Cutting Moments

First thing's first. All of the stories in this classic anthology look like separate short films. Somebody put these together, and, knowing Douglas Buck's title segment was the most shocking, they saved the most effective one for last. I dig the whole anthology. "Crack Dog" is surreal, gory, and downright hilarious. "Don't Nag Me" is less outrageous, but no less clever and darkly funny. "Bowl of Oatmeal" is downright bizarre filmmaking, and (while I consider it the lesser of this collection) I enjoyed it also. "Principles of Karma" was really, really good. It has some good things to say about how unfair things can become for some truly good people when oppression spawns extremists who ruin their own revolution by paving another road to hell with good intentions. "Cutting Moments", the title segment itself, simply blew me away. I have never seen things this grotesque that were as powerfully dramatic as those on display in Douglas Buck's highly effective short film. The sadomasochistic gore and self-mutilation scenes have an inexplicable force behind them so strong that even the sickest scenes take on a feeling of harsh drama. "Cutting Moments" as an anthology is definitely a favorite of mine, a diverse collection of the perverse and, more often than not, hilarious. Still, BE PREPARED for the title segment. If it doesn't make you puke or totally depress the hell out of you (or both), something might be really wrong with you.

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!

A woman resorts to extreme methods to win back the attention of her bored husband: she uses a brush to scour her mouth and cuts off her lips with a pair of scissors. This seems to do the trick, and it's not long before the couple are together in the sack having fun with a shiny pair of garden shears!

The title of this 20 minute shocker, 'Cutting Moments', was used as the collective name for five disparate short films released together on DVD. On its own, Douglas Buck's bloody tale of desperation and self-mutilation would still be considered a worthwhile effort for purveyors of cinematic excess; however, when lumped together with four much weaker and less memorable stories, this sick little feature appears all the more impressive: the shining light in an otherwise rather dull and disappointing compilation (although 'Crack Dog's titular drug-addled mutt deserves an honorary mention).

With messy DIY facial surgery and a non-graphic-but-still-winceworthy penis removal, those who likes their horror to push the boundaries should enjoy this twisted little piece of nastiness.

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!

The final segment of the short story collection must be the most psychologically destructive short film I have ever witnessed...I still shudder thinking about it, and it has been 3 weeks since I pushed the DVD into the machine...This is definitely NOT for the faint-of-heart, nor should a child have the unpleasant opportunity of seeing it... The rest of the collection is dreary and unoriginal, and one wonders why they would place such a disturbing masterpiece amongst a pile of wasted junk...But, excluding those, the main event, aptly entitled Cutting Moments, should be witnessed by all afficionados of the horror genre and seems to have been lost in the worldwide DVD/VHS market...I discovered this work of genius in the thriller division of the local Look & Listen megastore, selling at a cheap price....