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Cut

Cut

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Jessica Napier and Kylie Minogue :)
Review: A really fun movie, could have been wrapped up quicker, but I really liked it :) The concept was really different but in a good way, as I don't think its been done before. It had really funny profanity, and great acting. Jessica Napier and Kylie Minogue are reason enough to see this movie though ;)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Wasted Opportunity?
Review: A slasher flick, made in the early 80's, has a curse on it which finds anyone who tries to finish it turning up dead. Then years later a group of film students attempted to complete the movie also resurrecting the films deadly curse. Great idea for a film, but sadly `Cut' is just another wasted opportunity.

Unfortunately Australia hasn't had the world's best track record when it comes to horror. `Razorback' (1984) was an out and out dud as was `Holwing III' (1987), which was half an American film anyway. As for our foray into comedy-horror, `Body Melt' (1993) is best left forgotten. The problem with `Cut' is that the makers trying to create a clever horror satire a la `Scream' (1996) but have no insight into the genre or what makes it work. And although this sounds weird me saying this about a slasher film but what `Cut' really lacks is any "heart". Sure it follows the basic "rules" established by `Scream', but it doesn't want to play with the formula, instead trying to make a cardboard copy of the earlier. The killer, Scarman, is probably one of the most boring and uncharismatic in horror movie history, with lame one-liners that would make a `Full Moon' movie seem like Shakespeare. The cast never seem like their fully involved and look like their just waiting for a shoot to be over so they can collect their pay checks. And the feel of the film is like it's deliberately trying not to be creepy, looking more like an episode of `Neighbors' or `Heartbreak High'. By the way, those attempts at MTV style, hyper-cinema during the "research" sequence just look lame and out of place.

If Australia ever gets a chance to do horror again (Which I hope we still do) maybe we should take a leaf from the `Mad Max' (1979) book. Instead of trying to copy the U.S. we should be trying our own take on the genre.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Wasted Opportunity¿
Review: A slasher flick, made in the early 80's, has a curse on it which finds anyone who tries to finish it turning up dead. Then years later a group of film students attempted to complete the movie also resurrecting the films deadly curse. Great idea for a film, but sadly 'Cut' is just another wasted opportunity.

Unfortunately Australia hasn't had the world's best track record when it comes to horror. 'Razorback' (1984) was an out and out dud as was 'Holwing III' (1987), which was half an American film anyway. As for our foray into comedy-horror, 'Body Melt' (1993) is best left forgotten. The problem with 'Cut' is that the makers trying to create a clever horror satire a la 'Scream' (1996) but have no insight into the genre or what makes it work. And although this sounds weird me saying this about a slasher film but what 'Cut' really lacks is any "heart". Sure it follows the basic "rules" established by 'Scream', but it doesn't want to play with the formula, instead trying to make a cardboard copy of the earlier. The killer, Scarman, is probably one of the most boring and uncharismatic in horror movie history, with lame one-liners that would make a 'Full Moon' movie seem like Shakespeare. The cast never seem like their fully involved and look like their just waiting for a shoot to be over so they can collect their pay checks. And the feel of the film is like it's deliberately trying not to be creepy, looking more like an episode of 'Neighbors' or 'Heartbreak High'. By the way, those attempts at MTV style, hyper-cinema during the "research" sequence just look lame and out of place.

If Australia ever gets a chance to do horror again (Which I hope we still do) maybe we should take a leaf from the 'Mad Max' (1979) book. Instead of trying to copy the U.S. we should be trying our own take on the genre.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This film movie couldve been SO much more....
Review: After this film, i found myself baffled. Why on earth was this film only mediocre when it had so much potential? The answer, i feel, lies primarily in the editing, secondly in the direction. If this film was only more finely edited, then the quality would've surely increased, and if the direction wouldve only been a tad more coherent, then perhaps the commercial success wouldve been greater. It seems pointless to dwell on would'ves and should'ves, but this film relays to the audience the basis of this principal. The film begins on the set of a horror-movie "Hot Blooded" with a fine cameo appearence from the Austalian superstar Kylie Minogue (my personal push to see this film), and although she was only in the film for about 2 minutes she gave a sound performance. Yet this whole opening scene seemed a tired cliche', and the film 'Hot Blooded' seemed to fulfil every boring cliche in the horror genre. Molly Ringwald gave a suprisingly uneven performance as the "bare-survivor" of the film, which , to be honest, was not her fault. The blame lies with the writing team - when she tries to attire the killers attention, she cries "you make me wanna vomit..." - at this point, i was thinking "what the hell were the editors paid for??". The rest of the acting was so mediocre, that i cant seem to recall another pronounced performance in the entirity of the movie. I found myself angry at the end that this movie failed, when it could have easily succeeded. My advice to anyone thinking about watching this film? - its definately worth a viewing, but dont be expecting anything of Scream quality.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: CUT - the best australian horror movie ever
Review: as an aussie, i truely recommend you check out CUT, it is one of the first movies in its genre that has been made in over 10 years in Australia. I attended the world premier in Sydney i was in the the 5th row and Molly Ringwold was standing only 10 feet away form my seat. Anyway back to the film, i think it holds up to nearly anything that Hollywood can make, it borrows such great horror scenerios and themes that blend in from the "Elm St." series, and and all the Jason movies. On a highg note it is better than most american horror. Its a pity you americans are only now getting to see this film as it was released in Australia in March 2000, but really didnt make the cut with the aussie audience as as we are always brainwashed by american horror such a s the "scream" series. So dont be afraid to check out this little aussie gem with a little american flare.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Another Preteen Scream movie
Review: Cut is awful on all levels. It starts just like Scream and then we realize its a movie being filmed. Very unoriginal and be done before(He Knows Alone 1980)and then Scream 2 copied it of course and now Cut copys the same idea. These teens these days don't know good Horror. I will stick to the classics(1978/Halloween, 1984/A Nightmare On Elm Street, 1984/Silent Night,Deadly Night(92 min UNCUT),not the (85 min) Censored Double Feature DVD ,1981/The Burning Uncut by Dragon,not Vipco), 1977/Dawn Of The Dead.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: cut cut
Review: cutis a pretty good thriller.the plot is there trieng to make a slasher movie bigger than halloween and creeiper than fridaythe13 and the movie goes terebly wrong.it was suspeenseful and i cant belive the one guy wasnt the killer.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Derivative--but ain't they all?
Review: Every time I watch a film like "Cut," I wonder why I feel the need to watch every horror film I can lay my hands upon. Why, I ask, would anyone subject themselves to such a derivative picture as "Cut"? What purpose does such a thing serve? Am I trying to punish myself for some ancient, unremembered sin? A few minutes later, I start shifting the blame to the filmmakers. Why, I ponder, does a director feel the need to release a film that essentially rips off "Scream"? Did they really think obtaining the services of one time '80s star Molly Ringwald would secure them an audience in the United States? Don't they realize this actress's best days on these shores are long gone? None of these questions have any adequate, let alone satisfactory, answers. Perhaps it should suffice to state simply that films like "Cut" arrive in the U.S. market because rental stores need product to fill gaps on the shelves. Or maybe someone really thought that making "Cut" was an original idea. No, scratch that. Even though this movie came from Down Under, the people responsible for this boring slasher film had to know that they were making something completely unoriginal. They had to, right? RIGHT?!?

The plot: A bunch of low budget filmmakers studying their trade at a university learn from their instructor, who just happened to work on the project back in the day, that an unfinished horror movie called "Hot Blooded" carries a most peculiar curse. The original director perished at the hands of a disgruntled co-worker, and ever since then anyone attempting to finish the film suffers a similar fate. Being inquisitive, bold filmmakers, the kids in his class take a vote and decide to try and finish the film. They even go so far as to acquire the rights and the completed reels from an elderly woman who, predictably, issues dire warnings that go unheeded. They also procure the services of the original star of the film, the pampered and egotistical Vanessa Turnbill (Molly Ringwald), to pick up where she left off. With nothing but a dream and a few minor, uninteresting subplots, the young filmmakers head out to the original remote location to shoot their film. And wouldn't you know it? Before you can say, "that's a wrap" the crew starts dying off in particularly violent ways. The killer goes around wearing the garb of the villain in the film, just as he did when the murders first started all those years ago, and the movie lets us know right from the start that anyone and everyone could be the one behind the mask.

A killer clad in black, a bunch of red herrings, and plot twists and turns all point to the possibility that "Cut" may well fall within the parameters of an Italian giallo film. If only we could be that lucky. What we have here is your standard, by the numbers slasher film. Problems of metaphysical dimensions abound in this film. First, you've got a cast so big it could fill out the crowd scenes in a Cecil B. DeMille epic. There is the director Raffy Carruthers (Jessica Napier), the producer Hester Ryan (Sarah Kants), the cinematographer Damien Ogle (Sam Lewis), sound guy Rick Stephens (Stephen Curry), wardrobe chick Cassie Woolf (Erika Walters), boom operator Paulie Morrelli (Matt Russell), electrician Jim Pilonski (Steve Greig), and make up artist Julie Bardot (Cathy Adanek). Guess what happens when you have this many characters in a quickie slasher film? Yep, you guessed right; we spend so much time trying to remember who is who and what they are doing that we lose track of the film. With so much cannon fodder milling around it's quite difficult to flesh them all out in a way that makes us care about them. We barely have time to learn someone's name before they fall under the murderous attacks of the killer. The script tries to engage by throwing us a few bones, namely the old relationship jealousies between a few of the characters, but none of it really matters. Or helps.

The only interesting aspect of "Cut" concerns Molly Ringwald. It's been decades since "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" swept over the country like a tidal wave, and the intervening years haven't been too kind to Molly. She continued to make films, mostly in Europe, after her career faded in the United States. Occasionally we see her in a made for television movie or even a series, but she has more or less gone the route of fellow brat packers Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, and Andrew McCarthy. I can say this about Molly Ringwald in "Cut": she's as attractive as ever, if not more so since she's a bit older these days. Unfortunately, her performance as the volatile Vanessa Turnbill hits new heights in histrionic overemoting. I'm not sure if the character called for ham handed acting or not, but Ringwald saw the part as an opportunity to go over the top and never come back to earth. Maybe she didn't like the script and just decided to throw caution to the wind with the part, or maybe she's lost the skills she once showed in her teen flicks, but her performance in "Cut" definitely comes in somewhere near the bottom of her filmography.

Trailers for "Cut," "Attraction," and "Blood Surf" are the only extras on the disc. "Cut" is a film that would probably appeal to slasher completists more than any other segment of the viewing public. If you like watching films with titles like "Slash," you'll find something to like here. Wait a minute, I like watching films with titles like "Slash" and I didn't find much to like here at all. Oh well, give it a shot if you simply must watch everything horror. Others would do well to give this one a pass.


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: BLOODY CUT
Review: Filmed way down under in Southern Australia, this slasher flick has moments of suspense and surprise, but ultimately it fails to achieve what it probably wanted: to be an original, frightening slasher movie. Unfortunately, it's resolution of who the killer is far exceeds the bounds of credibility, even for a horror movie. Molly Ringwald chews up the scenery like a young Bette Davis or Tallulah Bankhead. While her performance is far less campy, she adds a kind of sophisticated stupidity to her role. Kylie Minogue has a brief part and like many pop singers should stick to singing. The direction is adequate, but doesn't fully approach the realm of terror it needs. The rest of the cast perform adequately, but as in most of the newer slasher flicks, the plot holes and ridiculous actions of the cast, prevent CUT from being more than just another entry in a dying genre.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Combo of worst of slasher genre...
Review: Having watched dozens and dozens of "B" slasher movies, i can honestly say that this movie is not a contender in the genre. Perhaps in Australia this is one of the best... but as far as America, there are many more "straight to video" and low budget slasher movies that are more unique and even "realistic". The whole identity of the killer in "CUT" is actually absurd and ends up turning the movie into a bad episode of Nickelodeon's "ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK?" or "GOOSEBUMPS". The identity of killer was a let down. The acting, however, was actually good for this type of movie..but the script needed some work (there are too many cliche one-liners at the end..especially by Molly's character). Also, the killings and gore were quite good and stylish. The only problem I have is the plot..and identity of the killer. Instead of making it 82 minutes, they should have fleshed it out more, creating more of a background on the characters. There is a "secret" that we find out about on the the main characters but it's just spoken once and it just doens't make sense that no one would know about it before. And not to mention that it's not spoken about after that.The only explanation for the events is a simplified one that makes it all seem (like i mentioned) like a preteen horror show. Really, without the gore and language, that's what it is.


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