Vulgar

Rating:
Summary: Stay Away
Review: There's a smidgen of fun in seeing O'Halloran, Mewes and other members of the View Askew universe, but this mess betrays no skill or talent on the part of its screenwriter/director. It does in one sense live up to its billing as a "shocking" film -- it's shocking that such an amateurish effort was funded or released.

Rating:
Summary: Disconcerting but Brilliant
Review: This is not a movie for the faint of heart. This is not a movie for children. This is not a movie for anybody really. Well there is one group of people who should see this movie. Fans of the ViewAskewniverse should definately see this movie. Kev-Heads are going to see this movie whether I tell them to or not but it is worth their time, and yours if you happen to be one.
First off be aware that this movie has some very explicit sexual content. Particularly its just one scene, but that scene is pivotal. The plot development is magnificent and the roles are cast perfectly. As mentioned in the commentary, if one can avoid judging the entire movie on that one scene one can appreciate it as a well-crafted and emotionally engaging film(just not with the feelings most oftened engaged in a movie).
Again, this is not your usual fare and shouldn't be treated as such. But if you are a huge Askewniverse fan and can tolerate explicit sexual content, by all means check this movie out.

Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: I'm a big fan of View Askew and Kevin Smith in general. But after watching this movie, here are a list of the questions that were going around my head:
1. What the hell was that all about?
2. What happened to the smart plot and rich dialogue that we are used to with View Askew movies.
3. Where's the twisted humor?
To make a long story short, don't bother. The movie is pointless.

Rating:
Summary: Vulgar Display of Power
Review: Should really be called I Spit on Your Grave 2. This movie didn't offend, shock, sicken, disturb or effect me in any way. Vulgar is a very badly acted, badly written and badly directed mess. It's flat, empty and very VERY pale. I didn't feel for Flappy. The script wouldn't let me. The acting is ridiculous... although Brian O'Halleran does a respectable enough job. Bryan Johnson himself added a little zing, I guess. But Kevin Smith's role is both cheap and embarrassing and makes a mockery of every scene he bellyflops into. The rest of the cast (including Jason Mewes and the over-the-top mother) are rock-bottom as well. As for the script... let's just say it REALLY goes downhill after Flappy "saves the day". A juvenile and unbelievable turn for the worst, I'd say. Completely ludicrous, since the movie had a pretty decent and gritty start. To be blunt, that scene basically sunk the whole movie. Boy, did it ever tumble after that.

Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: this movie, like someone else said, is only for the hard-core view-askew fans. a remarkable piece of art. really hits your emotions up for a ride. (one thing i think i missed: what happened to the videa tape? is it still out there?) simply excellently written and directed.

Rating:
Summary: not a movie for the easily sickened
Review: i really like this movie. i just rented it and about ten minutes ago finished it. it has some graphic rape scenes and isnt really a comedy. its pretty crude but a great movie. if you like the jersey movies but did not like chasing amy(i highly reccomend it)then stay clear of this movie.dont rent or buy it expecting laughs or you will be disapointed.

Rating:
Summary: Form and Content united in Majestic Transcendence
Review: This is quite simply the greatest film ever made. The beauty and symmetry of the composition is evocative of, perhaps paradoxically, Kubrick and Welles, yet seeming to reach towards something more spiritual. The mise-en-scene is refreshing in it's simplicity, freeing one's mind from the puzzling white-noise that is the mise-en-scene of such films as 'Moulin Rouge! (and obviously to a somewhat lesser extent, most films), freeing one's mind from distraction, allowing one to contemplate both the literal and implicit meanings presented in this masterwork. But seriously, it's basically a Troma movie sans poorly delivered social messages. I fail to see how the changes in tone in the film could possibly be sincere, due to the sheer absurdity of what's depicted. It is the best film ever made however. I only wish it was longer, and that I was Emperor of Mexamericanada.

Rating:
Summary: Poor DVD Quality Is the Least of This Film's Problems
Review: In his directorial debut, Bryan Johnson's very violent cult-wannabe film "Vulgar" portrays the life of the hapless Will Carlson (Brian O'Halloran) struggling to earn a living by working as a clown named "Flappy" for children's parties. Living in a dump and driving a worthless car, Will wants to earn more money, but only as a clown. He foolishly decides to work as a scantily-clad, clown-in-drag named "Vulgar" at men's bachelor parties. His first job as "Vulgar" takes him to a motel where three men are waiting: a father named Ed Fanelli (Jerry Lewkowitz) and his two sons Frankie (Ethan Suplee) and Gino (Matthew Maher). Ed, Frankie and Gino aren't there for a bachelor party; instead, they rape the unsuspecting clown. After being bound, beaten and raped, the three leave "Vulgar" for dead in the motel. Realizing he's alone, Will struggles back to his car and drives home where he makes a half-hearted attempt at suicide.

Telling his friend Syd (Bryan Johnson) about the ordeal, Will finds the strength to return to the safer job of being a clown at children's parties. Upon reaching a home where he is to perform as "Flappy", he finds it surrounded by police. The child's estranged father (Scott Schiaffo) is holding his daughter at gunpoint inside the house. Somehow, with the home surrounded by armed police, Will dressed in his brightly-colored clown costume sneaks into the house and rescues the girl, becoming an instant hero. (This is the part of the film where my opinion took its final turn for the worst.) Will is approached by TV-producer Martan Ingram (Kevin Smith, "Silent Bob" of "Dogma" & "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" fame) to star in his own children's television show as "Flappy". Will agrees and becomes an instant success, but ghosts from the past threaten his achievement.

Kevin Smith's performance as the TV producer was both wooden and unbelievable. Jerry Lewkowitz' performance as Ed Fanelli was completely one-dimensional as were the brief performances for his wife and daughter (Melissa Rayworth and Deanna Rowe) and his two sons. Jason Mewes ("Jay" of "Dogma" & "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" fame) makes a cameo appearance as the character Tuott the Basehead, but he should simply have been named "Jay" because he played exactly the same character as he did in "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back". (Jason Mewes is either a victim of typecasting or extremely one-dimensional.) Brian O'Halloran's performance as Will Carlson/Flappy/Vulgar was okay, as was Bryan Johnson's performance as Syd. By her appearance and demeanor, Will's mother in the film (Debra Karr) reminded me of the Dark Mother (Eisei Amamoto) from the awful 1978 Japanese "Star Wars" rip-off film "Message From Space".

The plot, though depressing and gruesome, was, nonetheless, believable until Will as "Flappy" sneaks into the house surrounded by police unnoticed. From that point forward, the plot becomes completely predictable. Several reviewers have commented on the humor used in the film. The humor from incendental characters of trash-throwing teenagers and drunken bums was nothing more than juvenile. With the graphic violence contained in the film and an R-rating, it is unlikely that any responsible parent would allow their teenaged children (or younger) to watch the film. Therefore, the juvenile humor is highly unlikely to be enjoyed by adults. (Of the four of us that watched the film together after renting it, hardly any of us laughed at all.)

I do give Bryan Johnson credit for filming what is probably one of most viscous rape scenes ever filmed, but he still has quite a bit to learn about directing. The plot is not engaging and none of us watching the film were able to relate with any of the characters. If the intent was to combine horrific violence with humor, the film completely fails because the juvenile incedental humor was an extremely minor element as compared to the main characters' attempt to present very violent drama.

As for DVD quality, the film itself was clearly shot on a shoe-string budget and watching it was very difficult because the sound was not synchronized with the picture. Some scenes were worse than others in which the sound followed the picture by as much as 2 seconds, giving the illusion that the film had been dubbed. The DVD that was rented may have been defective, the transfer of the film to DVD may have been poor or the film itself may be defective. (Since I never saw the film in a theater, I don't know if the sound was originally properly synchronized to the picture.) The combination of extremely poor DVD quality, unbelievable plot, and one-dimensional acting earns this film 1 star in my book. With no real redeeming value, I cannot recommend this film to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Terrible
Review: As I am often surprised by the clever dialogue and offbeat humor with which Kevin Smith's name is associated, I approached this film with a certain degree of optimism. Though Smith did not take a direct hand in writing or directing, I felt it reasonable to expect something of value. While films such as Mallrats and Clerks found a certain charm in their lack of slick production, Vulgar is without a single redeeming quality. It is poorly written, directed and acted. I can only wonder why Kevin Smith (or anyone for that matter) would want his name associated with this film. Should it ever develop a cult following, it will be a cult of sheer mediocrity.

Rating:
Summary: Time watching this film could be used to not watch this film
Review: I haven't compiled a real list yet, but this film would definately be up around the top 5 or so worst films I have ever tried to sit through in my entire life. If you can actually get past the horrible acting and the fact that none of the sound actually matches the chartacters who are speaking, and the fact that the story is really unoriginal and unimaginative, you might make it almost to the end of the movie...I didn't.