversive. The Board takes the view that, with these cuts, they are not credibly likely to encourage imitation.”
The guys of Arrow in the Head do not agree with the reason given by Cooke, as they think the movie never intend to "eroticed" the rape and neither "encourages viewer complicity". The 13th Floor remembered a few days ago how the original movie was banned in so many countries and we argued that nowadays the viewers has a more open mind to recieve a film like this one. Apparently, we were wrong.
When Guillermo del Toro made official that he won´t be directing The Hobbit, both press and fans started to ask him which one would be his next project. It didnt take so lonf untill he made the announcement . Right after the Comic Con he surprised us all with the title of his new project. At the mountains of madness, based in the famous novel by H. P. Lovecraft. Even after his highly acclaimed and Oscar winner Pan´s of the labyrinth, the studios wouldn´t give green light to the film. "Even now is very difficult for the studios to take the step of doing a rated R movie with a tough ending, no love story and set in period" said Del Toro a few months ago. But now, with a little bit of help, it looks like he´s finally ready to start shooting.
The director of Hellboy needed the help of a big studio. He needed someone in Hollywood with the money and the power enough to make his dreamed film happen. Well, the director of the two biggest grossing films ever, James Cameron, is going to produce In the Mountains of Madness, letting Del Toro to make the film the way he always has wanted. Cameron only had one condition: it has to be in 3D. Although the Mexican director has never shoot in 3D before, Cameron is sure that del Toro will love the experience of the stereoscopic cameras. "I´m not going to tell you how you have to do this movie, so I´m your ideal producer" says Cameron in this interview, refering to Guillermo del Toro. Truth be said, Cameron actually had one condition, but boy, what a condition!
BLACK SWAN follows the story of Nina (Portman), a ballerina in a New York City ballet company whose life, like all those in her profession, is completely consumed with dance. She lives with her retired ballerina mother Erica (Barbara Hershey) who zealously supports her daughter’s professional ambition. When artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) decides to replace prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder) for the opening production of their new season, Swan Lake, Nina is his first choice. But Nina has competition: a new dancer, Lily (Kunis), who impresses Leroy as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play both the White Swan with innocence and grace, and the Black Swan, who represents guile and sensuality. Nina fits the White Swan role perfectly but Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. As the two young dancers expand their rivalry into a twisted friendship, Nina begins to get more in touch with her dark side with a recklessness that threatens to destroy her.
Revenge, says tradition, is a dish best served cold. Revenge, according to catholic religion, is not a possibility. Revenge, I say, it´s quite fun when it comes to movies. Inglorious basterds, Tarantino´s most successful movie, is about vengeance. In fact, revenge is a theme that the director always shows in his movies. Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas or Saint Augustine are some of the philosophers who have talked about the problematic act of revenge, an act, that could also be understood as an act of love.
I spit on your grave, a rape and revenge film from 1978 was a controversial movie that has inspired a new remake. The original film, banned in almost every country where it was released, was classified as a "vehicle of personal expression reacting to violence against women". Whether the movie was good or bad wasn´t actually the important point of the discussion. The film was too explicit and showed the rape in detail. Was this the first torture porn movie ever? Was it indeed as disgusting as they said it was?
The truth is that a new film has been remade for a worldwide release, telling the same story: a woman is raped by a bunch of men in a small town. Although they think she´s dead after the crime, she finally survives and then starts her revenge against those who raped her. Today´s thinking is pretty different from the early 80´s and viewers are much more used to seeing violence in movies. After revenge movies like Kill Bill and after successful movies like Martyrs, violence against women and acts of revenge are much more understood by the viewers and don´t seem too extreme or controversial. Should we be proud of this fact? It may be a signal that the new generation is so used to violence that they can´t be shocked by a rape and revenge film? Ask yourselves a new question and please, be honest: would you approve the woman´s behavior?
"The act of vengance is an unambiguos declaration that evil is a reality. By contrast, the act of vengeance is also a statement that love, goodness and righteousness are moral realities by virue of the fact that they have been violated "
Quentin tarantino and Philosophy.
Edited by Richard Greene and K. Silem Mohammad
When the main character of I spit on your grave starts her vengeance, one could see it may even be lifesaving, given that the men who raped her will not be able to hurt anyone again. Therefore, revenge wouldn´t be just fair but morally right. Anyway, the vengeance of the main character would be, whether right or wrong, an act of love for herself as one who is violated and, some could argue, an act of love for every woman.
Whether the movies ask these questions or they don’t, we cannot forget that answering an act of vengeance with more revenge, could become a never ending circle of violence. After all, those who live by the sword die by the sword.
The marketing campaign for Piranha 3D has a clear target audience: young guys ready to have fun with lots of blood and a bunch of top-less wild girls. This last poster for the upcoming movie says so. You´re still not sure if Piranha is your kind of movie?
Then, let me tell you about the last clip that has hit the web. 9 minutes of footage which shows lots of blood, boobs, wet t-shirts and the head of Eli Roth smashed up, among other bloody cool stuff. In fact, this is the footage banned from Comic Con for being "too hot" for the "all ages" audience of San Diego Comic Con. The quality of the clip isn´t as good as we would like it to be because it was recorded whit the camera in the very cinema where they showed the clip.
