Random Acts of Violence

source: Random Acts of Violence

I really didn't like this movie. The background music was too loud to hear anything. It took forever to get going. Barely see any action or any killing and the ending sucked.

Random Acts of Violence tells the story of a comic book writer who is having trouble coming up with an ending to his new story, all while being stalked by a killer who is stylizing the murders after his books. The story beings on a road trip with Todd played by Jesse Williams and his girlfriend Kathy played by Jordana Brewster heading to a publicity interview for his comic book series Slasherman, with his two assistant friends Ezra and Aurora, played by Jay Baruchel and Niamh (Neeve) Wilson, respectively. The interview starts out great, but quickly gets railroaded when Todd begins getting grilled about basing his comic book on actual murders that happened along the highway. He then receives a phone call during the interview with a cryptic numeric message from an unidentified man. The gang think nothing of the phone call, until they stumble upon a crime scene which is similar to how Todd's characters were murdered in one of his books. Random Acts of Violence is a throwback to the 80s slasher film but unfortunately, there are some flaws to the film. It seems like a lot is missing from this story, and it was quickly wrapped up in its short 81 minute runtime. There is really no introduction to the killer aside from his lair which looks eerily similar to Leatherfaces in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There is also a Christmas themed side story which does not get resolved until the end of the film. Christmas themed movies during Summertime is always awkward. The title Random Acts of Violence is actually appropriate. However, while things were unfolding on screen I was questioning why the film was moving in this direction. I think with a story a little more fleshed out, it wouldn't have felt so shocking and random. Horror film these days are too funny and do not take themselves serious. Many people argue that real life is scarier than movies. If that is the case, then horror should be at peak right now because it should be flooded with real life inspiration. Films like Silence of the Lambs and A Nightmare on Elm Street were based on real life events that were able to be transformed to film. The one thing I was able to take away from Random Acts of Violence is that it actually attempted to take itself seriously. Where so many horror films are now dual genres pairing oh so well with Comedy, Random Acts of Violence hopefully will begin to set a trend of making the slasher film scary again.

This film is basically for people who are fascinated with death and mutilation. It is super disturbing and ultra gory. It's not for general viewers.

Oh Shudder!! Why oh Why? Shudder, like Netflix is famous for producing sub-par content, and sadly, this is beyond sub-par. The cast are proof of their lackluster careers, both the acting and the self-indulgent script were bloody awful. This movie cost 3.5 million dollars to make? I am not sure where the money went. Do yourself a favor, skip this one and watch a classic instead..like The Changeling or Exorcist 3.

If you love horror, like actually like horror not like all these "omg I am a horror critic and my opinion matters because I think slow burns are the bees knees" good solid, soundtrack, fast paced, just do it. LOVED IT.

And their low ratings. Ignore the moronic "critics" as well. This is excellent.

If you were to pick a director to helm the big screen adaptation of Justin Gray's and Jimmy Palmiotti's underground comic Random Acts of Violence I am fairly positive Jay Baruchel isn't the first name that would've sprang to mind. The Canadian funnyman, best known for his supporting turns as a wise-cracking loudmouth in the likes of This is the End, Goon and Knocked Up, shows a completely different side to himself in this Shudder release as he takes on duties behind the camera, in the writer's room with co-screenwriter Jesse Chabot and in front of the camera as the highly strung Ezra. A grisly affair that follows Jesse Williams comic creator Todd as he ventures to a fan convention with his girlfriend Kathy (played by the Fast and the Furious's Jordana Brewster), his business partner Ezra and their assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson), only to find that he and his fellow road trippers face the deadly proposition of his comic's lead The Slasherman becoming a bloody reality, Random Acts of Violence is a true gore-filled exploitation ride as Baruchel holds nothing back as the bodies start piling up in creative and regular fashion. Taking aim at the toxicity of fandom and how sometimes peoples heroes can be anything but upstanding citizens, Random has a message that is tucked away in the midst of all its more slasher orientated antics but one wouldn't expect to walk away from this quickfire 80 minute affair with any life lessons as Baruchel's low-budget exercise fancies shock value moments over anything of real substance. With this focus in mind Random is a sure-fire hit with genre fans and with the big screen iteration of Slasherman the year has one of its most memorable horror figures but when the film is focused more around the character beats and interactions the audience is left wanting as our protagonists get caught deeper and deeper in a life and death game of cat and mouse. Todd himself is a fairly unlikable creation, Williams unable to evolve his creators arrogance into something that becomes relatable and likable while Kathy, Ezra and Aurora are more fodder than anything else but the lack of a truly gripping character doesn't detract from a genre-orientated offering that acts as a showcase for an unlikely career pivot from Baruchel. Final Say - A gory and grim affair, Random Acts of Violence is one for horror buffs specifically as this blood-filled affair shows us a whole new side to comedian Jay Baruchel. 3 toy trucks out of 5

If this were a short film I would probably rate it a little higher. In fact, my guess is that it started as just that since there is so much unnecessary filler here. And the pacing is way off. In the way only a first time filmmaker falls prey to.

Random Acts of Violence Directed by Jay Baruchel. Written by Jay Baruchel and Jesse Chabot Random Acts of Violence comes from the Canadian mixture of Michael Cera and Christian Slater Jay Baruchel adapting a comic about an artist who draws murder comics and these comics become the inspiration for a serial killer. It is a whole bunch of meta. The movie is even designed to resemble a comic in style. The colors are bright and extra heightened. It is similar to what they did with Punisher:War Zone. You are not meant to assume any of this takes place in reality. Well it does at first. Jesse Williams(Grey's Anatomy) is the creator of Slasherman, the murder comic ending its run. He is searching for an ending that is escaping him at every turn. His business partner, assistant and girlfriend decide to take a road trip to some big comic event. His girlfriend is doing research for a book. A killer is on their path and they are about to cross. Now that we know what the movie is about, let's hear some positives. There aren't any. The idea is sound. It has elements that pique your interest and make you want to go on the journey. The film wipes its butt with it. It rips through a huge chunk of the potential. It forces the characters into corners that doesn't feel like they would naturally go there. It brings up these elements of art vs reality and the commodification of true crime but it doesn't do anything with it. It pushes it out of the way in favor of some gore set piece. Gore set pieces are fine but they're alot of nothing when it doesn't have anything backing it up. The other thing is the characters. They are all a giant bunch of assholes and I could not stand them. They had me wanting to throw a boot through my television. Obviously I didn't do that because that would have been expensive. There was a scene at a police station with the most unprofessional police officer I've ever seen. All I could remember in between bouts of seeing red(movie's style not anger) is how much I didn't care what happened to these people. I felt no sadness at their loss. I felt only apathy and eventually rage at having 70 minutes wasted. The potential was flushed away. Jay Baruchel needs to stop and take a moment before making another movie. He messed this one up good. Why do horror movies cast their characters almost exclusively as assholes? Why? I enjoy watching a killer take out buttholes but the movies doing this aren't those Jason Voorhees flicks. It works somewhat in those. If it becomes the norm, it feels like hell. You're forced to spend an hour and a half on average with people you wouldn't be caught dead associating with. I don't associate with anyone anymore nowadays anyway. This is what happens when friends of 14 years tell you you're the enemy of the country. Why would I want to spend more time with people like a Facebook comment section? Why horror movies? You can spend some time on the human characters too otherwise you become Rob Zombie. The murder and bloodshed become meaningless. I give this movie an F. I hated this movie.