The Machine Girl
Warning: this trailer is really, really graphic.
Really. I’m not kidding. Do not hit play unless you want to see lots of blood.
It’s not like this level of gore is new to the indie film scene. Crazy flying bucket-fulls of blood have been the easiest way for indie films to stand out. Unfortunately, since they all do it (and since Tarantino’s big-budget indie-style stuff of late) it’s becoming a bit of a bit of a cliché.
With the heart of new media being word-of-mouth, expect this movie to make some money. Just don’t be deceived into thinking that it’s unusually creative or has any particular merit as art. I’m not saying you won’t enjoy it, mind, just that “Shoot ‘Em Up” pretty much put the nail in the coffin of the “violence is fun” genre.
The only room left in the genre is for the true innovators. For instance, I give you “Battle Royale“.
7th graders forced to kill one another for the sake of cultural balance isn’t exactly for the timid either, but at least the trailer sells the story. You get an interesting choice with Battle Royale: either enjoy it for its sheer mayhem and “wrongness”, or enjoy it for the profound statements it makes about society and the individual. The difference is that good art gives you the choice, and says more about the people watching it than it does about anything else.
