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Cyrus Defends to the Death, "Natural Born Killers: The Director's Cut" on Blu-Ray
Natural Born Killers: The Director’s Cut
I’m positive that if there was a list of the most polarizing, most argued about, most simultaneously passionately hated and loved films, that this would almost have to be in the top five. I actually saw people get in fist fights about it when it came out. FIST fights. About whether or not a movie was good. I mean, I’m passionate and all, but get a life, people!
Detractors claimed allegiance to Quentin Tarantino, who wrote the original script on which the film was based, but which director Oliver Stone had altered so significantly, that Tarantino, despite many reports even today to the contrary, had in fact offered the best of wishes toward the success of it. Others claimed that Stone’s use of various types of film cameras, lenses, stock, animation and styles with his rapid-fire editing style made the film into one long MTV production, which is ironic considering Quentin did much the same with his “Kill Bill” films later, as, of course, have many, many other films since. Yet more pointed towards violence committed by unstable viewers of the film and claimed it was irresponsibly violent. Yet, these same claims have been directed at many films before, many of which we now look at as important. Not to mention, if you ever want to do a side by side of crazy people killing in the name of movies versus crazy people killing in the name of Jesus...well...you're gonna lose. Basically, what I’m saying is, come up with an attack and I’ve already got a counter-argument for you. I’m not gonna put up my dukes, but suffice it to say, I’ve thought about this a LOT over the years and my adoration for the film as not only a brilliant commentary on the media and a spectacularly innovative art piece but as purely a entertaining as hell piece of cinema, will not be swayed by your whining the same old, same old flawed points.
For those of you out there not familiar with the story, Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory (Juliette Lewis) are glamorous mass murderers on the run, going from town to town killing to get what they want and need and sometimes just for the hell of it, living a life completely devoid of any rules or morals except a vague understanding of love and their loyalty to each other, such as it is. Hunting them down is Jack Scagnetti (Tom Sizemore) and tabloid news man Wayne Gale (Robert Downey Jr) each searching for their own kind of sick fame at the expense of the public as well. The two are eventually captured and put in prison but as Mickey says at his trial, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Supporting roles by Tommy Lee Jones hamming it up as a super-redneck prison warden and Rodney Dangerfield as Mallory's abusive father (a role that works due to, well, you just have to see it) both help as well to make this film about very ugly things, oh so very beautiful.
The disc comes with a selection of deleted scenes featuring some pretty awesome and sizable bits with Ashley Judd, The Barbarian Brothers and Denis Leary (not actually included in the actual “director’s cut” of the film which is only 4 minutes longer than the theatrical version) and an older documentary on the film. This new Blu-Ray versions adds a new HD doc looking back on the film, its effect on culture since, and how the film would be different if made now based on the current state of the media as well as a nice 44-page booklet, something we rarely get anymore with the smaller cased Blu-Rays anymore.
Filled with insane amounts of violence, hallucinatory visuals, an amazing soundtrack (produced by Trent Reznor) and the type of story that you’ll think about at length afterward and want to watch many more times, “Natural Born Killers” is a no-brainer of a BUY, but on Blu-Ray it’s even more so. The crazed colors awash in every scene pop off the screen and the songs sound better than ever. I’d have to advise you to pick up “Natural Born Killers” and don’t listen to the haters. I’m not even much of an Oliver Stone fan (I'd go so far to say that I out and out don't generally like him) but this is confrontational film making at its very best. Maybe you don't want to watch this with your grandma, your young siblings or your borderline schizo friend but YOU should definitely check it out.
Click here to Buy Natural Born Killers (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]
Comment
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Comment by Grievous501 on October 29, 2009 at 6:33pm -
This was one of the first movies i bought for my blu ray player last month i love this movie it looks amazing on blu ray.
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Comment by Cyrus on October 29, 2009 at 1:34pm
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Where we disagree is whether or not the technique is a bad argument. For one, I can't possibly agree that Maher deserves no more respect than Hannity for the very thing I said before, because the meaning of the argument, the point one is trying to make, IS the most important thing. If you say that, you have to throw in Jon Stewart as well. Is he using a bad argument? I'd safely say no. The difference between Hannity and Maher/Stewart is the difference being an out and out liar who doesn't bother with any research (or worse, actively ignores the facts) as opposed to an angry opinionated piece that does use the facts at hand (whether or not people want to hear them). I'd call that a pretty large difference. I guess outside of disagreeing with your comparison of the two men and getting back to the argument at hand, I'm actually saying here that you've made a fallacious analogy.
There are two types of satire. You seem to be stuck on the one, the Horatian form, when the other, Juvenalian (used by George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, Ray Bradbury) is just as valid. It's not generally a 'funny' style but it serves to point out darker and more serious issues by using outrage and exaggeration. NBK is using that style to great effect. As to your 'grounded in point of view', you'll have to explain what you mean.
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Comment by The Eyeball Kid on October 29, 2009 at 1:01pm
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the argument the films themselves are trying to make, are irrelevant.
That's the exact opposite of what I said. Perhaps that's my fault for not being more specific. What I should've said was that a bad argument is not made better because it's directed against a different target. It's the same reason that Bill Maher deserves no more respect than Sean Hannity: their reasoning is identical.
The root of satire is not mimicry, although I agree that it is an important element. Satire is grounded in point of view, something which I'm convinced that Stone lacks in all of his films (none more empty than NBK). If you disagree, please explain.
If, as you contend, NBK is not as simple as I make it out to be, then tell me what it is I'm missing.
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Wow, I HUGELY disagree and no more so than in your assertion that the fingers pointed, in other words, the argument the films themselves are trying to make, are irrelevant. That's the point entirely and everything else is meaningless without that in the context.
As far as not understanding how the film is satire, you described satire in and of itself by suggesting that he mimics the things which he attacks. Is it that simple? No, of course not, and certainly not in Natural Born Killers, but that is indeed the root of satire.
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Where the fingers are pointed is irrelevant. Stone is actually less articulate in its message than Haneke, because his film never steps back from the portrait it's painting. He simply mimics the things which he's supposedly attacking. If he hates them so much, then he's intentionally making a bad movie. I would say that he succeeded, but I feel that way about most films he's involved with.
I have no problem with people liking the film, just because I didn't. I don't, however, understand when people defend it as satire, and I've never heard a satisfactory explanation of this.
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I don't agree, Eyeball kid. I thought about that, but it's not pointing its finger at violence in film, it's pointing it at sensationalism in the media and a culture being weaned on blood and bad news, the same points Michael Moore makes in "Bowling for Columbine". He doesn't attack violence in entertainment, he attacks that it seems to be all that there is though in the 'for profit' driven news media today.
Haneke is specifically commenting on the people who like horror movies, saying both within the film and outside in interviews, that he doesn't like them making "Funny Games" an angry 'fuck you' at his own audience who he admits he doesn't respect or like.
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My biggest problem with this (aside from it being one of the sloppiest, most obnoxious films I've ever seen) was that it committed the Funny Games fallacy. It's pointing its finger at the audience, saying "This is where you're taking America, you violence-addicted swine!" to which I respond, "Hey, you made the film, you self-important hack!"
People keep defending it as a "brilliant commentary on the media," but I've never heard any explanation of what that commentary actually is. The only thing I can come up with is that Stone tried to embody everything he thinks is wrong with media (like Haneke did with Funny Games). It's builds a straw man that it never bothers to knock back down. I fail to see the satire.
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Comment by Jake on October 27, 2009 at 11:24pm -
I just did not like this movie. I understand what he was trying to do and I agree with Cyrus in that he does a damn good job commenting on the media. But this movie just annoyed me. Maybe I'll give it another shot sometime.
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Comment by PFreaky PFister on October 27, 2009 at 5:47pm -
this movie was definately awesome, especially when you're high
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Comment by Zev on October 27, 2009 at 4:40pm -
pretty sure I can se eher vagina in that first pic.
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