Cutting Moments

I have seen the short film "Cutting Moments" on the Brussels 1997 International Festival of Fantastic Film. The film has some visual content you will remember for the rest of your life.

I was surprised that such a film was shown during a free afternoon screening open to everyone.

I would not recommend this film to sensitive people or children who can experience a very emotional reaction watching this film. Required are strong nerves and a strong stomach.

In summary I think this film could represent a once-in-a-lifetime viewing experience.

This film is extremely hard to review and to give a score for, but I'll try.

This is a short which clocks in at 24 minutes, and boy does it use every one of those minutes to full effect. The actor who played the wife was incredible in my mind, as she portray volumes her of character through simple gestures. Nothing much can be said about the other two actors, except the husband pulls one of the most horrid faces in the ending part of the film.

The gore isn't too intense, but two scenes towards the end will definitely stick out in your mind long after the viewing. They WILL make you flinch, and cry out in disgust, you can be assured off that.

So, I would recommend a watch. It certainly doesn't break any barriers, but it does give an unflinching portrayal of what tedious suburban living can possibly lead to.

This compilation DVD was the most mixed batch of shorts possible. From the dull(Principles of Karma), to the obscure (Bowl of Oatmeal) and the random (Don't Nag me). There are only two out of the five shorts worth watching, for two entirely different reasons. Starting with 'CRACK DOG', the first short on the DVD, this has a running time of just over five minutes, but is pure genius. We were left in stitches, and hopefully this was the intent. Not essentially horror, it's just bizarre, and worth seeing for the poodle alone.

As for 'CUTTING MOMENTS', the title short, but last on the disc, it's the most disturbing thing I have ever seen. Not for the faint of heart. My girlfriend had to leave the room, and my friend and I were screaming at the television. You won't just flinch, you'll be holding your knees up to your chest and covering your eyes(amongst other things). It's pure and simple, SICK!

Five strange little horror films that, thanks to the inventiveness of the filmmakers, manage to rise above their obviously limited budgets. I received this from a friend on a double-sided DVD that also includes the movie Buried Alive. I watched this first, expecting it to be the lesser of the two, but hopeful, considering the Tom Savini quote emblazoned on the box art, that it might surprise me. It certainly did, and for a freebie, there is no cause for complaint. The acting - all seemingly from 'semi-professionals' - is uniformly awful, the effects cheap and nasty, but the ideas more than make up for that. Other posters have gone into the plots in detail, so I won't bother, but I agree that the Bowl Of Oatmeal is the least enjoyable segment. Interesting, but not as much fun as a crack-smoking mutt or a nagging old biddy driving her murdering husband nuts! The final titular short is thoroughly nasty, and even I, a David Cronenberg fan, had to watch it through my fingers! If you don't find the sight of a woman cutting off her own lips with a pair of scissors disturbing, I fear for your sanity...

My only question would be the year of production. There are next to no credits on the end of the Region 2 DVD, and although IMDb claims this was made in the late nineties, the cinematography would suggest it was all made on the cheap - perhaps as student films - in the 80s. In fact two of the films have clear 80s references; the old couple's gravestones say they died in 1987, and the teen-movie short has repeated references to Breakfast Club star Molly Ringwald. Have they tacked on four 80s flicks to the recently successful Cutting Moments short to make a feature? (If that's the case, what has happened to these filmmakers, who show a lot of promise in this collection?) Or are they all from the nineties and the two films I mentioned are 'period pieces' - Principles of Karma being a parody of the 80s teen-movie, for example? I hope someone else can update IMDb to ease my curiosity...

But anyway, if you can forgive the poor production values and you like macabre tales, you're in for a short, sweet treat!

This was pretty cool to see. An anthology of shorts, my favorite was the short "Bowl of Oatmeal," which contained the most atmosphere. The showcase is the short CUTTING MOMENTS. This was one of the hardest pieces of film I have ever tried to watch... very gruesome!