Vulgar (2002)
This wasn't what I was expecting at all. Judging from the evidence here, classifying this as a comedy is willful misinterpretation. I mean, there are some funny bits and all, but on the whole this feels like a nightmare, almost a horror film. And therein lies the film's main problem: tonal inconsistency. You have some scenes that are silly and laden with View Askew in-jokes. And right after that, you'll have a scene that is brutal and skin-crawling. It's as if director Bryan Johnson had one film in mind, but he had to stuff in side bits and little nudges to make it fit into the Askewniverse. Certainly I don't think it's nearly the disaster that practically everyone else thinks it is -- the scenes between Brian O'Halloran and his tormentors, in particular, have a vicious sort of power about them. And Johnson, while not a natural-born director, does exhibit some nascent flair for behind-the-camera work that could, in time, develop into something quite impressive (something that can't be said about his mentor Kevin Smith). It's an odd, unusual and ballsy film. There are many pieces and bits of this film that I admire. But next time out, Johnson needs to decide what kind of film he wants to make before he starts making it.
Grade: C+
This wasn't what I was expecting at all. Judging from the evidence here, classifying this as a comedy is willful misinterpretation. I mean, there are some funny bits and all, but on the whole this feels like a nightmare, almost a horror film. And therein lies the film's main problem: tonal inconsistency. You have some scenes that are silly and laden with View Askew in-jokes. And right after that, you'll have a scene that is brutal and skin-crawling. It's as if director Bryan Johnson had one film in mind, but he had to stuff in side bits and little nudges to make it fit into the Askewniverse. Certainly I don't think it's nearly the disaster that practically everyone else thinks it is -- the scenes between Brian O'Halloran and his tormentors, in particular, have a vicious sort of power about them. And Johnson, while not a natural-born director, does exhibit some nascent flair for behind-the-camera work that could, in time, develop into something quite impressive (something that can't be said about his mentor Kevin Smith). It's an odd, unusual and ballsy film. There are many pieces and bits of this film that I admire. But next time out, Johnson needs to decide what kind of film he wants to make before he starts making it.
Grade: C+
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