The Last Exorcism

[Beate]

LOL, well as a "heavy" I can afford to be choosy.

[superhero]

Allow me to stick my neck out again, Eli Roth of "Hostel" fame is not going to produce a serious non-exploitative mock documentary drama if he had a choice. For me it was more of a case of budget cuts and they didn't have the money needed for the horror "effects" (or maybe they should have just used a laptop more like Monsters) and they have mischievously sent out these "cool vibes" online that this is a new "twist" on the old exorcism story and at 87minutes, this is one of the shortest films (horror or non-horror), further adding to the idea, they had little budget/little in the script. I feel sorry for those professional reviewers b*ying their story "this is a cool new take on the exorcism story".
Sure if I am going to the Q&A, I would challenge Eli Roth to stand up and be counted, tell Optimum Releasing to stop the marketing "oh this is the scariest horror this year", market it like a mock documentary or just admit they had little in the budget for this film! (and of course sure enough I will be booed by the audience after that, as everyone only ever asks polite questions)

[SocialFlutterBy]

well i thought i had said all i would say on this film lol but here goes again after watching this film which btw i went into with optimism and excitement at the forefront of my thoughts i was truly looking forward to the film, ooooh! i simply cannot express in words my disappointment and for any1 to be b*ying the so called new take on exorcism story well i find it hard to believe that proffesional film reviewers are that niave it seemed to me that they started with a pretty cool idea mockumentry style and it was pretty funny in parts the lead actor was doin great then in the last 20 mins they forgot what they were doing and tried serious horror and failed miserably no matter how this film is marketed it will only be remembered by movie fans as another failed attempt at horror

[AYBG]

Looking good for MrGlass... 4 stars from one of the big two
http://www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema ... t-exorcism

Make that two of the big two
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/rev ... FID=136931

Congrats MrGlass!!

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

Alright, YEAH come on Critics, show me your support, I've been wobbling on one leg around here!

[superhero]

I suggest they stop offering these film critics free alcohol and snacks at press screenings! haha....

[misseypootle]

The Film reel hadnt been delivered in time at Sheffield Cineworld so never got to see it - quite pleased now as it probably wasnt really my cup of tea, we got offered comp tickets to see any other film so watched The Expendables instead, which was great fun, Jason Statham mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. It was quite incredible how Sly Stallone never had a hair out of place, what a man

I thought I may have had an email from SFF about the 'Non Event' but not a sausage I even got sent the feedback email to complete about the film that we never saw. I was just not meant to see it.

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

Well I just seen the film again, which had a very entertaining q&a with Eli Roth, the 2 lead actors and the director, sorry too lazy to look up their names. These guys know how to tell stories and make an audience laugh, especially Eli Roth who is quite a character.

So, upon second viewing I'm upgrading my score to 8/10 !! This movie is so enjoyable to watch just for the performances alone, and flow of the storyline that it doesn't matter that I've seent it before. I even jumped a couple of times which is strange, because I didnt jump at all or found the film remotely scary first time round. I think Its because this surround sound system at VUE West End is superior to the trocadero screen that was shown on last week. So the shock moments are more effective. And my initial criticsm regards to the end, well I take it back now, I actually like the ending even more now, at least the part that involves the reverand, not the doc makers. I dont feel sorry for those who didnt like this movie because, that's fair enough, understandable. I do however, feel a little sorry for those who gave this movie a miss, thinking it will be either crap or too gory...which it turns out is neither.

It was clear that this audience on the whole really enjoyed this movie, you can feel the vibe and most people were applauding at the end (and this time, the film makers really can hear us applaud! lol). I counted 4 people that walked out quickly before the q&a started and I suspect because they didnt like it but the rest stayed.

The q&a.

Well as much as I enjoyed the movie, the q&a was even more entertaining and I'll give that 9/10! Eli Roth, and the actor who plays the reverand (hold on, I really have to get his name and the actress's...popping over to IMDB be back in a sec...), ok his name is Patrick Fabian. Well Fabian is a showman, in fact, just like his on screen character! Yes, he loves himself but he doesnt hide the fact he does, he plays on it and makes fun of himself. And boy does he talk fast, in fact he admits it and told us the director pleaded with him to talk slower so he can understand (I think the director is German or maybe Dutch). Ashley Bell, who plays the possessed/insane was sweet, just like she is in the film (well the non insanity moments). And the Director seemed quite humble and overwhelmed with the reception, this being his biggest budget movie to date (which of course is not saying much, due to the fact this only cost £2m, pennies in hollywood terms, and his previous fims were £3k budgets!). Eli Roth was the show stopper though and will make sure any uncomfortable silences were filled with anecdotes or chit chat with the audience.

So on to the questions, and for those of you who enoyed this film....Wait, I'll re-phrase that...for all 2 of you that enjoyed the film last week, here are some very very interesting and honest thoughts from the panel: (please remember I am going by memory so facts may be distorted but I try my best to reflect the overall answers, and for a start, Eli Roth uses the word F**k every 2 sentences!)

Empire Magazine Editor: Q. What the HELL WAS THE ENDING ALL ABOUT!?!?!? Ok, he said it more politely, ie what exactly were your thought process for the ending of this film?

Eli Roth: A. Our intention was to show 2 sides of the coin without taking any sides. On one side their are those that believe in God and Devil and his demons. And there are those who dont dont believe. Its never our intention to show which is the truth in the story. We want the audience to make up their own mind. By doing this we follow the path of the reverend who doesnt believe until the last moment it daunts on him that God and devil exist and prays for Gods strength as he goes forth to battle with the Demon. We didnt want to show this battle because that is not the story we are telling. The community knew these guys were making a documentary and knew they would return. If you play the chant backwards, its the nonsence kitchen food line that the priest incorporated in his speech at the bignning of the film! Its as if the community was retaliating against his mockery of their faith and belief. Thats one way of looking at it But the emphasis of the story was really on the journey of the Reverend's faith.

Audience member: Q. Why did you have music playing through the film if its meant to be documentary style, and why in some parts it seems there are more than one camera?

Eli Roth and Director: A. Its all about captivating the audience withh good story telling. We actually shot the film purely in authentic documentary style but during the editing, it was clear that we are not going to captivate the viewer if we stay rigid with the format, so we need to add soundtrack in places, and reshoot some scenes with different angles to capture character expressions etc. But all documentaries have music anyway, so its not as if we made it unrealistic. (Mr Glass: So glad they did too, its a movie for Christ sake, do what you must to keep us captivated with the story)

The girl who played the possessed/insane character said she did all the freaky body contortion scenes herself. The director told us he had no idea she was double jointed when she read for the role and she only told him day before shooting, and wondered why she never told him as they were planning certain effects, so she saved them some pennies. It was obviously a bonus. They are quite proud of the fact that no major cgi was implemented.

Well there was much more but I think I covered the key questions and I'm a little exhausted right now, sorry, was hoping to list more questions. Actually before the Q&A started, Eli Roth said that test screening in America brought a very big divide. One half of the audience was like WTF was that!?!? (Eli was very funny in his delivery btw), while the rest were, appreciative. So he is looking at us Europeans with the hope that we "get it" more than the Americans, lol.

I want to thank howyoudoing again for giving me his tickets (which he won as a prize) and to Tilly who had the actual tickets and arranged the meet up. It was a great evening, pity you two couldnt actually make it

[superhero]

WOW!!!
5 stars for your new review Mr Glass....v detailed and excellent!
Was anyone rude enough to ask Eli Roth about the false marketing campaign?
Apparently I read the director is going to work with Lars Von Trier next

[prettyxcool]

Thanks for your great review Mr Glass. Yes Wow!

Now I wished I went too!