SEVERED CINEMA TEE


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Grim - Troma Entertainment |
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Written by Ray Casta
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Thursday, 21 April 2011 |


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Directed
by: Adrian Santiago
Written by: Adrian Santiago
Produced by: Adrian Santiago
Cinematography by: Adrian Santiago
Cast: Christopher Dimock, Jack Pinder, Scott A.
Mollette, Jason Ramirez, Brad Hartliep, Niko Red Star,
Brandi Price, Todd Gable
Year: 2010
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Runtime: 1 h 36 min
Distributor:
Troma DVD |
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As a worthy throwback to 1970's grindhouse, Adrian Santiago's "Grim"
honors revenge cinema with a tough attitude and gritty
violence. The film tells the story of Nicholos Grim
(Christopher Dimock) and his thirst for vengeance. Halfway
through the film, Grim justifies his rampage by stating simply,
"If I got a reason to kill him, he has a reason to die."
When he was a young boy, he was abducted along with his mother
and father by a radical group known as the UAB, a heavily armed,
organized pack of militants. Frightened, they're taken to an
open field where the young Grim is forced to witness his father
beaten to a pulp. The militants then execute his father and
mother right in front of his eyes, and leave the little boy for
dead. He is found by a man and his wife who adopt him. Grim
grows up with the knowledge on how to use a rifle, and with one
thing on his mind: Revenge.
Set against the backdrop of Texas, "Grim" takes place in
a world of anarchy. We are told the movie's villains -- the UAB
-- are biker thugs, who formed their own government after an
economic fallout. The group is lead by Atticus Miller (Scott A
Mollette) and Romeo (Niko Red Star). They are as ruthless as
they come. We are told the United States has been taken over by
ragtag militant groups like the UAB. The White House and the
government have been overthrown and the country has been plagued
with poverty. This concept is quite clever. With a bigger
budget, the full effect of the economic fallout and the militant
groups taking over the country would be awesome to see.
Unfortunately, we don't get to see it in the movie, we only hear
about it. Regardless, Adrian Santiago deserves credit for this
ambitious concept.
Aside from its bold concept, "Grim" is very much a
standard revenge story. The screenplay by Adrian Santiago does
not overcomplicate itself nor does it go too far over the top.
Filmed with a high-definition camera, the cinematography is
sharp while still highlighting a gritty atmosphere in which the
characters occupy. Although the country is supposed to be
overrun and damaged by poverty, the cinematography paints a
portrait of alienation. There is a quiet atmosphere for a good
part of the movie with action sequences interspersed. Filmed
with such a low-budget, the film impresses in the way Adrian
Santiago did nearly everything by himself. Wearing many hats,
he is not only the director of the piece but he's the producer,
writer, cinematographer and editor.
Although "Grim" lacks an overall emotional punch, it's
pretty vicious throughout. From the opening scene, where a
mother and father is killed in front of their son, we realize
the director doesn't intend to play around with his viewers.
Grim watches as his father gets brutally beaten and then as his
brains get blown out. There is also a depiction of fingernail
torture, bloody corpses and some shootouts. Squibs are
ridiculous, though it never gets distracting. Unlike most Troma
releases, the effects here aren't so gleefully over the top in
its silliness. "Grim" is pretty well acted despite some
atrocious performances. Fight choreography is sloppy, to the
point where we have a difficult time following what's going on.
The film's biggest flaw is that it never feels like there is a
"greater" purpose or something "at stake." Once the lead
character gets to the very end of the journey, it feels
unsatisfying.
Influenced by Sergio Leone, Adrian Santiago is an auspicious,
budding young director. For a mere sum of $2,500, he juggled
numerous duties, and he truly did an commendable job with
practically nothing. I applaud him for his efforts here. Even
though it's a flawed film, "Grim" demands respect.

Troma presents "Grim" with a solid DVD treatment. Their
biggest mistake is wrongly marketing the film as "The most
fucked up film of the year," which it is very far from. Despite
the false marketing scheme, they do a nice job making it look
crisp and clear visually. You get an odd (and in my opinion,
unfunny) introduction to the movie by Troma head honcho Lloyd
Kaufman and the always terrific Debbie Rochon. There is an
audio commentary provided by Adrian Santiago. Without a doubt,
it should be a required listen for up and coming, aspiring
filmmakers all over. He'll discuss his influences, There is a
production slideshow, an original trailer and of course, there's
standard Troma-esque extras that are normally included in their
releases.
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DVD SPECS:
Aspect
Ratio: 1.78:1, 16x9 Widescreen
Region: NTSC 0
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL:
- Director Commentary
- Slideshow
- Original Trailer
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 21 April 2011 )
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