8MM (1999)
Directed by Joel Schumacher
A small, seemingly innocuous plastic reel of film leads surveillance specialist Tom Welles down an increasingly dark and frightening path. With the help of the streetwise Max, he relentlessly follows a bizarre trail of evidence to determine the fate of a complete stranger. As his work turns into obsession, he drifts farther and farther away from his wife, family and simple life as a small-town PI.
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What critics compared 8MM to
Derrickson borrows the vibe of Joel Schumacher's 8MM as Hawke, swigging whiskey and giving the crease between his eyebrows a workout, struggles with the horrible things he's seeing.
The film resembles Joel Schumacher's " 8mm ," which is not really a good thing.
The politics of 8MM are, for better or worse, vaguely right-wing--its general attitude is reminiscent of Schumacher's other good picture, Falling Down--and un-hip, but Welles' politically-incorrect reactions to the shocking stimuli around him are sincere and identifiable.
And its atmosphere suggests other notable dark mysteries like Seven, Hardcore, the superior Silence of the Lambs, and, perhaps, Schumacher's own Falling Down.
Of course, Schumacher has been good before (1990's "Flatliners," 1993's "Falling Down," 1996's "A Time to Kill"), but nothing he has made has quite been this dark, intelligent, and disturbing, as it delves deeply into the world of S&M, porn, and the infamous myth of snuff films.
Borrowing elements from Walker's previous script, "Seven," Schumacher's earlier film, "Falling Down," the brilliant "The Silence of the Lambs" and the subversively creepy aura found in many of Brian De Palma's "Hitchcockian" homages/ripoffs, this film unfolds as a shortchanged character study implying what exposure to such material can do to an otherwise normal person.
This is Schumacher's breakthrough film, his first good one since Falling Down.
Of course, Schumacher has been good before (1990's "Flatliners," 1993's "Falling Down," 1996's "A Time to Kill"), but nothing he has made has quite been this dark, intelligent, and disturbing, as it delves deeply into the world of S&M, porn, and the infamous myth of snuff films.
Joel Schumacher has an affinity for dark atmosphere (he made "The Lost Boys,'' "Flatliners'' and the two of the Batman pictures).
He bounced back with the gritty and violent thriller 8mm, which was refreshingly free of sentiment.
(Remember "8MM"?)
Joel Schumacher has made some compelling films in his time - the gritty Vietnam War film Tigerland and the taut popcorn thriller Phone Booth, both starring Colin Farrell, come to mind - but he often falls foul of cinematic flash over substance ( The Lost Boys), a need to get nightmarishly unpleasant ( 8MM), or both ( Batman & Robin).
In our case, however, that man is one of the most prolific "dumb popcorn film" purveyors of the last ten years (Bad Company, 8MM, and the last two Batman movies were all his fault), Joel Schumacher.
As a director, Joel Schumacher has had a spotty recent career (“Bad Company,” “Flawless,” “8mm”), and is not the first name that comes to mind when thinking of unbridled suspense.
God help me for admitting that I nearly cried -- and not tears of anguish, either -- at a film from Joel Schumacher, who has made some of the most godawful movies in recent years, like Bad Company and 8MM , as well as quite possibly one of the worst films of all time, Batman and Robin .
They also utilize picture in picture effects to show other simultaneous reactions and actions, and editor Mark Stevens ("Tigerland," "8MM") has cut the picture down to an extremely brisk 80-some minute runtime (including credits).
Written by exploitation king Larry Cohen and directed by Joel Schumacher, a longtime purveyor of slightly more rarefied pulp ("The Lost Boys," "8MM"), the new thriller "Phone Booth" stars Colin Farrell, one of those young men about town who's been up-and-coming for the last five years.
Literally putting the “porn” in torture porn is the film’s central conceit, but most of the ideas it communicates are no more outrageous than ones in Hollywood blockbusters such as Joel Schumacher’s “8mm” or Eli Roth’s “Hostel” films — only “A Serbian Film” leaves fewer gory details up to your imagination.