High Tension
After murdering the father in such a manner, I feared how the killer would kill anyone else. I feared so long, I eventually wanted to see someone die: why I’m watching. The dead head was morbid and Alex’s father’s decapitation was surprising, but I’m about halfway through and nothing’s impressed or entertained as much as those brief moments.
Second act is boring. Cat and mouse can be suspenseful, but it isn’t here, and all I find myself wanting is a view of Alex being maimed, that two-dimensional generic victim bitch!
The twist shows me I’ve wasted time, but not as much as The Machinist. I could’ve seen the main character’s pre-twist journey without the game of hide-and-seek. It would’ve been easier to follow and make sense afterward. Should’ve been 30 minutes long.
Otis
A torture film with a summer comedy sense and style of humor probably makes easygoing audiences feel “hardcore” for laughing at images of pain and death the way indie zombie fans do. Doesn’t stick to comedy and drama, tone shifts without warning. I don’t care about any of the characters, least of all the easily identifiable teenage victim, except, very slightly, do I get a flicker of connection with Otis and his brother. All of the payoffs for enduring the film are comedic, and in a knockoff Caddyshack “hyuk, hyuk, it’s irony” kind of way.
I’ll probably delight in the thought of never seeing this again.
Feast
I like it when I see kids die in film, and this one delivers. Fun, until I’m faced with the uncomfortable position of watching two survivors sacrifice a bound, defenseless woman to rape by monster and death by explosion so they can escape. Her death was a little cartoony, but too terrible for me to even think of as a joke.
