Had a preview for the Dawn of the Dead remake, which I will no doubt see. The original by George Romero is fantastic. This one has Ving Rhames and Sarah Polley, the former I kinda like, the latter I find quite appealing, so I'll probably see that.
Anyway, the TCM remake is not as good as the original, but then few horror flicks are. This one is pretty good at delivering the gore, and has a storyline that only very loosely follows the original, evoking themes more than plot points. While I quite enjoy some of the specific plot points of the original, the creativity and freshness are quite pleasing. No, you don't need to see the original to enjoy this one.
I do have a bone to pick with the film, though, and that's Jessica Biel. By all accounts a fine bitch, she gets naked at no point during the film. Not only that, but she gets drenched in water not once but twice, the second time after spending some quality time in a meat locker. She's wearing a tshirt, and despite the moist frigidity, we see no nipplage at any point! Either Leatherface sanded off her nipples in a deleted scene which we will see on the DVD, or that's one motherfucker of a thick bra she's wearing. It's all rather displeasing.
Her character is also a bit of a sow, it must be said. At one point, she feebly tries to help a comrade off a meat hook, but does such a poor job that the poor slob has to ask her to finish him off with a knife. All she really needed was a better grip and, perhaps, to stand on top of a nearby piano and the fellow'd be saved. In another scene, she and another friend are hiding from Leatherface. She is flushed out by the man with the saw, and her friend valiantly comes out of hiding to attack the maniac and save Biel. As soon, however, as the tide turns against the friend, Jessica zips right out of the room without a thought of her pal. Jessica Biel proves why she is the black sheep of the 7th Heaven family. No truly virtuous preacher's daughter would turn her back on a friend being attacked by a 70's horror film icon. And we don't get to see her tits. And she wears a bra of thick quilting. We can only hope that she's anally violated by a rhinoceros in the sequel.
Characters in the film are seen wearing extremely low-rise jeans and trucker caps, placing them oh-so-perfectly in the 70's. That's my other clothing gripe.
Otherwise, it's a decent horror film.
Posted by mattb at October 24, 2003 10:42 PM