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GINGER SNAPS open in London's Piccadilly Circus
Father Geek here with a review from merry olde England of my favorite flick from this year's SXSW Film Festival back in March. I really hope this film makes it to the BIG screens here in the states, its the BEST "werewolf" sub-genre motion picture I've seen in many years and the images and sounds deserve the best possible presentation available...
Now on to Blue Lou's review...
First time I've sent in a review, as the States gets most flicks before the U.K. I'm glad to say that this weekend not 1, but 3, independent flicks were all unleashed on the fickle U.K. cinema market, albeit on limited release. Hopefully I'll see TAXI 2 and 'The Princess and the warrior' over the next few days.Onto the much heralded 'Ginger Snaps'.
I'm quite a cynical movie-goer, usually they don't match up to the hype, but this movie deserves all the buzz it is getting. A fine example of how horror movies can be at least partly self parody, and still be damn scary. This is the anthesis of such crap as 'valentine' and urban legend. With a fertile imagination a limited budget goes a long way.
Okay, here's a quick run down of the plot: Ginger and Bridget are 2 Canadian high school girls, aged 15 and 13. Trouble is, they're a couple of years late menstruating, and their main ambition is to commit suicide, hopefully by the age of 16. For a school project they fake their own deaths in a multitude of different ways.
One night they venture out to take a look at whatever has been killing all the neighbourhood dogs, and Ginger is scratched by...something. It is then run over and killed,
(no adherence to traditional werewolf remedies here, a long overdue snub to Hollywood perhaps?)
and the guy responsible helpfully classifies the roadkill as a Lycanthrope, in a slightly unbelievable leap of logic.
Ginger, however, has a new lust for life...
I won't reveal anymore of the plot, because you really should see it for yourself.
The performances: The girl who plays Ginger has a bright future. She is the definition of raw sexuality. Even at the end, in the party scene, despite looking slightly...different, I still had carnal thoughts.
Her sister is just as good. This is the most realistic depiction of teenage alienation I've ever seen. Head down, eyes burning. A font of misplaced rage indeed.
Mimi Rogers,as the helpful but clueless mom who only wants to explain 'what boys want', is very funny.
The other players have their moments, but it is the two sisters who shine.
The Effects:
The limited budget is extraordinarily well used. Thankfully, there are no fake CGI transformation scenes, unlike An American Werewolf in Paris. The changes Ginger undergoes are, up until the final act, gradual. More like symptoms of a disease. Imaginative camera angles complete the effect.
The Sound and score:
This is one of the most effective parts of the movie. It draws you in, envelopes you, and increases the tension, without being intrusive, unlike say the music in the haunting remake or I know what you did...etc. The DVD had better have 5.1 Dolby digital/DTS etc, the growling at the end is worth it alone.
To sum up, this is the most original, visceral, incisive, and flat out scary flicks I've seen in a long time. Funny as well, without descending into a mindless rip-off. It is also a brilliant illustration of the turbulence of adolescence.
Equal parts Heavenly Creatures, The Breakfast Club and An American Werewolf in London (NOT Paris), go see this film when it hits the states. In London it's showing at the UGC cinema Haymarket, next to Piccadilly. Coincidently where David in American Werewolf in London went on his final rampage. Horror comes full circle.
Apologies for rambling,
Blue_lou Boyle.
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Really sounds great, can't wait to see it when it hits the big screens here in the US
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Anybody out there know who's picked up U.S. distribution? Internet Movie Database lists Unapix as the U.S. distributor -- but they went belly-up months ago! (And they were primarily straight-to-video anyway - a fate which this film doesn't deserve from everything I've read on this site.) Any clues if someone bought it from them? ARE WE EVER GOING TO SEE THIS IN THE GOOD OL' U.S. OF A.?? I certainly hope so. Sounds more bold and original than any of the crap the studios are shovelling at us. If anyone has a clue who's got the U.S. rights, POST IT -- so we can all bombard the company with entreaties to put in on screens here!
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what a shitty circus.
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I really like the idea of werewolves but have yet to see a film do it justice this looks promising!( we'll see)
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The adress is : http://www.mad-movies.com/news.php3?102
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The chance for a U.S. theatrical release isn't very good. When the movie opened in Canada in May (and it was a wide release - very rare for a Canadian movie), the box office grosses for the opening weekend weren't that much higher than that of "total bomb" status. (In fact, it got released to two theaters in my city, and barely lasted two weeks in both theaters.) While it could be pointed out that the marketing budget, though hefty (again, rare for a Canadian movie), was ineptly spent, it's most likely American distributors saw the low grosses and are now thinking, "If Canadians didn't want to watch it, Americans won't want to watch it."
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I find it a little odd that everytime someone posts something even remotely positive about GINGER SNAPS Greywizard is right there to slam it down. And his attacks are always on the "business" of the film and never really about the film itself?!? Since it is a sport here in Canada to knock down any filmmaker who makes an attempt at commercial filmaking..it's not to surprising.. but give the film a break and let other countries enjoy it too.
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I just saw Bad Moon last night and after that I'm very happy to hear that there will be no CGI. If there had not been any in Bad Moon (and the rewrote that god awful script!) it had a chance of being not half bad. I agree that there really does need to be a better werewolf movie then what is out there now. AWIL came close... but still...
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I too saw Ginger Snaps in London, this time at the Odeon in Wardour Street, showing on a really tiny screen for perhaps 30 customers in all.
Ginger Snaps is a nice low budget movie with good performances from its leads. However, while it adds some new twists to the werewolf legend, it doesn't add many and certainly not enough to keep a mainstream audience amused for long.
I'd looked forward to the movie because it was hyped so much on this site but had to admit I was disappointed, as was the rest of the crowd there. Don't expect any big scares, there aren't any. And the creature doesn't stand much examination when it is on screen for any length of time. In fact it's just a less hairy and inferior version of the wolf that stalk Piccadilly Circus in American Werewolf in London. Kudos for effort but not the return to horror that everyone seems to be waiting for.
No reason not to see it, just don't go in expecting something awesome.
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Jun 30, 2001 6:29:49 PM CDT
will 'ginger snaps' rock your world? quite possibly. will 'ginge
by tommy5tone
it's gone direct to video here in australia and that's probably the best way to catch it, i imagine. it's a very imaginative and well-directed low-budget effort but it's not going to have massive audience appeal (reason: it's imaginative and well-directed!). best to leave it for film festivals and video stores where fanboys, genre geeks and other smart folks who aren't going to assume the position for the latest michael bay fuck-up will appreciate it for its small-scale splendour. to borrow a quote from joe bob briggs, 'ginger snaps' has got blood and beasts, no boots and unfortunately no breasts (i say "unfortunately" because katherine isabelle, who plays the older sister, is a goddamn goth goddess - damn, she fine). if the suits know what's good for them, they'd sign director john fawcett to a three-picture deal with final cut. if we horror fans knew what was good for us, we'd establish a fund that would allow fawcett and his team to make any damn scary movie they wanted. it'd be a win-win proposition.
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I fergot all about the guy! Thanks tommy5tone for bringing him up! I wonder if he's still on TNT with one of my all time favorite shows Monstervision! I'll have to go find out now. Ah! that was a nice perk to my otherwise not really fantastic day. Thanks!
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I had the chance to catch the flick a couple of weeks ago at a canadian movie fest here in mexico city, and director john fawcett was there and he shared with the audience that he used to pitch the movie as "Heavenly Creatures meets The Fly", which i think is the best way of describing it, i hope it reaches american shores, genre fans will love it, it has the scariest, yet actually warmest at the same time last twenty minutes of any horror movie i've seen in a while. Can't wait to see what else john fawcett will do, hearing him talk, you can tell how passionate he is about this sort of movies, he even went onstage wearing an Exorcist t-shirt! can't wait to see his next piece of work
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I saw this movie in Barbados back in November. A Canadian friend of mine came to see it with me and she was so happy to watch a Canadian movie in Barbados. That was until we started to see microphones in the background. I have no idea how Barbados got such an early release... All I know is that I hope that it never happens again.
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While I didn't like GINGER SNAPS at all, I can see how some horror fans would love it. Harker is right though, the film may be decent but it's not going to revolutionise anything. With the amount of hype it's getting at this site I think alot of people may be disappointed once they eventually see it. I'm really sorry but it looked and felt like direct to video stuff, which is straight where it went here in Australia...since last November! And yeah, if any of you care it's coming out on DVD soon for R4 also.
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Ha-ha,ain't it a hoot american filmgoers haven't even seen this movie. LOSERS.
I live in Malaysia and it's playing right now in our cinemas.
It sure is one heck of a movie.
Much better than all the so called teenage "horror" out there.
Very smartly executed. Brilliant. -
Saw Ginger snaps at the first screening Friday on the tiny Wardour street screen and too was really disappointed. I didn't find it at all scary or tense, nor funny. The low budget was very obvious from the werewolf seen- if you haven't got the money to make a good scary creature don't give it so many close ups! Overall I thought the acting was pretty good, except the boy who seems to change 10 times faster than Ginger?! Sorry, but if you go in not expecting much you won't be as disappointed!
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yes that's right! canadians can be proud of GINGER SNAPS! it's not a great film but it's good enough for film geeks to watch. & it's kinda cool in a quirky way. it's very rare that a cool film comes out from canada because they have the lamest film industry in the world. so that's why GINGER SNAPS is special, go check it out.
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No disrespect to Geek Snr but can we cut out the "Merry Old England" shit please? I'm a uk resident, and with a population who make apathy an art form, governed by a party of PR Officers and used car salesmen, the last thing this lousy used-to be-quite-an-impressive-empire-but now-continues-to-live-off-ancient-glories-while-it-sails-right-down-the-fucking-toilet-non-kingdom is... is Merry.
Am I bitter? D'ya think? D'ya?
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As far as i know Ginger Snaps has already been to the north american market. It may have just been up here in Canada, but i would of assumed that it hit the states also a couple of months back?
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Ahhh thats right, Malaysia home of the Fish-Head Stew Movie Festival. Please do everyone a favor and STFU.
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