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| REPO! Reviews | Several New reviews added! |
Bloody-Disgusting (Review #1) ![]() By. Brad Miska I just got home from seeing SHUTTER and I'm glad I waited to write my review of REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA until afterwards. Seeing that horrid piece of crap remake(SHUTTER) only further solidified my feelings of Darren Lynn Bousman's horror rock opera, which is finally something fresh, unique and exciting in a world filled with crappy remake after crappy remake. On March 4 (Happy Birthday to me!) I caught a test screening of REPO! and left the theater a little dizzy – and I'm not talking CLOVERFIELD dizzy. REPO! is a rock 'em, sock 'em sensory overload. The human brain simply cannot compute the film immediately, as it took me an entire night to let it all sink in. When I woke up the next morning, I knew exactly where I stood – and that's fully behind this gutsy project, which should be appreciated on the mere fact that someone got it made. So what the hell IS REPO!? In the not-so-distant future when an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet, scientists gear for a massive organ harvest. A biotech giant comes up with easy organ payment plans, but all financed organs are subject to legal default, including repossession at the hands of repo men. Alexa Vega plays Shilo, a 17-year-old girl with a rare blood disease that killed her mother. Her father (Anthony Head) is secretly a repo man who works for Genco and is being blackmailed by it's owner Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino). Meanwhile, Rotti is dying and holds the key to many secrets and many lies, all while he's trying to figure out who should take over his thrown. Should it be the insane Luigi (Bill Moseley), the drug-addicted Amber Sweet (Paris Hilton) or the surgery addicted Pavi (Nivek Ogre). All of these twisted tales are wrapped into one giant musical production that is REPO! THE GENTIC OPERA. Stealing the show were Anthony Head, Bill Moseley, Alexa Vega and most of all, Sarah Brightman. This odd cast of characters gave the film a special flavor that only a Tarantino type film could deliver. Each character was developed so uniquely from their personalities to their backgrounds to their wardrobes. The film looked like a cross between BLADE RUNNER and ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW - and seemed like it could be taking place at any time, any year. The city design was very reminiscent of something you'd see in BLADE RUNNER, as there were floating digital billboards and bricked walls everywhere, while the final scene throws a little ROCKY HORROR flavor in your face by concluding on a stage. While REPO! comes from the director of SAW II-IV, it must be clear that this is by no means a Jigsaw spin-off. There is no flash cutting and most of the shots are well thought out and incredible smooth. BUT, REPO! does in fact carry some intense violence and a bloody finale that's not to be missed. You don't want to miss your payment… And what's a review of REPO! without a little talk about the music? The sound design was remarkable (and it should be) and most of the songs were catchy and had me singing them in my head all night. And don't even get me started on how cool (and random) Joan Jett's cameo was. I think what was so remarkable about REPO! was that the first thing I did when I woke up. I thought about how I wanted to stick the movie in my DVD player and watch it right then and there. It really festers with you and infects you, sort of dwelling in your subconscious for hours upon hours. It is a very rare thing when I can sit through an entire movie without squirming, but wanting to watch it more than once NEVER happens (you should see my tiny DVD collection, it's all '80s movies). REPO! is a special treat, a film that should have never been, the bastard child of a studio, something that is so distinct that you can barely begin to compare it to anything else. If you're a fan of musicals, I GUARANTEE that this will become a cult classic in your collection, for everyone else this is a unique film that – whether it's good or bad - will give you a new theatrical experience. And that's something special in this day and age.
The film's multiple storylines all revolve around Geneco, a company that specializes in organ transplants, which we are told is the new plastic surgery (the film takes place in 2057). The company president is a dying Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), and his children, including Paris Hilton and Bill Moseley, are eager to take over once he expires. Meanwhile, a young girl named Shiloh (Alexa Vega) is suffering from a rare blood disease, and her surgeon father ("Buffy's Anthony Stewart Head) is perhaps a bit too overprotective of her. He works as a Repo Man for Geneco, "reclaiming" organs from patients who failed to keep up with their payments, but is having second thoughts about his line of work, especially when his new target is Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman) who was a dear friend of his late wife and also Shiloh's godmother. How all these plot threads come together is part of the fun of the film, so I don't want to say much more. What I really liked about the movie, besides the fact that it was just so out there and different, was how the songs never really stop. If the characters aren't singing, there are always instrumentals to bridge the vocal numbers. At first it's a bit strange, because I am used to musicals that are more song - talk - song - talk, and not all of the songs are full-fledged numbers (more than a couple are just a few lines), but once the movie's plot picks up steam there is no reason for the music to stop, because it's pretty fast and pausing would only hurt the pace. The energy the film has is unparalleled; if you thought "Moulin Rouge" was a sensory overload – you haven't seen anything yet. I wasn't familiar with some of the cast members, such as a guy named Ogre (he's from a band called Skinny Puppy – sorry to say I am not familiar with them) as one of Sorvino's sons, but I was still surprised to discover that they were all pretty good singers. Even Bill Moseley carries a tune quite well, and I have to admit, Paris can sing. The cuts I heard from her album sounded like a machine, but you can tell it's really her singing here, and as an actress she fares far better here than in "House of Wax" (her role is also not very large compared to Vega and Head). There might be hope for her yet. The film's co-writer, Terrance Zdunich also has a role as a grave robber/drug dealer, and he's largely in the film to dispel exposition, but he also has one of the film's catchiest numbers. Bousman has cast from all sorts of backgrounds – opera singers (Brightman), rock singers (Ogre), child actors (Vega), theater actors (Head), old school actors (Sorvino) horror stars (Moseley), and...whatever it is Paris Hilton does, and it actually works almost flawlessly. The songs vary from ballads to opera pieces to big rock numbers, so the varied cast fits the bill. One thing I'm not sure about is the "horror" aspect. While there's a lot of killing and gore (mostly courtesy of Moseley and Head's characters), it's not exactly scary or suspenseful (nor is it supposed to be). But I think Lionsgate will have some trouble marketing it to the people who are expecting "Jigsaw Sings!" or something, because the violence is mostly played for laughs. The closest film I could compare it to would be "Phantom of the Paradise," but even that doesn't do it justice. I don't envy whoever has to figure out the best way to cut a trailer for the film (the current one is basically just one song in its entirety – doesn't really explain what the film is about though). It's hard to even write a review. I wouldn't even know what genre to call it – it's horror, it's a musical, it's a comedy, it's even got some light sci-fi and dramatic stuff. In short, some movies you just have to experience for yourself, and this is one of them. Put aside any expectations you might have based on the cast or the filmmakers, and just take it in.
Repo!'s near-future world, established in a prologue of snappy comic-book panels (a recurring motif used to explain backstory throughout the film), is one in which human organ failure has become a global pandemic, allowing Geneco, the world's leading organ supplier, to seize and maintain a tyrannical hold on the populace—a hold enforced by the masked Repo Men, who viciously reclaim Geneco's property when their clients fail to make timely payments. Geneco's president is Rotti Largo, and Largo's role, like most of the film's, is perfectly cast, in this case with veteran actor Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas' mob boss) turning in a gravelly, understated performance. Largo's three ineffectual children include the short-tempered Luigi (played by Bill Mosely—here even more *beep* crazy than he was in The Devil's Rejects), Pavi (Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre)—who wears a clown-like mask of human flesh—and the spoiled Amber Sweet. Amber is played by Paris Hilton, but those who fear that this bit of casting, with America's premiere celebutante, might be a cheap publicity stunt threatening a bold, left-of-center experiment, needn't worry: as with her castmates, it's hard to imagine someone better suited for the role. Even Hilton's brief singing is unobtrusive (and, truth be told, she is pretty easy on the eyes). Rotti Largo, however, is less interested in his disappointing children than in seventeen-year old Shilo Wallace (played by the now-grown-up Spy Kid Alexa Vega) and her father Nathan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Head). It turns out that many years ago Largo was in love with Shilo's mother. But when she rejected him for Nathan, he maneuvered to trap the kindly husband and father, and forced him to become a Repo Man. As Buffy fans are well aware from that series' musical episode, Head has a tremendous singing voice; and he turns in the film's best performance, acting through his songs and creating two distinct personas at war with one another. Vega is almost as good as Shilo; and the triangle she creates with Nathan and Largo gives the film its emotional core. In fact, with her pale face and long black hair, Vega's the perfect Goth princess, trapped in a fairy tale as dark as any imagined by the Brothers Grimm. But the only fairy godmother she has to speak of is Blind Mag, an opera superstar employed by Largo, and played by Phantom of the Opera's songbird Sara Brightman. (Mag's eyes are enhanced biomechanical implants, with a nifty ability that I'll leave viewers to discover for themselves.) The only prince in sight is the mysterious Grave Robber, who sells a black-market version of a painkiller called Zydrate, which he extracts from dead bodies, to addicts like Amber Sweet. Grave Robber's played by Terrance Zdunich, who co-wrote the film's script and songs. It's Zdunich's first feature film role, but if the fates are kind it won't be his last—his Grave Robber belts out some of the film's best songs, functioning as a macabre narrator, and inviting comparisons to both The Rocky Horror Picture Show's Richard O'Brien and Cabaret's Joel Grey. Repo! could be described as an instant cult classic, but that label downplays its potential appeal. Rock opera fans will love it of course, as will aficionados of horror, fantasy and sci-fi. Anyone, however, with a taste for the bizarre or adventurous, who loves films smart enough to acknowledge their predecessors and brave enough to forge their own paths, won't mind giving their heart to this opera. BLOODY DISGUSTING (Review # 2) ![]() By. Spooky Dan Last night a few of my friends and I snuck into a test screening of Darren Lynn Bousman's follow up to the SAW films, REPO! THE GENETIC, and I can tell you hands down that this is like no other film you have ever seen. Yes, REPO! is a musical, yes it does have Paris Hilton in it, and yes it's a bizarre pill that may be a bit hard for mainstream audiences to handle. Where REPO! excels is at its sheer level of balls and stamina to create something so incredibly unique. In today's world of cookie cutter films that rarely challenge the viewer to go beyond mindless entertainment, REPO! comes in and smacks you across the face - it's a visual masterpiece of unexpected proportions. Let me first make a few disclaimers: First, what was shown was an early, unfinished print with unfinished VFX and a temp sound mix. Second, I have been highly anticipating this film based alone, on the fact that OGRE from Skinny Puppy is involved. Lastly, I do know a few of the filmmakers involved – but I believe my opinion is still unbiased (take it for what it's worth). Just so there is no question of my integrity of this early test screening review… all my cards are now on the table and with that said, this film is one of the most unique movie going experiences I have ever had. On that note, hats off to the folks behind the music and sound design; I cannot wait for this soundtrack to come out so I can rock out to these songs in my car! I have to say that there are about four or five songs that can (easily) be Oscar contenders if The Academy Awards have any taste for something other than the typical Randy Neuman crap that seems to be regularly nominated. You heard me right, REPO! has a very certain chance at being an Oscar nominated film! Bill Moseley steals every scene he's in by chewing the scenery and having a blast killing, singing and acting like a complete maniac. Sarah Brightman is about as huge as you could get when it comes to her reputation as a female vocalist. She spreads her wings further by bringing a very cool amount of class and elegance - and she is even Rock and Roll embodied! Alexa Vega is going to be a very big star; she seemed custom made for this roll as she sings with such effortless finesse, and fragile truth that you are drawn into her teen angst, without it looking forced. She is simply the standout performance of the film. And last but not least, I cannot write a review about REPO! without talking a bit about one of my favorite musicians in the world… Ogre. He doesn't get nearly the screen time that I was hoping for, but what he does with it is super memorable; the fact that he wears other peoples faces through the film, further cements in the mystique behind the man himself even on film. He's truly amazing.
Based on the stage play of the same name, Repo! is an industrial rock musical told entirely through song (barely a word is spoken) and set in a neo-Gothic future world of flesh, blood, and leather. But it's much more than a Goth circus manufactured for the Hot Topic crowd. Underneath the madness is the structure of a timeless opera tale with a full cast of Shakespearean archetypes. In short, Repo! works because its makers actually know a thing or two about opera and concentrate on characters over shock value and incessant weirdness (not that there isn't plenty of both). This rather complex tale unfolds through multiple perspectives. After an epidemic of organ failures ravage the planet, the greedy corporation "Geneco" controls the cities by selling transplants. But there's a catch. Those who miss their payments get their organs repossessed by knife-wielding "Repo Man" Nathan (Head). As the story's tragic protagonist, Nathan is forced to do the dirty work by greedy Geneco president Rotti Largo (Sorvino) in order to protect his sick daughter, Shilo (Vega). On top of that, Largo is dying, and a power struggle over his empire is being waged by his three demented children (Moseley, Hilton, and Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre). Toss in a mysterious blind diva (Sarah Brightman) and a crazy narcotics-dealing grave robber (co-writer Terrance Zdunich), and you have a recipe for absolute chaos – with poor Shilo at the center of it all. The set-pieces are wild, and the gore is plentiful, but Repo! wisely grounds the emotion with its bizarre cast of characters. There are certainly a lot to keep track of, but the multiple character threads are perfectly intertwined and helped along by a series of back stories told in the form of animated comic strips. The cast is about as diverse as they come, but each actor – from Sorvino to Moseley – gives a perfect contribution to the film. Above all, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer fans will rejoice the most: Seeing Anthony Stewart Head sing and hack his way back into the spotlight is a real treat, and he utterly dominates this film. Also of note is Alexa Vega (the Spy Kids girl, all grown up and hot), who delivers her big break-out performance. Of course, the addition of Paris Hilton will be the media focal point but for all the wrong reasons. She's actually quite good here, playing a send-up of herself as Largo's spoiled, surgery-addicted daughter. Having cast off the shackles of the Saw sequels, director Darren Lynn Bousman (who also helmed the stage version) has finally come into his own as a filmmaker. No longer working with an established franchise has given him the chance to build his vision from the ground up, and he wisely abandons the music video stylings that plagued his previous films. With no more shaky cams or rapid-fire editing, Bousman's visuals are sweeping and gorgeous. With stellar production design, Repo's bleak futuristic world comes to life in stunning detail the likes of Ridley Scott or Terry Gilliam. Recent dystopian films like Southland Tales have had similar ambitions but ultimately drowned in their own excess. Thankfully, Bousman keeps a firm grasp on his universe and explores it all in a coherent fashion. As with all feature-length musicals, some songs are better than others, but Repo! more than delivers its share of memorable and eclectic tunes. (The soundtrack is a must-buy!) Lovers of industrial/rock/experimental will feel right at home here, while others will have to approach the experience with a more open mind. Whether or not it's your cup of tea, Repo! feels 100% uncompromised, and you have to applaud Lionsgate for having the balls to take a chance on it. While it's certainly original enough to stand on its own, its status as a bizarro opera will place it right up alongside The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Phantom of the Paradise as a cult favorite that will be revisited (and emulated) by an ever-growing legion of fans. You can't ask for more than that. 4 1/2 out of 5
Repo! The Genetic Opera is an orgy of corruption; an art deco slaughterhouse of Shakespearean themes, vivid and bizarre characters, and pounds of grisly guts all glistening to the beat of its clever and oft classically styled soundtrack. Set in a time somewhere in the future and on the flip side of reality, the great masses suffer an extraordinary and extensive epidemic of organ failure. Around the same time arises the company Geneco, a powerful biotech organization that is willing and able to provide organ transfers for a price. The masses become so dependent upon the organization that Geneco wins the right to repossess any organs where the patient defaults on payment; a process which almost invariably ends in a rather gruesome death for the debtor. This life debt creates an environment where the ruler of Geneco is the veritable ruler of the world; his scheming and evil children the heirs. Shilo Wallace (Vega) has led a preserved life thus far, raised by her loving father and kept secluded from the public due to a rare and disabling blood disease. Little does she know her father, Nathan Wallace (Head), hasn't told her everything and has some rather dark and bloody secrets to hide. Inexorably she becomes pulled into the twisted world of the Geneco monarchy, becoming exposed to its two malignant princes and vile princess, and put under the cruel thumb of Geneco lord Rotti Largo (Sorvino). The first striking thing about this film is its powerful and stylized look. It's a blend of old art deco, twisted gothic fashions, and dark science fiction fantasy. Anyone who played last year's Bioshock should be able to picture something similar; a strange world that mixes the styles of the past with those of the future and fills it with gibbering freaks of surgery and addiction. Given its gothic leanings, one might be tempted to compare it to something that Tim Burton might do, but it is not. The world of Geneco is a harsh world, cruel and cold, and chills without the endearing cuteness that seems to permeate the worlds dreamed by Burton. Some of the scenes hit the extreme, such as in the first act when Shilo and her rogue acquaintance Graverobber (Zdunich, also the co-writer of the film, along with director Darren Bousman) stumble upon great piles of thousands of nude rotting human bodies. It's a striking and harsh vision not unlike something straight out of an old Bosch painting of hell and its broken hordes. The music behind the film is classic and catchy. There are only a few lines in the film that are spoken without being sung, and many times the music feels truly classically operatic. Other times the tunes break free into catchy rhythms or raucous and modern ballads that'll shake the roof. There are a few peak moments that are strikingly beautiful, such as nearly every time when Blind Mag (Brightman), Shilo's estranged godmother, throws her vocals into the mix. The plot behind this story is rich, imaginative, and complex. Much of the necessary exposition is handled in several comic panel vignettes that break up the film into its various acts. This device is clever and effective; it's a delicate thing to provide necessary back story to the viewer without appearing ham-fisted and obvious. The panels themselves are as stylized as the rest of the film, looking like some dark old pulp comic such as the classic Tales from the Crypt. The characters of the film are fully realized and wild. Each of the three children of Geneco overlord Rotti Largo is cast to fit a different warped ideal. Luigi (Mosely) is a tornado of rage, Pavi (Ogre) so treacherous that he won't even wear his own face, and Amber Sweet (Hilton) so filled with vanity that she is ultimately, even comically, self-destructive in her pursuit of exotic body altering surgeries. All three of these characters are perfectly cast and completely memorable. Mosely appears to be channeling R. Lee Ermey in his face-contorting temper tantrums; Ogre makes himself a perfect sinister sniveler hiding behind the skins of others; and Hilton should deservedly redeem herself with many horror fans in a role that is arguably a lampooning self-commentary, and one done well. The themes behind Repo are classic, and contain an important message regarding the corrupting influence of power. It's hard not to compare the film to something like King Lear (and so transitively, to Kurosawa's Ran). Both films have their three children lusting after the power of their ailing father, and both have their jester, here in the form of the enigmatic Graverobber. This similarity is unintentional by Repo's creators, but it just goes to show the classic and timeless note that they have struck with their bold, bloody, and memorable film. Go see this movie.
"It is 2056. Organ failure is rampant, and the company responsible for the transplants isn't acting out of altruism. If someone misses a payment, Repo Men come to reclaim what belongs to the company." So reads the synopsis for Lions Gate's upcoming film "REPO! The Genetic Opera", the Rocky Horror-meets-Blade Runner musical directed by Darren Bousman ("Saw" franchise), starring Alexa Vega (Spy Kids), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ogre (lead singer of Skinny Puppy), Bill Mosely (The Devil's Rejects) and vocalist Sarah Brightman (Phantom Of The Opera). The transition from stage to screen has proved a perilous journey for more than a few productions, with musicals tending to fare the worst of the lot. Usually the most noticeable casualty is the music itself, second only to key roles being re-cast, and story elements reworked to accommodate the new medium. The end results can be hits (the brilliant "Hedwig and the Angry Inch") or misses (the lackluster "Phantom Of The Opera") While I don't claim to know anything about the stage version of "Repo! The Genetic Opera", I can say that given the strength of the upcoming film score; this creepy,quirky,violent and decidedly black-toned musical has a strong head start towards landing in the "hits" category. Using contemporary music elements in musical theatre and especially in musical films, is a potential disaster waiting to happen. Given the fickle nature of the public's taste, it is very likely that instead of a timeless "Grease", or "Hairspray" the end result is more apt to be a very dated "Shock Treatment", "The Wiz" or "Phantom Of The Paradise"; aka: really cool, but painfully time stamped with the decade of it's creation. It seems that the duo of Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich (screenwriters/composers) were well aware of this, and have taken great care to insure their efforts may stand the test of time with a little more grace. All the production finesse in the world isn't gonna save a crappy song, and again the composers have paid close attention to ensuring this music is first and foremost, good. The score has been crafted with a sensibility that makes it all work together very well, and the attention to detail is remarkable. These tracks slither thru melodic and dark passages; riding upon wicked lyrics, until firmly taking up root in the brain. To say this stuff is catchy is an understatement. I defy you not to come away humming this music. As tempted as I am to give a song-by-song synopsis, I'll just turn the focus on some highlights. Opening with "Zydrate Anatomy" (a dead ringer for the opening riff to Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl"), the soundtrack is off to a visceral, up-tempo start. This track incorporates a great deal of the wonderful and weird that is to follow. "Thankless Job" is a well crafted slice of Tom Waits- infused melancholia featuring a "Mystery" vocalist growling away maniacally over a jazzy-dirge of tinker-toy rhythms. "Night Surgeon" is just evil enough in it's flath -fith execution (the Devil's interval of medieval infamy...think the main riff of "Black Sabbath"), to make it's point while still being damn catchy. "Worthy Heirs" ...picture the score to "The City Of Lost Children" as fed thru a Skinny Puppy album. Accordian,choir elements, and noise all colliding in a pretty enchanting way. "Seventeen", with it's teeth -grindingly sweet happypunk is painful. And I'll bet that is the point. It's perfectly packaged angst ala Avril Lavigne (even down to the "My Fender Twin is on fire" craptastic guitar tone) meaning that these guys haven't missed a beat. The attention to detail is wonderful. In the future, teens will still listen to crap. Apparently all the vocals are performed by the film's cast themselves, and the performances run the gamut from pristine (Sara Brightman) to awkward, yet perfectly appropriate to the character (Orge). Brightman does lend the whole production an air of "Legitimacy" that will be able to serve as a preemptive strike against the many "Purists" that will rally against this as something of a Pop-opera abortion. And in truth it is; but I don't think that is a bad thing. "Legal Assasin" is a fine example of leaving the aforementioned trappings behind, and it comes close to perfection just being a straight forward crunch number, with the pre-requisite soft/acoustic elements here and there. The only problem I have with it is the vocalist's similarity to "Counting Crows"singer Adam Duritz (never a good thing), but that is a personal bias that I don't expect others will share. "Depraved Heart Murder At Sanitarium Square" being another fine spooky-fest that gets a bit bogged down under the decidedly low-fi trappings, but the music itself is very good. Even if the textures seem to be trying a bit too hard. The copy I have as an advance that was burned for me by the co-composer himself, and is unmastered, but the production quality is still readily apparent. For all the bravado of "Most origifatigue nal music" that may become the film's marketing line, the tones here are all quite wisely refined to work well together, and don't the ear at all. Don't be afraid, this is not John Zorn or Zhia Ghiva here (do a Google search), which is wise. Too much genuine pushing of the envelope wouldn't be doing this musical any favors. The influence of co-producer Yoshiki is most likely at work here; as his stint with one of Japan's more pop-oriented visual kei acts ("X Japan") has served to give this score a polish and marketability that is well within the parameters of most folks ears. I hope this film will catch on with an audience outside of trend-hopping scenesters who are bored with "Avenue Q", and goth-wankers who will embrace it as a darker alternative to"Sweeney Todd". This music deserves a wider audience, as it is a top quality effort by all concerned.
FANGORIA ![]() (Link the article) by: Ryan Bruce Levey I saw people sitting waiting at 2:30 pm to try and snag tickets to the already sold out show as I was on my way for the Thai romantic dramedy HANDLE ME WITH CARE. The creative, but quirky story of a three armed man looking for love and acceptance, who is contemplating surgical removal of the third arm. It's sweet and has some fine absurd moments, but will not likely breakthrough beyond festivals, as it very rooted in Thai cultural references, that could be too obscure for North American audiences. Next in line was the Korean thriller OUR TOWN. Despite some mixed reviews from many, I absolutely was enthralled by the films twisting plot, it's gruesome killer versus killer chase elements, all of this is anchored by revelatory turn by Ryu Deok-hwan, who's creepy turn is the polar opposite of his Fantasia prize winning role as a transgender sumo fighter in LIKE A VIRGIN. The film does ask a lot of patience from the viewer, but it is a slickly paced thriller worth the effort. I took some time out before the premiere of REPO to join many Fantasia guests like Variety/New York Times writer and jury member John Anderson for a bite to eat. It's always great to sit down with others and talk about the state of the industry, especially Self-Distribution, and its many different forms, the state of the business, etc. Its a crazy world we all work in so different perspectives like John's and others are important to keeping things fresh. Afterwards, we joined a small group of cast and crew for a private VIP reception to celebrate the night's upcoming hot ticket. Everyone from the beautiful and oh so sweet Alexa Vega, to many executives and crew were in attendance. The film was introduced by Fangoria's own Tony Timpone and director Bousmann was flanked by 2 beautiful costume clad nurses in red masks. This pomp and circumstance was a perfect fit for the film. REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA, has been a well traveled project; from a small theatre production to short film to the theatrical incarnation, all of this guided ever so carefully by Bousmann. The film is a stunning, creative and ingeniously gruesome rock opera. Intercutting graphic novel comic panels into a goth cyber punk universe that is equal parts BLADE RUNNER and ROCKY HORROR. It tells the story of a young girl (Alexa Vega), stricken by a blood disease, who's doctor father (Buffy's Anthony Stewart Head) is forced to hide her for safety reasons, as he secretly pays of a debt as a vicious organ repo man for Geneco a vicious biotech conglomerate. Geneco is the company that rules the land, run by the tyrannical Rotti Largo, played by veteran character actor Paul Sorvino, who attempts to lure our young heroine into his clutches with promises of unearthing secrets and leaving his company to her, a plan which alarms his 3 maniacal and cracked children, played with gusto by Bill Moesley, Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy and Paris Hilton. A special note needs to be made as many have criticized casting the hotel heiress/tabloid temptress. Truth be told she is outstanding here; sexy, funny and she sings her ass off. If this breaks through, then hopefully it will provide her an opportunity to really step out of the dark shadow that has been cast over her public persona. The music in this film is well composed, catchy and incredibly well performed by all involved and the film keeps the gore flowing to the bitter, glorious end. Also keep an eye peeled for a kick ass cameo from rock goddess Joan Jett. REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA definitely rocks!
by: Serena Whitney Repo! The Genetic Opera takes place in the not so distant future, in a chaotic world where a mysterious epidemic of organ failures has taken over society. Geneco is an insatiable company which profits on selling transplants to those in need through a trusty payment plan. However, if one can not afford to make payments, they will have their organs repossessed by "Repo Man" Nathan, (played by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Anthony Steward Head.) a man who is forced to take the gore-filled job by the evil Geneco President Rotti Largo (played by Paul Sorvino.) in order to save his very sick daughter, Shilo. (played by Alexa Vega) Repo!( which is told all through song) takes on an even more deranged turn as more characters are introduced to the plot in this sick and twisted futuristic tale. Heavy metal, blood, and mayhem ensues. I have to give it up to Darren Bousman for delivering this film, which will define him as a soon to be a visionary director. Helming both the stage and film version, Bousman demonstrates his undying passion for this project and although trying to set himself apart from the franchise he had left behind, he still remembers who his fans are and delivers both Saw fans and newcomers a movie experience they will never forget. The first 15 minutes of this horror musical are absolutely mind blowing on a visionary level. It sets the tone for the rest of the film and the audience is offered a film that blends in the perfect elements from films such as Blade Runner, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Phantom of the Opera. (A combination that I would never expect to see in a horror film.) Bousman also takes his experience as a music video director in terms of how he shot the many musical numbers. All of them were slick, and sharp, and they made me feel like I was on an acid trip. (Kudos to him for creating such a bizarre and trippy atmosphere.) However, credit can't all be given to the director, because the cast was just as important to the success of this project. Anthony Steward Head and Sarah Brightman were the ones that shined the most however, for they were both able to give their all in terms of acting and singing. Anthony Steward Head will make fans cheer with his surprising knack for singing heavy metal and for his ferocious hostility as the killer anti-hero. (Anybody who is expecting to see the sweet and lovable Rupert Giles is in for a rude awakening.) The most surprising performance however comes from Miss Paris Hilton herself. Her performance as the spoiled and plastic surgery addicted daughter, Amber Sweet was actually quite good. So good in fact, it made me feel guilty for all those times I ever doubted she would be the worst part in this film. Although her role is minuscule compared to the rest, all her scenes are quite memorable (especially the comeuppances her character gets on stage) and she can actually hold her own in terms of singing as well. If Paris is the reason you are avoiding this film, you should reconsider, because if anything she is one of the strongest parts. (Yup…I can't believe I said that either! :P) On the downside of things, the film's biggest weakness is actually its biggest strength. The film is actually too unique for its own good at times and because it's a non-stop musical, it will in fact likely turn off a lot of viewers for this fact. Also, the film faces a problem typically shown in other musicals featuring celebrities who are not trained as singers. There were a few stars in particular who were able to give serviceable performances as actors, but really were cringe-worthy when it came to their vocals. Alexa Vega who is the film's star and does well as the young protagonist, Shilo was a hit and miss when it came to her songs. (Something that was quite apparent since she's in 90 percent of the film.) Also, as much as I love Bill Moseley, I have to say I was glad his songs were far and few in between. (Great actors don't always make great singers.) Lastly, although I initially felt the comic strip angle the film would project into the film to tell back stories of certain characters was clever on a visceral level, it got fairly repetitive after a few scenes. I would have rather much seen more of the flashbacks acted out, instead of drawn out on a comic strip. Repo! The Genetic Opera is a film that showcases a level of imagination and bravery so rarely seen in most mainstream horror films today. Although not for everybody, Repo! still has all the elements of tragedy, dramatic irony, and innovative songs that essentially make a great musical. If blood, guts, and catchy tunes are something you would like to see onscreen, then Repo! The Genetic Opera is the film to see. A guaranteed crowd pleaser!
MONTREAL MIRROR by MALCOLM FRASER On the phone from L.A., director Darren Lynn Bousman and screenwriter/actor/composer Terrance Zdunich can't stop talking about how bizarre their new film is. I don't quite have the heart to break it to them that in the context of Fantasia, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/horror musical about a human-organ repo man is only a half-notch stranger than business as usual. But to be fair, by any normal standards the film is pretty far left of the dial—plus it's genuinely original, wildly ambitious and great fun to boot. And you really couldn't imagine a better venue for the premiere of REPO! The Genetic Opera. Anthony Stewart Head, who some will remember as Rupert Giles from the Buffy series, stars as repo man Nathan, who seizes organs from those unfortunate enough to find themselves in debt to mega-corporation GeneCo. Though he slices guts out of still-squirming humans for a living (all the while breaking into song), he does have his sensitive side, taking care of his sickly daughter Shilo (Alexa Vega of the Spy Kids franchise). Meanwhile, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino), the nefarious head of GeneCo, faces the headache of determining which one of his offspring will inherit his empire. In a feat of so-crazy-it-works casting, his feuding progeny are a knife-wielding psychopath (horror-flick veteran Bill Moseley), a human-skin-masked dandy (Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre), and a plastic-surgery-obsessed diva (tabloid phenomenon Paris Hilton). Performed entirely in song, the audaciously unique film is a labour of love for co-writers/composers Zdunich and Darren Smith as well as director Bousman, noted to date as the man behind the three sequels to Saw. Interestingly enough, the epic concept had quite modest beginnings, in a stage show devised by Zdunich and Smith. "The genesis of it was around 2000," Zdunich recalls. "We were doing these things called '10-minute operas' at coffeehouses and little clubs around L.A." "It was more along the lines of performance art. Darren Smith was basically a one-man band, and I was a narrator. One of the pieces was about a grave robber who would observe different people coming in and out of a cemetery; one of the characters he met was an organ repo man. For some reason, that really resonated with audiences. So we decided to push the story in that direction." "I came to Los Angeles to make musicals, believe it or not," says Bousman, who, after seeing a performance, collaborated with the authors to mount a full-length stage spectacular. "After Saw II came out and made a lot of money, [the studio] said, 'Okay, Darren, you can do whatever you want to, what do you want to do?' and I said, 'Make a rock opera.' They laughed at me and said, 'Forget it.'" After two more cash-raking Saw sequels resulted in similar conversations, the team shot a short film as a demo, which finally succeeded in raising the funds for the feature. Zdunich and Smith found themselves once again retooling their idea. "Everyone's heard the horror stories about how Hollywood treats writers," Zdunich recalls, "so we were hoping to be involved, but expecting to be shuffled off to the side. But what we wrote was so bizarre and unique that there aren't really experts in it… it ended up that we were involved way past the point we wanted to be," he laughs. The creators' vision assured that the results would be novel, but it's the inspired cast, led by the flamboyant Head, that makes REPO! truly successful. "I cut my teeth on musicals when I got out of drama school, and I've done them here and there," he recalls on the phone from a TV shoot in his native England. "One of my favourite experiences was Rocky Horror, where I got to play Frank N. Furter. And I didn't think I was gonna get to do anything like that again." By all accounts, the film was a special experience for the cast and crew. "I love it," says Head simply when asked to describe the result. "It's got a real flow to it, a real fluidity. And I can absolutely assure you that you've never seen anything like it." "We wanted to do something that really challenged us," recalls Zdunich, who'll attend the premiere along with Bousman, Vega and Moseley. "The sheer audacity of attempting so strange, and so difficult—just to see that come to fruition, I'm proud of that in itself… it's not for everyone, but for the people it is for, it'll be very special."
MONTREAL GAZETTE By. Al Kratina Every year, towards the end of Fantasia, compulsive film-watching and lack of sleep starts to make me feel a little loony. The solution to this, it seems, is not to watch a deranged horror-themed sci-fi rock opera. I woke up this morning wearing two dead pets as a hat, only to discover that the review I'd written last night contained only profanity composed in binary and a pornographic ASCII drawing. But I feel calmer now, fully rested and better able to coalesce my thoughts about Repo! The Genetic Opera. The film, originally a stage play by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich, defies coherent description, but that's a good thing. It's pure energy, Ritalin, caffeine and maybe some misused allergy medication, all put on screen like a schizophrenic finger painting. Starring Buffy's Anthony Stewart Head and Alexa Vega from Spy Kids, the story is set far in the future, where replacement organs are sold by an evil corporation, and narration has been replaced by comic book art and song lyrics. Head is a company Repo Man, repossessing organs from those unable to pay their debts, and Vega plays his daughter, kept cooped up to prevent her from wandering around a world resembling a cross between Blade Runner and a Cradle of Filth video. Performances by Paris Hilton, Ogre from Skinny Puppy, and horror icon Bill Moseley further push the film into surreal dementia. Repo, directed by Saw's sequel mastermind Darren Lynn Bousman, is completely unhinged, trumping The Rocky Horror Picture Show with inventiveness and kinesis without turning the audience into a shrill gaggle of drunk club kids in drag. The constant music is surprisingly catchy at first blush, though the soundtrack's production does occasionally veer into territory better served by an Evanescence concept album. The visuals are dark, gloomy, and violent, but don't bog down the film's momentum. It's fun, energetic, and completely original, in a way that requires medication, and a long nap afterwards.
Cinemafantastique.be By. Béatroce Un vingt-et-unième siècle apocalyptique, un monde dévasté par une épidémie qui provoque un dysfonctionnement des organes. Résultat : dix millions de morts sur le globe. Dans la panique générale émerge une société, GeneCo, qui prévoit la transplantation d'organes par profit. Dictant ses propres règles, la multinationale prévoit de récupérer les organes des mauvais payeurs. Des agents, appelé Repo Man, sont chargés de cette repossession qui entraîne inéluctablement… la mort du possesseur.
AMERICAN GOTHIQUE By. Nancy Kilpatrick R: TGO started life as performance art, the brain child of Terrance Zdunich (who plays Gravedigger in the film) and Darren Smith. They wrote the story and composed the music for a ten minute piece that was staged (with other short pieces they wrote) in a tiny theater "So small," Zdunich says "that during intermissions the audience had to walk across the stage to get to the bathroom."Zdunich and Smith had the foresight to tape a performance and show it to director Darren Lynn Bousman (he of SAW 2, 3, 4 fame). Bousman's heart was pierced and miraculously he managed to get this "passion project", as he calls Repo: The Genetic Opera, to screen. What's it about? That's pretty hard to convey. As actor Bill Mosley who plays Repo Man says, "You've never seen anything like this." The post-apocalyptic future is all about organ failure and the subsequent organ transplants controlled by corporate giant GeneCo. New organs are not cheap; the payment plan goes on forever. Miss a payment and GeneCo repossesses its property. Enter: Repossession Man. But Repo Man has a secret life as a dad with a seventeen year old daughter who has the same blood disease that killed her mother. He keeps this teenager locked up to protect her from the cold, cruel world. She wants to be free, of him, of the disease, and the dying head of GeneCo, her dead mother's former boyfriend, claims to have the cure. None of the above quite captures the essence of this quirky roller-coaster neo-Gothic, melodramatic, futuristic horror/goth industrial musical extravaganza with Sondheim type speaking/singing (think: Sweeney Todd) and comic book intersplicings in a darkly exotic film that could be destined for cult status. I was blown away by the clever, stylish, audacious Repo: The Genetic Opera. The budget, Bousman admits, was so low that for the last Saw film he directed he ordered an unnecessary graveyard be built so he could re-use it in this movie. The cast is stellar: Bill Moseley, so well known to horror flick fans from numerous films including Rod Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects; Sarah Brightman, ex-wife of Andrew Lloyd Webber who played the role of Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, a role Webber wrote for her; Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy playing Pavi, one of three demented children of the big bad corporate guy; and Paris Hilton—who, the director said at the world premier, asked for an audition and read the script back when she was in jail—playing the daughter of the big bad corporate guy. The character Repo is done so well by the fabulous actor Anthony Stewart Head (who played Giles in the Buffy TV series), the big bad GeneCo boss is portrayed by veteran actor Paul Sorvino, and relative newbie Alexa Vega is Shilo, the overly-protected teenager. Even Joan Jett has a musical cameo. This film is so goth it made me cry with joy. It's rare to find anything on the screen that portrays goth as anything but annoyingly jaded. If you, too, love goth wit and high drama packed with great Industrial music and clever lyrics, adore your horror laced with élan and can appreciate some cool special FX when you see them, plus enjoy musicals that are dark and sexy, this wild and crazy film is for you. There are clips on Youtube and the release date is set for November. TWITCH By: Justin Decloux REPO is an anomaly in the universe. It was funded by an actual studio (Lions Gate), it's a musical (an R rated one!), it doesn't have any big stars (Paris Hilton is not a star, she's a cancer), and its gory subject matter ("Live Organ Repossession!") probably won't appeal to musical lovers Mr and Mrs. Doe who loved that edgy film where Superstar Jesus Christ belted out those electric jams! The torture porn loving pre-teen audience won't like it either, because there's all that "QUEER!" singing on screen. I'd hate to be the producer that wakes up and realizes he "A-Okay'ed" this little gem of an idea during a coke fuelled round of Scattegories. But is it good?In the future, organ failure is a common occurrence. Thankfully, a corporation named Genco has jumped into the game with enough organs for everyone! Well, there's a catch.: Organs cost money. If people can't make their payments, the company's going to have to sharpen their knives and go collect their merchandise. That's Nathan Wallace's job (Anthony Head) an ex-doctor turned Repo Man but don't judge him on sight. He may chase after innocent people and rip out their inside, but deep down he's not a bad guy. Everything he does is for his daughter Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega) who must be confined to her room because she suffers from a rare blood disease. She wishes to see the world but her Father wants none of it. The plot kicks into motion when Genco chairman Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) decides to put Shilo (Why? You'll have to watch the film for that one) in his will as the sole inheritor of Genco. This doesn't sit well with his three children (Paris Hilton, Bill Mosley, Nivek Ogre) and they're going to do everything in their power to stop it. Shilo's father realizes that he may have to tell his daughter the truth, the whole truth, before the Opera begins and the blood begins to flow. The world (what we see of it) pops with futurist grimness and boasts a catchy enough (I'll get back to that) musical score. Anthony Stewart Head is mesmerizing as the lead Repo Man and his booming emotional voice saved a few songs that could have fallen flat. Alexa Vega as his daughter has a strong presence, but I can't help but picture any generic teen pop star's face to her singing voice. The rest of the cast pull off their roles admirably. Paul Sorvino as Genco chairman Rotti Largo acts with all the bluster that his evil role demands. Bill Mosley as his psychotic sun is his psycho self. Paris Hilton as the only Largo daughter didn't make me cringe when she appeared on screen. She actually fit the role of the drugged up ditzy cutter addict perfectly! Who woulda thunk it? But the thing that surprised me the most was the scale of the story. We get a few EPIC! swoopy CGI shots of a futuristic city, but other than that the whole thing takes place in about five locations. The songs are operatic to the extreme but characters live in their own small universe. I could feel that this was once an off-Broadway play that was put on in a tiny bar (Which it was) This isn't bad, it is just a sign that everyone believes that the actual songs will carry the film home. Not many explosions here folks. Finally, we talk about all that musical madness: if people open their mouth in REPO what escapes will always be in sing-song fashion that usually (but not always) ditches the verse-chorus-verse structure of a regular song for a more free form poetry variety. At first, it was a bit disconcerting and the songs didn't really stand out. They sounded like nothing more than someone putting inflections on poetry with some generic music backing it up. It isn't until Mr. Head open his mouth to belt out a tune that the music improves considerably. I started to feel like each song becomes its own entity, and the ride smoothes out until the curtain finally closes. It could be that they let the weakest out of the gate first? A second viewing would clear that up for me. The direction by Darren Lynn Bousman (Helmer of the last three Saw films) is seemingly work-manlike, but that's only because he pulls the camera back and lets his performers… well… perform. There's no flashy quick cuts, uncomfortable close ups or sped up motion here. There are a few stylish touches (Illustrated Back Stories for the characters are presented in motion Comic Book Panels and it seems a a tad superfluous. ) but nothing that draws unnecessary attention to itself. The subject matter is odd enough that it doesn't need flash to make it appealing. Bousman directed the first ever live REPO show ten years ago and this world is all his. The only stylistic crossover from Boussman's Saw days is a completely unnecessary recap of the whole film in thirty seconds. I guess it's for the people who took a refreshing nap during the film's first hour and fifteen minutes. At the end of the day, (and this overly long review) it all comes down to two things: do you like musicals? Do you like horror-themed subject matter reaching on its tippie toes for cult success? If you answer YES to one of those and are willing to give a little leeway to the second then check this chipped treasure out. *NOTE:* Bousman shot a short 10 MINUTE demo reel for this a few years back in a bid to get financing. The short starred "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" star Micheal Rooker! SCREEN JABBER By: Craig McPherson Darren Lynn Bousman has cojones. Big brass ones, it would appear, after viewing his twisted eclectic musical known as Repo! The Genetic Opera, which was given its world premiere at Montreal's Fantasia film festival months in advance of its November US release date.The director of Saw II, III and IV is hardly a person you'd associate with a rock opera, and when you factor in a cast that includes such artistic polar opposites as Sarah Brightman and Paris Hilton, you could be forgiven for feeling that the stink-o-meter would be going off the chart. And yet, it doesn't. Set against a futuristic backdrop where an epidemic of organ failures is plaguing humanity, people turn to the unscrupulous Geneco Corporation to purchase replacements for their failing vitals. Not everybody makes good on their payments, however, which is where Nathan Wallace (Head, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Little Britain fame) goes into action as one of Geneco's "repo men", brutally reclaiming defaulters organs at scalpel-point. The movie has a visual style that both works to its benefit and runs against the grain of conventional movie telling (comic strip look, richly colored and stylised sets, heavily filtered camera shots) and much of the music is surprisingly good. Even those sung by Hilton, who blends surprisingly well into the mix as Amber, the vain, plastic-surgery obsessed daughter of Geneco's president (Sorvino). While Brightman's career as a pop-opera singer makes her, on paper at least, the best casting choice, it's Head who's really surprising. Sure he an act, but in a movie with no spoken dialogue he not only shows he can sing, but is actually able to change his vocal style from controlled, when in character as Wallace, to raunchy when he dons his Repo Man persona. Among the movie's flaws is the performance of Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects) as Luigi Largo, the scheming son of Geneco's president, whose singing talent can charitably be described as "lacking". Then again, considering the nature of the story, its roles, and ambitious scope, you'd have to expect that Bousman was going to break a few eggs en route to making his omelet. The folks who run the hype machines at Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures are spinning this as another cult classic along the lines of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Phantom of the Paradise. That's a bit much. Musical cult classics aren't instantly created, they assume that mantle as a result of fan approval, and the cultivation of a following — something not easily done given the demise of repertory cinemas and weekly midnight screenings. Right now such corporate accolades are nothing more than hyperbole. Even though a lot of the prerequisites are in place, only time will tell if Repo will allow Bousman to reserve a permanent spot shilling to character-dressed fans on the convention circuit. SPILL By: Cyrus A new Rocky Horror? That's what many would have us believe. I missed the first two screenings of this during the fest but there were scantily clad ladies dressed up in outfits from the movie, fans handing out props, and a lot of the symptoms of the onset of cultdom. I couldn't help but be cynical: how often does a film that sets out to be a cult film succeed? Not often but Repo is gonna bend the curve.Paul Sorvino is Rotti Largo, the man who saved the world. There was an outbreak of disease that started world wide organ failures and his company GeneCo designed synthetic organs for replacement at the ninth hour and halted the complete destruction of mankind, although you'd imagine death might have been preferable to living in the bizarre post-disease dystopia that things have become. GeneCo with Rotti at its head controls the world and surgery has become not just necessary but a fashion statement for many. The company also manufactures a highly addictive painkilling drug that keeps their iron grip on the economy. Even worse is, if you get behind on your payments, GeneCo sends out the Repo Man to cut you open and reclaim their unpaid for organs. The Repo Man wears a mask but he secretly is Nathan Wallace(Anthony Stewart Head) a seemingly devoted widower and father to the sickly (but still hot in that Siouxsie Sioux sorta way) Shilo (Alexa Vega.) Rotti is dying and has three selfish and rather monstrous children vying after his fortune (one of which played to the sluttiest hilt by Paris Hilton...make no mistake here kids, this ain't acting.) He wants no part of giving satisfaction to the ungrateful brats and plans to steal away Shilo's affections from Nathan and leave her the company. And then...oh for the love of...there are ten billion characters and plot threads going on here. I could take of pages just detailing the plot. Here's what you really need to know: A - It's an opera all right. The singing never really stops and serves as the exposition for the story. There are 57 songs in this damn thing. Luckily most of the singing is quite good and the songs are unavoidably catchy. All throughout the film classic staples of the opera appear including the grand guignol, singing arias as you die horribly, dramatic ending. That being said, only Paul Sorvino does the operatic voice and style of busting out the songs, but that brother can knock a tune the frak out. B - Anthony Stewart Head is a frelling fantastic singer and he dominates here both with his acting and his musical numbers as strongly as Tim Curry did in Rocky Horror. Sure, sure, I'm a ginormous Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan in which he played the watcher Giles, but you can't deny the talent he displays here. Take the scene where he eviscerates a living victim and then reaches inside him to move his mouth to use him as a singing partner...I'd pay the price of admission for that alone. C - Yes goth and industrial kids, Nivek Ogre from Skinny Puppy and numerous other bands is in here although he's not given much to do except lurk around looking like a cross between Buffalo Bill and Marilyn Manson. Joan Jett as well has a brief but applause worthy appearance. D - I feel almost embarrassed to say this, but I'd gladly go see this several more times, buy the soundtrack and maybe even go to a sing-a-long. They did actually manage to get the cult thing right...I don't know how. This is the pet project by Darren Lynn Bousman who is known pretty much only for making Lions Gate umpteen million dollars with the first three sequels to "Saw" that he directed, so they reluctantly gave him the money to make this. Finally, something worth being remembered for! Not everybody is gonna like this to be sure, and if you consider yourself even VAGUELY queasy at gore, skip it...blood and guts are ever present here, singing while swinging knives, cutting people and a rug simultaneously. But it's all done with such a sense of comic booky fun, that I found it hard to be grossed out at all. "Repo: The Genetic Opera" does what"Sweeny Todd" failed to for me; it made me laugh repeatedly, was an over-the-top horror film, and caught me up in it's infectious musical numbers. THIS is how you do it, Burton. FILM SCHOOL REJECTS By: Adam Sweeney In the past decade Hollywood has grown fond of making film adaptations of musicals. Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, and The Producers all have had their time to shine, but none have offered the mixture of fun and outrageousness that The Rocky Horror Picture Show was able to. For years,musical film fans have waited for a film they could latch on to and call their own. Repo! The Genetic Opera is that film. A futuristic cautionary tale of greed and revenge, the folks behind Repo! have created a film that somehow has flown under the radar. If there's any justice in the movie world, it will be flying into every theater at midnight for years to come.Repo! is set in 2056 where the world is forced to deal with a massive epidemic, leaving most with organ failure. Enter Geneco, a biotech company willing to offer salvation. But there's a heavy price to pay, as all the characters learn, and those who don't make good on their payments have their organs repossessed, facing the wrath of menacing Repo Men. The central character, Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega), is a seventeen year old girl weakened by a life threatening disease. Sheltered by her father from a world that sees surgery and the painkilling Zydrate as bliss, she becomes curious about the story of her family. Lured in by the possibility of a cure for her illness and the glamorous Genetic Opera, Shilo looks to break from her family bonds and claim her destiny. Meanwhile, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) struggles to come to terms with his own mortality. Left with few options or acceptable heirs, Largo chooses to take matters into his own hands in deciding who will be the heir to his ruthless empire. The audience's reception to Repo! at Fantastic Fest was sensational and there isn't a film more deserving of it. Fans waiting in line were shouting the lyrics to "Zydrate Anatomy", one of the infectious songs in the film. Repo! was so well received that it received an additional screening on the night of the premiere, and many moviegoers were so impressed they attended both screenings. The cast of Repo! is a who's who in pop culture, showcasing the talents of Anthony Head (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Bill Moseley (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), singer Sarah Brightman, Skinny Puppy vocalist Nivek Ogre, and even Paris Hilton all play characters that possess individual styles and memorable stories. Throw in the heavyweight talent and vocals of Paul Sorvino, a breakthrough performance from Alexa Vega, and the cast of Repo! can stand toe to toe with other cult classic casts like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Director Darren Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV) masterfully interconnects characters in a complex tale of love and loss with seeming ease. Bousman's ability to achieve such a vision with virtually no budget in Hollywood terms makes the feat even more impressive. The choices to weave comic illustrations into the narrative help to move the story forward and solve issues that otherwise might have been present given the financial limitations.The Saw franchise displayed Bousman's knack for the dark and disturbing, but Repo! has put him on a whole different level. Bousman paints a visual landscape that is one of a kind. Making an opera entertaining to a mainstream audience is a daunting task, but somehow the writers (Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich) pull it off. The story behind the story is just as impressive, as the journey to the big screen for Repo! was nine years long. Smith and Zdunich honor the structure of an opera but never compromise their own world. The result is a labor of love that is worthy of all the praise it will receive and then some. Zdunich has his hands all over the film, also serving as the narrator Grave-Robber and illustrator for the film. His performance as the Grave-Robber is only one of the characters people came dressed as. Imagine if The Lord of The Ring's Legolas put down the bow and arrow and decided to pick up a syringe. But no musical is complete without a score and musical producer Joseph Bishara is the man behind the madness .The soundtrack of Repo! is one you could put on your iPod and play repeatedly. We should all be so lucky as to have the talent of Sarah Brightman, Joan Jett, and Poe working with us. Bishara honors that opportunity and finds a way to create a completely novel style of rock opera. Repo! may not be for everyone and that's okay. Plenty of people hated the theatricality of bands like Kiss or the flamboyant behavior of Tim Curry as Dr. Frankenfurter. That didn't stop those who loved it from turning them into cult heroes. In an age of cookie cutter films not worth our time, Repo! is a refreshing story that takes risks and reminds us what it's like to, gasp, have a good time at the movies! Outlandish, outrageous, and above all things outstanding, it's time for Repo! The Genetic Opera to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. THE ITHACAN ONLINE By: Andy Swift Gripping horror musical rises out of obscurity'Repo! The Genetic Opera' makes a triumphant transition from stage to screen Toe-tapping melodies and hack-and-slash gore make for a surprisingly successful marriage in "Repo! The Genetic Opera." The latest offering from famed horror director Darren Lynn Bousman was screened Friday in Park Auditorium, weeks before its theatrical release Nov. 7. "Repo!" transports its audience to a futuristic world consumed by chaos after a global epidemic of organ failures. Desperate for salvation, the dying public turns to GeneCo, a multibillion-dollar company that specializes in organ transplants. But if clients can't afford to keep up with the company's strict payment plan, GeneCo sends an assassin known as the Repo Man to kill them and collect the organs in question. Seventeen-year-old Shilo Wallace (Alexa Vega) is unaware that her father Nathan (Anthony Head) is secretly GeneCo's dreaded Repo Man. Diagnosed with a blood disease as a child, Shilo has been confined to her bedroom for most of her life. Her curiosity about the outside world increases as she gets older, and her eventual pursuit of it lands her in more danger than she can handle. Head's portrayal of the tormented Repo Man is impressive — anyone familiar with the musical episode of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" knows that Head's voice can move mountains — but it is Vega who delivers the most surprising performance in the film. Best known for playing a pint-sized secret agent in the "Spy Kids" series, Vega takes on a decidedly darker role in "Repo!" She's angsty, she's edgy and she isn't afraid to drop a few f-bombs. Her transformation from Disney clone to rock 'n' roll bad girl is made official during the song "Seventeen," which includes one of Shilo's most memorable lines: "Daddy's girl's a f------g monster!" Paris Hilton also turns out an enjoyable performance as Amber Sweet, the plastic surgery-addicted daughter of GeneCo president Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino). Her breathy vocals and exaggerated sexuality allow her to slip comfortably into the role of the spoiled diva. While she may not be able to carry an entire film by herself — the mere mention of her role in "The Hottie & the Nottie" still makes many reviewers cringe — her performance in "Repo!" proves that she can hold her own as a supporting character. At the center of all the drama is the mysterious Blind Mag (Sarah Brightman), an opera singer who performs exclusively for GeneCo-sponsored concerts called "genetic operas." Brightman, a Broadway legend, is a refreshing addition to the cast. Her operatic vocals juxtaposed with the film's rock-heavy score result in something pulled from an Evanescence album — and that's a good thing. The characters' backstories are cleverly revealed through a series of comic book-style animations, giving the audience a fuller understanding of how the characters are connected and why they clash with one another. The tension between the characters becomes more palpable with each interaction, eventually culminating in a dramatic showdown at the ominous opera. When the ill-fated night arrives, the characters combine their voices for "At the Opera Tonight," a song that oozes anticipation in the style of "Tonight" from "West Side Story" or "One Day More" from "Les Misérables." Aside from its genius soundtrack, the film's most impressive feat is that it effectively straddles the horror and musical genres, remaining equally faithful to both. Almost every musical number contains a special treat for the film's bloodthirsty audience. During one song, Nathan slices open a man's stomach, grabs his insides and uses him as a human puppet. The resulting duet is pretty spectacular. "Repo!" is already being hailed as an instant cult classic, and some are even referring to the film as the next "Rocky Horror Picture Show." While it's probably too soon to be jumping to those conclusions, it's safe to say that "Repo!" will connect with a specific audience — the type of people who enjoy watching "Grease," but strongly believe that a few dead Pink Ladies would really jazz up "Beauty School Dropout." AIN'T IT COOL By: Massawyrm If ever there was a film that wasn't made for me, this is it. But strangely enough, it isn't a film I particularly dislike or even hate. It just plum isn't for me. And frankly it isn't going to be for a lot of people. This isn't just a cult film. It is a film that ASPIRES TO BE a cult film, something that rarely, if ever, works. This is that rare one that does. You've never seen of its like – you could watch a thousand movies and never meet another of its kind. Strange, off-kilter and almost entirely hypnotic – even if you're not feeling it, you still can't for a moment take your eyes off of it.Imagine if you will, Joss Whedon writing an Andrew Lloyd Webber spoof of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and you begin to get an idea of what this is. Do not let the title fool you as it is in no way simply being clever. It IS an Opera. Almost every word is sung, with entire patches of emotion and back story painstakingly described in lyrical verse. Musically this is a cross between the Once More with Feeling episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Phantom of the Opera along with hints of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blogand patches of Tom Waits thrown in to create a gothic carnival-like atmosphere. Which this readily achieves. Now add to that the notion that this is directed by the guy who made the last 3 Saw movies, and it begins to sway feverishly into Sweeny Todd territory. It's bloody, gross and often downright macabre. The world is a dystopian future where the bodies of man began to deteriorate at a much faster rate and one corporation has stepped up to create genetically perfect organs for the masses…at a price. And what happens when you run late on your bill? Repossession, with every effort spared to keep the debtor alive. And if that isn't dark enough for you, let me introduce you to our narrator, a man who drains a liquid anesthesia out through the nose of corpses. Yeah. It's not exactly a pleasant feel good movie. This film has a very specific audience. The RHPS watching, Tim Burton doll collecting, Vampire the Masquerade playing crowd. And they are going to eat this up like it was theirStar Wars: Episode One. Already fans are showing up to these screenings in costume, singing along with the movie. I recognized a few folks last night from my misspent youth in the local RHPS scene – they'd purchased tickets to attend both shows. And they loved every moment of it. They were giddy and bouncing around, salivating for their second round with the savory goofy deliciousness of it all. And if this sounds like your cup of tea, holy god you are going to have a mad, passionate love affair with this. Hot Topic will be carrying T-shirts, soundtracks, lunch boxes and special edition DVDs from here until Gehenna. However, if that combination sounds more like a misbegotten mishmash of pop culture into one grotesque pile of stolen body parts sewn into a rotting Frankenstein of a film – well, you aren't far off from the reaction you're going to have to this. But by no means does that mean you should miss it. Darren Lynn Bousman has created an entirely unique world, a completely original nightmare woven of Victorian era style, end of the world imagery and modern goth sensibilities. It is a low budget dystopian feverdream that embraces its limitations and instead uses them to create a look and feel unlike anything you've ever experienced. As a movie lover, this is one of those films you pretty much owe yourself to see just once – even if it is just to see the style in which it was done. This film just didn't connect with me – but then again, having spent many years floating about with the crowd this was made for, I can honestly say that I'm pretty far removed from the target audience. It never really clicked and I was left to simply enjoy the costume, set design and the original way the film unraveled. But to its credit, it never annoyed me, urged me to walk out or came across in any way as pretentious – which considering the material and audience it was shooting for, it very well could have. |
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