OCTOBER 6, 2007
GENRE: SLASHER
SOURCE: DVD (OWN COLLECTION)
LAST SEEN: 2001 OR SO (DVD)
I believe I pointed out before that the killer’s motive in Urban Legends: Final Cut ranks as one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard in an otherwise legitimate movie, and thus paved the way for the insanely idiotic motives I come up with for my “supposed to be stupid” cartoon. Thanks, Urban Legend 2!
Otherwise, I gotta admit this one’s pretty decent. The script is pretty dumb at times, but there’s some moments of genuine wit, and John Ottman’s direction is quite above average for this type of junk. Plus, and maybe this doesn’t appeal to everyone, but being a former film student, I have to love a film that features, of all things, a sinister director of photography. How many times has “Find yourself another DP” been used as a borderline threat in a movie? There’s also a sinister producer, sinister PA... they’re all red herrings, but it’s still quite amusing. Shortly after I first saw the film, I began working as an editor on a student film, where I also played like three different zombies and sometimes held the boom mike, and on one occasion did makeup.
This is why I must take issue with the presentation of the kid’s film projects. Holy shit, what are the budgets on these movies? The opening scene is set on a giant stage where they have recreated an entire airplane, with a crew of about 30. Uh.... no, we film inside one another’s dorm rooms and whatever local business is willing to open up 3 hours early, and the guy operating the Nagra is probably also the producer. The same scene also features an annoyance of mine – overlong “film within a film” scenes. Apparently, these film students are able to film two kids getting out of their seats, going to the back of the plane, fooling around, getting scared, being chased by a killer into the cockpit, and getting killed, all at once! Wow!
I must discuss Hart “Ellis” Bochner in the film, who also appeared in Terror Train. He plays the film professor, and he’s OK. There’s a hilarious scene where he is talking to a pretentious film professor that kills me every time. But he’s playing David Duchovny. His mannerisms, speaking style, and even his appearance all suggest Mulder on his day off. It’s pretty amazing. He does work in a very Ellis-y “babe” at one point though, which is A+.
The 3rd film, other than being my introduction to Kate Mara, was pretty worthless, and the original I still think is the best post-Scream slasher other than Hatchet. This one falls squarely in between. The college setting is underused as a slasher locale (for obvious reasons – they can’t be as isolated as a high school at night), so it was good to see them put to use for the two films (especially after being mostly botched in Scream 2). It’s no masterpiece, but I’ll take it over the I Know What You Did movies or pretty much anything else that came along in the late 90s/early 00s any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Plus it stars the hot girl from House MD!
What say you?
Holy shit, it is Ellis! I knew he looked familiar when I watched that (which was years ago and I didn't feel like leaving my room just to IMDB someone). I just though it was cause, like you said, he seemed to trying to be David Duchovny.
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