Canetoad
The Prodigal Toad
HMaM member of the Month, July 2006
Cry Havoc! And let slip the cats of war.
Posts: 2,868
|
Hostel
Jul 12, 2006 17:44:38 GMT -5
Post by Canetoad on Jul 12, 2006 17:44:38 GMT -5
Just caught the uncut version of this, and would be interested in what others think...
HOSTEL Rated: R (Australia); Unrated (US)
This film is to Slovakia’s tourism industry what Wolf Creek is to Australian road trips. Hostel, once it hits its straps, is a relentless and sadistic exercise that at times makes the viewer complicit in the torture and blood-letting on screen. This is obviously director Eli Roth’s (Cabin Fever) intent, and one which he achieves quite admirably. Hostel focuses on two young American college boys (played by Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) indulging in their right of passage backpacking trip around Europe. Indulging is the operative word, as the lads are more interested in sex, drugs and partying than any European culture as such. This leads them to a hostel in an off the beaten track Slovakian town, where, they are assured, the girls are plentiful and willing. Very willing, as the girls are just bait for an organisation that uses wayward travellers as victims for rich clients willing to pay for the privilege of torturing and killing them. While being unashamedly exploitative, Hostel is nonetheless quite dark and disturbing. This DVD is the uncut version, which restores footage that was removed from the theatrical release print in order to gain a US ‘R’ certificate. Little is left to the imagination. The extras package is quite good, in particular ‘Hostel Dissected’ – a 3 part documentary on the making of the film. Strong stuff (or snuff, perhaps?), and a package well worth adding to any horror buff’s collection.
Four stars
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 12:51:12 GMT -5
Post by Bone Daddy on Aug 8, 2006 12:51:12 GMT -5
Nice review!
While I thought Hostel is a marked improvement over Roth's Cabin Fever, I felt Hostel was a bit of a letdown. I was prepared for this outrageous, brutal gore-fest and, yes, the film leaves very little, if nothing to the imagination, I still came away from it a bit empty. Dunno. Perhaps the incessant hype that preceded the film left me wanting. Overall, a gory-good time to be had, but not enough for me to warrant four stars.
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 14:00:33 GMT -5
Post by Nobody on Aug 8, 2006 14:00:33 GMT -5
Thought it was a pretty good film, but was also let down a bit. I guess I just expected it was going to be better. I actually enjoy watching Cabin Fever more than this one. Great review though Toad.
|
|
HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 15:19:35 GMT -5
Post by HNT on Aug 8, 2006 15:19:35 GMT -5
I think it is an above average mainstream horror film. Nothing more and nothing less. There is plenty of fun to be had here, but it was seriously overated in some circles
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 21:13:35 GMT -5
Post by Jen on Aug 8, 2006 21:13:35 GMT -5
I am a fan of Cabin Fever, yes, I admit it. Is it great? No, but I have loads of fun when watching it. So I was really looking forward to Hostel. And I was a little disappointed. The first half is sex over substance. I enjoyed the second half, there were a few really well done scenes and it was fairly brutal in some spots. So I liked it, not bad at all really, and fun. But I still liked Cabin Fever better. Yes, I admit it! LOL
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 21:19:00 GMT -5
Post by Nobody on Aug 8, 2006 21:19:00 GMT -5
Same here. I had more fun with Fever.
|
|
HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 21:22:10 GMT -5
Post by HNT on Aug 8, 2006 21:22:10 GMT -5
You think the opening was sex over substance, Jen? I dunno about that. in order for the film to work, it had to create distasteful characters who were willing to exploit the peole that they met and treat the women that they met like pieces of meat. That made it all the more effective once the tables were turned and they became little more than a source of amusement for rich tourists, much like the Europeans wre for them. I really liked that aspect of it. I just think that Eli Roth, being no genius, was not able to explore it quite as fully as I'd have liked.
|
|
Canetoad
The Prodigal Toad
HMaM member of the Month, July 2006
Cry Havoc! And let slip the cats of war.
Posts: 2,868
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 21:31:58 GMT -5
Post by Canetoad on Aug 8, 2006 21:31:58 GMT -5
Good point... harking to another thread it is a film someone like de Palma could have executed (sorry!) much better
|
|
HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
|
Hostel
Aug 8, 2006 21:35:00 GMT -5
Post by HNT on Aug 8, 2006 21:35:00 GMT -5
Yeah, maybe DePalma could have pulled it off. I ws thinking more along the lines of an Oliver Ston or George Romero. In my estimation this was strongly political material, and would have actually benefited from being more of a polemic and less of a simple slasher
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 9, 2006 0:53:32 GMT -5
Post by Nobody on Aug 9, 2006 0:53:32 GMT -5
I know what your saying HNT about the beginning, but Roth just didn't do that great of a job making you dislike the characters enough. I think Deodato would have done a much better job with that. lol
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 9, 2006 1:45:48 GMT -5
Post by Jen on Aug 9, 2006 1:45:48 GMT -5
You think the opening was sex over substance, Jen? I dunno about that. in order for the film to work, it had to create distasteful characters who were willing to exploit the peole that they met and treat the women that they met like pieces of meat. That made it all the more effective once the tables were turned and they became little more than a source of amusement for rich tourists, much like the Europeans wre for them. I really liked that aspect of it. I just think that Eli Roth, being no genius, was not able to explore it quite as fully as I'd have liked. That was kind of point I was making, the first half didn't add to the rest of the film. Creating an atmosphere of debauchary and creating an atmosphere of malicious exploitation of women is different. He didn't manage the latter, but he did manage the former. To be honest, these guys aren't much different than many other guys around their ages that I know. So the first half did nothing to move the movie forward for me. I didn't hate the characters, I was somewhat disgusted......but I am somewhat disgusted by men, and hell women, every single day for the same reasons....LOL...
|
|
HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
|
Hostel
Aug 9, 2006 9:42:23 GMT -5
Post by HNT on Aug 9, 2006 9:42:23 GMT -5
Yeah, I agree that it wasn't handled as well as I would have liked, but the fact that you can relate these characters to men that you actually know is probably a good thing. I think that Eli Roth had in mind a critique of Americans in general. Like these characters, we are not evil to the core, but we are generally greedy and manipulative for the most part, and we certainly view our immediate gratification as a paramount concern, often allowing us to remain oblivious to the fact that we are genuinely hurting others. It isn't so much that we enjoy hurting and exploiting others as as much as it is that we generally don't pay enough attention to the effects that our actions have on the rest of the world.
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 9, 2006 16:34:18 GMT -5
Post by Jen on Aug 9, 2006 16:34:18 GMT -5
I wasn't only talking about American men there, HNT....LOL....my mom worked at a bookstore for years with several men from different countries that were here to go to school, and they didn't act much different. Or any differently at all really. Sorry, but I tend to think its the way of the world, and the way of human nature, not just America culture. Now I think often we may HAVE more, and that makes it more obvious, if that makes sense.
|
|
HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
|
Hostel
Aug 9, 2006 16:40:49 GMT -5
Post by HNT on Aug 9, 2006 16:40:49 GMT -5
Sure it makes sense. Having traveled abroad, though, I have to say that I have seen many American tourists acting in ways that genuinely embarass me. I have not noticed nearly as much behavior of that type in people of other nationalities. Expecting that everyone speak English to you, or openly displaying your distaste/displeasure at the cuisine and customs of the countries you are visiting just seem to be more common among Americans thatn others in my experience. I think that etiquette jut isn't something that we spend enough time on here as a general rule
|
|
|
Hostel
Aug 9, 2006 16:58:50 GMT -5
Post by Jen on Aug 9, 2006 16:58:50 GMT -5
I do agree with that, we do have a dreadful lack of manners overall; but I was talking more about taking advantage of other people (individuals) for your own pleasure without considering their feelings, or caring that it is hurting them. Exploitation of women for sex, by men, for example, is not just an American "thing" so to speak. People are sleazy, no matter where you go.
|
|