The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

Yeah when A Serbian Film was submitted for certification in England, it required 47 cuts for an 18 cert. For those who are unaware not getting certification basically bans the movie in England. Everything I've heard about A Serbian Film is that it's one of the most vile movies made in recent history and I mean vile in the most endearing way possible. A Serbian Film has been one of my most anticipated movies since I heard about its screening at SXSW.

I was able to track down Martyrs on the UA Library website and reserve the DVD. I want to review the movie when it comes in.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS* added by admin.

After viewing Martyrs it appears that I've reach my limit on the horror films that I can tolerate. The pure unadulterated, women hating, "film." It is beyond me that it is acceptable to include a "film" that depicts child abuse is sickening. It appears for the first time that I'll be skipping this "film" and sit out at the lobby or walk around for awhile than watch said "film" again.

After my total disgust about the content of the so called film I can say that the acting was great and the compensation of the "film" is the only thing that preventing me calling this "film" outright filth. I do get the story.

The reason why I can stomach I Spit original and possibility the remake that the Protagonist of both films fight back.

Try to find a replacement for example VS Evil will be a better choice.

I can probably survive Martyrs though I would rather not. But if that AND "A Serbian Film" plays I may consider skipping the marathon this year. It's not something I want to do as I've been looking forward to it all year but I think the marathon will have become too pornographic and extreme for me.

It's going to be hard for me to mount a defense of A Serbian Film because I haven't seen it and try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Right now there are more people condemning this movie than there are people who have even seen it. Reading the shock highlights of a movie, out of context, does not give you enough information to label something pornographic. Before I saw Human Centipede I was hearing all sort of awful stuff that supposedly happened in that movie. We all know how tame Human Centipede ended up being. Yes, the early word on A Serbian Film is that it's one of the most graphic and shocking films ever made, but that could just be internet hyperbole. The filmmakers have stated that they wanted to horrify and shock. I doubt they made A Serbian Film to get people off, but who knows. I haven't seen the movie so I don't know. That's one of the reasons I want to watch it, so I can make my own decision. Sorry if that seemed rambling.

All the protesters were condemning Last Temptation of Christ as evil in the 80's without seeing it. We all know they missed an amazing and powerful movie because of it.

Also Auteur 55 you better show up because you said you would save my seat because I might have to show up late and because I love you and never get to see you.

Joe also mentioned in his original post that any possible premieres would probably replace a currently booked film that is "similar in tone." By that rationale, it is highly unlikely that both Martyrs and A Serbian Film would play in the same lineup if they are able to book that as a premiere. Given the fact that it will probably not be a 35mm print is another strike against Martyrs being the most likely first victim if something in the current lineup is dropped.

I do like the fact that everyone's argument is along the lines of "not for me" instead of "don't book this piece of trash, Joe you are a jerk." One of the key elements of any successful marathon lineup is variety and a sense of "discovery." It involves an intangible quality of having a moviegoing experience that you can't get anywhere else, and cannot be duplicated by watching something on television by yourself or renting a movie from the library.

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I haven't seen A Serbian Film so I can't make a comment about it. I just can't stand the content of Martyrs and I've seen whole lot of Italian horror flicks. When I pick up a ticket next week and be there early and will enjoy the other films in the lineup. It is not to late to book Troll 2 and the Troll 2 Doc.

Now Hostel 2 is pure filth and no sane person should watch it. I make the mistake and watch the unrated version from the UA library. For some odd reason that the UA library have a decent selection of cult films. Plus I can put recent commercial films
Like Prince of Persia in my reserve queue. BTW I'm number one on the wait list for the BLU RAY. Take that Netflix queue. (Side note
I've gave my reasons why I can't sit through the film again and I will not stop other people from viewing Martyrs if it screen at this year's horror thon.

Adam H I don't get why you haven't just upgraded to actual snuff films yet. I mean maybe that will satisfy your desire to find the most vile film every made. I know a guy on high street that can hook you up. Just kidding buddy I'm sure i'll still go but I will avoid A Serbian film like the plague. Now I've pre-judged movies before and I've ended up eating crow but I think i'm going to play it safe on this one.

I listened to a review by a guy on youtube who went into great detail about many scenes. This guy claimed to be a huge fan of shock horror and said he has seen some pretty messed up films over the years. He said after viewing A Serbian Film even he wished he hadn't watched it. He said that came mainly from one scene that is so depraved, twisted and vile that had he known it was in the movie he would have skipped. I won't spoil anything for anyone but he went on to describe several other scenes as fair as possible and by the time he got to the 3rd I knew I was done. What he described was basically hardcore sadistic pornography. Another scene involved something that should never even be spoken about let alone simulated in a film. I simply don't want these types of images floating around my head for eternity even if they don't end up being that bad in the actual film. I actually wish i'd never even heard 2nd hand.

I believe a film like this deserves a disclaimer on the fliers and before the film before it shows. Some new people may come this year just hoping to have a good time and A Serbian Film may be more then they bargained for.

Last year I was a little weary about Irreversibly playing but I think it ended up being an interesting addition to the marthon and certainly created a different environment for the rest of the evening. But I believe, and I could be wrong again. that A Serbian Film may stretch a good portion of the audience to the breaking point. I'll also do my best not to judge anyone who would be excited about watching such a film as I know people view these types of shock violence films differently then I do

Yeah, it sounds like Irreversible is a breeze compared to A Serbian Film. I could do without it playing the marathon.

I'd be happy with the film list remaining as it is. The only "possible premiere" movie I'm really interested in is Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. As for which to swap out for it, Slither is the most expendable to me. I like it, but saw it on the big screen opening weekend just a few years ago.

I would LOVE to see Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. And if the lineup is going to have films as hardcore as Martyrs and A Serbian Film, we will need a light-hearted, pallet cleanser like Tucker and Dale.

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I see film as an art form. Sometimes it earns this, sometimes it doesn't. I often admire shock art. I love viewing caravaggio's paintings, reading books like ellis' american psycho, listening to nick cave's murder ballads, and i like watching films like 'a serbian film'. While I like being entertained, I like it even more when films go beyond entertainment and force me to confront emotions, ideas, innovations and horrors beyond my personal experience.

If this were the sci-fi marathon, and there was an argument that a film may be too horrific, I would totally understand the desire to cut it from the line up. However, this is the Horror marathon. These films are meant to horrify us. Each year there is one that people accuse of going "too far" (irreversible, cannibal holocaust, cannibal ferox, etc). This year it seems to be either Martyrs or A Serbian Film. I'm hoping for Serbian Film. (unless it involves Corey not coming, i really want to see my good buddy and would choose him over a film any day).

A movie that didn't raise much outrage last year was 'Henry: portrait of a serial killer' even though during its original release, like A Serbian Film, it was accused of being too brutal and was shelved for 2 years. Ebert, who attacked 'nightmare on elm street 3' for appealing to teens, embraced the far more brutal Henry, writing "(it deals) honestly with its subject matter, instead of trying to sugar-coat violence as most 'slasher' films do." Horror films are best when they honestly deal with subject matter more 'serious' films shy away from.

I'm more disturbed by PG-13 cartoon violence, where someone gets shot falls over and dies painlessly, than I am violence that shows how brutal things actually are. In the words of Sam Peckinpah "I revolt against those which hide or ignore the social and moral perspectives of violence. It exists everywhere. It is part of our existence, it is in us."

Frontier(s) and Inside informed me of the current zenophobia in France. The "torture porn" movement in the US has exposed our psychic distress at terrorism and Abu Ghriab. It show a shift from our discomfort with supernatural entities (freddy, ghosts, etc.) to our terror of the potential of human cruelty.

Serbia is notorious for its sex trafficking.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking_in_Serbia) Might not 'a serbian film', like 'inside' and 'frontier(s)', be an honest, artistic, reaction to an actual domestic problem? It may be profound, or it may be junk, but i am curious.

In real life I'm a total pansy. I recoil from blood, i refuse to kill bugs, i've been a vegetarian for 15 years, I'm anti-war and pro-gun control. Art isn't real life though, it is a commentary on it, and I'm 100% pro-freedom of speech.

While I do have my limits (if they ever book water power, i'm skipping that movie) I don't think it is fair to try to censor a single film by threatening to skip the marathon if they show it. I hated 'Saw.' When they showed it at the marathon, rather than skip out entirely or watch it again, i opted out. I got a cup of coffee, read a book and took a walk. It was really nice. If you don't want to see a film, why not just do the same?

kevin I obviously respect your point of view on this and understand where you are coming from. What is trash/pornography to one person can be great art to the next as it's purely subjective and all that jazz. Now at an art exhibit an artist may have a live action display of a man crapping into another man's mouth over and over again. Now he may say that the exhibit is a social commentary that he hoped would shock people and force us to confront our human filth yada yada yada. Now some may find this brave "shock art" where as others would just find it stupid and disgusting. If I was invited to this exhibit and heard there was a display that portrayed a man crapping into another man's mouth I would say I didn't want to go because I have no desire to see such a thing and I would go see another artist that didn't make me want vomit all over myself.

Now I'm not trying to censor this artist's nor am I boycotting it. I just choose not to see it and be in that atmosphere. I'm not boycotting or trying to censor anything at the marathon. Saying I may not go wasn't a threat. I'm sure someone else will just take my seat and ticket. What I'm saying is we all have a line of tolerance for these types of things. Some can't handle Texas Chainsaw massacre which I think is possibly the greatest horror film of all time. Willcail who posted earlier said Martyrs educated him on what his level of tolerance was so we all reach it eventually. Some films actually go beyond tolerance for me and become offensive and I choose not to support them. After what I heard was in A Serbian Film I believe this crosses that line for me which is why I would choose not to go. But I don't fault anyone else who enjoys these types of things and I don't expect the marathon to alter anything as it's their marathon. Knowing myself I'll probably end still going because I'm full of it most of the time.

I'd say I have a high tolerance for violence in horror films and love the genre. It's a very tiny niche group of the population that runs to see a film like Martyrs and an even smaller minority of our country would want to watch and enjoy a movie like A Serbian Film so I'd say on average my tolerance level of horror films is well above the majority.

Anyway not to go off on a tangent as I love the marthons and became addicted to them after last years and attending the sci-fi one this year so I continue to love and support the unique Marathon experience and respect those that put them on.

Now to sum up my argument Kevin what I am saying is that you enjoy watching men crap into each other's mouths.

I can't really believe that any marathon fan skip an entire marathon because they didn't like or want to see one film. At the first Chicago marathon, they played Autopsy, a graphic half hour short about necrophilia. An announcement was made beforehand and it played after midnight. A lot of people walked out during that one-but most of them came back. One woman asked for her money back and the usher said "we can't do that because you didn't like half and hour out of the last 14 hours of a 24 hour event." Over the 21 on and off years I've been going to these, there have been tons of films I didn't like or want to see. Some things, like Irreversible, I dreaded seeing. but I ended up being surprised and appreciating it on some level (though I still don't want to see it again).

Seriously, if a film you don't want to see plays, just go out for a coffee or beer or take a walk and enjoy the other 11 films.

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