Metal Reviews

Anti-Christianism is being against an ideology and a set of beliefs that people choose for themselves. Anti-semitism is being against someone for their biological heritage, NOT something they can choose. The difference is huge. You can decide to be or not be Christian. You can't decide to not be Jewish.

I'm distinguishing between the ethnic "jew" and the "religious" jew. Obviously you can choose whether to be practicing or not.

Fair enough.

Yes, but there's a massive difference, as Fridge points out.

If he really cared what non-Christians thought then perhaps he would have made a film that appealed to more than a few Christians. Really, you've just admitted it to be religious propaganda. Do you really need to watch torture porn 'for your own good'?

Actually, I meant that what Christ did was "for our own good" (according to the Christian religion). Sorry if I wasn't clearer.

Anyway, I saw Ice Age on Saturday. Overall, it was okay but nothing too memorable. It felt too much like a semi rip-off of Monsters, Inc. And the CG animation is actually pretty weak IMO.

I find it very interesting that the same fuckwads that always whine about violence and sex in movies were the same ones that were bringing their family to watch this bloodbath disguised as a movie.
It was fucking sadistic.

You're referring to the Christian families who'd go watch it for "the suffering of Christ" bull and then protest about the decadence of moral values in entertainment today?

Yeah, I thought of that the moment the movie came out.

I am, and I did, as well.

Why not make a movie about the suffering of the BTK killer's victims, depicting it starkly, unblinkingly and realistically?
Oh, wait, because that would be sick, and anybody that would fork over 15 clams to watch it would have to be, as well.
But, since it's Jaysus, somehow it's just fine and dandy.

if you saw nothing wrong with the way he depicted jews (right out of Nazi propaganda posters) then there is something wrong with you.

Or a movie about the Witch Burnings, you'd have violence and sexy goth chicks... Oh no, wait, that would portray Jesus N' Friends in a bad light.

hehe, sounds like a good time. Actually I have a movie called Mark of the Devil, about just that.
But seriously, someone should make a movie about the Inquisition, no holds barred... it would be quite interesting to observe the reaction of the christian community.

Man, what a discussion shitstorm I created here, he he.

But seriously, what the heck is "torture porn"? In my mind, the term sounds wrong when being used to describe this movie. But I take it that it has something to do with causing physical pain on others for your own enjoyement?

Well, whatever...

Vlad - watched it yesterday. And I have actually owned this movie for a couple of years but never gotten around to watch it. But I didn't really miss anything. Bad movie falling in almost every cliche imaginable. (lot of nudity, bad acting, more meaningless nudity, shitty plot, "we must break the curse by putting the amulette where it belongs", or something like that. In other words, not good.

There's no story, the "message" is bullshit, and once you remove all the hocus pocus and superstitious "value" it might possibly have it's simply a guy getting whipped for no ulterior reason, hence simply representing violence for entertainment, hence "torture porn".

"Torture porn" is just some stupid marketing term applied to modern horror films like Hostel, Saw, etc., where the attraction of the film lies in the pleasure of seeing a character being victimised horribly.

I don't think that's the point in Saw and Hostel. Those movies are more about playing on the psychological reaction to violence. It's a lot worse than the Passion.

Isn't 'torture porn' more used negatively to describe them?

I dunno, every time some moralistic "outrage" phrase gets thrown at horror films they end up co-opting it and using it as a slogan.

Saw etc. may have been about the psychological reaction to violence, but frequently that reaction is about someone either screaming in pain or screaming in terror. It's still just watching someone suffering for the pleasure of it. I honestly didn't detect much deeper going on beneath the surface of Hostel and Saw, but that's just my opinion as a jaded Argento fan.

Now, I'm not necessarily saying this curiosity about extreme violence is a bad thing in films... When they first started coming out I was really happy that mainstream horror was recovering its brutal side. But I've suspected for a while that it led the genre up a blind alley- horror films don't really have anything to them nowadays except for ever-increasing violence. Which is no substitute for original ideas.

For more, see my Agoraphobic Nosebleed review this week!

I really don't think people actively enjoy watching violence, it's the way they react to it that provokes curiosity and interest.

You bet your ass people enjoy watching violence!

Yeah, but not to the extent it figures in Saw and Hostel. That's beyond "Yaahhh badass kill the commies etc", that's designed to disturb people.

Indeed, but people enjoy being disturbed also.