Print Topic

SimplyScripts Screenwriting Discussion Board  /  Movie, Television and DVD Reviews  /  ABC's of Death - 2012 (Netflix Streaming)
Posted by: Dreamscale (Guest), June 20th, 2013, 1:23pm
For some crazy reason, I was looking forward to this.  Word of mouth may have been mixed, but I still thought, if nothing else, a few of these "shorts" would stand out.

After "I", I was all done and actually pulled the Blu Ray out and said, "this sucks".

Personally, I was impressed with anything I saw.  A few seemed to have a chance, but either went nowhere or had something that turned me off.

I like the idea here but was not impressed with the execution.  I think the film makers gave each director too much leeway in terms of the "words" they chose and the direction their films went.

IMO, very few will find this watchable.
Posted by: bert, June 29th, 2013, 4:35pm; Reply: 1
After taking such a sound beating for suggesting "Theater of the Bizarre", I hesitate to climb out on the same limb -- but dang, I really dug this very (justifiably) divisive film.

Yes, there are some utter throwaways here.  It is far, far, far from a perfect film.

"I" (where Jeff gave up) is a poor one, and "O", which overstays its welcome long past the point where we "get it", is another.  "G" is a total waste of film. "M" was totally not for me, and is probably where many may decide to just shut this whole thing down altogether -- a very misguided misfire from Ti West, who I am beginning to suspect may be a bit overrated.  And a couple of the directors going for a meta-thing (bad idea) fall into the trap of being far too self-indulgent.

But there is so much diversity of style here that I cannot imagine how any fan of horror could not get into this.  I mean, if you dislike something, it is gone in a minute or two anyway, and I found at least a little something to like in the vast majority of the 26 films here.

  • "D" has got style to spare, with a compelling story.
  • "H" delivers something totally unique with an undeniable visual flair, regardless of what you may think of the "story" there, which is a bit whack.
  • "N" wins my prize for best premise, and could be an excellent short on its own, with best performance by a bird.
  • "P" may also cause some viewers to bail, but tells its (distasteful) story brilliantly nevertheless.  
  • "T" is the best Claymation I've seen in ages.  The voice work is priceless.  
  • "V" boasts ideas worthy of a feature.  
  • "X" is heartbreaking while still delivering cringe-worthy gore and a fantastic payoff.
  • "Y" is working on so many different levels, I am still not sure what to make of it.  
  • "Z" is utterly-out-of-its-f***ing-mind naked-people Asian lunacy at its finest.  I loved it, but coming last, it may have biased my view of the whole film, too.  At least a bit.

This one is on streaming now.  If you think you may be game for such an oddball pick, give it a spin.

But I absolve myself of all responsibility if you totally hate it -- and you just might.  For real.  Lots of people do.
Posted by: Grandma Bear, June 29th, 2013, 4:57pm; Reply: 2

Quoted from bert
After taking such a sound beating for suggesting "Theater of the Bizarre"

I liked Theater Bizarre and suggested it to a few others.  8)
Print page generated: April 19th, 2024, 5:47am