30 Second Review: Smash Cut (2009)
Talk about a really fun and gory movie that’ll have you laughing out loud at all the over-the-top gore and performances.!! Smash Cut, directed by Lee Demarbre, is a completely satisfying genre outing that delivers. The movie stars David Hess as low-budget horror schlock director Able Whitman who’s latest crappy flick (about a killer puppet) is getting hammered by critics and movie goers alike. The biggest complaint? His special f/x are terrible. So he does what any self-respecting director would do: He goes to the local titty bar, The Ass Menagerie, gets drunk, and picks up a stripper. On the way to her place Hess gets into a car accident killing the stripper (who was apparently in the middle of blowing a bubble. You’ll see what I mean). He panics and hides her body in his car and then decides to hack her up and use her body parts for “props” in his new movie. The producer of Hess’ new film, Philip Farmsworth Jr. (played hysterically by Michael Berryman in a horrible toupee) loves the new special f/x and encourages Hess to keep up the good work. So now Whitman needs to kill others in order to keep his new movie looking authentic.
David Hess as Able Whitman
The entire movie is played for satire, dark humor, and laughs and it never takes itself seriously. Hess plays his Able Whitman as a tortured indie horror director who wants to be taken seriously for his vision and for all the blood, sweat, and tears he puts into his movies. Of course Whitman is bat-shit crazy, but he’s killing for his art. Ya gotta respect that!! And you can’t help but compare the character of Able Whitman to Walter Paisley, from 1959’s Bucket of Blood. Both want nothing more than to be taken seriously as artists, but unfortunately they’re both hacks.
Hess giving Sasha Grey a hand!! (sorry)
The movie also stars Sasha Grey as the sister of one of Hess’ victims who poses as an actress to try and find out what happened to her sis. You may recognize her as the same “Sasha Grey” who usually gets her ass pummeled in numerous porn flicks. I guess like so many before her she’s trying to go legit. And guess what? She’s actually pretty damn good!! She’s very natural and gives a really good performance as the innocent little sister. But then I guess if she can “act” like she enjoys a Pepsi bottle-sized schlong ramming her in the poop shoot she can pull off any role!!
Beware of blowing bubbles during a car accident!!
Smash Cut is also, I believe, Demarbre’s way of exorcising his personal demon’s by satirizing the filmmaking industry and how much bullshit the indie filmmaker has to go through just to see his vision end up on the big screen. But don’t think for a second this flick gets too preachy. This is a really fun, fast-paced movie that’ll have you watching scenes over again because you missed them from laughing so hard. This is also, as we learn at the end, a film dedicated to the “Life and art of Herschell Gordon Lewis.” Nice job Demarbre; you capture the spirit of a HGL film to a “T” (Lewis even has a cameo here). For someone who grew up watching HGL’s films and not even knowing yet what an “indie horror filmmaker” was, I really appreciated Smash Cut on so many different levels.
Don't worry Sasha, its a prop ... or IS IT???
But its David Hess who does a particularly great job here; he steals the show with his performance. We all know Hess from the original The Last House on the Left (1972) and its Italian cousin House on the Edge of the Park (1980), but Hess also has a long and successful Hollywood career as well. He was in Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing (1982); the John Candy comedy Armed and Dangerous (1986); and has appeared in some of the best TV shows to ever grace my TV including Knight Rider, Manimal, The Fall Guy, and The A-Team!!! But here he gives a great performance that’s both funny, scary (could Hess be anything other than scary), and even tragic.
The great michael Berryman as a clueless producer.
Smash Cut has a fun script, spoofs itself as it goes along, has good acting, and great gore. What’s not to love?? (There’s even an eye gouging scene that would bring a tear to Lucio Fulci himself). Definitely check this one out; I promise you’ll have a good time.
My Summary:
Director: Lee Demarbre
Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Gore: 6.5 out of 10 skulls
Zombie Mayhem: 0 out of 5 brains
Reviewed by Scott Shoyer
The man himself, Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Sounds fun. Gotta look out for it.
Smash Cut is a fun flick. It the kind of movie where ya turn off your brain, open a few beers, and kick back. If ya have some buddies over its even better.
It has a bit of a slow start, but when it gets going it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Hess was great and bloody hell, it’s Canadian! Lee Demarbre is great, I’ve seen three of his films now and have enjoyed them all in varying degrees. He has a newish film called Summer’s Moon I haven’t seen yet. And the great Stephen McHattie (Pontypool) is in it. The premise is interesting.
After watching Smash Cut I put Summer’s Moon to the top of my queue in Netflix. Besides now being a fan of director Demarbre, I LOVE Steve McHattie. I’ve watched Pontypool a total of 4 times now and each time I see it I’m more and more impressed by it. It is a phenomenal flick with great acting and a completely original story. I think its time to watch it again and do a proper review on it!!