MovieChat Forums > Cutting Moments (1997) Discussion > Severely disappointed!!!

Severely disappointed!!!

posted 17 years ago by eternalkaos
15 replies | jump to latest

I got this after seeing it in multiple lists to do with the most disturbing/sickest/extreme films and it totally never lived up to what I was hoping for.
Now this isn't anything to do with the storyline or the acting etc, im giving my opinion solely on the extreme/twisted/disturbing side which in all honesty is tame at best. Ive heard people say they had to stop watching, they felt sick and just couldn't believe what they were seeing. This was a joke, it's not sick or horrifying in the slightest, amusing, but nothing more.
Im writing this first for those who are looking into this hoping to experience something extreme and gruesome, well you won't find that here. Secondly because I was so disappointed after hearing such good things.

[–] eternalkaos 17 years ago

Just wanted to add that considering the budget etc, they done pretty well overall (on the cutting moments story).

[–] zwot 17 years ago

It's really just a matter of perspective. If you're an afficionado of the extreme, someone who's seen Salò, Audition, Irreversible, etc, then yeah, it's not that shocking. But for average moviegoers whose only frames of reference are mainstream slasher flicks, well, that scissors scene trumps anything they'll have seen at the Cinemax.

On second thought, my thinking may be dated. Now that torture porn has gone mainstream with the Saw and Hostel franchises, what was terribly shocking in 1997 could be pretty ho hum to a lot of people in 2007. Ah, progress.

[–] margin_walker2003 16 years ago

I've seen a good many 'extreme' movies, from Audition to Cannibal Holocaust and so on, and I still found this short to be disturbing on gore alone. There is just something about the woman scraping her lips and then cutting them off, lips are so sensitive, it got to me in ways that many of the more 'extreme' gore movies never have. Gore aside this short is great on all levels.

[–] zwot 16 years ago

Yeah, I think what makes that scene so disturbing is that the mutilation is self-inflicted. It really stands out from other films because of that.

[–] TracesOfLove 16 years ago

"Yeah, I think what makes that scene so disturbing is that the mutilation is self-inflicted. It really stands out from other films because of that."

That makes sense because I was just thinking that the last time I felt physically repulsed while watching a scene was In My Skin. I think this was worse though because there was absolutely nothing erotic about it. (Not that I find mutilation erotic, but Marina de Van's character was sure into it!) It was the polar opposite of In My Skin. And that makes it even more disturbing!

Britney Spears makes me think God must be a John Waters fan.

[–] dr_panda2002 16 years ago

I love britney spears! <3
i dont get the God and John Waters reference though. are you saying shes weird?

anyway, where did you see "in my skin"
i cant find anything about that film, and i want to see it :-(

[–] TracesOfLove 16 years ago

"I love britney spears! <3
i dont get the God and John Waters reference though. are you saying shes weird?"

See Female Trouble (1974)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072979/

Pink Flamingos (1972)

Any John Waters film actually. If only Divine were still alive to play her! But then again you could say Divine DID!

"anyway, where did you see "in my skin"
i cant find anything about that film, and i want to see it :-( "

Look up Dans ma peau (2002)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337961/

Britney Spears makes me think God must be a John Waters fan.

[–] dtyellowochre416 14 years ago

agreed! (vomits [not so] quietly!)

[–] yfguitarist 16 years ago

I was too. The reviews are very misleading. It's nowhere near the most disturbing cinematic experience everyone's claiming it to be. So-called gorehounds are talking about how they almost fainted watching it - WTF? The gore is offscreen! Sure, it's disturbing and tragic and the actress is excellent, but it's quite forgettable.

[–] englisher101 15 years ago

I've seen Salo, Cannibal Holocaust, Guinea Pig, Ichi the Killer, Irreversible, I Spit on your Grave, AU's Mordum, etc. and I still found this one to be very disturbing, not because of the gore alone, but the dramatic and emotional nature of the scenes combined with the gore. The two had a pretty devastating effect for me even though I was able to shrug off Ichi the Killer's tongue-cutting scene which is about as gruesome and painful-looking as anything in this short film.

Of course Salo and Irreversible are disturbing in their own ways, but deal with external acts of violence rather than internal ones so I feel a bit different about this one.

[–] drxcreatures 9 years ago

I agree. I've seen some twisted films but, this one does stick out on its own.

It's both sad and unnerving.

http://www.cgonzales.net & http://www.drxcreatures.com

[–] Sepulchrive 15 years ago

I recommend the following 2-step program:

Step 1: pour gasoline over your head
Step 2: shoot yourself with a flare gun

Extreme gore guaranteed!

[–] Dear_Oderus_Urungus 13 years ago

I found the scene in CABIN FEVER where the woman is slowly scraping off pieces of her skin while shaving without even noticing more unsettling than the lips scene in this movie.

And the scene in HOSTEL PART II where the woman uses the scissors to cut off the villain's testicles is far more painful to watch than the scene in CUTTING MOMENTS where the main character uses the hedge clippers to cut off his penis because it isn't shown in CUTTING MOMENTS. I know a lot of people will probably insist that this makes the scene more frightening because it "leaves more to the imagination" but that's a load of crap.

There is something unsettling about the atmosphere of this particular segment though. The subject matter is really jarring and the actress who portrays Sarah is great -- you can almost feel her character's distress by looking at her facial expressions. That's what made the movie disturbing.

To the world you may just be somebody, but to somebody you may just be the world.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] marshalls639 10 years ago

I agree, people hype this way too much, I've seen this top of some peoples lists on the most disturbing films ever. This was just like the time I watched Salo, now that is a disappointing movie.