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Vulgar (Unrated Edition)

Vulgar (Unrated Edition)

List Price: $19.98
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Revolting, yet unforgettable
Review: I couldn't tell you what I thought when I was done watching this movie, I was shocked, hurt, and felt like I had been wrung dry, left as a shapeless ball of inanimate matter. Yet I couldn't help but feel impressed. The movie achieves a form of anger and conviction so searing, it would have been like putting your hand into a trash recycler and pulling back a nub. Movies like this aren't made for wide release, they are meant for those who understand that art isn't always "pretty" or easily acceptable. It's message is inclear, it's morals absent, I cannot look back on a film I have seen recently that has made me feel so cold.

At the center of the movie is a struggling, outcast clown from the styx who achieves celebrity status when a saves a girl from a hostage crises. He does this for reasons he can't quite grip. Maybe the thought of another person suffering as he had put him a certain position to intervene almost without care for himself. Overnight he becomes famous. He gets everything he's wanted. Until a call from his past brings back events that haunt him still. Brian O'Halloran (of Clerks fame) occupies the center of the film as Flappy, the clown of which the aforementioned paragraph is in reference to. O'Halloran's performance is a careful balance of shame, anger, and desperation. His performance is the center point of the film, and it is nothing short of astonishing. Watching I realized just how well he had me care and feel for this miserable sap who only tries to be a decent man.

This is not always an easy film to watch, there are moments when we realize that this low-budget, depraved piece of material is presenting us with things not easy to handle. Yet we feel nothing but pure surprise, that a film this ghastly and cynical could achieve such a zenith. Vulgar is a one-of-a-kind work, revolting, hurtful, and unforgettable.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A LIGHT-HEARTED ROMP!
Review: "Wooohooo! I can't believe it's over already! Put that sucker in AGAIN!" That's what you'll be saying after watching "Vulgar". What kind of movie is this? Well, it's 50% romantic comedy, 50% drama, 50% coming-of-age, and 100% FUN! If you liked Sweet Home Alabama, then this is the movie for YOU!

Flappy the Clown is a crazy, adventurous character who just can't seem to shake off his daily dose of mayhem! After running into some eccentric customers, chaos ensues in a very Who's The Boss-like fashoin. BRING ON THE FUNNY! After surviving one CRAZY night, Flappy, by means of silly luck, saves a girl's birthday from being ruined by her over-protective father, and thus makes the girl's party the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! Flappy does such a good job in fact, that he gets to have is very own television show. Just as things are looking up and up, who should come back into Flappy's life, but the same eccentric customers from the begining, and BOY do they have a new adventure in store for Flappy! After another night of, chaos, mayhem, and zany off-beat fun, Flappy once again saves the day.

This movie is better than Snow Dogs and That Darn Cat combined! It looks even better than the upcoming Kangaroo Jack! If you're in the mood for a nice, lite family comedy, then this is the film to get. If you're in the mood for a nice chick-flick date movie, then this is also your best bet. Well good luck with this and remember: take care of yourself, because you're the only you you've got, and I'm not clownin' around!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: yikes
Review: Okay, the clown-abuse scene: Definitely the harshest portrayal of rape I've ever come across (even trumping Blue Velvet). These villains are far more disturbing than Frank Booth or the rednecks in Deliverance.

That aside, not a great movie, but not as horrible as some would have you believe. The acting is a bit wooden, but the story is fairly interesting and will hold your attention (as opposed to falling asleep on the couch, as I am prone to do!). One major flaw was the mis-casting of "silent bob" as Flappy's agent/publicist. He doesn't look right in the role, and his acting is pretty bad here.

Vulgar has elements that will remind you of Gummo and/or Julien Donkey-Boy. If you like disturbing films by young up-and-coming, envelope-pushing filmmakers, this will probably be right up your alley. However, you will probably be hard-pressed to think of anyone you can recommend or lend this to!

One thing that can be said, even by those who hate it, is that it is not boring (the worst crime any film can commit).

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: severely unbalanced
Review: "Vulgar" is a would-be cult classic that has no idea what it is (or wants to be). The mood shifts from comedy to drama on a scene-by-scene basis, with no consistent medium being reached; the result is an extremely unbalanced film. The film starts with a down-on-his luck clown named Flappy, who's a pathetic pin cushion to everyone he meets. The early scenes have some humor that's loud and obnoxious, but effective in a low-intellect way, but then the movie delves into a dark viciousness that comes out of nowhere. Anyway, Flappy decides to become a transvestite clown to entertain at bachelor parties and his first clients turn out to be a sicko father-and-son trio who proceed to beat and rape Flappy (in an echo of "I Spit on Your Grave"). Why do they do this? Well, because they're creatures of the plot--they exist to be as pointlessly mean and insipid as the script requires, without any real motive or personality. Shortly after this incident, Flappy achieves fame after foiling a hostage situation (a lot like "Death to Smoochy"), but the rapists come up with a ridiculous extortion threat... And, well, "Vulgar" remains inconsistent to the very end--the viciousness and humor aren't mixed into an effective cocktail of 'black comedy'...writer-director Bryan Johnson just cuts from one mood to the next without any balance. Some of the acting is notable in an amateurish way (I really thought Flappy's friend was a hoot), and the New Jersey locations seem authentic, but the movie is a cavalcade of shock-value without any real purpose (a lot like "The Doom Generation"). My advice: if you want a straight-faced revenge flick, rent "The Last House on the Left" (Wes Craven's debut); if you want dark comedy that's at least somewhat competent, check out "Death to Smoochy." "Vulgar" just isn't worth it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: wow. . .what was that?!
Review: If you don't know the basic premise of Vulgar, and you want to be suprised when and if you watch the movie, then stop reading now.

"Vulgar" is based around the brutal rape of a clown who decides to perform gag strip-teases at bachelor parties. When the clown makes it big on TV, his rapist try to blackmail him.

I know this sounds bizarre, but that's exactly what this movie is - bizarre. It's not funny, like other View Askew films (although kevin smith and jason Mewes play minor parts in the fim). It's not a terribly interesting story. Just plain weird.

I'm usually not one scared off by the strange or different, but this movie had nothing to offer. No humor, no depth, no interesting dialogue. This is the sort of movie that pretenious movie critics like just because it's weird and the story-telling is disconnected (e.g. Magnolia)....

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Not that horrible.......
Review: This is a quality INDI movie. This must be taken into consideration before watching it. This movie is allot like clerks as far as the quick, witty, off color banter is concerned. It also has the look of clerks, but in color. The subject matter is quite a bit different. I didn't find it nearly as disturbing as other reviewers did. There's allot more disturbing main stream movies out there. If you are a fan of Kevin Smith, I think you owe it to yourself to see Vulgar. You may not love it, but you will appreciate it for what it is. A quality independant movie.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Horrible!
Review: This is perhaps the worst written film I've ever seen. For a script that is entirely over-written (just watch the mom/son scenes)you still can't understand what is going on, why any of anyones actions are called for, nor the relationships of any of the characters. This movie just captures senseless violence at its peak.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid effort, B+, avoid if squeamish
Review: I just saw Vulgar on DVD and as they say, "it's not for everyone." It's really an emotionally violent film and intentionally so. This is not for children or those offended by graphic depictions of horrible crimes. It's really not comedy either. Actually, it's a twisted revenge film. You can read the other reviews to get a plot summary. I'll add a few comments.

1) I give this a B+ because the craftsmanship is not so great. I simply couldn't hear the dialogue sometimes, and the acting could have been better. I did appreciate that Kevin and crew did play new roles, which I enjoyed.

2) I also found that this movie employed a lot of formulas from crime movies ("I can't go to the cops! I'll be ruined!".) I'd like to see more from O'Hallaran where the scripts are less formulaic but just as emotionally powerful.

...

Summary: A painful movie to watch about a distasteful subject. Overall good, but lost points on technique. Two very strong scenes. Hope to see more films from this O'Halloran.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Avoid like the plague!
Review: This was a nearly unwatchable movie. Many of its fans appear to wear this as a badge of pride, as if the grotestque brutality of the film's centerpiece rape scene itself could raise this film to the level of art. If grinding emotional discomfort is your thing, try Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream" rather than this piece of trash.

As if one neeed other reasons to dislike "Vulgar," this movie is not just depraved, but mean and schizophrenic as well. Generally, View Askew productions have also followed a formula of satire that, while offensive to some (most notably Dogma), was always generous, innocent, and essentially good-natured at heart. In contrast, this movie is so dark and cruel that it loses its View Askew identity despite the snappy banter and stock cast so familiar to Kevin Smith fans. In other words, while this looks like a View Askew movie, it sure doesn't feel like one. This may have been okay if that's what the production team was going for; however, it's impossible to tell exactly they were going for. Is this a comedy or a drama? The moods of this film are so fractured and inconsistent, that it's difficult to tell. Smith crossed this line successfully with "Chasing Amy," but he and director Bryan Johnson fall flat on their faces here, and the resulting film seems forced and unsure of itself.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Vulgar? Try Horrible
Review: this movie was simply horrible...the acting was horrible...the storyline was force fed...the direction was lackluster...it was painful to watch...stay away...


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