SAW II wants to play a game....

SAW II on DVD
Oh yeah, there was blood….

When I went to see SAW II back in October in the theaters, I was blown away. Everything just seemed to fit it again. This film took a different approach but stayed familiar. This was good on many levels considering we didn’t want to just redo the “two guys, a saw, and a bathroom” scenario over and over again. This film pretty much has no “slow down” button as within the first 7 minutes we already have a death at the hands of one of Jigsaw’s infamous traps. When Detective Eric Matthews(Donnie Wahlberg) shows up in order to investigate, he realizes he may be a wee bit more intimately involved as Jigsaw calls him out. He figures out the clue, and along with the SWAT Team, kicks his way straight in to the masterminds home. He begins interrogating him only to realize there is already a game being play.

Eight people are trapped in a house inhaling a deadly nerve agent. They are told antidotes are hidden throughout the house and that one is in the safe in the very same room that they stand in. Det. Matthews soon realizes that his son is in the house. Among the supporting cast of housemates are Franky G, Beverly Mitchell, and Shawnee Smith as she reprises her role of “Amanda the Reverse Bear Trap Chick” from the first film. Plot twists and lots of violence ensue.

Let’s just take a moment to speak of the violence on this one. If you thought you had a hard time sitting through the first films ONE cringe worthy scene then just steer clear of this one. You have gunshots to the head, electrocutions, severe artery bleeding, blood vomiting, self mutilation, and one scene so gross I had a hard time watching it. Funny thing about that scene is the director, Darren Lynn Bousman (taking over for James Wan), mentioned the scene actually being about a minute and a half longer on the commentary. Hopefully we will get to see that and other scenes when the inevitable SAW II Uncut Edition DVD drops to tie in with Saw III this October.

Now, as with the first release of the first film, the special features aren’t that great. Albeit there are more this time around with the first release of the second film, its just mainly fluff to hold us over. The one stand out feature though is the way they thought of the traps and how they all worked in relation to the real world. My favorite feature though would have to be the absolutely hilarious, yes I said “hilarious” commentary. You have the director, Donnie Wahlberg, and Beverly Mitchell on the commentary track and they do not waste a second of the time. Everything they say is informative or funny and we really get an insight into some of the stuff that was cut or things they were pitching around for traps and what not (I mean seriously, a girl grilling her own face?). The packaging on this is also pretty cool with a transparent box and a clear slip cover with the two fingers, the title, and the “Oh yes, there will be blood” tagline on it. Although nowhere near as cool as the blood packaging of the first SAW’s Uncut release, it should hold me over until the cooler version comes out.

I really enjoyed this film a lot and think that the SAW franchise is a step in the right direction for the horror genre. After recently seeing the film “Hostel” and almost throwing up multiple times while watching it, it just reminds me of all the things SAW is doing right. As with “Hostel” all the violence in the film was unjustified, but in the SAW series Jigsaw does have a twisted moral view but at least he has one. I say go pick up this version of the film to hold you over until the uncut version comes along. I guarantee you’ll get a few good viewings out of it. The only question left to ask is this: SAW III, Oct. 2006, can you wait?


Film Score
4.5/5

DVD Score
3.5/5

I'm back! Corpse Bride reviewed!

I bet some of you would never see this day come again. After a very, very long hiatus, I rise from the ashes like a Phoenix to give you the dirt on one of the most anticipated films of the year. In my time off fr mdoing this column I started doing some web content such as a script called VG Lost that is basically the show LOST with video game characters. I also started a new screenplay that I can't tell you much about except it does for retail jobs what Clerks and Office Space did for their respective positions. Now, back to what I mentioned earlier, my Corpse Bride review. Here we go!

Corpse Bride
Can it live up to its stop motion predaccessor?

After the groundbreaking hit that was "Nightmare Before Christmas," many people specualted that it would only be a matter of time before Mr. Burton decided to make another stop motion film. That was half true. He did make another stop motion film but it took him twelve plus years to do it in. And the reult of this was "Corpse Bride."

Victor(voiced by Johnny Depp), is bound to be wed to a lovely girl named Victoria(Emily Watson) who comes from a very lovely, and wealthy, family. The two hit off great but as the wedding rehearsel begins, Victor can't say his lines properly. He decides to go out into the woods and practice a bit. He says his vows perfectly and places the ring on what he thinks is a branch. Suddenly, the branch comes to life and we realize it is a person. Victor then realizes that he has just married a corpse named Emily(Helena Bonham Carter) and that he is to be sent to the Land of the Dead, which of course puts a damper on the original marraige plans.

Once Victor makes his way down to the Land of the Dead is when the film really shines. The different color pallets they used to differentiate the two worlds are truly remarkable. The soundtrack is also another fine treat by composer Danny Elfman. although some of the songs weren't as memorable as the ones in Nightmare. As you watch this film you forget that you are actually watching puppets move and begin to think that they could actually be alive. The voice acting is also top notch and all of the Burton alums make an appearence.

In conclusion I will say this: I really didn't like the film when I saw it in theaters. I thought it was rather drab and boring but somehow I really loved the film when I watched it on DVD last night. Maybe I was in a different mood or the theater was too loud but I really dug it this time around. Although not as great as Nightmare, it truly stands out as one of the most creative pieces of cinema of last year.

Final Score
4/5