Smash Cut

Watched this one at the Fright Fest in London. I enjoy David Hess and his performance. Unfortunately the movie itself is just way too silly. And even though it is quite likable, in it's low budget way, most jokes just don't work (for me). I appreciate the effort (look out for gazillion posters hanging around, with awesome movie titles, that haven't been used yet), but on the other hand, you really have to set your expectations low with this one.

Another revelation, but unfortunately of the bad kind, is the actress Sasha Grey. Although famous for her adult roles, she came (no pun intended) to the attention of the mainstream public audience, with her landing the role in the new Soderbergh movie (Girlfriend Experiment). While I haven't watched that movie yet, her performance in "Smash Cut" is really bad! While it isn't a movie to really judge someones acting abilities, she has a major role here and does disappoint. But I'm still curious of the Soderbergh movie, so I'm looking out for that. This movie can only be enjoyed, if you are in a really good/silly mood

Absurd comedy movie that is funny with horror movies. Although the movie is listed with 3 odd points, I had fun watching it. The subject is about a horror movie director who cannot tolerate being ridiculed by the audience and sees himself as a genius director and uses real parts in his movie by killing people to prove it. But the event begins with the death of a woman named Gigi, a striptease bar dancer, whom the director, who is in search of, takes with her to become an actress, as a result of a serious traffic accident. Later, this dancing girl's brother hires the best detective to find her. Even the last credits part of the movie is funny. Sasha gray is really the best part of the movie. David Hess should have acted in much better movies when he was younger. It's a pity. I think jesse buck, who played the detective, was successful in absurd acting. I had a lot of fun with the movie and I gave it 6 points.

Sasha Gray at least 1 point for you.

Two things might attract you to this movie; if you're like C, it's the prospect of seeing adult film actress Sasha Grey doing something other than swallowing massive meat (although why you would want to see her doing anything but that is a mystery to me), or you're like myself, and want to see a movie that is a tribute to the life and works of the God Father of gore H.G. Lewis.

...

The gore, or lack of it, is another disappointment. The effects aren't really the problem, I realised that they were obviously fake to mimic some of the questionable gore props used in the 60s and 70s however I distinctly remember most of Lewis' gore being quite revolting and of bad taste. In 'Smash Cut' they are all played for a laugh which was a bit of a shame. In addition to this, and contrary to much of Lewis' ethos, many of the gore scenes are remarkably weak, nothing much is shown. On occasion the gore is there with some guts and plenty of blood, but certainly nothing which sticks in your head like in Lewis' movies.

'Smash Cut' delivers an experience which is occasionally close to the great Lewis movies of old, too often though it forces the formula too far, with the 'bad acting' coming off a little to camp, and many of the jokes coming too close to seeming like a bit of a micky take. There are many aspects of the movie which fall short, but overall, the main problem remains that for a movie attempting to pay homage to the God Father of gore, it's not anyway near gory enough.

Read the full review at: beyondthegore

Not sure how I'm going to take this review up to 10 lines, which is the minimum I'm allowed to write, but saw this on a shelf again recently and felt obliged to warn others not to bother with it. I had assumed that, by now, it had been swallowed into a dark abyss and nobody would be at any risk of parting with money for it.

Mercifully, I only rented it and don't think that I even finished it. It was awful. One of those films where someone tries to make a 'so bad it's good' film'. Well, that didn't work. It was so bad it was painful. At a glance I expected it to be biographical, but it was just using that in the blurb to get noticed. A total nonsense, dragging painfully on and on.

Take your money and give it to a wino - it will be better spent.

Just before the movie starts Herschell Gordon Lewis pops up on the screen to warn you about you will see. For me that was the moment to not take the movie seriously. I guess a lot have done that by reading their reviews! The score is what made me remind of Blood Feast. The script is so seventies low budget style, man, this is just back to memory lane. Do not to attempt this flick with a feeling of nowadays. That it is an ode to Herschell becomes clear with a headline in a newspaper, Gruesome Twosome is written, do I need to say more. Due the fact that they made it exploitation style the acting is total crap, but still okay if you know what I mean. It's nice to see David Hess again and Berryman. I guess they had a lot of fun while filming. Of course the effects used are also old school seventies style which means, cheap but effective. You can see clearly that it is a manikin's arm used or whatsoever but the blood flows on a regularly base and a bit of gore is added. The only thing it lacks from is nudity, especially with the scene's in a strip joint and the appearance of Sasha Grey, know for her nudity activities and hard core flicks. Still, if you are into a good joke and an ode to the pre old school horrors than watch it, if you are into the torture porn or slashers, leave it.