dracosucks

What a different world we lived in, back in 1987! Eddie Murphy was a long way from shooting family films and political correctness was obviously not on many people's agendas either. There's no disputing that Eddie Murphy is and was a comic genius as this is evident in both Raw and his other stand-up film 'Delirious'. However it just amazes a person of my age (late 20s) that he could have gotten away with so much sexism and homosexual discrimination. In our world today, if you so much as look at another person the wrong way you could end up in court for it. Eddie Murphy circa-1987 on the other hand lambasts all before him in an amazing hour plus-long stand-up routine that doesn't stop for air. If you've been looking for the ultimate comic DVD release, try Raw and Delirious - you won't be disappointed. His disregard for political correctness is irreverence at its best, even if by today's standards it seems incredibly risqué.

I was a fan of Rob Zombie's first feature film, House of 1000 Corpses for its at-times psychedelic visuals and devotion to early horror and slasher genres. This was readily apparent in the first film, however less so in the Devil's Rejects, which came across as a more current and less stylised effort - but having said that, no less impressive. This time around, the film was not confined to the family house, giving it a larger environment in which the characters could explore. this in turn allowed the viewer to learn more about the characters and how they ticked, individually and as a family. Speaking of which, the main protagonists are a bunch of over-the-top sicko lunatics, but they do what they do in such a manner that you can't help but laugh and love them in return. Rob has obviously learned a lot from his first effort and has brought this experience into Devil's Rejects and i highly recommend that you see both back to back.

Over here in Australia, the only way to see Ken Park is to know someone with what is in essence an illegal copy or to download it over the internet, which is a shame as the film is really quite harmless and shows how backward and reserved our censorship board really is. Having said that, not being as close to the American culture as those living in it, the film does at times seem unnecessary, in that event though the film contains some extremely graphic and confronting scenes, it doesn't seem to have a purpose or a reason for being so. Almost like pornography. And i guess this is why our censors had so many issues with it. Despite this, it is well crafted and does cover some issues that affect the youth of not only America, but the world over and bringing them into the spotlight is always a good thing. The acting from the primarily inexperienced and young cast is pretty good, with some highlights being 'Peaches', and 'Tate', who both do exceptionally well given their difficult subject matter. Worth a watch!