25 April 2012

The Gruesome Death of Tommy Pistol 2010 - REVIEW

Have you ever been asked to describe a film that you couldn't even wrap your brain around? It's almost like trying to explain politics, taxes and death to a curious child. Impossible right?? Because let's be honest, not many people really fully understand any of it. Yes, you get little pieces here and there like... I know that most politicians are elected for the simple fact that they are great liars, but I don't know why people fall for their bullshit. I know why I have to pay taxes but I don't know why they are so high. I know that people die and that it's part of life but I don't always understand why some are young and some are old... some are violent and some go in their sleep. You have to wonder sometimes why a loving God would allow people to die such a "gruesome death" (no pun intended). Wow, that took an ugly, controversial turn didn't it? Let's get back to the point.....

All Tommy (Tommy Pistol AKA Aramis Sartorio)  has ever wanted to be in life is an actor. In fact, he's so focused on it that he can't hold a job, or pay his bills, or take care of his wife and child. For all intents and purposes, he's a loser that's going nowhere fast. Even a year after his wife took their kid and left, he's still doing nothing but sitting on the couch eating microwave hotdogs, watching porn and getting his jollies from a penis pump. Clearly exhausted from all the... pumping... he passes out with a hotdog in the microwave (for way too long) and pump in hand. In his dreams, he becomes the lead actor in a snuff film, a celebrity skin wearing killer and the director of a porn film gone wrong. In other words, he's stuck in the middle of a Troma-esque anthology.

 I'm only going to focus on Sartorio's performance as he's the main focus of the film and there are just too many actors involved to critique them all... sorry other actors. The crowing moment of Sartorio's entire performance was in the first story (10 Minutes of Fame) when Tommy climbed to the top of a ladder, spoke directly into the camera and talked about how growing up, all he ever wanted to be was an actor. I'm not sure if that dialogue stemmed from personal experience but that was the only believable bit of dialogue and the best acting in this whole entire film. He seemed genuinely hurt that he'd been laughed at for chasing his dreams and the determination in his eyes was genuine. A kind of "I'll show you" look as if he was talking to a specific group of people. Pitty this isn't the film to use if you're going mock those who made fun of you as a kid.

I seem to be in the minority when it comes to this film. From what I can tell, a lot of other reviewers quite enjoyed it however, I did not. The quality was very low, any scene with quick arm/hand movement was blurred and fuzzy, the lighting was way off and the acting was subpar. I found myself wondering, at times, if there was even a script for this film. Most of the dialogue that took place between two characters came off as forced and lagged quite a bit almost as if they were improvising and playing off one another. Being labeled as a horror/comedy, I was really expecting a lot more but what I got was gore for the sake of gore and comedy that either wasn't funny or I'm just too stupid to get. I think had it been promoted as what it actually was, which was a not so soft core horror porn, I would've been more prepared and lowered my expectations. Is there an audience for a film like this, yes... it's just not me.

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