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The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well its on DVD
Review: But not the one they said they were putting out complete with commentary, deleted scenes, some deleted scenes and gore put back in the movie, still galleries and all that stuff. Maybe its on its way, I hope.

This is the only sequel worth looking at in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. Its sloppy, cheesy, funny,overly done and its fantastic! It rates nowhere near the original TCM's level so if you havent seen it yet don't go in expecting something that tops the first film, a sequel never could cause Texas Chainsaw Massacre is just something thats impossible to make a sequel to.

This is a very odd movie. Taking place years after the first one its about a airhead DJ who's 24/7 horrible 80s music (in TCM?!! the first film the music on the radio was just strange guitar diddles that were timeless) station records two 80s stock characters-college party dorks complete with 80s sunglasses getting sawed up by Leatherface while driving on tape. As you can see from the start this movie bears no resembalance to the first one even though directed by the same man. This film is a gorefest that was not meant to be taken seriously as a film or as a sequel yet it angered a ton of people for being unrealistic and comedic. There's a chainsaw fight at the end with Dennis Hopper vs Leatherface so.. I can see why if your a stiff neck "serious horror only" types who couldn't understand why Evil Dead 2 was so stupid (and didn't see it was being goofy and over the top on purpose like this film is).

There are some great performances from Jim Siedow who returns from the first film as Cook (or Drayton Sawyer) only not as serious or menacing but still does great job. Bill Johnson as Leatherface is good too, he's not Gunner Hansen Leatherface either, this is a totally different looking and acting Leatherface thats not even scarey (like this film is actually supposed to be in the first place), this man does a fine job creating this Frankenstienish character. Dennis Hopper is well, Dennis Hopper (armed with 3 chainsaws). And then there is the real star of the film, Bill Moseley as Chop Top, Hitch Hiker's twin brother who was in Vietnam during the first film. Tobe Hooper let this man loose on camera with him improvising 92% of his scenes and the ones with Jim Siedow. Those two together are comic genious! Jim always complaining while Bill hops around with a half crushed corpse (could it be Hitch Hiker?) mocking him and Leatherface just standing around running place to place as Cook yells at him. They're almost like the cannabalistic 3 Stooges!

There was a ton of awesome footage cut from this film before it was released. Some very long gorey scenes were cut thanks to the MPAA and others cut or trimmed for pacing thanks to Cannon Films. Thats why it seems incomplete, we don't even get to see half of Tom Savini's wicked gore work he did. There was VHS version released last year with some cut scenes in horrible quality at the end, not all of the cut scenes either. I hope that Tobe Hooper pieces this film back together and releases it on DVD

Write Tobe and beg him to! Also if you loved Chop Top as much as I did go to Bill Moseley's website http://www.choptopsbbq.com.

AND GO BUY DEAD ALIVE ON DVD CAUSE ITS THE BLOODIEST FILM OF ALL TIME!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Boogie Boogie Boogie Boogie Boogie
Review: ...And keeping with the spirit of the Elm Street, Psycho, Phantasm, and 13th movies of the day. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 offers us a unique villian who not only kills merciously, he kindly shares his dinner of human body parts with his loving family. Leatherface's family is hilarious, especially his dimented little brother. I thought they all died in the original movie, but I guess that is part of the mystique of slasher films...the villian will return in two years for another paycheck for cast and crew. In this case it took 15 years.

When this was in theatrical release in my hometown, The rating was NC-17, which meant nobody under 17 was allowed in the theatre.

When you approach a movie like this, don't expect to be scared. Expect maybe to be slightly disgusted and laugh. I think a sick sense of humor is necessary to enjoy this movie. Much like Jaws' "Were gonna need a bigger boat", Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 generated such great quotes as "The saw is family"... I question if this is worth the purchase price, or the 99 cent old movie rental fee. But if you like the old style slasher flicks, a good laugh, and have some time to kill, order a pizza, fire up the DVD, and have a good night.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Entertaining Sequel That Makes Up For the First Film
Review: I myself am not a fan of the original movie. Although well-made, the first film suffers from a lack of enjoyability. It was to dimly lit, too seriously thought out, and disgustingly in-your-face with the madness of the situation. It was well-intentioned, but seriously flawed. I was glad to see this movie didn't take itself so seriously. It was very tongue-in-cheek, black humor with all of the entertainment the first film lacked. The cinematography was beautiful, I might ad. I was very impressed to see the imaginative sets filled with bright colors and wonderful imagery. That demonstrates that not all eighties slasher flicks were low budget and quickly made. This film seems like it actually took the time to make an excellent genre flick. Dennis Hopper, although hardly in the film, dishes out the most enjoyable performance he's given in his career. No doubt that the man was brilliant in Blue Velvet, but have you ever LIKED Dennis Hoppper in a role? I did like his character in this film, and found it refreshing to see him in the "good guy" role. Well, as much of a "good guy" as you could ask for from this movie. The characters all seem to be eventually effected by the festering madness, a good tone to have for a movie that doesn't try to martyr anybody. I like how the heroes were all a bit disturbed in their own respects by the last scene of the film. After all, seeing carnage of this magnitude can't be easy. The emotional moments are surprisingly affective, as well. You have to admit the scene where the disk jockey's friend cuts her loose and then dies in his humiliated situation was very on the mark. Shameless maybe, but none the less, on the mark. So, all in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this film. I highly recommend it to those who felt the first one tried too hard to shock. This one is far more good-natured. A great movie from a dying genre.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Everyone involved should be ashamed.
Review: Tobe Hooper must've needed the money. I'm sure Dennis Hopper did - after all, the mid-80s weren't exactly the high point of his career. Everyone else involved continues to toil in obscurity. This is not to say that this film is a failure because it didn't succeed commercially or critically - this film is a failure because the characters and story can not develop beyond the spectacular first TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.

Consider this - what else can the Sawyer family do that they didn't do in the first film? Do you really expect the characters to develop beyond the twisted butchers they were in the original? Well, Hooper tries. He tries to give Leatherface a heart. Do you want to see Leatherface in love? Well, you do in this film and, trust me, you don't want to see it ever again. His first encounter with the film's "heroine" results is a masturbatory sequence with the chainsaw that is simply in poor taste. The other brothers lose their blackly comedic appeal from the first film and become goofy one-dimensional characters.

The premise is similar to the first film: Family captures girl. Family wants to eat girl. Grandpa (who, at 137 years old, looks YOUNGER than he did in the original) tries to hammer girl's head. Chainsaws are revved up. Lots of things are made out of bones. Only two elements are significantly different: 1) The setting - the family now inhabits an abandoned underground (?) amusement park which resembles the underground set from GOONIES; and 2) Hopper plays the uncle of the victims from the first film, hell-bent on revenge. Well, both of these elements fail miserably. The leftover GOONIES set is goofy and goes nicely with the new Leatherface mask which, keeping with the GOONIES theme, really resembles the character of Sloth (as does his new soft-hearted touch - rip-off, anyone?). Hopper actaully has about fifteen minutes of screen time, if that much, and spends the majority of his time onscreen sawing away at timbers in the family's hideout shouting that he's going to "send them back to hell."

I've heard this film described as operatic. I've heard the ending described as so beautifully symbolic. Wrong. The film is simply frenzied in its desperation and can't decide whether to try to be funny or scary and ends up neither. The ending is predictable, a slap in the face to the first film. Hooper and Hopper should be ashamed, though Hopper probably doesn't remember even making the film. The rest of the cast should leave it off their resume. The rest of us should avoid it altogether.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Over The Top, Entertaining Film.
Review: The first time, i`ve seen this film was the 90 minute edited canadian version, the back of the cover: wrote 100 minutes, but i find out, there was two different video version, the full 100 minutes was dubbed french version, it had more plot, a little more action and gore. Make-up effects work are well done by Tom Savini(Creep Show, Friday The 13th:The Final Chapter).By the film came out in 1986, everybody was expecting the disturbing violence of the original, what made the film almost realistic. Most of the audiences and critics hated this film. I think director:Tobe Hooper(The Funhouse, Poltergeist) was making the film more of a spoof, making fun of his own classic. Think about it, the over the top performances are played by Jim Siedow as Drayton Sawyer(who was also in the original), Bill Moseley as Chop Top, who was most of the best lines in the film. Chop Top character in the original did died near the end from the first film, is played by another actor for the sequel. Bill Johnson as Leatherface is more funny and kind of horny(You know, what i mean, the ones, who have the seen the film) at the same time than terrifing in this film, also played by another actor. Dennis Hopper has some great moments in the film, particular his best scene was at the store, buying some chainsaw and his holding two small chainsaw in his hands and than waving it around the owner. In the another scene, his battle with Leatherface, using his chainsaw as sword, which is a pretty cool scene. Caroline Williams has some of the humorous scenes with Drayton, Chop Top and especially with Leatherface which are strangest ridiculous humor in the film.

DVD version, which is fine, is full american theatrical relase, it also has the Pan and Scan version and Widescreen Version(1.85:1). Good Dolby Surround Sound and Tralier. What is missing from this DVD from MGM, they usual collector booklet or what would be nice, a benind the scenes featurette or again deleted scenes didn`t make it thought the final cut, could have been a really good extra. Still is a decent price to buy. Grade:B+.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: I'm the shepard of the harvest.
Review: Add this to your collection. Though not as scary as the original, this movie is out there and great in it's own way. It picks up 15 years after the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Dennis Hopper Plays the Uncle of Sally and Franklin two of the Kids who were killed in the Original. So much for the Plot. The Sets and the sheer lunacy make this film stand on it's own. The Showdown between Hopper and the Family of Freaks will have you in stiches. The Dvd is rather bland no extras really. The Picture and sound quality are A quality. If your a horror fan. Check it out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Tobe's Sickest Joke
Review: For anyone reading this in Australia I would fully recommend this film. Picture the first film mixed with Road Runner....no Ren and Stimpy on acid and you still wouldn't even be close. Because this film was banned in 1987 (and if a label put it up for release today it would pass with an R or even an MA) it has never seen the light of day down under, except in bootleg form. But trust me it's worth getting an import of it because of the bold colors and lighting, something that is lost on the boots.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Double the blood, triple the chainsaw
Review: When viewing Tobe Hoopers original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, there's no doubt that Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 set out to fulfill the very high expectations of its wider audience. There's a kind of magic in this movie that you won't find in the original; even a bit of remorse for the morally distorted Leatherface. The main charactor, a female radio DJ, played her extremely simple role of screaming at uncharted rates and fluttering her body almost dileriously. I loved Denis Hooper in this movie, playing the hero, who weilded two mini-chainsaws beside each hip while holding another large chainsaw in front of him. The bad guys are just as crazy and dillusional as in the original movie, except a bit more upfront this time. You'll notice that the blood level is obsessively high and that the canibals' giant hide-out was a bit overdone. Like any good sequal, this movie provides the same classic material as in the original, except extending it into much higher levels of velocity. If Tobe Hooper wished to be a bit more daring, he would have left out the very familiar "family dinner" scene that was so famous in the original. I wish the action sequence between Denis Hooper and Leatherface would have been a little more fluent, but I guess you can't have everything. Hooper's choice of cinematography is great, as usual, and the sound/picture quality are a little more than reasonable. With an enormous budget, a higher level of suspence, and gore that will keep you from spagetti for weeks, you just cant loose. Buy this movie if you're a horror fan who wants more than his money's worth, without as much of a scare. I suggest renting the original before buying, since it appeals to a more tolerant horror audience. Enjoy the "buzzzzzzzzz!" (you better get used to it)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: A Texas Sized Stink Bomb
Review: I don't know what most of the other reviewers were watching but the Texas Chainsaw Massacre II that I saw was 100% pure sorry. Except for the opening scene with the kid getting his head chopped off it wasn't scary at all and it was out and out stupid. Chop Top, Leatherface and the rest of the family were pretty funny but that's the only good thing about this sorry movie. The female protagonist couldn't act her way out of a paper bag and the ending with her swinging the saw was very stupid. While I was watching it in the theatre a lot of people walked out before the ending with one guy sarcastically saying "It got too scary." Don't waste your time or money with this junk.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Buzz is back!
Review: Not as good as the original, but fun. Directed again, by Tobe Hopper, and starring Dennis Hopper. Ten times better than the two that followed. If you havn't seen the original see that, then this. Enjoy


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