Big Bad Wolves

London Frightfest 2013 has been and gone, this forum is available to post film reviews, chat, etc. from the festival.
jonbly
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Big Bad Wolves

Post by jonbly »

9/10 - great stuff -jonbly has rarely laughed so hard whilst watching someone being tortured. Pretty much reduced to knocking a point off it for ending...
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by bernal316 »

Fucking awesome!!! The best film of the festival without doubt. Great plot shifts and compelling from start to finish. Wish my dad was as cool as that!!!!!
9/10
Lucio Frizzi
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by Lucio Frizzi »

I think you can probably be in one of two camps for this. It boils down to whether you find a unsutle mix of farce, torture porn and paedophia either A) hilariously funny (but a bit, like, you know, serious at the end) or B) an typically over-hyped Frightfest special that really does insult any intelligent viewers (and yes, I'm aware that its supposed to be a black comedy...but it's not though, is it? because you can't honestly say the final image or the scene with the dead child being discovered in the park belong in a black comedy).
Ultimately, take your pick, although if its A) you're a moron. But worry not, all is not lost and you may grow up at some point. I did want to guffaw loudly at the final scene in an obviously ironic manner but I doubt that would have gone down well with the majority. There's always next year though, hopefully they'll be showing an "hilarious" rape-revenge film, always good for a chortle....
It just astounds me what people find funny and some things are not funny regardless if the context.
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Wolfshade
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by Wolfshade »

Lucio Frizzi wrote: It just astounds me what people find funny and some things are not funny regardless if the context.
I wasn't bellowing with laughter, but I did find some of the comments the torturer made amusing, I don't think I'm a moron for finding them amusing cos it's y'know...a film and not actually real.

Anyway, I loved this, definitely the best closing film since The Orphanage in 2007, 9/10
FranksWildYears
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by FranksWildYears »

Bless. It's a good job LF wasn't around for Dark Touch (children get burned, slapped about and then dozens of 'em crushed by collapsing building). I'm sure he feels much better now he's got that off his chest though, even if he hasn't quite grasped how humour works yet, nor that online forum perennial 'My Opinion And Actual Fact: The Difference Between The Two'.

I thought Big Bad Wolves was terrific - beautifully written and produced, and superbly acted. Top of my to buy Frightfest-2013-on-DVD list.
Lucio Frizzi
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by Lucio Frizzi »

The problem I had with the film was the combination of farce (the phone calls from the cliched Jewish mother, the constant interruptions) with the torture and then the images of dead children (which may as well have been signposted on screen in big letters "STOP LAUGHING NOW..THIS IS A SERIOUS BIT" followed by "OK, SERIOUS BIT OVER, RESUME LAUGHING NOW"). its crass and lazy filmmaking. I'm genuinely interested in why someone would laugh at a man having his fingers broken or his chest blowtorched..and please, there must be a better answer/defence than "it's funny cos it's not real and only a film". Incidentally, you can make genuinely funny material from extreme subjects in a satirical way (see the Brasseye special on paedophilia). End of the day, I'm gonna be in the minority, the lone dissenting voice in the wilderness, drowned out by the shouts of lighten up, it's only a film....

Incidentally, it's all subjective. You like it fine..I don't. The world still goes on. By the way, just for the record, you know how there's different types of films, like westerns and horror and sci-fi and stuff. Well it may come as a surprise to learn that there's different types of comedy too...so I do get "humour" I just don't find this type funny. Difficult to grasp I know, but like you say...bless
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Lucio Frizzi
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by Lucio Frizzi »

Funnily enough I enjoyed Dark Touch, different type of film entirely. I realise, Frank, that this may seem rather paradoxical but sadly I'm cursed with the ability to appreciate things on multiple levels, a burden I bear with a heavy heart as it makes intelligent film conversation with the majority of people almost impossible.
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by sherbetbizarre »

It was good, but didn't feel like festival-closer material to me.
chary
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by chary »

*spoilers*
quite enjoyed this film but felt like the first and last act of the film was missing. From our point of view he was just some teacher they all decided to pick up and torture. Is Israel so small that there is only one suspect? Also why kidnap the policeman's child and not use it against him?
mamawaldi
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by mamawaldi »

Best festival-closer of the last few years for sure. A brave combination of slapstick humour and peedo-torture !! Somehow it works !
Jekyll
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by Jekyll »

One of the best things I have seen since I have been coming to my first frightfest in 05.

Loved this.

Best thing this year by a mile.
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by The Soapmaker »

I do take the point that the combination of extremely dark subject matter and comedy sounded uncomfortable. And, at times, it was. But "black comedy" is.... dark. Maybe it shouldn't have worked, but I think it mostly did.

Not a 9/10 or the best festival closer in years, for me, but it was good.
odishon
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by odishon »

Not quite worthy of the hype but that may just be me as although I had survived quite well, the tiredness got to me during this and I nodded off a couple of times. This meant me missing important plot points and so not really understanding the ending!
Thought the soundtrack (which was played VERY loud) was a bit OTT.
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by DJBenz »

Unfortunately I had to shoot off before it started as I miscalculated the times for my last train. I'll see it at some point, hope it lives up to the massive hype it had pre-screening.
ChrisReynolds
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Re: Big Bad Wolves

Post by ChrisReynolds »

A very effective, well-directed and confident revenge thriller, which takes a lot of inspiration from South Korean revenge thrillers, particularly Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Memories of Murder. It works very well, although the tension wasn't as high as it could have been, and the twists didn't surprise me much. I also found the humour to work in context, with the comedy being used to lighten the mood and relieve the tension. The hype of "one of the best films of the year" felt a bit out of proportion to me, but it was definitely one of the strongest films of the festival.
7/10
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