It's a Boat Word
Piranha (2010)
directed by Alexandre Aja
rating: 3 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Carnegie Library
I don't always agree with friends' recommendations, but when my friends agree with each other, they're almost never wrong. Leave it to a European to set a movie about piranhas in the Arizona desert and to not skimp on the nudity and gore. Yes, the CGI bothered me, but not as much as I expected it to, in part because the fish move so fast, and in part because Aja loves the visual gag of half-eaten bodies and old-fashioned make-up pulled from the water in terrified surprise.
That recent Dr. Pepper commercial starring Pitbull is a good approximation of the "party tunes" on the soundtrack, a set of jock jams so absurd that the only comedy a topless parasailer can add is a well-timed scream. I like that teenagers drink alcohol and it isn't a big deal, and I like that strangers start off trying to help each other once the attacks begin in earnest. Well, except for the ex in the motorboat, blending his way to a red death.
The movie manages to be a fun homage to both Jaws and Piranha, instead of an unnecessary repetition of the latter. The tone remains wholesome, in spite of Jerry O'Connell's lecherous efforts, because the central conflict is as simple as a teenage boy skipping out on babysitting his siblings. Elizabeth Shue, unbelievably pushing 50, is the ultimate mom (and thus the ultimate cop), and there's no question who will survive and who won't once she and Adam Scott sail in for the rescue.
Anyone going to see The Three Musketeers?
directed by Alexandre Aja
rating: 3 out of 5 cravats
on DVD from Carnegie Library
I don't always agree with friends' recommendations, but when my friends agree with each other, they're almost never wrong. Leave it to a European to set a movie about piranhas in the Arizona desert and to not skimp on the nudity and gore. Yes, the CGI bothered me, but not as much as I expected it to, in part because the fish move so fast, and in part because Aja loves the visual gag of half-eaten bodies and old-fashioned make-up pulled from the water in terrified surprise.
That recent Dr. Pepper commercial starring Pitbull is a good approximation of the "party tunes" on the soundtrack, a set of jock jams so absurd that the only comedy a topless parasailer can add is a well-timed scream. I like that teenagers drink alcohol and it isn't a big deal, and I like that strangers start off trying to help each other once the attacks begin in earnest. Well, except for the ex in the motorboat, blending his way to a red death.
The movie manages to be a fun homage to both Jaws and Piranha, instead of an unnecessary repetition of the latter. The tone remains wholesome, in spite of Jerry O'Connell's lecherous efforts, because the central conflict is as simple as a teenage boy skipping out on babysitting his siblings. Elizabeth Shue, unbelievably pushing 50, is the ultimate mom (and thus the ultimate cop), and there's no question who will survive and who won't once she and Adam Scott sail in for the rescue.
Anyone going to see The Three Musketeers?
posted by NPK at 12:01 AM
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