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Massawyrm Sifts Through The Carnage Of THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES!!
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
1999 is on the phone and it wants its crappy horror film masquerading as a documentary back.
How does one take the wind out of a truly jazzed audience flying high on about 15 hours of perfect film? First you get on stage and tell them they are about to watch a documentary. To add insult to injury, make sure you are lying through your teeth. Finally follow it up with a horror film that is pretending to be real but completely lacks the internal consistency to convince a discriminating audience that it is in fact real. The sit back, relax and watch an entire audience deflate over the course of 86 minutes.
Look, the real problem with The Poughkeepsie Tapes isn't that it is particularly bad. It isn't. The concept is genuinely creepy, some of the performances - especially those of a few of the victims - are some of the single most disturbing performances you are likely to see in such a film in recent years, and the film has a few genuinely brutal moments. The real problem is that it gets bogged down in its own attempt at cleverness. It is not real. It is part of the new wave of "Mock-umentaries" that we haven't even had the chance to name properly. Not done for laughs, this growing style has begun to be used as a widely accepted narrative form that can be shot cheaply, easily and tell a story in a slightly more unconventional manner. Hell, earlier this year I just watched George Romero's riff on the style with his excellent and soon to be loved Diary of the Dead. The style is cemented. And most importantly, we will gladly sit down and watch a piece of fiction masquerading as a documentary without thinking less of the filmmakers.
But when you try to fool us, bullshit us into being scared not because of mood or story but simply with the idea that this is very real, then you are not making a film. You are perpetrating a gimmick. The Poughkeepsie Tapes is nothing but a cheap gimmick, and one that has zero chance of pulling one over on a sophisticated audience already well versed in true crime television, mockumentary film or even the justice/legal system. This thing is so full of holes, the biggest after-chatter was the What tipped YOU off that it was bullshit conversation. For some it was a man being tried, found guilt and unwillingly executed in under 5 years. For others it was that the interview subjects were TOO comfortable in front of the camera. Still others noted the performances that not only didn't seem real, but weren't well acted either. My favorite was that we were supposed to be looking at video from a VHS camera in 1993 that instead looked like an HD camera being held out in front of the killer in reflections and shadows.
And the kicker is – there's nothing wrong with that…if you're watching fictional entertainment. We as an audience will suspend a certain amount of disbelief in a film we know to be just a story. But tell us it's all true and the logic centers in our brain start whirling and clicking and processing every little fact you throw at us. And when things don't add up, we look for the bullshit. And this film is full of it.
Look, I want to blame Moriarty for standing up in front of us all and selling us a line of crap. But it really isn't his fault. This lie is the films and the films alone. From the opening credits to the closing credits, this film – even at times much to its own detriment – is trying every trick in the book to convince you that this is a 100% true account of a serial killer who could get you at any moment. They even make the laughable assertion that he could be in your very theatre, watching the movie with you. And every moment that they spend laying it on thick could have been used to tell an even better story. Most of this film's inconsistencies actually stem from trying to get all the math to work. But no matter how much you try 2 and 2 will not equal 5. No rational sophisticated adult will believe that. But that's exactly what this film is trying to tell you.
If this film accomplishes anything, it will hopefully put the final nail in the coffin of pulling one over on the audience. When Peter Jackson did it in the 90's with Forgotten Silver it was funny. When The Blair Witch Project conned a nation for a short time, it was truly creepy. When Gang tapes was honest about being fictional, a scene posted online actually fooled a police department into believing a crime had been committed. But no one, no one, has been able to do it right since. And for the love of all that is holy, I hope no one else ever tries. The con is tired, weak and not even worth the try any more.
And the most tragic part of all this isn't that it killed BNAT cold, but that there is one, genuine breakout performance here that will sadly get lost in the shuffle and frankly is done a real disservice by being pawned off as real. Stacy Chbosky, who plays the lead victim Cheryl, is fucking incredible. If there's anything that would make this film believable, it is her chilling portrayal of a story we've all heard in the news – the tortured, sexually abused girl in the box. Although watching it as fiction it is much easier to appreciate the subtly contrasted with all the tortured screaming. And, oddly enough, it would have been much more believable were we allowed to immerse ourselves in this world.
I wish I could say that by going into this armed with the knowledge that it is a fake, you could see a completely different film than I – but it won't. You'll still have to deal with the logic flaws, the attempts to convince you otherwise and the piecemeal way news stories of the last 10 years were all pirated and woven into one cluttered mess. Gimmick. If you want to watch a gimmick, here one is. Personally, I prefer to watch film.
This film may not have been real, but it sure murdered an entire audience's enthusiasm in one fell, 86 minute swoop.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
There, now that I got that out of my system - onto the awesomeness.
In the meantime, drop me a line.
In the meantime, drop me a line.
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Way.
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Kind of neat, but really gimmicky. Too bad.
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and boy am i glad
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and boy am i glad
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Just a guess, but I don't think Massawyrm is gonna like Cloverfield very much.
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recommended film
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For me, wasn't that great. It was watchable, and had some nice deaths, but the movie as a whole wasn't "mind blowing". Haven't seen POUGHKEEPSIE, but I'm sure DIARY is better.
I wish more people would see a truly great horror/suspense film, THE MIST. -
Everybody who sees it should be asked to fill out a questionnaire afterward. If you say that you liked watching women being tortured to death, and the idea that it was real made you like it even more, you get an instant one-way ticket to Guantanamo, and society goes woohoo.
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I mean seriously, everything that was just written, about how 1999 wants its gimmicky movies back and all....the first thing i thought of was how i felt when i first saw the first trailer for Cloverfield. its a cheap ass gimmick!
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Unless you think a monster really attacked New York City.
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Crockumentary
Shockumentary
or
Shitumentally -
The gimmick isn't that it's documentary-style, but that it's trying to portray itself as real. DIARY doesn't do that, and neither does MAN BITES DOG, or CLOVERFIELD. Those are films that are using the mock-style of Christopher Guest movies outside the comedy genre. There isn't anything wrong with using a documentary style to tell a fictional story, as long as it's well known that the events of the film aren't true.
If I'm wrong Massa then chime in. -
...the rape scene is hard to watch.Hard shit.I think the movie is from Belgium not France.
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"How does one take the wind out of a truly jazzed audience flying high on about 15 hours of perfect film? First you get on stage and tell them they are about to watch a documentary. To add insult to injury, make sure you are lying through your teeth. Finally follow it up with a horror film that is pretending to be real but completely lacks the internal consistency to convince a discriminating audience that it is in fact real. The sit back, relax and watch an entire audience deflate over the course of 86 minutes."
Except that NO ONE'S WATCHING: AN ALIEN ABDUCTEE'S STORY really is a documentary (with lies) and it's 97 minutes. Other than that, everything else is a go! Yeah! -
Another hero down in flames.
First George Bush, now Moriarty. Who next?? Oprah??? -
And, why DON'T they land??
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Is that on the Poughkeepsie Tapes? Cuz that's one video I'd like to see. At least they're up front with their shit, no pun intended.
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"Folks... I'll just tell ya right off the bat... is it complete and utter BS? Hell yes. Was I aware of that within the first five minutes... of course. But was I grinning like a Japanese manga schoolgirl soaked in the blood of her enemies? You bet I was."
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Two terrifying and anger inducing movies about hick punks who kidnap murder and rape. The second film has probably one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen involving necrophilia.
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Good call on August Underground. I know a lot of people hate those flicks, but they're a lot of fun to put on for an unsuspecting audience that's never heard of 'em. I went to a friend's house and had a double feature of the first two, accidentally forgetting to tell everyone they're fake. We started with 13 people. We ended with 3!
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Guinea Pig 2 : Flowers of Flesh & Blood. I felt defiled & raped after watching that shit.
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" piecemeal way news stories of the last 10 years were all pirated and woven into one cluttered mess. Gimmick. If you want to watch a gimmick, here one is."
Sounds like a J.J. Abrams movie. -
Dec 11, 2007 4:55:28 PM CST
The first "expert" shown is a well known character actor
by smallerdemon
Ivan Brogger is the VERY first "expert" on the film. I mean, he's instantly recognizable. The guy has been in movies off and on since 1975. It instantly negated the "documentary" mislead we got. And the fact that the killer's video tapes are conveniently fucked up at just the most violent parts of his crimes? Could have been done right, really, but it just wasn't done right here. A lot of things looked great about it, but the parts that failed just piled up until it was unwatchable.
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Why watch shit like this? I'm with you YakMalla, anyone getting off on this needs to be pretty far away from the rest of us locked up nice and tight.Who comes up with this crap?
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Behind the Mask ruled last year. This year Diary of the Dead, Paranormal Activity, and Rec all ruled.
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There are morons who even think that the "police footage" in the Texas Chainsaw remake is real. Seriously, there are. And quite a lot of them, too.
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what does moriarty have to do with this film, anyway? and why would he try to fool a group of astute filmgoers? i'm a little confused...
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Dec 11, 2007 5:14:51 PM CST
more gimmicks than you can shake a SCHTICK at
by guy who got a headache and accidentally
Another tired old torture porn and tired old it's a documentary (not really) deal.
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There actually was one of the spermbags that "directed" this, he actually introduced this, and he was NOT tarred and feathered afterwards?
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Dec 11, 2007 5:20:48 PM CST
Oh, and I'm absolutely sure than Man Bites Dog was Belgian.
by jackpumpkinhead
And Belgians really dislike it when they're called French. See: Hercules Poirot. Of course, who wouldn't? :o)
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Turns out that apparently it was Moriarty rather than one of the "directors" who introduced this garbage. Which would explain Massawyrm's comments. (As well as the fact that no Toadie brother was tarred and feathered)
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This sounds like The Last Broadcast from what I've read, which was a semi-decent precursor to Blair Witch Project. It's a bit dated now, what with all its early 90s internet/webcast plot points, but it was pretty original for its day. It definitely passes itself off as real. But the very first film to do this was Cannibal Holocaust, as far as I know. The found video footage is meant to look like it was real. Man Bites Dog was Belgian, in case there weren't enough people saying that already. And I did know someone that tried to tell me that the opening police footage from the TCM remake was real, much to my frustration. I'm still kind of interested to see Poughskeepie Tapes.
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Why the hell not, doesn't matter if the film made this lie prevalent or not, Moriarty still went along with it. Doesn't mean he's an evil person, who we should all call a douche or something juvenille. But c'mon, where is the accountability on this site, just call a spade a spade and then sit back and have a beer with the bro:
Massa: Hey Mori, you fuckhead, what was all that shit you were shovelin' at BNAT 9?
Mori: Well I thought it would be cool to give everyone this awesome experience, like with Blair Witch.
Massa: You thought WRONG bitch! Pull your head out of your ass and see the movie before you lie to everyone.
Mori: Hey Fuck You! At least I'm a member of the WGA.
Massa: Fuck you back, and also, Jesus died for that sin you heathen douche. By the way you got a light.
Mori: Here you go.
Massa: Sweet, thanks man, no hard feelings, we're cool.
Mori: You know it!
See it isn't that hard, at least call him out and see what happens. -
You didn't like it because you figured out it was fake? Of course it's fake, dumbasses. The BNAT audience must be incredibly gullible.
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Honestly, this shit would've been all over the news ,even if it occured around 9/11, which I'm assuming maybe be the "reason" why not alot of people know about it.Did Mori actually get up and try to sell this as a real docu?
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I know cloverfield isnt passing itself off as true, but no matter how you paint it, it IS a fake documentary, like this film.
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to name movies that Massa didn't list, but I have to give Woody Allen's Zelig props. One of the first and one of the best.
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Is that every single one of them has to use the rapid pan, shaky cam, blur half the shot in order to "sell" the idea that this is a documentary, not created by real camera operators, but by a documentary crew that must employ 90 year old hags with tremors and no strength left to hold the camera up, because that is the quality we get. I HATE THAT! Jeez, legitimate camerman must pull their pubes out everytime they see that shit, it is soooo irritating. I get the whole "imediacy" effect, but it is so fucking annoying. I can't wait until this phase in film making is over and we get back to a more reserved, more tailored, more classical approach. You gotta believe that The Beard didn't use no goddam shaky cam for Jones. It was dolly dolly dolly, and maybe some steady cam, none of this handheld bullshit! FUGGAAAHHHH! Whew! Okay I feel better now.
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Look everyone, captain dick breath is back. Yayyyy! We all salute you Rod, seriously, no joke, I am being completely serious.
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Please Rod, share more of your brilliance with me. Obviously you have always posted with perfect clarity and a genius attention to form and subject matter. I await your tutelage and masterful instruction.
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Mori reviewed this back in May. http://www.aintitcool.com/?q= node/32746
His review, as usual, makes compelling points. Most interesting is Mori's statements that, even though he knew it was a fake, he found himself being drawn in as if it were a real documentary and this affected him. I think poor Mori was just trying to enhance that feeling for the BNAT audience, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, by announcing the movie as a documentary. Apparently this fun idea kinda backfired. Oh well, I think his heart was in the right place. I'm sure he'll be posting his full explanation soon. -
Or so the Toshiba shills hoped anyway...
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And frankly, this is the first time I have bothered to give a shit over what you have said. Woops, won't make that mistake again, thanks for the lesson.
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It sounds like there were other reasons too.
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I usually call non-comedy mockumentaries "fake-umentaries." Looks like shit when typed, but fun to say. Schlockumentary isn't bad.
Of course mock can also mean to just imitate, not necessarily in a derisive way.
So it can mean non-comedic fake documentaries as well. -
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Kaboom!
"Direct hit, Captain."
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ITT:Mel and Rod need to get a room
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got to give credit.
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This movie looks like a dookiefest-umentary.That one's King_Knut's.
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The true test of whether these mockumentaries are crap or not is whether it's still "good" without the whole "zomgitreallyhappened!" hype and trickery. If not then it's just a gimmicky piece of shit, no matter how effectively it carries off it's ruse.
Blair Witch minus the trickery isn't a good movie. The last 5-10 minutes is phenomenally good and creepy, but everything before that is just obnoxiously boring with completely unlikeable characters. I too had to suffer through conversations with people who swore it was real. But then I've also had agonizingly painful arguments with people who swore that Kids was a documentary.
As for the originator of "mockumentary horror"? War of the Worlds, baby. Duped half the nation because they turned in late and thought it was the real deal.
There's also this creepy gem from "Suspense!" from 1949.
http://tinyurl.com/2dcj2t -
Man, few things can annoy me as when real documentaries are assumed to be fake. Prime examples: American Movie and King of Kong. My jaw was dislocated for a week after I asked my friend what she didn't like about "King of Kong" and she said "It's too fake. The guy playing Billy Mitchell was just way too over the top."
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Haven't you seen the trailer, dumbshit?
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I guess it's a genre now. Like any genre, there are good movies and bad movies in it. This movie sounds like it sucks not b/c it's a fake doc, but by virtue of plot holes and continuity errors too glaring to be accepted in a film that strives for authenticity. Yes, I'm paraphrasing the Wyrm here, but it sounds like not everybody got the gist of what he was laying down.
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Was this done very, very well. A great flick.
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Yeah, the the filmmakers told the Poughkeepsie Journal they chose the city of Poughkeepsie just because they happen to like the Hudson Valley (if I recall they are from LA). Not because they were trying to trick everyone who had vaguely heard in the news years ago about a serial killer who kept bodies in his house that they vaguely remembered maybe (ie Kendall Francois).
They f'd up when they showed up at the Tribeca Film Festival and had an audience full of New Yorkers expecting to see a documentary on the actual person (and knew who he was). One girl even chewed them out for lying to us, herself having had to walk by the house full of corpses everyday for a year.
Exploitation at its worst, using a real tragedy to sell their personal fetish movie -
I've seen this film, and while I never thought it was real, it's still absolutely a creepy viewing experience. Moriarty was a fool to try and pawn it off as the real deal, and the studio would be wise right now to deter any notion that it's non-fiction.
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... was at Tim League's request. In my review, I was very uprfront about the fact that this wasn't real. Tim wanted to at least play with the audience a little bit, and lok at the result.
Tim tried to book this for Fantastic Fest because he's such a fan of it. The film killed at Tribeca. Massawyrm also hated KNOCKED UP because I brought it last year. Not "when," but "because." This isn't a review, it's a personal attack, and it has made me realize that me bringing films for this audience might not be something I want to continue in the future. It's one thing not to like something... it's another to vent this sort of childish spleen when you know the filmmakers were invited guests. Congratulations, Cargill. I guess the Dowdles can't help you in Hollywood, eh? Makes them easy targets. -
I didn't care for it very much at the time. But I'd be willing to take another look at it, now that a few days have gone by. Here's the thing: in retrospect I think that The Poughkeepsie Tapes was a mockumentary with perhaps a little too much subtle humor going on with it. And by the point in BNAT when we were shown this movie, most people were waaaaayyy too tired to really pay attention and appreciate whatever the filmmakers may have been going for here. I vaguely remember something about a "dismemberment expert" and my subconscious brain registered that the MapQuest website didn't exist in 1991 or 1993 or whenever. Not defending it per se at all: just noting that a film like this... maybe it wasn't the best period during the show to program it. I didn't care for it then but I'd like to take a second gander at it (while wide awake) before rendering a final judgment.
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1. moriarty nice of you to come out and defend yourself.
2. just because a few film nerds decided to make it their victim du jour doesn't mean the movie sucks as entertainment, it just means it's their latest victim. relax, dont do it.
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I can't speak for anyone else but i saw this at tribeca NOT butt numb a thon and I liked it. Maybe it helped that i didn't have any expectations but the film certainly held my attention and i still think it was scary
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This style of filmmaking - mockumentary, cinema-verite, whatever it is - seems to work well with some subject matter. It succeeded with THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT because that film dealt with the occult, and it was a neat twist to suggest the events in the film were true. Using realism to bring to life, or to strongly suggest the reality of the fantastical was original and captivating. That's why I think the technique will also be utilized well for CLOVERFIELD, which looks to be about a creature of mythically large proportions. The style has even worked with films about serial killers; the video camera POV scene from HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER comes to mind. But, personally, I can't imagine sitting through an entire movie as disturbing as that one scene in HENRY. I haven't seen THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES yet, but this is the fourth unfavorable review of it I've come across today on AICN. It's not sounding too promising. The trailer just looked sleazy.
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You just made my day with that line.
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*heh* I didn't like Knocked Up just because I didn't think it was that funny. I was surprised that people DID think it was funny. Yet, there I was a Superbad thinking it was the coolest movie of 2007. :)
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Cant you fire him or something? Shit, drama belongs on the fucking screen
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...running across the top of AICN first appeared...It definetly caught my attention. "Wow...this serial killer's devious acts may have gone widely unreported due to the attacks of 9/11....this could be a cool documentary", I thought to myself. Wanting more information, I looked up Poughkeepsie on imdb.com....And right there...for all the world to see...were the "actor's names" and the "roles" they are playing in the movie. Immediately the wind was let out of my sails. "Gimmick" is an understatement. Blatantly misleading your audience by labelling your film "A TRUE STORY" when it is clearly not, will only lead to mass disappointment, no matter how well executed it may be. I was let down by BLAIR WITCH when I found out it was, indeed, fake a couple weeks after seeing that film at a sneak preview....just as many readers were let down by James Frey's book A MILLION LITTLE PIECES once it was "outted" as a piece of fiction. I even have a problem with films that begin with a "Based on a True Story" super at the beginning. The whole time wondering..."Well...was that shocking moment I just witnessed the TRUE part...or the made up, but BASED ON, part"? Moriarty is obviously in this director's back pocket, Massa. Thank you for calling him out on it.
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I'm looking forward to this film just on your recommendation. If the viewers were pissed because they actually thought it was real for any period of time, then they are absolutely retarded. The movie looks creepy. Fuck the BNAT hipsters that think they're way too cool for school.
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Since when does a film have to be 100% real or 100% fake> What if there's that one dark corner of your mind that still thinks there might be something more there, and just wanders thinking that stuff like this actually happens, even if this particular film isn't real??? Don't base a review on the fact that you're an idiot and that you were duped. OF COURSE it's not real. That's not the point at all.
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I sent in a BNAT review (hopefully it will be posted). My opinion of Poughkeepsie is almost identical to Massawyrm's. It just wasn't good. The girl that played Cheryl did a good job, but the rest of the film left me groaning and rolling my eyes. It may have been decent if it weren't for the HORRIBLE acting. It is impossible to take the film seriously when the 'actors' drain it of any authenticity.
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When they were interviewing Cheryl at the end, she kept repeating "I don't know what you want me to say", which was very appropriate for a brainwashed slave. Then she lifted her arm to scratch her head, and her hand was missing - there was just a deformed nub where her hand used to be. THAT scene was genuinely creepy and effective. Too bad the rest of the film wasn't so well done.
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Whether or not the movie was intro'd as a real documentary made absolutely no difference. Poughkeepsie tapes was a giant hole of suck. I saw the humor, it was awkward, labored, and quickly washed away by excessively misogynistic torture scenes (without the blood gushing glee that should have come along). The movie was simply Just Awful. I can only imagine the massive amount of funny gas that must have been pumped into the theater at TFF.
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wrong thread (kinda).. but fuck it, its still funny.
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ASSawyrm, you didn't like No Country For Old Men...
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
YOU ARE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT!
But I still love you. You fucking retard. -
is hilarious. Grown men bickering about bullshit like little kids. Very unprofessional Mori and Massa.
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footnotegirl, you just made my day. But then it's only 1:44 AM here, so that's not saying too much at this point.
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Unless Bruce Campbell's chin scrapings and a piece of gum Ted Raimi spit out in 1991 are in that box I don't see what more they can do.
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The whole art film is built around a presentation of fiction as truth. Of course they aren't going to stand up there and tell you how fake it is. It would ruin the mistique. They wanted to build an atmosphere that they hoped would create a more responsive audience. I get it though, they failed, obviously miserably. Maybe they needed a different approach, but I don't think they need to change their perrogative to suit you. I don't understand how lying to all of you before the show was different to every film out there lying to you through their entire presentation. I think the entire work, the buildup and the visual product is all part of the same package.
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A serial killer that committed suicide after he was caught recorded his killings of prostitutes. This is truley tasteless.
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This movie just disappointed on many levels. It tried to be real and failed for me, not even 5 minutes and I said FAKE. The set up for a true documentary I think is what ultimately brought it down. I don't think that the Blair Witch feeling can ever be re-captured again.
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I was talking with a bunch of people about the movie in the hallway inbetween the movies and everyone noted that the filmmakers were there (along with the 'star', who is also the wife of the director) So when I saw him outside I asked Drew about why they did not do the Q&A and he said that the studio didn't want them to do the Q&A since they want to advertise it as if it was real. So expect this stuff advertised blair witch style, which is probably the only way that anyone will see it because the movie totally sucked. I especially like how during a scene while the killer was in the house you could see a reflection of an HDCAM... Evidently the killer is also a time traveler...
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Regarding your talkback: Bringing that film to anyone would be a bad idea... It was just a straight up bad film!!!!! (but good for a first film, the filmmakers have a lot of potential)
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The fucking cheek of the man!
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So, like, this is an employment entrance exam? Or do you only qualify if its torturing arab women that gets you off?
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...Why the big deal about wether its fake or not. In the low budget horror field today this format is already popular, with shit like August Underground and Guinea Pig and whatnot. Plus fake docos, or real exploitation docos with footage of questionable authenticity are a staple of the exploitation genre. It's hardly ripping off Blair Witch, since you could trace Blair Witch back to Cannibal Holocaust or its ilk if you so wished. Wether it sucked or not is a different matter. In todays day and age, with taped atrocities a key stroke away, you gotta make it as real as possible, since even a mildly discerning eye will pick it apart. My problem with most of these flicks is that they don't even try. It's like "Hey, camcorder = real. Sweet. Get the ketchup." Also, with the wealth of actual footage and, eh, "source material" thats been doing the rounds for decades, its hard to find an excuse aside from talent poverty, to not be able to make your doco as authentic as possible. This just sounds like it sucks. It's a shame Mori, who I think reviewed it, didn't bring s&ndman...I think thats how its spelt. That sounds really interesting. Oh, and editors vs. contributors in talk back battle....cool.
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I just want to thank you for pointing out that particular episode of Suspense. It's easily on of my favorites of the series. And now I will toddle to that page to listen to it for the first time in forever. There was a station on Live365 internet radio that used to play nothing but episodes of Suspense... but I haven't been able to find it or it got taken down or some nonsense...
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I hope someone's dipped their Lee press-ons in poison.
"and it has made me realize that me bringing films for this audience might not be something I want to continue in the future."
what a fucking pussy -
A complete fucking waste of time.
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I could have told you it was fake. Although we did have our own serial killer.
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Something we can put on YouTube, you know?
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I'd rather watch horror movies that take some chances. There aren't that many movies that are actively trying to scare. Breaking down that wall of fiction is something that gets to people, but it probably would play better without any sort of introduction. If it looks real, just let people think it is. Messing with perceptions is part of entertainment though. Fargo opens with "Based on a true story." That's a blatant lie, but it most likely affected how you watched that movie. I think it was Twain that said fiction has to stick to the possibilities. Still, I haven't seen Poughkeepsie Tapes so maybe I'll hate it, but it won't be because it's trying to play itself off as nonfiction...it'll be because it's boring or dumb or both. Plus this trailer was attached to The Mist so anyone who was fooled deserved to be for not having supported that crazy little movie.
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i don't understand all the mud slinging. i thought this was a decent film with some really cringe-inducing scenes, especially considering it was probably done on a small budget. shows that a film can be done well without the hollywood machine behind it
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J.T Petty's S&MAN is a much better film in this realm, though it's mainly a doc about why people want to watch this kind of stuff. Don't read up about it first, just watch it.
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And I'm siding with Massa? What has the world come to? Mori, this isn't a personal attack, this is a shit movie that tanked an otherwise good filmfest. Yes, PLEASE don't bring anymore movies. Take your toys and go home.
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and stop being such a meanie...
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It was "based on true events", which of course was a complete line of bullshit from the Coens, yet no one seemed to mind their fibbing one bit (and I am NOT comparing the Coens' work to this flick- I'm just citing an example).
I can't condemn or recommend a film I haven't seen, but honestly, why all the fuss over this little film? So it's a fake documentary trying to pass itself off as a real one. Big deal. Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer also tried to pass itself off as a real film and didn't get near as much bile (I couldn't resist). -
can go take a flying fuck at the moon.
Har-dee-frickin-har. Uwe Boll couldn't direct a turd out of his ass (although he continues to try to do so). -
would be a great name for a pornstar. Or a boxing arena.
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Also saw this at Tribeca and thought it was an intense little film. During the Q&A after the screening, the directors said they considered marketing the film as a real doc, but decided against it. This was pre distribution. I noticed in one of the above comments that the directors said they didn't do a Q&A because of what the studio wants. That sums it up right there. The studio is ruining this film's chances.
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I'm fucking tired of hearing about this Tapes film like it's a human being that crept into your lovely chastity chamber of wonderful and buggered you all the live long day and night.
You seem to be so fucking het up at the idea someone tried to con you. Well done, you saw through it, why get so goddamn pissed about it. Did you really fucking think, in this day and age, you'd be watching a snuff movie? Jesus, I wouldn't want to sit in a theater with you morons if that's how you react. I say again, grow the fuck up, and get a life. -
Dec 12, 2007 4:32:17 PM CST
Orson Welles did it best on the radio with War of the Worlds.
by darthcorleone
Yet to be topped in its fiction-induced hysteria.
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I was on my third beer when I wrote the "send the lovers of 'real' torture porn to Gitmo" remark. We don't need thought police, and these dudes have every right to make a bad movie about a truly reprehensible subject. However, if a person gets off on this stuff, and gets off on it a lot more b/c it's "real", I suggest that person needs help. At the risk of cruising into Politically Incorrect Bay, I want to live in a neighborhood where everybody thinks this movie is gross.
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...but I sat through it and was respectful on the off chance the filmmakers were there. However, when there are numerous portions of this wanting-to-be-suspenseful film that are so silly and ridiculous that you can't help but laugh, that's not being rude. And Mori calling the BNAT audience "cunts" on a competing website...that's what I find rude.
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What website did Mori say that on? I'm not doubting you, just curious. It seems like there was a lot of tension over this movie.
I wrote a review of this, and I really hope the guys put it up because I wasn't at BNAT and wasn't told going in that it was a real documentary. I read Mori's review today and...well, bad blood between him and Massawyrm or not...there's no way any reasonable person could be fooled into thinking, once the first "character" in the movie starts talking, that there's any way that this is a real documentary. It's so poorly executed in terms of realism that it's laughable.
I hold Mori in the highest of regard on this site and I think he takes way, way too much undeserved shit, but I couldn't disagree with him more as per this film. I don't know what happened at BNAT - if someone could fill me in I'd appreciate it - but I can't imagine that folks would be anything but perplexed at having to watch this. -
Mori posted on CHUD's message board. And I quote,"Frankly, I think the BNAT audience acted like a bunch of over-entitled cunts this year, and I'm embarrassed by the way they acted. I stand behind my decision to bring the film. I just wish the guest list had been different."
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I had been looking forward to it for a long time, and was really jazzed that it was showing. It just turned out to be pretty bad. I was disappointed in the film itself, not the fact that it showed. Hell, if I had been able to put together a film fest and could have shown it (without having seen it beforehand), I would have! I'd have been bummed that it didn't live up to my expectations, but I was sincererly looking forward to seeing it.
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I guess I'm curious as to what the audience did that was so...cuntly.
I wouldn't begrudge someone liking this film, as it had a few facets to it - especially the first video sequence, which nearly fucking blew me right out of my socks - that were really compelling. But I just can't imagine that anyone, unless you were sensationally high, could possibly think for more than a few seconds that this was anything but fictional. And that, I think, will be the problem with the movie if you ask anyone about it - for all the good they did with the movie, the filmmakers failed 100% at making it seem "real".
Anyway, again, I hope they post my review. I found this movie to be a lot closer to LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT than BWP - a highly flawed, poorly executed film that had moments of absolute brilliance but succeeds much more in theory than in practice. -
Keep Repeating. Tho I don't want to see this film at all. The trailer told me everything. Serial Killer Home Videos. Got it. Don't want it. And I find it hard anybody could believe this would be real. Like I couldn't believe people thought BLAIR WITCH was actually real. Nobody checks the web for info?
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...To dislike shit films? Isn't this site full of critical opinion? I can't imagine any of them sitting back and swallowing something they clearly don't enjoy just because someone had the decency to bring it to them. They did pay for tickets right? It's not like it was free.
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And judging from Massa's and, I believe, Nord's reviews, he's probably justified in that post. It's fair enough not to like something, but to spit out your dummy in such a grotesquely overblown fashion is pathetic.
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I guess, when Megan Murphy writes in her report on BNAT, that this movie "... sucked all the goodwill and positive energy out of the theater, and I'm not sure we ever truly got it all back.", that was a personal attack against Mori too?
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Speaking only for myself, my hate-on for this film had nothing to do with being fooled/not being fooled (though I look in askance at the intelligence of anyone who was fooled for a moment). It had everything to do with a) the movie being full on misogynistic, b) the movie being unable to decide between being a comedy, a thriller, or torture porn and thus failing at all three, and c) the movie being just plain flat out bad. As for what the audience did - so far as I can tell, the only visible audience response in the theater was a) people getting up quietly and leaving and b) a very, very polite golf clap (spotty and brief) at the end. I added maybe three claps to the whole, as I thought at the time that the film makers were going to come up for the Q&A, and Minnesota Nice is an imperative. Later, when Tim said we were going to move on, people hooted and clapped some. Now, if they overheard the talk in the lobby, I can see how they might have been hurt, as mostly it was people ragging on the film and how bad it was. But the audience behaved very, very well in the theater. Apparently 'cuntly' is Moriartish for 'disagreeing with me' or something.
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